Chapter Text
The first thing that went through Chay’s mind as he came to was how odd it was that something felt heavy around his ankles and wrists. His limbs felt like they’d been dragged across the ground, and Chay moved to sit up on the bed, his head dizzy with fatigue.
He felt drunk, his vision swimming. It was dark all around him, with only the glow from the moon filtering in through the window, providing the only source of light. Chay looked around, tendrils of vines and flowers hanging from the canopy of the bed, creating a waterfall-like effect.
Chay lifted a hand to rub his eyes awake, only to be startled as the rattling of what sounded like heavy chains echoed in his ears. He glanced down on the bed, his eyes widening in alarm as he realized that the rattling sound was due to his own movements. He was wearing only a thin shirt and simple boxer shorts. Each of his wrists and ankles had been cuffed and chained onto the bed, the chains just long enough to give him some freedom of movement as he moved around the mattress.
Panic now thumping in his chest, Chay tried to scurry towards the edge of the bed, his eyes darting around in order to find something to break the iron cuffs with. He looked up, only to meet the cold, calculating gaze of a large panther, a menacing growl directed towards him as the animal realized what he was trying to do.
Chay let out a fearful cry, grasping onto the chains tightly as he quickly lifted his bare feet back onto the bed, scrambling backwards toward the headboard, his grip tight on the chain links.
The panther was much faster however, and in a flash, the animal swiftly jumped up onto the bed with him, his teeth bared as if warning him not to move an inch.
Distantly, Chay somehow felt that the animal’s face seemed familiar, its eyes gentle, yet unreadable. He shook his head, his throat gulping in nervousness, trying to keep his wits about him. He dared not to look away from the animal’s face, the both of them undoubtedly hyper aware of one another’s presence.
His entire body was shaking, and for a split-second, he was paranoid that he was going to wet the bed.
The panther’s eyes stalked his every movement, and crouching low against the mattress, crawled closer to Chay, pushing him flat on his back against the mattress with his paw.
Chay tried to defend himself, his arms coming up against his chest in a protective position. The animal rumbled a snarl at that, opening his jaw and clamping down on the thin fabric of his shirt. Chay couldn’t help but yelp out loud in a panic, clutching at the other end of the fabric, unwittingly beginning a tug of war with the animal.
“Let go…please, let go!” Chay gasped out loud, his heart beating in tandem with his breaths, his fingers pulling at his shirt uselessly. “I don’t want to hurt you, so please don’t hurt me…!”
The animal merely let out a hiss, before his fangs inevitably hooked onto the fabric, piercing it through. His head turned a vicious angle, and anything Chay could have done would not have prevented the fragile shirt from meeting its tragic fate, a large, slanted rip appearing from his collarbone to his navel.
A large piece of cloth now hung from the panther’s mouth, and he flung the offending piece of article away from him, letting out a whine. The animal moved ever closer to Chay’s shaking form, his jaw now hovering over Chay’s mouth. Slowly, the panther leaned forward, licking a stripe across Chay’s lips. He repeated this motion a few times, his gruff snarls insistent as his golden eyes kept every detail of Chay’s reactions.
Chay’s brain took a moment to catch up with the realization of what the large animal wanted to do with him, a breath of terror escaping him at the very thought. With his mouth open, the panther took his chance, the bristles on the animal’s tongue feeling utterly alien against Chay’s gums.
The panther was flushed with so much want in his face—either for Chay’s pleasure or for Chay’s bones, he honestly couldn’t tell—only that whatever it was the animal wanted, Chay wouldn’t escape unscathed.
Without thinking, Chay shoved the animal’s snout away from his face, his hand barely covering the width of the animal’s jaw as he momentarily felt coarse whiskers beneath his fingertips. Yet still, the panther would not be deterred, and he moved further down Chay’s lanky body, licking his way down to Chay’s neck, to his sternum.
