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dwell in an/(one's) ivory tower
To reside or exist in a place or among a social circle that is characterized by effete academic intelligence and thus is out of touch with or aloof from the realities of life.
"Okay, I get that towers are the sexiest kind of building for a wizard," Beau says, just starting to gasp for breath as they reach the top, where his office is. "Like, they make both you and Caleb horny in a way that I don't think I’m capable of understanding. But couldn't you have made this more accessible? Like, dude, I'm sure many of your students won't be able to go up all these stairs."
Essek points to the hole on the stone wall, a barely-hidden door standing there on every single floor. "We have individual magical lifts. I just thought a person of your physical prowess wouldn't be bothered by a simple set of stairs."
He raises an eyebrow at her. He has never made it all the way to the top without floating, and Caleb has never gone up more than one flight of stairs, but she does not need to know that.
"You know, I'm here on official business. You should be sucking up to me." The door opens before Beauregard can touch it, and she goes straight for the couch Essek keeps there for long nights, letting herself fall with a heavy sigh. "Every single choice regarding what the Cobalt Soul will do is mine to make."
Essek rolls his eyes. "Please. You wouldn't have come all this way if you didn't think the Cobalt Soul's remarks were as outrageous as we find them. There is no such thing as too many people using their libraries. They are libraries, we are a school."
Beau looks at him with a serious face, but she nods after a second. "Nah, you're right. I'm trying to make them see that I trust this school with all my being and that you have limited resources as of right now, but I don't think they get it. I'm mostly here to survey your library so I have actual proof when I tell them to just let the students in and out, and to get lunch with Caleb tomorrow. How is he doing, by the way?"
"Tired," Essek says, because they both are. "Arguing with some parents about whether or not their kid should stay for the summer courses."
"Is the kid behind?"
"Opposite issue. The kid is very gifted, their parents are just — terrible. They want to stay here, with their friends, instead of spending the break with their parents. I cannot blame them.”
“It’s nice that he is standing up for the kid like that.” Beauregard gets up now, starts snooping around the room.
“Do you two share an office?” Beau asks, seeing the papers on his table, many of which have Caleb’s name on it. “I thought it wouldn’t be efficient.”
Essek simply points to the door one of the walls of his office. “He’s usually there, but last time we were marking papers together and he forgot them here. As always.”
She lets out a small chuckle. She grabs one of the books on the table, starts eyeing it. “Have you two considered writing your own textbooks? Might be more efficient than having ten thousand different sources,” Beauregard suggests. “There must be physical fights going on for the right to be the first to get to the library books, and I know wizards cannot throw a punch, so they must be real sad.”
“Textbooks can be complicated, with magical theory,” Essek explains. “And we simply do not have the time. Some of our professors have prepared material which essentially works as a textbook, and we borrow it from time to time, but Caleb and I are spread thin as it is.”
“Mhm,” Beauregard says, a small conniving sound Essek is suspicious of. She sits down at the desk, pointing for him to sit as well. “Okay, explain to me your situation and then give me a tour.”
*
The school had begun as a small project. That's the only excuse that they have — that they did not intend for it to get as big as it has. Giving a complete tour of the grounds would be excessive, since they have a location in another plane, the Xhorhasian location where they teach Dunamancy and the Nicodranas location where they are currently standing.
“Nothing on the Empire?” Beauregard asks, as she is updated on all that they have achieved since this school year began. She looked disgruntled at the idea of having to go down the set of stairs again, but she seemed to think their lifts were fun. “They’re giving you problems?”
“It’s more that we’re afraid of Xhorhas giving us problems if we start an Empire branch. They already only let us give classes on Dunamancy to consecuted students and people born in Xhorhas. We’re afraid to keep pushing.”
“Politics,” Beauregard sighs, and Essek silently agrees. He guides her to the library, showing her everything that he doesn’t think she saw during her last visit on the way.
“That’s where the transporters are ― they do require a small enchantment to work, though it is nowhere near the amount of magic a transportation spell requires. We’re still working on fixing that.” He explains, pointing vaguely on that way. “We want students to be able to bring their family over on the weekends, and transporters work individually. That’s where dining halls are, though I do think you saw those. They are bigger now, because we have four times the number of students we had before summer started.”
