Aodh's Challenge

This note was simple, no sad story behind it, or funny moment between the two of them.

All Aeker saw was a simple promise, no matter what was happening around them, not matter how chaotic things got, they would always have time for one another, they would always enjoy the simple things in life, like sitting and having a talk.

He tucked away the note and heading back to their room, this time not as grudgingly as he had the last time.

This had been long, mildly confusing but he couldn't remember Aodh being this sweet before, these notes were wonderful and he would keep them all forever.

Again the room was empty.

Another note.

The first time you tried Chinese.

I riled you up and you dragged me into the bathroom to fuck me. We need to do that again, too.

We should just work our way through fucking on every flat surface in the mansion. A nice challenge for us.

Oh! Do you remember the time that you walked into the bathroom and I was there to ask you a very important question and you said yes to it? God, I'll never forget that moment. Happiest moment in my ridiculously long life.

Aodh was laid out in the large bathtub, eyes shut. The lights were off but candles burned, giving off a light glow.

Next to Aodh's shoulder, on the edge of the tub, were two metal boxes. The same boxes that he had showed Alexis a few nights ago.

Aeker looked around the empty room, how much longer was Aodh going to send him around the mansion.

He picked up and read the note, chuckling softly, that was only the other day, though he had learned his lesson, never steal Aodh's duck.

The last paragraph had his brows furrowing, important question? What important question, it couldn't have been very noteworthy if he didn't even remember it.

Wait...this note didn't tell him where to go next. He scanned through it again, the bathroom.

"Aodh?"

He muttered softly, pushing open the door as he looked over the Lycan, finally he got to see him after all this running around.

"C'mere," he murmured softly.

For over an hour he had had Aeker running around the mansion going to this place and that.

Finally the hunt was over.

Aeker had finally found him.

"We've been through so much." His eyes flickered open, gazing up at the Vampire. "We've had some shit days and we've had some absolutely amazing days. And, even through all of that, there's always been one thing that's been consistent."

A soft smile curved his lips. "We've always loved each other so much."

His fingers dipped into the hot water. "Join me in her? That's not the important question, by the way."

He looked down at his Lycan, the scarlet gazed filled with the emotion of everything he had just relived, it was amazing, seeing all their moments together laid out like that.

He placed the note filled book down on the counter before moving forward, removing his shirt and pants letting his clothing fall to the floor before stepping into the bath.

"I'd always love you Aodh, no matter what happens."

He replied as he sat down, letting the hot water warm his body as he sunk down into it.

"And I'll always love you."

His arms wrapped around the Vampire, pulling him closer to kiss him gently, tongue brushing gently over his lower lip.

"Forever."

His fingers stroked through the Vampire's silver hair idly.

"Marry me."

He nestled in against his Lycan as he was pulled close, Aeker kissed him back gently before nuzzling against him,

Forever sounded like an unbelievably long time, more so when you had the ability to live forever, but he would definitely be with Aodh until his final breath that much was for sur-

The Vampire froze, was this why Aodh had set out that long trail of notes, was this the important question that he was going to ask, to marry him?

Aodh liked to play jokes and tease people but he would never kid around about something that would tug on the Vampire's heart strings like this.

He sat back and looked at his Mate, locking their eyes. Aeker's bright scarlet eyes brimmed with emotion and a single tear ran down his cheek as he nodded, the words hitching in his throat, leaving him unable to talk.

"Yes, of course I'll marry you, Aodh."

Another tear chased the first one as he managed to get the words out, a smile spreading across his lips.

A blindingly bright smile spread across the Lycan's face.

Yes.

Aeker was going to marry him.

He pulled Aeker closer, his lips crashing against the Vampire's in a bruising, passionate kiss.

Words could never convey exactly how he felt; how joyous he was.

"If you keep crying, I'll drown you," he murmured softly, kissing down the Vampire's neck. If Aeker kept crying, he was going to start and he really didn't want to start crying.

