Call Me Yours [BL]

Chapter 8

Ardyn wakes at 6 AM to a private text message from Valen canceling their plans.

Valen 5:34 AM

I'm sorry, darling, something work related came up last minute that I can't miss. I can't make our plans today but please enjoy your day off. You deserve it.

[100$ transaction]

Ardyn stares at his phone for a morbidly long time. Long enough for his screen to dim, then eventually turn off. He tosses it aside with a slow, sleep-laced blink. There have been better ways to start his morning. In denial, Ardyn falls back against the sheets and snuggles into his pillows. He'll wake up again just in time for class and then speed home to get ready to go to Valen's and Kahili's.

He had it all planned out. Spent all night restless in bed with excitement.

No, he smiles into his pillows. Almost laughs. I'm dreaming.

The next time he wakes up it's 9 AM, he's already missed one class and Valen's text is still glaring back at him when he checks his phone. Horror colors his face when he sits up and reads the time, then disbelief at the text.

He tosses his phone aside once more and sinks off the bed, groaning in disappointment. When Prince doesn't immediately come check on him he groans louder, even kicks his leg into the wall for good measure. He promptly stops his wallowing when Prince throws something against the wall and yells for him to shut the f**k up.

Ardyn's mouth purses.

Class is out of the question. He already missed one and can't bring himself to get ready for the next. He convinces himself he'll study extra today. Homework, he'll do homework.

Valen and Kahili are also out of the question.

He could sleep. Ardyn's eyes drift toward his bed, the wrinkled comforter suddenly appearing so inviting and soft. It calls him like a siren, singing a lullaby he can't resist. Ardyn's always been too self-indulgent with his desires.

Just as he's about to crawl into bed, Prince shoves his door open. "What is your problem?" he hisses. "Do you know what f*****g time it is?"

Ardyn stares at him from the floor. "..9:14."

Prince stares back. "..Are you in heat?"

"What? Why would I be on the floor if I was in heat?"

"Are you in heat?" he repeats.

"No—I'm not in heat." Ardyn huffs and pulls himself back on his bed. He ruffles his mess of hair and frowns at Prince. "I woke up late, which means you woke up late."

"I figured we were skipping class when you didn't wake me up."

Sleep seems to be out of the question, too. Prince collapses in the spot next to Ardyn, shirtless and hair spilling out of his ponytail. Ardyn scoots over to accommodate him in the twin-sized bed. "They canceled on me," Ardyn sniffs. "At 5 Am."

"There goes next month's rent."

Ardyn's lips twitch up, then he immediately smoothes it. "I have no plans now..."

"You could go to class."

Ardyn sighs dramatically. "Nothing to do all day."

Prince's half-lidded eyes roll, knowing him all too well. He indulges, "What do you wanna do, Princess?"

Ardyn smiles. "Brunch?" On me, he convinces Prince, and it feels good to say. It's been a long time since he's been able to go out without budgeting it in advance or planning his days out around payday. There's no planning ahead, no dissecting the menu online to see if he'd like the cheapest thing they offered. It just so happens he's come into a good sum of money, perfect for brunch.

Ardyn's phone buzzes.

His stomach drops when he sees it's from Valen. Ardyn completely left him on read.

Valen 9:20 AM

Unless you're still available? You could come with me.

Ardyn reads the text multiple times. Over and over his eyes read the nine little words. Prince has to physically grab his tail so it stops thumping against the bed. It yanks Ardyn's attention. "It's them," he explains. "Him. He wants me to go to work with him."

"Spending your only day off at someone else's job," Prince drawls. "Riveting."

"I think it could be fun," Ardyn mumbles. Curiosity courses through him at the thought of seeing Valen model. What he would give to photograph someone like that. The thought dances around his head louder and louder until he can't stop himself from clicking the chat bubble.

Prince watches him.

Ardyn pauses.

Brunch—he glances up from his phone.

"You should go," Prince encourages as if reading his thoughts. "Sounds like you want to. We can do something else tomorrow."

Ardyn bites at his lip, his thumbs hovering over the screen. "You sure?"

"Not like we don't see spend every day together," Prince huffs in amusement. He rolls onto his back and lets his eyes fall closed. He smells like sunshine.

Ardyn chews his lip unsurely. He has a mental battle before finally, he texts Valen back.

Ardyn 9:26 AM

yeah i'd love to !!

i have plans until 1ish. is that too late?

Ardyn tosses his phone between him and Prince facedown. He bites at his nails while his heart races. He can hear it in his ears, just as he can feel every breath he takes. Eyes bore into his unmoving phone, as if it'll will Valen to text back faster.

It seems to work because Valen responds immediately.

Ardyn snatches his phone.

