A week had passed since the Witch Hunter came and tried to kill Ruby as well as Aleister's return. The mess that has become her garden had been fixed with the help of the demon after Ruby significantly recovered from her injuries. The demon had dug a hole to bury Cairus' body but discovered a hot spring instead so they decided to burn the corpse clean from the surface of the earth and fix the hot spring into something more bathable and presentable.
Aleister built a fence around the bath for privacy and to avoid monsters and other woodland creatures from poking in unwelcomed. Through an architectural magecraft, Ruby managed to create marbled boundaries and stairs on the hot spring where they can relax. The work they did was tedious but with the help of magic, they managed to finish it just in time for the sunset.
"Whew... That was a lot of work." Aleister commented wiping his forehead from all the sweat he accumulated.
"So who goes in first?" Ruby asked after dabbing her neck with a towel.
Their eyes met with a great determination not wanting to back down from getting to experience the bath first hand. They knew what they had to do and they glared at each other fiercely.
"Rock, paper, scissors!!" they both yelled, throwing their fists forward.
Round 1
Winner: Ruby
Round 2:
Winner: Aleister
Round 3
Winner: Ruby
.
.
.
Round 9
Score
Ruby: 4
Aleister: 4
"This is the final battle..."Ruby mumbled.
"Give it your best shot cause I won't lose!"
Round 10
Tie...
Round 11
Tie...
Round 12
Tie
.
.
.
Round 159
Tie...
"We're getting nowhere! Just let me go first. I'm the master here!" Ruby yelled.
"Who cares?! I dug that hole I deserve to go first!" Aleister retorted not backing down.
"But I fixed it! If I didn't then we'll be swimming in muck! I even added stairs!"
"Then why don't we just go together?!!" Aleister yelled back before breathing heavily in rage. Ruby also panted but a blush suddenly covered her face when his suggestion registered in her head.
"Fine." she breathed out meekly.
"Wait you agree?" Aleister asked in disbelief. Ruby only replied with a short nod without looking him in the eyes. The demon gulped as the gears of his imagination started spinning. His gaze fell on her bust, down to her flat stomach, then to her curvaceous waist, and sexy thighs. He started sweating but he pushed back down his desires and breathed out to calm his hormones.
"Sure."
And so they bathed.
Together...
"This is so nice." Ruby breathed out in relaxation while her head rested on the pool edge. Rose petals and blue orchid flowers floated around them for therapeutic reasons as well as to hide their privates. Manticat floated in a small plastic basin between the two with a towelette covering his male cat bits. He somehow has a bit of modesty even though he's usually naked.
Aleister only hummed in approval as he drank a glass of martini while watching the moon above them along with the thousand blinking stars that seemed to celebrate in the sky. After a long period of time, his heart felt really warm and at peace. Relaxing here with Ruby and Manti makes him feel that he belongs and that there's nowhere he's supposed to be other than here with them. With her.
He gazed at her peaceful face with a gentle smile of innocent pleasure on her lips. She looked so serene and carefree. Perhaps the first time in a long while. He enjoyed seeing her happy like that; it makes him feel at peace and complete.
Her face suddenly winced in discomfort before her hand reached out to massage her back. His hands suddenly grabbed her shoulders before his thumbs began tracing circular patterns along her back. Ruby was shocked at first but didn't complain nor asked him to stop so Aleister took this as approval.
The witch was stiff at first but as his hands moved along the places that needed his soft caresses, her body started to loosen up and just relax at his ministration. He even heard her moaning a little but she stifled her beautiful sounds in shame of him hearing it so Aleister only smiled at her 'tsundere-ness' and proceeded to comfort her aching muscles.
"Where exactly did you go?" Ruby questioned trying to start up a conversation and make things less awkward.
"North. I took refuge in a destroyed castle trying to heal myself until a magus found me while he was reminiscing about something. He nursed me back to health with no qualm about me being a demon but he's really a clutz. He managed to make a white wyvern angry at him so I had to save him from getting eaten alive. As a thank you, he made me that outfit. Pretty dope right?" Aleister explained.