Beau lets out a low whistle. “That’s a lot of new people. How are you managing? I mean, the kids are gonna be on different levels.”
“We currently have new-comers classes and regular classes. It is not a permanent solution, but―” Essek shrugs. “It’s good for them to be divided not necessarily by age, but by level, on magic courses. We do keep the regular system for the regular school classes ― math, languages and the like. To be completely honest, we were not ready for the growth we had this year, and we do think next year will be even worse.”
“I’m overwhelmed only thinking about the work you’ve had to do, buddy,” Beauregard says, starting to walk faster as she sees something off into the distance ― she’s found the library, then.
“We do have a good team, to be fair,” Essek says. “Though I admit we’ve had to learn to trust other adults to trust the children, in a way. I mostly teach and manage the adult magical classes, so I’m not having as many issues, but Caleb does put a lot of work into the screening of the possible teachers for the children. He’s trying to get professors who have both a high level of magic and a background working with children, but that leaves a limited amount of options ― especially when we’re still a half-secret operation.”
Beau chuckles at that. “No you aren’t.”
Essek rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, every single government and powerful organisation knows about us, but the common people don’t. There’s only so much we can do to get the word out without putting an even bigger mark on our backs.”
“Dude, as someone who is a part of one of those powerful organisations? Don’t worry that much. Harm’s already been done. In the Cobalt Soul we do get a lot of magic practitioners coming over for the books ― I could start trying to get a word out around the other libraries that there’s help needed here.”
“I’m sure the librarians from the local branch will be delighted by this development.”
“Ah, fuck them, we’ll send them help and a budget for training new people. Maybe they’ll get an expansion. Maybe we can set up an official collaboration among the two of us?”
“The person in charge of this branch we’ll never go for it. They hate us.”
“Well, I have been thinking of getting a transferral,” Beau shrugs. “Yasha doesn’t really like living in the Empire, and we both like Nicodranas. I’m sure I’m important enough that if I ask to be sent here, there won’t be an issue. They’ll love it.”
“For someone who hates politics, you sure do love pissing off people in power.” Essek smiles at her. He doesn’t criticise the idea ― he knows Caleb misses his friends now that they’re all separated in little clusters. He thinks it would be good for both of them to have people move here. He points to the building that’s behind the library, a newer one, bigger than most. “That’s the orphanage, and you already know the library.”
He walks in, Beauregard following closely. He nods to the person at the information desk.
"So you have an orphanage now?" Beauregard asks, a hurried whisper.
"It only technically falls under our purview — we mostly fused with the local orphanage to provide them funds, and provide a free non-magical education to those who cannot or do not wish to attend the magical classes. The people who ran the orphanage were thankful, and they seem to be good enough with the kids that we don’t interfere with their jobs."
"Dude, that's huge. How did we not know about this?"
"We have been busy," Essek says. He is sure Caleb did not mean to hide anything from the Mighty Nein, but the truth is that their communication has been limited over the past year. "Trying to get permits, and failing, and starting mildly illegal teaching on a different plane, and building places and hiring people and getting the transportation systems between our three locations ready. Plus, our engagement, though that has fallen behind with many other things.”
"Whose engagement?" Beauregard asks, more confused than the situation requires.
"Whose engagement?" Essek repeats, incredulous. “Mine and Caleb’s, of course.”
"Excuse me.” She goes very still, suddenly. “Your what?”
“Ah.” Essek makes a pause, genuinely surprised. “Did you not know?”
“Did I not know!” Beauregard’s voice is so loud she is almost screaming, and Essek quickly makes a gesture to the alarmed librarian to let it go. “I’m gonna kill Widogast.”
*
Essek convinces her to wait to kill his fiancé until their lunch meeting the next day, and sends her to the guest rooms when night is falling. He hopes Caleb will already be home ― it is late, and he tends to stretch himself thin. He goes into their rooms to find Caleb sitting down in the kitchen, something on the fire as he reads a book.
“You’re gonna burn dinner,” Essek says, kissing the top of his head as a greeting as he walks by to check on the food.
