Calixtus wondered just when Aster would stop surprising him as he opened the door of the kitchen and took in the scene that awaited him inside.
He’d been pointed in that direction by Rose—Annie’s eldest daughter—after he’d asked where Aster had gotten to. The first thing Calixtus noticed upon waking up was that he was alone in bed. There was no soft breathing at his side or any too-thin limb poking into his side.
It was funny how quickly he’d gotten used to Aster’s presence at his side. Or maybe it was just that he was getting used to Aster’s presence in his life in general. Whatever the case, Calixtus couldn’t help but notice that the other man was gone, even at such an early hour. He was starting to see why he always looked so tired.
Once he’d dressed for the day and wandered out of his room, he’d found no sign of Aster anywhere he might have been. It was then that he’d asked Rose about the other man’s whereabouts and been pointed to the kitchens.
Calixtus wasn’t sure what he’d expected to find, but it certainly wasn’t the sight that greeted him when he opened the door and looked inside.
Aster was standing at one end of the central table, surrounded by various herbs in small bowls and an open book in front of him. His sleeves were rolled up and he seemed focused on whatever he was crushing within a wooden mortar, pressing down on the pestle with circular motions.
“Good morning,” he said without looking up from his work. He reached into one of the bowls in front of him, taking a pinch of some sort of seeds and dropping them onto the mortar.
“What are you doing?” Calixtus asked, still standing in the doorway and staring at Aster. By the stove, Annie let out a huff as she took some fresh bread out of the oven. “And, er, good morning,” Calixtus amended. Annie shot him a look and gave him a small nod of approval.
When Calixtus looked back at Aster, he was much the same as a moment earlier, only there was an almost imperceptible curve to his lips. Clearly, Calixtus getting reminded to mind his manners was amusing.
“Just testing some old recipes,” Aster answered Calixtus’ question. "Annie was kind enough to lend me a little corner of her kitchen.”
“It’s your kitchen now, my Lord,” Annie said, polite as ever. She seemed relaxed around Aster, which Calixtus was glad to see.
“Now, Annie, you’ll make me self-conscious addressing me so formally.” Aster shot a teasing sort of look Annie’s way. “And given I had to ask your help to find half the things I needed, I think it’s fair to say it’s your kitchen.”
Calixtus was continually surprised at just how easy it seemed to be for Aster to deal with the people around him. Especially given that he didn’t really appear to be the sort to enjoy socializing.
Looks can be deceiving, Calixtus thought as he made his way over to Aster. He peered at the array of ingredients Aster had spread around him, able to recognize just a handful of them.
“Where did you get all of this?” he asked, because he was certain Aster hadn’t had any of it when he’d taken residence in his home.
“I went on a very early and very pleasant morning walk,” Aster said, going back to working on the mixture in the mortar. “There’s a decent variety of rather useful herbs in the area. Of course, they’re only useful if you have any idea on how to prepare them.”
“And you do, of course,” Calixtus said, leaning on his cane as he watched Aster work.
“It’s an important part of being a mage—the many uses of natural materials. Of course, I’ve never been particularly gifted in that area, but I can get by.” He added some sort of oil from a small bottle before continuing to mix the now paste-like concoction.
“What would you say is your specialty?” Calixtus didn’t know much about what the mages of the tower did, though he’d spent some time in the tower itself before the accident. Whatever Aster did, he wouldn’t be able to guess. All he knew was that—if Oscar was to be believed—Aster was highly skilled.
“Hmm, I suppose I deal more with spellcrafting,” Aster said after a moment of thought. “I enjoy building spells and seals that can be used to make life easier. Arranging sigils into the right combination, researching and deconstructing ancient magic—it’s all very interesting to me.”
Calixtus wished he could be surprised that Aster looked to be the bookish sort.
“Sounds interesting,” he said, though he really had no knowledge about the finer workings of magic. Aster was clearly aware of this. He looked at Calixtus with a knowing sort of look, though there was a little smile on his face just as well.
“You play the part of supportive husband quite well,” Aster muttered, just quietly enough that Annie wouldn’t hear it.
Calixtus cleared his throat, this time to hide the little chuckle he let out. Aster turned back to the paste he’d crafted with a look of amusement. He carefully scraped the mixture into a little tin.
“What is that for?” Calixtus asked.
“It’s a simple remedy for pain. Annie here tells me her knee’s been acting up with the change in weather.” He closed the lid of the tin and turned to Annie. “This should bring back that spring to your step,” he added as he held out the tin to Annie.
“Oh, really, that’s not necessary,” Annie said, abashed though no less pleased.
“I insist,” Aster said. “Truly, I don’t know what I’d do if you had to take time off. I’ve been spoiled by your delicious cooking.”
Calixtus stared as a bit of pink stained Annie’s cheeks. It was an unexpected sight, but an entertaining one nonetheless.
He was chased out of the kitchen shortly after, with Annie telling him breakfast would be out in a minute. Aster insisted on staying behind to clean up in spite of Annie’s reassurance that she could do so. Of course, Aster somehow managed to have his way. Calixtus made a mental note to be wary of Aster’s penchant for charming his way to whatever he wanted.
You’ve already married him, he reminded himself as he made his way to the dining room.
The rest of the day was uneventful enough. Most of the preparations for his mother’s arrival had been made. Calixtus just had to focus on convincing her that he hadn’t lost his mind quite yet and had truly wanted to be wed. He had little hope of accomplishing that particular goal.
He tried not to think too much on it as he climbed into bed later that night. It wouldn’t do him any good to lose sleep because of it. Calixtus was certain his mother would just take his exhaustion as another sign that something was wrong.
“Is your leg bothering you again?” Aster asked.
When Calixtus looked over at him as he lay in bed with the same book as always open in his lap, he found Aster wasn’t focused on his reading. Those dark eyes Calixtus was starting to get used to were instead trained on him.
“A bit,” he admitted, having resigned himself to being at least somewhat vulnerable in front of Aster. He might have minded more if Aster had ever been as judgemental about his injuries as most others he’d met since the accident.
Aster didn’t answer, instead leaning over to reach for a familiar tin on the bedside table. He held it out to Calixtus, who took it without thinking. The tin was a silvery color with delicate filigree patterns on the lid. It fit in the palm of Calixtus’ hand, cool to the touch and somehow feeling very much like Aster.
“Use it sparingly, it’s rather potent,” Aster said, turning back to his book.
“Did you make this too?” Calixtus couldn’t help but ask, though he’d seen Aster working on such things that very day. Aster let out a little huff.
“I did, so don’t expect it to work too well. Like I said, it’s not my point of specialty. Though I did add a more personal touch to strengthen the effect.”
Calixtus didn’t ask what Aster meant by that. He could take a good guess just by the feeling he got as he held the little tin. There was something familiar in it, something that reminded him of Aster even when there was little of interest about the item. Aster had clearly poured some of his own magic into it.
“Thank you,” Calixtus said, still in awe at the thoughtful gesture.
“No need to thank me,” Aster said before looking over at Calixtus with a single arched eyebrow and a teasing look. “What sort of husband would I be if I didn’t do at least this much?”
Calixtus only shook his head and turned to apply some of the salve Aster had made. All the while, he couldn’t help but think that maybe he was getting too used to having him around.
Married life, it seemed, was not as bad as he’d thought.
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