Call Me Yours [BL]

Chapter17

Valen stalls.

His heels click around the kitchen, slow and measured as he takes in the small space. It's neither dirty nor clean, that general balance that boys Ardyn's age typically cared for their things. Valen's fingers skim the countertop as he walks about, eyes thoughtfully caught on the chore chart hung from their fridge.

It's dated from last April, the differing handwritings equally messy as it hangs from a magnet struggling to hold it's weight.

Valen's eyes filter over each individual day. Take out the trash, wash the dishes, mop the kitchen. The first week begins relatively normal, but the following ones don't follow the same pattern.

April 9th: Stop raging at 4 am :) —Ardyn

April 10th: Learn how to put your own dishes away :) —Prince

April 15th: I'll lose it if you miss trash day 1 more time

April 18th: Stop blowing guys in our living room :) —Your loving roommate with thin walls

April 18th: Sorry >.>

April 21st: Trash? AGAIN —Ardyn

April 30th: I'm sorry. Can we talk?

The last date isn't signed, the vague penmanship a mystery as Valen's eyes scan it once, and then twice. He compares the different handwriting until his head tilts, thoughtful. He moves on.

Valen knows he's stalling. He recognizes the feeling when the nerves in his chest grow too strong to ignore. He has no explanation for them, for the unease he feels of not knowing what lies behind Ardyn's door. He's grown up with Clementine and their mother as the only hybrids in his life. Their heats were a topic nobody spoke of. Their father instilled at a very young age not to ask where his mother went when she disappeared until the next day.

Clementine would cry, he remembers. When their mother wouldn't tuck him in with her usual kiss goodnight. Valen wouldn't cry, but he also didn't understand the wordless goodnights.

He understood more in high school, and even more when he was in college and Clementine, at 17, started having heats. He'd grow clingy the day before, badgering Valen to come home so they could watch movies. And Valen would. He'd always come home and Clementine would cuddle into him, still young and new to his heats.

Clementine doesn't seek out Valen's comfort anymore, and Valen doesn't really want to think about what he does instead.

The unknown unnerves Valen, but he understands he's stalling. The realization directs his footsteps down the hall.

The doorknob clicks silently when Valen turns it. He opens the door slowly, the creak of the hinges echoing in the quiet hallway. His heart races as more and more of Ardyn's room gets revealed. The sight before him draws him in with an almost magnetic pull. His eyes settle on Ardyn and there they remain, glued.

Valen can't grapple his thoughts when he sees him, but there's an immediate sense to nurture that blooms within his chest. It rises quickly, choking him from the inside out as he takes in Ardyn's strained breathing and how vulnerable he appears, curled to his side as he hugs his pillow.

Valen feels his own breathing constrict. His caution melts into urgency, and the feeling to care for Ardyn is overwhelming as he takes more assured and driven steps into the room. His heels click with every step. "Oh, darling," he breathes.

Ardyn's eyes drag open with considerable effort. They're hooded with that same fogginess that's settled over the rest of his features. His blink is slow, the stray hairs that brush his lash line inoffensive to him, as if he doesn't notice the thin strands obstructing his vision at all.

His head lulls to the side in search of the unfamiliar click of heels.

Valen sees the moment he recognizes him.

Ardyn's dilated eyes widen ever so slightly, and he sits up with an urgency that contrasts his drowsiness. His pillow gets disregarded as he crawls to the edge of the bed and breathes an audible sigh of relief when he presses his face into Valen's stomach.

Valen's breath catches from the sudden touch.

It's not till after Valen's taken in the sag to Ardyn's shoulders, how naturally he eases onto his knees and leans into him, that Valen remembers to breathe. His hands hover over Ardyn's head—then that same urgency spikes.

He touches him, hands smoothing down Ardyn's head in a gentle caress. Ardyn's whine is low and soft, the sound pitching in Valen's ears in unexplainable ways. "I'm here," Valen utters, soothing. He says it again. "I'm here, darling."

Ardyn is on his knees, his head bowed forward and cheek pressed into Valen's stomach. Dressed in an oversized shirt and boxers, Ardyn kneels perfectly still. His chest visibly rises and falls, again and again, slow and deep with every breath he takes in, but his fists curl into his lap unmoving, his head just as still.

A picture-perfect submission.

Valen strokes his hair. He whispers it again, "I'm here."

