Jun was nervously buttoning his festive coat in front of a mirror, when he heard a familiar voice behind him.
"I was wondering on my way here what kind of absurdity you wanted me to do this time. Kick a door open? Pick items from upper shelves? Open a jar of cookies? No, judging by the contents of the closet scattered all over the room I assume today my master wishes me to pick an outfit for him." The voice said in a mocking tone.
A glance to the side revealed Juto sprawled in the armchair and giving Jun a disdainful look. It's been close to a month now that they were bound by a magic contract. Jun still couldn't really explain how he was able to summon a Guardian of Limbo, who in return allowed him to own a demon servant, which Jun could summon at will. However, the said demon wasn't very pleased with his new master. He kept complaining about his potential being wasted on Jun's whims instead of something more ambitious - like taking over the world together. But aside that he was loyal and did what his master expected of him, though only because that was the part of their contract. The servant does as the master wishes, however due to the height difference and personality, sometimes it looked more like the demon was in charge here. After all, he was the one who knew everything about contracts and magic objects, such as giving Jun an enchanted pendant that could invoke Juto at any given time, without the need of creating a summoning circle.
"Moral support is important too, you know?"
Jun frowned and turned back to face his mirrored self. He continued to button the coat with clumsy movements.
"What, you're going on your first date or something?"
The demon rested his head in the palm of his hand, looking quite bored already. And it was only a minute since he arrived. His master sighed heavily at that remark without bothering a second glance.
"No, something bigger."
"Your wedding?"
"Gosh! No! Urgh... luckily not that. My father is throwing a ball today and he invited a lot of important people... and I have to attend it as well. I hate those."
Jun almost huffed the last part and adjusted the cuffs of his sleeves. He turned left and right to examine his reflection carefully.
"A snob party, huh?"
The demon raised an eyebrow, his bored expression unchanged.
"Yes. A very formal one."
"I hate those too."
"Glad we agree on something."
"It's common that people and demons unite in hate."
"Tell me about it."
Juto shifted in his seat.
"So, what exactly do you want me to do? Tell you that you don't look fat in those clothes?"
The master looked at his summon over the shoulder and was about to say something, but he sighed instead and focused on adjusting his attire.
"I don't know... I just feel nervous. And I don't exactly have anyone to vent about it. You're the only person I can turn to..."
He lowered his tone and drooped his head and shoulders, looking rather miserable.
"It sucks to be you."
Juto was suddenly standing behind Jun, however there was no demon reflected in the mirror.
"Yeah... it does..."
The young man nodded and smiled nervously without looking up. The summon put both of his hands on his master's shoulders and rubbed it, but squeezing hard enough to make Jun wince. He tall man chuckled.
"Out of all the masters I had, you're really something else by asking me to be verbally supportive. You know I'm not good with words, I'm a man of action. So how about this-..."
The demon leaned in, aligning his face with Jun's.
"I'll attend the party with you and make it a bit more... lively?"
The young man instantly tensed up, swept Juto's hands from his shoulders and turned around to face him.
"No! Nononono! That's not a good idea!"
"Why not?" The demon pouted raising his arms.
"I don't know what you're planning, but I don't want you to meddle in. I don't want anybody to know that you exist!"
"Oh come on." He rolled his eyes.
"If something weird happens, father will blame it on me! It's already bad enough that I have house arrest!"
"I insist."
The conversation went nowhere as Juto wasn't giving up, making the master angrier with each second.
"Why do you want to be there so much? It'll cost you a lot of energy, and you said yourself that you hate formal parties, so-... wait."
Then it dawned on him and he narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
"Don't tell me it's about the food."
The demon grinned wide, displaying his pearly white pointy fangs.
"Oh my lord! It IS about the food!" Jun hid his face in hands.
"Don't be so dramatic."
Juto clicked with tongue and pulled Jun's hands away from his face.
"Can't help it, human food is to die for." He shrugged."Especially the high class cuisine. And yes, I will have to drain a lot of your energy, but..."
He started to tidy the young man's ascot and the collar of the coat as he spoke. However, his movements were gentle and he had a calm face expression, which made Jun blush slightly. But he knew that the demon in front of him is plotting something already.
"...If you need moral support, it would be better if I was there in person with you, don't you think? How else am I supposed to know that your increased heartbeat is just you freaking out about shaking someone's hand instead of being in danger?"
Jun instinctively reached with his hand to the pendant, feeling it under his clothes. It wasn't just an instant way to summon his servant. Juto had a twin copy of it, and they both were connected through magic, so the demon could sense his master's distress no matter where he was. Even if they were worlds apart. Jun remembered Juto's words from when it was gifted to him - that the pendant is close to his beating heart, and Juto will be able to listen to it, and if the rhythm is interrupted, he will be there for him... "In a heartbeat."
"Still. You weren't invited, and I doubt you can get any invitation on such a short notice."
Jun specified an important detail. A smug smile adored Juto's face as he leaned in, looking his master deep in the eyes, sending a shiver down his spine.
"Don't you worry your head about that. I have served countless masters before, stuff like that is a child's play to me."
It always slipped Jun's mind that Juto was no ordinary demon. Since he looked like a human, save for the ominous red gleam in his eyes sometimes, it was hard to tell that he was actually a powerful demon lord, as he liked to point out. Maybe it was because Jun never used his powers to full extent to see the difference.
The young man took a step back and sighed.
"There's no way I can talk you out of it, is it? Fine... you can join me. But under one condition."
He raised his hand with the index finger pointing up. The demon crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"And that is?"
"DO NOT do anything, ANYTHING that could end the ball in a disaster. Understood?"
Jun directed his finger at Juto with a serious face expression. The summon just grinned wide, unaffected.
"Deal."
The young master just stood there with his finger pointed at the demon. Even with the deal, he didn't feel any calmer about it. In fact, he felt like things will get even worse. Juto just grabbed his arm and pulled Jun closer, wrapping the other arm around him. He tilted Jun's chin up to meet his eyes, which made his heart skip a beat.
"Relax. Now... if I may?"
He said slowly in a calming, deep tone. Asking for approval before draining his master's energy was always an important part of the contract. Even though their power difference was clear, Juto wasn't allowed to do things without his master's consent. Jun inhaled deep and nodded. He leaned in, wrapped his arms around the demon's neck and closed his eyes as Juto closed the distance between their lips. It was a long, deep kiss of exchanging energies - energizing for the demon but exhausting for the master. The tall man tightened his embrace around the small body when it started to grow weaker.
When he broke the kiss off, Jun felt a shudder and gasped for air.
"You're getting better at this."
The demon said and licked his lips with a satisfied look. The master just gave him a tired grimace in response. Juto chuckled and picked him up bride style, then sat him on the bed.
"This... better be... worth... it."
Jun's breath was shallow and he looked pale and sick, like being in fever. He swayed a little in his seat.
"I may be a demon lord, but I do care about your well being, alright? Here."
Juto already retrieved a vial of a potent revitalizing mixture from Jun's drawer and put it in his hand.
"I need to make some preparations right away, so I'll be off for now."
He stood up after making sure his master took a proper sip of the potion. He stopped in the middle of the room and created a red demonic circle at his feet. A portal back to the demon world.
"See you soon. Oh, and one more thing. I'd suggest you pick the crimson red suit, this one does make you look fat."
The young man growled and threw a small pillow at him, but it landed on the floor as the demon was already gone.
"What have I done..."
He mumbled looking at the empty space and felt the potion slowly kicking in.
Comments (1)
See all