“I was being careful,” Caleb complains. He wasn’t ― he didn’t even hear Essek come in. Essek is going to buy an alarm clock for the kitchen soon, even though Caleb insists he doesn’t need it, because it’s either that or forbidding books from coming into the kitchen, and he honestly thinks that would only make Caleb leave the kitchen more often.
“You were not,” Essek says, turning the fire off ― dinner is ready, and Caleb gets up to put his book away. “How was your day? Did you convince the parents?”
“I might have exaggerated how essential the summer classes are,” Caleb admits. Any kind of insinuating of the summer classes as essential would be a lie ― they are mostly a summer camp for students to have fun using magic instead of sticking to academicism. “But I did.”
“How was it?” He asks, partly out of genuine interest, and partly because he wants to delay any talk of his evening with Beauregard until he has a full stomach. Caleb tells him quietly, their feet touching underneath the table. Their house is quite small ― these apartments are really only meant for one person, but they have been sharing one since the beginning of their relationship. There are books everywhere, and whenever they cook together they have to move their dining table to the living room to prevent accidents.
It isn’t until they’re getting ready for bed ― right after dinner, because thursdays are always exhausting, and they become even more so nearing exam week ― that Caleb remembers to ask, as he is brushing his hair, “How was everything with Beauregard?”
“It quickly became apparent that it has been a while since we gave each other real updates. She told me about a couple of her projects with the Cobalt Soul that I had no idea about, and she was so surprised as we walked around the place. Neither of the towers was finished the last time she visited.” He makes a pause, slaps Caleb’s hands away from his own hair. He always braids it to sleep, too unmanageable if he doesn’t, but Essek likes having an excuse to touch his boyfriend’s hair. He slowly inhales. "It is surprising, that you forgot to tell them about all we've been doing."
"We have been busy," Caleb replies, the exact same answer Essek gave. "Everyone has been travelling around so much, too. Most of the time I did not know how to contact them."
"You truly have to get yourselves some mirrors," Essek insists, an old argument he hasn't managed to win yet. He continues braiding Caleb's hair, a weight on his heart as he considers whether or not to bring it up. It is something he has struggled with — trying to avoid selfishness, and ending up being self-sacrificing by never telling Caleb about his issues. He thinks not bringing it up would be the latter. "I mentioned our engagement, and Beau seemed... surprised. Is she the only one you forgot to tell?"
Caleb tries to turn around immediately, but Essek doesn't let him, softly makes him get back in place so he can continue with the braid. "We did not exactly have a traditional proposal," Caleb starts. It is a fair point — they did not have a proposal at all. They kept talking about someday getting married, and then they started making more specific plans, and then they agreed that they were engaged. Following a traditional timeline has never been to the best of their interests. "I kept thinking that I would tell them when we had a date, at least an approximate one, but then the talks about it stopped and I...worried you had changed your mind."
Essek lets out a chuckle. Relieved, embarrassed. "I have been doing the same thing this entire evening." He leans down to kiss the top of Caleb's head. There is a valid reason for the talks stopping — they have been too exhausted to fantasize about the future, lately, especially when the present feels so pressing. "We have been bad about talking to each other lately, have we not?"
"I'm afraid that we have," Caleb mutters, his voice soft. He tries to turn around again, and Essek lets him this time, until his face is being held by Caleb's hands. "Will you forgive me, friend?"
Essek's eyes close for a second at the softness of the touch, and he feels Caleb's lips brush against his. "Of course I forgive you," Essek says. "Will you forgive me too?"
"You do not need to ask," Caleb whispers. "However, we should solve this specific issue. While being engaged to you is an honor, I would like to call you my husband."
"Dinner on Thursday to talk about the planning?" Essek asks, and Caleb nods eagerly. He would love nothing more than to stay up talking about plans, but they are both tired, and he would prefer having breakfast together tomorrow.
"It's a date."
*
They don't get to have breakfast together in the morning. Or, well, they do ― but not alone.
“What I need you to understand, Caleb,” Beauregard is saying, her feet up on the table and Essek’s breakfast inside her mouth, “is that just springing your future marriage on me is the worst thing you’ve ever done.”
“Essek did that, technically speaking,” Caleb says, easily betraying him.
“Okay, but that’s worse,” Beauregard says. “You do get how that’s worse, right?”
