#Tankhun saying all the correct words

[veliseraptor]

ok ok inspired by the recent success of the three sentence meme going to try my regular pre-flight 150 words meme. aka send me a number from the list of fics below and I will write 150 words in that fic

1. Pete sat down on the floor. Porsche, hovering, gave him a worried look. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” Pete said, then adjusted, “sitting.” 

“I can see that,” Porsche said. “Are you okay?”

Pete laughed. “No,” he said. He didn’t know when he was going to be okay again.

“Um,” Porsche said. After a couple seconds he sat down on the floor with Pete and put an awkward hand on his shoulder. “Do you, uh, want to talk about it?”

“No,” Pete said again. He didn’t know what he would even say, if there was anything to say. He was so tired and it felt like any minute now Vegas was going to die again, and he was just waiting for it to happen. (reduce, reuse, recycle)

2. “Can I ask you something?” Xiao Xingchen asked. Xue Yang glanced in his direction, fingers pausing on his keyboard.

“Sure,” he said. “Sounds ominous. Hit me.”

“It’s nothing bad,” Xiao Xingchen said. “I was just wondering if you remember what you said when we first met.” Xue Yang had said no before, in the hospital, but it’d clearly been a lie then. He was hoping maybe the answer would be different now. Xue Yang made some kind of face, but it was hard to read. 

That, Xiao Xingchen thought absently, was one of the things he was going to miss most: the ability to see Xue Yang’s face and read his expressions. Not just because he liked looking at him, but because it was going to get even harder to tell what he was thinking. (Redux)

3. Which brought him here, in a room with a dirty, scruffy boy of indeterminate age (a skinny fifteen, maybe), his hands tied behind his back and an expression of casual unconcern on his face. Unconcern, except for the dangerous glint in his eyes that Jin Guangyao was going to be careful not to forget.

“I didn’t say to restrain him,” he said to the disciples who’d brought him back. He hadn’t, to be precise, told them to bring him at all, but there was no point in saying so now.

“He tried to attack me,” said one of them. 

“After you got in my face,” the boy said. “You deserved it.” (jgy teaches xy to read)

4. Oh, no, Pete thought again, but with a little more despair this time.

“Take Pete,” Khun Kinn said.

Vegas’s gaze swept to Pete, flicked slowly over him from head to toe. “Isn’t he one of Tankhun’s?” he said. “He won’t be thrilled that you’re loaning out his bodyguard to me.”

“That’s not your problem.”

“Considering Tankhun,” Vegas said, “it actually might end up being my problem.” (the devil drives)

5. That slight hitch. A correction. The muscles between Fenris’s shoulders tensed and he thought abruptly, disjointedly, of a red-haired woman sitting at a table in the Hanged Man, the sudden realization…

“Anders,” he said. The mage barely glanced at him, seeming distracted.

“That big thing in the sky is scarier,” said the young girl. She, unlike her father, was looking at Fenris. “I heard it’s full of demons that’re trying to come out. What’re those lines on your skin, mister?” 

“They’re tattoos,” Fenris said. His limbs felt heavy. He glanced toward his sword, three paces away. “Meant to imitate Dalish vallaslin.” He hadn’t meant to say that. Something was wrong. “Anders,” he said again.

Anders was looking at his hands and frowning. “Bloody hell,” he said. “Where did you find magebane?” (the best all lack conviction)

6. Malkar meant it when he’d said he was going to demand a lot of me. He said if I wanted to be a hocus - wizard - nobody could know where I came from. “Do you think the Mirador will welcome a whore from Pharoahlight?” he asked me. “No one must ever know where you came from. They’d throw you out on the streets. Now tell me about the Curia again, and for god’s sake, mind your vowels.” 

And when I didn’t do well enough, fast enough, there were always consequences.

“This is how you learn, Felix,” Malkar said while I was shaking on hands and knees at his feet. He bent down and took my chin and tilted my head back so I was looking up at him, but he was gentle about it now. “It is for your own good.” (Pygmalion)

7. “Why are you so eager,” Song Lan asked. Xue Yang laughed, his smile turning sharper, a little less pleased.

“Why wouldn’t I be? A chance to help these poor people. Wouldn’t miss it.” Song Lan waited silently, and Xue Yang’s eyes cut away. “I’m curious, Song-daozhang,” he said. “Is there something wrong with that? Walking around with you and your judgmental glare gets boring. Give me a problem to chew on, a mystery to figure out, something.” (Walking Far From Home)

8. “Tell me...tell me how we met,” Xiao Xingchen said.

A brief pause that made Xiao Xingchen’s stomach swoop with sudden unease. “What,” his friend said lightly, “did you forget that, too?” 

“I’m…” Xiao Xingchen wasn’t sure if he should apologize or not. He tried to remember, even if thinking made his head hurt, searching through his jumbled thoughts. Something about the smell of blood? A fragment of thought: at least I might be able to fix this.  “You were hurt,” he said, half a question.

“Uh huh,” his friend said. “That’s good.”

“And I found you,” Xiao Xingchen said, a little more confidently. “Helped you.” (xiao xingchen + concussion)

[martianloon]

Fic recs!

6/4/24

••• Bad Buddy •••

this life, what if it's you and me? by sarawatine | Rated: T | 13.7 k words | Complete

The final morning before Pran and Pat have to return to their parents, Pat unloads the burden he's been carrying alone the past few days.

-

Then, they return to their parents.

••• KinnPorsche •••

Our Hearts, Bathed in Lightning by The_Old_Astronomer | Rated: G | 27.6 k words | Complete

Chay has been afraid of storms ever since he can remember. When one hits the tower, he doesn't know who to go to. Porsche shares a room with Kinn now, so Chay can't exactly go and climb into bed in between them. Scared and alone, he decides to wait it out in his room...until someone comes knocking at his door.

