Chapter Text
Summers in the Wood Territory were humid, and unpleasant, but worked as a great motivator for Quincy to stay inside and catch up on sleep. For Eiden, however, summer meant trying new recipes, going for swims in the lake near his partner’s house, and barbeques under the stars. Thus, one day, he showed up with a suitcase and declared that he’d be staying with Quincy until he had completed his task of making as many great summer memories as possible.
Unlike in the decades past, this summer, Quincy couldn’t help but be open to the idea of enjoying the season in the ways Eiden planned out for the two of them. He allowed himself to be roped into cooking meat for his partner. He allowed himself a few small chuckles after throwing Eiden into the lake, the shorter man’s shocked expression filling his chest with warmth. Quincy made sure to catch glowing bugs that hung in the night sky as they talked late at night, savoring the expression of wonder Eiden wore as he peered at the small creatures in his lover’s cupped hands. With Eiden, even the seasons, which had always passed by without joy, a reminder of condition and struggles, were made impossibly sweet.
When Eiden also mentioned that as a reward for humoring him, he’d be ready and willing whenever Quincy wanted to fuck, the older man let go of any final reservations he might have had.
Of course, Eiden wasn’t just using this as a motivator to get Quincy out and about, but for his perverted pleasure as well. As soon as Eiden dropped his bags, he fished out a compendium of different outdoor locations that would be the best for sex, even listing different scenarios he was set on making Quincy roleplay for him. Quincy only half-listened after Eiden said the word sex , more concerned about getting dinner on the table for an extra person, but had every intention of fulfilling both of their desires. Thus, the couple’s summer of sexy fun began.
This morning started just like the others, the pair rolling out of bed and in each other's arms to get dressed for the day, Quincy slipping off at some point to get breakfast ready. Eiden knew better than anyone how many tasks Quincy needed to complete to sustain himself, so he insisted that Quincy allow him to make himself useful and help out around the cabin. Quincy figured that starting an argument would just be troublesome, and there were a few things he could ask Eiden to do that would be easy enough to handle on his own. After the two ate their food, they put on their gloves and grabbed Quincy’s tools to begin harvesting some of the plants and flowers from his garden.
Since the pair had been a little…preoccupied, over the past two weeks, there was a good amount of weeding to be done to ensure that Quincy’s produce stayed as healthy through the rest of the season. Eiden told Quincy he had had a “part-time job” at a flower store in his home world, so promised to pick a few flowers and make an arrangement for their dinner table. Quincy nodded, patting his head before setting off to get to work. Eiden headed with his basket over to where Quincy had planted a few small berry bushes, opting to harvest while Quincy did the weeding.
Despite the heat of the sun beating down on his back, Quincy worked quickly, pulling weeds and tossing them into a small tub with trained dexterity. The sound of Eiden whistling from across the garden as he picked fruit and flowers kept him motivated. By the time an hour or two passed by, he managed to get about half of the pulling done. Wiping the sweat off his brow, he walked over to a shady stump where he took a load off, closing his eyes a feeling a faint breeze on his neck.
After a moment or two, the giant noticed that Eiden’s whistling had stopped. Past the organized vegetable patches and fruit trees, there was a small trail that eventually led to the mouth of the river the two bathed in. In the rainy season, the path slowly began to bloom with virtualias, so Quincy figured Eiden had gone looking for more flowers to pick. Sure enough, when Quincy decided to investigate himself, he found his partner crouched over a patch of plants a little ways off of the path. Eiden must heard the crinkling of leaves under Quincy’s, whipping his head around and meeting the tall man’s gaze.
“Quincy! Perfect timing, come see what I found over here!” Eiden exclaimed, beckoning Quincy over with an excited wave of a hand.
Quincy climbed over a few small shrubs, joining Eiden in crouching over the plants. Before them lay a bed of luminescent, purple flowers, unfamiliar to Quincy. They seemed to be moving on their own, the faint scent of essence wafting through the air as they swayed. As soon as Quincy came over, they seemed to lock onto his scent, slowly moving closer to him. They began to glow from the inside of their buds. Quincy’s brow furrowed slightly, a faint sense of unease beginning to pool in his stomach. Eiden sucked in a breath of amazement beside him.
