Calverd was still hugging Arvin's body tightly, burying his face in the shoulder of the person who was so precious in his life.
Even though his heart was currently beating as fast as a racing horse, the two hands gripping his husband's body refused to let go of the embrace.
With a muffled and softly trembling voice, the youth gathered his courage to express his request.
"Are you... willing to return my hug?"
Hearing such a fragile request, Arvin did not move immediately. His body remained still, making sure there were no sudden movements that could startle his spouse.
"Are you sure about that, Calverd?" he asked back in a very careful tone, wanting to truly ensure his spouse's mental readiness before taking things a step further.
Calverd nodded nervously against his husband's shoulder, giving a definite answer to the question.
I just hope he doesn't lose control or faint again. Arvin thought with a deep sense of worry.
Very slowly, as if dealing with a thin glass that could easily crack, Arvin began to raise his two hands that had been hanging at his sides.
His movements were very slow. Little by little, his arms navigated the air, getting closer to his trembling spouse's back, until finally, the two sturdy arms managed to encircle and hug the youth's body.
Gasp!
Calverd gasped. His breath hitched instantly as he felt the weight and warmth of his husband's two arms now fully encircling him, locking his body in an embrace.
A small wave of traumatic panic tried to surge up and gnaw at his mentality.
I must be strong! he shouted inwardly, desperately strengthening himself so as not to let the fear take over his consciousness. Don't back down and hurt your own husband's feelings, Calverd! Hold on!
With his heart still beating so fast that it hurt his chest, the youth closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, scooping up Arvin's soothing body scent, then exhaled it slowly. He took another deep breath, then released it.
He did this repeatedly.
The effort yielded results. Slowly, the muscles in his body that were initially stiff and tense began to relax. His feelings of fear, panic, and nervousness gradually subsided, replaced by a new sensation that was foreign yet highly desired.
Calverd began to be able to feel and enjoy the embrace he was experiencing right now without the shadow of fear.
Warm... he praised in his heart, absorbing the touch. The coldness that had frozen his soul in trauma slowly melted. I truly feel comfortable and safe while in the embrace of his arms.
After his breath returned to normal, Calverd gathered his courage to speak again.
"C-Can I ask you to tighten your hug?"
Hearing a request indicating that his spouse was starting to feel safe, relief enveloped the head of the household's heart.
Arvin did not refuse at all. He immediately tightened his embrace on Calverd's back.
"Do you feel comfortable when I hug you like this?" Arvin asked, whispering in the youth's ear, wanting to know exactly what the indigo-haired youth was experiencing.
"Very comfortable... and very warm!" Calverd answered, leaning his entire body weight into his husband's embrace. "I feel so peaceful and safe when you hug me like this... My Dawn."
"Dawn?" Arvin repeated, slightly surprised. "Why did you suddenly call me by such an endearment?"
"Yes, you are My Dawn!" Calverd answered firmly, his voice now sounding much steadier while still tightly hugging his husband's body. "Because to me right now, you are 'my dawn'. The dawn that has come to shine upon me and bring me out of the long darkness caused by the trauma of being slandered, cruelly tortured, until... I was brutally raped."
The sentence was spoken in a trembling yet clear tone.
The air in the dining room seemed to be sucked out. Hearing that blunt and honest confession, now, all the youths standing in silence around the room, except for Kaydan who had known from the beginning, finally knew for sure what kind of trauma the indigo-haired youth had actually experienced.
None of the ten youths had ever expected, or even dared to imagine, that Calverd's life before being saved by Arvin was so dark, disgusting, and full of suffering. A strong sense of sympathy and brotherhood instantly bound their hearts to him.
"When I was left to walk alone, getting lost deeper in the thick and cold darkness," Calverd continued again, tears beginning to pool in the corners of his eyes, but he refused to cry, "you are the dawn who guided me out of that darkness, destroying the chains that bound me. With that dawn, I can finally see a glimmer of hope to live my own life again."
Calverd tightened his embrace even more, as if not wanting to lose the figure who was so precious and had become the sole anchor in his life.
"Therefore, I want to ask you one more time!" Calverd stated firmly, though his voice trembled again in the embrace of the head of the household, carrying the remnants of his inferiority complex. "Do you truly want me... who is already dirty and tainted, to be your twelfth spouse?"
Arvin gently stroked Calverd's head. "Didn't I already tell you that I want you very much?"
"Do you not regret it?" Calverd pressed again, his insecure feelings still demanding affirmation, wanting to absolutely reassure his husband's decision.
Arvin stopped his strokes, not expecting that he would hear that question again and again.
"I will never regret my decision!" the head of the household answered in a very firm and absolute tone. "Calverd, listen to me carefully and this is my final warning to you! I don't want it to be you... who makes me regret my decision of choosing and making you my twelfth spouse, just because you constantly underestimate yourself and constantly consider yourself dirty!"
Hearing such a firm and straightforward answer coming out of the mouth of the youth he was currently hugging, Calverd was stunned.
That sentence was not an expression of anger, but a shield that forcefully shattered the walls of Calverd's inferiority complex.
He felt certain that Arvin truly wanted him regardless of his ruined past. Especially now, in this room, there were many pairs of eyes witnessing that statement.
"Yes, My Dawn! I understand." Calverd replied, his voice now sounding much steadier. "But... please forgive me, for now, I can only go as far as hugging you for a while. I don't dare to do anything more than this yet."
Arvin gently rubbed his spouse's back without loosening his embrace at all.
Calverd, who felt the gentle and rhythmic strokes on his back, felt very comfortable, getting increasingly lost and at peace in his husband's embrace.
"That's more than enough for me." Arvin replied gently. "At the very least, tonight you have taken a huge step and fought very hard against your trauma. I highly appreciate your effort."
"Yes, My Dawn!" the twelfth answered, feeling relieved and happy with his husband's wisdom and patience. He leaned his head calmly. "I beg you... please never get tired of continuing to help me until I can be truly free from this trauma."
"You are my spouse, and as your husband, of course I will never let you fight alone and live like this forever!" Arvin replied in a gentle tone of voice, which instantly soothed Calverd's soul. "I will definitely always do my best to guide you in healing that wound."
"Thank you very much, My Dawn. You are the best!"
All of Arvin's spouses, who had been watching and listening to their interaction in silence, felt proud of Calverd's courage in fighting hard to face his trauma. Relieved and affectionate smiles were etched on all their faces.