Caleb sighs. “It wasn’t official. It’s not like we were planning on eloping.”
“Well,” Essek says, because two can play the betrayal game at this table.
“Motherfucker.” Beauregard only glances at Essek for a second, as if making sure he is serious, before looking back at Caleb. “You lying whore.”
“We had already decided against it,” Caleb says, pointedly, not looking at Essek.
“We never reached an agreement.” Essek gets up, leaving his husband to Beauregard’s mercy. “I have to prepare for the meeting I have later, but you should tell Beauregard about your plans for a best man.”
Caleb’s eyes snap towards him, an annoyed expression on his face, and Essek kisses his temple before starting to walk away from the table, just seeing Beauregard hurriedly putting her feet down on the floor so she can lean forward. “It’s me, right? You can’t choose anyone else.”
*
"The meeting of the Dunamancy department has been cancelled, Professor Thelyss,” Valas ― the professor in charge of the children's Dunamantic classes, a woman Essek has come to respect. She is consecuted, on her third life, but has never tried to insinuate she might know better than Essek on magic matters. “You get a free evening.”
Relief washes over him. They are bi-weekly routine meetings, because constant updates are important this year, but lately they have been slow, because issues are getting solved over messages before the meetings can happen. They should probably change the schedule to monthly meetings, at some point.
“Good,” he says, simply, a satisfied smile on his face.
“Plans?” She teases him. She has been over for dinner at his and Caleb’s apartment, and joked that they were as domestic as her and the woman she had been married for fifty years during her last life had been. “Going to play chess with Professor Widogast? Build furniture? Read books side by side?”
“No plans, but I do have the possibility of them. One of our friends is in town.”
“Is it someone from the Mighty Nein? Because you might want to warn Ina that they’re in town. She’s a fan.”
“Is she?” Essek asks. He had not been aware of it, which does make him thankful for his colleagues’ professionalism.
“She heard about some adventure or another and then did some research. You should be thankful she met your husband before she found out about all of this or she wouldn’t be able to look at him without screaming.”
Essek laughs, amused, before the full sentence computes. “Did you know we are not actually married?” He says, more like it is a fun fact than a complaint.
“Are you for real?” Valas says, surprised. “But you two act...like that.”
“We’ve been engaged for almost a year,” Essek admits. “But only been dating for two.”
“Only two?” She jokingly slaps his arm. “You have been acting like you married twenty years ago since I met you, and you’re telling me you had just started your relationship?”
“We got all the adventure out of the way before we started dating.” Essek shrugs. He can tell Valas is about to answer when he hears a voice inside his head, and he stops Valas with a hand gesture.
“Essek! We’re here. Beau said that she made your boring professors cancel your meeting? Come have dinner! Ehhhhh, we have missed you! Have you missed―”
“Jester,” he says, out loud, aware that he could answer silently but choosing to let Valas hear. “We have missed you too. I am guessing you have invaded our apartment. I’m on my way.”
“The friend who is visiting?” Valas guesses.
“Not the one who was visiting, but one who is, indeed, visiting right now,” Essek says, amused. He had missed the general chaos of being near the Mighty Nein. “The first friend found out we’re engaged and it seems that she wants us to share the news with the rest.”
“I’ll let you leave, then,” Valas says, grabbing the documents out of his hands. “I’ll deal with these. And it might be a little bit late, but for what it’s worth, congratulations on the engagement.”
“Thank you,” Essek says, outwardly polite but strangely touched. He leaves before he can make something silly like tell her how much it means to him.
*
Essek doesn’t expect to see six people in his living room. He expected Beau and Jester. Fjord, since he travels with Jester. Not Yasha, who had supposedly stayed in the Empire while Beau visited. Not Caduceus, who hasn’t left the Grove in at least two years, as far as Essek knows. Not Veth, who was supposedly back home with her husband and child. They are all on the couches, almost laying on top of each other, because their home was not built to host eight people at the same time ― which they would know if they had warned him.
“I didn’t invite any of you to come here,” Essek says, instead of welcoming them into his house, ignoring their greetings as he goes into the kitchen to find his partner. “I’m afraid we have an infestation.”