~~

He begins to take another step away from Kim when he feels something catch his wrist. Even in the dark, he’d know Kim’s touch anywhere.

It sends warm sparks skittering up his arm that have nothing to do with the electricity outside. They sink into his skin and heat up his bloodstream, a small legion of fireflies turning his cells to stardust.

He turns partially back towards Kim right as the tower’s emergency generator kicks in and soft gold light glows to life in the hallway, haloing Kim from behind.

Bad Apples by Water_Nix | Rated: M | 91 k words | Complete

A KP potential season two featuring: Detectives KimChay, Kinn mostly feeling stressed out, Porsche and Vegas maybe sorta friends?, reluctant wingman Macau, Tankhun not really dealing with his shit—but he’s trying, okay?, and Pete’s along for the ride and bashing skulls all the way. And oh yeah, everybody hates Korn.

••• Love in the Air •••

breathe, darling, it’s just a chapter, not your whole story by Moriano | Rated: T | 17.4 k words | Complete

Part 3 of embracing you, loving you, treasuring you

“P’Pai, no.”

“Sky, yes.”

They’ve been at it for some time now; arms crossed, expressions hard, eyes boring into each other. Neither wants to give up.

Sky earns a chance to go abroad for internship but refuses. Buffled Prapai wants to convience him otherwise. They talk. Things happen.

••• MDZS/The Untamed •••

Lan Yuan’s non-exhaustive list of people his father may be in love with by lalala53 | Rated: T | 27.6 k words | Complete

Lan Yuan’s dad used to play a song when he was a kid. Looking back, Lan Yuan’s sure it was a love song—but written for who? Who was his dad so in love with? And why won’t he talk about it?

Or: Lan Yuan wants to know why the mention of his father’s name causes people to shatter their wine glasses

••• Six of Crows •••

the meadow by inconstant_moon | Rated: T | 37 k words | Complete

“Jordie,” he says, slowly so Jordie can hear and understand. “This is a dream.”

Jordie tilts his head, laughs boisterously, but there is no sound. Kaz cannot remember his brother’s laugh. He cannot remember his voice. The details are wrong because Kaz does not know enough to correct them. It is the same mistake every night.

“No, it’s not,” Jordie corrects. He uses Kaz’s captured pawn to wave to the poppies. “Look at the flowers, Kaz.”

OR: Kaz schemes, dreams, and avoids his feelings until they catch up to him with vengeance. Mostly at Nina's hands.

••• Stranger Things •••

give up on me if you want to, we both know you won't by chamb3rs | Rated: T | 9.3 k words | Complete

August 26th, 1985

Mike-

For the love of God, stop leaving your tuna sandwiches in our locker, it smells like someone died, seriously. I will throw away your lunch box if I see it in here before noon and I'm not kidding. Your mom can send me an invoice.

-Max

or; Mike and Max are assigned the same locker during their freshman year of high school. It goes about as well as you'd expect. Better, maybe.

[i-sveikata]

Hiii! This chapter was a long one and I have a lot to say about it too 😅

Firstly I need to ask before I forget. Does any of one word game quotes have been cut out of this chapter to include in the next one or they might have been changed? Like the one when Vegas asks if Pete wants his cock or him touching Pete's. And "friend" one when Vegas asks someone? I'm just curious if this was changed in the final check or maybe split to fit in the next chapter more.

Also more technical question. Would mind if someone were to point out some spelling mistakes in new chapters? I know it's easier to find errors when reading the first time. I found some minor ones and an incorrect name used but I don't want to correct others. I don't want to appear rude so I needed to ask 🥲

To the plot we go!

IGHJKJGFJKHG-

So much was happening in this chapter! So many emotions!

First of all I was really impressed with Pete's planning and the whole getting Vegas out. He really was wasting his potential at a major family. I'm so glad the rest is getting the bitter taste of his competency thrown back at them. And omg, I love every interaction of Pete with Vegas's bodyguards. So glad they are skilled and loyal to Vegas and Pete(!) too. Mafia husband's in the making 😁

I'm always shocked how well you can write Korn so I have a need to smother him all the time. Almost the same as Kinn but he can be better. Korn is only waiting for death. Which we all would rather have in any situation. I always secretly wish that Korn will die by Tankhun hands, which I only read once. He deserves this so much and seeing his rage and hurt only proves this idea. Like he is so smart and the most likable brother in the whole family. He didn't deserve any of it. Half of the time people are not even taking him seriously. I know he kind of preferred it this way. But I can see his role is bugging him much more now.

I still love how you acknowledge Kinn's toxic and predatory behavior. It always bugged me when KP fans were shitting on VP saying their relationship is toxic. But in the series specifically they consented! Porsche didn't have that chance. In your fic it's even more complicated but I would take Vegas a thousand times back if I was Pete and run and didn't look back in Porsche place 😤 Kinn's behavior has me fuming 😂 He doesn't even notices that Macau nor Vegas had really any say in how the minor family operates and the coup too.

Macau is a pure soul and it warmed my hurt how Phalin and Grandma took him in providing so much comfort. He deserves all of this and more.

I love how Yaai is portrayed. Very observant and clever. Vegas is not going to have a good time at all. But if she already can sense his devotion to Pete then maybe it won't be that bad 😂

And Vegas OMG. In one second as he wakes up, he thinks Pete left him. In another is so happy that he was wrong and lovingly stared at them both. And in third he was just horny all the way. Like Pete wasn't kidding when he was sensing Vegas thinks of sex all the time. Like damn, he really is. Doesn't even ask what happens, how? When? No. He is safe, Macau is safe. Pete is safe too but angry, but he can work with that. Like wtf. Touch some grass 😂

I'm very curious how the interrogation plays out. How to even explain all that without sounding like an asshole.

