Work Text:
"Alright!" Eiden exclaims as he trudges through the woods, forcing himself to stay bright and positive in spite of the unmitigated disaster that has been his date with Morvay thus far. "Just a little further and we'll be at Honey Magic!"
"Awesome!" Morvay's excitement doesn't sound nearly as forced as Eiden's, which is utterly baffling; could he actually be enjoying himself? Or is he just being nice out of consideration for Eiden's feelings?
It's gotta be the latter, Eiden thinks with a sinking sensation in his chest as he recalls how terribly his attempt at giving his favorite incubus a fun day has gone so far.
First he'd tried to take Morvay to his favorite boutique in the capitol, only to find that the shop was unexpectedly closed. Apparently the owner was running a booth at a festival in Solaria, and as fun as it was to imagine Dante looking through a bunch of sex toys, Eiden had felt badly about not being able to pick out new toys for Morvay as he'd said he would.
"That's okay, Master," Morvay had said as they'd left, trying to cheer Eiden up. "I've already got plenty of toys! We can use some of my favorites later, if you want!"
Eiden had tried to stay positive for the next stop on their date: a bakery that sold cream-filled pastries in a suspiciously phallic shape. Eiden had been certain that Morvay would enjoy them, even given his low degree of interest in human food. But when they'd arrived, the shop's stock for the day had already sold out. It seemed the pastries had been enjoying a sudden burst of popularity ever since a certain handsome priest and beautiful vice-captain were spotted eating the pastries together. The thought of Olivine and Edmond enjoying such a suggestive indulgence was a fun one, to be sure, but Eiden and Morvay had left the bakery empty-handed.
"Don't worry about it, Master," Morvay had reassured him. "I can totally see why a delicacy like that would sell out so fast. And I don't need a baked imitation when I can have the real thing!"
Well, at least I know I've got my essence to fall back on if nothing else, Eiden had thought, but he'd still been determined to salvage the date and give Morvay a fun day.
The last stop he had in mind was Honey Magic, where he meant to reprise his role as Ei-dream and give Morvay the impeccable service he'd been so proud of during his time there - along with the special essence regulation service he reserved for his clan members. But it was all the way out in the Wood Territory, which meant taking a carriage instead of walking. It had been going perfectly well until they came upon a freshly fallen tree that blocked the road through the forest. Morvay had poofed into his fuzzy bugbear form to fly, but Eiden had no such convenient abilities even after living in Klein all this time, and had no choice but to walk.
Eiden grits his teeth and presses forward despite the frustrated tension building inside him. It feels like static getting louder and louder inside his brain. If one more thing goes wrong, he's either going to lose his temper or start crying. Either way, a meltdown would be the final nail in this date's coffin. Eiden forces himself to keep going even though the trees themselves seem to have it in for him, blocking his way with branches and tripping him up with their roots.
After what feels like hours, the trees start to thin, and a familiar clearing comes into view. Honey Magic is there, the little building cutely decorated as always, a brightly-colored OPEN sign hanging on the door. Eiden's heart leaps. "We made it!" he exclaims. "We actually made it!" He picks up his pace, thrilled to finally be at their ultimate destination.
"Master!" Morvay yells. "Look out!"
"Huh?" Before Eiden can react, he feels his foot catch on something, and he falls forward with a yelp. But rather than falling face-first into the underbrush, he's caught by a strong pair of arms that pulls him into a soft, welcoming chest.
"Master!" Eiden looks up at Morvay, who'd transformed back into his humanoid form in order to catch him. "Are you okay?" Morvay asks, concern in his eyes as he holds Eiden up. Even after a day of nothing but disappointments, Morvay is still being so nice to him.
The last thread of Eiden's composure snaps, and he starts to cry.
"O-Oh no! Master, hang on!" Morvay helps Eiden sit down at the edge of the clearing, supporting his weight all the while. He tries to lean back to check Eiden for injuries, but Eiden holds on tightly to him, crying into his chest. "Master... Master, it's okay, I've got you..." Morvay holds him close and strokes his hair with one hand. "I, I know I'm a fuck-up, and it's my fault you're upset, but I'll do whatever I can to make it better..."