Chay tried to make a grab for the animal’s fur, to no avail. He was much too heavy, much more powerful, and Chay wasn’t sure he had enough backbone in him to fight off the animal, lest he encouraged its capricious temper, and he truly became its next meal.
The panther moved to lick at one of Chay’s nipples, a paw bearing down on Chay’s chest as the animal let out a long groan, which eventually gave way to purring.
“Ahh….!” Chay moaned out loud, unable to help himself as a sharp streak of pleasure reverberated throughout his body, and he turned his face away, not willing to allow himself to witness the animal’s onslaught. The animal only pressed his tongue even harder against the soft swell of Chay’s pecs, nipping at the bud lightly, his whiskers brushing against Chay’s sensitive skin.
“This isn’t normal…! What the hell are you?!” Chay gasped out loud, tears escaping his eyes. “This is wrong…something is wrong! I—“
Hearing Chay’s words as if he understood them, the animal swiftly moved away from him for a moment, baring his fangs openly against him. The panther turned away, lifting one of his paws to drag against the wood of the canopy, his claws sliding down against the surface, the sharp noise painful in Chay’s ears.
His claws tore cleanly against the wood, shavings of timber suddenly littering that corner of the mattress. The panther looked over his shoulder to glare at Chay, before he let out a loud roar, frightening Chay to the point he shrieked out loud along with the animal.
The panther shook his head, before he crawled towards Chay once more, this time, tugging at the bottom of his boxer shorts. He gave a mean headbutt to Chay’s hand as the boy tried to keep his shorts up, the animal’s jaw clamping down around Chay’s wrist.
When that didn’t work, the animal simply bumped Chay’s hand away once more, moving quickly to drag the shorts down with his teeth. Chay’s fingers eventually loosened, unable to maintain his tight grip. As the animal flung away Chay’s shorts, letting out a satisfied snarl as he did so, he turned his attention towards Chay’s crotch, a bead of saliva dropping down the animal’s chin.
Chay was hard, beads of white already leaking at the tip; the animal gave Chay’s cock an experimental lick, his large tongue momentarily wrapping itself around the width of Chay’s member. Chay’s body gave a heavy shudder, the texture of the panther’s tongue lending itself to a new sort of sensation he’d never experienced before, his mouth hanging open as he stared at the ceiling.
Before the panther could continue his ministrations however, his fang accidentally grazed the skin just above Chay’s groin, a slight scratch that nonetheless began to ooze a little bit of blood.
Chay let out a gasp of pain, the haze he’d begun to fall under dispersing like a cloud of smoke.
The animal, as if in desperation, wrapped his tongue around Chay’s cock once more, a low whine of frustration escaping his throat. He brought a paw to firmly press against Chay’s lower abdomen, refusing to let him get away.
This time, much as Chay wanted to push him back, he couldn’t. The animal remained in place, licking him over and over, from the tip of his shaft to the base, finding a way to curl his tongue around Chay’s balls, determined to get him to come.
Chay only shook his head, tears streaming down his face, and eventually, he let out a loud moan, his legs spreading further apart to accommodate the animal’s size.
As if he were being moved like a marionette on strings, Chay brought his hands to lay on the panther’s head, unable to help himself, pressing the animal’s head further down—
X X X X X
Chay bolted from the bed, beads of sweat rolling down the side of his face, before a wave of nausea suddenly washed over him, and he had no choice but to lay back down, the covers of his bed spread out in a haphazard array around his legs. He covered his eyes with his arm, willing his vision to stop spinning, his breaths heaving as he recalled the vivid details of his dream, his heart still beating rapidly.
Truth be told, he’d been sleeping in the living room since he started staying at this house again. The bathroom on the first floor had never been fixed, but he had preferred sleeping in the living room regardless, since he had easy access to his desktop computer and the flat screen.
Besides that, he didn’t like sleeping alone in his room, when he knew Porsche wasn’t in the room above him.
He only began sleeping in his room tonight, right after the jump scare he’d had with the large cat currently staying downstairs. Chay felt ashamed, to be honest; bizarre as he may have sounded, he genuinely didn’t like the fact that he had undoubtedly hurt the animal’s feelings.