“Will you believe it if I tell you that I did not help any of them come here?” Caleb asks instead of answering. He is cooking dinner, the big pot they almost never use on the stove. “I mean, I did not open the door for them, obviously, but I didn’t have to help them transport either.”
“They can manage without us nowadays, Caleb, our friends are all grown up,” Essek says, leans forward to kiss his cheek, keeping him in place with a hand on his hip as Caleb tries to add something into the pot without moving. “Is that all the salt that you’re using?”
“It’s enough,” Caleb grumbles as he stirs. This is an old discussion, because Caleb thinks using butter in all he cooks is a substitute for actual flavour. Essek waits until Caleb turns around and adds some more, the action not as hidden as he would prefer, but as hidden as Caleb’s stubbornness deserves. He hears Caleb let out an amused sigh. “They didn’t let me send you a warning at all, sorry to spring this up on you.”
“I should have known it was a possibility, really. I cannot blame you.” Essek kisses him again on the way out of the kitchen, using magic to hold enough glasses for everyone.
“It is nice to see you all,” Essek says, what he hopes is a pleasant smile on his face.
“You didn’t even say hi when you came in, you dick. You were too busy making out with your boyfriend.”
“I’m sure you had the kindness of saying hi to the empty apartment when you broke in, Beauregard,” he says, staring at her.
“Essek, stop fighting Beau and come hug me, I can’t get up,” Jester says, from the place half under Yasha half under Fjord where she has been trying to get up since he came in the first time. She extends her arms, and he leans down to hug her, until suddenly something is pulling on him and he lands on top of Jester as she smothers him. He should have expected this.
“Jester, please―” he says after a second.
“It’s so nice to see you!” She says. “Beau didn’t say why we had to come, but she said it was urgent in a nice kind of way? What’s up?”
“I’ll tell you if you let me up,” Essek says, and after a second she lets him go, enough that he can get back on his feet. “Wait until we’ve had dinner.”
“Essek!” Jester wails.
“I will get revenge on you.” Essek points towards Beauregard as he starts moving, and her laugh follows him as he returns to the kitchen to help Caleb with dinner.
*
“Okay, so,” Beauregard says the moment the last person has finished dinner, plates on top of their laps and glasses precariously balanced around them. “Spill.”
Essek looks at Caleb, amused. He raises an eyebrow to ask him what they’ll do, and he can almost feel Caleb trying to get him to speak up himself. Essek shakes his head, once, twice when Caleb’s eyes don’t leave him, and Caleb sighs silently.
“We’re getting married,” Caleb says, leaning forward until his chin is on top of Essek’s shoulder. A plate breaks, which Essek should have guessed would happen. “It has been a while since we got engaged, but I was waiting until we had more definite plans before telling you. I apologise.”
“What!” Jester screeches, and Essek is sure she would get up if the floor where her feet would land wasn’t covered in broken pieces of glass.
"I am happy for you two,” Fjord starts, a warm smile on his face. He waits for a second, and then adds, “Though I must admit, I didn't even know you two were together.”
"What?" Essek and Caleb say at the same time, and Caleb sounds as genuinely baffled as Essek is.
"Thank you for saying that, dude, because me neither," Beauregard complains. "Like, I knew you were in love, but you never told us you managed to get your shit together."
"We started a school together. Around the time when Essek and I had been together for a month you asked me if I was happy with my choice. Essek and I kept staring at each other in public. What do you mean you didn't know?"
“How is ‘looking at each other in public’ a romantic gesture for you, you absolute sucker?”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Jester says, “how are you two the first ones to get married? Does that mean we get to plan a wedding?”
That had been a point of contention in his discussions with Caleb, and Essek can feel his eyes on him.
“You can...participate,” Essek says, and Beauregard actually cackles. “Though as you must understand, we do not wish to have a big celebration.”
Essek’s situation is complicated. Technically speaking, he could still be found out by the Dynasty at any time. Being realistic, everyone who knew about his involvement with the beacons is either in this room, dead, or has been scared into submission. He does not think that he will be found out, but―
“It can be small! I am capable of organising a small party!” Jester complains. Caduceus coughs, and Jester adds, “When Caduceus reminds me that it has to be small every five seconds! Like, let’s see, when do you want it to be?”
