Chapter 31 #2
Aaren’s heart began to pound. He shuffled off the bed, his belly heavy, and made his way to the dresser. He opened his drawer with a grunt and reached for the tissue-wrapped packages at the back. “Since we’re both naked, I bought us something to wear.”
The slightly larger package, he handed to Hades. His own, he easily unwrapped, pausing before the final reveal to wait for Hades to catch up.
Hades opened his, eyebrows rising at the lacy, pastel blue boxer-briefs.
“It has some support for your heavy balls,” Aaren said, cupping his hand and lifting it. Then he leaned against the dresser and carefully stepped into his own matching panties.
Hades’ smile turned warm and pleased. “Sweetheart,” he said slowly, the undergarment cradled in his strong hands. “I wasn’t expecting this. Thank you.”
Aaren beamed. “Well, you should put it on.”
“Before I do...” Hades reached for an unassuming flat panel, one that looked like a light switch. He flipped it on.
Suddenly the bedroom was filled with golden fairy lights.
Fairy lights.
They were all along the wall, around the bed and dresser, and even on the lampshades and picture frames. The wires were transparent; no wonder Aaren had missed them at first. Hades lowered the lamp brightness so only the fairy lights were on, turning everything so intimate between them.
Aaren’s eyes grew round. “Wow,” he breathed.
Hades lit up. “You like it?”
“Yeah! This is like magic!”
“You are like magic,” Hades murmured, taking a step closer to Aaren, his gaze intent. “Ever since you stepped into my life, you’ve lit up my everything like a never-ending well of magic.”
“Well, you’re the magical one. You showed up on my doorstep like a magic trick,” Aaren said. “Or like a hero in an ancient play.”
Hades laughed. “Or like someone who had tracked you through different states,” he said wryly. “And yet you never seemed to mind.”
Aaren shrugged. “Well, you were going to pay me a lot of money for food. I wasn’t going to say no.”
“My intentions were pure. I had sought you out for the food. But I liked what I found very much.”
Aaren beamed and tugged his lace panties around his hips. Hades gazed at him appreciatively, then slowly slid a leg into his lacy boxer-briefs.
“You kept allowing me to return to you,” Hades said.
“You made me feel safe, even from that very first day,” Aaren admitted. “Then you joined me in fucking around under Ballus’ nose.”
“He didn’t deserve you,” Hades agreed, sliding his other leg into his underwear.
“After all the alphas I’d been around, I was surprised that you were so easy to spend time with,” Aaren said.
“Same here. I’ve really enjoyed spending time around you.” Hades gaze grew warmer as he pulled the boxer-briefs up his thighs. “And every day after that, I’ve only felt more and more thankful that you’ve allowed me to be in your life.”
Aaren swallowed. “I was going to say that exact same thing.”
Hades huffed. “Really? I also wanted to say that you’re beautiful. You’re the most amazing omega I’ve met, and I—”
He tugged the boxer-briefs up around his hips, opening his mouth right as paper crinkled between his legs.
Both of them looked down.
“Was that...?” Hades reached down, cupping his balls. More crinkling sounds.
Aaren’s heart raced. “Um, you can keep going with your words.”
“Wait. I have to investigate this first.” Hades squeezed his balls again, smiling at the crinkling sounds. He reached into his underwear and pulled out a small slip of paper, pale blue with lacy edges that matched the boxer-briefs. Right in the middle were a few lines of words.
When an alpha and an omega love each other very much, they should prove their commitment by blowing smoke rings from one butthole to the other.
The winking of their buttholes will be Morse code for ‘I love you.’ Only then can they swallow their smoke rings to show that they will be each other’s butt masters for all of eternity.
Aaren held his breath.
Hades’ eyes flicked across the lines. Then he read them again, his eyes growing wide.
“Really?” Hades breathed, his mouth pulling into a warm, disbelieving smile. “You’re proposing to me too?”
“Too?” Aaren croaked.
Hades huffed, gesturing around them. “What did you think I was setting this up for, sweetheart? I was working up to asking you, and then—this.”
He waved the scrap of paper and took a step forward, going down on one knee. Aaren’s heart stuttered.
“Hades?” he whispered.
Hades angled a crooked smile up at him, dressed in nothing but his lacy boxer-briefs. “Aaren Miller, I know this isn’t a Morse code smoke ring butthole message, but I love you with all my heart. Will you marry me?”
Aaren’s world stopped for a second. Then his heart began to pound. “Oh gods, I can’t believe we proposed to each other at the same time, accidentally!”
Hades laughed and leaned in, kissing Aaren’s belly. “So is that a yes or a no?”
Aaren didn’t have any smoke, but he blew some puffs of air at Hades. “That’s my smoke ring answer, it’s a yes.”
Happiness exploded through Hades’ face. He got to his feet and wrapped his arms around Aaren, kissing him thoroughly. “Does this mean we can exchange bonding marks now?”
“Yes!” Aaren cried.
“Even if it’s no butthole smoke ring,” Hades teased.
“It’ll just be a ring of your teeth marks. It’s almost the same,” Aaren said, giggling and leaning into his alpha.
Hades grinned and led him to the bed. He sat Aaren sideways on his lap, so one side of their bodies was pressed together. “You first?” Hades murmured.
“No, you,” Aaren said, offering his throat.
“Fuck,” Hades whispered. He wasted no time in bringing his face close, sniffing out the place at the crook of Aaren’s neck, where he smelled most strongly of tulip. Then he pressed a soft kiss to that spot, and paused there for another moment. “You’re sure?”
“I think I need to give you an actual smoke ring,” Aaren said.
Hades laughed and sank his teeth in, breaking skin. Pain and pleasure twisted through Aaren’s body; he gasped and clutched at Hades, his entire body throbbing for Hades. “Alpha.”
“Mine,” Hades growled. He tipped his head to offer his throat, and Aaren felt awed, suddenly. That an alpha as strong and powerful as Hades would offer himself to someone like Aaren.
“You’re amazing,” Aaren whispered. He sniffed Hades to find his scent gland, and kissed it gently. Then he pressed his teeth against it and bit down hard, so Hades jerked and swore beneath him, his fingers gripping Aaren bruisingly tight.
When Aaren released his teeth from Hades’ skin, he found Hades panting, his pupils dilated, droplets of blood welling up on his skin. So Aaren licked his bonding mark and kissed it better, purring when he found Hades rock-hard against his thigh.
“Mine,” Hades said again, pressing kisses all over Aaren’s face. He turned them around so Aaren was lying on his side, mindful of Aaren’s round belly, and carefully slid his cock in. “Mine,” Hades said again, leaning in to cover Aaren with himself.
“Yours,” Aaren said, right before Hades made him scream.