“Woah, did you see that? They like you, Quincy! They didn’t react that way when I came to look at them. Heh, even the plants know how handsome you are,” Eiden joked, resting his head on Quincy’s shoulder as he studied the plants’ movements. “Say, what are these called? I think I’ll make them the centerpiece of the arrangement!”
The only flowers that glowed in response to essence in Quincy’s neck of the woods were the virtualias. But the rainy season was still a handful of months away, and even then, it was in response to the desires of yokai in the area. The more that Quincy studied the plants, the faster they seemed to move. Their side-to-side swaying had turned to a strange pulsing, the glow from inside getting more intense. Eiden’s smile widened, the flower’s dance and fondness for his partner entertaining the sorcerer.
“I don’t know.” Quincy managed, leaning away slightly.
“Wait, seriously? There are flowers in the forest that even you haven’t seen? Ooh, maybe these are a part of some rare legend! Y’know, like a treasure that travelers from far and wide forage for? I mean, they are moving around, so it’s possible. C’mon, let’s try to pick one. We could even give one to Rei to examine…”
As Eiden rambled on, the flowers kept pulsing, getting quicker and quicker. Eiden’s surprise was justified. If there was a flower this conspicuous, Quincy would have seen it by now. Their strange behavior wasn’t exactly hard to miss. Quincy didn’t like wherever this was going, and had seen enough.
“We’re done here. Come.” Quincy stated, grabbing Eiden’s arm, trying to stand them up and away from the flowers as quickly as he could.
“Huh? Wait, why? Quincy-”
Before they knew it, the flowers suddenly shot up out of the ground, stems extending rapidly. Instantly, the buds were mere inches away from Quincy’s face. The glowing intensified as the flowers shot open, their star-shaped petals spurting a hot, dusty spore shooting directly into Quincy’s face. Stumbling, he broke into a fit of coughs, the plant’s venom burning his throat causing his eyes to water. As quickly as the plants bloomed to shoot their spore, they sunk back into the ground, disappearing into the ground before the two men could process what had happened.
“What the hell– Quincy!” Eiden shrieked, quickly wrapping an arm around Quincy’s shoulder to steady the man as the coughs wracked through his large body.
Eiden had filled a canteen of water up for himself, quickly it fishing out of the side compartment of his harvesting basket. As soon as he was sure Quincy wouldn’t choke, he gently brought the lid to his lips and tilted it so the man could drink. Quincy held the water in his mouth and swallowed it down slowly. The couple continued the process until the water ran out. When Eiden pulled the canteen away, Quincy was left panting, bringing a hand to his chest, willing himself to calm down.
At some point during his coughing fit, Eiden managed to get Quincy to sit down, supporting the giant with his shoulders. Quincy allowed himself to rest against his partner, lying his head on Eiden’s chest. As his breathing evened out, his eyes fell on the vacant flower bed.
Just what the hell were they? He was used to dealing with monsters, their dark and chaotic essence causing them to strike anything that they viewed as a threat, but a flower? Despite the oddity of it all, something about their essence, the way it burned the back of Quincy’s throat, leaving a slightly pleasant numb feeling in its wake, felt familiar somehow. Before he could pinpoint where he knew the feeling, he was interrupted by Eiden, who wrapped his arms around Quincy’s shoulders.
“I’m so sorry, Quincy, this is all my fault. I had no idea those shitty plants would attack you like that. Even after you told me not to go off places by myself, I couldn’t help myself. I know this is troublesome…” Eiden admitted apologetically, following Quincy’s gaze over where the flowers were.
“You couldn’t have known my essence would provoke them like that,” Quincy assured, bringing a hand to rest on top of Eiden’s own.
“Yeah, I know, but I can be sorry for putting you in harm's way like that. Speaking of which, how are you feeling now? We should get you back inside so you can get some rest.”