Essek and Caleb make eye-contact for a second, but Caleb immediately says, “During the summer, if possible. This one or the next, but it will be when we have the most time freed. If you agree, of course?”
Essek had not thought about how he would want to have time with his husband, but it seems Caleb has thought about the details more thoroughly than him. “Of course.”
“Also, let’s get this out of the way.” Beauregard cracks her knuckles menacingly, or it would be, if Essek hadn’t seen her hurt herself that way in more than one occasion. “You two are not gonna elope.”
Caleb sighs, and Essek follows his lead. “I was mostly raising your hackles. We would not get married without all of you there.” They would be too annoying about it, to begin with, and Essek might actually want his friends there when he gets married. It’s still surprising to him, how much he loves these people. He hopes he will get used to it at some point.
“I’m watching you,” Beau says, barely acknowledging his words.
“And that’s unnecessary,” Caleb cuts in, amused. He sees Jester open her mouth, probably to ask another question about their wedding, and he continues before she can. “We do not need to plan the entire wedding today. It has been a while since we reunited. How have things been, Caduceus?”
Caduceus quickly starts telling them some story about a group of drunk people getting lost at the cemetery, and Essek half-listens, amused, letting himself be carried by the Mighty Nein’s energy.
*
“I’m afraid your students are trying to sneak into our wedding,” Essek informs Caleb over breakfast. “Rather conspicuously, I would say.”
Essek has been approached, since they announced to their colleagues that they would be taking some time off during the summer so they could get married, by at least ten different children and teenagers, all congratulating him and half of them trying to find out where their wedding will take place.
“I cannot in good conscience expose children to whatever Jester is planning,” Caleb answers, amused, “though I doubt that there won’t be at least a small group who will manage it.”
“Our fault, for teaching so many smart young wizards.”
“Indeed.” Caleb looks over at him. He has been sneaking around for the last couple of days, with some secret that has made him hide books when Essek comes around and smile at him a little brighter. He has that smile on his face right now, and Essek wonders once more whatever he might be planning. “By the way…”
It is a very casual tone, and it has Essek even more alert immediately. “What are you plotting?”
“I am not,” Caleb says, still too self-satisfied for Essek to believe him. “I’m just thinking that you should avoid the woods behind the library for a while.”
Essek just ― stares at him, filled with fondness for this man. “And why would that be?”
“Oh, no reason at all.” Caleb kisses him as he gets up, and Essek’s curiosity must be obvious on his face, because he lets out a gentle laugh on his way out.
*
“Professor Thelyss!” One of the drow teenagers Caleb teaches ― Dominic, Essek thinks ― calls after him as he is trying to move past the library and in the direction of the woods that Caleb warned him against. “Professor Thelyss, do you have anywhere to be right now?”
Essek stops in his tracks. Dominic joined a few months ago, with a lot of determination but not much of a basic knowledge in the arcane. As far as Essek has learned by helping Caleb with exam correction, they are doing good, and might be looking into joining the Dunamancy adult classes next year. This is a common enough occurrence, and though it is not technically his job, Essek tries to guide the students who do approach him as best he can.
“I do not,” Essek says, resigning himself to trying to find out what Caleb is hiding later. “Is there anything I can help you with?”
“Are you sure there is nothing you are trying to do?” Dominic stares at him, suspicion on their eyes. “You sure looked like you were trying to get into the woods.”
Essek sighs, after a second. “I cannot believe Caleb put you up to this.”
“Professor Widogast wouldn’t!” Dominic complains. “He seemed tired, so a couple of us stayed after the lesson to ask him if he was okay, and he said he was preparing a surprise for you up in the woods. So I saw you walking in that direction from the library, and thought―”
Essek stops them with a hand gesture. “It’s okay, really.” It’s kind of sweet that Caleb’s students care so much about his surprise. It’s not what he would have done ― he probably would have lied his way into getting the person away from the woods. He is suddenly glad for this generation of earnest, honest practitioners of the arcane. “He knew I would go check. There are probably protection spells up so that I won’t be able to go through, I mostly wanted to check those.”
“Ah, that makes sense,” Dominic admits, embarrassed. They still don’t seem willing to let Essek go, and he shrugs inwardly after a second. While messing with his future husband has become a very dear part of his routine, distressing teens hasn’t.
