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Lucas was never one to be concerned about his future. Perhaps it's because it hasn't changed in all the years he's lived. He'd live on for hundreds of years, with nothing changing in his life.
He didn't know why he was curious when he saw a page about a spell giving false futures to the one it is casted on. He was only going to the magician's tower's library, one day suddenly having the urge to go back to the place he's avoided since he woke up from years of slumber. It was in that exact place, where his last mentor perished infront of him.
Perhaps he was looking for closure. Either way, it didn't matter.
He walked past the magicians who took notice of his presence, walking up to him and asking why he suddenly returned and if he decided to come back and fulfill his duties as the head of the tower. Not like he wasn't already doing those, of course. He did his duties, but he didn't do them in the tower at all. There was another building where he only resided in where he did all his work. He ignored the fellow magicians and immediately went to the library, the very same room in which the memories that haunted him for years had come from.
He hitched, stiffening as he registered the place in front of him. It was nothing like he remembered; new shelves and books were added, new placements of furniture and a few added decorations. The place was clean but clearly used by a lot of people. It wasn't anything like that day.
He took a step forward, walking inside as he wandered mindlessly. He wasn't sure what he was looking for. He was just passing time, really, with no one to accompany him. Athanasia was busy with her empress duties, she hasn't had any time for him since she was crowned, attending matters diligently like a good Empress. It didn't bother him, he knew how much the empire meant to her and how badly she wants to be fit for her title. He was genuinely happy for her. Lucas would never admit it, but he was quite proud of his friend. Jeanette, on the other hand, was busy taking care of a dog she and her girlfriend recently adopted. He could crash into their home and annoy them, but he didn't want to bear witness to whatever sickly sweet things the lovers would do infront of him.
And Ijekiel...
Lucas huffed, suddenly feeling annoyance at the thought of the man. He didn't know what had gotten into him. For some reason, Ijekiel had been avoiding him for days since their last... session.
He didn't get it. Everything went fine, just as normally, and Lucas couldn't remember doing anything that might have unintentionally pissed the Duke off... Well, there was one thing that stood out to him that night. Ijekiel had asked him a question he wouldn't normally ask the magician.
"Lucas, why do you sleep with me?"
Lucas paused from the question, looking up at the other man who had his naked back to him, breathing out smoke that came from his cigarette as he looked outside the open balcony.
The moonlight gently shone upon him, making his features more defined and his eyes appearing a brighter gold. The bite marks that graced his neck and shoulders only made Lucas more attracted to him. His beauty was breathtaking. He took his eyes off from the sky and tilted his head to meet Lucas's with a curious expression.
Lucas gulped, forcing his head to turn from the man's captivating beauty as he looked down on the bed instead. "What a stupid question, Alpheus." Lucas said, biting the incredulous laugh that threatened to spill from his mouth. "You should know better than to ask that." He laid on Ijekiel's bed and buried himself inside the sheets, preparing to sleep.
Ijekiel said nothing.
It couldn't be that Ijekiel's been avoiding him because of what he said, could it...?
Thinking of that night soured his mood. The sex was good but the silence and cold treatment he's gotten from his partner ever since that night has bothered him greatly for some reason. Forget it, it wasn't the time to think about a pretty Duke.
He turned his attention back to the shelves full of books, browsing mindlessly before settling on a plain-looking spellbook. He sat near the windows, crossing his legs and settling on a more comfortable position to read as he skimmed through the pages.
It wasn't much, really. Lucas was sure he'd learned half of the things in the book. The spells were lame, basic and just everything he didn't enjoy. He frowned, eyebrows furrowing before a certain page caught his attention.
'False future?' he reads the page curiously. It says that the spell can give the person casted a future designed from their deepest desire. It's not the actual future, but a future the person wants to see that they don't think can come true.
"How interesting," He whispered to himself, amused at the idea of seeing the future he secretly desires deep inside. He didn't know what future he desired. He didn't even think he'd have a future that wasn't boring and the same as every year he's lived.
He wanted to try the spell out of curiosity, and so try the spell he did. The book instructed the caster to utter the spell before closing their eyes if the spell was used for themselves. It was a relatively easy process, something that even beginner magicians can try on their own.
Lucas followed the instructions and laid againts the wall, finding it bothersome to go back to his room from the other building. He whispered the spell, already having it memorised.
And not long after, he slept.
He woke up from the blinding ray of the morning sun peeking from the windows. Groggily, he sat up in bed and looked around, recognising the room immediately. It was Ijekiel's, and he slept on his bed. He turned his head to the side, meeting golden eyes that stared up at him adoringly. As if he didn't just ignore him for days. As if their relationship wasn't just purely for a mutual benefit.