I'm so curious about any plans after Vegas is finally healed.

Thank you so much for this! I had a whole day free so I had my VegasPete day in peace. The chapter was amazing and very much worth the wait! Thank you so much for being here and proving for our starving VP souls 😭🙏❤️

Hello again!!! no they're not cut scenes they're just scenes from the next chapter- i had the cut off placed somewhere differently in the draft before i realised how long the chap was getting. i dont cut things from my stories as a general rule. i either dump them at the end of the story as extras to work into a different point later on or they get reworked so those hints are still to come!

oh yes please do point out spelling mistakes or name mix ups!! (Just send me an ask or IM me with the details if thats easier) i do try to do a final reread before i post but i dont have a beta reader so i often miss mistakes before i come back and read the latest chap again. weird how your brain can just pass over them until you end up noticing the mistake later on!!

ahhhh thank you!!! yes it did feel like a lot of pete just letting loose in this chap because there is a lot of that 'dont think for themselves' element for a bodyguard but pete is smart!! so there is a bit of an obvious change in him already now that hes no longer blindly following the family. aw yeah they were so impressed by him, so ready to fall in line behind pete. funny how so easily pete can inspire loyalty in people!!

oh yeah dude is actually such a frightening kind of character because he hides all of these horrible things behind politeness and smiles. ugh yeah kinn, hopefully porsche is getting through to him and he can understand how to be a better partner because as far as im concerned during that porsche totally dumped him lol. poor tankhun for sure!! he will definitely be taking a much needed reassessment of things after all of this and we can only hope it works out for the better!

oh yeah all of the relationships in kp are fucked up but kinn and porsches feels worse to me because its subtler, the kind of relationship you dont realise is abusive when youre in it but yeah porsche taking a stand for himself was so so necessary and it has been building up for a long time now. yeah i think kinn is mostly focusing on feeling wronged than having the capacity to understand that circumstances havent left vegas or macau with much control either. hes not being very rational atm

aw poor macau!!!! him crying was so painful like noooooooooo. oh yeah man vegas is in SO much danger now lol petes grandmother is going to see through all of his bullshit (but she will start to see his affect on pete and that will slowly bring her around to warming to him)

hahahaha yeah hes running on such a different intensity to everyone else, like obvs pete has seen elements of that but im not sure how aware he is of the way vegas is constantly thinking about him. pete is the sun of his world now, he orbits around him but yeah lol chill out man and touch some grass hahaha

its going to be tricky!! but pete is going to try and give as much as he can without over explaining and he'll be careful to make sure vegas doesnt get too honest with his grandmother. either way pete is going to be heavily involved here.

youre so very welcome! im glad you enjoyed your vegaspete day in peace!!!

[williamrikers]

I debated whether to send this but I think someone should say it. So about your edited subtitles: don't you think it's really entitled to do this when you can't even understand the original dialogue? And to make editorial decisions in the way characters adress each other, greatly impacting characterization? This is not a translation anymore, or a localization, you're falsifying dialogue to suit your own personal interpretation. If you change what a character calls their dad because YOU think they'd be more formal, you're changing characterization. If you have a character adressed with a pet name instead of their name and title, you're changing the entire setting.

This is a transformative work at this point, but you're presenting it as a translation. It seems pretty arrogant to me to act like you're just correcting mistakes or making it more "natural," and it feels in bad taste to treat a production from a country that is not your own like that.

I'm only on anon because I don't want to start drama here. Please consider that someone else already brought up in the comments that you didn't even run this by a native speaker, so I don't think I'm the only one who feels weird about this. I hope you'll think about my criticism even if it seems harsh, but that's only because I feel that this is a really important issue.

hi anon, thank you for your message. i completely understand your concerns and where you're coming from, and believe me, i've asked myself all of these questions before uploading the subtitles for other people to use.

so, to address these issues:

first of all, you are completely right, these subtitles have not been vetted by a native speaker. i would be utterly THRILLED if someone volunteered to do that! if you know anyone who might like to proofread 14 hours' worth of subtitles, please send them my way!

however, and i think this is the big point of contention here, yes, these subtitles are in fact a bit of a transformative work. AS ARE ALL TRANSLATIONS ALL THE TIME. it is impossible to directly translate from any language into another. there will always be details lost, and interpretations made because no two languages work the same. i have been very clear and upfront about the fact that these are not word-for-word translations and that i took some creative liberties. i even included a readmore file with the download to make sure that anyone who's downloading these subs, including people who don't have a tumblr account, know exactly what they're getting. anyone who doesn't like what i did can just ignore these subtitles and move on with their life. i'm not hacking people's computers to make them use my subs.

about "khun nu" (which i think you're referring to when you say pet name?): this is actually a case of me making the translation much more like the original. they do call him khun nu all the time in the original (which is very easy to hear even if you don't speak a word of thai). khun nu is actually quite a common form of address as i've found, several other shows use it as well (for example my school president and never let me go). "nu" itself is a term of endearment, but "khun nu" is a bit more fickle and extremely hard to translate. i've seen it translated as "young master" several times now, but that doesn't really fit for tankhun imo. so i left it as-is.

this whole thing was a labor of love for me and did my best to do this show justice. when i say that kinnporsche changed my life, i'm not joking. however, if you don't like me, my approach to this translation, or the choices i made, that's completely fine. you can just ignore the fact that these subtitles exist and move on with your life. you could, in fact, make your own subs if you wanted to. editing srt files is extremely easy and can be quite fun!

wishing you all the best 😘

[mileapokp1677]

Three Steps to Win You (CH 15)

Title: Three Steps to Win You

Rating: M

Pairing: DaddyChan/Tankhun, Kinn/Porsche, Vegas/Pete

Category: M/M, AU Nerd-Jock

Summary: Accidentally, scientist Tankhun Theerapanyakul embarrassed footballer Captain Chan "Daddy" Knight in front of his coach, teammates and fans. He had to fulfill three tasks from the captain before his apology was accepted.

