Chapter Text
In any regular person’s life, movie night was a perfectly normal affair. Some friends, some snacks, a movie or two. And that would be it.
Tem should have known better.
Porsche, who was once one of his more normal friends, was now the joint head of a fucking mafia family! The man had gone from struggling to pay rent and his little brother’s tuition fees to living in a high rise with more money than Tem would ever see in his life. Oh yeah, and he’d managed to find the love of his life along the way. There was simply no way for Porsche to be normal anymore.
But despite all of the changes that had taken place in Porsche’s life, he still managed to remember where he came from. Tem was grateful to have not lost one of his closest friends to his new lifestyle, grateful that Porsche still wanted him to be a part of his new lavish, albeit dangerous, world.
So when Porsche had invited him over for a movie night, Tem really should have known better.
The first thing he noticed when he pulled up outside the high rise mansion was all the guys in suits standing outside. When he got out of his car, one rushed forward, hand out in front of him.
Tem immediately threw his hands up in the air.
“Hey man, I don’t have any weapons! I swear! Porsche invited me!”
The suited guy pressed his lips together and Tem could tell he was trying not to laugh.
“Khun Tem, I was just asking for your keys so it can be stored in the garage until you’re ready to leave this evening.”
Slowly, Tem lowered his hands and placed his car keys in the waiting man’s palm.
“You’re not gonna like, search me or anything?”
Again, the man appeared as if he was trying very hard to keep himself from laughing.
“You’re a guest of Khun Porsche and Khun Kinn,” the man replied, as if that explained everything.
Well, it did explain everything. But Tem was too busy reeling from thinking that he was gonna get strip searched on the sidewalk to realize they probably weren’t worried about him posing any sort of threat. The most deadly weapon he owned was a slingshot he’d played with as a child. He wasn’t exactly mafia material.
“Tem! You’re here!”
In the time it took the man to disappear with his car, Porsche and Kinn had appeared in the entrance to the complex. He accepted Porsche’s energetic embrace with a soft oof and chuckled. He felt a small flicker of jealousy when he saw the look of total devotion Kinn shot in Porsche’s direction but quickly put that feeling aside. He was happy that Porsche had found someone like Kinn, someone who so obviously loved and adored him, to spend the rest of his life with.
He only hoped he could be so lucky one day.
“Just a heads up,” Porsche whispered, “Tay and Time are here too. That’s not gonna be awkward or anything, right?”
Tem snorted at his friend’s concern but found it touching nonetheless.
“I had one threesome with them, Porsche. It’s not like I was dating them.” Porsche rolled his eyes and pulled Tem closer.
“But didn’t you say you wanted to?”
Tem silently wondered how his friend could successfully run a mafia organization if he couldn’t recall simple details. Maybe Kinn’s memory was better.
“I said I would’ve been interested in being their third if they were interested too. But they’re not looking for that. They just wanted something to spice things up in the bedroom and I happen to enjoy spice. No big deal. Trust me, I’m not gonna be weird around them and I doubt they’ll be weird with me. I don’t really think either one of them cares enough about what other people think to worry about being awkward or not.”
Tem had really enjoyed his night with the couple but that’s all it had been.
A night.
A night of really great sex but, still just a night.
“Yeah, you’ve got a point,” Porsche conceded as he dragged Tem along behind him until they came to a stop at the bank of elevators. “I hope you brought an appetite. Tankhun kind of went a little crazy with the snack selection he had the kitchen staff prepare. He’s just really excited to see Pete again. He misses him but he refuses to go to the minor family compound to visit him.”
Tem’s laugh bounced off the glass walls of the elevator. Kinn cleared his throat.
“Let’s just hope he doesn’t start a custody battle with Vegas before the night is up.”
