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While there weren’t a large number of them in the city it did not mean it was out of place for a person to cross paths with a witch. In society, a witch was a commonly accept presence amongst normal people. Though they would keep to themselves it was not unheard-of for people to consult or hire witches for any and all matters. Need a spell to ensure good luck for a day? A potion to heal an ill family member? A curse to be placed upon an enemy? Almost anything was possible for a witch.
And witches were not all one in the same either. Magics differed between them all, though there was a loose category that can be used to chart the type of power each held. The most commonly seen types were witches possessing white magic. Folks would often seek them out for healing, cleansing, or even protection. Because of this, they were held in the highest regard.
But the world was one for balance. Thus, where there were witches of white magic, there too were those of black magic. A magic that specialized in destruction. Or so people had come to assume.
There were more than a handful of witches these days that could wield black magic. Unfortunately, some of those beings did not help with the less than favorable view of them when they used their gift for their own personal gain. Some even going as far as to reaching out to creatures from beyond to further their power. All of which ultimately lead to more harm being done than anything else.
Not all witches that would wield black magic were like that though.
One of those witches was one by the name of Veritas Ratio.
Snapping a tome shut, the witch in question was currently preparing to begin closing down his shop for the evening. His last client that day had left well over an hour ago, having visited to inquire about a tome that Ratio was in the works of translating for them. Visitors were far and few, but his prestige as a talented witch and dedication to the magical arts had earned him a consistent clientele. It served as a start in his goals of shining a more favorable light on his use of black magic. The remaining time of the day was spent in comfortable quiet, the sun beginning its decent beyond the windows with night soon to be ushered in. The short heels of his sandals clicked against the hardwood flooring as he moved from shelf to shelf – ensuring that everything was in order just as it had been when he opened that morning.
Every day for the past several years this lone witch had been working his hardest, his best, to make a better name for those who shared the same gift as him. The stigma against black magic was deeply rooted in the world. One that he was determined to shatter in order for people to see that there was more to the art.
“If you continue to observe at face value, then you are blinding yourself from seeing the true potential this magic holds. You need only open your minds to the other possibilities and not let yourselves be clouded by the actions of the few.”
Yet, only a select few were comfortable with Veritas and willing to listen because of his magical affinity. The rest were either too afraid of crossing him or feared his magic period.
Of which, one of them was perfectly content with pressing the witch’s button without fearing his sharp tongue or a spell scroll connecting with the back of their head. Or to be more precise – can placate their sharp words with light-hearted banter and dodge the scroll with enough practice.
And said witch was currently lounging in one of the open seats of the shop, legs dangling over one chair arm while he lazily stroked the head of his peacock familiar dozing on his lap. He gave off the appearance of looking perfectly at home in the black witch’s shop, especially with the addition of a napping black cat curled around his neck, tail lazily tapping his chest every now and again as it purred.
While not the most comfortable of positions Aventurine didn’t want to wake the pair of creatures just yet. He was content as is.
His gaze lingered over to the owner of the shop in the meantime. Though the man’s back was turned to him Aventurine was not one to complain about the view from where they sat. The cord lacing down the open back offered a tantalizing view of those muscles. And as if sensing his gaze upon them, Ratio snapped a tome shut and turned to look in Aventurine’s direction.
Aventurine met his curious gaze with a cheeky little smile of his own.
“Something amiss, Veritas?”
Their gaze was unreadable. The silent pause seemed to last far longer than a beat but eventually it breaks when they respond.
“... No. Not all.”
An eyebrow lifts, but Aventurine lets it go as the man turns his back to him once more. It was then that from overhead came the sound of wings as a barn owl fluttered down and into view. Perching on the black witch’s shoulder it hooted softly while nipping at his hair affectionately. Ratio, having plucked another tome to flip through, reached up to stroke the creature’s head. It closed its eyes and uttered another hoot.
Content to continue observing Ratio work, the witch wiggled in his seat to find a more comfortable position. The cat on his shoulders protested with a soft mewl while the peacock ruffled its wings at the disruption.
“You two are spoiled,” he muttered to himself but proceeded to cease his fidgeting.
Once more the shop lapsed into silence. For anyone else it would have been stifling but not Ratio. And this only made Aventurine wonder even more how the witch found it in his heart. Let alone care for him, when he been nothing but a loud and obnoxious interruption in their life.