Valen 9:27 AM

That's perfect. I'll have Kahili pick you up, darling.

Ardyn grabs Prince's shoulder and jostles him with excitement. Prince snorts and barely opens his eyes enough to side-eye Ardyn. "I never thought I'd see the day you jump for some d**k. You used to cry when guys looked at you."

Ardyn stops shaking his shoulder long enough to scowl. "I didn't cry."

"Oh, you cried," Prince chuckles. He rolls back on his side to face Ardyn. "You cried so hard because that guy in your class gave you his number and you didn't know what to do."

Ardyn remembers this vividly, almost shudders at the memory. He was stressed for weeks going to class, trying his best to dodge every attempt the guy made to get closer to Ardyn. His life was Hell for weeks, paranoia gripping his every move. His only saving grace was the semester ending.

"He wasn't mean, he was just..."

"Ugly?" Prince finishes.

Ardyn sniffs. "That's mean."

"He's so ugly, Prince, you have to see him," Prince mimics his cry and Ardyn flushes with embarrassment. He jostles Prince's shoulder again, only to distract himself from the shame, because it was mean and he regrets saying it. But it was also the reason his number went right into the trash after he'd given it to Ardyn.

Prince smirks. "Hard to compete when your roommate is this good-looking."

"Yes, yes." Ardyn stands up and carefully steps over his friend and off the bed. "You're incredibly pretty, Prince."

Prince rolls over to face him again, gravitating so naturally to wherever Ardyn goes.

"C'mon, let's go," Ardyn beckons.

"Go?" Prince asks. He sits up. "Where?"

"Brunch," he says, slowly.

"I thought you were seeing your sugar daddy?"

Ardyn's nose wrinkles at the name. He mumbles something incoherent while digging through his dresser, then waves his hands around at Prince in an aggressive manner to get up. "I'd rather eat with you. I'll see them later. Now, c'mon. Let's go, let's go." He claps his hands.

Prince hates the way his tail wags.

🍃🍂🍃

The car ride with Kahili is drastically different from two weeks ago.

The music sits so low it's incoherent, nothing more than a buzz in Ardyn's ear. They both take turns talking, sometimes over one another, most times soaking in the other's voice. Ardyn takes a special liking to Kahili's. It's husky and pitched low in a way that sits so pleasantly in his ears.

Ardyn's ears perk when he notices a camera sitting on the console between them. "Yours?" he asks, curious. "You like photography?"

Kahili glances at it and nods. "I do, yeah. More of an observer, though. The camera's mostly for inspiration. It helps me with my designs."

"Can I see?"

Given permission, Ardyn dives into the camera with a curious hum.

It only takes him a dozen or so clicks to see photography isn't Kahili's passion. The pictures are taken with an appreciative click for what he was capturing, but the technique is thoughtless and lacks overall knowledge besides knowing how to press a button. They're lovely, Ardyn thinks. Knowing Kahili considered something so unique, so creative or beautiful that he wanted to capture it forever— it warms Ardyn.

He's drawn to color, Ardyn notices next. Vibrant colors filled his camera in abundance.

Valen filled it even more.

Ardyn is especially attentive to those, his thumb slowing to a stop as he scrolled. And then he realizes his previous thoughts are flawed. No photographer could capture someone's beauty this breathtakingly without a technique. It's not possible, Ardyn thinks.

Valen's unaware he's being photographed in most of the pictures. A candid photo where Kahili felt the urge to capture that moment forever, refusing to let it bleed into a forgotten memory one day. There's some where he's looking at the camera, eyes crinkled with a smile and lips stretched so prettily.

It feels intimate. Far too intimate for Ardyn to be looking at.

He's never seen Valen wear such an expression before—or anyone for that matter. This is what love looks like, he realizes. It's not something he's supposed to see, not from Valen, not when that look isn't meant for him. The gentle affection in Valen's eyes, the fond smile on his face that would remain permanent in Kahili's camera forever.

It feels wrong to look but he can't look away. Not when he has Kahili's permission, and not when Valen looks so mesmerizing, a soothing aura like a siren's emitting through the screen.

Ardyn clicks to the next picture. His breath hitches.

"You okay?" Kahili asks, hearing him go quiet.

Ardyn jerks his head in a nod. "Mhm." He clicks the camera off and looks out the window. A warmth settles on his skin as he exhales slowly, his heart beating loudly in his ears. It's slow, his heartbeat, but it feels unsteady as he takes his next breath. He smooths his hands on his lap and reminds himself he's imagining it. His heartbeat is fine and he is fine.

Except he's not. "I—um," his head shakes. He has no clue what to say. "They're nice. The pictures, I mean. They're nice."

"Yeah? Do you like photography?"