Tem didn’t know all the details but he knew that Pete, the really nice guy he’d met a few times at the bar with Porsche, had started dating Kinn’s cousin Vegas after some huge family thing blew up. Honestly, the less he knew about the specifics of the mafia world, the better. If Porsche’s tales were to be believed, Pete had stopped no fewer than three family conflicts from boiling over since he and Vegas had gotten together. He seemed to be pretty important to everyone. On more than one occasion, Tem had almost questioned whether or not it was actually Pete who ran the family organization instead of Porsche and Kinn. But he didn’t know enough about mafia politics to know whether or not that would be offensive to ask so he just kept that thought to himself.
When the doors slid open, Tem was taken aback by the opulence. In the long hallway that stretched out in front of them, three chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Each one so covered in prismatic crystals, a never-ending rainbow danced along the walls.
“Woah,” Tem whispered to himself. Porsche chuckled behind him.
“You’ll get used to it.”
As they continued down the hall, a set of double doors opened at the end.
“Kinn! Porsche! Make them stop!”
In a flurry of shimmering fabric and righteous fury, Tankhun emerged from the room, green-tinted glasses perched on the tip of his nose.
Just like the first time he’d met the man, Tem was taken aback. The would-be heir was obviously upset about something but Tem was so distracted by his flair for the dramatic that he barely registered Porsche’s voice as his friend walked closer, slow like he was approaching a wild animal.
“Tankhun, Vegas is Pete’s boyfriend now. They’re a package deal. You can’t tell me you expected them to act like they don’t know each other while they were here.”
Tankhun crossed his arms with a huff.
“Vegas was practically mauling Pete! Right in front of my eyes! I need to bleach my brain!” Tankhun made a gagging sound. Tem couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped his lips. But the tiny sound was enough to draw the man’s attention.
Tem instantly found himself pinned by the other man’s intense gaze.
“Sorry,” he muttered as he lowered his head.
“I remember you. You’re Porsche’s friend from the bar. Not Jom.” He waved his hands in front of his face like that would help him remember. “Tem! You’re Tem! I remember because you went home with Time and Tay that night.”
Tankhun held his hand out in a way that suggested he expected Tem to kiss his ring or something. Tem shot a ‘help’ look at Porsche but his friend just stood there, looking as puzzled as Tem felt. When Tankhun didn’t move his hand, Tem took it and started to bend forward. As soon as he did however, Tankhun flipped his hand over and grabbed Tem’s, pulling him along behind him into the room he’d burst forth from only moments before.
“You’ll sit by me. Vegas stole Pete from me so you better be a good cuddler. Arm and Pol don’t cuddle as well as Pete so I hope you won’t be another disappointment.”
Tem had no other choice but to allow himself to be dragged along. Once they were inside the room, he could see that it was a very opulent home theater setup. A large screen covered one wall while the other two walls were lined with some of the plushest looking couches he’d ever seen in his life. In the middle, there was a beanbag chair the size of a mattress covered in blankets. It looked like the most comfortable nest in the world.
He recognized Pete. And he assumed the legs Pete was seated between belonged to the one called Vegas. Tem gave a small wai to them as he entered the room. Seated on the other end of the couch they shared, Time and Tay sat together looking at something on Time’s phone. On one of the couches against the back wall, two men in plain clothes sat shooting very puzzled glances towards Vegas and Pete every few seconds. He recognized them from the times he’d seen them at the bar. They had to be Arm and Pol, the insufficient cuddlers. Porsche and Kinn sat down on the couch with the bodyguards.
Tankhun tugged Tem towards the beanbag-bed-nest and then released him to grab one of the many blankets. He pulled it around himself like a cape and climbed into the nest. He turned back to Tem, an expectant look on his face.
“Well hurry up! You should sit on my left side so I don’t accidentally see Vegas mauling Pete again if I happen to look that way.”
As Tem moved around to climb onto the nest where Tankhun had directed, Vegas groaned.
“Oh come on Khun, I didn’t maul Pete. We were just kissing. Now if you want to see me maul him, I can definitely show you the difference.”
Tem sat down just as Tankhun covered his ears.
“No no no no! Pete! Make him shut up now!”
Vegas laughed while Pete slapped his shoulder. Tem figured that if Tankhun expected cuddling, he should share his blanket. While Tankhun still had his hands on his ears, Tem grabbed the edge of his blanket and pulled it around himself.
