#and kinn and porsche povs!

[artpo]

Slot Machine:

Phiang Waichai (เพียงไว้ใจ) | Free Fall

Kinn | Porsche

KPAnniversary Week8 - Music

[iwantoceans]

‘𝐈 𝐠𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬’

[nyxelestia]

“I couldn’t wait until dawn, because…” Kinn let go of Porsche to reach for his pocket with hands trembling almost as much as Porsche’s wings. “I…I was scared. That maybe something could go wrong, or someone might try to store your body and end up blocking you from sunlight, or…” Porsche’s expression softened as Kinn pulled a box of cigarettes out of his pocket. He stepped closer, his wings wrapping around them both, and Kinn sighed as the warmth wrapped around him. “I’m sorry,” Porsche murmured. “I…you’re- humans are so fragile, compared to us…I forgot you could be scared of losing me, too.”

[bitacrytic]

Overheat [26-27]

Read Previous Chapter Here

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We're getting both Porsche's and Kinn's chapters in one post.

Trigger warning!

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CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

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He realized, days earlier, that he’d forgotten his shaving kit in Kinn’s home. But Porsche didn’t want to go back there. He didn’t want to send the wrong message. Toss had gotten him a new set, just so Porsche wouldn’t have to worry. 

But he’d worried. The new set didn't feel as good as the one he’d broken in and gotten used to. By the time it was confirmed that Kinn was away, Porsche made a note to go check during the weekend. He’d be in and out as quickly as possible.

At least, that had been the plan. 

Waltzing into the main family compound wasn’t the problem. As the guards greeted him, going about their day as they usually did, Porsche headed straight to Kinn’s room. As he opened the door and stepped in, he paused, closing his eyes and taking a few deep breaths. Kinn’s cologne still hung in the air. Even after days of being away. 

He couldn’t stay longer than he had to. But he couldn’t help himself. Pulling out a drawer of undershirts, Porsche sat on Kinn’s bed, nose buried in the familiar scent. He wanted to remember it better when he went to sleep. He wanted to arm his senses with pieces of Kinn for later. Because who knew when next he’d be allowed in Kinn’s presence.

Opening the box of Butiel tabs, Porsche hesitated. Kinn always burned a tablet whenever he was home. He liked the smell. It calmed him. Porsche did it for him, whenever he woke up before Kinn, because Kinn liked to wake up to the flowery, leathery corn smell wafting through the room. Porsche had lit one the morning he left. He remembered distinctly, because he’d opened a new packet. He’d taken out just one, lit it and left.

Looking at this packet, it was still the same one. Kinn hadn’t lit another one, that day. Either he hadn’t come home, or he’d come home so quickly that the one Porsche lit was still burning.

Which was impossible. 

Porsche opened the cabinet where extra supplies were, in Kinn’s room, and surely, the set of Butiel packs were exactly as Porsche had left them. If Kinn was taking a trip, he’d have taken a packet, at least. 

He went to Kinn’s cupboard, throwing the doors open as he counted all six sets of boxes in place. He dragged them out, checking for the one that Kinn might have packed his things in. Whenever he took trips on a whim, he liked to use the smallest box, or the bag in the set. So Porsche opened each box set, from the biggest, till he got to the smallest one at the center. When he was done, Porsche sat in a sea of open box sets and dialed Vegas’ number.

“Do you know where Kinn is?”

“I thought we were avoiding him,” Vegas said.

“I’m serious.”

“What’s the problem?”

“Do you have a tracker on Kinn?”

“Nope.”

“Vegas.”

“I don’t. I swear.” Then a pause. “But the main family does.”

Porsche rose up on his knees.

“Where is he?”

Vegas sighed.

“Porsche, he needs his space.”

“I’m not trying to disturb him.”

“I thought you guys had worked it out but then he ran away. And I know it had something to do with you, so just… give him a moment.”

“Something’s wrong, Vegas.”

“Nothing’s wrong. This is how he is.”

“No, it’s not. He didn't pack a bag. His incense is still here. And even Tankhun hasn’t spoken to him. Doesn’t that seem sketchy to you?”

“I don’t know-”

“Just find him for me. Please, Vegas.”

“I don’t like this, but give me a moment.”

As the call cut, Porsche went to Kinn’s drawer. They’d had that conversation a bunch of times. Even though Porsche’s parents didn’t believe in guns, even though they always frowned at the possibility of Porsche and Chay being around guns, Kinn had other plans. Since Kinn got his first gun, he’d made sure that Porsche knew where he stored it. As the cache of guns grew, spreading out across Kinn’s favorite places, such as his room, his office, Porsche’s apartment, Kinn had made sure to stock up the place. Porsche didn’t own a gun. He didn't carry one. But if he ever needed it, he knew where to look.

Picking two guns, and a few packs of bullets, Porsche put them in a bag, just as his phone rang.

Leaving the mess behind in Kinn’s room, Porsche spoke as he exited.

“He’s in the middle of nowhere.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’ve sent you the coordinates. But it’s nothing, Porsche.”

“Have you ever been to that place before?”

“No.”

“And you don’t think it’s fishy?”

“I have safehouses around the country that the main family has no idea about. It’s safe to say that Kinn has secret places that I’ve never even heard of.”

“In the middle of nowhere?”

“That’s the best place to keep safehouses. Look, just be careful. You don’t want to make things worse between you two just because you’re being impatient.”

“I’m not being impatient. It just doesn’t feel right.”

Vegas was quiet.

“You’re sure about that.”

“I feel like something happened to him.”

“Okay then,” Vegas said. “Check out the place. If it’s fine, don’t approach him. Turn the car around and come right back.”

“And if I’m right?”

“Call me immediately.”

Porsche tossed the bag into the front seat, put his car in reverse and left the compound. He knew he was right. This wasn't just some ploy to spy on Kinn or some desperate attempt to beg for Kinn’s forgiveness. He could feel it in his bones, now. Something was definitely up. Kinn was in trouble.

Porsche wasn’t going to let it go until he knew what the fuck was going on, for sure.

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CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

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Kinn groaned when he woke.

He gave himself a moment or two to acclimate to the bright lights. When he finally opened his eyes, it was to the sight of a dimly lit room, with marble floors and cream-colored walls, that were lined by the fluffiest chairs. The chairs covered all four walls, leaving space for two doors, one of which Kinn assumed was a bathroom, while the other led out of the room. There was a mini chandelier above head, with tiny bulbs of yellow and blue, that rotated in slow motion, casting dim colors upon the walls. 

He was in a four-poster bed, with the curtains of the posts, pulled up, but still draped over the side. The air was scented. Kinn could smell the added fragrance. But it had nothing to do with the red petals that were spread all over the room; on the floor, on the bed, on the chairs. In the corner, there was a trolley of wine, with two glasses leaning against each other.

He could see what they were going for, and honestly, under other circumstances, Kinn would have thought it was romantic. But given that, currently, both his hands were cuffed to opposite corners of the bed, it was hard to feel the love.

There was movement outside the door. When the door opened, Tawan walked in. He had a phone in his ear, his coat and bag in his hand, and he was still dressed like he’d just come from the office.

“What the hell?” he said, flipping the switch. As the room brightened, Tawan jerked back, his phone slipping from his hand as the door behind him slammed shut. “What are you doing here?”

“Ask your father,” Kinn said.

Tawan shook his head, reaching for the door as he attempted to open it. But the door he’d just come in from was locked, unwilling to budge.

“No, no, no, no, no.” Tawan banged on the door. “Papa! Please.”

“Uncuff me,” Kinn said, but Tawan didn’t seem to hear him as he knelt down, picking up his phone and dialing.

“Papa,” Tawan pleaded. “I said I would handle it. Please open the door.”

Kinn didn’t know if he was disappointed or relieved that Tawan was as much a prisoner as he was. Because, on the one hand, he didn’t want to imagine what it felt like for a father to sacrifice his son like this. But on the other hand, if Tawan was still against the bite, then Kinn didn’t have to worry about being in such a vulnerable position.

As he listened to Tawan try to reason with his father, Kinn couldn’t help wondering why his own father hadn’t come. Big and Boot would have reported his predicament by now. He had a tracker on him. If he was in trouble, then the main family guards ought to be knocking down doors. 

Unless Big and Boot were also somewhere in the compound. Bound. Unable to call for backup. Fuck, they needed to update their protocols if present ones weren’t keeping them safe.

“Papa!” Tawan called. “Fuck!” He banged on the door. “Open this fucking door.” He kicked it and kicked it till he gave up and sat by it, raising his knees and burying his head in them. 

“Tawan,” Kinn said, drawing Tawan’s attention. “Uncuff me.”

Tawan’s lips trembled like he was on the verge of tears as he got up from the door and headed for Kinn. He found the keys by the side of the bed. 

“We can wait this out,” Kinn offered. “My family will come.”

“When?” Tawan sat by Kinn’s right hand, turning the cuffs around to unlock it.

“Do you have any suppressants?”

“I don’t take suppressants.”

“Fuck,” Kinn said, realizing that they were in trouble.

“It’s fine. You’re right. We can wait this out. My last heat was two months ago. It’ll be another four months before I see another heat.”

“We can’t wait this out.”

“Why not?” Tawan asked, looking concerned. “You just said-”

“I’m on suppressants.”

Tawan stopped trying to turn the cuffs as he quickly got off the bed, like Kinn had a disease.

“Take these cuffs off, please,” Kinn said, as calmly as he could.

“Wait, so if we’re in here another twenty-four hours and the suppressants wear off, your rut will trigger?”

“Tawan-”

“I’m not on suppressants so if your rut triggers, you’ll trigger me and then we’ll both just be trying to fuck.”

“We can control ourselves. Now get these cuffs off.”

Tawan shook his head, cradling the key to his chest as he moved even further away.

“No!”

“I’m not going to hurt you.”

“You’re bigger than me. You’re stronger than me. You’re an alpha.”

“That doesn't mean anything.”

“We’re locked in a room, about to go into cycles, Khun-Kinn. Surely, you can see how this isn’t an ideal situation for me.”

Tawan had experienced two heats. He was new to it and unable to regulate his hormones and emotions so Kinn could understand his fear. There was a certain mindlessness about cycles the first few times. He could understand why Tawan would think it was the same for everyone.

“Fine,” Kinn said. “Uncuff one hand, at least.”

Tawan shook his head again.

“You’re as much a threat to me as I am to you, Tawan.”

“I won’t bite you.”

“How do we know that?” Kinn asked. 

Tawan’s eyes roved on the ground, from side to side, like he was thinking. He shook his head, blinked and nodded, before looking up at Kinn.

“Okay.” He headed for the bathroom door. “I’ll- I’ll- I’ll… lock the door.”

He removed the key, entered the bathroom and locked the door.

“That won’t work,” Kinn shouted. “You could just open it and come out if your hormones get in your head.”

“Fine.” There was a rattling going on, on the other side of the door. Seconds later, the door key slid out from under the door.

Kinn sighed, staring at the ceiling in frustration.

“How long does your heat last?”

“Five… six days?”

“Will you stay there for six days? What of feeding? What if I need to use the bathroom?”

“Okay…” Tawan hesitated. “So maybe we didn't think this through.”

“We?” Kinn asked, trying not to get mad.

They were so fucked. Their best chance was in uncuffing Kinn before their cycles hit. At least, he could have tried to break the door or get the windows open. Tawan had just locked them both apart from each other. If he’d listened to Kinn, they would have been together, with better chances.