Ardyn considers this. "..A little." He thinks of freshman year when he switched his major back and forth five different times before begrudgingly settling on psychology. "Fine art photography is my favorite. I love being able to convey emotions, what I see. But it's all great, just being able to hold a camera. I..." he rambles on without meaning to, and Kahili listens with interested nods and low mhm's. By the time Ardyn's done he's breathless.

Kahili glances at him from the corner of his eye. He's grinning. "That sounds like more than 'a little'."

Ardyn smiles sheepishly. "I love it."

"You're passionate," he compliments. "Do you do it on the side?"

Ardyn splays his hands in front of him, shaking his head. "It's just a hobby. It's not— I don't have the time to do anything more with it." For right now sits on the tip of his tongue, but he ultimately swallows it. He wouldn't have years ago. Even just last year, he would've persisted he would make something out of his photography. Not anymore.

"No?" Kahili drawls, turning into a parking lot Ardyn doesn't recognize. "You should. I bet you have a knack for it."

Ardyn smiles, more dimmed. "I'm okay with it being a hobby."

Kahili nods his understanding, but he persists. "You never know if you don't try. Your passion can take years to show even an ounce of promise of being a career, but it's nowhere near unheard of."

"I don't really have a lot of time to pour into it, not like I want to." He already works six days a week, goes to school full-time, and hardly gets more than six hours of sleep a night. Ardyn's tried— countless times he's tried making it into something. Offering his services for free to his classmates to build a portfolio, going store to store to offer free advertisement photos, and even social media.

He doesn't have money to pay people to photograph them. He barely had money for his camera, and it took him a month to pay his older sister back what he borrowed. A month where he had to skip other essential needs just to afford his bills.

He's better now, financially. Before Kahili and Valen, he was finally able to put some amount of money into his savings. Such a small amount where something like new tires would wipe him clean. He doesn't have the luxury to spend what little savings he has paying people to model for him.

Kahili opens his mouth to say something else but Ardyn cuts him off. "I'm good where I am." It's bitter and he hears it immediately. He considers apologizing because he knows Kahili heard it too, but he presses his lips thin.

He likes Kahili. He likes him as much as he's allowed for—for whatever this arrangement is, but he's not going to listen to someone who could pay off his entire four-year tuition without a second thought tell him to follow his passions.

He's not allowed to judge Ardyn for being practical.

Kahili turns the car off and they both sit there in a beat of silence.

He looks at Ardyn like he wants to say something more until his resolve ultimately crumbles and he smiles. Something small and almost apologetic. "You should bring it," he nods at the camera sitting in Ardyn's lap. It's all he offers before he's out of the car.

He doesn't open Ardyn's door and Ardyn doesn't expect him to.

The camera fits in Ardyn's palms comfortably, a familiar weight as they walk up to the building. His nerves teeter between unease and something calmer. He subtly glances at Kahili, if only to check if he suddenly feels as unsettled as Ardyn.

Kahili doesn't, of course. His face is as neutral as ever, a charming smile directed down at Ardyn when he catches him staring. His eyebrows arch and he hums something questionable, but Ardyn only shakes his head and attempts a small smile back.

It eases whatever knot was rapidly growing in his stomach. That dreadful feeling of knowing he upset someone, but he hasn't. He didn't, he reminds himself. Everything is fine, he is fine. His next breath isn't as shaky as the last, so he lets himself relax and follow after Kahili.

Valen is all smiles for the both of them. "Hi, pretty," he greets, and Ardyn realizes how much he's missed hearing that gentle lilt blanketing his voice.

Ardyn blushes and manages a shy greeting in return.

Valen looks.. breathtaking. The word does little justice to the older man, but it's all Ardyn can manage to think of. Valen is adorned in a monochromatic look, his neck hugged by a black cashmere turtleneck. It's hidden, meant only as a gentle contrast against the deeper black suit jacket sitting on top. The oversized jacket is held together by a singular button, the neckline smoothed and flapped out to show the softness of cashmere.

His slacks are oversized and sit baggily on a shiny pair of oxfords. Earrings dangle from his ears, his usual fitted hoop earrings swapped out for something more dramatic, the silver hanging down in a way that mesmerizes Ardyn.

Valen soaks in the outfit and all its elegance, exuding an undeniable embodiment of wealth and beauty.

"You look.. wow," Ardyn still can't believe he's real.

"Beautiful," Kahili finishes. Ardyn nods deeply in agreement.

Valen smiles like he knows he is, like he's heard it a thousand times before, and finds it amusing now, adorable. "Thank you, darlings." Valen steps forward and smooths a line down Kahili's shirt, his fingers lingering on his chest. "You are a sight yourselves."

Ardyn nods deeply again.

They look good together, he thinks.