“Hey,” he whispered, “I’ll make sure you can’t see anything. See? Just look at me. It’s all good.”
Tankhun froze when he realized that Tem was under the blanket with him. He’d knocked his glasses off in his haste to cover his ears so Tem got to look directly into his eyes. Somewhere behind them, he heard someone gasp but he couldn’t be sure who it had been without looking away from Tankhun, and he really didn’t want to do that.
“Hmm,” Tankhun stared at him. “People don’t normally share my blanket with me.” Tem suddenly understood why the person behind them had gasped. Had he already fucked up?
“Oh, sorry.” He started to remove the blanket from his shoulders but Tankhun put his hand up.
“No no, I like it. You’re already a better cuddler than Arm and Pol.” With that, Tankhun leaned his head on Tem’s shoulder and waved his hand. “Okay, start the movie. Tem and I are ready.”
The screen in front of them came to life instantly, as if the film had been spoken into existence by Tankhun’s command. Tem felt Tankhun relax against his body and figured it was okay for him to relax a little more as well.
As the movie got started, the group passed various snacks around the room. Porsche hadn’t been exaggerating about the selection. Tankhun’s favorite movie snack was apparently popcorn because it was the only snack he insisted on not passing around. Each pairing had their own bowl to eat from but the one he shared with Tankhun seemed to be larger than everyone else’s.
Towards the middle of the movie, during a particularly intense scene, Tankhun suddenly buried his head in Tem’s shoulder with a muffled noise. Tem looked down, confused, but wrapped his arm around Tankhun’s shoulders a little tighter.
“Fuck, I forgot about the kidnapping scene,” Kinn groaned behind them.
Tem knew that Tankhun had been taken as a child. Porsche had explained it a little bit the first time he’d brought him to the bar. He knew that was the main reason why the eldest Theerapanyakul rarely left the house.
The movie paused suddenly and Tankhun visibly relaxed.
“Hey,” Tem whispered, “it’s okay. I’ve got you.”
Tem’s heart ached when he felt Tankhun’s hold on him tighten.
He liked to think he was a pretty chill guy. But in that moment, he felt rage towards the people who had hurt the sweet man clinging to him. Of course, knowing the family and what they were about, the people who had perpetrated Tankhun’s kidnapping as a child probably didn’t exist anymore. Still, Tem found himself wishing there was at least a grave he could spit on.
“Khun Nu, would you like us to take you back to your apartments?”
The two bodyguards, Arm and Pol, appeared in front of the beanbag nest. But Tankhun didn’t look up.
“No,” came his muted answer. He straightened up and looked at Tem then, a small smile on his face. Tem instantly found himself getting lost in Tankhun’s eyes again. “Tem will let me know when the scene is over.”
His answer seemed to shock everyone in the room so Tem understood that Tankhun’s behavior wasn’t normal. Well, normal for him.
“Yeah, I can do that.” He managed to pull his attention away from Tankhun’s gaze long enough to direct his answer to the bodyguards. They both looked concerned.
“Are you certain Khun Nu?” Tem was pretty sure that the one with glasses was called Arm.
Tankhun nodded and then pulled the blanket up so that it covered his head and ears. Arm and Pol looked at Tem, somewhat helpless that their charge seemed to be acting even weirder than the levels they were accustomed to. Tem shrugged his shoulders and pulled Tankhun closer to him.
As soon as the movie started playing again, Tankhun burrowed into Tem’s side once again. He seemed calmer than before though so Tem took that as a good sign. He wasn’t shaking anymore, merely waiting for Tem to let him know the scene was over. Tem waited until the character in the movie was completely safe again before he reached up and gently tugged the blanket from Tankhun’s head.
“Hey,” he whispered, “you can watch now. It’s over.”
