All that you are,
is all that I'll ever need
Wind blows through the open window. The weather today is pleasant, warm and cool at the same time. The white curtain floats gently in the air. Karlyle’s hair is fluttered out of place by the wind. Leaving it be, he stares at the flight reservations on the desk.
The airline is British Airways. The destination is Charles de Gaulle Airport. The date is two days later. This will be his first time flying on the economy class since he always uses private jets, but he doesn’t hate it. The reason is because of the name written on the paper.
Ash Frost Jones.
Such miraculous words. If not, how can he be this happy just by looking at them? Karlyle silently recites the name he has been looking at for over half an hour and engraves it in his mind. He has other work to do, but he can’t help himself.
His last name is now attached to Ash’s name. He keeps repeating that name, fearing that all of this might be a dream. The wedding has taken place successfully, and although traces of it have been left on all official documents, it doesn’t feel real.
(You didn't read that wrong, Flona didn't give us the wedding)
Karlyle reads the name written in silence. Ash, Frost and Jones. He didn’t mind Ash using his pre-wedding last name, but Ash chose to take the Frost name for Karlyle. It's such an Ash-like choice, but Karlyle, afraid that Ash was sacrificing too much for him, tried to stop him from doing it. He probably would have succeeded had Ash not insisted on taking his name.
The name written on the flight ticket makes Karlyle’s heart leap with satisfaction. It’s like a proof that Ash is completely his. Now everyone meeting Ash will know who his husband is, right?
As he has been spacing out looking at Ash’s name without noticing how much time has passed, suddenly he hears a thumping sound coming from outside the door. Something is scratching the door, followed by whimpering sounds. As soon as he hears that, a subtle change appears on his neutral face. The situation occurring outside the door is the second most heartbreaking thing in the world. The saddest thing is Ash being sad, and the second thing is Bonbon’s plaintive whimpering.
As Ash chose, Bonbon is very docile and has a lot of charm. She followed them well as soon as she got home. He thought Bonbon would be shy since she had been abandoned before, but luckily, Bonbon quickly fell in love with them. She may not be able to fulfill the role of a guard dog Karlyle has envisioned, but apart from that, Bonbon is very endearing.
“Bonbon.”
Calling its name lovingly, Karlyle stands up and walks to the door. His strides are steady and consistent even at home. Stopping in front of the door, he hesitates a little. He remembers the thing the trainer he brought Bonbon to once said, that he shouldn’t give her too much affection and listen to all of her whimpering. It’s alarming since their cars have been broken several times.
While he’s hesitating, Bonbon lets out a pitiful whine. Bonbon’s voice is similar to that of a little canary, despite her size. This pitiful groan is one of Bonbon's characteristics, and an easy way to break Karlyle’s stern heart. He almost turns the doorknob without realizing it, but he has come to his senses just in time.
You can’t give in, Karlyle. What if Bonbon becomes a spoiled dog?
He has been trying to become the right person for Ash. But in his mind, education goes hand in hand with discipline. Didn’t the trainer also emphasize this point?
Karlyle forces himself to find a reason not to listen to Bonbon’s wheedling. Okay, he needs to think. That’s it. Even now, they have a problem already. Ash is preparing to work from home, Karlyle has also increased his work from home to spend more time with Bonbon. However, when he spent more time with Ash, Bonbon got restless…
For that reason, he’s looking for someone to take care of Bonbon specifically for when ruts come, so he shouldn’t make Bonbon become more dependent on him.
Immersing in his thoughts, he doesn’t realize that he has been holding the doorknob the whole time. Suddenly, he hears voices outside the door.
“Please open the door, master.”
He blinks. Did Bonbon just talk? No way. It’s Ash’s voice, he can recognize it even from afar. Karlyle immediately opens the door. Joy and surprise soars in him. Since Ash is about to leave the company, he has a lot of work to take over before the honeymoon so lately he has been coming home late. He didn’t expect Ash to come back this early. He is over cloud nine right now.
Behind the open door, he can see Ash in the hallway. Sitting with his knees bent to adjust himself with Bonbon’s height, Ash is mirroring her sweet puppy dog eyes. He grabs Bonbon’s front paw and waves it towards Karlyle. The sole of her black paw waves along with Ash.
“Hi.”
Ash is dyed in the sunlight spreading from the other side of the hallway. His gray and lake-like eyes gazing at him, and his smile fills him up with wonderful emotions just by looking at it. These two things make Karlyle feel overwhelmed. This beautiful person is now…
My husband.
Ash is now completely his. Ash is his man, he doesn’t have to share Ash with anybody else.
