For a moment, neither of them moved.
The water lapped softly against Lili's waist, carrying away thin trails of dirt as it flowed past. Luki shifted only when her weight changed, adjusting his stance so she wouldn't slip.
He glanced down at his hands.
One was bare, but the other still wasn't.
He began removing the remaining pieces of armor from his left arm, setting them aside on the edge of the basin.
Only then did he move again.
Luki cupped the water with both hands, letting it spill slowly through his fingers before reaching for her.
— I'll start, tell me if you want me to stop. — He said quietly.
She nodded, eyes still closed.
He started with her shoulders.
The first touch made her flinch, a sharp reaction she couldn't quite stop, but she didn't pull away. Luki paused for just a heartbeat, watching for any sign that he should stop. When none came, he continued.
Water ran down from her shoulders in thin streams, carrying away layers of dirt that had clung to her skin for far too long. It darkened briefly as it flowed past her sides, then thinned out, swallowed by the gentle current circling the basin.
Luki repeated the motion again and again, careful not to press too hard, his hands guiding the water rather than scrubbing. Aware of her now sensitive skin.
— It's not so cold anymore… — She muttered, her expression easing a little..
— That's good.
Silence settled again, broken only by the steady sound of flowing water and her breathing.
He moved to her right arm next.
— I'm going to lift it. — He said beforehand.
She obeyed, though the movement was stiff and slow. Luki supported her elbow with one hand while the other guided the water down her arm. Lili inhaled sharply, shoulders tensing, then let the air leave through her nose in a long, controlled breath as if bracing herself.
The grime came away in uneven streaks, darker near her wrist where dirt had settled the longest. Luki adjusted his angle, letting the current do most of the work until her skin was clean beneath it.
He lowered her arm gently before moving to the other.
— This one too.
She nodded again, eyes still closed, jaw tight.
Her breathing hitched once as he lifted her arm, he waited until the tension eased before continuing, repeating the same careful motions as before.
— Relax. I've got you — Luki said quietly.
Her fingers tightened against his armor at that.
— I know — she replied, voice low.
When both arms were done, he hesitated, then spoke again.
— Now your back, I'm going to turn you around.
Lili shifted her weight as he guided her around, exposing her back while resting her arms on the bank. From behind, Luki worked along her back, letting water cascade down her spine, over her sides, and into the basin below.
The water darkened once more, then cleared.
He finished by rinsing her shoulders again, making sure nothing remained. Throughout it all, she never told him to stop.
Luki hesitated, then guided her gently, turning her once more until she was facing him again. He studied her in silence, eyes lowering and lifting with excessive care, clearly searching for any remaining place he could clean without lingering where he shouldn't.
His gaze stopped.
Her hair.
It hung heavy against her neck and shoulders, dull and uneven, strands clinging together from old sweat and dirt. He frowned slightly beneath the helmet.
— Your hair… — he said quietly. — I need to wash it.
— Okay…
— Hold your breath for me.
He guided her a little deeper into the basin, the water reaching the base of her small breasts. One arm wrapped firmly around her back, anchoring her, while the other supported her head.
— Aaaaaa...
When she took a breath, he lowered her carefully.
Lili clutched at him at once, fingers digging into his arm as her head went under. The water swallowed her hair immediately, brown strands floating and spreading before tangling again.
Luki worked quickly but gently, running his fingers through her hair again and again, trying to loosen the knots. It was dry beneath the water, stubborn and brittle, resisting every attempt to separate it. He had to be patient, combing through with his hands, guiding the water through each section until it finally began to give.
After a few seconds, he lifted her.
Lili broke the surface with a sharp gasp, coughing once as she dragged air back into her lungs. Water streamed down her face and neck, strands of hair clinging to her cheeks. She wiped at her eyes with shaky hands, brushing a soaked lock out of the way.
— Sorry… — She muttered between breaths.
— You did fine — Luki replied. — Are you okay to go again?
She nodded after a moment.
Once more, he lowered her.
Again, her grip tightened. Again, he worked through her hair, fingers sliding a little more easely this time. When he brought her back up, her breathing was steadier, though still heavy.
They repeated it.
Again.
And again.
Each time, the resistance lessened. The strands softened, falling more naturally, no longer fighting his touch. By the final time he lifted her, her hair was clean enough, darkened by water but finally free.
Luki tilted her chin up gently, just enough to keep the water from running into her eyes. Through the visor, he looked at her properly for the first time.
Her eyes were wide and round, focused directly on him to the point that Luki was able to see his own reflection. With the grime gone, her features looked softer, the tension that had clung to her expression finally eased. Water traced slow paths down the sides of her face, gathering at her chin before dripping back into the spring.
Then, with slow, careful motions, he brushed her hair back with his fingers, smoothing it away from her face, leaving her features fully exposed.
For a moment, he simply held her there, not knowing what to do, just staring at her face while she stared back at him as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
Then he guided her back to the edge of the basin, helping her lean against the stone once more. The water settled around her waist again as he stepped back just enough to look her over.
Luki remained in front of her for a moment, hands still dripping.
He hesitated.
— There's… one more part. — He said quietly.
She said nothing.
— I'll keep it brief.
