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Julian’s auburn hair tickled their ear as he leaned down, closing the almost comical distance between them to leave a lingering kiss on their freckled cheek. His silver eye plagued by a deep sadness left unspoken. With a nod, he turned and vanished into the night.
Stepping into their home, the shop’s bell rang once, alerting anyone inside of the Apprentice's return. Muse leaned against the heavy wooden door for a long moment, attempting to gather themself before facing their Master. They could feel a sob racking in their chest, shaking them and threatening to burst forth like a swollen dam.
Asra’s familiar mop of soft white curls peeked out from behind the curtain that separated the reading room from the foyer, and his mystical eyes scanned Muse’s face, searching for the cause of the emotions that brought the entire aura of the shop down. He sighed and moved to his apprentice, a gentle hand reaching for them. “What happened?” He asked them, his voice low and cautious.
Muse was silent for a moment longer, then rushed to their Master and hugged him tightly. Startled for only half a breath, he snaked his arms around them and rubbed their back softly. “Julian left me…” They told him, burying their face in the soft fabric of his scarf. Asra sighed, tucking their head under his chin and holding them a while longer.
“Do you want some tea? We can talk about it.” He suggested. Muse nodded silently. “Okay, come on.” He said, leading them further inside. The large pile of cushions in the corner of the room looked so inviting as Asra pulled them down to sit. Bringing their knees up to their chest, Muse hugged themself while he brewed the tea, the two of them both enjoyed the same blend, and it’s smoky scent filled the room as he put a steaming cup into their trembling hands. He brushed their fingers lightly, extending some of his magic to their aura, hoping to help.
“What happened?” He asked, sitting beside them, his legs crossed as he focused every ounce of his attention on his friend. Muse delved into the story of how they spend their day with Julian, from the heated, addictive kiss they shared, spending the night in the same bed, his arms around their waist and long legs tangled with their own, to waking up to find him gone. They told him the tale of the theatre fiasco, and the ridiculous play exploiting all of the late Count Lucio’s faults and flaws, to the drinks and the food they shared. They told him of their walk along the beach, how Julian took their hand and twirled them under his arm like they were dancing at a party, the way his giant boot prints dwarfed their bare ones on the sand.
They spent half the time staring at their watery reflection in the surface of their ever-cooling tea, and the other searching Asra’s eyes for an answer to their unasked questions. He simply listened to their words with an expression they couldn’t quite read. He looked sympathetic, but something hiding the enigmatic purple of his eyes eluded them.
“He told me--.. Well, it doesn’t matter. What good does it do if he says he wants me, and then casts me away to chase this stupid notion?” They asked, their anger finally bursting forth, tears prickling the corners of their eyes.
“It’s not your fault, Muse.” Asra said, laying one steady hand over theirs, feeling the lack of certainty in their aura. It pained him to see them like this.
“Am I not enough? I want to help, I can’t just let him walk into the wolf’s den like this..” They said, worrying their lip.
The magician shook his head. “This is what he does, Muse. He takes a beautiful, wonderful,
amazing
thing, and he breaks it.” He told them. It made what remained of his heart ache to see them on the verge of tears, to doubt themself, to feel so frustrated and alone.
“You think I’m beautiful?” They asked, a single, soft huff escaping their nose in the form of a weak laugh. They abandoned their cup on the nearby table, watching Asra’s familiar curl around it to enjoy the remaining warmth.
‘There’s the Muse I love.’
he thought, shuffling closer and putting two fingers under their chin, bringing their gaze to meet his own. “I absolutely do.”
“Then why did he do this?” They asked, still very much hurting.
“I told you, it’s what he does.”
“No, I refuse to believe tha--” their expression was breaking his heart, he cut them off a little too quickly.
“How long have you known Ilya?” Asra asked them, a little sharply.
They cast their gaze downward once more. “Two days..” They admitted, trailing off.
“Exactly, I knew him for
years
, Muse.” he reminded them, he knew they were aware of this, after they asked him what Ilya meant, during their talk before, when they were in the palace. They must have been in the library, seen the space the two men shared. There was no keeping a secret from his apprentice when they put their mind to finding the truth.