“Ash.”
Weeks have passed after the wedding but it still feels like a dream come true. Of course he still has this feeling since he isn’t sure he deserves it, but it’s time to believe it now. It’s a little embarrassing to feel this way. In so many ways he has become so much more emotional than he could ever imagine. Karlyle clears his throat. Ash waves Bonbon’s paw again and says in a low, deep voice.
“How are you, master?”
As soon as he hears that, he’s a little perplexed. Ash imitating Bonbon suits him better than he thought, and Ash calling him “master” makes him shy. It’s like, he's really…. Ash’s master…..
No, what a crazy idea this is. Such an anachronistic delusion. How shameful to have this thought ever since Ash brought Bonbon home. Karlyle strictly corrects himself. He is now Ash’s husband. He has to be a better person as a companion and a guardian. It’s time to regain the dignity he has lost.
“I’m doing well. You came home early today.”
“Because I couldn’t wait to see you, my husband.”
Ash lets go of Bonbon and hugs Karlyle tightly. With one arm firmly wrapped around his waist, Ash rubs his cheek cutely against Karlyle’s nape. Ash is even cuter than Bonbon. Recently, it's been something of a competition to see who is cuter.
“Honey, don’t you miss me? Don’t you like it when I come home early?”
Even though Ash’s tone makes it clear he’s just teasing him, Karlyle takes it seriously. It’s his fault for making Ash feel that way. Perhaps his expressionless face is at fault. Having lived like this all this life, it’s difficult to remove the stoic look on his face. All of his newly found expressions towards Ash are huge of course, but it’s no doubt that they still look close to expressionless in other people’s eyes.
No, he can’t leave it like this.
They are family now.
The word “family” makes him shy, a flutered smile blooms on his lips. Shaking his head quickly, he pulls Ash closer.
“I was thinking about you, Ash. I was just surprised and happy that you came home early.”
He can feel Ash’s soft cheek press against his. His smile feels warm as he gently bites Karlyle’s ear and whispers close.
“It’s quite cold of your to call me Ash, darling.”
His body is gradually pushed back. Ash skillfully leads Karlyle back into the room. His earlobes burn at the unfamiliar nickname. Although Ash has been using the pet name both day and night for more than two weeks after the wedding, it’s still embarrassing.
“Saying dar-...ling doesn't suit me, at all.” He mumbles. The word sounds wrong coming from his mouth. Too forced, too stoic.
He doesn’t have the confidence to properly pronounce the word so he stutters in a lump. Ash laughs. His low-pitched laugh, like well-melted chocolate, reaches his ears again.
“Then I’ll compromise with “husband”. Well, since we’re married now. What do you think? Is it okay? Call me that.”
His heart skips a beat at the word "married". His palms tingle. Joy wells up in him, giving him courage. Now that they are married, he should call Ash by a more proper name. But his lips feel numb. He has never heard his own mother Alice call his father that way, so he couldn’t imagine doing something like this.
"....I need some time."
"It's been over a year, you know?"
Ash whispers. In the blink of an eye, he pushes Karlyle to the desk. Bonbon silently scampers after them, her tail wagging. Ash’s sparkling dark brown eyes are so lovely that Karlyle is almost enchanted, but as Ash moves closer, his mind immediately turns back to their owner.
"If you don't call me husband, I’ll kiss you."
Karlyle lets out a low laugh at Ash's playful voice. What Ash said is untrue. He couldn't say he had given him a year since they were only dating at that time. But instead of denying it, Karlyle is more than willing to accept the sweet punishment.
Ash's lips on his ear slowly move. He bites his lower lip softly. Ash keeps biting his lip then letting go, he also digs in the gap at some point, as if to tease Karlyle. His tongue cracks the gap between Karlyle's lips. And, as natural as breathing, Karlyle welcomes him gladly. Embracing Ash's neck, he wraps his legs around Ash's waist and pulls him in.
The kiss deepens as he is pushed lying down on the desk before he knows it. Ash tickles the roof of his mouth. A soft moan is pulled from Karlyle's lips. This area in his mouth was originally sensitive and weak to stimulation, so the simple act of Ash gently caressing that spot has sparked excitement in him. As he clings to Ash with his mind clouded by pleasure, Ash digs his hand into his clothes. He gently rubs his back.
"Hah, Ash, wait…."
As usual, he restrains Ash, but Ash just brushes him off. Karlyle thinks he can control his body, but he has been laid over on the desk by Ash’s brute strength since forever. The document he’s looking at and the plane tickets fall to the floor. Ash continues to kiss him sweetly as if he wants to make him melt. His momentum distracts Karlyle from other trivial things, the papers falling on the floor for example. His tongue goes in deep.