Lili didn't answer right away. Her eyes stayed focused on him, as if contemplating something deeply.
— Okay.
He lowered himself slightly, cupping the water again. This time, he didn't rush, making sure she was ready before his hands followed.
— If it's too much, just say so and I'll stop. — He reminded her.
She nodded.
His hands followed the trail of water, gliding with a gentleness that was almost a forbidden caress.
He ran his fingers over her damp skin, tracing her shoulders, down the sides of her torso... and then, inevitably, brushing against the lower part of her soft breasts.
— Ah! — Lili let out a low, shy moan.
— I'M SORRY!!! — He quickly pulled his hands back.
— No! — Lili cried out — I mean, Luki-sama, you can continue.
— Lili, you don't need to force yourself...
— No, no, it's okay, I just... I was just a little surprised. — She said shyly, pushing her hair down so Luki wouldn't see her blushing face.
Luki remained motionless, staring at her. The whole situation was very strange, and he would be lying if he said he didn't feel even a little embarrassed.
He hadn't even reached this level of intimacy with Hestia before, and now he was bathing another girl who, after all this, he had also come to like in one way or another.
Perhaps if he forced himself to think a little more, he would realize that Lili was acting strangely and that things weren't as he thought, but Luki had never been one to overthink things; he simply pushed his doubts aside and continued in silence.
He grabbed some more water and went back to washing her front, this time faster to get it over with once and for all.
Lili remained silent, biting her lower lip hard, without a startle or complaint. Instead, her breathing deepened, becoming irregular.
The minutes dragged on in heavy silence, broken only by the faint sound of water moving around them. Luki's hands continued their careful work, steady and restrained, until Lili finally breathed out through her nose, long and controlled, as if gathering what little courage she had left.
— Luki-sama… — she began, hesitating. — Can I ask you something strange?
— Hm? Sure. — he replied, not stopping.
She gave a faint, humorless smile.
— Do you ever think about how this ends?
His hands slowed, then stopped.
— What do you mean?
— Us. — She gestured weakly between them. — Down here. No Familia. No one coming to get us. Me getting worse every day.
There was no drama in her voice. That was what made it unsettling.
— Hey, hey… don't say that. We'll get out. I won't let anything happen to you. — Luki said firmly.
She nodded, slower this time.
— I know you believe that. — Her fingers curled slightly against the stone. — That's kind of the problem.
He frowned beneath the helmet.
— What problem?
— That I don't. — She looked down at the water, watching it ripple against her skin. — I don't even know if I'll be alive tomorrow… and you're standing there like this is just something to endure.
That finally made him stop completely. He looked at her then, truly looked, concern clear even behind the visor.
— I'm not calm because it doesn't matter. I am because if I'm not, everything falls apart. And you're not going to die here. I've said that already.
She laughed quietly, breathless.
— See? You make it sound so easy.
— Easy…? — he echoed.
— Yeah. Like I can just lean on you and everything will work out. Like I don't have to exist as myself anymore.
He shook his head.
— You're sick. You're weak right now. I'm not. So I protect you. That's all there is to it. Why are we talking about this? Just… relax. Let me do what I need to do.
She was quiet for a moment.
Then—
— Then why am I the only one like this?
He paused.
— Like what?
— Exposed. — Her hand lifted weakly, then fell back into the water. — Naked. Helpless. If you're taking care of me… why am I the only one who has to feel it this way?
Her eyes lifted, meeting the dark visor.
— You're covered from head to toe. Even now. I can't even see your face.
The water continued to flow between them, indifferent.
— Lili, I—
— I know. — Her voice finally wavered. — I know you're being respectful. I know you're doing the right thing.
She swallowed.
— But I don't want to be the only one who feels vulnerable anymore.
The words came out quieter, heavier.
— If I'm going to be like this… then don't stand there like you're untouchable.
Luki's breath caught.
— Take it off.
— What…?
— Take it off. Now. — She said even more certain, there was no playfulness in her voice.
Luki took a step back.
— Lili, I can't. You're—
— What am I? — she interrupted, her voice hoarse and trembling. — Too weak? Too broken? Not strong enough to stand by your side... or at least attractive enough to elicit a reaction from you?
The words came out faster than she could stop them. Her chest rose and fell, breath uneven, eyes burning but dry.
— I know I'm being demanding — she continued, voice dropping, losing its edge. — I know I'm being irrational.
She clenched her hands at her sides, fingers digging into her own skin as if to keep herself from falling apart.
— But please, Luki-sama… I'm just a Pallum who's never been able to choose anything. Not where I was born. Not what I became. Not how I survived.
She took a step foward, building pressure.
— We've been trapped down here for months. And no matter what you say… — she shook her head weakly. — There's no hope anymore. You know that.
Her gaze dropped, voice trembling now.
— We're going to die down here. No… — she corrected herself bitterly. — I'm going to die down here. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But soon.
She swallowed hard, then looked up at him again, eyes wide and bare.
— So please. Just this once. — Her voice cracked. — For everything we've been through together… for everything I wanted to believe we could still have…
She took a shaky breath.
— Let me be selfish... Take. It. Off.
Luki stood motionless, his expression blank behind his helmet.