"H-Huh?" Eiden is so surprised by Morvay's words that his tears come to a sudden halt. "M, Morvay..." He lifts his face from Morvay's chest and looks up at him. "Wh-Why would I be upset with you?" he stammers between shaky breaths. "You're the only thing that hasn't upset me today..."
Morvay's surprise mirrors Eiden's own. "Wait, but... I thought... I've been having such a great time, I figured I must have messed something up if you're not having fun too, Master."
Eiden can't believe his ears. "You've been having fun?" he asks. "Even though everything's going wrong?"
"Huh? Of course I am! I got to spend the whole day with you!" Morvay smiles and cups Eiden's cheek with his hand, gently wiping away Eiden's tears with his thumb. "You thought of a bunch of fun plans to do together, even though all I need to be happy is a taste of your essence..."
Eiden sniffles and shakes his head. "Th, That's exactly why," he says, "I wanted to do this for you." Eiden lays his hand over Morvay's, holding it to his cheek. "I don't want you to feel like I only think of you as a sex toy, or something. I mean, th-that can be a fun fantasy sometimes," he adds, cracking a joke to break the tension, "but it's not how I really feel about you."
He looks into Morvay's eyes and smiles. "I love you, Morvay. You're so important and special to me. I love being with you, no matter what we're doing, and..." A lump forms in Eiden's throat as he thinks of everything they've been through together - what Morvay had done, and what more he'd been willing to do, for Eiden's sake in the Dark Territory. "And I know," he continues, "how much you love me, too. I feel so lucky to have your love in my life. And I never, ever want you to feel like I'm using you or taking you for granted. I love you."
Morvay's eyes fill with tears. "M, Master Eiden..." He throws his arms around Eiden, hugging him tight, and buries his face in Eiden's shoulder. "Y-You're too good to me," he sobs. "I feel so happy, getting to be with you, it's like... Like there was a hole inside me that's finally been filled, b-but like, not in a sex way..."
Eiden laughs out loud and hugs Morvay in return. "I know exactly what you mean," he says. He pets Morvay's hair gently, and smiles when he sees Morvay's wings and tail quiver with joy the way they always do when he's shown affection. "It feels so right for me to love you, and Aster, and the clan. I think that's what Huey wanted, when he made me." He encourages Morvay to lift his head so that he can look him in the eyes again, and continues to stroke his hair. "He knew you all needed something he wasn't able to give you. I was born from his wish to become someone who could give you what you needed. Who could laugh with you, and cry with you, and love you." He caresses one of Morvay's horns with his thumb. "Being able to love you is the most incredible gift I've ever received."
Morvay smiles, laughing with pure delight as tears of joy run down his cheeks. "Then, Master..." He takes one of Eiden's hands in his own. "You must understand why I've had so much fun today. How could I not have fun when someone who loves me that much wants to spend time with me?"
Eiden's cheeks flush hot as he realizes his own silliness. If it had been the other way around, and Morvay had planned a full day of activities for him only for the arrangements to fall through, Eiden would have still been happy about spending time with him. Why would Morvay feel any differently? Eiden chuckles and squeezes Morvay's hand. "Yeah," he says, "I do understand. Thanks, Morvay." He leans forward to give Morvay a soft kiss on the lips, and then rests his forehead against Morvay's. "Y'know, there is still one last stop on our date itinerary," he murmurs, "if you want to go?"
"Of course I do," Morvay replies. Eiden feels the slight tremble that spreads over Morvay's body and causes his wings and tail to quiver again. "I'll go anywhere you want to take me, Master Eiden."
The two of them stand up together and walk hand in hand toward Honey Magic. The door to the shop opens before they reach it, and standing right inside is Head Maid Cocoa in her pristine uniform.
"Welcome home, masters!" she greets them, and then her eyes widen as she recognizes Eiden. "Ei-dream!" Her ears wiggle happily. "It's so nice to see you again, rawr!"
"Good to see you too, Cocoa!" Eiden turns toward Morvay. "Morvay, this Cocoa, the owner and head maid of Honey Magic. Cocoa, this is Morvay, one of my familiars and part of the clan."
"Oh! You're the incubus!" Cocoa says excitedly. "Oli-shine and Ei-dream told me a lot about you while they were working here."
Morvay's cheeks flush pink. "R-Really?" he asks.