Just as Ratio was a witch that defied the stereotypes of his kind, Aventurine was the prime opposite of what a white witch was seen as.
Aventurine showed little regard or respect for those who sought him out for his help. He was considered one of the most powerful witches of his kind, but it only left a bitter taste in his mouth. When his life had gone from as a child used as a magical source for a witch that kidnapped him to being pulled into a coven of high-ranking ones, a group that his now dead kidnapper had once been tied to, made the man want to do nothing more than to rebel at every chance he could. He was bound to them with no family alive for him to return to. Not to mention the brand on his neck that the witch had used to help keep him under their control continued to serve as a reminder of it all whenever he saw it in his reflection.
And while watching Ratio move away with their owl familiar, Aventurine’s gaze lingered on the spot they had been at and couldn’t help wincing at the still damaged display of a bookshelf.
A reminder of said rebelling when he had first met Ratio.
It stood out with the cracks in the frame, not to mention one shelve was only half a one. Leaving a wide empty space where more books had once been. All because on their first encounter nearly a year to the day he had wanted to stir up trouble as Jade, his superior in the coven, was in discussions with Ratio at the time.
His own scarred past with a black witch had made it impossible for him to believe any of them could be capable of being a decent creature. And so, while he had been left to wander the man’s shop as the two witches were in their meeting, Aventurine had gotten it into his head to play a little prank on him. A prank that resulted in several ruined tomes and a very damaged display because of his own magic.
“ Mrow?”
Pulling himself back to the present, Aventurine looked down at the floor where a second black sat. Their tail was curled around their paws as they sat up straight, golden eyes fixated at him. It blinked before opening its mouth to meow again.
“Sorry little one but there’s really not much room up here,” Aventurine said with a laugh. The cat then lifted itself onto its hindlegs and rested their front paws on the seat. Sniffing his sleeve and then the air, the feline meowed again before reaching up to bat at the slumbering creature on his shoulders.
“Oh no – none of that now,” a gloved hand reached over to –albeit gently- squash the second cat down off and away from the chair. “You behave! Let your sister sleep.”
Suddenly, a shadow loomed over the crowded group and Aventurine turned his gaze upwards to Ratio standing there, meeting his gaze. The barn owl had retreated elsewhere by then but the hoots of the bird could be heard still in the room. Without so much as a word he crouched down to pick up the cat, curling a finger under the chin to scratch it lightly.
“As charming as it is to see you keep your familiar and the cats company, I do believe you had volunteered to help me close the shop early today.”
Aventurine blinked up at Ratio before looking down at the animals using him as a cushion. With a vague wave of his hand, gesturing at said hold ups, Aventurine chuckled.
“I would love to help, but as you can see, I’m somewhat occupied at the moment.”
Ratio, brows raised, merely palced the cat is his arms down before reaching out to other animals. Protests from both the bird familiar and the cat were heard as each one were plucked from their resting places and set down on the ground with care, one after the other. The former fluttered its wings and nipped at Ratio’s deep blue pants, their disgruntlement clear as day. But the witch paid them no mind and instead extended a hand for the blond to take.
With a theatrical sigh, Aventurine rolled his eyes, accepting the offered hand. He was immediately pulled up onto his feet. Ratio had strength that was certainly unlike others and every time he would move Aventurine with ease it never failed to catch him by surprise. Even if only for a moment.
High heeled boots clicked with his every step with the peacock feather train of his coat fluttering behind him, arms stretching over his head to release the stiffness he felt in his joints.
“Alright, alright – where shall I start, dear?”
The remainder of the hour flew by quickly. Their footsteps echoed in the room, the sounds of items moving and shelves creaking punctuating the air. Both of their bird familiars kept out the way – the owl perched on a furnished branch by a window while the peacock nestled back onto the seat Aventurine had previously occupied.
It was the two – eventually to be three – black cats that decided to try and ‘help’ the couple.
Their help came in the form of knocking a pile of tomes off a shelf, another making off with a quill in their mouth as if it were a toy, and the third refusing to cease meowing at the door leading into the storage room.
“By the goddess, every time you do this you just walk in and then immediately walk back out,” Aventurine argued with the animal, hands on his hips as his foot tapped against the floor. “Nothing has changed in that room and there’s nothing you want from it!”