But as it stood, they were separated by a door, unable to help each other. And unable to escape.

***

Kinn couldn’t sleep that night. His hands cramped and relaxed a bunch of times. His wrists were raw from pulling at it, but the posts held up. No matter how hard he tried, he was stuck, unable to do more than shuffle about the bed. With his hands apart, hanging slightly above his shoulder, Kinn’s back was strained, as well.

However, he was thankful for the discomfort. He couldn’t imagine relaxing and falling asleep. In someone else’ bed. The nightmares had reduced significantly. At least, he didn’t wake up covered in sweat, with fear gripping his chest. But there were other things… other nightly happenings that he didn’t want to occur.

Porsche never talked about it. The few times it happened, they usually just woke up, changed the sheets and aired out his mattress, like it was nothing. Because Porsche was safe enough for Kinn’s shame. Porsche would back Kinn up, no matter what. 

He didn’t expect the same treatment from Tawan. Fiancé or not, Tawan was still just a stranger.

As morning dawned, Kinn was already beginning to feel the tinges of a rut. His nipples  were getting sore, his dick was hardening and the promise of a knot was already forming. He hadn’t taken a pill the day before, so it was way past twenty-four hours. The longer he went without stimulation, the harder the pounding in his head got. It also didn’t help that he could smell Tawan. Sometime around dawn, Tawan’s scent had started wafting through the gap in the bathroom door, soaking into Kinn’s senses, surrounding him, drowning him in the intoxication of an omegas’ presence.

The first moan from Tawan was all it took for Kinn’s knot to nudge, pushing against his pants, itching to be let out. He envied Tawan his freedom to move about in the bathroom. At least, he could jerk off. He could masturbate. He could cum.

Kinn was stuck, trying to hump the air, trying not to moan too loud, pulling against the cuffs desperate for some friction beyond light fabric. As the second evening came, Kinn was in tears. He was practically licking the air to get a taste of Tawan. A rut that he could have ridden out, alone, had become nothing but torture. He’d knotted twice to dry orgasms that were forced out of him. He needed to jerk off before another knot popped again. He needed to cum. He needed to jizz all over the fucking bed, rub his dick till the knot expanded, giving way for a seamless, blissful orgasm. But he couldn’t have that. 

Not. When. His fucking. Hands. Were. Tied!

There was a knock at the door as a guard opened it, rolling in another trolley, but this one was filled with food. As soon as he saw Kinn, he pulled out his walkie-talkie.

“Khun-Kinn is still cuffed to the bed, Sir. And Khun-Tawan…” at that moment Tawan moaned loudly; deep and guttural. “He’s in the bathroom, Sir.”

“Bring him out,” the gruff voice of the councilman said.

“No…” Kinn said, his voice scratchy and dry. “Please, don’t do-don’t do that.”

The guard picked the bathroom key, opened the door and the moment he opened it, Kinn was hit in the face with a blast of omega pheromones. Turning away, choking on want and desire, Kinn coughed. The guard went in and gently dragged out the weak-looking omega that he lay by the side of the bed.

Kinn knew he could have taken this chance if he wasn’t cuffed. He was weak and hard and his joints were stiff, but he was sure he’d be able to take the guard. As the man put the trolley off to the side, he retraced his steps, shut the door and locked them back up.

In the silence of the room, Tawan sniffed, mewling quietly on the ground, like he was in pain. He’d lost his pants and underwear, at some point, but he was still wearing his undershirt. He was breathing and judging from the smell, Kinn just knew that man was covered in cum.

“Are you… are you okay?”

Tawan mumbled something that Kinn couldn't hear.

“What was that?”

“You smell like heaven,” Tawan said.

Whatever concern Kinn felt, vanished as his stomach sank.

Slowly, with a lot of effort, Tawan sat up, his head peeking up from the side of the bed, as he stared up at Kinn with tired, bloodshot eyes. There were blisters around his mouth and his nose was dripping. When he put his hand on the bed, Kinn shifted his leg away.

“Tawan?” he said. “Calm down.”

Carefully, hissing in pain, Tawan climbed the bed, hand grabbing Kinn’s ankle as he crawled towards him.

“You’re so hard,” he said.

“Don’t,” Kinn said, kicking off Tawan’s hand but Tawan got between Kinn’s legs, spreading them apart with his body.

“I could smell you before.” His voice was just as scratchy as Kinn’s. Tawan sniffed, rubbing his nose, making it even redder. “You’re practically bursting with need. I can feel it. I can smell it. Oh god, I want your knot.” He moaned, reaching for Kinn’s zipper.

“You’re drunk on pheromones.” 

He hummed, lips searching for Kinn’s, but Kinn turned away. Tawan’s lips brushed against Kinn’s cheek as he sucked on it, licking and moving down till he was nibbling at Kinn’s neck. 

Kinn’s head went blank, for a second. Scared, he froze, unable to move, as Tawan’s lips sucked and his tongue licked. He could feel every inch of Tawan’s body, on his own. He could feel Tawan doing away with Kinn’s zipper, forcing his pants down his hips in a frenzy, freeing Kinn’s dick as it came up for air. He was super sensitive, his knot itching to expand, to usher in another orgasm.

“Ple…please,” Kinn whispered, clenching his eyes shut as he finally regained movement in his body. “You don’t want this-”

Tawan’s hand had found Kinn’s knot, rubbing it as a long moan choked out of Kinn, because FINALLY, something… someone was touching him. Kinn’s hands strained against the cuff, pulling as the cuffs cut into his skin. 

“Fucking stop!” he yelled.

Tawan wasn’t listening to him. He probably couldn’t even process what he was doing, as he jerked Kinn off, staring down at Kinn’s dick with desperate lust.

He climbed into Kinn’s lap, positioning his dick beneath his hole. Kinn tried to buck him off, but Tawan was deceptively strong, pressing Kinn’s shoulders against the wall.

“Tawan!” Kinn said. “TAWAN!” 

But Tawan couldn't hear him.

“Snap out of it.”

Tawan’s sleek, welcoming asshole slid down on Kinn’s dick, gripping his knot as Kinn’s entire body vibrated with the pleasuring pressure of it. He couldn’t help it. His body was responding to something he really didn’t want. Tawan didn’t want it either. Neither of them had asked for this. And yet, there they were, Tawan riding Kinn’s knot, moaning, his ass gripping and releasing, a soft caress, alternating with a hard hold, driving Kinn mad with a desperate need to ejaculate. 

Snapping his head back, Kinn’s teeth extended, as the urge to bite the omega in front of him was too strong.

Not knowing what he was doing, he lunged up at Tawan, but the cuffs held him back. Tawan, too gone to care, didn’t even protect himself. His eyes were closed, too, neck exposed, as he braced himself on Kinn’s shoulders, moaning, fucking himself on Kinn’s dick, moving faster and faster as the tension just kept building and building and building, till Kinn shouted, and came, flooding Tawan’s insides with cum.

This time, when the knot expanded, inside of Tawan, inside an omega, after a satisfying orgasm, Kinn was delirious with joy, unable to help the wrecked smile that spread on his face.

Even as tears flowed down the side of his eyes.

***

When he woke up, Tawan was snoring lightly against Kinn’s chest. They were bound together by Kinn’s knot. Kinn tried not to think about it, tried not to hate himself for liking it. Because he hadn’t. He hadn’t even had enough energy to see it through till the knot finished expanding, locking Tawan from moving away. It would be hours before the knot receded enough for Tawan to move. 

Still very tired, Kinn barely had time to assess his surroundings before he passed out, once again. 

***

There was a new trolley when he woke up.

Tawan was gone. Kinn’s clothes were gone. Someone had cleaned him up and covered him with a blanket.

And the best part? His wrists were no longer cuffed. 

Sitting up, he found a set of house clothes waiting for him on one of the fluffy chairs. As he went to put it on, moving slowly because everything still ached, he could hear movement inside the bathroom. His stomach growled and he went to the trolley, noting that some of the food was tampered with. As he ate, he could hear Tawan, going at it, again.

Kinn could manage. He was still hard and Tawan’s pungent scent wasn’t helping. But he needed to eat. He needed to rest. He had no idea how Tawan still had energy to still be masturbating. Everything in Kinn’s body felt old and unused, like a forgotten machine in need or oiling.

Even as he ate, Kinn’s eyes felt heavy. But he kept going. Fluids, carbs, protein. He needed those as much as he needed to cum, during a rut. And if he was going to hold out for help to find him, he needed all the strength he could muster. Chewing and drinking and chewing, Kinn fell asleep in the chair, with food still in his mouth.

***

“I’m sorry,” Tawan said as he placed a tiny, blinking tracker on the bed, beside Kinn. “I’m s-sorry for what I did, but I’m also sorry for everything that happened when I woke up.”

As Tawan spoke, Kinn picked up the tracker. It was still blinking a bright green.

“I was going to leave you like that, but there was cum all over you and… other disgusting bodily fluids. So I took your clothes off and cleaned you up. I’m sorry I did that, too.”

Kinn closed his fist around the tracker.

“But I found that when I was sorting your clothes to be washed,” Tawan said, gesturing at the tracker. “It’s broadcasting your current location, right?”

Kinn nodded.

“It’s been five days. Six,” he corrected. “And yet, no one has come for you, Kinn. Your family hasn’t heard from you and there’s a functioning tracker, and yet they haven’t used it.”

“Maybe they don’t know I’m missing.”

“After six days?” Tawan asked. “Do you usually go missing without a word?”

Never. Kinn always made it a point to tell someone. Papa, Mama, Tankhun. Someone. With the amount of attempts on their lives, they’d grown up knowing that no matter how angry or sad or in need of some personal time that you were, you had to check in. Someone had to know that you were alright, or guards would come for you.

“We already knew my father did this to us. I guess now, we know your father was in on it, too.”

Kinn didn’t want to believe it. Papa wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t make such a permanent decision without discussing it with Kinn, first. Mama wouldn’t let him. A mating? That was serious shit. If something had gone wrong, if Tawan had been too frenzied and had bitten Kinn, while Kinn was unable to reciprocate… if Tawan had refused to let Kinn bite him back, things could have been incredibly fucked for Kinn.

Not to mention the fact that Kinn didn’t even want to be bitten by Tawan in the first place. 

If Papa had agreed to this…

Kinn didn’t know what to say to that. 

Which meant that Kinn was all on his own. No one was coming to get him. If he was going to be free, he had to get out all on his own.

***

Tawan drew him a map, laying out the many routes Kinn could take to leave. Kinn’s wrists were bandaged, and beginning to heal, but his body wasn’t quite hundred percent. He hadn't fully recovered from the rut. He wasn’t even sure the rut was over. But he could walk around the room, so he was sure he could jog his way out. He’d need a gun. The guard who always brought their food had one. 

When he came to give them lunch, Kinn jumped him from behind as Tawan closed the door. They pushed the trolley off to the side.

“Go,” Tawan said, giving Kinn the guard’s walkie-talkie. “So that you hear how they’re moving.”

“You’re not coming with me?”

“I’ll slow you down.” Tawan searched for sheets to use to tie the guard. “I’ll keep him here so you have a head start. Go.”

“But-”

“He’s my father. What’s he going to do to me?”

Kinn could have pointed out the many things a kidnapping, coitus-forcing, dart-shooting father could do to his child. He could have mentioned just how dreadful things could get for Tawan if he stayed behind. But he didn’t. Because, in that moment, Kinn was feeling a little selfish. Tawan was right. He would slow Kinn down and Kinn needed to worry about himself out there.

