Paradise
The final days of their retreat had arrived, a bittersweet end to the peaceful tranquility of the ocean and jungle. Lumi’s heart clenches with dread. He does not want to leave this haven behind, knowing that Khimi’s destiny to rule and lead the Cerulean Star is barreling towards. That his destiny is drawing near, that the gods will not allow him to wander aimlessly with Khimi forever. Ever since that fateful night when he called upon the gods and uttered the sacred words, a dark fear has been gnawing at Lumi’s insides, taunting him with thoughts of being separated from Khimi. Despite Khimi’s oath and promise to stay by his side, Lumi cannot shake off the gnawing fear that duty will ultimately tear them apart. Even though they plan to seek Nina’s guidance upon their return to Rhaz, Lumi knows that running away may be their only way to escape fate.
Lumi gingerly dips his toes into the crystal-clear water of the Dolman Coast, relishing the cool sensation on his skin. The wet sands squeeze between his toes while he gazes up at Khimi, standing naked in the shallows. A blush creeps up Lumi’s cheeks every time their eyes meet, a heat that spreads through his body like wildfire. He digs his toes deeper into the soft sand, feeling grounded and content at this moment. Suddenly, a powerful wave crashes against his calves, knocking him off balance and sending him tumbling onto the sandy shore. He quickly pushes himself back up, he looks at Khimi, assuring him that he is unharmed. Khimi had always been protective of him, though he expressed it in unconventional ways. But with Khimi, Lumi knows he is truly safe for the first time in his life. Khimi playfully splashes through the water, effortlessly navigating the waves with his muscular frame
“Saw you take that wave,” Khimi says with a wide grin, squeezing water from his soaked sarouel.
Lumi smirks, shifting his feet restlessly in the soft, sun-warmed sand until he’s half-buried up to his ankles. “I was distracted!” he announces with pursed lips.
“Right, right,” Khimi chuckles, plopping in the sand just above where the gentle waves caress the shore. “Just a few more days,” he murmurs in a contended tone.
Lumi turns around, rolling his loose sarouel above his knees, his tone taking on a teasing edge. “You want to go back, don’t you?” he asks, shooting an accusatory glare.
Khimi runs a hand through his salt-damp hair, brushing away the remnants of brine. “Lumi, don’t be like that,” he says, squeezing the moisture out of a handful of hair.
“Like what?” Lumi retorts, arching an eyebrow in challenge.
Khimi sighs, both exasperation and fondness in his tone. “Like that—pouty and dismissive.”
Lumi shrugs, his tail swishing behind him like a pendulum. “I’m not pouting. I just don’t see why we need to go back already. Ennui is with Aleyna, Rashid is keeping an eye on things in Rhaz… We’re here. Together.”
“Yes, but—”
“But you’ve got to make sure things don’t turn sour. That no merchant dares step on Emir Ziad Zeybek’s toesies—”
“We,” Khimi interrupts. “We have got to see Saint Nina. We have plans, remember?”
Lumi lets himself sink into the shallow water, his eyes drifting over the Great Expanse. “Can we just run away into the jungle?” he asks, his gaze heavy with longing as it scans the ocean.
“Is that what you truly want?” Khimi inquires, squinting against the bright sun as he watches Lumi intently. “I don’t think you really mean that.”
Lumi grimaces and turns back to him, his ears wiggling. “There’s just… so much for us to do back home,” he sighs, slapping his hands into the water with a frustrated whine. “Khimi, what if we’re forced onto different paths? What if the gods make me march into Dolmas, or compel me to cross the ocean to the Vald?”
Khimi shakes his head, adopting a playful mimicry of Rashid’s gruff tone. “Y’re so irrational, lil’ lion.”
Lumi visibly cringes. “Not even close,” he retorts with a shaky laugh. “It sounds more like. Best ya learn how to control y’r emotions, Lumi,” he teases in a perfectly imitated Rashid.
Khimi laughs heartily. “You’re better at that than I am,” he confesses. Then, with sudden earnestness, he asks, “But seriously—are we agreed to go see Nina?”
