Chapter Text
Turning his back to conceal himself from the eyes of curious spectators, the red faced Edmond quickly took a bite out of the half-eaten strawberry at the top of the skewer…
Edmond’s heart raced as he tried to search for a small section of strawberry that Eiden’s lips didn’t touch. It was unavoidable, only a split second before people would notice. Sweetness gushed into the Vice-Captain’s mouth. Mmm…
“How is it? Pretty good, right?” Eiden raised his eyebrows as he studied Edmond’s face, who also seemed deep in thought.
He looks hot even just eating that…so sexy and innocent.
Edmond covered his hand over his mouth to hide the chewing, and shyly turned away from Eiden’s gawking. As he finished, he quickly handed Eiden the skewer back.
“…Not bad.” Edmond said stiffly as he sucked on his lower lip. He put his mouth on Eiden’s spit! Was that a kiss? Did that count!? No…not with this fraud, never in a million years! “Thank you for letting me try it.”
“Then let’s get going! What should we eat next…”
Edmond cleared his throat and looked over his shoulder. The confident and proud Vice-Captain had never looked so uncertain before in Eiden’s eyes.
“Don’t you want any more? Thought you were a sweets guy.”
“I-I can’t allow myself to over indulge in such things.” Edmond huffed.
Eiden narrowed his eyes as he glanced back down at the strawberry. “You took literally the smallest bite. Does this really count?”
“I tasted it just fine.”
“Okay…I guess I have to eat this all by myself then!” The man gave a fake pout and continued to work on the fruit.
“You make it sound like it’s a difficult thing.”
“Haha-Not at all, I just wanted to share something tasty with you! That’s what you do on dates. You go out and do stuff together, share experiences, food, whatever you want.”
“..Doesn’t sound so bad I suppose…” Edmond muttered to himself, his voice low as he forced himself to focus more on where they were walking.
“It’s fun. I used to go out on dates all the time back in my world. Did lots of stuff and tried things I never would’ve done by myself.” Not sure if that was all good stuff though…glad I think I’ve changed since then…heh.
Edmond shifted his weight and looked away, pretending to be distracted by something else which Eiden easily noticed.
“Hey…I imagine you don’t get much time off, surely there’s more things you’d like to try. Doesn’t have to be sweets. Aster told me there’s a lot of cool stuff around here. I bet you know where all the best places are, being Vice-Captain and all.”
“I…I do know some places I could take us that are in walkable distance…and with less…people looking.” Edmond’s voice grew quiet.
“Oh~? Trying to get me all alone? Vice-Captain, I didn’t think you had it in you.”
“Eh!?” Edmond gasped as if he had been caught spewing foul language. Edmond’s whole body stiffened and his hands balled into fists. “No, you degenerate! I-I would never! It’s not like that!” A few curious heads turned their way.
The knight was flustered already. But Edmond quickly let out an exasperated sigh and regained his composure. He adjusted his ponytail and ran a few fingers through so the blue locks fell neatly over his shoulder.
“There’s a public park not far from here that my mother enjoys. I’ve never been there but she says it always makes her happy. Not as grand as the palace gardens, but a reputable place to visit and highly recommended during tourist season.”
Eiden smiled. He wondered if he’d ever get the chance to meet Edmond’s mother. Whenever he mentioned her, the knight always spoke of her with the utmost adoration.
“I like the sound of that! Relaxing, low-key, smelling flowers, oh- we could have a picnic!”
”Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, we don’t want to be out too late. Erm, maybe another time?”
“Fiiinne, then let’s grab some things to go! I’m ready for more snacking and being out like this with you. It’s nice."
“Nice..?”
“Yeah. I can be myself when I’m with you. Even if you think I’m just a fraudulent Sorcerer. ”
“Hm.” Edmond cleared his throat, “Ahem, well, the Kingdom needs your support. Nothing is more important than ensuring your success. Though…The knights have also mentioned something of a similar note to what you said.”
“Well~ you are the hardest worker I’ve ever met. I don’t know how you keep up with it all, it’s honestly kind of amazing.”