Was it actually mutual? Lucas never asked the golden eyed man what he felt about their relationship. He didn't want to cross a line that was there from the start. He was a quick fuck whenever the Duke was lonely and wanted to relieve stress, but Lucas was also just using him for his own pleasure.... and, he would never admit this, for his selfish feelings.
"Good morning, my love."
My love. My love.
Lucas found himself entirely awake from the endearment. Ijekiel has never called him his love before. How did he get in his room anyway? When did he finally talk to him again? And then it clicked. This was a dream. The false future he secretly desired. The false future that may never happen.
Oh.
His stomach dropped. Not knowing what to do, not knowing how to process the things going through his mind. His head went blank.
He wanted to say something but he couldn't seem to form the words. He closed his eyes and buried his head into the sheets, trying to block out all of his emotions and feelings. Like he always did when things got too overwhelming for him.
"Hey," He felt the bed shift, Ijekiel leaning closer to him to gently take off the sheets so he could look into his eyes. He looked worried, gentle, and loving. Emotions Lucas had never seen him wear before when they were together. "Are you okay?"
Lucas was sure his eyes were wide open, but Ijekiel just looked at him, worry clear on his face. "What's wrong, dear?" He asked, pecking Lucas's cheek comfortingly as he gently brought his face closer to his. The gesture was too affectionate and sweet for his liking, he wasn't used to it.
but he could
"I'm fine," Lucas managed to force out. "Just a nightmare." He tried to smile, and hoped it was enough to fool dream Ijekiel.
He didn't seem convince, but thankfully, he changed the subject. Perhaps sensing that Lucas didn't want to talk about it. He smiled and stood up from the bed, handing out his hand to the other man for him to take, "Well then, let's get you some breakfast. Perhaps it can cheer you up."
Lucas stared at the hand stretched out to him for a moment, a small hint of red gracing his cheeks before nodding and accepting Ijekiel's outstretched hand, "I can use something to fill my stomach," The other man grinned.
Ijekiel led him out his bedroom and to the dining room, walking pass halls that were all familiar to Lucas. He's been in the Alpheus Manor for quite a few times already, and he had a good memory. He's practically memorised almost all the paths, mainly the ones that lead to Ijekiel's bedroom.
However, Lucas noticed that they didn't pass by any servants. He wondered what he was doing in the manor. Did he perhaps move in with him? He looked down at their intertwined hands, noticing the matching rings that graced their fingers in the same place. His heart felt like it stopped beating for a moment from the realisation.
They were married.
Lucas wanted to cry. He hated how this was only a dream, he hated how the real Ijekiel could never look at him the same way the dream Ijekiel did, he hated how vulnerable he felt in the dream, he hated how he couldn't reach this future he badly wanted. He hated how this whole thing made him realise how utterly lonely he was. How much he wanted the real Ijekiel's love.
He felt Ijekiel's grip on his hand grow tighter, but not too tight that it hurt. The right amount of tightness where they could feel the other's warmth just from the simple act of holding hands. He noticed the grin in his (dream) husband's face grow wider, and it hurt. It hurt to know that this Ijekiel was genuinely happy to have him. As if he was worthy of being loved.
Lucas's head snapped up as soon as they entered the dining room. Piles of food lined the table, all breakfast related food. Eggs, bacon, toast, orange juice, tea, and some of his favorite food.
It smelled absolutely delicious, and Lucas's stomach rumbled in agreement. Ijekiel took notice, and smiled. He walked towards the chair at the end of the table and pulled it, "Take a seat."
And he did so. Ijekiel took the seat next to him.
Lucas stared at the food, wondering how the food in this dream would taste like. Curious, he took a bite of the pancakes on his plate first and it tasted… divine. Eyes shining, he began to take more bites eagerly, the taste of the pancakes immediately melting in his mouth.
He noticed the dream Ijekiel watching him as he ate. He raised a brow, "Not going to eat?"
"I get full just from watching you, dearest. You look lovely." The man said casually, as if Lucas was already meant to know of what he said. As if it was a regular thing that occurred in their life.
Lucas's face turned pink. He was such a sap. If this was how the real Ijekiel would actually act when he's in love, he must've charmed a lot of people and had them in the palm of his hand. Not that he blamed them, sappy Ijekiel was surprisingly quite lovable.
He wasn't anything like the Ijekiel in real life.
The real Ijekiel was a cold, distant figure, never once showing affection to the magician aside from their nightly rendezvous. If you could even call it affection.
'Ah,' he thought, 'I really love him.'