Minutes pass. The silence stretches long and slow as Valen strokes his hair and soothes him with whispered, comforting words. His voice pitches intentionally soft, just above a whisper so his serene lilt can wrap around Ardyn. Valen sees the way he sags with it, giving up more of his weight against Valen.

Valen accepts the weight as one would accept a hug. Delicately and gentle. Lovingly. An embrace that's meant to ease both parties. Valen feels something ease in his chest as Ardyn gives him his everything. Every vulnerable emotion and such a beautiful display of submission—he gives it all to Valen.

Valen needs to give him something in return. Something that will surely never compare to something as raw and unshielded as this, the trust it takes to give yourself away so earnestly, but Valen yearns to nurture him further. This isn't enough.

Ardyn's whine, though soft, cuts through the silence like a knife. It stabs Valen as he gently pulls away. "Just for a second," he quickly soothes. "Just a second, sweetheart. I'm still here." He shrugs off his long coat to reveal a white Chanel T-shirt, boxy and thick as the oversized sleeves end just above his elbows. "See? I'm not going anywhere."

Valen folds the coat over Ardyn's desk chair and immediately returns to the hybrid. Ardyn watches with a frown. "I know," Valen coos, "I'm sorry. I won't leave you again."

He gently guides Ardyn to lie down, enduring the untrusting and scared eyes all the way down. Valen sits on the edge of the bed, steps out of his boots, and joins him. "Come here," he encourages softly.

Ardyn all but melts into him.

Valen doesn't think of how unpleasantly the unfamiliar pillows sit against his skin. He doesn't think about it, but it spikes his nerves all the same as he lays back and welcomes Ardyn's weight on his chest, his arms wrapping around the pup. Valen holds him and Ardyn nuzzles into his chest, a content noise of utter bliss humming from his throat. In another universe, it would be a purr.

"Kahili's coming," he says, and Ardyn hums again. Valen smiles. "Yeah? Does that make you happy? Do you miss Kahili?"

Ardyn nods with his cheek pressed into Valen's chest.

"I miss him, too," Valen admits softly. "He's been so busy with work."

Ardyn doesn't reply. For whatever reason, Valen keeps talking.

"We were going to have dinner tonight. He made us these reservations for later." His hands trace slow and repetitive motions on Ardyn's back. "I think you would've liked it. We went there once last year and it was... it was a nice night. I remember everything about it."

Valen thinks of 25 and the steady nerves that blossomed in his chest when Kahili told him to get ready for their date. The way his heart raced with affection when Kahili gave him a bouquet of flowers and held his door open. Tulips, because Valen's never preferred roses. Kahili held his hand the entire drive to the unfamiliar restaurant, his smile as charming and his cologne as enticing as the day they met.

At 26, Valen's nerves flourish all the same.

He's sure there's a bouquet of flowers waiting for him at home. Kahili would've held his door open tonight, never letting Valen touch a single handle, and he would've held his hand the entire drive, and probably throughout dinner. Because Kahili's always been like that, expressive, and driven, and he's always taken care of Valen.

"He always takes me somewhere after dinner as a surprise," Valen utters fondly. "We've been together so long, it's not really a surprise anymore. It's usually something sweet. Ice cream, or cake, some sort of sweet he likes, but last year was different. We were driving for so long that I finally started asking him where we were going."

Kahili smiled, his hand heavy and warm in Valen's. He squeezed and reminded, it's a surprise.

"I don't—I'm not good with surprises," Valen admits. Ardyn's sheets make his skin crawl. "But he looked so happy when we got there. He took me to this park, I think I went once with my mom when I was young. It was so far, we must've been driving for an hour."

Valen remembers how dark it was, the city lights dimmed in the distance as Kahili turned off the car and opened his door. He remembers warm hands on his waist, slowly guiding him along a dirt trail. "Nobody else was there, just the two of us."

Are you finally sick of me? Valen teased as Kahili led him up the dirt trail. One last dinner before you kill me?

Kahili chuckled. His hand slotted into Valen's. I'd never grow sick of you.

"He took me stargazing," Valen reveals. "Took me all the way up this ridiculous hill to a telescope and we spent hours there. Just talking about.. whatever." A smile. "He bought me a star, isn't that cute? He couldn't find it at first when he was showing me, but he eventually did. Don't tell him, but I accidentally moved the telescope just when he got it right. It ended up pointing at the moon instead."

He's so lovely, Valen's husband.