When he got free, he’d come back for Tawan. He’d make sure Tawan was fine. He just had to set himself free, first.

“Be careful,” Kinn said.

Tawan pushed him towards the door. As soon as Kinn was out, Tawan locked the door behind him. Checking the gun for bullets, Kinn stayed close to the wall as he ran down the corridor, leading to the elevator.

He’d come into the house unconscious, but he had Tawan’s map and info. He’d be out in no time. The next time he saw the councilman, Kinn would be armed with so much more than a tiny, hand gun.

And then they’d be able to have a proper conversation.

[everyforkedroad]

Updated: <<Made to Love>> Threadfic Series - Pt. 14/17

"For Kinn, betrayal was a barb that burrowed its lessons deep into the soul. It scarred as it wounded. Kinn was not made to love because love was nothing more than a weapon to be wielded against him."

Series of 17 short drabbles from Kinn's POV. Follows the series with three bonus installments (Before/Side Story/After)

Posting simultaneously to Twitter and AO3

Part 14 - Unspeakable Things

Read here: Twitter / AO3

[thatsamoodrightthere]

Chapter 12 is up. Porsche copes the best he can on Chay’s birthday.

[pagesofkenna]

I had a Kinnporsche AU dream last night that involved 1) a car wreck, 2) a meet-cute with the car mechanic, 3) hiding from bad guys, 4) talking about Homestuck

I have not seen Kinnporsche

[aeternallis]

So I was re-watching a couple of the earlier episodes of KPTS earlier last week, and I got to thinking about this scene again from episode 2. I remember when I first watched this scene, I thought to myself, “Ah, Porsche…you judgmental himbo, you would say that, wouldn’t you?” 😂

Personally, I’ve always been somewhat of the belief that Porsche and Kim probably wouldn’t get along in the beginning, not necessarily because of Chay (although Chay would probably be part of the reason), but because of how fundamentally different their mindsets are when it comes to how they see the family unit.

Porsche is a good son. He does his best to live up to the responsibilities Nampheung entrusted to him, and he’s stubborn in giving up the last remnant (the house) of his parents’ memory, even if in the long run, it maybe would have been the wiser decision to do so.

Porsche venerates the family unit—I would almost argue that in some level, he glorifies it, in the way he has held Pat and Nampheung’s memory on a pedestal. There’s definitely some sense of betrayal in his expression, imo, when he first gets to that room and sees Nampheung alive and (not) well, yknow?

But Porsche being Porsche, ultimately, he is a good son, and will always remain loyal to his parents. In that regard, he’s not too different from Kinn.

But contrast that to Kim. Kim is also a good son—at least outwardly to Korn, and genuinely loyal to his siblings. He’s investigating Korn, yes—but he does so secretly, without implicating either of his brothers to be complicit in his Sherlocking. He still gives Korn the subtle affection his father expects from him (the fried snack he got him) and plays at being ignorant, but he doesn’t give him much else.

Kim upholds the family unit, only in so far that he remains loyal and steadfast to the people that genuinely matter to him.

Whereas Porsche venerates the entirety of the family unit itself, Kim only upholds what matters to him, and his loyalty only extends to a handful of people within that family unit.

Porsche himself thinks in the beginning that joining the mafia is a bad decision, but he does it anyway, for his and Chay’s survival. Kinn’s family is shady af to him, and he struggles very much in the beginning to get accustomed to their ways. He sees them as an arrogant bunch who hurt good people.

And yet, upon hearing about Kim moving out, he doesn’t praise him for getting away from the madness. He doesn’t say, “good on him, for pursuing his own thing!” or something like that.

On the contrary: Porsche judges Kim, based on his seemingly lack of loyalty to his family. At least the way I see it, it very much rings true of the cultural attitudes in Asia at large, in that we’re more of the collectivist mindset, rather than the individualistic one.

I've said it many times before, but filial piety plays a big role in how Porsche makes his decisions. (Let's not even get into how Porsche felt he had no choice but to lower the gun when Kinn got in the way, in order to protect his father. Porsche would never make Kinn choose between their relationship or Korn, and all the drama that that entails)

I think that’s the reason Porsche was able to judge Kim so quickly, when he heard the (very little) bit of the other man’s backstory from Pete. Of course he would see Kim as a self-centered brat; in Porsche’s mind, without even truly knowing him, Kim is someone who is the antithesis of a good son: he moved out of the main family home, he doesn’t seem involved with the business whatsoever, and he’s left all the managing of the affairs to his father and brothers.

Imo, I think that’s part of the reason why Kim (and KimChay) fascinates me so much, since the POV character of the show is Porsche, and Kim’s story show us, 1) a different angle to the story, in that shit is going on behind the scenes and on the contrary, he's quite still involved in the family business and 2) demonstrates to the audience how unreliable and very limited Porsche’s POV is.

For me personally, it’s details like this that really enhances the story, when the narrative embraces the characters’ biases, and lets that navigate the drama of it all~

[thewholedamnboulangerie]

How To Befriend Birds, Ogle Shirtless Hunks, and Win Back Your Ex: A Guide by Porchay Kittisawat

Rating: T Chapter word count: 2648 Chapters: 1/5 Relationships: KimChay; ArmTankhun Additional tags: Post-Canon; Humor; Alternating PoV; Original Character; (the original character is a bird); (trust me she's vital to the plot); Everyone Lives AU; bodyguard beauty pageant; KimChay reconciliation era; Chay's 'crushing on all the bodyguards' era Summary: Hidden in the fine print of the contracts signed by every Theerapanyakul bodyguard, there lurks one very unusual clause: a stipulation that the undersigned is obligated to participate in the annual Theerapanyakul Bodyguard Aesthetic Championships. (Beauty Pageant. It's a bodyguard beauty pageant.) When Kinn and Porsche are unexpectedly called abroad on business, it falls to Chay to step up and fill the empty seat on the judging panel for that year's upcoming contest. A week of sequins, shirtlessness, costume sabotage and slutty catwalk strutting awaits - and maybe even a chance to reconcile with someone he's only just letting himself admit he misses...

I'm a little bit late, but my fic for @kinnporschebigbang is finally here! This is the longest fic I've ever posted to Ao3, and easily the crackiest as well, but it's been so much fun to work on it along with my artist partner @aghostlybao! They've created the most gorgeous art to accompany the fic, including the above banner and a few more surprises in the next chapter as well - I'm so excited to finally be able to share this project with everyone! 🥰

✨read on ao3✨

[yujeong]

Hello. I'm back with my Macau bullshit. This time: the difference between his relationship with Pete and his relationship with Porsche (because if I don't scream about Pete and Porsche and the parallels between them, I can't function as a human being apparently.) Ok so, first things first. I am aware that I may be comparing apples and oranges here. Besides the fact that they're both bodyguards of the main family and very close to Kinn, there's not really anything else tying them together in regards to their relationship with Macau. But here's the thing. That's what I care about. What circumstances make Macau act like the devilish little gremlin that he is VS the compliant and polite son of the minor family. And my boys are perfect for the job. (The post will be split into 2 parts because I guess I had a LOT to say about Porsche and Macau so, Pete and Macau will be explored in another one)

Ok. I think I speak for all of us when I say that we did NOT get enough Macau in the show. He had like, what, 5 scenes total? HOWEVER, the scenes we got were spectacular for a gazillion reasons but I'll choose to focus on a specific aspect of them for this post: Most, if not all of his scenes, were either from Porsche's or Pete's POV. And that's giving us a lot. Let's start with Porsche. He - and the audience, remember, most of this show is through Porsche's POV so that's important - meets Macau like he actually is; a typical teenager. He's moody, rude and doesn't want to deal with Porsche's bullshit. (Although, one could argue he was extra antsy because they were at the main family's house, which I choose to believe due to how the minor family is treated by their relatives.) Their first scene, accompanied by the scene in which he goes to Gun and calls Porsche out in front of everyone is Macau being sincere. It actually is him, and it's tragic as well as amazing how he's never himself again in front of Porsche for the rest of the show. Because the next time we see Macau with Porsche, it's in ep 7, when Vegas has his plans with Porsche to execute and Macau has to follow along. BUT, Porsche gets to have a glimpse of the real Macau in this exchange:

(Vegas' smile is KILLING me OMG, he loves his brother SO MUCH, I'M CHEWING GLASS AS WE SPEAK-) Porsche never gets to see Macau's actual face in this (maybe a glimpse from above but with difficulty) but his voice betrays his happiness at seeing his brother and from the answer he gives. Aaaall of that fades away when the bodyguards sit down. Macau turns quiet and polite, keeping appearances because they have guests, and we have him welcoming all of them, and Porsche, like this:

The show knows we the audience - and Porsche - remember what has happened between the two, so Macau saying "Hello" to Porsche carries significance here. GOD, I wish I could make gifs because, after that, after the camera stops focusing on Macau's face, you get him blurred in the background and the boy is SO uncomfortable by what's happening. His eyes dart left and right, mostly at Pete and Arm's direction - he fucking HEARS Arm's comment about "no surprise that the heirs of this family turn out like this" and he SIGHS and looks downward and he STARES at Vegas' direction when he spews his bullshit about how the minor family treats their bodyguards. My boy is PRESENT in the discussion and he hates every second of it. Isn't it spectacular then, how the next scene between him and Porsche, is the one in which Macau apologizes? I love the fact that he calls him Phi. It's so good, because in my eyes Porsche doesn't even deserve it. He never apologized for what he did to Macau. He did, to Vegas, but not to Macau himself. So, the respect Macau shows to him is so fake I could cry from laughter.

He finds him trying to get on Vegas' motorcycle and touches him and urges him to ride it. "I know you like motorcycles," he says, like that's a normal thing to know and not something Vegas told him to say because VEGAS is the one who knows.

I'm dying over here, truly. Macau is amazing and it hurts as much as it's funny, because Macau must be feeling so bad here imo. He's not an idiot, he knows Porsche was in the wrong and Vegas knows as well because LOOK AT HIS FUCKING FACE AS MACAU SAID THE THING:

This isn't a strict face, one that's like "that fucking kid, finally he learned how to apologize". This is a "the things I do for my plans to work" kind of face. Vegas used Macau here. And I'm convinced that he hated every second of witnessing this scene in front of him.

Also, I love how Macau is touchy with Porsche. Macau does show affection through touch, just like his brother does. It's evident by the hospital scene with Pete and the scene above with Vegas when they talked + the scene in ep 2, in which he stretched his arm in Vegas' direction. But, just like Vegas, he uses that in his advantage to get what he wants here. What Vegas wants from him to get, which is, Porsche's trust. And, if any audience member actually believed for even a second that Macau was sincere here, then comes this to show them that NOPE, the boy doesn't believe his words in the slightest:

It's easier to see in motion but Macau's shy grin as he sees Vegas in front of him, shows you everything you need to know about the sincerity of his words. And even if THAT wasn't enough, you have Vegas confirming your suspicions with his words:

Oh, Vegas, you scheming bastard. You wanted your plan to work so badly, you used even Macau for it. I wonder if that kept you up at night. This whole scene was so...Vegas coded? It felt like Macau adapted Vegas' methods of seduction with Porsche here, didn't it? Actual Macau would never do any of that and it's incredible how Porsche only saw that version of Macau after ep 2. It makes you wonder; what did Porsche see and hear from Macau during that one-month period before the show finale, a period of time in which Vegas was fighting for his life + Porsche had just gained Vegas' right as the heir of the minor family? How was Macau's behavior then? I really wish we got to know, because Macau showing his true self to Porsche again due to circumstance is very appealing to me. Porsche&Macau in general is a relationship dynamic I haven't seen people talk about at all, which is strange due to their canonical scenes. Oh well. Another excuse to write essay long posts on Tumblr, I guess.

