But a pleasure servant? Something about it turned Eridan’s stomach, the same something that always made him too proud, the same something that said I’m better than that.
Immediately, he was ashamed of his thoughts. Javier seemed like a nice guy. Eridan wasn’t better than him.
He still couldn’t imagine Master Idhron doing something as emotional as having sex.
“So, what is he like?” he said before he could stop himself.
Javier gave him an amused look. “You do realize that there’s a non-disclosure clause in my contract, right?”
Eridan chuckled. “Please. There are ways around it. You can still talk in vague terms.”
The other guy rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. “I’m afraid I have nothing juicy to share. He doesn’t even use me often enough.” He looked vaguely affronted. “I think he finds sex a waste of his time, just a physical function he has to deal with. He always looks like he has a million things on his mind, more important than whatever I’m doing.”
Yeah, that sounds more like Castien Idhron, Eridan thought wryly, though he blushed, imagining his Master sitting with a bored, haughty look on his face as Javier sucked his—
Ugh. Why was he even thinking about it?
He really needed to work on his shields now.
***
Eridan looked in the mirror, eyeing himself critically. The clothes were a good fit. They were made in the traditional style for apprentices; except they were in white and brown colors instead of the shades of blue the apprentices wore.
Eridan looked at his shoulder-length hair and scrunched up his nose. He had never liked how wavy his hair became the longer it got, but initiates weren’t allowed to tie their hair back. When—if—he became Idhron’s apprentice officially, his Master would braid a thaal into his hair, which would mark him as a claimed apprentice.
But for now, Eridan couldn’t do anything about his hair.
Fuck, he detested this hairstyle. It made him look… effeminate. Not that there was anything wrong with looking effeminate, but it had always made his life harder at the Initiates’ Hall. Being a throwback, a male who produced natural lubrication when he was aroused, had always made him an easy target for crude jokes about his “boy-pussy”—seriously, if Eridan didn’t hear that word for another century, it would be too soon—but being pretty just added insult to the injury.
At least his classes with other initiates would be limited now, which was the only good thing about the situation.
Eridan went still as something at the back of his mind tugged.
Oh.
Idhron was finally back.
Wetting his lips nervously, Eridan headed downstairs.
In the past four days since he’d moved into Idhron’s mansion, he’d gotten used to it and could navigate it easily despite its size. Truth be told, he already felt more at home in this mansion than he had ever felt in his dormitory despite living there for most of his life. Something about living in such a huge house felt… right.
Shaking off the strange thought, Eridan left the house and stopped on the porch, choosing it as the middle ground between waiting for his Master inside the house or at the gates. Waiting inside the house would be considered too disrespectful, but he cringed at the thought of waiting for Idhron at the gates like a domesticated animal for its owner. So the porch it was. Eridan hoped Idhron wouldn’t get too offended. Idhron didn’t seem like a stickler for stupid traditions just for the sake of it, but who knew what kind of mood he was in after his trip.
But there was no reward without a risk. These first days of his probationary apprenticeship would set the entire tone of his relationship with his Master. He had no intention of being a pushover. He might make Idhron displeased, but Eridan wanted to test the boundaries, to test how far he could actually push them.
He kept his gaze down, but he didn’t need to see Idhron to feel him approach. It was the strangest feeling. The bond that tied them seemed to tighten and vibrate the closer his Master got. Eridan caught his bottom lip between his teeth, breathing evenly, in and out. In and out.
As Idhron’s shiny black boots came into view, Eridan dropped to his knees fluidly and said, “Master. Was your trip fruitful?”
A hand took his chin and tipped it up.
Blue eyes swept over his new clothes before focusing back on his face. “It was,” he said. “I see you worked on your shields in my absence.”
Eridan nodded and dropped his gaze, the tips of his ears burning. The desire to hide his conversation with Javier from Idhron had been a good incentive.
“Shall we test them, then?” Idhron said mildly, his thumb moving along Eridan’s jawline until it was pressed against Eridan’s telepathic point.
Eridan shuddered, the bond between them pulsing with need.