Tankhun made a tiny sound that Tem found far too adorable for his own good as he settled the blanket on his shoulders once again. His perfectly coiffed hair was sticking up at odd angles so Tem reached up to fix it. Yet again, there were noises behind them as he did so. Why did they keep doing that? So far, Tankhun hadn’t given him any indication that he didn’t like the attention Tem had given him. If anything, he’d sought it out. So why did everyone keep acting like it was something shocking whenever Tankhun allowed Tem to touch him?
When he finished putting Tankhun’s hair to rights, Tankhun smiled again. Tem found that he wanted to do whatever it took to make sure that smile didn’t leave his face.
“Thank you, Tem.”
Tankhun sat their bowl of popcorn in front of them and grabbed Tem’s hand. Tem couldn’t help grinning when Tankhun laced their fingers together. It felt like he’d won something, he just wasn’t exactly sure what it was.
The rest of the movie went on without incident. As the credits started to roll though, Tem found that he didn’t want to leave yet. Everyone else started getting up to stretch, muscles stiff from staying in the same position for so long. Tankhun was still laying on Tem’s shoulder so he didn’t move.
“Who else is hungry?” Porsche asked. “Chay texted me a few minutes ago and said he’s downstairs eating with Kim. Let’s go ruin their date.” Kinn took Porsche’s hand and pulled him back before he could leave the room.
“Chay only just forgave Kim. We should leave them be.” Tem didn’t have to turn around to know that his friend had rolled his eyes in response to his boyfriend.
“Fuck that,” Porsche scoffed. “Kim barged into our room last night on purpose so he deserves it. I don’t think he’s groveled enough anyway.”
At that, Tankhun suddenly perked up.
“You’re right Porsche! My nosy little brother made the Sunshine Child cry. It’s only right that you should make him pay.”
Tem chuckled at Tankhun’s nickname for Chay. He’d watched the kid grow up and it was a fairly accurate description.
“See? He agrees with me. Plus, I’m actually hungry. You wouldn’t let me starve, would you?”
The resigned sigh from Kinn made everyone laugh. It didn’t matter that Porsche was the head of the minor family. He was still a gremlin at heart and Kinn loved him.
“So dramatic,” he muttered. “Come on, we wouldn’t want it getting out that I don’t keep you satisfied in all ways.”
Tem snickered while Kinn allowed himself to be dragged from the room. Arm and Pol followed them. Tankhun waited until Pete stood up to roll himself off of the beanbag nest. Tem watched as he enveloped Pete in a hug that screamed of something more than just missing a bodyguard. It was obvious that he truly cared for him and missed him as a friend.
“Are you sure I can’t convince you to come back?”
Pete smiled and shook his head before he turned to look at Vegas who had come to stand beside him with a hand around his waist.
“I’m sure Khun Nu. But you’ll see me all the time. Whenever we’re here with family business, I promise I’ll come visit with you. And we’ll come for movie nights too. You’ll hardly notice I’m gone.”
Tankhun did a little shake with his body that was akin to a child stomping their foot. Tem bit back a smile. When the man then turned to Vegas, Time and Tay visibly tensed from their vantage point on the couch.
“You stole my Pete from me,” he accused with a perfectly manicured finger in Vegas’ face. “So you better take care of him. He’s important to me and to this family and if I hear of you mistreating him, you will feel my wrath.”
Vegas nodded his head and gave Tankhun a soft smile, something that Tem got the feeling not many people got the chance to see. If Tankhun’s reaction was anything to go by, it was highly possible that Pete was the only one who usually got to see it. He’d kind of cocked his head to the side as if he wasn’t sure if he could trust his own eyes.
“Tankhun, if I treat Pete in any way he doesn’t like, I would accept the entire family’s wrath knowing I deserved worse. I’ll take care of him, don’t worry.”
Tay covered his mouth with his hand but Tem could tell that he was grinning at the exchange between the two men. Tem wondered just how correct he’d been in his assumption that Pete was the true head of both families. The way Pete leaned his head on Vegas’ shoulder was so full of love and affection, even a blind person could see that he had the man wrapped around his finger.