[guzhufuren]

Favourite VegasPete Fics pt.2 (pt.1) (in alphabetical order)

1. Black Velvet by @kerrikins https://archiveofourown.org/series/3158706

Vegas notices Pete watching him during the torture scene. Intrigued and more tempted than he expected to be, he stalks Pete and succeeds in taunting him into coming with Vegas so they can fuck.

It starts off as a cat and mouse game for sex, but when the two of them are finally forced to reckon with the fact that they're on opposite sides, they both find themselves more conflicted and drawn to each other than ever.

2. cause and effect by @sapphicblight https://archiveofourown.org/series/3234285

“Don’t you have better things to do with your time? Other virgins for example,” Pete asks him one time over a guerrilla warfare style lunch date. “Not until next semester,” Vegas laments. “I’ve already exhausted our current student body.” Pete doesn’t even know where to begin unpacking everything wrong with that statement.

Or: the college au in which Vegas is a manwhore with a weird innocence kink and Pete is an inexperienced painslut.

3. Drowning, and other Metaphors https://archiveofourown.org/works/44171761

Vegas has never experienced an afterglow that burns like an oil fire, a sudden and dangerous thing that he can’t quite remember how best to put out past the panic. It doesn’t help that Pete’s smile is like a torrent of cool water on his feverish skin, making the flames jump higher. It makes Vegas want to do something dangerous that he’s never really been good at before – it makes him want to take care of Pete. Problem is, he doesn’t really know how.

4. Holy Palmer's Kiss https://archiveofourown.org/works/41273907

"By the way," says Vegas in English. "Interesting scars you’ve got on your chest." Pete doesn’t tense – he doesn’t – but the leveled manner his gaze slides back up must be enough of a tell because Vegas… "What ? Don’t tell me you thought it wouldn’t come up."

The begining of episode 11 but Vegas zeroes in on Pete's top surgery scars instead of his hip tattoo.

5. i want to wear his initial on a chain round my neck by @dage-mingjue & @stratumgermanitivum https://archiveofourown.org/series/3352987

Pete picks up the chain leash and offers it to Vegas. “So, you never did tell me what you were getting this for.” Vegas takes the chain from Pete’s hands and fixes a dark and sultry look on him. “This? Oh, it’s for bad boys who misbehave.” And with that he gives one last smirk before walking out the front door, leaving Pete an absolute mess behind the counter. *** “Pete,” Porsche says, in a very slow voice, like Pete is a particularly small child. “He was hitting on you.” Pete blinks. “He what now?” — Or; Vegas adopts a puppy.

6. Sharing Different Heartbeats by @raelle-writing https://archiveofourown.org/works/40549581

Of course Vegas noticed Pete. But not with much weight. Sure, Pete was hot. But so were all of the rest of Kinn’s bodyguards. That wasn’t notable. It wasn’t worth more than a passing once-over, or an absent glance at the man’s ass in those suits they insisted on wearing. He had a nice ass, but it didn’t stick in Vegas’ mind. It was passing lust, nothing more. And he certainly wasn’t hotter than the other bodyguards– not Porsche, for example. The only thing notable about Pete was that he had a surprisingly soft, cute face, and a sunny, disarming smile. He looked far too soft for his job. But he was Tankhun’s head bodyguard, and one of the men that Kinn often tapped for important missions. Which meant that the cute, soft face was hiding real talent and skill. So yes, Vegas noticed Pete. But it didn’t mean anything.

OR: a retelling of the story from Vegas' POV, from first impressions until after the hospital.

7. The King Must Die https://archiveofourown.org/works/41144892

“It’s fine,” Macau assures Vegas, whose very soul feels plunged into turmoil. Tear-bright eyes, a faint handprint on his sheltered face, and Macau tries to comfort Vegas. “It’s fine, I promise.” Vegas would kill for his brother, indiscriminately. He’s just now realising quite what that means.

(The queer experience of having an ill-advised one night stand with your cousin's head bodyguard and then ending up in hiding with him while you plot to kill your father.)

8. The Last Thing Left to Break by @blackwatervial https://archiveofourown.org/works/41053809

Hatred ran deep between the Theerapanyakul and the Saengtham family. It was common knowledge that the two leaders, Khun Vegas and Khun Pete, despised each other and used every small excuse to initiate yet another bloody conflict. Only that no one was really aware what happened behind closed doors…

9. the mortifying ordeal of falling in love by @dage-mingjue https://archiveofourown.org/works/41659146

“If I had to rate you?” Pete pauses and tilts his head with a low hum, considering. “I dunno, a six out of ten? I thought you were a sadist, but you didn’t really give that impression. Are you actually kinky? That didn’t feel kinky. It didn’t do it for me.” Vegas looks like someone punched him. Hard. His cock is still out and his hair is rumpled and he looks devastatingly disheveled, like Pete was the one who just took Vegas apart and not the other way around. “I’d worry that it was just a fluke,” Pete continues, ignoring Vegas’s flabbergasted sputters, “but I also don’t think I’d give you a second time to prove me wrong.” Pete shrugs and fixes his shirt, petting back his hair. “Anyway, see you around.” — Or a fic in which Vegas fucks through all of Kinn’s bodyguards and lands on Pete, but Pete uno reverses it on Vegas leaving Vegas wanting so much more. Vegas gets humiliated and has to work for it.

[the-cookie-of-doom]

I know Kinn is not central part of the 'Kim gives himself to Porsche story' at the moment but I want to know, what is he thinking about what happened and happens? Of course Korn fed him many lies about Kim, but were they in line of ~Kim absolutely betrayed us, he is worse than the minor family~ way or were they like ~Kittisawat family manipulated him~ kind of way? Do Porsche and Kinn ever come across each other and Porsche has a gun to Kinn’s head but then he lowers the gun, saying something like well I made a promise to not harm you, and is Kinn shocked out of his mind?

Fell free to be as mysterious in your answers as you want!

Love,

🖤

Anon my beloved!! You're right, there isn't a ton of Kinn in this fic (yet!!) Because of that, I don't have a ton of plans for him yet, and at the moment he won't even have his own PoV chapters, so IDK what's going to be going on there. I haven't fully decided. Disclaimer that anything is subject to change, but here are some ideas!

Firs off, Kinn is devastated when Kim disappears. He loses both his lover and his brother in a very short span of time, and is told one or both of them also betrayed his trust, and. We see how that works out for him in canon lol. It turns him into someone very cold and cruel that doesn't trust anyone.

I think Korn has known the entire time where Kim is/who he's with. Or if not know, at least suspected. Porsche knows way too much about his business, and it's too coincidental with Kim's disappearance. The question is whether or not he's going to share that information with Kinn. I'm torn. On the one hand, he could play off Kim's disappearance and fake his death. That would keep Kinn focused on work instead of trying to track Kim down. On the other hand, he could be framing it like Kim betrayed them, trying to sew discord between the brothers in case Kim every tries to come home. But I don't think that would work on Kinn for very long, he's full of too much love for his family. He would still want an explanation from Kim.

It's also imperative to the plot that Kinn has no idea Kim is with Porsche. The way I want the KinnPorsche to work out, they have a very antagonistic professional relationship/rivalry.

Kinn is already furious when he finds out Porsche knew where his brother was all this time. Years. Smiling to his face, acting friendly, flirting with him. Only to go home and bend his little brother over the nearest surface. (And yes, that is a roadblock for KinnPorsche, even though KimChay aren't bothered by it. It was pretty normalized for Chay, but Kinn is having a Very Hard Time.)

Okay I got sidetracked. (so much for answering mysteriously, eh?) Anyway. All that to say, Porsche hides Kim from Kinn. The way he sees it, Kim was in bad shape when he turned up on Porsche's door, clearly running from something bad, and he was an adult capable of making his own decision. So he's going to go along with it. But then between Kim obviously missing his brother (and pretending he doesn't), and Kinn's well-concealed grief, still putting out feelers bc he refuses to accept Kim is gone, Porsche decides he needs to get them back together. Kim refuses, but then something happens that kind of forces their hand: he runs straight into Kinn.

Then there's a KinnPorsche confrontation. Now that there's undeniable proof of where Kim is, Korn starts telling Kinn all the awful things Porsche must have been doing to him all this time, holding him prisoner, abusing him, etc. That doesn't fit with the Porsche Kinn knows, but surely there's Nothing Else.

Korn sees this as a way to eliminate a rival family that's gotten way too powerful. Eventually Kim's information is too out of date to be helpful anymore, but he's still an intelligent little schemer, and he becomes Porsche's most trusted advisor. And ofc Kim's priority is always to ruin his father's business as much as possible, so Korn is eager to be rid of him.

So, yeah! There's occasional KinnPorsche interactions, but not too much. Just enough for Kinn to feel betrayed when he finally finds Kim. Esp. when he finds Kim very much playing the part of sex slave (for Chay, at this point), and thinks the things Korn has told him must be true. And it doesn't help that Kim refuses to come anywhere near him; Kinn thinks he's been Stockholm Syndromed.

[bitacrytic]

Overheat [34 & 35]

Read Previous Chapter Here

-

"How will that work, exactly?" Kinn asked. "One alpha has to know his place as-"

"As the lesser one?" Porsche completed.

"I never said that," Kinn replied, pulling out of Porsche's grasp as he started to put his shirt back on. "I never called you lesser."

But while his words said one thing, Kinn's entire body said another thing and Porsche was distraught to imagine how he'd never even thought of it before.

"Kinn, did you think I was less than you because I bottomed for you?"

"Now, you're just putting words in my mouth."

-

-

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

-

Porsche caught Pete just as he left the room, but Pete wouldn't wait.

"Stop for a second," Porsche said, grabbing him by the arm.

"You don't have to-"

"Pete," Porsche stopped him from talking. "You were protecting yourself."

Pete stared at him, a look of suspicion and hesitation in his eyes. For a moment, Porsche felt like they were in a scene and he wasn't looking at Pete anymore. Porsche felt like he was Beon, looking at the despicably dubious Niran. One moment, Pete was normal, the next he'd drawn a blanket over his features, blocking Porsche from approaching him in any way. This wasn't the first time he'd seen the look on Pete's face. But whenever he did, there was an understanding that they were acting. They were working.

But at that moment, witnessing this Pete in the real world was a little unsettling.

"It's not your problem, Porsche. Let it go." He shrugged his hand out of Porsche's grasp, but Porsche blocked him from leaving.

"Kinn will calm down. Just give him a minute."

"He has every right to be mad," Pete said, moving aside as Porsche moved as well.

"Why are you both so strong headed? What are you planning on doing? Are you going to resign from his company? Are you going to quit "Overheat"? You're not doing either of those things so both of you are going to make up eventually."

Pete sighed and stopped trying to get around Porsche as he looked at him.

"I understand that this is weird for you and you feel like you're in the middle, but I promise you Porsche, this isn't your battle. You don't have to involve yourself in this."

"I don't want you to leave here feeling like-"

"It's my business, Porsche. Just leave it alone."