Edmond pursed his lips to resist smiling from the praise and rolled his eyes. It always took a moment to think about what he wanted to say when Eiden dropped an innocent compliment like that. “A lifetime investment of harsh discipline thanks to my parents. I was specifically raised to be the way that I am. If you’d like, I’d be more than happy to push you further on your training. I’m quite familiar with different training strategies.”
Eiden let out a nervous laugh and held up his hands, “Er-One thing at a time I think would be best! Olivine has been teaching me a lot of things lately-working that brain power, you know!?”
“Hmph. If that’s what you wish.” Edmond mumbled. “But let’s not neglect the importance of your sword training. It would benefit you if you actually got up at dawn to do some morning routines with me and the knights…I’ve been thinking of going from twice a week to four days a week.”
Eiden continued to force a smile, “Er, Edmond, you know I’m not always just sleeping in, right? Some of the guys are only free in the morning…and that’s when we do essence regulation. I don’t know if I’ll have the energy to fit in more training. Heck, or even the night before. Or I’m doing my studies! There’s already so much.” he admitted. He could tell Edmond saw that as a poor excuse, he was always trying to fit every little thing into his own schedule, but at what cost? How was Edmond not going crazy?
Edmond flushed and gasped with disgust. “Ugh. Then if you wish to gain my amity, you can make the time instead of pestering me on my shifts…”
“Edmonddd~” Eiden whined the other’s name in the most pathetic way possible, “The time isn’t the problem, I’m happy to make more time with you. But I don’t want to spend time with you just training.”
“Hngh, I don’t want to know about your lecherous thoughts!”
“I was going to suggest just the two of us having morning tea together once a week before you start work.”
“Oh…I apologize for assuming…”
“I think if we want to know each other better, it should be more casual! You need to relax a little. It’s healthy to give yourself some leisure time. You can’t always be in work mode.”
“But-“
“Okay, how about this? I’ll join you with the knights once a week. And then I want to specifically dedicate a morning every week for us to have tea together. Is that reasonable? I don’t want us to both get overwhelmed.”
“I…that…that is reasonable.” Edmond blushed and then looked down at his gemstone. It had been so dull it had looked grey up until he had met Eiden. The other ensured his essence was was least meeting the bare minimum requirements to keep him in good condition. The other clan members, from what Edmond could tell, they seemed to mind much less whether it was for essence regulation or personal enjoyment.He didn’t really want to know since it wasn’t his business anyway, nor did he want to get himself involved more than he had to. He was on a mission after all, assigned by the king himself. Edmond quickly retracted his hand to his side, almost ashamed of it. Being a clan member was something he was still trying to come to terms with.
Eiden’s eyes followed Edmond’s to the hazy sapphire on his left hand. He wants to increase training to four days a week!? And he’s worried about my physical wellbeing!? This guy needs to seriously get laid before he passes out again from overexerting himself. Maybe we can add essence regulation to his schedule too. It’s been a few weeks since we had sex…he seems to be keeping it together for now, I guess. But still…
“You okay?” Eiden finally asked.
“Yes, just thinking about all the things I need to still get done after today…And what we are doing right now.” Edmond cleared his throat, “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to discredit your hard work. I know there’s a lot expected from you right now so I can understand. Just let me know if you need anything and I’ll do my best to make it happen. I’ve said this to the knights and I’ll say this to you. My door is always open.”
Even though his knightly responsibilities normally would’ve surpassed everything else, per the King’s request, he had to ensure Eiden’s wellbeing was prioritized. Physically, mentally, make sure that he was fulfilling Huey’s past responsibilities. He himself was also filling the shoes of his clansman ancestor. His father refused to raise a weak future clan member. He resented him, but it’s made him capable enough now to be trusted to provide guidance to this new sorcerer. His father wasn’t the best supporter…he wanted to make sure he was there for Eiden. Being raised by practically a single mother, he wanted to set a good example.
“Oh!?” Eiden raised his eyebrows, “Thanks, Edmond. I really appreciate it. And uh…same. And I don’t mean just for essence regulation, I mean if you just wanna talk too!”