He reached out blindly for one of the boxes and held it up for the Vampire. "Open it."

He kissed the Lycan back with the same amount of passion, as his arms wrapped around him and held him tightly as if this were a dream and if the man got too far away he might disappear.

"I'm sorry it's just that..."

He hand fluttered uselessly toward the direction of the door.

"I wasn't expecting that, and this is just... I had no idea you wanted to get married."

Of course Aeker wanted to get married he just never thought Aodh would be interested int hat sort of commitment.

The Vampire fumbled with the box for a moment before prying it open to reveal a squared platinum ring with a diamond set into the metal.

"Aodh, it is beautiful."

He muttered, admiring the ring, it really was beautiful and elegant, the Lycan had very good taste.

"I managed to keep it a secret rather well, then."

He had been thinking over this for weeks and making plans. He had been careful enough to keep anything he did away from Aeker.

Hips lips curled up into a little smirk at the soft mutter.

It felt good knowing that Aeker liked the ring he had chosen for him.

Aodh leaned forwards to give his Mate another kiss; this one a lot more gentle than the last, fingers weaving through his light hair gently.

"You're the wife," he murmured softly.

"It's not hard keeping a secret from a Vampire."
He replied with a chuckle, as long as Aodh did everything during the day there was no way he would find out about it unless he left evidence just laying around their room.

He returned the kiss gently, his free hand stroking over the Lycan's cheek whilst the other clutched gently onto the little metal box. The fact they Aodh had just proposed to him was still sinking in.

"I'm not the wife. We are a gay couple, we are both husbands."

He replied, nipping the man's ear softly though he already knew that Aodh would be calling him his Wife from here on in.

Aodh chuckled.

"You are so the wife."

Aeker cooked and cleaned and did anything important. Aodh laid around eating, making a mess and demanding sex.

He was definitely the wife. He didn't care what Aeker had to say about it.

"Tomorrow we can go down and tell Sprout and Zeke." But tonight he wanted him all to himself.

"You're going to call me that no matter how much I protest aren't you?"

He already knew the answer to that, yes, he was doomed to being called the Lycan's wife for eternity, so he best start getting use to it.

"I think we have a few more people than just Moe and Zeke to tell, Your father and my sister?"

He replied with a soft chuckle, they could worry about that tomorrow, it wasn't important right now, the only thing that mattered was the two of them.

"Of course." Aeker had been dubbed the Wife and that would be what he would be called until the end of time.

"I'm pretty sure Alek'll be down there with Sprout and Zeke."

He was obsessed with the pups almost as much as Aodh was. Everyone was infatuated with the pups.

"Lex already knows. She helped me with this, actually." He waved an arm, gesturing to the candles; the romantic atmosphere.

Lex had been a big help.

Aeker let out a little sigh, he would have to start liking that pet name soon otherwise it was going to irk him to no end, still, there were worse pet names out there than Wife.

"I wonder who will be more shocked, our niece and nephew or my soon to be father in-law."

The Vampire gave a small chuckle, he couldn't wait to see their faces, jaws would drop in utter disbelief.

"Alexis helped you? I'm surprised there isn't more... carnage."

"I don't think either of them will be shocked. More...overjoyed to the point of total silence." They all knew how in love he and Aeker were. He was sure they had all wondered when they'd tie the knot.

The calm before the storm.

They'd explode in celebration soon after.

"She went all fluffy and girly on me, actually. Suggested I kill a book and cut it to pieces or cook a nice dinner for you and bring out the ring box instead of dessert. Feel free to take the piss out of your sister for being girly when you next see her."

He probably would the next time he saw her.

"Either way I can't wait to tell them."

He chuckled, seeing their faces would be priceless, like he suspected his expression had been when Aodh had asked him.

"Well I'm glad you decided not to kill one of my books to be honest, this was far more special.
Speaking of which."

He lifted up the little box that he still had clutched in his hand in total shock.

"Do I get to wear it now or do I have to wait until the actual ceremony?"