"All good things," Eiden says with a wink. "Cocoa, I was actually wondering, do you still have my uniform? I brought Morvay here so that I could give him, ahem, Ei-dream's special service."
Cocoa makes a sound somewhere between a growl and a squeak as her face goes red. "W-Well, I do still have the uniform," she says, "but you and your clan's idea of special service isn't something that will ever be on Honey Magic's menu! I don't want our customers to get the wrong idea!"
Eiden gapes at her. "Wait, Cocoa, you knew--?"
"Rawr! The head maid always knows what's going on at the maid cafe! You and Dan-Dan cut it way too close behind the counter, not to mention what you and Rei-nyan did in the back room..."
"Master!" Morvay exclaims, sounding impressed. "Getting off while on the job? You're a man after my own heart!"
"It wasn't--" Eiden struggles to find a plausible excuse for his indiscretions with the clan members. "W-Well, I mean... essence regulation is an important part of our life together as a clan..."
Cocoa sighs and shakes her head. "It's fine. You all did save my cafe, so I let it slide. But you can't just come to my place of business to hook up with your boyfriends, rawr!"
“Haha, I can't argue with that," Eiden says sheepishly. He's about to ask if they can come in for a regular tea service when he hears a familiar sound from down the path that passes in front of Honey Magic: hoofbeats and carriage wheels.
"Master Eiden, look!" Morvay says. "It's our carriage!"
The carriage comes into the clearing, no worse for the wear than they'd left it. It pulls to a stop beside the cafe, and the driver climbs down to greet them. "Master Eiden," the man says, "my apologies for our delay. Not long after you left, Master Quincy happened upon us. He helped us deal with the log, and we were able to continue on the road."
Eiden lets out a sound that’s half laugh, half sigh. If he and Morvay had stayed with the carriage, they wouldn't have had to trudge through the woods at all, thanks to Quincy's timely arrival. But then again, he might not have realized that what he and Morvay did on their date wasn't what really mattered to either of them.
"Are you ready to return to the mansion?" the carriage driver asks.
Eiden looks at Morvay, who smiles at him. “If you wanna have tea before we go, we can, Master,” he says as he takes Eiden’s hand again, “but I’m happy to go home, too. Doesn’t matter where we go, if I get to be with you.”
“Same,” Eiden replies, smiling back at him. He glances around at Cocoa, the cafe, the carriage, the driver. “Well, since we’re here… let’s all have a quick snack at Honey Magic before we head back?” He gives the carriage driver a sympathetic look. “My treat, as a thank you for your hard work today!”
The driver chuckles and gives Eiden a slight bow. “I appreciate it, Master Eiden.”
Eiden turns back towards Cocoa. “Alright, three guests for your finest tea service, please!”
Cocoa’s eyes brighten, and she straightens her dress before curtsying. “Rawr! Welcome home, masters!”
They spend the next hour enjoying tea and sweets at Honey Magic, and though none of the desserts are in suggestive shapes, they’re all delicious and indulgent: cakes covered in rich chocolate icing, cookies shaped like adorable animals, and macarons that sparkle in a rainbow of colors when the “magic spell” is recited. Even Morvay can’t resist the incredible array of treats - especially when Eiden is the one feeding them to him. By the time they leave to return to the mansion, Eiden’s earlier stresses are all but forgotten thanks to the comforting food and Morvay’s warm company.
The two of them sit side by side in the carriage with a blanket over both their laps. Morvay snuggles close, resting his head on Eiden’s shoulder. “Master?”
“Hmm?” Eiden reaches up to put a hand on Morvay’s head. He’s so cute when he seeks affection like this that Eiden can never resist indulging him.
Morvay makes a soft, pleasant sound as Eiden pets his hair, and nuzzles Eiden’s shoulder with his cheek. “Did you have a good time today, in the end?”
“Of course I did,” Eiden says. He puts his other arm around Morvay’s shoulders to hug him. “I mean, I was pretty upset when everything was going wrong,” he says, “but you saved the day by reminding me of what matters the most.” He leans over to kiss the top of Morvay’s head. “Any day I get to spend with you is a good day, Morvay. I love you.”
Morvay sighs happily and cuddles closer to him. “I love you, too, Master Eiden.”