Edmond could feel his heart flutter and his cheeks burn up. His lips formed a modest smile. He fondled the end of his ponytail, unconsciously pinching and twirling the ends of his hair between his thumb and forefinger. He bit his lip nervously and immediately stopped as he caught himself fidgeting. The knight snapped back into his normally stiff posture and dropped his hands to his sides. But his eyes said something differently as they lit up with a hint of excitement. “I’d..I’d like that very much.”
The two men stopped in the middle of the district, their lingering presence forced people to walk around them. Edmond pressed the palm of his hand against his chest and comforted himself by rubbing the top of the gem. He knew the streets, and he had interacted with Eiden enough by now, not regularly but enough that he shouldn’t have been feeling nervous…but he was.
The earlier comment Edmond had made about being disciplined clung to Eiden’s mind. It bothered Eiden, only because that term was so associated with his time at the orphanage. Eiden knew all about being ‘disciplined’ for being a less than cooperative kid. “Edmond, what did you mean by ‘a lifetime investment of harsh discipline’?”
Edmond looked around to make sure nobody else was around to hear their conversation. Still, his voice lowered. “Hm? It’s exactly as I said. I was raised knowing I would someday become the next Grand Sorcerer’s clan member. I resented it for a long time because I was treated differently for having a gemstone. Though I suppose I have no right to feel I was dealt a bad hand. Growing up, I had so much essence that my entire body would experience unpleasant side effects I had no control over. And not being able to find a sense of relief-“
He stopped himself from going into detail, Eiden didn’t need to know about his suffering. He’d have migraines or feel lightheaded. Sometimes he would feel sick or be in pain. Nobody here in the Light Territory was knowledgable about the gemstones since Huey disappeared, other than the few family records, it was all a guessing game on how to address these ailments.
“-I kept a lot of these things to myself without telling them, so my parents didn’t know how to help me. Eventually my father got me physically training in attempt to overcome the drawbacks of my gem.”
“Huh? Training? Why? Why not just rest and recover? Sorry, but that sounds almost counterproductive.“ Eiden wanted to say more, but Edmond continued.
“I know…It sounds unacceptable. The physical and formal disciplines I underwent taught me the skills needed to suppress everything, my wants, my emotions, the struggles from so much essence…it felt like it was all to test my endurance, my potential as a competent future clan member. I know now that it wasn’t normal for a child to experience, but I won’t deny its effectiveness. My father has always been concerned for my wellbeing. Past family members who have had a gem were unprepared for the challenges of being a clan member, so he made sure I was in the best position for when that time came to become one. If he didn’t push me as hard as he did, I wouldn’t be where I am now.”
Despite Edmond’s last comment coming off as praise for his father’s harsh regime, Eiden really wanted to tell Edmond his dad sounded like a complete ass. It didn’t make much sense to him, but this revealed so much about why Edmond was the way that he was. “Was there really no other way?"
“Well…” Edmond thought back to the first time Eiden regulated his essence at the light altar. The biting and the spanking was also a relief he hadn’t expected. Eiden filling him was unpleasant at first but then felt amazing, and he had never orgasmed that much in such a short period. Though that was his first time. This unbefitting decision with the Grand Sorcerer brought more pleasure than anything else he had ever experienced. Right then and there, he discovered a certain kind of pain brought that same solution; except it was real coming from Eiden. But he wasn’t about to admit that. Of course that wasn’t the route he took back then.
“…my mother never approved of my fathers methods and she did attempt to find alternative ways to help me…she was so desperate she even reached out to locals in other territories. A doctor suggested introducing more things to my diet, that I be allowed sweets despite my father’s wishes."
“What do you mean, were you not allowed before!? Do…sweets help? Is that why you’re such the dessert king!?”
Eiden winced with suspicion as Edmond gave the smallest of smiles. “To a small degree. Being able to-ahem-…indulge on something that makes you feel good. It doesn’t get rid of abundance of essence and doesn’t bring back the luster but it temporarily satiates it. Mother had me try countless types of desserts from all over Klein. These were some of the best desserts I’ve ever tasted. It doesn’t get to the source of the essence problem but it’s a temporary solution and a much faster and more pleasant way to do it.”