When Pete moved to the side, this time, Porsche didn't block him.

"We need you for the plan to work."

At those words, Pete slowed to a stop, placing his hands on his hips as he turned back around. There was a tight smile on his face.

"Of course. I have the contact and I'm the one who can recognize my abductors. Fine. I'll help, but I'm going back to camp."

Porsche shook his head.

"You're listening to me now that you think I need you."

"We were already trying to catch who is responsible."

True. But Porsche could read the minutely relaxed pose on Pete's entire frame. He'd been so tense when Porsche was asking him to stay. But now that he remembered they were working together, now that he remembered there was an objective reason for him to be around, he was suddenly trusting of Porsche's advances.

Moving towards him, Porsche said, "You do realize you don't have to do anything, right? You can just walk away."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Kinn and Vegas, they have resources of lifetimes. You don't have to put your neck on the line."

"My career is on the line. Wan has a video of me in..." Pete's words lowered to nothing as he looked around, finally remembering that they were in public. "This isn't just about the leak in Vegas' businesses. I'm doing this for me too."

Porsche wanted to cry. Pete was approaching everything with the clinical familiarity of a man who'd been doing this all his life and Porsche just wanted to scream. This wasn't something to see as normal. Porsche wasn't even really involved in it and he was freaking out. He'd taken a gun and gone after Kinn and sometimes, Porsche lay awake at night, thinking about it. Wondering what he would have done if they'd caught him or shot him or killed him. He'd been so foolish to run headfirst into that kind of danger and he was still very shaken about it.

He wasn't even the real target, but Porsche felt like someone was watching his every move. Every second. Of everyday.

Yet, here was Pete, willing to brush off his experiences like it was nothing. He'd been bound to a metal chair and left alone for hours. He'd been exposed and practically sexually assaulted, seeing as he was forced into a heat. But to him, it was nothing.

Unable to stand it anymore, Porsche walked right into Pete's space and pulled him into a tight hug. Cradling Pete's head into his shoulder, Porsche blinked away tears.

"Uh... Porsche?"

"Just give me a minute," Porsche pleaded.

Together, in the middle of the hospital hallway, they stood, in probably the most awkward hug known to mankind. Porsche didn't really care. He just wanted to hold Pete. Feel him. Believe that he was real. He wondered what kind of love a person like Pete thought himself to deserve, if he was so unwilling to accept affection unless he thought he was being useful to other people. Porsche resented Kinn and Vegas in equal measure, as men who were supposed to be intimate with Pete. Because they had to have been some failing on their part if Pete was still this way.

"You're awesome, do you know that?" Porsche asked.

"You're being a weirdo."

"I know."

"Can I go now?"

"In a second."

"And here I thought the cuddling was going to stop now that we both know what we really are."

Porsche pulled away, frowning. "It's better now. We can be more careful."

"I'm not cuddling an unmated alpha."

"You need it just as much as me."

Maybe not as much. Pete was definitely more emotionally regulated than Porsche had been. But he could still tell Pete enjoyed the cuddling. He may not have needed it, emotionally. But as an omega, even without leaning into stereotypes, Porsche was aware that cuddling an alpha did good things to Pete's state of being, as a whole.

"I'm going to step away from you now," Pete said.

This time, Porsche let him go completely.

"Be careful."

"I just want to clear my head. I'll be back in dorm before dawn."

He hated watching him leave, but Pete was a grown man. If he wanted to take a walk, he was going to take a walk. It wasn't as if Porsche could just bundle him and store him in his pocket, in safety, away from Wan and Tod and god only knew who else was out there staring at Pete with evil intent.

When he turned back around, Vegas was leaning on the wall, watching Porsche with hooded eyes.

"I'm making a note, now, for the sake of our friendship and our professional relationship," Vegas said. "That you stop touching Pete outside of work."

Porsche scoffed, casually strolling towards him.

"You should see us cuddle at night."

"Excuse me?" Vegas said, pushing off the wall.

"I guess that's what happens when an alpha neglects his omega and the omega goes running into the arms of the next alpha he can find."

He walked past Vegas, heading for Kinn's hotel room.

"Okay," Vegas followed him. "I feel like you're joking, but I'm about to start taking your words very seriously."

"Boohoo," Porsche said, reaching the door at the same time as Dr. Top. "Good..." he checked his watch and it was a few minutes after two in the morning. "...morning, doctor."

"Porsche," the doctor nodded. "Kinn called for a checkout. At 2am. Just what every insomniac wants."

He opened the door and entered as Vegas held Porsche back.

"Seriously."

"Oh stop your whining," Porsche said. "I wanted a hug and he was right there."

"And the cuddling?"

With his hand on the door, Porsche feigned contemplation, complete with a furrow in his brow.

"The cuddling has been happening. You know. Just to relieve a bit of emotional stress."

"You're going to stop that or-"

"Or what? You'll return the favor?" Porsche laughed. "I'd like to see you cuddle your own cousin."

"You're disgusting."

"You do realize that cuddling is platonic and something that you can do with your actual cousins?"

The look of disgust didn't leave Vegas' face as he let go of Porsche, giving him the middle finger as he headed away.

"Tsk. I love you too, Khun-Vegas."

When Porsche entered the room, Dr. Top was standing at the glass wall, a screen of information on Kinn's vitals laid out before him as he questioned Kinn, quietly. Porsche went to the cushion to retrieve the phones and found that Vegas had taken his phone but Pete's and Porsche's were still there. He would give it to Pete when he got back to camp. He was about to leave.

"Porsche?" Kinn said. "Can you wait a minute?"

Porsche looked at Kinn. Then he looked at Dr. Top.

"He'll be out soon," the doctor said, as if Porsche wanted to hear those words.

The last thing he wanted to do was interact with Kinn without a wall of glass between them. And yet, he sighed and sat on the arm of the couch, just as his phone vibrated in his hand.

Rolling his eyes, he picked the call. "What?"

"You're sending me mixed signals," Tod said.

"What do you want?"

"You didn't delete my number."

"How astute."

"And yet, you're hiding your phone and trying to block me out."

"I'm not a rat in a box, Tod."

As soon as he said the words, he regretted it because Kinn's head turned in Porsche's direction, his brows set and unhappy.

"If you want my protection, don't hide from me."

"I have things to do."

"I can't help if I don't know what's going on with you."

"I'm sure you'll survive."

"Porsche."

"I'm hanging up now."

He cut the call. Five seconds later, he received a message with a kissy face emoji. Porsche clenched his fist around the phone, unsure what to think of the man. They hadn't really discussed a proper plan to deal with Tod and Tawan. In the meantime, Porsche figured he'd best remain exactly as he always was. If he was suddenly nice to Tod, warning bells would go off. Plus, it was exceptionally hard to be nice to him. One word out of Tod's mouth and every nice bone in Porsche's body just tapped out.

"No fever, no raging mating hormones, no rut. From what I can see," Dr. Top said. "Can you take a deep breath?"

Kinn inhaled and held it in, as Dr. Top swiped a few things on the screen and the unit was sprayed, as the sound of the decompressor went off. When the air cleared out, Kinn exhaled. Dr. Top unlocked the door with a tiny pfft sound as a gust of wind went rushing into the unit.

"You can come out now."

Kinn held the small handle of the glass door and pushed it aside as Dr. Tap switched off the unit and exited the room.

"I'm done," Kinn announced, eyes bright as he came towards the couch.

"You asked me to wait."

"Right." He sat on the other end of the couch. "I was going to brush it away, in the hopes that we could move on. But it seems like you want to talk about it."

"About what?"

Kinn flinched. "The... uh... the thing I said. Why you left?"

Porsche didn't reply. If Kinn wanted to talk, he could talk. Porsche was too busy being aware of the fact that they were, once again, in a room alone, with no injuries or Tod or glass screens between them. Kinn had had the tiniest decency to sit far away. But that didn't mean that Porsche couldn't smell him, or remember what it felt like to be close to him or rub against him. Porsche was holding it together. He could do this. He wasn't going to put himself in a position to be treated that way again. He wasn't that naïve.

But he was also very aware that this was Kinn. If Porsche was to survive this encounter with his dignity intact, he had to keep his walls up. And that included not moving or talking too much. Because that was always the danger with Kinn. He listened. He let Porsche talk. He let Porsche dance around like a hapless kid, oversharing his feelings and acting on his impulses so that Kinn knew everything there was to know about Porsche.

After all, it had been Porsche's loose lips that had led them down this road. "What do you want from me?" Porsche had asked, that night on the rooftop. "Do you want me to kneel before you? Bow to you? Kiss your feet?"

And like always, Kinn had listened till he found an opening, only to offer a simple "yes" and send Porsche's world crumbling down.

So no. This time, Porsche wasn't going to be the one to overshare.

"I didn't mean what I said. I was just... I was going through something and I was... I was trying to punish you."

Porsche silently gave him points for self-awareness.

"I admire the work you do with omega children. I hope you never change. I'm just really sorry that my anger extended into your job and your work with the kids. I had no right."

Porsche gave a few more points.

"I was thinking we could start over."

Without warning, Kinn shifted closer. Even though Porsche was sitting on the arm of the couch, he couldn't help the need to move away. But there was no more room, so he settled for crossing his leg and turning, slightly, away from Kinn.

"Please look at me."

"Kinn-"

"Please."

Porsche couldn't do it. There wasn't much to hide anymore, anyway. If he wasn't already so gone on Kinn, he'd have been able to look him in the eye. But Porsche couldn't. He needed to get through one conversation with Kinn without feeling like his world was upturned. Again. He couldn't do that if he was looking Kinn in the face, or staring into his pretty eyes.

When Kinn took Porsche's hand, his entire body froze as Porsche looked down at their joined hands. His skin tingled at the contact, sending tiny spasms of shock up his arms, to his chest as his heart beat erratically.

Get up, Porsche, he thought to himself. Get up and leave.

But he couldn't move. Not with Kinn's fingers rubbing against his hand, ever so softly.

"I'll do better," Kinn promised, lifting the hand to his lips as he placed a soft kiss against Porsche's knuckles.

As crafty as he was, aware that Porsche was staring at their hands, Kinn's kiss brought Porsche's eyes so close that Porsche didn't know what was happening until he was looking into Kinn's eyes. As soon as their eyes met, Kinn smiled as he clenched Porsche's hand again and kissed it. Rubbing it slowly, a mesmerizing caress to complement his mesmerizing eyes.

"I'll do anything you want," Kinn said. "I just want us to put it all behind us. I know you're an alpha. I can live with it."

Porsche frowned, still staring into Kinn's eyes. He could hear what Kinn was saying, but something didn't sound right. He just couldn't put his finger on it. It also didn't help that Kinn was rubbing and gently kissing Porsche's hand, drawing all his senses into that bit of little contact till that was all Porsche could think about. He could remember what that felt like on every other bit of his skin. Kinn was shameless about where he wanted to put his mouth when it came to Porsche. Things that he'd claimed he never liked doing with other people, Porsche had found that Kinn had no problem doing to Porsche.

Porsche never called him out on it. Who was he to complain if Kinn wanted to lick him all over? Who was he to complain if Kinn got desperate for kisses on the lips when he claimed he didn't like to be kissed?

It wouldn't be the worst thing to just slide down onto the couch. It had been so long. And Kinn was offering.

"I'll be anything you want. We can do whatever you want."