“Hmm,” Tankhun crossed his arms as he took in the two men in front of him. “Love looks good on the two of you. Okay fine, I give you my blessing.” While Vegas and Pete chuckled, he pointed at Vegas once again. “But, I’m still mad at you for stealing the best cuddler in the house.”
Pete nodded towards Tem with a grin.
“I don’t know. I think you’ve found a good replacement.”
Tankhun then turned and Tem was caught all over again. How did he keep doing that?
“You know what? I think you might be right. Come on Tem, are you hungry? Let’s go get some food. I have to feed you so you’ll come back and cuddle more.”
Tem got the distinct feeling that he was like a stray cat that Tankhun had decided to adopt.
He didn’t exactly hate that feeling.
So he took Tankhun’s offered hand and let the man guide him downstairs where the mansion’s dining area was. Kinn and Porsche were seated at a large round table with Chay and the one Tem assumed was Kinn and Tankhun’s youngest brother, Kim. He was shooting death glares at Porsche so it was a safe assumption. Tankhun guided Tem to the empty seat next to Chay and then seated himself down next to him.
“Porchay, how is school going? I hope Kim is still making himself useful as your tutor.”
Chay swallowed his food and shot a look at Kim before answering.
“It’s really good Hia. Kim looks over my assignments for me before I turn them in to make sure I haven’t missed anything. Since I started late, he’s really helped get me caught up.”
Tem watched as Tankhun pursed his lips and furrowed his brows at his youngest sibling.
“He should. It’s his fault you started late in the first place.”
“Phi,” Kinn held his hands out in front of them like there wasn’t a table separating them. “Leave it alone. We’re all here now, let’s just enjoy our time together as a family. That’s what’s important after all.”
At that moment, two steaming bowls of noodles were placed in front of them and Tankhun seemed sufficiently distracted for the moment.
After that, dinner went by without incident. Tem made a mental note to ask Porsche what Kim had done to make Chay start university late. He also couldn’t help being curious about the younger Kittisawat’s relationship with the youngest mafia prince. That’s when it hit him that both brothers had gone and managed to snag themselves boyfriends from the same mafia family and he got to watch much of it unfold.
How had this become his life?
“Khun Nu, would you like to return to your rooms? It’s getting late and you haven’t done your skincare regime yet.” Glasses dude, Arm, had come up behind them at the table with his head bowed towards Tankhun. Tankhun turned to Tem and placed his hands on the table.
“Tem, do you have a nighttime skincare regime?”
Tem hadn’t expected that line of questioning.
“Um, I usually just wash my face in the shower.”
The entire table, Porsche and Chay included, winced in unison like Tem had just cursed at Tankhun. Tankhun’s reaction was much the same. He looked him up and down before holding his hand out expectantly.
“Come Tem, I’ll show you the proper way to take care of your skin before bed. If I can make those two,” he gestured towards the Kittisawat brothers, “care for their skin, I can make you too.”
And with that, he simply grabbed Tem’s hand and pulled him along, muttering about how heteronormativity was ruining everyone’s skin. Tem wanted to point out that he wasn’t straight, he just had good skin so it had never really been something he thought about, but it felt like that was probably unhelpful at the moment. Arm and Pol followed them into the elevator and they began their ascent to Tankhun’s apartments.
Maybe he was a little slow but it didn’t dawn on Tem that Tankhun expected him to sleep there until a set of silk pajamas had been shoved into his arms after he’d been walked through an entire twenty-two step skincare regime by the man.
“Am I staying here tonight?”
The question was probably dumb but Tem really needed the clarification. He didn’t mind, and he felt weirdly protective of Tankhun despite the fact that they’d only really met twice. But one of those meetings had entailed Tankhun being in Tem’s arms in a dark room full of other people so everything was moving at a pace he wasn’t entirely clear on.
Tankhun stared at him from his large bed.
“I have to cuddle with someone after movie night. That’s you now.”
He said it so matter-of-factly that Tem didn’t even think to question it after that.
Like he’d gotten a job he hadn’t applied for.
But, at least as far as it seemed Tankhun was concerned, he was well qualified for.