But the cat simply yowled again, louder this time, and made a second attempt to paw at the door. It was an argument the witch was just not going to win. Throwing his hands into the air in exasperation Aventurine did as he was asked and opened the storage door.
And from where Ratio was standing, arm full of spell scrolls, he watched as the scene played out exactly as the other witch predicted. He bit his bottom lip to stifle a laugh as the feline padded into the room vanishing from view for all of three second before promptly leaving. He had to turn away and press a hand to his mouth to quiet his chuckle as he heard Aventurine’s frustrated tone.
“See? Like I said: every. Single. Time.”
Ratio kept his amusement to himself and continued to carefully and systematically store the scrolls in the crafted shelving made just for them. Outside of the mewls of the cats and Aventurine’s mutterings, the peaceful atmosphere was a comfort to him. Once he had finished the task at hand, he looked back to the other witch. They were in front of a display of the artifact collection he possessed but did not seem to be moving much, save for the hand that was resting upon the glass door.
Tilting his head curiously, Ratio said, “Is something the matter?”
No response.
Manipulating the aether around him, his focus on Aventurine allowed him to cross the room to him in the blink of an eye. He moved that distance in an instant and found himself standing behind the blond man who was – clearly – lost in his own thoughts. Once more he tried to break him out his thoughts with his name but to no avail.
A frown flickered across his own face as the taller man reached out to him. Hands hovering just close enough to their waist, he took in every detail of his love. Bare shoulders hunched forward a fraction, the collar of his blouse hiding all but the very top of the mark on his neck, the lone earring of his right ear twinkling from the last fading rays of sunlight through the window.
“Aventurine?”
Still no response. Aventurine's attention was all on the display in front of him. Or perhaps the better assumption was on the reflection of himself staring back at him.
It was so very rare to see Aventurine like this and it left Ratio wondering what all it was that was going through his head. For the better part of the past two months since his own very clumsy confession of his fondness for the other man, Ratio had noted a change. It was not a drastic one – but more of a quiet one.
The flirting and boisterous personality of Aventurine remained the same. But in the moments where it was just the two of them. Private moments they shared. There was always a flicker of hesitation in Aventurine’s eyes. But it never lasted long. A warm kiss was enough to soothe Ratio’s concerns at first, but as the weeks went on, the more he began to notice this metaphorical curtain Aventurine would try to close between them.
“That’s enough I think.”
Those words had been the only warning Aventurine would get before those hands at his waist took hold and picked the younger man up. Ratio then turned on his heels, paying no mind to the flustered words and hand waves of his lover, to take the few steps required to seat them atop the worktable. Scrolls and quills decorated the surface, but main focus of Ratio was on Aventurine. The smaller witch blinked at him with a wide-eyed expression – one that reminded him so much of his own familiar that he had hold back a chuckle.
“You’re far too deep in your head again, my little peacock. Just what could possibly be going through your mind that you don’t respond to my three attempts at getting your attention?”
There was silence then. A heavy, lingering silence. Ratio showed not one ounce if impatience as he watched the smaller man caged between his arms. He noted the way Aventurine swallowed, how their eyes were searching for something in his own expression. Eventually, their hands found their home on Ratio’s cheeks. They willed themself to not break eye contact as their voice trembled slightly with every sentence spoken.
“It’s always been a constant thought in the back of my mind. Do you even know how baffling this all is?”
When Aventurine was met with a quizzical look as a reply, he shook his head and pressed on.
“Not only was there that disastrous first impression, I’ve done nothing but cause havoc and create messes for so many. There’s... so much in my past that even associating with me could further ruin your chances of getting others to believe in you. Why is that? ”
Swallowing again, this time he closed his eyes and brought their foreheads together.
“Goddess, why, of all the other witches, do you want me ?”
In the darkness he did not, could not, see the expression on Ratio's face. There was only the deafening silence as the concerns that had been weighing down on Aventurine in the months since their committed relationship began were finally out in the open. Seconds gave way to a solid minute as the other man said nothing. Then, finally, Aventurine felt him move, causing him open his eyes, lashes fluttering as dim light returned his vision.
Veritas was into the left hand against his cheek, nothing but warm patience in his eyes.
“I will continue to repeat myself until these words are nestled in your mind, secured in the knowledge that what I speak is the truth.”