“It could have been so much worse. I know, he shouldn’t have dragged it out like that, but it’s better to have spent two days, rather than weeks or months. It would have only hurt you that much deeper” He said in the end, his tone softening as he pulled them close, smoothing his hands over their back in a comforting, circular manner. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
The apprentice, tears still stinging their eyes, looked up at the man through the sadness, remembering how he had been there for them every step of the way. The last three years, he had always been just what they needed, when they needed it. Rational thought purged from their racing mind, they laid a hand on his chest, comforted by the steady beat of his heart. A lingering moment, staring into his familiar eyes. Muse didn’t even realise they were getting closer until they were already pressing a kiss to his soft lips.
The white haired witch’s eye went wide with surprise, but he quickly let them drift closed and kissed them, resting his hands on the small of their back. He had wanted this for so long. He dreamt of it, stole glances when they weren’t looking. He had wanted to kiss them again for three, excruciatingly long years, and now it was happening. Sure, they were heartbroken and using him as a distraction, he knew that. He didn’t care. Asra kissed them for all he was worth, feeling their desperation climbing, he pulled his apprentice into his lap by their hips and lay back against the pillows, letting them cup his face with their soft, skilled hands.
Eventually, the two parted, a little flushed and breathless. He watched their face carefully for signs of regret or other negative emotion, but he found none. Only longing.
“Asra… do you really think all of those things?” They asked him, referring to his compliments prior.
“You know I do.”
“Do you… want me?”
He paused, then repeated. “You know I do.”
Muse then said something he might never forget.
“Make love to me?” They asked him, their eyes more serious than he had ever seen. He knew they were doing this to feel better, he didn’t care, he wanted that for them. He couldn’t bear to see the hurt Ilya had caused once again, and he swiftly lifted them into his arms.
He turned to Faust, who was half asleep around the teacup. She raised her head at his attention. “Stay here, Faust.” He told her, hoping she would understand why.
Asra gently carried his apprentice up the stairs, smiling down at them the entire way.
Inside the room they shared, a large, plush double bed covered in assorted pillows waited for the two of them. Asra placed Muse down gently, climbing onto the bed to press his hands either side of his apprentice, looking down at them with a hunger in his eyes they’d never seen before. At least, not that they could recall.
After what felt like a lifetime of Asra seeming to search their eyes for an answer to an unasked question, he seemed to find what he wanted, and leaned down to rub their noses together in a soft gesture.
“Oh, Muse…” He whispered, pushing their hair off their face, behind their ears. He kissed them, running a hand down their side, enjoying how they felt under his touch, squirming a little and suppressing a giggle. Their bright, bubbly expression was always something he adored, and seeing them so hurt and upset was hurting him deeply. This was just a distraction but he knew they needed it.
Muse’s slender fingers moved to unwrap the scarf from around his body, dropping it onto the floor in a little pile. They’d never felt such a strong need to be slow and cautious, despite the rushed decision that led them to be here, in this moment. Being with him was something they’d always wanted, he was beautiful, and kind. Their best friend, mentor, everything to them. It made sense, so why were they so scared to take it there now? It seemed like the magician was picking up on these feelings of uncertainty and as he nuzzled into their neck, he whispered,
“Do you really want this?”
They nodded, no words coming to them. Satisfied, Asra kissed the soft skin of their throat, chasing the flush as it crept ever lower and disappeared into their shirt. Humming, he sat up, his eyes burning the image into his memory. “You’re stunning.” He told them.
It took a lot to fluster Muse, but somehow his sincere compliments were doing the trick. “Speak for yourself.” They countered, trying to regain some of the control on the situation. Their hands travelled to the hem of his open white shirt and began to lift it. He complied, raising both his arms so they could undress him, exposing his smooth chest, the candlelight seeming to reflect off the deep golden tan perfectly. “Has anyone ever told you you’d make the perfect sculpture?” They asked, exploring him with eager fingers.
Asra seemed to squirm a little, their touch so feather-light that it tickled. “You’re the ‘Muse’, here.” He shot back, the play on words making his apprentice giggle and shake their head. “Shut up and kiss me.” They demanded, to which he was eager to oblige. The two seemed to melt together, like lovers dancing to a slow song as their magics entwined, matching their emotions and the fondling of hands on needy bodies.