As reassuring as those words were meant to be, Porsche couldn't help a nagging feeling in his head that was telling to get up. To get away. To put some distance between. Because something didn't feel right. But how could he? While one hand held Porsche's hand up to Kinn's lips, the other traveled up Porsche's elbow, to his shoulder, to his chest.

The next thing he knew, the hand was wrapping around the back of Porsche's neck, pulling him down to the couch as their lips met in a clash of teeth and skin. Diving into the kiss, Porsche wasn't sure which of them sighed. It couldn't have been him. Because the moment their lips touched, a dam broke in Porsche as he grabbed Kinn by the neck, pressing their lips even closer, sucking on his tongue, wishing he could find that bit of longing and satisfaction he always found when he was with Kinn like this.

He pushed Kinn down on the couch as Kinn went without struggle, allowing Porsche to set the pace. Porsche wanted to stop. He wanted to let go. But a part of him was too afraid of what might happen if he did. Kinn; tall, proud, alpha Kinn; had come to him with this much desperation. Porsche couldn't get enough of his kisses if he was offering. Because who knew the limit of Kinn's pride? Who knew when he'd put his foot down and decide Porsche wasn't worth the chase?

Porsche unbuttoned Kinn's shirt, taking a short break from kisses to pull it off as he noted the tiny lag in Kinn's movements. Even in the haze of horniness, Porsche slowed down, kneeling between Kinn's legs as Kinn stared up at him.

Something wasn't right.

"What is it?" Kinn asked, lips swollen and red from Porsche's attack on them. Like Porsche, he was breathing heavily, his lips parted to take in air. Porsche had never seen him like this before.

When Kinn licked his lips, Porsche kissed them, unable to help himself. He reached for Kinn's pants, but instead of the buckle, he pressed against Kinn's dick and Porsche's heart sank when his suspicions were confirmed.

"What are you doing?" Porsche asked Kinn.

"What?" Kinn asked, looking just as confused.

Porsche couldn't even fault him for that. Kinn probably didn't even know what he was doing.

"Come on," Kinn urged, raising his hands to Porsche's neck again. "Don't stop now."

Porsche held Kinn's hand in place, looking down at the love of his life and feeling nothing but dread in the pit of his stomach. It had taken him longer than it should have, but Porsche finally got what was so terribly wrong with the entire situation.

"Turn around," Porsche commanded.

"What?" Kinn replied, his eyes fluttering in discomfort.

"I said, turn around."

Pursing his lips, Kinn began to maneuver himself. As if he really was going to turn around.

Porsche squealed as he got up from the couch, putting as much distance as the space outside the seclusion unit would allow.

"Where are you going?" Kinn asked, his voice coated in fear.

"What the fuck are you doing, Kinn?"

Sitting back in place, Kinn's eyes widened in shock. "I didn't do anything."

"You'll be anything I want? You'll do anything I want? You were just going to turn around and let me do what? Huh?"

"We were having a good time."

"You were hard when we started kissing. You're not anymore."

"There's an ebb and a flow to these things sometimes."

"Were you going to let me top you just now?"

"Yes," Kinn replied with no hesitation.

But as soon as the words left his mouth, he blinked, and a frown appeared on his face as if he was fighting off unhappy thoughts.

"Oh my god!" Porsche said.

"It's not a big deal."

"You are an adult, for fucksake."

"I'm just trying to find some compromise."

"Kinn, it's not a compromise to offer things that you do not want to give. I will not die if I do not top you."

"You've topped every other man you've ever fucked."

"That's not the point of this."

"What is the point then? I want you back and I'm willing to do anything."

"Stop! Fucking! Saying! That!" Porsche said, smacking his hands against the hospital walls, at every word. "I don't want something that you don't want to give."

"I made you bend to my will."

"And you think I want to do that to you?"

"You're an alpha," Kinn said, his voice harsh and hard like it was minutely painful for him to admit that. "I'm an alpha. One of us has got to give."

Porsche pulled against his own hair, unable to understand how he could love someone so fucking stupid.

"I don't want to command or control you."

"Then what the fuck do you want me to do?" Kinn asked, getting to his feet. "Tell me what to do and I'll do it."

"Oh," Porsche said, moving to Kinn to hold his cheeks in his hands as he caressed them to try and calm down the foolish man with foolish thoughts. "It's a relationship, Kinn. Remember what it was like before you knew I was an alpha?"

"I can't-"

He tried to turn away, but Porsche held his head in place.

"It's the same thing."

"No, it's not. There are roles."

"I've topped other alphas and they've topped me."

"How will that work, exactly?" Kinn asked. "One alpha has to know his place as-"

"As the lesser one?" Porsche completed.

"I never said that," Kinn replied, pulling out of Porsche's grasp as he started to put his shirt back on. "I never called you lesser."

But while his words said one thing, Kinn's entire body said anything and Porsche was distraught to imagine how he'd never even thought of it before.

"Kinn, did you think I was less than you because I... bottomed for you?"

"Now, you're just putting words in my mouth."

Porsche was to blame for this, too. He couldn't lay it all at Kinn's feet. Because Porsche had known what Kinn was carrying when he'd prepositioned him, that first night. He'd known about Awut and the scars he'd left. More than anyone else, Porsche knew what had happened and how Kinn had never fully dealt with it. He'd come away from that relationship afraid to ever bottom for anyone, much less get on his hands and knees and leave himself exposed to someone else.

And yet Porsche had fucked him. Kept his status as an alpha a secret and exploited that to his advantage, never quite realizing that the scars from Awut had never really healed.

"I can't do this, Kinn."

Kinn stopped moving, even though he didn't look up at Porsche.

"I already said I'm willing to do what you want."

"What do you want, Kinn?"

"I want you." Kinn looked at him. "What do you want?"

"I want you to talk to someone."

Kinn hissed. "I'm getting really tired of you positioning me as some type of victim."

"I'm not going to force you to do it."

"Right," Kinn said, a sad, hard smile on his face. "You'll just dangle the promise of a relationship in front of me till I do what you want. How's that different from an outright command?"

Porsche searched and searched his mind, but he couldn't find an answer.

"My cards are all on the table, Porsche. Whenever you're ready, you let me know."

Kinn took his jacket from the wall as he left the hospital room. Porsche, unable to stand there anymore, sat back on the arm of the couch. He should have just left when his gut first said to leave. Because of course he and Kinn had managed to take one step forward, and fifty fucking steps back.

-

-

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

-

After his conversation with his father, Kinn had taken a few things into consideration. Chief among them was the fact that Kinn was never going to become like his Uncle, Kun. For one, Kinn was exclusively into men. If he ever did have children, they would be wanted and loved. He would never want to do to his children the things that Uncle Kun did to Vegas, or even Macau.

With that realization also came the fact that, eventually, Kinn was going to have to make accommodations for the fact that Porsche would never truly be his, again. Even if, on some level, Porsche managed to forgive Kinn and get back together with him, there was always the issue of the things Kinn had to do, or was willing to do to survive. And Papa was right. He was irritating. But he was right.

Porsche, with his happy childhood and loving parents and bright view of the world, was not someone to be found at the side of a man like Kinn. And Kinn knew this. He wanted Porsche with all his heart and he hoped that none of it would matter to Porsche, in the long run.

But then, he had to remind himself that Uncle Kun had probably thought the same thing. He'd fallen in love with a firecracker with a chip of justice on her shoulder and he'd gotten burned for it.

Which meant that all Kinn would ever deserve, was what Porsche was willing to give. If Porsche wanted him now, if Porsche would take him back now, Kinn knew he would jump at the chance. Regardless of the possible pain that it might cause in the future. He could handle this. He could take it.

He would do all that, but he would never become his uncle.

Kinn went back to work. Tankhun was at camp because Kinn had asked him to take his place. And by the time that Kinn had been abducted, and then secluded away in the unit, Tankhun's meetings had piled up, business deals were past their deadline and Kinn's office was a flurry of activity. Kinn was grateful for the noise. If he worked till 4am, went home and passed out, woke up at 8am and went back to work, it was easier to live, than to sit around wondering how to survive without a reply from Porsche or any form of personal contact.

Vegas was keeping him updated on his investigation, but they'd still never found a link between Tawan, Tawan's father and Tod. Porsche was still adamant that Tawan was directly involved, but there was no evidence to support that.

"Boss?" Big said, leaning into the office.

"What?"

"We've found him."

Kinn stopped everything he was doing. He didn't even have to ask who was "him". It wasn't often that Kinn held malice in his heart. But when he did, his blood boiled till he exact some form of retribution.

"Mr. Apinya," Kinn said, walking into the underground cell where his men had gagged and tied up the councilman. "Nice to see you again."

"You are in so much trouble, Kinn. Let me go and we can forget this ever happened."

Kinn held out his hand. Big put a handgun in it. When Kinn didn't clench the gun, Big took it and replaced it with a small dagger.

Apinya sneered. "You don't scare me."

"What did you want from me?" Kinn asked.

"Why don't you ask your father?"

Kinn crouched and stabbed him in the foot. As Apinya screamed in pain, clenching his entire body, but unable to move because of the chains keeping him in place, Kinn held out his hand again and Big put another dagger in it.

"I'll keep going all the way up your body until you give me an answer."

Breathing hard, staring at Kinn in venomous rage, he said, "I wanted Tawan to bite you."

"Wrong again."

Kinn stabbed the dagger into his ankle.

"Mother! Fucker!" Apinya screamed and his eyes filled with tears. "I already told you."

"Let's try this again." Kinn got another dagger.

This time, Apinya's eyes followed the dagger without any hint of bravery.

"Your men were clearing the way for me-" Apinya opened his mouth and Kinn raised the dagger. "Don't lie. You were going to let me go. I was weak and in a rut and yet, I somehow managed to scale that fence without one security guard finding me. At the time, I thought I was just lucky. Your men let me go. Why?"

"You're just... you're just going to stab me again."

Kinn pressed the tip of the dagger into his shin and Apinya screamed.

"Talk."

"I've told you what I wanted," he shouted, tears rolling down his face. "I wanted to secure my son's place in your family. That was the fucking deal I had with your father. I left standing orders to keep you at the mansion until you and Tawan had matching bites. That's what I fucking wanted!"

He was quivering as he stared up at Kinn. If he was lying, he was great at it. Kinn didn't feel as though he was. The man really had wanted a mate for his son. But there was more. If Kinn had done something to compromise his family in that compound, he needed to know. Or else, why would they let him go?

Returning the dagger, Kinn said, "Take him to Dr. Top, then let him go."

"Boss?" Big asked. "If we let him go-"

"He'll be nice and quiet," Kinn said, looking at Apinya. "Right, Councilman?"

"I swear I'll never say a word."

"Good boy."

The walk back to his office was longer than usual, with Kinn wracking his brain, back and forth. It made sense that Apinya would want a simple bite. But he'd made that deal with Papa. And if Kinn knew anything about Papa, his deals always had deals upon deals. Was he in the same boat as Apinya? Did he really just want to secure a mate for his son? Because there had to be more to it.

He headed to his father's office, and as soon as he stepped in, he kept the door open and waited for everyone in the office to file out, without needing to be told. As the last person left, Kinn let the door swing shut.

"Is there something I can do for you, Kinn?" Papa asked, getting up from his chair and coming around to the more casual couches.

"What exactly was your deal with Apinya?"

Papa frowned. "I wanted you to mate Tawan."

"That's all?"

"That's all."