For now, Quincy felt fine. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t uneasy about the origin of the plants. The feeling of their essence lingered in his chest, beginning to slowly trickle up and down through the rest of his body. But, he could move fine, and he didn’t feel any signs of illness arising. If the spore had been poisonous, the venom enough to cause him serious harm, the symptoms would have shown themselves by this point. And, if Quincy were to be honest, the last thing he wanted to do was worry Eiden, or worse, make Eiden feel like he needed to take care of him in any way. Quincy was a man who stuck to his ways, and he felt it was his job to care for and protect Eiden whenever he came to visit. A flower, of all things, wasn’t going to get in his way.
“I feel fine, and my essence is stable for now. I should be able to heal myself if anything comes up. Let’s go.” Quincy assured the younger man, squeezing his arm to comfort him.
Quincy brought himself up from the ground, lifting a hand out to Eiden. The smaller man took it, his hand lingering in Quincy’s as the two began to walk away from the scene.
“If you say you’re okay. But, listen to me, the moment you start to feel off, you have to promise to let me take care of you, okay? If you get sick, it’s my duty as the Grand Sorcerer to make sure you get better.” Eiden said firmly, pointing a finger up at Quincy to get his point across.
Quincy’s lips turned up into a small smile, his hand moving to rest behind Eiden’s back as the pair walked back to the cabin. Though he hoped it would never have to happen, he felt assured by the little devil’s earnestness.
—
The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Eiden, still feeling a little guilty, gave up on his flower-picking and told Quincy that he’d take care of the rest of the weeding. This time, Quincy agreed not just because it would help him avoid an argument, but because the familiar essence in the back of his throat still hadn’t dissipated. He may have been putting on a little bit of a front for Eiden’s sake, but there was no point in being downright negligent. While Eiden worked, he ground some healing herbs he received as a gift from Olivine, making a salve. If he ingested some of it with his dinner, by sunrise, the rest of the flower’s spore should be out of his system.
To avoid putting any unnecessary strain on Quincy’s body, Eiden insisted that the two bathe alone, nipping any chance of impromptu shower sex in the bud. When the giant returned from washing the day off, he found Eiden setting up a pillow barrier between the sides of the bed, dead set on ensuring they kept their hands to themselves. Thus, the pair settled in for an uneventful night of rest.
Morning, however, was a different story.
Gentle sunlight illuminated Quincy’s cozy room, lifting Quincy out of his sleep. He blinked a few times, his vision clearing. At some point during the night, Eiden had ventured from across the barrier and curled around Quincy’s body. His arm was splayed over Quincy’s chest, his leg resting over the lower part of his partner’s body. Quincy smirked, shaking his head at Eiden’s failure to keep away from him. Freeing his arm from Eiden’s grasp, he brushed a few messy hairs out of the brunette’s face. Eiden scrunched his nose and fidgeted, before slowly opening his eyes to meet Quincy’s gaze.
“G’mornin’,” he mumbled sleepily, nuzzling his head into the crook of his neck.
Something in the tone of Eiden’s voice makes Quincy’s cheeks flush, a warm feeling rising in his chest. Quincy cupped the younger man’s chin, slowly raising his head to bring their lips together for a kiss. It started soft, Quincy turning his body to face Eiden as he lowered his hand down to gently grab his waist. As soon as their lips met, small shocks of arousal started to spark up in Quincy’s chest. Before long, Quincy wanted more, fast, sneaking in small bites on Eiden’s lower lip. Eiden, tired and pliant, let Quincy have his way with him; he easily opened his mouth for Quincy to deepen the kiss, a sigh escaping his lip as Quincy lightly began to suck on his top lip. Quincy groaned lowly, and he savored the taste of Eiden’s essence-filled saliva.
Quincy quickly felt more heat stir in his body, head growing fuzzy as arousal began to overwhelm all of his other senses. He didn’t think that a singular night without sex would have affected him so deeply, but he felt a fierce hunger bubble up in him with every small sound he was able to draw from Eiden’s lips. Without thinking twice, he pulled Eiden into his lap, bringing a hand up into the brunette’s soft hair, latching on grabbing firmly. Eiden moaned Quincy’s name quietly as Quincy pulled his hair, bucking his hips and grinding down against Quincy’s crotch. Eiden’s cock starts to harden, a small bead of precum visible through his underwear. The sight only intensified the haze over Quincy’s senses, driving him to grab Eiden’s hips even tighter.