A chill runs up from his lower body. Karlyle unconsciously buckles his hips slightly, and the response comes right away. “Ah…”, Ash moans from above. Perhaps because of the dark shadow, Ash’s eyes seem much darker than before. In his eyes, only Karlyle can be seen.
In the blink of an eye, Karlyle’s legs are spread open. Ash unfastens the belt on his waist. And just as he is about to tear Karlyle’s pants off, a rustling sound comes from below.
A furry paw bats at Karlyle’s leg. Having been lying in a dazed state on the desk, Karlyle hurriedly sits up. Bonbon is looking at them and whimpering. Ash, who is hovering on top of Karlyle, also looks down at Bonbon. Bonbon looks at them with pitiful eyes and flops down on the floor. Karlyle can see the way her ears droop.
Slowly, his senses come back. It suddenly dawns on him that he is behaving inappropriately in front of the innocent Bonbon. Karlyle gets down from the desk and adjusts his clothes. Then he hurriedly covers Bonbon’s eyes.
“I'm sorry, Bonbon.”
As soon as Karlyle’s hand touches her, Bonbon wags her tail excitedly. It lets out high-pitched noisy breathing. Even though her eyes are covered, the way she pants excitedly is so lovely. In a moment, Karlyle totally forgets about his messy appearance. He can’t help but run his hand through Bonbon’s golden fur.
“Bonbon is a grown up dog, Lyle. At this age she can know everything ”
Ash sits down next to Karlyle and wraps his arm around his shoulder. A sigh escapes from his lips, still reddened from their kiss. Karlyle also feels disappointed for having to stop midway. Things had gotten so heated, excitement already rose to the top of his head. Even now, his heart is still pounding. However, he can’t continue kissing in front of a young dog. It’s true that Bonbon can be considered a grown up dog, but isn’t her age equivalent to that of a child?
“Bonbon might still be shocked.”
Karlyle answers. Kissing Ash is always so deeply sensuous, he gets the same rush he does when they’re actually being intimate. He can't imagine the shock Bonbon may get from watching them. Besides, Ash is way too alluring. Even though Bonbon likely doesn’t understand, the thought of someone other than him seeing Ash like that…
“Isn’t that right, Bonbon?”
Ash says, stroking Bonbon along with Karlyle. When he slowly lowers his hand to cover Bonbon’s eyes, Bonbon immediately jumps in and licks the two of them. Her golden fur splashes on his black clothes. He wouldn’t have let this go in the past, but now he has gotten used to it. Ash bursts into laughter at Bonbon.
“Okay, okay. If Lyle says so, I’ll put up with it a little then. It’s also time for a walk.”
Ash stands up. He leaves a soft kiss on Karlyle's head then picks up the papers that have fallen to the floor. A thick layer of pheromones hover over the spot Ash kissed him. It might be the aftermath of their intimate kiss just now, but Karlyle suddenly gets a sense of deja vu from it. This feeling is familiar. He's not used to these pheromones, and seeing how his body reacts, it's like….
"So, what was my Lyle looking at so attentively?"
As he's trying to put his finger on what that feeling is specifically, Ash asks him. Karlyle sighs and gets up. The plane tickets pop into his head.
"....I was looking at the papers."
The ticket happens to be at Ash’s feet. After Ash found out about his anniversary calendar before the wedding, Karlyle realizes that he is being a little, a little, just a little too much. If Ash finds out that he was looking at his name on the ticket, there will be nothing that can save his shame. Just thinking about how Ash’d react has brought him to the greatest shame. Ash’ll definitely call him cute if he’s busted. Karlyle is a grown man, and the word “cute” just doesn’t suit him at all.
“Is there still a lot of work left? Don’t overdo yourself. The schedule can be postponed at any time.”
Of course, it’s nice that Ash finds him cute. But now Karlyle is Ash’s husband. He might be one year Ash’s junior, but if he acts naively and immaturely, he won’t be able to become a dependable husband for Ash.
Karlyle cautiously approaches Ash’s side. Then he bows down and replies casually, trying to keep his cool.
“My work has been completed already. I was simply looking it over just in case. Don’t worry, Ash.”
As soon as he straightens his back after picking up the ticket, he sees Ash’s smiling eyes. They look so lovely, his heart might burst at this rate. Even though Ash doesn’t say anything, seeing his eyes make Karlyle’s earlobes flush.
“So you’ve been looking attentively at the plane ticket?”
….How does he know?