“Yes, yes,” Lumi replies, rolling his eyes with a resigned smile. “We’ll ask her if she knows anything. But what if she doesn’t?”
“Someone will, somewhere,” Khimi offers. “What’s gotten into you, you’ve always been so confident?”
Lumi lowers his body deeper into the shallow water, leaving only his neck and face above the gentle waves. “I’m scared,” he whispers, his voice breaking as he shields his face from Khimi’s searching eyes.
“You?” Khimi asks, arching an eyebrow in disbelief. “Impossible.”
Lumi hesitates, then confesses in a trembling tone, “What if this hope that we have… this—the dream of us being together for eternity—doesn’t come true? What if we can’t make it work? You know, the other saints… they never age, Khimi. What if I stay young while you grow old? What if—”
“Stop!” Khimi shouts, his fingers carving through the warm sand as he steadies himself. “Lumi, stop,” he says more calmly, his voice softening. “I get it, but we’ll figure it out. I’ve already thought about those things… and as long as you don’t mind me growing into an old man…”
“How can you be so calm?” Lumi pleads, his voice quivering. “It’s stupid and m-messed up!” He shouts, rising abruptly from the water, his soaked tail slapping against the rolling waves. “Do you know what the gods told me? That the path of a saint is perilous, a difficult road. They’ve already forced me to—made me kill all those people—”
“They saved us,” Khimi interjects, his tone sharp but reassuring. “They clearly care about your well-being—and, by extension, mine, I suppose.”
Lumi waves his hand dismissively, his expression troubled. “Either way, I feel like I carry the weight of those souls against me.”
“Nonsense!”
“It’s true!” Lumi insists, his ears pinned back in anger. “How am I supposed to be a ‘beacon of hope’ when I’m out there slaughtering people?”
Khimi chuckles, his tone a blend of amusement and adoration. “Sorry, but… Lumi, seriously—you’re the most positive, hopeful, kind soul I’ve ever met. The fact that you struggle with this… proves you’re right for it.”
Lumi slaps the water, splashing droplets as he shouts, “Gah! Why are you like this?!” He pushes through the shallows, pointing an accusatory finger at Khimi. “If I have to bear the title of Saint of Flames, then you—YOU have to be my guardian! We’ll find a way to make you live forever with me! I refuse to do it any other way!”
A mischievous smirk curls on Khimi’s lips. “You think the gods will approve of all the sex?” he teases, his tone playful and taunting.
Lumi drags his hands across his face and rushes from the water, shaking off the lingering droplets. “Seriously, Khimi! I know you despise the gods… but I need you,” he declares, his voice thick with passion.
“Of course I’ll be your guardian,” Khimi whispers affectionately as he scratches the scar over the bridge of his nose. “Though I doubt Enan will be pleased. I never really looked into her situation after she bestowed these gifts on me.” He sucks his teeth and meets Lumi’s gaze. “I suppose when you’ve been imprisoned for a few thousand years… a few more won’t hurt, right?”
Lumi’s nose wrinkles in annoyance. “What if she’s evil, or what if she’s taken your soul—like those damn tales of devils?” he asks softly, his tail slapping against his leg as water droplets sprinkle from his soaked fur.
Khimi lies back in the sand, rubbing the grains from his drying, taut abdomen. “Oh, we never had any sort of deal like that,” he replies with a shrug. “I simply promised I’d help free her in exchange for some gifts… at a time when I felt I couldn’t deny her anyway.”
“Was there any oath? Did you say ‘I swear on my soul’ or something ominous?” Lumi asks, eyes widening like saucers.
Khimi laughs, running his hand through the coarse abdominal hair. “Nothing of the sort. Enan just said I’d have powers as long as I fought for her freedom, then left me with this nasty scar,” he adds, motioning toward the jagged line over his nose.
“Let me look,” Lumi commands, his pants sloshing with water as he stands over Khimi, blocking the sun while dribbling salty seawater onto him. “Let… me take a look,” he insists, kneeling beside Khimi’s face. He cups Khimi’s cheeks in his hands and turns his head to study the scar.
Khimi raises an eyebrow, flashing a bright, teasing grin. “Find anything?” he asks.