“Quincy–you, ahn, missed me that much?” Eiden whispered between kisses, slipping a hand under Quincy’s nightshirt, switching between groping his pecs and playing with one each of his hard nipples.
“Grh, hah …quiet down,” Quincy warned, moving his big hands down to Eiden’s ass, giving one of his plump cheeks a hard smack .
Eiden gasped. A smile melted onto his face as he arched his back, his eyes fluttering as he felt the impacted skin warm. Quincy rarely got too rough with Eiden, afraid that he’d end up going overboard, hurting or scaring Eiden in the process. Eiden respected his boundaries, but he would be lying if he said he didn’t wish Quincy would just go for it, wanting the big man to reduce him to a begging mess, maybe wrapping a hand calloused around his neck in the process…
But, to Eiden’s luck, today seemed different. He hadn’t seen this look in Quincy’s eyes since the double eclipse, when his essence had spun out of control, causing Quincy to lose his inhibitions. He shuddered blissfully, feeling a twinge of phantom pain where Quincy had bitten him. That memory was all the motivation he needed, Eiden deciding to test the waters. He flicked Quincy’s nipple with his fingers, leaning in close to Quincy’s ear, licking the shell, and sighing as Quincy continued to fondle his ass.
“I’m not getting cocky, Quincy, I’m just calling it as I see it. You’re the one about to fuck me first thing in the morning all because we skipped one little night of sex, right? Even after I tried so hard to let you rest after such a hard day…what a shame.” Eiden whispered teasingly, lacing his voice with faux-disappointment.
“Little devil,” Quincy growled lowly, bringing his hand back up to grab at Eiden’s chin.
He firmly pulled Eiden’s face back, forcing his boy to look at him. Quincy glared at Eiden, eyes clouded, like a predator setting his sights on his prey. Eiden bit down on his bottom lip hard, his cock straining in his pants. For both of their sakes, Eiden forced himself to get on with it.
“I know, I know, enough stalling. I want your cock just as bad as you need to fill me up with your essence, Quincy,” Eiden sighed, slowly shuffling his legs back, trailing his hands down Quincy’s chest as he moved, not breaking eye contact with his partner.
Soon enough, he was at face level with Quincy’s dick, teasingly playing with the waistband of his boxers. Quincy's strained breathing got even heavier, his hands resting on top of Eiden’s head. Both of them could practically feel the heat radiating off of his skin, his essence going haywire at the sight of Eiden snaking down his body. His throat, hot and scratchy, clenched as he tried to stifle a groan.
His throat…
Quincy’s brow furrowed, causing him to pause for the first time that morning. His throat was still just as irritated as it was yesterday, if not worse, the salve not having helped dissipate the spore’s essence at all. Whatever those flowers had shot out at him was corrupting his essence, making it so the only thing on his mind was taking Eiden as quickly as possible. Quincy forced himself to hone in sensation of the foreign essence, willing the haziness in his mind to clear just long enough for him to survey the rest of his body. Sure enough, the same burning in his throat, the heat from the spore, had spread up to not just his head, but to almost every single part of his body.
Every part except…one, that was. Tearing his eyes from Eiden’s gaze, he looked down at where his partner hovered. None of the heat had traveled down past his torso to his nether region. Instead of the heat that was pulsating through the rest of him, his crotch was tingling with a cold, numb sensation.
And, despite how desperate he was for Eiden, his cock reacted in the least.
Quincy’s heart dropped into his stomach as he turned his attention back to Eiden’s teasing.
“Say, Quincy, if I suck your dick just how you like it, do you promise not to hold back on me today? I wanna see how far you can go down my mouth.” Eiden said, his hot breath misting over Quincy’s bulge as he spoke, fingers hooking under his waistband.
Shit.
“Eiden, wait-” Quincy sputtered, trying to move his hands quick enough to stop him.
He was too late. Eiden lowered Quincy’s boxers down, his limp cock exposed for the two of them to see.