Chapter 15

(Tankhun POV)

It had been 15 minutes since he had left Chan at the door of his penthouse, and Tankhun still felt his cheeks heat up a little. He had to admit though, his response to Chan was different from his response to any other men, and frankly, Tankhun still hadn't decided whether he liked it or not. As a healthy 30 year old male, Tankhun was far from innocent. He had a healthy dose of one night stands and he also casually dated here and there -- though his relationship never lasted more than 3 months, mostly only lasting for 1 month. And up until now, Tankhun had never been involved in a long-term relationship and never been in love. So, why oh why, one gentle kiss on his neck by the Captain making him flustered like a teenager?

Suddenly, the conversation he had with Kinn and Porsche last month at the Moonlight, emerged. He remembered how those two literally begged him to open his heart for a serious relationship, but Tankhun always thought, no matter how short the relationship, he was never playing around. Hm… could he be wrong this time? Or maybe, what Kinn and Porsche said to him back then was true. That Tankhun was so focused on his younger brothers, especially Kim, therefore he wasn’t aware that he was always subconsciously avoiding commitments.

Should I give this, whatever it is, a chance?

But what he and Chan had was madness! Their first meeting was chaotic, their second and third meetings were equally crazy, spiced up by Tankhun's desire to always make Chan lose his mind and annoyed as hell, as revenge for daring to trap him in this deal. A deal which Tankhun considered in his mind, not fair at all. This relationship, if you can call it one, had been fucked up from the start. So, how could he possibly give this a chance to flourish?

A knock, which wasn't really that loud, on the Range Rover’s side window next to the driver's seat, startled Tankhun. The doctor immediately unlocked the door so Chan could get into the car. Instead of putting on his seat-belt and running the car, Chan turned his body to face Tankhun. Just a glance at the expression on his face and Tankhun knew right away that Chan meant to apologize, and Tankhun wouldn't let him.

“Stop,” ordered Tankhun curtly. "If you mean to apologize for what happened earlier, I swear to God, I’ll hit you. We're both adults and have enough experience to know that sometimes physical reactions are unavoidable. It's all science. There, I say it.”

"I won't apologize for that, Sweetbuns," Chan replied with a grin. "Somehow I feel you'd be more offended if my body didn't react the way it should."

Did he just compliment-

"Fuck you very much, Chan. It's Doctor, and you're absolutely correct," announced Tankhun, who was also grinning. "My buns are sweet, and they never fail to get the appreciation they deserve."

"And I bet, they will never fail,” affirmed Chan, smirking and staring intently into Tankhun's eyes.

"Sweet mouth,” responded Tankhun, whose face started to heat up again.

Tankhun Theerapanyakul, what the fuck are you doing? Stop flirting now!

"But you meant to apologize to me just now, right? " inquired Tankhun, who at the same time tried to divert the conversation. “What for?”

"You read me quite well, Doctor, and I sincerely apologize for things that I'm about to say," said Chan, beginning to explain. "I wouldn't even blame you, if you decide to beat me to a pulp afterward, because I really think I deserve it."

"Okay, now you scare me," replied Tankhun. "If it's about the third task, which I'm one hundred percent sure is to be your date at the award ceremony, aren't your words just now an exaggeration? I’m totally fine with it."

"I wish it were that simple, Tankhun, and I haven't started explaining to you about the situation that we'll be facing in the next 3 months."

"What situation? And what’s with 3 months?" asked Tankhun, who was starting to feel a bit wary.

Chan sighed and brushed his black hair back with his fingers before replying, "The award ceremony will be held 3 months from now."

"O~h, I'll just put it in my schedule then, so you don't have to worry I can't make it. Just tell me the exact date and of course, the dress code."

"Tankhun, the awards ceremony itself is the least thing that I'm worried about,” said Chan. “It was the time before the ceremony that made me feel so bad… for you."

“But why?” asked Tankhun. "We just need to do our jobs as usual. When the award night comes, all you have to do is pick me up, I will wear the most fabulous outfit, you’ll receive your special award, then you drive me home, my tasks are done and the apology is complete. The End."

“But Anna wouldn’t let us do that.”

Hearing the name of the most unpleasant woman he has ever met suddenly made Tankhun see everything from a different perspective.

No no no... Oh God...

Suddenly all of Chan's nervousness and demeanor just now made sense. How could he forget about the ex from hell!? Tankhun felt so stupid at that moment.

“I’m sorry,” stated the Captain, who seemed to have read the situation from the look on Tankhun's face. Apparently, Chan could read him quite well too.

But Tankhun was still too overwhelmed to respond to Chan's apology.

"The thing that Anna hates the most is losing and being wrong," Chan elaborated. "So, she's going to do her best to prove that she's right, and once she has the proof, she's going to make such a big deal about it.”

"And how exactly is she going to look for evidence?" asked the Doctor.

But, before Chan could answer him, Tankhun already made his own guess.

"Don't tell me she's going to send someone to secretly spy on our movements?"

"Worse. Anna will send the paparazzi to follow you around,” answered Chan.

Tankhun gasped.

“So... it’s a possibility that my pics will be posted on the media?”

"Tankhun, I'm afraid it's not only a possibility but a certainty."

"Oh, God."

"I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have lied and said you're my boyfriend," said Chan as he leaned the back of his head against the headrest of the driver's seat, his right palm covering the top of his face. "And now, you’re entangled in this madness."

Tankhun started to chuckle, which then gradually escalated into big laughter.