Asra’s hands found the knot tied at the bottom of their shirt, just above the naval and deftly untied it before moving onto the simple buttons until the garment fell open. Asra leaned down to press a series of kisses down their chest, firm and confident. Muse giggled a little at the white fluff he called hair tickling their nose but smoothed it flat with their palm, encouraging their master with gentle touches.
Drawing a deep breath, they found themself picking out all of the different smells that hung in the air, the calming mix of the two of them. Dragonblood, spicy and warm complimented by Muse’s lilac and lavender perfume. Asra always smelled like at least ten different herbs or spices and they loved it. Whereas he found their floral and citrusy scent intoxicating from this distance. Sandalwood, rose, myrrh, hints of cinnamon and even orange and bergamot. The two of them probably would have overwhelmed anyone else’s senses, but they loved that about each other.
Continuing to kiss their bare skin, Asra’s hands wandered up their legs, pushing their thick skirts up as he caressed their thighs, toned and strong from dancing as much as they did. He could never stop them, if a song was playing in the square or even when they were extremely happy. He loved that about them, they would dance with reckless abandon, regardless of audience. It was such a pure expression of joy that he couldn’t help but find it adorable.
Asra wished more than anything else he could tell them how he felt, but it wouldn’t be fair, he couldn’t do that to them. Muse still couldn’t remember even a fraction of what they once had, and it hurt him deeply to keep secrets from them, adding in his own selfish feelings about his apprentice would just confuse and scare them. He decided this was the next best thing. Holding them in his arms, feeling their body react to his every touch, his every kiss. The soft panting and needy moans they gave as he found their weak spots. Now that he had hitched their layered skirts up, he decided it was time to kick things up a notch. Asra lowered himself down the bed until his feet were hanging off the end a little and pressed a single kiss to the scar above Muse’s underwear. They watched him, fixated on his actions with adoration and desire in their colourless eyes. Casting his gaze up to meet theirs, he hooked his thumbs into their underwear and pulled it down. Muse helped by lifting their buttocks off the bed so he could slide the garment off easily. They kicked it off their ankles carelessly. If Asra could dump his things wherever he pleased, why shouldn’t they?
Turning his focus to the task at hand, Asra dropped his head, wasting no time in latching onto the oversized nub at the apex of their heat, finding it sensitive and firm under his tongue. Muse let out a sudden, strangled gasp at the contact. They had certainly not expected him to take such an aggressive approach, but it was not unwelcome.
“A-asra!” They cried, biting down on their lip in an attempt to keep their volume down. The white haired magician smirked and flicked the tip of his tongue across the sensitive bud, teasing them deliberately.
He hadn’t been able to truly comprehend how much he missed this. Missed them. Missed holding them in his arms, hearing their soft, needy cries as he gave his all to pleasure them. He knew their body well, all the places that were sensitive, the ones that tickled and where they refused to let him touch. He loved every aspect of their form, he wanted to kiss every inch of their soft, tanned skin. Asra knew, though, that the scar along their stomach, above the soft pink curls was entirely off limits, no matter how much he wanted them to know he saw it as more than a scar.
“Muse.. you’re stunning.” He whispered, massaging their thighs and letting his magical aura flow freely, melding with their own. Their magic felt like a bed of wildflowers blooming along a forest floor in the springtime, delicate and beautiful. He could sit and drown in the sensation of it for the rest of his life, if they would let him. These are the things he thought of while he gave long, deliberately slow laps at their arousal.
Slender fingers, adorned with swirling golden patterns laced into his thick, soft white mop and their nails lightly scraped at his scalp in an encouraging manner as they rolled their head back into the pillows, letting their eyes slip shut. Their moans became needy and breathless, until they find themself pulling Asra’s head back by the fluffy mess he called hair. “More.” They said, like a command.
Smirking, he sat up and untied the outermost of their skirt, then quickly pulled the thicker, heavier one off with a quick, fluid motion and tossed it into the darkness that was the corner of the room. “Tell me what you want.” He said, smiling down at them with such a pure adoration they’d never seen before.
“You.” Was all they could say. He needed no further invitation, kneeling, he deftly untied the thin cords that held his two-tone pants closed and shuffled them off, feeling Muse’s snow-white gaze boring the image of his body into their mind forever. It actually made his cheeks burn at the scrutiny. Why? Because this was the first time they would remember seeing him like this? He shook the thought from his mind as he slipped the fabric off. What took him by surprise was Muse’s soft hand wrapping itself around his cock the moment it was free.