"Why don't I believe you?"

"Because in your mind, I am the enemy."

Kinn laughed.

"What is so funny?"

"I have done everything according to your word. My whole life. Unlike Phi-Khun who rebelled after university and didn't come home for two years. Unlike Kim who went away to be a musician for a while, I have stayed by your side. Since the moment I became an alpha, I have been the face of this family. I went to school for you. I studied for you. I have killed for you. I have done everything that you have ever asked. I..." Kinn said, giving himself a moment to breathe. "Am the epitome of an obedient son."

"Kinn-"

"And yet, the one time I think for myself, you interpret that as me seeing you as the enemy?"

Papa raised his hand and ushered Kinn to sit opposite him. Normally, Kinn would have, but he noticed the chess board situated between the two chairs and refused to move. The last thing he needed was for Papa to beat him at chess just so he could manipulate Kinn in a moment of failure and weakness.

"I'd like to remain standing."

"What good is an excellent game, if you make a mistake at the last moment?"

"My life is not a game."

"You're right," Papa said with a nod. "Your life is more dangerous than a chess game. You're a king. Whether you want to admit it or not, you're the most vulnerable person in this dynasty."

"What does picking a mate have to do with any of that?"

"You need a queen that's loyal and stronger than anyone else on the board."

"Porsche literally stormed Apinya's compound for me."

"In a moment of weakness that might never be replicated. He went to save you."

"Why isn't that enough for you?"

"Because it isn't a part of who Porsche is. Tawan Apinya has the edge of an alpha's mate. I've met the boy and he'll be good for you. As a parent, you see things differently. You want what's best for your child."

"And having me kidnapped and chained is what's best for me?"

"An omega is what's best for an alpha."

"Bullshit."

"Watch your tongue."

"Or what?"

The slow rise of shock in Papa's face was the biggest ego boost Kinn had ever received in his life.

"Something isn't adding up. I've seen you make deals and it's never that simple."

"In this case, I wanted one simple thing. Not for my business. Not for a contract. For you."

"And I'm just supposed to believe that?"

Papa shook his head, slowly. "One day, when you have children, you'll understand."

"No, Papa," Kinn said. "If I ever have children, I will support them. I will listen to them. I will try my very best to make sure that they never feel the way you've made me feel."

Without waiting for another word from Papa, Kinn stormed out of the office. If Papa and Apinya weren't going to give him the information he needed, Kinn grudgingly came to the realization that he was going to have to confront someone that he didn't want to.

If Kinn wanted to get to the bottom of this, he'd have to sit down and talk to Tawan, once more.

***

In the same secluded booth, where they'd had that first drink, Kinn sat, a bottle of whiskey between them, as Tawan brought out his smoking set, a slight frown on his face.

"I didn't think you'd ever want to see me again." Tawan lit the cigarette between his lips and offered Kinn one, but Kinn declined.

Even though Kinn knew that Tawan was in the same boat as he was, having a father like Apinya, Kinn had to tread lightly. Tawan was not his enemy, but Kinn's allies, Porsche and Vegas, were wary of Tawan. And if, by some miracle, Tawan turned out to be a problem, Kinn had to make sure that he didn't think Kinn was against him.

For all intents and purposes, Tawan was a source. Not the enemy. Because if he approached Tawan the same way he'd approached Papa and Apinya, and Tawan was the one with the tapes or the one behind Gambit, then it was game over.

"Did you talk to your father about why he did what he did?"

"He was furious when you got out. Why do you ask?"

"Because it seems like he let me go."

Tawan's frown deepened. "He didn't let you go." He pointed at himself. "Me! I let you go. He was going to keep us there until he got his way, the fucking old croon. I haven't spoken to him since. I hope he's dead in a ditch somewhere."

Kinn smirked, remembering that Apinya was in the next building, in the hospital, being treated for leg wounds that Kinn had just given him.

"What did your father say?" Tawan asked.

"He said he wanted us to mate."

"And?"

"We just got in a fight." Kinn remembered the disbelieving anger on his father's face when he'd spoken back to him. "First fight in my life." He laughed. "I couldn't take it. He's so fucking frustrating."

"They're all like that. They've lived dreary, unhappy lives and they think they can control ours. Fucking lunatic. Do you know, before all this..." Tawan beat his cigarette against the ashtray at the center of the table. "I was actually considering giving you a chance." He smiled sadly, staring blankly at the table. "The guy... the person I was seeing, things kind of fell off for us." His face hardened into anger. "I told Papa about this. I was going to try visiting you. Take you lunch. Get to know you and all that shit. Impatient asshole."

Carefully, Kinn asked, "You had me at your mercy. If you wanted me, you could have just bitten me."

Tawan gave Kinn an angry look. "And give him what he wants? Fuck that. I'm an omega. My life is already fucked. I'm trying to find the best way to survive here. And his best option was to mate me off to a man who didn't even know me?"

"I'm still a bit perplexed by all of it, though," Kinn said. "Don't you think we got away with it a bit too easily."

"Got away with what?"

"I was practically sick. I shouldn't have gotten out."

"I heard you had help."

"Yeah. A friend of mine showed up. Your dad is lucky it wasn't Vegas who showed up."

"It was Porsche, right?" Tawan asked. "The actor?"

Kinn couldn't shake the little bit of worry that went through him. "You don't have footage of him, do you?"

"From the forest?" Tawan asked. "No. But the men were talking about him." Tawan laughed. "Imagine their surprise when a fucking actor put the moves on them. I told Papa to fire them. He can't even get his fucking abductions right."

"Since you hate your father so much, you should know," Kinn said. "He's in my custody right now? Do you want to see?"

As he spoke, he fired off a text to Big to send him a video.

"What?" Tawan asked. "You have my Papa?"

"I wanted to talk to him. Don't worry, he's alive."

"I want to see," he said, sitting up. "Did you hurt him?"

Kinn shrugged. "A little bit."

Tawan laughed, clapping his hands together as he stood up and sat back down. "I'd like to see the look on his face. See how he likes being abducted."

"I had some questions for him but his answers didn't satisfy me."

"What questions?"

"What else could your father have wanted from me when he abducted me but let me go."

"He didn't let you-"

Taking a chance, Kinn got a little more obvious by saying, "His guards got out of the way as I was leaving."

The blood drained from Tawan's face as he sat there, minimally frozen in place like he couldn't move.

"They... they let you go?" he asked, eyes dropping to the ashtray as he tapped the cigarette. "How did you know? You said you were out of it."

"Porsche saw them."

"Ah!" he said. "Porsche again."

Kinn's phone buzzed. He played the video of Apinya lying in a hospital bed, with his leg in a cast. As Tawan watched the video, Kinn's phone started vibrating and ringing in Tawan's hand.

When Kinn took back the phone and checked, it was Porsche calling. He hadn't called Kinn in days and yet he was choosing that moment to call. Kinn was in an important meeting, but he couldn't let it go to voicemail.

"Please excuse me," he said, getting up and going to a corner as he picked the call. "Hey."

"Pete and Vegas are following a lead. I'm supposed to go with you. Are you free right now?"

"I'm in a meeting."

"Okay. That's fine. I can go alone."

"No," Kinn said immediately. "I'll be done soon. We can... we can go together. Don't go without me."

"No problem."

The line cut.

When Kinn turned back to Tawan, he was watching Kinn with a peculiar look on his face.

"That's the actor who's "just a friend"?" Tawan asked. "I guess the rumors are true."

As Kinn sat, he asked, "What rumors?"

"Everyone talks about Porsche Kittisawasd being an omega. I just never-"

"Whoa!" Kinn said, raising his hands. "Where did you get that from? He's not an omega."

"Please," Tawan said with a knowing smile. "We all know you only date omegas. And from what I've just seen, with the way you took the call, all coy and sweaty like a nervous teenager, he's more than just a friend. You don't have to lie. Your secret is safe with me." He drew a line across his lips and locked it, before throwing away the key. "I now know why you've been resisting your father's plans. You already have your own omega."

"Well, this time, it's different. He's not an omega."

"So you're into betas now. Okay. Keep your lover's secret." Tawan's knowing smile disappeared as he got more serious. "As for the guards who let you go, I can ask. If you do me a favor."

"What?"

"Keep my father in your custody."

"Why would I want to do that?"

"Because the guards are loyal to him. Without him around, I can talk to them. Get to the bottom of it. You know that they let go, but you don't know why. I can find out why."

"Why would you do that for me?"

"Hello?" Tawan asked. "It's not just for you. I was in that room, too. If something else is going on here, I want to know."

Kinn suspected there was more to it than that. Yeah, Tawan was going to help him. But with Tawan's father out of the way, Tawan probably planned to push his father out of whatever it was they had going on, in that family. Judging by how little regard he had for his father's safety, Kinn figured Apinya was probably safer with the Theerapanyakuls than with his own son.

"I'll be going," Tawan said, getting up as he put out his cigarette. "But just so you, you'll do better to distance yourself from your father. You're already the leader of your dynasty. You don't need him. I might be an omega, but I'd be damned if I put myself in a position to be exploited like that, again."

Kinn shook his head. "I can't do that."

"You're an alpha, Kinn. A very popular one, in the right circles. If you ever want to cut the strings, give me a call and we can talk."

With a smile and a wink, Tawan sashayed right out the door, leaving Kinn with rattling thoughts in his head.

It couldn't be that easy. His father was more than just the head of the family. He was... he was Papa. He was Mae's husband. Uncle Kun's brother. Tankhun and Kim's father. What Tawan was asking was more than a simple excising of a business rival. Papa was family.

Then again, Kinn had to remember that this same family member had sold him off to the enemy. It would be foolish to go after Papa alone. But Kinn couldn't help wondering what would happen if Mae and Taknhun knew what Papa had done.

[everyforkedroad]

Made to Love Pt. 2 - Not So Meet Cute

"...if the little shit had possessed any skill beyond his good looks, slick mouth, and a few flashy fighting moves, Kinn could have rationalized the effort his father was expending to get him to work for the family."

Part 2: Meet-Not-So-Cute

AO3 and Twitter

Part 1 Here

Sometimes his father’s decisions made no sense.

If the young man he was trying so hard to recruit had been a military genius, trained ex-paramilitary, ruthless assassin…hell, if the little shit had possessed any skill beyond his good looks, slick mouth, and a few flashy fighting moves, Kinn could have rationalized the effort his father was expending to get him to work for the family.

Instead, his father chose to drive the guy’s uncle into even more debt, put the family’s home at risk of foreclosure, all to leave him with no other choice but to accept the position of Kinn’s head bodyguard. A position he didn’t want. 

He had the nerve to spit in Kinn’s face and then slip away like an eel.

Turning down an offer that would pull his family out of poverty once and for all was not noble. It was stupid. As stupid as the stupid mouth on his stupid head.

Kinn didn’t get it.

As if Kinn even wanted him. The man was a mouthy, disrespectful, arrogant, low-class street thug who was only good for running merch or selling dime-bags on the corner of the university he deigned to attend whenever his bartending or street-fighting allowed him to. 

His father had dared to say that he might be the man he was looking for. Someone to become like Chan - a loyal, trustworthy, personal bodyguard who would place his life in Kinn’s hand, with the understanding that it would belong entirely to him.

As if he could ever become someone like that for Kinn.

Personal bodyguard, Kinn’s ass. He would be lucky if Kinn didn’t demote him all the way down to laundry boy.

