Conclusion

You supposed you shouldn't have been surprised. Or maybe you should have. You weren't entirely sure, your head a veritable mess of whats and whys as you stared at Gale, and he stared at you — eyes wide, bodies completely still, with the air filled with a strange awkwardness. How were you to make of this situation, exactly?

The day started normal. Woke up at the usual time, ate breakfast, did work, the dailies and all that. The day continued being normal, you picked up a book to read, accompanied by a nice drink, perhaps stopping every now and then to stretch, then you decided to head to the bedroom — that's where it stopped being normal, didn't it? When you saw Gale, your husband, your darling, the light and love of your life standing at the foot of your bed, back bent to a hunch like a thief, an impressive tenting on his trousers as he sniffed at your underwear.

Then you entered and broke the peace, thus the standstill you both were in right now. Why was he smelling your underwear? Not that there was anything wrong with that, given everything you two have already done, but it was baffling. In an adorable, funny sort of way, finding out that he apparently had this side of him.

His mouth opened, then closed, then opened again and again, a million words whirling behind those brown eyes of his, but not able to let a single one out. For all his boasting of his propensity for verbosity, he certainly was speechless now. His cheeks colored with an amazing shade of pink, a small look of guilt flashing through his face, and you laughed, loudly — and you had to hug him, because it was endearing, because you had to comfort him, his expression all worried like a sad puppy.

He froze, then let out a relieved puff of breath, hugging you back firmly. Taking a look behind you, you noted that he was still holding your underwear, and giggled.

"So..." you placed a hand on his cheek, making sure he was looking at you as you asked, "what were you doing?"

He grimaced, clearly realizing that you weren't going to let this go, and you could see him try to come up with something.

"I was... taking notes." He replied weakly.

Taking notes? You snorted in laughter, getting louder by the second as you turned the words over and over in your head. He groaned, aware that was probably one of his worst attempts at coming up with an excuse, and you laughed harder.

"And?" You asked, when you finally calmed yourself down. You smiled playfully. "What did you gather? Learned anything useful?"

His eyes narrowed, gaze calculating and thoughtful, and you could tell, from the way he smirked, that he figured out a way to turn this situation to his favor.

"I gathered that... certain aromas can cause individuals to have rather active bodily and emotional reactions. Arousal, excitement, an increased heart rate, to name a few."

You raised a brow, already having an idea where this was going. How very him, to throw in a theory and highlighting his studious nature while simultaneously seducing you.

"But I'm afraid that it is too early to say that in certainty." He smiled, aware you caught on to him. His hand slowly traced a pattern down your spine, drawing your body closer so you could feel the heat of him. "I would need to conduct a few more tests in order to form a proper conclusion."

You swallowed, feeling faint as the back of your knees hit the bed, sitting down while he slowly knelt. His hands squeezed your thighs, settling in between your legs as if he belonged there.

"And I," he murmured, his eyes never leaving yours as he kissed your thigh, "am eager to reach that conclusion."