"He's really romantic," Valen says. "And surprisingly sensitive. He gets—he gets upset easily. He's better with his emotions than me. He's always willing to talk through how he feels and help me understand. But.. I upset him easily," he confesses. "When I pull away and I'm not as expressive as he is. I think he wishes for more sometimes."

His hands sneak under Ardyn's shirt. His skin is startlingly warm.

Ardyn shuffles closer and Valen continues. "Not for more. Just—that I was better with my emotions. He does these big, grand things for me all the time. Little surprises here and there that I know he's excited to show me. I just.. I'm not expressive like he is. I get shy when he watches me for a reaction."

"He's a good husband," Valen finishes, unsure of how his words twisted and turned and he ended up here. He releases a small breath and smooths his hands against Ardyn's back. "I'm sorry for talking so much. You're probably not even listening."

Ardyn's eyes are closed, his breathing is steady, and he's burning against Valen.

Valen's heart stutters when Ardyn speaks softly. "How do you know he didn't buy you the moon?"

"What?"

"You said the telescope was pointed at the moon when you looked. How do you know he didn't buy it for you?" Ardyn shifts closers. Their legs tangle together. Valen's skin doesn't crawl. "I think he would, for you."

And Valen has no response for that.

He pulls Ardyn a little closer, welcomes the burning sensation of his skin, and breathes deeply.

_____

Ardyn's room is boyish and neither clean nor dirty. His walls are a soft grey, his bedding a similar shade, and Valen immediately sees his personality etched into every detail. It's not the art pieces hanging on the walls that show his character, but the camera sitting on his desk. The way his dresser drawers don't completely close because a shirt is stuck in the opening, a sock spilling from another. The unopened textbooks on his dresser are displayed thoughtlessly as if thrown there, but his desk is spotless, clean, and ready for whenever inspiration strikes and he wants to edit his photos.

Valen regards the room with a growing sense of intimacy. It's a side of Ardyn he's never touched.

Valen doesn't understand the sticky note stuck onto the wall above Ardyn's desk, a stick-figured dog staring back at him. Lucky, it reads.

He doesn't understand the necklace that hangs off Ardyn's monitor, the chain silver and distracting against the sleeping computer. He has a sense it hasn't been worn in months, if at all. A cross dangles from the bottom, and Valen is struck by a question he has no answer to. Is he religious?

Valen doesn't understand much in this new environment, but he comes to realize that Ardyn's most precious items are kept at his desk. They're not kept on his dresser, where his textbooks are easily explainable and thrown carelessly, but arranged on his desk in ways that only he understands. The meaning of each item is lost on Valen. He stares at the filmstrip.

His attention gets dragged down when Ardyn whines.

Valen smiles lovingly. "I know, darling," he coos. "I do, I promise. I'll help you. What do you need?"

Ardyn breathes deeply and tips his head back against the pillow, his whine drawn out and pained. His eyes are unfocused and dilated as he stares at Valen kneeling between his legs. They spread needfully and desperately for Valen to crowd closer and touch him. He whimpers when Valen's hands slide along his burning thighs. "Here?" Valen smiles knowingly.

He doesn't tease, not today.

Valen has a limited dating history, none of which includes a hybrid. He knows nothing of the intimate details of how hybrids feel during their heats. He knows what everyone knows—they crave intimacy, but the deep-seated and frenzied need for it is lost on him.

Ardyn is, seemingly, past the point of cuddling and rubbing his nose into Valen's neck.

He spent minutes turning and rubbing against Valen in failed attempts to get closer, his whines growing increasingly more desperate and pitiful when he found he couldn't. Every inch of him was already on Valen, but it was never enough for the pup. He craved more. He crawled into Valen's lap and straddled him, momentarily eased as he buried his head in Valen's neck and scented him.

And that was enough, for a bit. His little noises flooded Valen's ears, soft whimpers and little hums that were both pleased to be scenting Valen and needy for something more. He dragged his nose along Valen's neck, nipping and biting at the skin with soft gasps. Valen's hands were steady weights on his sides, dragging up and down in encouraging motions, letting him take whatever he needed.

Ardyn nipped at Valen's skin too hard once, his movements stilling with the realization. "It's okay," Valen soothed. Ardyn's whine was apologetic when he kissed over it and scented Valen all over again. Valen thinks Ardyn would spend hours like that if he could, licking and kissing all along Valen's neck with the prettiest little gasps, so breathy and soft against his ear.