Karlyle is in trouble. He was sure that his cover was impeccable. His expression was the same as usual, and he thought Ash was looking elsewhere.
“....I only checked the tickets since they were delivered in advance.”
“What should we check, let me see.”
Ash grabs Karlyle’s fingers that are holding the ticket. Since Karlyle only looked at Ash’s ticket before, he took only his ticket out. Karlyle’s one is nowhere to be seen.
“Where is your ticket, Lyle?”
“It must have fallen under the desk.”
Ash laughs softly. He lowers his head. His soft lips kiss the tip of Karlyle’s fingernails.
“Hello, my name is Ash Frost Jones. I’m the husband of Mr. Karlyle Frost.”
Ash introduces himself cheekily as if they were meeting for the first time. The moment Karlyle hears the name actually comes out of Ash’s mouth, something unbearable flutters inside him. His expression collapses without him even realizing it. He looks up at Ash. How should he express this deep and overwhelming feeling? Ash hugs him in his strong arms.
“What should I do with you? How can you be so cute? Everyday, I’m worried that someone’ll snatch my husband away from me. Hm? Why are you so cute?”
“....Ash is even cuter.” He retorts.
Sincerely, he hugs Ash tightly. He takes a big inhale of Ash’s thick pheromones. His body feels like burning just from smelling it. Is this how it feels to be connected? The feeling of excitement just from touching each other? The feeling that makes him want to do something?
“We won’t be able to go for a walk if we keep doing this.”
Ash says. A finger of his runs down Karlyle’s back. He rests his lips on the nape of Karlyle’s neck. He can feel Ash leaving a thick mark and how his breath feels so hot. Then, Ash lets him go.
“Lyle is a great caretaker so I’ll let you off the hook this time. If Bonbon is upset, you’ll be sad, right?”
….Karlyle is about to say that it’s okay when he remembers it was him who pushed Ash away earlier, so he decides to comply. It was hard for him to endure his desires just now, but Karlyle makes up his mind as he looks at Bonbon’s brown eyes. A gentleman must keep his word. Looking at Bonbon waiting patiently for the walk, Karlyle adjusts his clothes.
****
Throughout his life, he has heard countless stories about how marriage brings about a lot of changes. It’s a particularly familiar story to him. It’s inevitable since he had lived a life of preparing for a political marriage from birth. He also learned a lot from that. How to respect his spouse, how to satisfy them, and what changes when two families are connected.
But he has never heard anything about happiness.
At least all the aristocrats he has met hadn’t mentioned anything about happiness. Neither those who were already married, nor those who were preparing for an arranged marriage like him before, no one talked about happiness or love. So for Karlyle, marriage was nothing more than a material change. Things only changed when he connected with Ash.
“Lyle, be careful there.”
Ash is running after Bonbon, who is running wild and leaping about in excitement. Turning to look at Karlyle, Ash calls from afar to warn him about a puddle of water left on the ground from the rain in the morning. Karlyle can see the roadside trees shining green reflected on the surface of the puddle. The smell of wet grass gently lingers in the air.
“I can’t let you get wet, let me go get you.” Ash calls out to him.
Karlyle can just walk over the puddle, but Ash is really coming back to get him. So Karlyle stands still to wait for him. His eyelashes flutter. His pale lips let out a heavy breath. The joy in him right now is even more overwhelming than when Ash became his lover.
Just the fact that the man walking towards him is now officially his husband brings him tremendous mental satisfaction. It’s like every color of the world has become brighter, and his life is overflowing with joy. It’s totally different from the dating phase with a little bit of vague anxiety buried somewhere deep down in his heart. Their marriage, which was scorned as nothing but a loss among the nobles, is the most valuable fruit to Karlyle.
“You are not wet, right?”
Ash asks affectionately. He has run to his place before Karlyle knows it. Ash’s eyes looking down at him are so beautiful. They are even more beautiful than flowers blooming.
“Yes. I stopped just in time.”
Karlyle calmly replies, standing still in one place.’
“Come on, I’ll catch you.”
Ash grabs his hands and pulls him to the side of the puddle. Karlyle laughs a little at that sight. If there could be a person formed out of sheer happiness, that would definitely be Ash. His breath, his words, his smile, everything about Ash makes him so happy.
“Bonbon, you can’t do that.”
While Ash is catching Karlyle, Bonbon runs right into the puddle. Golden Retrievers are a very active breed so, even if they can’t take her out for a walk as scheduled, he and Ash try to do that three times a day. When they can’t go out, Ash trains her and plays with her in the garden.