Then Valen turns to him, and his smile dims. "I'm sorry," he apologies. "For cancelling our original plans, really. I'm glad we were able to make something work but I'll make it up to you sometime in the future."

Ardyn flushes despite his best attempts not to. "Work is more important," he assures. "What—what exactly are you shooting for?"

It's a studio, he realizes, after reluctantly prying his eyes away from Valen. A wide room of seemingly nothing but a white backdrop, one couch, and three hot lights. The room is much too large for the small setup, so Ardyn assumes they're temporarily renting it. Floor-to-ceiling windows line the walls, the natural light filtering in blindingly bright.

It shines on Valen favorably.

"Valentine," a voice complains. A man rounds the corner frowning. "Can we please start with the next phase? It's been an hour."

Valen peers over his shoulder. He smiles. "What did I tell you the ten other times you asked?"

The man's frown deepens. "1 o'clock..."

He's tall, incredibly tall and such a stark difference standing next to Valen. Valen isn't short by any means, but the unfamiliar man is really f*****g tall. Ardyn's eyes have to lift to fully take him in, just as the man looks at him for the first time. "Oh," he breathes out as if just noticing Ardyn. "Is this Tristian?"

An uncomfortable silence passes.

"..No," Valen eventually answers. "This is Ardyn."

"Ardyn," the man nods, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry."

"This is Clemen," Valen introduces. "My little brother."

"Clementine," Clemen corrects.

Ardyn blinks, then asks slowly, "You're brothers?"

Clementine is a hybrid like Ardyn. He stands three heads taller than Valen, his skin is nothing like Valen's pale complexion, and his physique alone is something Ardyn would absolutely give a double take at anywhere else given different circumstances. He's big, to put in simple terms, and Valen is... not.

"Right?" Kahili chuckles. His arm casually slings around Ardyn's shoulders. "They look nothing alike."

Ardyn wouldn't say that. When he looks closer he can see it in their faces, especially their eyes. There's that same glint in them, like they've been told from a very young age that they were born to be something grand, something more than simple. They wear confidence well, so self-assured in how they carry themselves.

Kahili leans down to Ardyn and warns lowly, "There's five more of them."

"Five?"

"That one over there isn't even the biggest."

Ardyn looks back and forth between Valen and Clementine multiple times with palpable disbelief.

"All boys," Clementine grins. "I always wish we had a sister, though. I think she'd have a lot of fun with so many brothers." Then he nudges Valen. "Valentine's kind of like a sister."

"Don't say that," Valen sighs.

"Sorry."

Clementine is an aspiring photographer, Ardyn learns. He smiles when he hears this, Kahili's camera weighing heavier in his hands. He listens with piqued interest while Valen explains Clementine booked this studio and booked Valen as his model for his photography final project due in three days.

"All without telling me," his smile turns sharp. "Isn't that something?"

"How many times do I have to say I'm sorry," Clementine frowns. He scratches his cheek with an uncomfortable look. "I swear I wrote it down somewhere."

"Yes, I'm sure you did," Valen says.

With Valen turned away, Clementine turns to Kahili and widens his eyes, as if saying can you believe him?

Ardyn feels Kahili's chest vibrate with a silent laugh.

Valen steps away and Clementine has no choice but to follow, his begging to start the photoshoot again growing distant to Ardyn's ears.

"Pretty convenient for a photographer to have a brother who models," Ardyn says, giving Kahili a small smile. He hopes whatever weird feelings they shared outside were left there.

He almost sags in relief when Kahili all but snorts. "He's not a photographer," he assures. "Clem does this every few months. Picks something up, grows bored of it, then picks up something entirely different. Last semester he was majoring in art. Before that, it was culinary arts."

Well, Ardyn gives him the benefit of the doubt, they could be loosely related. Maybe Clementine was just trying to figure himself out. But switching majors like that—that's a big blow to anyone's wallet, not to mention the time. "He's creative, it seems," Ardyn hums. "Having multiple interests isn't bad, is it?"

"Yeah, you wouldn't think so," Kahili replies, but it sounds like he doesn't agree.

"Okay!" Clementine claps his hands, visibly excited as his tail wags. "Let's get started." He starts in the corner of the room, reaching tall to pull down the floor-length shades. One by one, the room grows dimmer.

Valen stands on the white backdrop, hands stuffed in his pockets with his eyes half-lidded.

Kahili guides Ardyn toward the lonesome couch pushed to the front of the room for a front row seat. Together, they sit side by side, their thighs touching with every small, unimportant movement. They're sitting exactly the same but Ardyn is noticeably the only one flustered.

"He's amazing," Kahili says, eyes trained on his husband. "When he has a camera on him, he's a natural. Watch."

Ardyn watches.