When Ardyn's hips started to rock, grinding down on him for more, Valen tightened his grip on Ardyn's hips and rolled him over. "You're burning baby," Valen breathed, positioning himself above the younger. "Can you feel it? Let's get you out of these clothes."

Ardyn was more than happy to comply.

His shirt went first, leaving his hair a mess when it caught in his ears. Valen smoothed down the stray strands with a quiet laugh.

His boxers went next, hips raising without his usual bashfulness when Valen slid them down his legs. Ardyn uttered something when he was naked, something too quiet and slurred for Valen to understand. "What, baby?"

"—lease," he breathed.

"Please?" Valen echoed. "Oh, darling, no. You don't need to beg for anything tonight. I'll give you everything you need. Okay?" He grabbed Ardyn's hand and kissed his wrist softly. Ardyn bit his lip with a little whimper, the small touch visibly working him up.

He still begs. Not with slurred words too quiet for Valen to hear, but with his breathy, pleading moans and the way his body twists and he can't sit still. He's such a pretty sight. If Valen were meaner, he'd tease him. He'd edge this pretty boy until he was on the cusp of tears and pleading for something he already had. Touch me, he'd beg. I am, Valen would coo.

Valen isn't so mean to tease Ardyn during his heat, but Ardyn's pretty enough where he thinks about it.

He pockets this version of Ardyn for later, so taken with how expressive he is with Valen's simple touches. He needs to see him like this again. They've only just started and Valen's already craving for it again, something he hasn't fully experienced.

"There we go," Valen coos, easing two fingers into Ardyn. Ardyn immediately responds with a drawn-out moan, his thighs falling open and lips bitten with pleasure. "That's better, isn't it, pretty? You look so sweet right now, I wish you could see. I bet you'll feel even better on my cock."

Ardyn whines.

"Yeah?" Valen coaxes, fingering him with the instancy Ardyn craves. "You want my c**k, baby? You're so wet."

"—lease," he slurs again.

Valen smiles, then presses his fingers deep. "Are you begging because you know I like it? It's yours either way, darling. I'll f**k you as many times as you want." Ardyn reacts so beautifully, body arching with the promise of more. Valen can't look away. As his hair falls into his eyes and he bites his lips red, he's captivating.

"I've never f****d you here before," Valen's voice pitches low, a testament to his own arousal. His words spill down Ardyn's spine like honey. "I've never f****d you anywhere else before. Why is that, darling? You look so cute in your bed. I didn't know you had so many pillows." He curls into Ardyn's prostate, rubbing that little spot over and over as Ardyn squirms and gives little insistent moans.

"And what's that? A stuffed animal?" Valen doesn't need to look at the stuffed cat in the corner of Ardyn's bed to know it's there.

It matches the one Ardyn holds in the film strip hanging above his desk. "That's real cute, baby."

Ardyn's eyes flutter and his head lulls to the side, searching for the kitten.

Valen catches his jaw in his hand.

He turns Ardyn's head back and holds it. "No," he says lowly. "You don't need that."

Ardyn's lips part with a moan and he agrees, Valen sees it in the ways his eyes dilate further and he sinks back into the sheets. Valen is the only thing he needs right now. His head turns and he nuzzles into Valen's palm, whiny. He's so submissive, Valen aches. "Yeah," he utters, stroking Ardyn's cheek. "You're so pretty when you listen. Kahili is gonna have a heart attack when he sees you like this."

Ardyn clenches around his fingers at the mention of his husband. Valen smiles and drags them out slowly. They're wet with slick. He pushes back in. "He spoils you, darling. Oh, and he loves doing it." Ardyn whines and Valen tsks lovingly. "You're not allowed to deny it. Kahili takes care of you so well, don't you think? He'll take care of you tonight too, I promise. He's a generous lover."

"Yes," Ardyn moans.

"Yes," Valen repeats, soothing. He teases, "Should we call him? See what's taking him so long?"

Ardyn flushes with such a pretty and growing smile. He bites his lip when he nods.

Valen hushes his whiny, incoherent complaints when he pulls away to grab his phone. It's in his coat. He returns in no time, settling between Ardyn's thighs once more. "See? All that whining for what, darling? I'm still here."

Valen dials and Kahili picks up on the second ring. "Hey, I'm on my way over now."

Valen stares down at him, his smile teasing. "You hear that, baby? Kahili's almost here."

Ardyn whines.