“Ahh..”
They giggled, it was cute, seeing him start to come undone. “Come here~” They purred, lazily stroking his length as he pressed his hands either side of them on the mattress and kissed them again, this time it was slower, but just as heated and needy. He loved the little mewling sounds they made in between fervent kisses. “Beautiful.” He praised, dropping his head to their neck to kiss a trail once more.
Feeling his body react under their touch like this, it felt so familiar, like they’d done it a dozen times. But that couldn’t be right. Regardless, Muse put their feet flat, knees bent either side of his hips and guided him closer until he could feel the delightful warmth emanating from their core. “Fuck me, Asra.” They told him, a desperate request that he would always oblige.
As he bridged the gap, sinking slowly into their welcoming heat, his eyes met their gaze and Muse could have sworn they saw something there that wasn’t there before, but they couldn’t figure out what. Their body responded to him with a throb, seeming to pull him in deeper as they moaned, low and breathy.
“Fuck..” They cried, cupping his face in both hands, kissing him desperately.
Smirking, he began to slowly roll his hips, testing the waters of what they wanted from this. “More..” They begged him, and he granted, setting a pace that was slow, but deep, feeling their bodies become one.
What Asra said next would haunt his guilty thoughts for a long time.
“Did he touch you like this?” As soon as the words left his lips, he regretted it. He wouldn’t like the answer. He knew what Ilya was like, and he wouldn’t be able to handle the idea of that man putting his hands on his beloved like tha-
“No~” They cooed, interrupting his spiralling thoughts. They didn’t even seem angry.
“Good. Then focus on me.” He commanded, holding their gaze, his jealousy turning to a sense of entitlement. “Only me. Right now you’re mine.” He told them.
Muse’s lips were parted, soft pants the only sound they’d been making but they nodded. “Yours.” They agreed, letting their hands slip behind his head, lightly scratching the nape of his neck as they pulled him in for yet another, delightfully magical kiss.
The longer it went on, the more desperate and loud their moans became, sprinkled with praises and cries of his name as he hit all the right spots, fucking them the way he knew they liked. The way they needed, even if it was just for tonight.
The two of them spent the majority of the night like that, entangled in each other’s arms, swirling auras and whispered praises. Asra knew he wouldn’t get another chance like this, and he made the most of it, leaving little lovebites wherever he could reach, chasing the fresh bruises with a tender kiss, drawing out eager moans as the two of them climbed ever closer to the peak.
Muse’s painted nails, filed into almond shapes drew lines in his skin as they clung to him like their life depended on it, marking his toned shoulders with a story that words could never do justice. They hooked one leg around his waist, resting their ankle on the firm curve of his ass and encouraged him to move ever closer until they were pressed against each other, sensing he was close from the shakiness of his voice, Muse whispered to him.
“You can come inside me~” The way they said it was like a request, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer after that.
Muse had told him before they were physically incapable of conceiving a child, he knew there was zero risk involved, and honestly, he wanted to end the night in such an intimate way. Burying his face into the crook of their neck, he slipped both arms around them and felt his lover do the same until they couldn’t get any closer if they tried. Picking up his pace, Asra somehow managed to stave off his climax until he felt them tense under him, a loud cry echoing off the room as their heat clamped down, squeezing him delightfully. Satisfied that Muse had come, he let it wash over him as he buried his cock as deep as he could, spilling into them with a loud moan of his own.
The two magicians stayed like that for a long moment, breathless and coated in a layer of sweat that glistened in the candlelight as Asra pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, pulling out with a soft groan.
Muse immediately cupped his face and whispered their thanks, admiring his post-bliss expression. He beamed down at his apprentice through long white lashes and nodded. “Anything you ever need, just ask.” he promised them, giving them a soft kiss on their forehead, their makeup smudging as he did so.
“Will you cuddle me..?” They asked, almost too quiet to be heard, but Asra nodded and laid beside them, pulling them into his arms. Muse tucked their head under his chin, listening to the beat of his heart as they laid on his chest. The two drifted into a dreamless slumber soon after.