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It had been a few months since the seer and the embalmer had declared their feelings for each other and announced their relationship to the rest of the manor. Most of the residents congratulated them and only a minority seemed to object to the idea of two men being in that kind of relationship. All this to say that everything was going well in the best of all possible worlds for the young couple.
Well, almost everything was going well. One thing that was often noticed between the two males was probably Aesop's introversion and Eli's extroverted personality. It was a way for them to complement each other and make up for their flaws, but there was always a problem. The young embalmer had little confidence in himself and often expressed doubts about the affection he received from the diviner.
It wasn't that he questioned the fact that he loved him, at least not entirely, but the lack of contact with the outside world for much of his youth made it difficult for him to express his feelings and accept that Eli truly loved him for who he was. Still, the brown-haired man was understanding by nature and always reassured the embalmer about it.
Unfortunately, he felt like he was taking two steps backwards when he was taking one forward. Aesop still seemed so stressed about their relationship and Eli was running out of ideas to convince the gray-eyed one. So, one night, he decided to go to the basement of the manor. The place had been taken over by the barmaid who transformed the area into a wine cellar as well as a bar.
Drinking was not really in his habits but once in a while would probably not hurt him and could even revive his spirit and give him other ways to court his boyfriend. Even if it sounded a little ridiculous that he was doing this for someone he had already established a relationship with.
But whatever, when he went down the stairs to the underground bar, he was greeted by the dim light of the place, giving it a calm and chic atmosphere, a phonograph was playing jazz in the background and there were few people besides Demi Bourbon, the barmaid. He spotted the priestess sitting at the counter and went to sit on the seat next to her after she waved to him when she saw him coming.
"It's rare to see you here!" the young woman exclaimed.
"Right, I felt like having a change of scenery."
The seer asked the barmaid for a simple, not too alcoholic cocktail before turning a little more towards Fiona once his drink arrived.
"Tell me everything! How are things going with dear Aesop?"
"Oh, um... How can I put this..."
The priestess raised an eyebrow at her friend's hesitation. The latter's insistent gaze was becoming quite disturbing and Eli felt he had to tell her about his problem. After all, she was sort of the reason he and the embalmer were where they were today. Maybe she would have a trick up her sleeve to help him.
"Hmm, I see the problem... As well as the solution that goes with it!"
"R-Really?"
"Yes! Come to my room tomorrow afternoon so I can give it to you!"
"O-Okay..."
Just after announcing this, the young woman got up from her seat and stormed off towards the upper floor. He doubted that she would prepare something dangerous, but he wondered what she might be up to.
He finished his drink quietly and returned to his room. That night, his curiosity had still not disappeared and persisted, making him go to bed later than expected. Aesop came to wake him up for the umpteenth time this morning. Since they were officially a couple, he insisted on trying to share as many moments together as possible, no matter how trivial it might be.
According to him, Eli had shown him the wonderful side of loving someone, enjoying someone's company and wanting to do things for them. The seer had taught him a new aspect of life full of colors that embellish the gray world of the embalmer. The young man once told him that he was as radiant as the sun.
"What are you thinking?"
The chestnut-haired man was suddenly brought out of his thoughts by hearing his lover's voice. Only at that moment did he realize that he was blushing slightly as he remembered the words of the one with gray eyes. Aesop put his fork down next to his plate and tilted his head to the side as his eyes seemed to pierce the barrier Eli's blindfold created.
"Oh, uh, nothing special!"
"Are you sure?"
"No worries!"
The seer smiled at the embalmer and placed a kiss on his cheek to reassure him. The latter turned his face to the other side after this gesture, covering his cheek with his hand. This kind of affectionate demonstration in public had the knack of embarrassing him horribly and wishing he could be buried in a coffin right away.
"While I think about it, I have to go see Fiona later so I won't be able to be with you for a while."
"I see."
The ashen haired male didn't deign to look at the brown-haired man and just poked his food with the tip of his fork without saying anything. Thus, the two men finished their lunch quietly before returning to the dormitories, Eli separating from Aesop on the second floor to go see the priestess. He arrived in front of the door of the room of the young woman and knocked twice.
He waited there for a moment before a female voice told him to wait a moment. After a few more minutes, the oak door opened suddenly, revealing a priestess who looked exhausted due to the dark circles under her eyes despite the wide, almost frightening smile she wore. She seemed to be holding a strange blue package closed with a pink ribbon in her hands.
"Eli! Right on time!"
Without further ado, Fiona forced the packet into his hands, catching him a little off guard.
"Take one of these when you're in Aesop's presence! It should come in handy! Well, on that note, I apologize for having to kick you out so quickly but it took me a lot of effort to make them so I'm now going to catch up on my sleep!"
On these last words, the young woman closed the door as quickly as she had opened it, surprising the brunet once more. Eli stared at the bag he just received, smelling a slight sweet smell emanating from it. He raised an eyebrow and then pulled back the ribbon to see the contents. Inside was what appeared to be... cookies?
They looked like perfectly normal cookies no matter how he looked at them. It was almost a wonder if there was anything magical about them at all. Well, he would see later, for now, he was just going to find the young embalmer who was probably in his room. Once in front of his door, he took one last look at the bag of cookies.