Tankhun knew this wasn't funny, and he also wondered why he was still capable of laughing. Maybe the circumstances had made him lose it. However, what choice was left for him but to laugh at the situation and then face it? This option was so much better than being emotional and miserable.

“Tankhun?”

And Chan didn't help the matter at all. His confused face when he saw Tankhun's response, which definitely didn't live up to his expectations, was so hilarious. Tankhun laughed so hard he cried.

“Oh my God… Kim,” said Tankhun, wiping his tears with the back of his hand.

“Kim? You confused me, Doctor.”

“Chan, stop giving me that confused look, or I couldn’t stop laughing.”

“Stop confusing me then,” responded Chan. And of course, that damn amused smile has to be etched on the captain's handsome face. Though this time, it really got to him.

Fuck!

Tankhun took a deep breath, trying to pull himself together.

“It just struck me now how all of this started because I love my youngest brother too much. Your autograph is so damn expensive, Chan.”

“Believe me, Tankhun, I didn't expect things to turn out like this.”

“Yeah, I know,” acknowledged Tankhun. “So I guess for the next three months I’ll be fake dating the great Captain of BSFC, huh?”

“Yes.”

"Well, Tankhun Theerapanyakul never do anything half-heartedly. If we're going to do this, then we're going to do it right."

"Hey, thank you so much for doing this, Tankhun. I feel very bad. Truly."

Tankhun just waved his hand as a response.

“We need to talk about the mechanism and the details for this, Chan, as well as the boundaries,” said Tankhun.

“Of course."

“And I don’t think I can do it completely sober.”

“Absolutely. Tomorrow night at the Moonlight?”

“Yes. We do need an ally.”

“Okay then,” said Chan as he put on his seat-belt and started to drive his car out of the parking lot. "We better catch up with the boys before they send a search party for us."

"Hn."

Tankhun knew that he was a resilient man. His life experiences made him into who he was today, and he was always ready to take on anything. But he never, not in a million years, ever thought that he would have to face a situation that was so unreal, he felt like he was inside a rom-com flick.

Que sera, sera…

TBC

AN:  What’s a rom-com story without a fake dating trope, right? ;-)

[mikuni14]

Kinnporsche ep 9

Because THIS TIME I decided NOT to TRUST the promotional photo, THIS TIME it turned out to be real. Story of my life *sigh*

IT SEEMS to me - or more -  I HOPE, that this is all a plan made by Kinn and Porsche to get the information out of Tawan and Vegas who, being sure that Kinn and Porsche are "divorced" and fighting, will act bolder and say more than they would like. My assumption is based on: 1) there was no scene with Porsche confronting Kinn about his behavior towards Tawan, which would be logical after how they acted in ep 8, also Porsche is not a timid uke suffering in the corner and Kinn does not avoid “talking” 2) Kinn didn't confront Vegas at the pool, and recently in a similar scene he was threatening him with a gun and was very aggressive and now what, he just LEFT? Left his beloved with a guy who constantly makes a move on him? Um, no? Not Kinn? Not after their famous make up sex in the bathroom and not after ep 8? 3) Kinn asked his father to trust his decisions when discussing Porsche, 4) I think if Kinn felt REALLY betrayed by Porsche, then after their honeymoon shown in ep8, we would be dealing with a small nuclear blast at least. Same with Porsche, had he been rejected by Kinn after misunderstanding AGAIN, he would have reacted differently too (he literally had a breakdown last time, we had that beautifully-horrible scene in the bathroom, Porsche CRIED). I would just expect a bigger drama in such a situation, but there was practically nothing, 5) last time Kinn was betrayed, he shot that person, he and the rest of the mafia are shown killing the betrayers through the whole series, but now it’s just “lock him up”, coveniently next to Tawan, who immediatelly starts to show his true colors to Porsche? Vegas shows up? Hmmmmm... I've seen plots like this in movies and TV series when the two protagonists pretend to be fighting or pretend to be a prisoners to get information. Well, we'll see. I hope that's true, because after something like this it would be hard for me to imagine them restarting their relationship again. Besides, it would be the repetitive, fighting, reconciliation, fighting, reconciliation. How many times has it already been in this series? Is this how their relationship going to be? 

The best character of this episode was, of course, Tankhun, who didn't say a single stupid word. I am also a bit surprised by the indulgent treatment of Tawan to get information from him. After all, this is a mafia, it seems to me that the standard threat to health or life would bring much better and quicker results, but maybe I’m oldfashioned :D Literally two episodes ago Vegas got the information this way and now they’re being nice to another traitor?

Pete had an interesting reaction to Vegas, to his touch. Pete is clearly disturbed by Vegas, and yet he had a strange reaction after the ceremony ended. Also it was a first time I got something from Pete, something that is not his “regular guy” act, something that is... new :) There were some glimpses before, sure, but this time it was something more solid :D

Anyway, Kinn, Porsche and Vegas in this episode were just beautiful. Angry, tense Kinn is just so hot, Porsche “smiling” to cover his anger is so hot, Vegas and his side profile is just so hot. Ah! Forgot about Pete - when he is freaking out around Vegas - also hot. I guess my fav look is them looking angry and tense lol

[eliazine]

Diving into trying to understand the level of Kinn's agency and Korn manipulation.

Third part of my reaction to @dancinbutterfly meta. (done for now ^^)

"The nuance, in this case is that Korn went at Kinn in a very specific way that in my opinion was different than the way it was largely applied to the greater staff. The word I am looking for here is finesse. Korn applied the BITE model with a maestro’s finesse."

As OP clearly demonstrates the major family definitly applies the BITE model to control its staff but I'm not so sure it does apply to Korn's own sons ? and if so how ? I need to ponder on this more.