“If it makes you feel better, I will walk back with you,” he offers after a second, and they look relieved.
“Good! I actually wanted to ask you, about your dunamancy classes―”
*
“I hear you helped a teen yesterday.”
Essek’s office was supposed to be empty, but a lot of their meetings have been moving around ― there was an illness going around the week before, and professors have been scrambling around to help students catch up ― so it makes sense that Caleb would be here. “I do not know what you are talking about.”
“I also hear you wanted to go somewhere I told you to avoid.”
“Funny. As I remember it, my fiancé made a pointed comment about a place because he knew I would go find out what he was hiding so I would see the impressive defensive spellwork he had managed.”
“Impressive, huh?” Caleb teases, purposefully missing the point of Essek’s words. Essek leans down to kiss him hello. “Good afternoon, friend. Did you have lunch?”
“I ate some fruit at some point between classes. Did you?”
“Beauregard is around and she made me get brunch with her, but nothing since,” he puts down his papers, and looks at Essek as he gets up. “Let’s get something to eat before coming back to work.”
*
As the wedding approaches, Essek mostly gives up on trying to discover what Caleb is scheming behind his back ― it seems to be something Caleb believes will make him happy. That is enough for Essek, who trusts the man he is going to marry and also is so busy trying to get their wedding to stay a small, quiet, intimate affair that he decides to let Caleb have this.
“And you genuinely don’t have time to try and undo the protection spells,” Caleb adds when Essek explains his reasons to him, after being questioned. It’s a week before the wedding, now, and while Essek is sure that Caleb would have had fun if Essek had found out what he was planning, he seems satisfied enough with this outcome.
“I could still try,” Essek challenges him, a raised eyebrow.
“You could.” Caleb’s tone is casual, as he grabs Essek’s hand over the table. “But the surprise is finished.”
“Ah.”
“I could just show you.”
That would mean giving up, but ― it’s a week before their wedding. “Show me the way.”
Their late dinner gets forgotten in favor of walking towards the library. It will surely be cold by the time they get back, but it will not be the first time, nor the last, that they get too wrapped up in the showing of something new and they don’t eat. They are a bad influence to each other, in that way.
Caleb guides him, the campus grounds mostly quiet at this time ― there are a couple children running to and from the dining hall, some students quietly leaving the library. They get to the woods and Essek discovers, much to his disappointment, that the protecting spell has already been lifted, and he cannot see Caleb make it disappear. Caleb guides him quietly until they reach something Essek can almost see through the trees, and then―
“I thought,” Caleb whispers, “that it was about time we stopped living in an apartment that can barely fit us both.”
The tower stands tall, beautiful. Essek cannot take his eyes away from it, barely aware of his surroundings, only able to look at the magnificent building before him, only able to feel his awe and Caleb’s eyes on him. The light breeze and the cold of the early night have been forgotten while he looks at the construction before him.
“There’s more inside,” Caleb says, gently amused. He lays his hand on the small of Essek’s back, slowly as if trying not to spook him. “If you wish to see it.”
“If I―” Essek starts, indignant, before he realises the light joking tone in Caleb’s voice. “I cannot believe you built us a home without consulting me at all.”
“There are rooms that I have not decorated. I wanted to give you a surprise, but I also wanted your input.”
“Stop,” Essek requests, less sharply than he would have liked. “You cannot just ― build us a place out of nowhere―”
“It wasn’t out of nowhere, we’re getting married next week―”
“And make it a surprise to me, and then be even more thoughtful by allowing me space to make it my own, even while knowing that I would love whatever you put inside because you made it and you are the person who knows me best in the world. You cannot.”
“Can’t I?” Caleb says, as amused as before, and he leans forward to give Essek a kiss, on the corner of his mouth, almost on the cheek. “If you keep standing there, I will believe you don’t actually want to see our new home.”
“Will you?” Essek demands. He closes his eyes, and when he opens them again the tower is still right there, still imposing, still too beautiful for Essek to conceive. He shakes his head in disbelief, and turns towards the man who will be his husband in only a week. “Take me on a tour of our house.”
“Of course.” Caleb nods, nervously, as if preparing himself for Essek’s reaction, and guides him inside.