After changing into the pajamas he’d been given, Tem walked back into the bedroom to see Tankhun had already gotten under the blankets. The other side of the bed was turned down for him.
As he slid into the bed, the quality of the bedding made what he had on his own bed feel like sandpaper in comparison. He knew instantly that sleeping at home would never be the same.
Tankhun became a koala as soon as Tem’s head hit the pillow, wrapping himself around Tem’s torso instantly. Tem fidgeted a little until he could free his arm in order to wrap it around Tankhun’s shoulders. Tankhun gave a contented sigh and nuzzled against his neck.
It felt nice.
“Thank you Tem,” Tankhun muttered as he drifted off to sleep.
Tem smiled in the darkness as the man snuggled even closer to him.
“Anytime.”
After that first night, Tem became somewhat of a permanent fixture at the main family compound. Tankhun was fun, if a bit volatile at times, but Tem mostly just found him adorable. His love of Kdramas, the way he cared about things so fiercely, the love he inspired in the men charged with taking care of him, it all added up to make Tankhun one of the most interesting people Tem had ever met.
And sleeping next to him was an experience .
Before Tankhun, Tem had never slept with anyone with the intention of providing nothing more than comfort. That wasn’t to say that the urge for more wasn’t there, he just kept that in check so he didn’t make Tankhun uncomfortable. Tem wasn’t blind. Tankhun was an absurdly attractive man who regularly latched himself to him to sleep at night. But he never made any sort of moves or gave any indication that he was interested in anything that wasn’t purely platonic. Maybe he was ace.
So, despite the fact that Tem often woke up blanketed by Tankhun and fighting raging morning wood at the same time, he kept his touches above the waist. Tankhun was very physical by nature so Tem would just take what he could get and jerk off in his stupidly huge shower before their day would start.
Whenever he had free time, he would inevitably end up at the main family compound with Tankhun in his arms. Tankhun liked to text him whenever they were apart, keeping him updated on whatever drama was happening within the household. Like how Tankhun was positive that Arm and Pol were together but hiding it from Chan so they didn’t get separate assignments. Or how his little brother Kim had outfitted one of the many unused rooms in the compound as a recording studio for Chay. He thought that was a little silly considering Kim owned his own recording studio in the city. But since, in Tankhun’s opinion, Kim still had a lot of apologizing to do, it was a good start. And that way, Chay wouldn’t have to leave the house so he would be safe.
Tankhun was always concerned for his family’s safety. He worried whenever Kinn and Porsche had to go out on business. He worried when Vegas was called to do…whatever it was they called Vegas to do because he always knew that Pete would be there beside him. He worried when his bodyguards would get outside assignments.
As always, whenever they all came back unscathed (or as unscathed as you could be when in the mafia), he breathed a sigh of relief. But if anyone ever had to be gone for long periods of time, those were the nights that his clinginess amped up to another level.
Slowly, Tem realized that he loved being needed by the man. This was a person who could literally buy anything his heart desired and often did. He had an entire household staff at his beck and call 24/7. But it was Tem who shared his bed most nights, who provided him comfort, who he clinged to.
Tem couldn’t help being a little proud of that fact.
“Why haven’t you kissed me yet?”
Tem nearly choked on his drink at Tankhun’s sudden question. For a second, he was convinced he’d been hearing things. Because there was no way Tankhun had just asked that.
“Huh?”
Tankhun rolled his eyes.
“I didn’t stutter, Tem. Why haven’t you kissed me yet?”
Tem looked at the tv, trying to figure out if the characters in the drama they’d been watching had suddenly started making out when he wasn’t paying attention. Why else would Tankhun suddenly be asking him that ?
In the three months since he’d become Tankhun’s cuddle buddy, (that was what he’d heard some of the bodyguards call him one night as a code name and he found it to be too accurate to get upset over), Tankhun had kissed him on the cheek once. They held hands all the time of course. Tankhun had to lead him around the compound so he didn’t get lost. And at night, Tankhun fell asleep in his arms. But he’d always been careful to get up in the morning before Tankhun so he had the chance to will the erection caused by Tankhun’s proximity away.