They haven’t been able to take Bonbon to many places since they were occupied with the marriage, but in the future, Karlyle plans to take her to his own mountain cabin, his family’s field and ranch. He wants to do a lot of things with Bonbon. Ash and him can’t have children, and they also cannot adopt a non-blood-related child because his grandfather will surely forbid them from doing so. That’s why, to Karlyle, Bonbon is their child. This life is the fate that Ash and him have chosen together.
“Now you’re wet instead of me.” Karlyle says.
Having been rampaging on the puddle, Bonbon splashes water on Ash’s pants. Ash laughs as he pulls Karlyle behind him to prevent water from getting to him. Bonbon plants her wet paws on Ash’s clothes.
“Bonbon looks like you, Lyle.”
“She looks more like you, Ash.”
“You sure? Bonbon likes to get herself wet, just like you.”
Karlyle shuts his mouth. He thinks he has gotten used to Ash’s mischievous tongue by now, but perhaps Ash is adapting, he has been surprising him with more tomfoolery than he can keep up with. Karlyle doesn’t want to read into what Ash just said at all, but he still ends up flushed from the implications.
“Ash, saying that, outside, is a little….”
Karlyle blushes, he looks around in bewilderment. Even after he has confirmed that no one is around, his body still flushes.
“Hm? What’s wrong with that?”
Ash laughs innocently as if he knows nothing. Seeing the innocent smile on his face, who could have thought the same man had just said something so inappropriate?
“.....It’s nothing.”
Ash smiles at his answer. Judging from his smile, it seems that Ash has finally left him alone. Their eyes meet, Ash whispers.
“I love you too, sweetheart.”
“I love you, too.”
Ash then takes his hand. Karlyle holds the leash loosely. It looks like Bonbon has been satisfied with sufficiently drenching Ash’s clothes, so she also begins to walk calmly beside them. The gentle wind after the rain blows through his hair.
“I guess she’s acting like this because she knows that we are leaving the day after tomorrow.”
As they take a stroll together, Ash talks about the trip the day after tomorrow. They plan to go to Maldives on a regular commercial plane, not a private plane, as they want to go on their honeymoon normally like others. He hates the idea of other people having their eyes on Ash, but there will be no one at the resort anyway. He can compromise that much. Besides, this somehow makes him feel like they are truly newlywed.
“I’m not sure whether Aiden can take good care of Bonbon.”
Ash says. Since Karlyle would be away for a while, he decided to leave Bonbon to Aiden. Kyle and Natalie have children so it would be difficult to ask them, but Aiden has volunteered. He was also very interested in Karlyle’s honeymoon. Before the wedding, he even demanded that they had to spend it at his resort.
“I can understand why you think so. You seem to be bothered by something these days….” Karlyle carefully says. At his meaningful remark, Ash grins.
“It’s nothing.” He assures Karlyle.
“Did Aiden say anything?”
Ash seems to be in low spirits lately. But when he called Aiden yesterday to confirm that Aiden would be taking Bonbon, Ash didn’t show anything strange. At Karlyle’s question, Ash shakes his head.
“No, he didn’t. It’s just that Aiden seems to be having some personal matters. But I know he’ll take good care of Bonbon. Since he himself has claimed to be your “best” friend.”
Aiden was so excited before their wedding, but since then, it has been hard to meet him. Judging from what Ash said, Aiden must be having something going on. If it’s something bad, Aiden’ll show it right away. Whenever he has a fight with the Omega he’s seeing, he’ll always look distressed. It’s probably no different this time, too.
“He took good care of Alexander, I’m sure he’ll do the same for Bonbon, too.” Karlyle tries to assure Ash.
“That would be nice. It breaks my heart to leave Bonbon behind.”
At that, Karlyle freezes. His heart sinks when he hears that Ash feels sad to leave Bonbon behind. He doesn’t want to see Ash sad.
“Then should we take her with us? That way, you’ll feel more comfortable, too. And Bonbon also….”
Their walk stops. Ash tilts his head slightly. He raises his eyebrows, his eyes squint. He strokes his chin regretfully.
“If we do that, it’ll be difficult.”
“....Yes?”
“Bonbon should stay here.”
Ash moves closer. He puts his chin on Karlyle’s shoulder, his lips gently bite his earlobe. Then he whispers.
I’m, going to rut soon.
The moment Karlyle hears that, a shudder runs down his spine. He finally realizes what the feeling of deja vu he has been having is. More than a year has passed since the last time, these are the pheromones Ash emits post-rut.
It’s that tantalizingly thick and sweet scent that can make him go crazy with just a whiff.