Aeker wasn't one for jewellery, he never wore it but he would very happily wear this piece.

"It'll be fun. Big family meeting at the cottage."

He was looking forwards to it. He wanted to see his family's expression as he told them that they'd officially be bringing in another two people into the family.

"I was tempted to, just to see your reaction to me destroying a book."

It probably wouldn't have been a very happy reaction.

"Aeker, my love, these are just the engagement rings." Aodh had wanted to go above and beyond; fuck what everyone else thought. And in a lot of cultures males wore engagement rings. Why shouldn't these two?

He gently manoeuvred the ring from the case and slid it onto Aeker's finger, lifting his hand to kiss his palm gently.

"Mine."

He smiled brightly as the ring was slipped onto his finger, they had been dating a long time and they had become Mates a few weeks ago but he never felt like he belonged with Aodh more than he did right now.

His hand stroked across the Lycan's face after he had kissed it, caressing his cheek softly.

The other box had caught his eye, Aodh's engagement ring, reaching over he grabbed it and opened the box.

Gently he picked out the ring and admired it as he slipped it onto the Lycan's finger and kissed his knuckles.

"Mine."

His fingers stroked over Aodh's hand, they were engaged, properly engaged.

"A ruby."
He muttered softly as he looked down at his Mate's hand, kissing Aodh's ring gently as he looked up at him, his scarlet eyes and the gem glimmering in the exact same colour.

He nuzzled against Aeker's hands as they stroked his face.

Even now, completely naked and in such close proximity, they could share a close moment like this without jumping each other.

They were truly in love. Lust was only a fraction of their feelings for each other.

He held up his hand, smiling softly as the ring slid onto his finger. Like Aeker, he rarely wore jewellery. He wore his necklace and occasionally a watch. But soon he'd wear two rings proudly. Every day. For everyone to see.

"Always yours."

He just wouldn't feel right being anyone else's after all of this. These two fit perfectly together. Soul mates.

"Took hours of searching to find that particular shade of red."

Hours well spent. The shades were almost exactly the same. They couldn't get any closer to the same.

"They are both perfect."

He replied, looking down at each of their rings, the way his diamond glinting off of the platinum band made the perfect shade of silver in the gem, it matched Aodh's eyes almost perfectly, as did the ruby.

It seemed his Fiancé was more of a romantic than he had given him credit for, today had been amazing, it was a day he would definitely treasure above all else.

He nestled in against the Lycan's neck, kissing it softly as his arms wrapped around him.

He smiled softly.

"I'm glad you think so."

Tonight couldn't have gotten any better if he tried.

They were engaged. They were happy. There was a bright future ahead of them. He was looking forwards to spending the rest of his life with the Vampire with a ring around his finger.

Aodh purred softly, head tilting back a little to offer more of his throat to the Vampire when his neck was kissed.

He pressed another kiss to the man's neck, he would never tire of having Aodh offer his throat so willingly, they both had so much trust in one another.

"I love you Aodh."

He muttered softly, kissing the man's chest gently, he couldn't say that enough. This man meant everything to him and he wanted him to know it.

The Vampire slid closer, laying against him whilst the water lapped at their skin. His hands drew idle patterns on Aodh's chest, the light from the candle glinting against the metal now encasing his finger.

The Lycan smiled softly.

Aeker was the only Vampire he would ever allow so close to his throat. He trusted him with his life.

His eyes flickered open when Aeker murmured his love.

"Those three words
Are said too much
They're not enough

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?"

He sang softly, stroking Aeker's arm as he leaned against him

A soft purr rumbled in his chest as he leaned his head down on the Lycan's shoulder, his eyes slowly sliding closed.

He loved hearing Aodh sing, it calmed him and that song meant more to him than any other and the sound of his Lover's voice went straight through him and pierced his very core.

They weren't a couple that breezed through their relationship without disagreements and problems. But each thing that had got in their way they had overcome and their love for each other simply became stronger through each and every challenge.