Edit : on my nth re-read of the original meta, I finally shamefully noted that the emphasis made on the BITE checklist were on the criterias applied to Kinn and not to the staff as I understood it until then. And it is very clear and informative on the staff front but for Kinn, I'm less sure. OP would love to see more of your thoughts on the matter ! (a note to say that these posts are not there to contradict or correct you but just to help me formalize my understanding so I can make up my mind about it all)

So did Korn manipulate Kinn ? (well yes that is kind of his MO but I mean it in a self-serving/sacrificing Kinn to his own cause way)

Korn must also have been groomed by his father in becoming a successfull mafioso, one able to survive, thrive and even relish victory in this cut-throat environment, but I wouldn't define him as trapped by his upbringing (even if he may have his fair share of trauma based on what Gun infered about their "papa" ?).

Taking for granted that they have no moral dilemma regarding the Mafia, for him how would manipulatingly grooming differs from genuiningly teaching his child the skills he deems necessary to succeed in his foreseen carreer ?

Be it for his machiavelic needs or not, it seems telling that he is loved, trusted and seemingly not feared by his sons, most clearly by Kinn and Tankhun. They look to him for guidance, are open to him about their thoughts and feelings and he does seems to adapt his strategy to accommodate them. As an exemple, Kinn reveals his love for Porsche knowing it went against his father (anti)romantic advices but without looking even the least bit worried that it wouldn't be accepted

Do people feels that safe toward a cult leader manipulating them ? Don't they have a feeling even if they love him that they are not allowed to go astray ? I don't know, it may be the sign of a really skilled manipulator.

The only trouble seems that Korn has squeletons in the closet that wouldn't be a problem (well for their particular kind of moral compas) if Kinn was in love with anyone else. And I can see how he would want to avoid the problem by burying them and writing his own version of history.

On the other hand, I can see :

- the attitude of Kim hints at something more for now without explaining why. Kim is noisy but at the same time he doesn't seems to fear Korn (see, their conversation when Kim comes to sneak around but doesn't hesitate to question him openly about Big and Porsche ep5).

- There is also this major/minor dynamic that Kinn has been taught to be necessary because competition makes us stronger (what about now then ? was the lesson considered learned ?)

- The soldier child aspect that the boys were all trained to be killers (could it have been seen as necessary after Tankhun kidnapping ?)

- The singing competition interference (a blow for Kinn ego but well that's what money is for and seeing the way they interract it doesn't seems to be part of a greater list of stabs ? Kinn self confidence seems well established and indeed it needs to be for him to be a good heir)

So, am I missing something ? am I minimizing patterns of abuse ? Would love to be proven wrong and learn from it.

It makes me wonder about real cult heirs, are they really trapped themselves ? What would be the difference between a genuine cult leader and a trapped one not realising he is ? Does it matters ? why so or why not ?

In a more mundane way, I chose my career as a student based on my interest and validated my choice knowingly as an adult because I do like it. It is a path that aligns with what my family hoped for me. Not out of interest for themselves but because that was the way they thought would bring me happiness (understand : a job that is at least safe, stable and reasonnably paid). Was I manipulated in perceiving happiness this way ?

I guess the difference would be in wether or not my family would have respected my choice had it been different (allowing for some back and forth at first as they learn, adapt to the different way of seeing things that my choice may entails and reassure themselves that I will be fine. luckily for me, they did in other area of my life which makes me confident they would have).

So going back to Korn, I'm not sure I would call him manipulative toward his son and not accept at face value that he just tried to pass on the lessons he himself applied in his life (the rusty knife metaphor may have been genuinely given ?).

So the question would be, how would he react to Kinn leaving the mafia behind ? Would he try to break him into staying or would he stay emotionnaly calm, accept that Kinn's life isn't going that way, making him the wrong person for the role and find himself a willing and so more suitable heir (he may have to look for someone out of the biological family but considering the orientation of all his sons and nephews, letting go of the idea of blood dynasty seems to have been accepted some times ago)

[mileapokp1677]

Three Steps to Win You (CH 27)

Title: Three Steps to Win You

Rating: M

Pairing: Daddy Chan/Tankhun, Kinn/Porsche, Vegas/Pete

Category: M/M, AU Nerd-Jock

Summary: Accidentally, scientist Tankhun Theerapanyakul embarrassed footballer Captain Chan "Daddy" Knight in front of his coach, teammates and fans. He had to fulfill three tasks from the captain before his apology was accepted.

Chapter 27

(Chan POV)

Sunday Night -- the Moonlight

“I wanna make a toast to my darling husband, Porsche,” said Kinn, raising his whiskey tumbler and looking proudly at his life partner. "... who did an amazing job with this party."

"Hear! Hear!" responded Chan, also raising his own glass. Tankhun, who was sitting on the bar stool beside him, followed suit. 

"And if I may say so," added Kinn. "... should have made themed parties like this a regular thing at the Moonlight."

“I second that!” shouted Tankhun excitedly. “Considering how short the prep time you had to organize this themed party, you’re bloody awesome! I think you should do it, Sweetie!"

“CHEERS!!!” 

“Aaaw~ ” replied Porsche in his cheerful voice as he hugged Kinn tightly from behind. “Thank you, guys!”

Kinn held Porsche's right hand that was on his chest right away and squeezed it, before bringing it to his lips and gently kissing it. Their movements were so smooth and so in sync with one another, it was impossible to misunderstand their relationship, even for someone new to them. Unexpectedly, a hint of  jealousy rose in his heart. More than anything, Chan wanted that level of intimacy. 

The captain -- reflexively -- looked to the side, where Tankhun Theerapanyakun, the man who he believed had stolen his heart, was sitting at that moment. Chan raised his glass of water (he has practice tomorrow morning, so two glasses of cocktails is the limit) and stated, “A toast to the extraordinary Doctor T for his absolutely amazing performance.” 