He knew he was pretty much in love with the man. His willingness to do anything to make him smile or ensure his comfort could tell him that. But again, other than their usual physical contact that Tankhun seemed content with, Tem never tried for more. He’d resigned himself to his cuddle buddy status, not wanting to rock the boat.
“Do you not find me attractive?” His eyes practically pierced a hole through Tem’s but he couldn’t look away. “I’m just as attractive as Tay and more attractive than Time so I doubt that’s the case. So why haven’t you kissed me?”
Tem felt like his tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth. Words jumbled in his head but none would come out. It wasn’t until Tankhun turned the television off and the room went silent that he realized he still hadn’t answered.
But what the fuck was he supposed to say to that?
“Um, I didn’t know you wanted me to kiss you.”
That seemed like a safe answer. Because the only other answer his brain seemed willing to supply was that he wanted to do so much more than just kiss him.
“Why wouldn’t I want my boyfriend to kiss me?”
Luckily, Tem hadn’t taken another sip because he was sure that if he had, he would’ve choked on it all over again.
“Boyfriend?”
Tankhun just looked at him like he was explaining something to a child.
“You share my bed most nights. You eat most of your meals with me. You watch tv with me. We cuddle all the time, more than I ever did with Pete. You’re the only one I allow to call me things like ‘babe’ and ‘sweetheart’. And on the rare occasion I leave this house, it’s with you. How would you define our relationship if we aren’t boyfriends?” Tem didn’t really have an answer for that. Tankhun looked pleased with his lack of response, as if that proved his point. “So, again , why haven’t you kissed me?”
“Well, um,” he paused, still unsure of how to answer. “I didn’t think you would be comfortable with that. And you’ve never tried to kiss me so I figured we were just cuddle buddies.” He used the name the bodyguards had given him and Tankhun huffed.
“As I’m sure you could have guessed, I have never kissed anyone before. I thought, once you started cuddling with me regularly, it would just happen like it does in the dramas. We would share a look in bed one night and you would just…do it. But you never did. I considered the possibility that you weren’t attracted to me but that was just preposterous so I trashed that idea immediately. I’ve woken up in the middle of the night with your penis jabbing me in the back enough times by now to know that, at the very least, your body finds mine attractive. And to be honest, kissing has never interested me before but when I thought you would kiss me and then you just didn’t, I want to know why.”
Tankhun spoke everything in a single stream-of-consciousness breath that had Tem struggling to keep up with every word. But when he did, it made sense.
“Babe,” he purposefully used a term of endearment that Tankhun had mentioned since it had never dawned on him before that nobody else used those words with him, “just because your life is dramatic as fuck doesn’t mean that it’s like your dramas. So yeah, I very much would like to kiss you, and plenty of other things. But I’m not going to do anything without your consent. And as far as I knew, the only thing you wanted from me was cuddles.”
Tankhun flopped down on his bed, dramatic as ever, with a long suffering sigh that had Tem wanting to lovingly roll his eyes at his theatricality.
“It started out that way, but you were a better cuddler than I expected. So now I want more.”
Tem laid down beside him, propping himself up on elbow so he could enjoy the view, and smiled.
“Just so we’re on the same page here, what exactly is it you want from me?”
Tankhun rolled over so he could face him, huffing again. The look on his face was soft though.
“Boyfriend things. Everything we’ve already been doing plus kissing. You have really nice lips and I would like to feel them against mine.” Tem raised an eyebrow and chuckled lightly. Tankhun’s leg suddenly swung over his waist and pulled them closer together. Tem groaned as their groins came in contact with each other. Tankhun seemed to notice but only shifted himself closer, leaning in and pressing his forehead to Tem’s chest. He’d learned that Tankhun did that when was somewhat embarrassed by whatever he was about to say. His voice was muffled as he said, “I’m not ready for sex yet though.”
Tem ran his hands through Tankhun’s hair and smiled. He could live with that.