A beat of silence passed. If Quincy hadn’t been poisoned, he was sure his blood would have run cold. A different type of heat worked its way onto his face, the old man flushing with a feeling of embarrassment he was sure he hadn’t experienced in decades. Making matters worse, Eiden snorted, then broke into a fit of laughter. Quincy grimaced, staring down at his malfunctioning length, hoping that if he looked hard enough, it would begin to move, just like the flowers did.
“Wow…have we really been going at it that much? You really should’ve said something, Quincy! Hey, c’mon, what’s that look on your face for? Oh, I shouldn’t have laughed- There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, it happens to some people when they’ve cum too much in the same period of time. Nothing to be ashamed about, I promise! ” Eiden said, patting Quincy’s thigh in support.
“Stop. Stop talking. Now.” Quincy grumbled, combing a hand through his hair, attempting to physically suppress the humiliation he felt.
Eiden laughed sheepishly, turning his attention back to Quincy’s cock. Eiden took Quincy in hand, giving him a couple of slow pumps. Quincy’s hips jerked up slightly, arousal creeping back into the forefront of his mind. Despite the feelings of pleasure, there was no response from his dick, the length remaining listless. Quincy tried, and failed, to suppress a scoff of frustration.
“Quincy? If it hurts or something, let’s stop for today. I don’t want to-”
“ No. Keep going. I can feel your hand, but that damned spore’s interfering with my essence. If you keep going and focus on exchanging your essence with me, I should be able to drown the poison.” Quincy demanded, bringing his hands back behind Eiden’s head. The mood had died, a miserable death at that, but his determination to get this over with was alive and well.
The mention of the spore seemed to get Eiden on the same page, his brow furrowing in concentration as he lowered his head down, continuing to pump Quincy’s cock.
“Alright, leave it to me. I may not be able to use magic, but I know how to use my mouth. Sit back and relax.” Eiden declared, locking eyes with his partner before getting to work.
Eiden started to service Quincy’s cock, pumping from base to head with one hand, the other cupping Quincy’s sack, gently massaging them. Quincy sighed, pleasure pooling in his stomach as he looked into Eiden’s eyes, want glazing over them as he started to kiss up and down Quincy’s shaft. Eiden’s saliva coated his cock, the warm feeling of Eiden’s essence starting to warm his cold little by little. Quincy stroked his boy’s hair, shutting his eyes and focusing on the feeling of Eiden’s energy as he took the head into his mouth.
Before they could get into a rhythm, Eiden yelped, jolting himself off around his cock himself off of Quincy’s limp dick as fast as possible. Suddenly, he felt his cock twitch hard , an icy
feeling closing around it, the cold essence returning with a vengeance. Quincy shivered, the heat immediately dissipating from the rest of his body, clearing his mind for good.
“W-What the fuck is that!?” Eiden yelled, sitting up to eye level with Quincy, brown eyes wide in shock.
“What happened?” Quincy questioned, scanning Eiden’s expression for any explanation.
“Quincy, look at it!” Eiden demanded, pointing down at his crotch.
Slowly turning his gaze downward, intense dread filled Quincy’s chest for the second time that morning. A glowing, purple cock cage had manifested around his bulge, pulsating at the same pace the light from inside the flowers had. It didn’t seem to be made of metal but from some sort of light magic. Eiden gingerly reached out to touch it. As soon as he got close, he yanked his fingers back, the light magic shocking him.
A purple cock cage. The more Quincy looked at it, the faster rage rushed throughout his body.
That old, scheming, fucking fox.
The essence that Quincy felt wrapped around his dick was undoubtedly Kuya’s. Smoky and cold, with the ability to send those who ingested it into whatever illusion the fox desired. Quincy quickly realized the reason why he was unable to recognize the flowers. They were just some blasted illusion the old bastard had used to drug him, sending him into a horny frenzy long to trigger whatever part of his perverted spell caused the confines to manifest around Quincy.
Every part of this filled Quincy with shame and was infuriating. But, sitting in his anger wasn’t going to get this thing off his cock. At some point, Eiden had launched into rambling about how he’d ruined Quincy’s life and cursed him forever, so Quincy took a moment to calm himself before reaching out a hand and resting it on Eiden’s shoulder.