Taking the tip of gloved finger between his lips, there was a gentle tug before the glove protecting his hand was slowly – agonizingly so – pulled free by their teeth. For a lingering moment Aventurine felt his face grow warm at the sight of Veritas with his glove dangling from his mouth. It was a gesture so simple and yet it had him wanting to see more of what that mouth could do for him. To him.
What brought him back from his thoughts was the warmth of Veritas’ breath caressing his now naked hand.
The older witch made certain to maintain eye contact as they pressed a chaste kiss to his palm. The glove had been dropped and promptly forgotten. At the sight of Aventurine’s flushed cheeks growing a slightly deeper shade of red, the corners of Ratio’s mouth twitched upwards into a ghost of a smile.
“It is simply because it can be no one else but you, Kakavasha. I love you .”
Oh.
Now that simply wasn’t fair.
The sound of his true name spoken in such a gentle, husky tone was too much for Aventurine. With his thoughts stalling and fumbling about he desperately tried to find a verbal way to respond. Yet all he could think to do was grab the open front of his lover’s shirt and pull him in for a very hungry and very heated kiss to hide the fact at how red his face was.
In the time between leaving the shop floor to reaching Ratio’s bedroom above, Aventurine insisted on being as handsy as possible between awkward, desperate kisses. It was astounding that they had managed the flight of stairs without tripping.
When the door closed behind them the pair all but fell into bed together. Aventurine climbed atop the witch, straddling his waist, his hands finding their place dipping beneath the open cut of Ratio’s shirt to feel his chest. He couldn’t help the muffled gasp as those nimble fingers grazed his nipples, the flush of his cheeks deepening. Eager and pleased by the reaction, Aventurine leaned forward to kiss him once more.
It took little time to unbutton the blond’s top and watch it slip free of his arms to the floor. Once they had been willing to stop feeling up his pectorals long enough to allow it. The other glove and sash were soon joining the growing pile on the floor, by which Aventurine was grinding against the man beneath him, feeling the hardening bulge against his backside.
“Somebody is eager, aren’t they~?” The teasing was so easy for him to fall back on as he smirked at the disheveled witch. Violet hair out of place from their hurried kisses, the familiar laurel pin having slipped out of place in those strands. This wasn’t the first time they had had sex before but every time they have, Aventurine simply never tired of how much his lover would come apart for him.
And only him.
It was a victory that was short lived, because with no effort at all Ratio had flipped their positions around with a somewhat startled yelp from Aventurine. One of his hands engulfed the wrists of the other, holding them above their head. There, his attention focused for but a moment on those hands – channeling the familiar magics within to secure them. Thin, almost jewel like cord of gold with petals materialized around those wrists and secure them to the headboard.
Breaking his focus once the spell was complete, those sunset eyes were watching them before he leaned forward to press a brief kiss to their cheek.
“Is this too much?”
Aventurine gave the bindings a light tug – the ley lines were just tight enough to restrain his hands where Ratio held them above his head, but they did cause him any discomfort.
“You’ve got this down to an art,” was Aventurine’s response, grinning as he tried to catch the other’s lips in another kiss. He narrowly missed, the kiss landing on the corner of their mouth instead. But that had only been because Ratio went and turned his head to continue his previous task.
Ratio pressed open mouth kisses against their neck. Keeping the other witch pinned beneath him, he made his content known with a hum as he felt them squirm. And when he gave a gentle bite at the juncture between their neck and shoulder, he was rewarded with a gasp. One that was immediately followed by a soft pitched whine when he lavished that same spot with another kiss.
Aventurine arched his back, making it very clear how much they desired him, all while tugging at the ley lines holding them in place, but Veritas would not relent. Not yet anyway. And as a warning he nipped at spot just beneath their jaw.
“Behave, Vasha,” he murmured against their skin. "We have all night, and I will accept nothing less than all of your undivided attention."
Again, Aventurine tried press himself to his partner, eyebrows raising, that look of desire shining in his dual-colored eyes.
“Is that a promise?”
Marks from his kisses were already beginning to form upon their skin. Golden hair fanned out around their head, their tone breathless as they taunted him with a wink and a grin. It made his own heart skip a beat at such a beautiful sight. The distance between them closed as he nudged their nose with his own, a low chuckle escaping him.
“A promise indeed.”