Call Me Yours [BL]

Chapter 20

finally chapter 20! chapter 19 was where the first version of this story ended and died off, so to new beginnings 🥂 i hope you enjoy this monster of a chapter <3

QOTD: is there anything specific you'd like to see in this story?

Ardyn catches a whiff of Valen and feels his nerves thrum with delight. "I can smell him on you," he admits, flushing.

Valen smells so deliciously of vanilla as he slices strawberries as a snack for Ardyn to eat. It feels all too reminiscent of last night; the aroma of vanilla mixes with the sweetness of the fruit. The domestic scene of Valen caring so dutifully for Ardyn's appetite feels surreal after the intensity of Kahili bending him over his kitchen counter last night. His heat has dulled to a gentle simmer, but he almost pretends it hasn't. He much enjoys how doting they've been of him all day, the way they turn him over and coax soft whimpers from him when he grows needy.

Valen pauses and regards Ardyn with the briefest sidelong looks. "He 'scented' me, right?"

Ardyn startles. His heart skips as he fumbles for words, his fingers gripping the edge of the counter.

"My brother is a hybrid," Valen reminds, smiling knowingly as he divides another strawberry in half on a wooden cutting board. The knife glides smoothly, revealing the vibrant red interior. "And my mother. Kahili might not, but I understand what scenting means."

Ardyn bites his lip and weighs the urge to lie. He could easily hide behind his heat, feign ignorance that his plea to scent them was nothing more than a delirious lapse of character, but that wouldn't be entirely truthful. He doesn't tell Valen how he's resisted the urge to scent them since their first night together, but he does point out, "You let me."

"That's true," Valen agrees, his voice even and calm. "But I'm not a hybrid. I can't smell it. You could've scented me weeks ago and I'd have no idea."

"You'd know," Ardyn assures.

Valen tilts his head interestedly, but Ardyn doesn't elaborate.

He asks, "Would you let somebody else?"

"Somebody else scent me? Who would that person be? Kahili?" Valen smiles like he finds the thought endearing. It would be amusing to have his overly large husband rub his scent all over him just as Ardyn had. "No, darling, I wouldn't let somebody else scent me."

Ardyn repeats, "You let me."

"Are you just 'somebody'?"

"What does that mean?" Ardyn presses, hyperaware of his heart dropping to the floor. He almost scrambles to pick it up, scared Valen will see how quickly it beats for him.

Valen considers a reply, looking as though he might've realized he laid himself just as bare. Ardyn waits impatiently for a response he won't know what to do with. It's not unkindly when Valen tentatively says, "We're friends."