"I see. Did you perhaps learn his name? Oh, it's done? Turn around I want to return the favor." Aleister did as he was told and leaned forwards against the edge to let his mistress touch his back. He almost orgasmed when Ruby's fingers graced his skin and started applying sufficient pressure on his hard muscles. Her hand expertly worked their way on the parts where her work is most needed making him loosen the stress in his muscles and relax in her touch.
"Not really. He only asked me to call him Great Sage. But somehow he seems to know you. He made lots of inquiries about your well being which made me kind of... Annoyed."
"Annoyed? Why?" Ruby creased her brows while drawing lines on his lower back with her thumbs making the demon moan.
"Yeaahhhh, that part is kind of good, keep doing that. I thought he was one of your exes and when I confronted him about you he said that you belonged to someone he really loved so he loved you as well in a kind of fatherly way or something."
A smile made its way to the maiden's face. "He was wearing a white hood, wasn't he? And has silver hair?"
"Yes. Exactly. Did you know him?"
"Yes. He helped raise me. He's my mother's friend." Ruby answered with a faint smile.
"Okay, enough about that man let's talk about this Granger dude and what he is to you. Did you do stuff while I was away? Tell me." He asked, turning around to face her with a joking stern face.
"Are you jealous?" Ruby mused with a teasing smirk.
"I'm not. I'm just checking up on you."
"Sure. Uhhmm, can you rub my back? I can't reach it?" Ruby asked, turning around for him.
"Short arms." he teased before grabbing the towel from her hand and started rubbing her back.
There was silence as Aleister performed the action. Ruby was flushed as Aleister's fingers graced her flesh. The demon consciously teased her skin. He placed his lips on her shoulders making her release a small whimper.
He trailed kisses along her neck while his free hand worked its way along her waist. He turned her around to face him.
"Can I get my magic back? You took lots of it." He whispered to her lips and without waiting for a reply, kissed her.
It felt like hours for Aleister as he kissed her lips, taking her magic as well along with every caress of his lips with hers. His tongue wormed its way inside her mouth and danced with her own. He pushed his body closer against her petite form but Ruby pushed him back gently freeing herself from him. Aleister had a pained look on his face at her refusal, his heart breaking due to the look of discomfort in Ruby's face instead of pleasure.
"Why?" he asked with a distraught look.
"I'm not yet ready. I can give you my body if you want but my love is not yet on the table right now. I'm sorry. We can kiss if you want you can ravish me but I can't do it with the feelings that you want." Ruby apologized looking down on the water before inching close to the demon and giving him a hug regardless if they're both nude.
There was a cold silence between them as Aleister didn't return her hug back. Ruby was fine with it as she relished his contact and his warmth that thawed the freezing isolation that has been engulfing her heart since his absence.
"This is kind of nice. You know I kind of missed you." She said leaning her head against his chest. Aleister didn't reply and remained passive.
"Don't give me hope where there is none." he said coldly detaching himself from her embrace.
"A-Ally?" Ruby asked with a strangled voice.
"Don't play with my feelings just because you might end up alone. You're making me a net that will catch you once you fail in getting the love that you want from another man! And then what happens to me when he accepts you? Nothing! I will be alone and depressed because you shit on my heart..." He burst out looming over her.
"Then what do you want me to do?"
"Nothing."
"I don't understand! What do you want from me?"
"Everything."
"Your heart, your mind, your soul, your body, your attention, your happiness, your pain, your laughter, your sorrow, and your loyalty. You are my greatest desire. And don't expect me to give you up without a fight." Aleister summoned a pink substance over his open palm in a small glass container.
"A love potion?" Ruby mumbled looking at him in disbelief.
"This is for him, right? Your last resort when Phoebus rejects you. Wonder if I could use it on you?" Aleister grasped the bottle before removing the cork.
"Aleister, that's a very dangerous magic. Love is something magic cannot really control, nothing does. It can only be bent, even so, nothing will be real." Ruby said in alarm backing away a little to avoid being spilled on by the substance.
"I don't like cheating." Aleister whispered before lifting her chin.