Tankhun’s cheeks flushed for the second time tonight. Those rosy cheeks made him look so endearing, Chan almost lost control. 

Don’t ruin this moment, Chan Knight! Have patience!  

“I’ll drink to that,” shouted Porsche. “You are incredible on that stage, P’!” 

“CHEERS!” 

The four of them clinked glasses and downed all their drinks at once.

“Those dancing classes really paid off, Tankhun.”

“Believe it or not, they actually did,” replied Tankhun, snickering. “It’s a miracle, really, that I can still remember the dance routine, to be honest.” 

“Well, at least you can still do it well,” retorted Kinn. “I’m hopeless.” 

Unprompted, the two brothers then burst into a big laugh. 

Chan glanced at Porsche, who looked just as confused as him. It seemed, Porsche also didn’t know about the story behind this. Tankhun caught this situation quickly. 

"Kinn never told you about how he almost brought the dance instructor in the dance studio to tears? Out of frustration?" Tankhun asked Porsche, who responded quickly by shaking his head.

“I didn't even know Kinn had taken dance classes,” answered Porsche. “When did this happen?” 

“Around fifteen years a-”

“Fourteen years ago,” corrected Tankhun. “We took the class after Ma passed away.” 

“Ah, yes,” confirmed Kinn, suddenly sounding a bit sad. “You are right.”

This time, it was Porsche who took Kinn's hand into his and kissed it gently as he looked straight into his eyes. Kinn returned the kiss with a big smile and a small nod. These two no longer needed words to convey their meaning. Chan sighed. Oh, how he craved what they had.

"Tankhun should be the one to tell you this story," said Kinn. "He’s a better story teller, moreover, at that time, I was just a child who could only follow his eldest brother’s steps, I was so lost." 

Tankhun took a sip of his Macallan and began to tell the story, "Our late mother loved musicals very much. But none of us three shared her passion about it, including me. I love fashion, just like her, but at that time I felt that musicals were very boring."

"Pa was very busy at that time, developing the family business. Grandpa decided to retire early and hand over the leadership to Pa completely," continued Tankhun, as he took another sip of his whiskey. "Pa promised to take Ma to see a musical on Broadway, but something always came up. Pa, who felt guilty, tried to ease his guilt by buying dozens of Broadway cast recordings and videos for her."

“Ma always tried to get one of us to accompany her to watch the videos, but without success. Until one day Ma fell ill."

Tankhun's voice began to shake, automatically Chan put his hand on Tankhun's left shoulder and squeezed it.

"Hey, are you okay?" asked him gently. 

"I'm fine," replied Tankhun quickly. "Really, I’m fine, this story brings not only sweet memories, but also sad and painful ones."

Chan unconsciously caressed Tankhun's shoulder and arm to calm him down, just like he calmed down his teammates, who are having bad days on the pitch. The smile that Tankhun gave him in return brought so much joy for Chan. It was unthinkable how a small gesture could mean so much. 

"Our Ma was a fighter,” Tankhun continued his story. “She fought this disease viciously. But, this damn cancer just refuses to leave her alone."

"Three months before she died, Ma could no longer get out of bed. We spent almost all of our spare time accompanying her in her room, watching all her favorite musicals. Finally, I understood why she loves them so much. For what it's worth, even though it's kinda late, I'm glad and so very grateful to be able to accompany Ma doing something that she loves until the end.” 

“I think the biggest regret in Pa's life is that he didn't get to keep his promise to Ma.”

Kinn, who had been staying quiet when Tankhun was telling this story, finally spoke up. 

“I'm not even sure if Pa has forgiven himself for that,” added Kinn.

“Yeah, Kinn, same.” 

The two Theerapanyakul then sipped their drinks simultaneously. They really looked like siblings then. This time, it was Kinn who continued the story.

“Six months after the funeral, Pa was still so brokenhearted. He didn't allow anyone to touch Ma's things, let alone pack them. I was twelve at that time, missed my mother to death and my Pa looked nothing like the Pa that I knew. Kim didn’t understand anything yet, he was only five, so we rely completely on Tankhun."

Ah~ no wonder he is so protective of his brothers. 

"For everyone's sake I decided to fight Pa. I negotiated with him. We kept all of Ma's jewelry, her wedding dress, several pieces of clothing and shoes that had special meanings, her perfumes, but the rest of her stuff, we gave them all to charity. After nagging him for two weeks, finally Pa agreed,” said Tankhun. “It was hard for me too to separate from her things, but I realized then, we won't be able to move on if we don't take action. Kim needed so much attention, Kinn became so gloomy. I have to be able to put aside my sadness so I can take care of them.”

Chan caressed Tankhun's shoulder and arms even more. 

"Tankhun, we better hurry to get to the funny parts, before my husband here starts to cry," joked Kinn, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yes, P’, please," begged Porsche. 

“Okay, okay, I’m on it,” agreed Tankhun. "It was my 16th birthday. First birthday without Ma, and I missed her that day so much. So I asked Pa, Kim, and Kinn to celebrate my birthday in the music room. We kept all the musical recordings and videos that belong to Ma there."

"The small music room next to Pa's room?" asked Porsche.

"Yes, that one,” answered Kinn. “I think Pa spends most of his time there now, after he’s retired.” 

“We were watching Chicago that night, and suddenly the urge came within me to learn how to do the “All That Jazz” dance routine. It was Ma's absolute favorite. So, Kinn and I decided to sign up for a dance studio to learn the routine.”

"Uhm, you mean, you dragged me to the dance studio to accompany you," said Kinn with a chuckle.

"Whatever," replied Tankhun while rolling his eyes.

Laughter erupted inside the Moonlight. Only a handful of regulars left besides the four of them, the party had finished almost an hour ago.

"The dance instructor was very confident at first, she said and I quote, 'I've never failed to train someone before,'" said Tankhun, imitating the dance instructor. 