“Eiden, stop. What color were those flowers?”
“What? W-what does the color of those stupid flowers have to do with any…thing.” Eiden started, his panicked expression quicking flattening when he came to the same realization. He pinched his temples, shaking his head slowly.
“Right….right. Because what else would it have been?”
“Get up and get dressed. We’re going over there. He’s fixing this today.”
Quincy stated, rising himself and making his way over to the drawer filled with his clothes. Eiden stayed silent, staying put on the bed, simply watching as Quincy pulled on a clean shirt. When Quincy looked back, Eiden had brought a hand up to his mouth, looking up at Quincy with an incredulous look on his face.
“What is it now?” Quincy asked.
“Quincy…there’s a…” Eiden trailed, steadying himself, “he put some sort of…brand right above your ass. It, um, looks just like the one Morvay has.”
Quincy had nearly burned down the entire forest during a spat with Kuya before. Suddenly, doing it again didn’t seem like such a bad idea. He grumbled out a curse, quickly donning his day clothes, gesturing Eiden to follow suit, and fast. After making sure Topper had his breakfast, the two set off to the trickster’s abode, determined to stand their ground.
—
With Quincy leading the way, they arrived at Kuya’s small home in good time. At any other time, Eiden would have tried cracking a joke about how Quincy sure knew just where he was going, but he figured that he should keep it to himself.
Even under normal circumstances, Eiden knew all too well that dealing with Kuya was consistently at the bottom of the giant’s list of priorities. Each time Eiden had seen them interact, the yokai’s never-ending stream of teasing and pestering got under Quincy’s effortlessly. Quincy, who usually approached the other clan members with a reserved-to-even temperament, had no qualms about throwing insults right back at him, threatening his old companion like it was nothing.
On the few occasions when the two got carried away, getting into each other’s faces and glaring daggers into each other’s eyes, Eiden couldn’t help but feel like he was interrupting something. Kuya, by his nature, hadn’t revealed much to him about the nature of their relationship, but Eiden didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to figure out that something had been there, in times long before Eiden came into the picture. It gave Eiden a funny sense of comfort knowing that if he weren’t around, the two would still have each other.
Even if Kuya had a peculiar way of showing Quincy that he cared.
Wasting no time upon their arrival, Quincy banged on Kuya’s door in quick succession. Since Eiden pointed out the tramp stamp Kuya had placed on Quincy’s body, his fists and jaw hadn’t unclenched, his brows pulled down and his lips tightened into a deep frown. Eiden stood a couple of steps away from his partner, hoping that he’d be out of the way of any foxfire.
After a beat, the door opened slowly, the owner of the house coming into view. There Kuya stood, a familiar pipe in hand. Leisurely, he leaned against the doorway, giving Quincy a slow once-over as he brought the pipe to his lips. He exhaled, purple smoke flowing up into the forest-dwellers face. Eiden could see the taller man’s fist clench, knuckles turning white. Satisfied for the the yokai smirked up at him, straightening his posture.
“I should have suspected it would be you. No one else would have the nerve to call for me so rudely. I can’t recall the last time you paid me a visit, my old friend, much less one unannounced. I’m glad to see that you haven’t perished all alone in that shack of yours.” Kuya drawled, bringing a well-manicured hand to his lips, a sly smile gracing his features.
Eiden couldn’t take being unable to see Quincy’s face anymore, the threat of a fight breaking out between the two clan members making his chest hurt. He quickly made his way over to his side, linking his arm with the older man’s. Thankfully, his presence seemed to slightly calm Quincy, a bit of the in his body releasing as Quincy let out a small breath. Ignoring Quincy’s scowl for a moment, the yokai turned his attention to Eiden. Kuya let out an airy laugh, his grin turning catlike.
“Ah…I wonder if that terrified look on your face shall ever cease to amuse me. Hello to you, too, young master. What a treat to have both of you here together, and during your vacation, no less. So tell me, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
This was going to be a long, long day.