“There’s plenty to do in between kissing and sex,” he whispered.
Tankhun lifted his head to meet his gaze with a tentative smile, one Tem absolutely loved seeing because of its rarity.
“You’re okay with that?”
The waver in Tankhun’s voice reminded Tem that, while he might be a few years older than him, Tankhun had led a heavily sheltered life. And if his only experience with romantic relationships were the sex-crazed couples in his life and the dramas he watched on tv, he probably thought that sex was a deal breaker for most people.
But not for Tem.
“I’m okay with whatever you’re comfortable with. We can start slow and work our way up. I promise, I’m not gonna do anything you don’t want me to do.”
Tankhun nodded his head and sat up, pulling Tem with him. Once they were both upright, Tankhun climbed into Tem’s lap. It was how Tankhun liked to hug him if they were in the bed so it didn’t really come as a big surprise. Still, Tem groaned lightly as Tankhun got comfortable. For the first time, he let his hands drift below Tankhun’s waist until they rested on the perfect swell of his ass. Tankhun responded to the touch immediately, unconsciously grinding his hips down.
“You should kiss me now.”
It was the expectant, matter-of-fact, absolutely Tankhun way he said that had Tem chuckling to himself before he tilted his mouth towards Tankhun’s.
Despite the fact that Tankhun had admitted to not having kissed anyone before, it still surprised Tem a little bit that he let him take the lead. Tankhun tended to prefer being in charge. Tem liked that he trusted him to make his first kiss good for him.
He started off slow, not wanting to scare Tankhun off with tongue or anything too soon. He quickly learned that if Tankhun liked something, he would copy it. He sucked his bottom lip between his teeth and pulled gently. Tankhun did the same. He fisted his hands in his hair. Tankhun did the same. He licked along Tankhun’s teeth. Tankhun copied him. He pressed a closed-mouth kiss to his. Tankhun didn’t copy that. Noted.
They continued until breathlessness forced them apart. Tankhun’s pupils were blown out as he stared down at Tem. Tem swiped his thumb across Tankhun’s bottom lip, revelling that he’d made the man look like that.
“Kissing you is fun,” he panted. “It makes sense though. I already like doing everything else with you. Why would kissing be any different?”
Tem chuckled again and returned to Tankhun’s mouth to sip lightly at his swollen lips. Tankhun copied the action.
Tankhun kissed like he did everything else in life, fully and with his entire being. And Tem loved every second of it.
He didn’t pull away when there was a knock on his door, or when Arm and Pol walked into the room, or when they both gasped seeing their young master astride the other man. It was only when Arm cleared his throat that Tankhun, albeit reluctantly, stopped his attentions. When he looked over at his bodyguards, Tem pressed his face into the brightly colored floral fabric covering his chest.
“What? Can’t you see I’m kissing my boyfriend?”
Tem really liked being called that. He wondered how long it would take the bodyguards to realize he’d been promoted.
Judging by the look on Pol’s face, it would probably be in the bodyguard group chat before they left the room.
“Khun Nu, we came to ask if you’d like to join the family for dinner. But we can let them know you’re…that you’re busy.”
Tankhun looked back to Tem with a hazy smile on his face. Again, Tem liked being the cause of that look.
“Are you hungry Tem?”
Tem shifted a little with Tankhun in his arms. He was definitely hungry but between food and making out with Tankhun, he’d pick the man even if he’d been starving. But then he remembered the last time he’d seen Tankhun eat anything had been hours ago, before they’d started binging Between Us.
“Let’s go eat,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to the tip of his nose. His heart did a little flip when Tankhun instantly repeated the action. “We’ll continue where we left off later.”
The promise of later, and more kissing, seem to placate Tankhun.
As they followed Arm and Pol to the bank of elevators that would take them down to the dining area, Tankhun laced their fingers together.
Thinking back on the kisses they’d shared, and the kisses and other activities yet to come, Tem couldn’t help the smile that plastered itself across his face.
Going from cuddle buddy to boyfriend definitely had its perks.