Chan could see the corners of Tankhun's lips starting to twitch, he must be trying his hardest to hold back his laughter. While Kinn had given up completely and was not even trying. He was already chuckling, holding the bridge of his nose and shaking his head.  

"There were ten participants in the first dance class. We were all rookies and had no prior dance experience. But Kinn seemed to be on a completely different level."

"Guilty as charged," affirmed Kinn, his snickers getting louder. 

“Go on, P’!” shouted Porsche, super excited. 

"Kinn was completely lost. Right hand became left hand, left foot became right foot, should have turned clockwise, he did the opposite. Not a single person in the class survived from Kinn. At the very least their foot was stepped on, or their face was hit by Kinn's hand. Even the instructor did not survive. She fell down because she bumped into Kinn, who turned his body in the wrong direction."

Another barrage of laughs filled the room. 

“She was quite stubborn though, and refused to give up. She decided to separate the two of us from the other participants and changed our dance class into a private lesson.”

"Was it helpful?" asked Chan. He was curious. But seeing Kinn whose face was getting redder by the seconds, the Captain could already guess the answer.

"Of course not," answered Tankhun curtly before bursting out a big laugh. 

"Finally, the instructor gave up. She was holding back tears as she said to me, in a very serious tone of voice, mind you. 'There is always a first for everything. I will never forget you, Kinn Theerapanyakul.'"

Kinn was laughing hysterically now, something that Chan had never witnessed before. He even shed some tears. Porsche, who was secured in Kinn's arms, his situation was not much different from his husband. But Kinn hadn’t finished.  

"I really can't, with her face. She tries so hard to maintain her dignity, as if this is a matter of life and death."

Kinn burst out another barrack of laughter. 

“Oh My God, Kinn~ Stop talking~” screamed Porsche as he slightly bent his body and put his hand on his abs. “My tummy hurts.” 

He was still laughing like mad though. 

The four of them were trying to catch their breath, when the intro of a very well-known song was heard. Porsche, mischievously, looked up at Kinn to tease him.

"Well, Mr. Theerapanyakul, I know you're a terrible dancer, but surely you can dance with me to our song."

“Come here, you naughty boy!” replied Kinn, who immediately pulled Porsche onto the dance floor in front of the bar. Their two bodies then swayed into one following the rhythm of the song. 

From the first note of Etta James’s “At Last” playing over the loudspeaker, Chan was determined to ask Tankhun to dance with him. Porsche and Kinn had made it easier for Chan, and he was very grateful. 

"Shall we dance, Doctor?" Chan asked while holding out his hand towards Tankhun.

"I thought you never asked, Captain," Tankhun replied, accepting Chan's hand. 

Watch your behavior, Chan Knight. Don't go overboard, don't push him. Keep your distance! 

However, unexpectedly, Tankhun had taken that decision from Chan's hand, about how tight and close their bodies should be on the dance floor. It was way more tighter and closer than Chan could have ever dreamed of, especially since Tankhun wrapped his long, beautiful and slender arms around his neck. Not only that, the scientist, who has the same height as him, looked confidently at Chan. 

Suddenly, the Captain felt his mouth go dry. However, that didn't stop him from wrapping his muscular arms around Tankhun's slender waist. They began to sway to the song, it was heaven.

🎶 At last, my love has come along

My lonely days are over

And life is like a song 🎶

“I-I’ve-” croaked Chan, his mouth was too dry to speak. How humiliating! 

“Yes?” 

From the amused smile that appeared on Tankhun's face, it was clear that the doctor was fully aware of the effect his beautiful body's closeness had on Chan. Damn!

Chan tried once again to get his point across, but he needed to swallow his saliva beforehand. 

Gods, please have mercy on my soul…

🎶 Ooh yeah, yeah

At last, the skies above are blue

My heart was wrapped up in clover

The night I looked at you 🎶

“I’ve promised Kim that I would take him to BSFC practice at the training ground. So, I’m thinking, if next Saturday Kim doesn't have a match, and you have spare time, I invite you two to come to the stadium."

Tankhun, who looked a bit stunned, asked him right away, "Are you sure your Coach wouldn't mind having outsiders watching your practice?"

"He wouldn't mind, trust me," assured Chan. "Probably, no promise here, I can even talk Coach into letting Kim play in my position for a few minutes with the boys."

"No way! Really? Oh, wow, Chan, that's so generous of you," replied Tankhun in amazement. "Kim will definitely scream like a maniac when I tell him about this." 

Chan chuckled. 

“Thank you.” 

“I’m just fulfilled my promise to Kim.” 

“Shut up,” said Tankhun as he put his head on Chan’s right shoulder. It was a miracle really, that Chan could pretend to stay calm, when his heart was almost bursting with joy.  

“Thank you, Chan.” 

“You’re welcome.” 

🎶 I found a dream, that I could speak to

A dream that I can call my own

I found a thrill to rest my cheek to

A thrill that I have never known 🎶

From the corner of his eye, Chan could feel Kinn's gaze on them. He looked very pleased and whispered something in Porsche's ear, who then also glanced at him and Tankhun. He smiled at Chan. 

Chan whispered softly in Tankhun's ear, "Does Kinn already know the truth about us?"

Tankhun quickly raised his head and looked at Chan with a look that he couldn't explain. Chan was starting to feel worried. Luckily, Tankhun just shook his head and gave Chan a small smile as his response. 

"Should we give him a show?" asked Chan again. 

This time, instead of answering, Tankhun put his head back on Chan's shoulder. But, his little smile disappeared from his face completely. 

Fuck! What now!?

🎶 Ohh yeah yeah

You smile

You smile

Oh and then the spell was cast

And here we are in heaven

For you are mine

At last 🎶

TBC