Kahili chuckles and coos through the speaker. "Awe, babe. How is he?"

"Our baby missed you," Valen utters, easing those same fingers back into Ardyn. Valen watches his eyelids flutter and his lips part with such a foggy expression on his face. He looks on the cusp of falling apart with just one touch. Valen presses deeper. "He's not feeling so talkative right now, my love, but he does. You should hurry."

"Almost there," he assures.

Ardyn clenches around his fingers. He licks his lips and utters something too soft for the phone to pick up, but Valen sees his lips shape around the word. He smiles and encourages Ardyn to repeat himself with a praising nod.

Ardyn blushes and listens. "Hi," he breathes.

"Hi, baby," Kahili greets happily. "I miss you too. I've been thinking about you all day."

Ardyn squirms as his flush deepens, his smile small. He only manages a soft hum, as if words are too much for him right now. Kahili's honesty renders him shy. That shyness appeals to Valen, how visibly he warms with Kahili's low voice drawling through the speaker.

"Is Val being nice to you?"

Ardyn's eyes click up. Valen stares down at him and he smiles. Go on, he encourages with a nod.

"Yes," he answers breathily.

"Good," Kahili replies. "He worries me with you sometimes. It's like he tries to make you cry."

"No," Valen assures, giggling. "No crying tonight. Right?" His smile widens just for Ardyn, eyes cast down endearingly.

Ardyns nods shyly.

Valen bends down and kisses him, no longer strong enough to resist. He swallows the surprised, breathy gasp Ardyn gives. It turns into a pleased moan, spurred on by Valen's fingers steadily f*****g into him. He's slow and he's deliberate, needing him coherent enough to hear Kahili. "That's mean, babe," Kahili drawls, hearing them kiss. "You call just to tease me?"

Valen nips at Ardyn's lip and indulges in another kiss, feeling something start to smolder in his stomach. He wants to grip Ardyn's jaw and tip his chin up, to deepen their kiss with the slow drag of his tongue as he slots himself between warm, tan thighs. Valen's d**k aches for it. To see this pretty boy finally fall apart all over his c**k.

Valen pecks his lips and pulls away. He hushes Ardyn's protests by curling his fingers inside him. It effectively works to quiet him. "Didn't want you to miss anything, my love," Valen teases. "Since you were so upset last time."

Kahili hums. "What a thoughtful husband I have."

Valen hears his blinker. Tick, tick, tick.

"Can he hear me, my love?"

Valen considers Ardyn. Soft ears press low into his hair, such a similar shade to his eyelashes that flutter when everything is too much and not enough all at once. His body warms with a permanent blush, a lovely pink settling on his cheeks in such distracting ways, and Valen almost thinks no, he's not listening. But Ardyn breathes deeply and tilts his head to the side, searching for Kahili's deep voice.

Valen answers, "He can."

"Ardyn," It rolls off Kahili's tongue like honey, "I've never been with a hybrid during their heat and it makes me a little nervous if I'm honest. I've been thinking about it since Val told me. I wanna make you feel good and make sure you're taken care of." Tick, tick— "Is there something special you need? Or do I just need to f**k you?"

Ardyn's breathing stutters.

"I can get you something," Kahili continues smoothly. "Anything you need, I'll get it for you. Or do I just need to f**k you? Is it that simple?"

His breathing turns shallow, the moan he gives audible to Kahili as he squirms on the bed in a bundle of nerves. Valen understands. Kahili's voice appeals to him in such similar ways.

Kahili's engine cuts.

Ardyn sits up, his dilated eyes widening with anticipation. Valen sees his breaths quicken, the rise and fall of his chest growing unsteady with nerves as he yearns for Kahili.

Valen guides him back down with a hand to his chest.

Kahili's car door clicks shut, and his footsteps click against the pavement, steady and unhurried, such a stark contrast to Ardyn's visibly racing heart. Valen even feels his quicken.

Kahili's voice spills past the speakers. "I can still get you something, you just have to tell me."

Ardyn's going to bite his lips raw. His lip catches between his teeth, chewing on it as welcome suspense unfurls in his stomach. Valen sees his hands curl in the sheets, uncurl, and tighten all over again. Kahili expertly takes him apart with each sultry drip of his voice. "I'll turn around, I don't mind."

Footsteps click up the stairwell, one by one.

"You have to tell me now if you do," Kahili says. "I don't think I'll be able to leave once I see you."