“N-no, it just looks really—” Lumi begins, but his words are cut off as Khimi reaches behind Lumi’s head and draws him in, their lips colliding in a familiar, irresistible kiss. Once again, Khimi catches Lumi off guard, luring him effortlessly into his charm. Lumi’s fingers tense against Khimi’s cheeks, nails pressing into soft copper skin, as their lips meld in a tender, fiery dance. He’s the only one I can ever be myself with. A tightness forms at the back of his head, his lungs starved for air.
Lumi abruptly breaks away. “Let me look!” he growls, his tail slapping the sand as he leans in close to Khimi’s face. “Have you ever seen… really poor metalwork?”
“Are you saying my face looks like it was crafted by a shitty blacksmith?” Khimi half-laughs, half-throws a playful glance.
“No!” Lumi laughs. “I am saying that the scar looks like where the blacksmith connects the metal. Welds it, I believe?” he offers, uncertain of the right word.
Khimi drums his fingers in the sand. “At least it’s a unique scar,” he concedes with a brief, self-deprecating smile.
“Right, but… what if I tried to heal it? Maybe it’ll vanish—along with that weird connection you have with her,” Lumi whispers conspiratorially, gently turning Khimi’s face in his hands. “Then you can be mine alone!”
“You’re welcome to try, but I doubt it’ll heal,” he says, glancing at Lumi from the corner of his eyes.
Lumi forces his eyes closed and focuses intently on the scar spanning Khimi’s nose. His fingers trace its length as he utters a quiet, earnest prayer. A warm energy radiates from his touch, softening the roughness of the scar just a bit. Suddenly, Khimi yelps, and Lumi’s eyes snap open in alarm to find Khimi’s nose covered by his own hand.
“That burned,” Khimi grumbles, rubbing the tender spot.
Lumi sighs in defeat. “I think I just smoothed it out a lot… I don’t think I can truly heal that scar,” he groans softly.
“It’s alright,” Khimi concedes with a shrug. “I would have been surprised if you managed it anyway. I tend to like my scars—even if most people can’t stand the sight—”
“Oh, please,” Lumi interrupts with an unrestrained, hearty laugh. “You know every man and woman in the Desert Cities stares at you and wonders, ‘Why can’t I be as beautiful as Khimi Zeybek?’” he teases, his tone dripping with playful sarcasm.
“You’re much more chipper,” Khimi retorts as Lumi presses his hands over his cheeks. He Khimi pushes his face forward, capturing Lumi’s lips in a searing kiss. “Was it,” Khimi murmurs between kisses, “the kiss?” he asks softly, “or… do I just make you happy?”
Lumi tries to hide a smile by turning his cheek, but only manages a stuttering protest. “Sh-shut up,” he protests, his gaze averting from Khimi’s intense stare.
“The kiss then,” Khimi teases, rolling on top of Lumi and pressing his body down tenderly. Their lips merging once more into a fervent dance.
Lumi turns his head, his breath quickening while their bodies entwine. “Both,” he suddenly confesses, voice laden with longing and need. “Both. You make me forget all the bad things—the memories I try to push from my mind.” His eyes lock with Khimi’s, their noses brushing in an intimate caress. He cups Khimi’s cheeks with his hands, drawing their faces closer together until their lips are just apart. Slowly, he runs his tongue along the length of Khimi’s scar, exploring every crevice and curve with the roughness of his tongue.
“Then how about, just for these next few days, we enjoy paradise together?” Khimi asks in a low, seductive murmur.
Lumi moves in a frenzy of desire, his heart racing with every lick against Khimi. His lips find Khimi’s again, their mouths meeting in a passionate union. Their bodies press against each other, Khimi’s hand roams along Lumi’s body with purposeful movements. Their tongues explore each other’s mouths, savoring the roughness and sweetness of their kiss.
“O-okay,” Lumi whimpers through their locked lips, his hips arching up to meet Khimi’s. They continue to devour each other with fervor, Lumi’s body moving more wantingly than ever. The soft, melodic clanging of his golden anklets echoes across the empty beach.