“Why does this sound like a low blood sugar issue?” Eiden asked out loud to himself. It all sounded funny to him, not that he wanted to disregard Edmond’s suffering as a child.
“Low blood sugar?”
“Oh-uh, just the fact that sugar helps you.”
“But it doesn’t regulate the excess essence. When we were at the Light Alter, that was the first time I truly felt a change with my gemstone. I felt lighter, and in all honestly, I had never felt better after it was all said and done…I never would’ve thought that would be the method.” Edmond avoided eye contact as he made his comment. He was embarrassed by his straightforwardness, but much of what he was sharing with Eiden were things he believed were important to be up front and open about as he could with the new sorcerer.
Eiden’s mouth dropped as he heard Edmond’s confession to the pleasure. How did this guy manage to bring up sex before him? He could tell from the blushing cheeks that it was embarrassing for the other to bring up, but right now?
“Well, glad I could be of service! So uh, does that mean you’ve never-?“
“-I didn’t say that! I’m just saying, I’m..telling you..confirming that, since then, I’ve felt…good.” Edmond wanted to hide under a rock. His words weren’t coming out the way he wanted them to. Seeing Eiden’s expressions change with every word that came out of his mouth made it seem like he was as perverted as the other. “D-don’t take it the wrong way! I’m not saying I enjoyed it! I’m just acknowledging that this essence regulation has been most effective.”
Eiden took a moment to figure out how he wanted to respond. Again, Edmond was hard to read when it came to these things, hot and cold was the game. “Well…I won’t force anything if you aren’t enjoying it. But uh, I’m here if you need me! Not gonna lie, sir, but you’re giving me some mixed signals here.” What else am I supposed to say?
“How am I-ugh never mind. Let’s change the subject. I’m not going to feed into your perverted curiosities any further."
“Hey! You’re the one that brought it up!”
“I was just-ugh.” Edmond mentally told himself to not say anything more or else he was going to be digging a deeper hole. “My apologies. I don’t want this to sound like I’ve been without support. Joining the knights has been one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life. They’ve given me much of the solace and stability that I’ve needed. And I’ll be forever grateful for them. But bringing this up to you…is different. I guess I’m not really sure where to place these thoughts.”
“It’s ok, really. Everyone’s had different experiences with their gemstones, Edmond. Telling me is important to hear. It gives me a better understanding of you. And I want to help you guys. We’re all in this venture together.”
Edmond blushed, “I…thank you. It’s clear you never asked to be Grand Sorcerer, so I have to assume you must have had similar thoughts. It’s a heavy burden to have and I don’t envy that. So I want to make sure you are provided the same support as I have been in my more recent years.”
“Wow, thanks, really. That does make me feel better..cause, yeah, it’s a lot of pressure. Sometimes I feel like I’m letting people down because I’m supposed to be this guy. But, like, I can’t do magic, or fight, or talk the talk-I have to know all these things now.“
“Give yourself more credit.”
“Huh?” Eiden perked up.
“The King feels your performances have been satisfactory thus far. You’re doing what you need to do. We don’t expect you to be a master at everything. And…I do enjoy our sword lessons together, it gives me more of a reason to go back and brush up on the basic fundamentals.” The blue haired man looked down and gave a soft smile.
Eiden smiled back. Edmond was being so friendly with him right now. This man who came off having such a cold exterior really did seem to care about others. Everything he did was for someone else.
“That means you’ll go easy on me right?”
“Absolutely not. In fact, I should add another hour to your training tomorrow just for asking.” There was a hint of amusement in Edmond’s voice behind the sternness of his retort.
Eiden smirked, “You’re trying really hard to spend more alone time with me huh? Hehe~”
Edmond wished he had his rapier at that moment, “You…”
“You’re such a sadist~ What if I end up collapsing from sheer exhaustion and then you have to carry me all the way back?”
“Don’t be so dramatic.”
“You love it.”
Edmond didn’t respond.
(Stay Tuned for Part 2!)