(If you liked it, please leave a kudo/comment/subscribe on AO3 )

[mousydentist]

sorta no tutoring v2

HI. i told you i’d do all of these (and this goes to the other people, i PROMISE i’ll get to all of these after my ass is done being kicked by the end of this semester)

so! no tutoring (sorta)

the whole idea: au where porsche and chay get moved in early, the only time they’ve [kimchay] met so far is the one time at the studio so chay doesnt necessarily think kim is spying. he just said he didnt know all the happenings of the family so he didnt know porsche was working for them

so thats from chay’s pov, he doesnt know that kim was spying on him. and then from kim’s side, porsche and chay move in super early, which honestly makes kim even more sus, and now there’s no reason chay would discover hes lying so he just spies on him for like, a looonnnggg time, and maybe he even stops spying but they’re still together, and the only way chay finds out is cause he finds kims murder board and sees himself on it

Chay rolls around Kim’s enormous bed and stretches sleepily. It’s probably almost noon, given the sun beaming daggers into his eyes, which means Kim’s long since left (and is therefore not at risk of being crushed). He yawns and rubs his eyes until they can blink open, then gracelessly flops out of bed. He brushes his teeth (a habit Kim had forced into him) and heads out to the kitchen to see what he can scrounge up for breakfast. Kim’s kitchen goes through waves of being well stocked, when he has enough time to cook, and completely barren, when he doesn’t even come home let alone make himself food. Today is in the intermittent period where he has food but it’s on the verge of going bad. First and foremost, Chay makes himself a cup of coffee in the fancy machine he’d spent a month trying to figure out how to use. He randomly presses one of the buttons that sounds like something tasty and waits for it to brew while he throws a piece of bread in the toaster. Coffee and buttered toast is a well rounded diet, right? He strolls around Kim’s apartment while he nibbles on the toast. He’s been here at least once a week for the last few months, but he’s rarely here without Kim. He knows how much it means that Kim trusts him enough to be here alone, so he’s done his best to avoid snooping. And for the most part, he doesn’t (he’s very proud of himself for that). But today he is feeling a little nosy, because every time he comes here he stares at the giant portrait of Kim on the wall, which… it clearly moves. Like, it’s definitely on a track and can move side-to-side. He hasn’t brought it up to Kim but at this point, he’s confident he knows that behind it is some complicated mafia map. Something he probably won’t understand, and therefore wouldn’t hurt anyone for him to see… Sure enough, when he pushes the side of it gently, it moves. Kinn, Korn, Vegas, a bunch of random, mean-looking people, and… Him. And his brother. And his parents? Chay drops his toast on the ground. It feels dramatic to do so, after all Kim has his own brothers on this board, but his mom? Chay’s hardly ever talked to Kim about his parents, and he’s only ever had the chance to see a picture of his mom when he noticed Chay’s family photo in his room. Or, Chay thought that was the only chance. Looking again, there’s a red string going from his mom’s picture… to Korn. This is too much. Chay breathes in heavily but it gets trapped in his lungs on the exhale. The open house concert. Kim calling him after. There’s no way. Chay had told himself that meeting Kim was all his shitty luck balancing itself out. But this… this wasn’t luck.

(send me a prompt!)

[kerasines]

VEGASPETE FIC RECS | SEASON 1

Thank you @kprecfest for making me finally start putting together all the vp rec lists I’ve been planning! (And also just in general, let me say it again, what a fantastic idea I love you.) There are so many amazing fics in this fandom, but let’s start with canon compliant fics set during season 1, including everything except the post-credits scene, which will be a separate list.

Package of a Person by @kat8porgs (E, 2.4k) Pete gets put in the vase's box for shipping to the safe house.

Drowning, and other Metaphors by lewdhandholding (E, 8k) Vegas has never experienced an afterglow that burns like an oil fire, a sudden and dangerous thing that he can’t quite remember how best to put out past the panic. It doesn’t help that Pete’s smile is like a torrent of cool water on his feverish skin, making the flames jump higher. It makes Vegas want to do something dangerous that he’s never really been good at before – it makes him want to take care of Pete. Problem is, he doesn’t really know how.

i want it all by devoutpete (E, 5k) “It’s too hot…” Pete repeated. He wanted to cry. This was taking too long. When their eyes met again, Vegas smiled. It was almost…sweet. “I told you already,” without warning, he poked the blade into Pete’s skin, red peeking from the puncture. “You’re hot because,” he carried on with a sudden, slow drag of the blade spanning a few inches, “It’s inside of you.” — Vegas was sick of Pete's inhibitions getting in the way, but he knew just how to fix that.

take me to your planet by @any-open-eye (E, 1.3k) Pete’s face is doing something. He thinks he might be smiling. He feels fucking high. What the hell is happening to him? He knows afterglow and this isn't it. If it was, he'd be way more into sex. There were people in high school and then one long-term girlfriend a few years ago, but she never—it was nothing like this. This is like… that blissful moment between sleeping and waking when you're conscious of your body but not yet of your mind. Just a vessel of receptors and processes. Electrified meat. “That was good, right?” Vegas's hands are on him. “Tell me it was good.”

(more under the cut, it got a bit... long)

Sharing Different Heartbeats by @raelle-writing (E, 58k) Of course Vegas noticed Pete. But not with much weight. Sure, Pete was hot. But so were all of the rest of Kinn’s bodyguards. That wasn’t notable. It wasn’t worth more than a passing once-over, or an absent glance at the man’s ass in those suits they insisted on wearing. He had a nice ass, but it didn’t stick in Vegas’ mind. It was passing lust, nothing more. And he certainly wasn’t hotter than the other bodyguards– not Porsche, for example. The only thing notable about Pete was that he had a surprisingly soft, cute face, and a sunny, disarming smile. He looked far too soft for his job. But he was Tankhun’s head bodyguard, and one of the men that Kinn often tapped for important missions. Which meant that the cute, soft face was hiding real talent and skill. So yes, Vegas noticed Pete. But it didn’t mean anything. — Or: a retelling of the story from Vegas' POV, from first impressions until after the hospital.

How Deep it Goes by @giraffeter (E, 4k) It’s only been a couple of days but Vegas is already coming to crave the way Pete looks at him when he enters the room, the alertness that enters his body, the wary skitter of his eyes to Vegas’ face. “I want to watch a show,” Vegas says. He sets the tote bag he’s carrying down on the bed. Pete stares at it. “And you’re going to put one on for me.” — Vegas decides to bring some toys for his new pet to play with.

write somewhere deep. by @evashougouki (M, 2k) “All clean,” Vegas says, like Pete doesn’t know what he’s planning. “Am I?” Pete asks, though he’s unsure why he says it, why he pokes. Vegas is silent for a second, silent enough that Pete can hear his breath hitch. His laugh has an air of breathlessness to it then. “You’re such a fascinating creature.” Lips come to lay up against the side of his neck, just resting. Or lingering, maybe. Pete shivers but does not have the energy to fight it. Slippery hands slide between his thighs, pushing stinging soap into the still too-raw burns there. The shock of it is rapturous. — Vegas washes Pete in the safehouse.

ain't nobody trying to save you by @incendir (M, 1.9k) Vegas is splitting Pete open on three fingers when Pete gets the idea. Or, some additional details on KPTS 1x12.

A Close Shave by @fleet-off (M, 4k) The bathroom walls feel claustrophobically tight, and Vegas’s stomach is a ball of leaden frustration poised to turn molten. He wants to shatter the mirror with his fist, to yell at Pete to stand up straight, to curse his uselessness--just another one of Vegas’s failures. The razor sits on the edge of the sink. This was a bad idea. — Vegas gives Pete a shave.

Dare to be Bad by @raelle-writing (E, 7k) “I think you want a reason to have to hide your skin, don’t you, Pete?” Vegas drawled, and Pete made a sudden, surprised, unmistakably aroused noise as Vegas shoved a knee between Pete’s thighs, pressing suddenly, threateningly against his groin. Pete couldn’t stop his breaths from coming a little faster, heart racing, cock already responding in his pants, even as he tried not to let it. Fuck, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this turned on. Vegas’ lips curled up in another lazy smirk, dark gaze still locked on Pete’s face. “Aren’t you tired of playing the perfect little bodyguard, Pete?” he murmured, voice low and sultry. “Don’t you want to be bad for me?” — After failing to mark Porsche at the auction, Vegas runs into Pete and decides to blow off some steam.

An Interlude in the Space Between Light and Shadow by lewdhandholding (M, 3k) One of Kinn’s guards is a step ahead of Vegas’s attempt to flee the diamond auction venue, so Vegas decides to indulge his anger and frustration for a moment. After all, Pete makes such a perfect little chew toy. It might make Vegas feel a little better if he can get him to squeak.

splinter by @lu-sn (M, 2.8k) Pete has managed to lie to Khun — and Kinn, and Porsche — about where he's been. He knows without a shred of doubt that he will not be able to lie like that to Chan.

past the last exit by jumun (M, 1.6k) Pete thinks about Vegas’ face, wonders what Vegas would have done if he’d brought the knife just an inch higher, wonder what would've happened if he hadn’t goaded him. He knows he did it intentionally, because being able to push and prod at someone isn’t something he’s indulged in in years, because it's difficult to talk about that with someone much less have a mutual understanding. Pete did not have a mutual understanding with Vegas.

stay with me a minute (swear i'll make it worth it) by @incendir (M, 2.3k) Pete hadn’t anticipated how much breathing would hurt. Or, an unseen moment in 1x13.

cleans up nice by Lirelyn (T, 2.1k) Vegas likes his pets clean, so Pete gets a shower and a shave. It's fine. Nothing Pete can't handle.

when he comes by Anonymous (E, 3k) “Hm,” again. Vegas has stopped twisting, but he hasn’t let go, still tugging idly, crouched over Pete like a predatory bird. The pain is cold and strange and Pete thinks his dick might be leaking. “I want to eat you,” Vegas says absently. “Cut you open and eat you. How did that feel?”

cut me open and tell me what's inside by @wegathpete (E, 3k) In retrospect, Pete will find it funny. A self-proclaimed man of honesty, yet so unwilling to look deep within himself, afraid of what he might find beneath the carefully crafted and polished surface. Keeping so much of himself locked away, behind bars, like a condemned prisoner, a chained up, feral animal, unworthy of being seen by the world. Is he hiding from himself or everyone else? Would the world like him for who he is or hate him for who he isn’t?

like a trigger (get me ready to shoot) by @veliseraptor (M, 6k) sadism: psychosexual disorder in which sexual urges are gratified by the infliction of pain on another person. (Encyclopaedia Britannica) — As far as Vegas can tell, there are normal people who want normal things, and then there's whatever he's got going on.

First Impressions to Love Expressions (Ch. 12) by @iffervescent (E, 6k) “Don’t try to hide it,” Vegas murmurs, in the voice that has started doing weird things to Pete’s insides. “I know you’re suffering. Let it out.” Pete wants to hit him, wants to scream, wants to yank these stupid chains down from the ceiling and set fire to this house and wants to kneel at Vegas’ feet and beg him to whip him again. And – fuck –  he wants Vegas to cook for him some more. And to sit in the garden together, for a nice reason this time. And to tease him about having stupid books. And to feed him another pill with his breath warm on Pete’s mouth and all that tightly-leashed strength hovering above him and make Pete hard because of another person for the first time in his life.

while I do my thing in the background by @judiwench  (G, 2k) "I have a gift for you. This is Pete."