'To be used in the presence of Aesop'... So Eli took a cookie and put it in his mouth, it was sweet, exactly like a real cookie. He didn't seem to feel much change in him though, was Fiona wrong? He knocked on Aesop's door thinking that and then opened it when he received an almost immediate response, closing behind him.
"Back so soon? I thought it would take longer."
"She was just asking me for advice on some sort of ritual she wanted to do."
"I see. Don't just stand there, come here."
The brunet swallowed his saliva as he saw that his lie passed without any problems and went to sit next to the embalmer on the bed, in the spot he pointed out. Suddenly, as he sat down, a sharp pain seized him in his chest, forcing his hand to clutch at the fabric of his coat.
"Eli? Is everything okay?" asked Aesop with a worried expression.
Was it Fiona's cookies that were working? God, who would have thought there would be such side effects after ingesting them. His throat was on fire and the unrelenting pain in his chest didn't seem to be decreasing. Finally, the brown-haired man coughed heavily and took a deep breath, turning sharply to the embalmer.
"Aesop."
"Y-Yes?"
"You know I love you..."
"Yes...?"
"I'll never stop telling you, you're the sunshine that brightens my days no matter what you might say..."
"Are you sure you're not feverish...?"
Cold sweat ran down the embalmer's back, Eli being this affectionate was nothing new but... he seemed to be a little more so than usual... Suddenly, the diviner took his hand between his, bringing it up to his chest afterwards and resting it against his heart, a smile on his lips.
"Do you feel it? My heart beats just for you."
"W-what..."
Okay, this was getting really weird. Aesop wondered what the other man was talking about and if he had gone crazy. While he was still embarrassed by Eli's advances, he didn't notice that the latter withdrew one of his hands and slipped it around his waist. He felt a pressure at his hip and was met by the seer's face right in front of his own.
"Don't be shy, why don't you come a little closer?"
"I think I'm close enough as it is..."
"There will always be a place for you by my side, my love."
No sooner did he finish his sentence than he leaned in to place a kiss on the gray-eyed boy's delicate lips. This had the same effect as an electric shock for the young embalmer and his cheeks quickly came to be tinged with red. His hand was still against Eli's chest and he could feel his heartbeat through the fabric.
They were fast. Or maybe it was his own that was beating that fast? He didn't know exactly at the moment and could just focus on the brunet's soft lips against his. He finally put his other hand against the seer in order to push him away and catch his breath, glaring slightly at the other man, his arm still around his waist.
"What's wrong with you..." the embalmer grumbled.
"What's wrong? My boyfriend is simply the most adorable of all..."
"Ugh..."
Eli was so gentle with him that it almost made him want to vomit. He then noticed that he didn't take off his blindfold. Strange, he always took it off when it was just the two of them. He approached the male slightly, the seer blushing as he thought the embalmer was about to take the initiative.
Unfortunately for him, Aesop just removed the cloth covering his eyes. The young man with ashen hair then widened his eyes by seeing those of his lover. It lasted only a short moment but he was sure he saw a kind of pink glow in his eyes. Coupled with his clingier demeanor, the pieces of the puzzle were slowly falling into place in his brain.
"Eli, did you talk about anything else with Fiona?"
"Hm, maybe~"
"Tell me the truth."
"Okay okay, don't get mad! I told her I didn't know what else to do to prove to you that I love you because you always look suspicious so she gave me cookies to help me!"
"Can I see them?"
The brunet nodded and took the bag out of his pocket then placed it in the embalmer's hands. The latter looked at them for a moment and then rose from his bed, walking over to the trash can near his desk and tossing them in. He then turned to Eli, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.
He wasn't upset or anything by Eli's actions even though it bothered him a little that the priestess was meddling in their affairs. The diviner had done this because he cared about him and wanted to get his feelings across to him, so it was well-intended. He was just... sad. It was obviously because of him that he had gone so far.
"Sorry."
"Why are you apologizing?"
"It's my fault, right? It's because I can't help but doubt everything when deep down I know perfectly well that you are the only one who accepts me for who I am."
Aesop bit his lower lip as he said this. He hated that part of him. Eli was strangely silent, until the crunch of the bed indicated that he had just gotten up. The embalmer lifted his face and saw the seer wearing a slightly pained smile. He was then embraced by a pair of arms, the brown-haired man's face nuzzling the hollow of his neck.
"It's not your fault."
"But-"
"I'm not the only one either, you know? Plenty of other people like you, too, though I'm sure none of them can beat me."
Aesop then returned his hug, even if it was only to comfort him, he wanted to believe in his words, in his love.
"Thank you. I know I don't say it often but I love you from the bottom of my heart."
"I know."
And so they remained in each other's arms for a moment longer before they parted, their hearts finally free of a weight that had been lingering for some time. Aesop spent the rest of his day with Eli, blushing repeatedly when he got a little too demonstrative. Fortunately, the next day, the effects of the spell wore off and even though their conversation had taken place when the seer was not in his usual state, the embalmer knew that his feelings still reached his lover.