He almost choked in tears. But he couldn't, not in front of this Ijekiel. He knew that the moment he'd have tears coming from his eyes, the other man would hurry to comfort him. Give him a lot of attention and comfort he would never receive from him in real life. And that thought hurts a lot more.
He lifted his head to look at the man, who caught his eye and tilted his head in a questioning, innocent manner. He's never seen Ijekiel smile so genuinely. The smile he gave other people was polite, fake and reserved. Unless of course that person was Jeanette or Athanasia.
Lucas had never been given his genuine smile before. He always looked annoyed when he approached him in real life, but humoured him to not seem rude. At most, he only tolerated his presence. When they made a deal for their nightly rendezvous, Lucas was happy. It meant that Ijekiel never felt just annoyance towards him.
But unlike the real one, this Ijekiel was genuine and warm and actually loved Lucas. He wasn't annoyed by him, in fact, he was happy to be with him. The real Ijekiel would never act like this. Never. And that thought hurts a lot more.
"I…I'm full." He said, trying to keep the desperation out of his voice.
Soon after, Ijekiel had to work and Lucas was left alone with his thoughts. He walked around the manor, trying to memorise the places he's never been to before. He mostly just stayed in the duke's room and then teleported out, but occasionally, he'd wander around when Ijekiel was still asleep. He's never gone far from the room, just wandering around the halls and looking outside the windows. He'd come back to Ijekiel after a few minutes of wandering, watch him sleep for a bit and wonder what it would be like to kiss him after waking up, hold his body close to him and whisper sweet nothings in his ear. After hurting himself from imaging what could never be, he'd teleport out and leave the sleeping duke alone on his bed. Of course, not without planting a soft kiss on his forehead secretly.
The first time he'd done it, he thought he was losing his mind. If Ijekiel found out about what he's been doing before he leaves, he might cut their deal off because he assumes that Lucas is harboring feelings for him. He still remembered his words when they made the deal.
"This arrangement is strictly business only. You get your cock inside me, cum together, and it's done."
The duke's unexpected use of explicit words surprised Lucas. He'd never imagined he would use that kind of language, but then again, there's a lot more to the duke than he showed to the world. He was also kind of hot when he spoke those kinds of words so it was a welcome surprise.
"Neither of us are allowed to catch feelings. I have my responsibility as a duke and will eventually have to find a wife. And you… well, I don't really care. If one of us catches feelings, this arrangement is off."
"Chill your fancy pants," Lucas rolled his eyes, "I know what I'm getting myself into." He smirked as his eyes shifted to the duke's said fancy pants and smirked.
"Have you no self control?" Ijekiel raised his brow, scoffing as he noticed the magician's staring.
Lucas chuckled, getting up as he walked closer to the Duke, trapping him on the couch with his arms and leaned his face closer to his, whispering against his ear, "You're one to talk. You're already taking your clothes off."
Ijekiel wrapped his arms around his neck and smirked, "Touché."
…He only meant to remember his words, but his brain immediately continued the memory. He smirked, recollecting that night, but it immediately faded when he remembered the situation he's in. He brought this to himself.
He heard the door creak and turned his head, seeing Ijekiel back from work, not looking as happy as he did when he went out. His eyes met his and he beamed. Seeing how happy he was just from seeing Lucas brought unwanted butterflies to his stomach.
His arms wrapped around his neck as Lucas pulled him closer by the waist, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Hey." The duke whispered, kissing him softly on the lips before pulling away, leaving Lucas hungry for more. He buried his head on his neck, and sighed deeply.
The magician raised his brow, "Something wrong?"
"No," Ijekiel said, pulling his head away from his neck as he stared at his eyes, "I'm just tired. Nobles are such a pain to deal with."
Lucas chuckled, "Tell me about it." He said, kissing him on the forehead, both of his cheeks, and the tip of his nose as Ijekiel giggles.
He's never heard him giggle before. It sounded nice.
The smile on the magician's face slowly faded as he placed his forehead on his (fake) husband's. Ijekiel's hand caressed his hair, running his fingers through his locks as if it was the most fun thing to do in the world. "Now it's my turn to ask if something's wrong." He said, humming.
Lucas felt a lump in his throat. "I want to stay here," his voice cracked, "forever."
Ijekiel paused and pulled away, looking at him properly in the eyes with the most gentle and loving smile on his face that Lucas would never be sick of even if he tried.
"You can, you know." The man said, "Stay here. With me."
Lucas felt a dam break inside him as tears started pouring from his eyes. He pulled the duke closer to him, clutching him tightly, afraid he'd slip from his arms.
"I will," he said, "I will."
And then he woke up.