He turned his head, grabbing his phone to check the time. He squinted his eyes as the bright glare of the small screen assaulted him, quickly shutting it off when he had the chance to read the hour.
It was a little after two in the morning. Gods, he was gonna have a hard time falling back asleep; he had never liked waking up in the middle of the night. Fitting, considering how much of a heavy sleeper he is.
Distantly, he could smell the faint scent of the incense, wafting in from downstairs. He’d lit the incense again just before he’d gone up to his room, his heart in his throat as he’d fervently prayed that the extra incense (it was his third time that day burning some for the statue; the house smelled like a temple, quite frankly) would keep the animal subdued.
Chay bit his lip, unable to stop the guilt in his chest. He closed his eyes in exhaustion, allowing himself to take in the solitude his room provided.
In all honesty, Chay wasn’t used to animals in general. Sure, he’d gone to pet stores before with his older brother and his friends, and had even dreamed of owning a cute cat or dog once or twice in his life, but it was something that had never really been in the cards for him. Pets were expensive, and at the end of the day, another mouth to feed. Considering his and Porsche’s money troubles from before and how they’d lived paycheck to paycheck, it was not a luxury they could have afforded.
(That, and Uncle Arthee had been allergic.)
Eventually, when he and Porsche’s lives had irrevocably changed, and they suddenly found themselves having all the money they could ever need, the novelty of wanting a pet had already worn off, if only for the fact that he had more important things to worry about.
He hardly knew how to take care of himself, let alone another living being.
Nervously, he reached down to take stock of himself, letting out an embarrassed groan as he felt the hardness between his legs, his fingers dripping wet with moisture.
Another groan escaped him, and no longer wanting to delay the inevitable, lifted his head to look at how soiled his shorts were. After confirming that he was indeed hard and would need to go to the bathroom to sort himself out, he let out another whine, grabbing for the pillow next to him and pressing his face against the colder side.
Shit. This was awkward.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Chay mumbled to himself, shaking his head.
Really? A cat turned him on?! What the hell does that say about him?! Granted, the part-time statue / part-time animal downstairs in his living room was no house cat and is actually one of the world’s leading apex predators, lending itself for a more different, perhaps titillating, sexier vibe, but even so—the principle of the thing remained the same.
Chay was no stranger to his body being turned on by unusual things. Once, he’d seen a pair of branded shades sitting on the display counter while he was getting checked for glasses at the eye clinic. The shades had so reminded him of Kim’s pair, the one he’d seen him donning a number of times.
He didn’t know what happened between the car ride from the eye clinic to the compound, but as soon as he got home it was like trying to pry off an octopus when he remembered the enthusiasm with which he’d jumped Kim and had all but begged the older man to do him against his car, wearing nothing but those gorgeous shades and his signature leather jacket.
All this to say—what in gods’ name does this say about him!?
“Gah! Let’s do this!” Chay huffed out loud, hyping himself up. He shoved the covers away from him and got up from the bed, heading for the bathroom, wholly determined for it to be done and over with.
It took about fifteen minutes, more or less; with Kim for a significant other, he wasn’t short on fantasies by any means.
He flushed the toilet, then washed his hands by the sink, his mind much clearer now compared to just a little while ago. He exited the bathroom and made his way back to his room, pausing at the door.
Chay stood still for a moment, looking out at the window by the landing. He had a grim, but determined expression on his face, and subconsciously, his grip on the doorknob tightened.
Perhaps he was just being paranoid, but better to be safe than sorry, right? What harm could it do, considering this was his own house, thank you very much. He has the right to walk around and check up on his guests as he pleased!
Decision made, he headed downstairs, stopping just short of the final step. As quietly as possible, he eventually stepped down onto the wooden floor, his footsteps padding softly, trying not to make a noise.
Chay peaked his head from behind the wall, scanning the area, until his gaze finally landed on the statue by the couch.
He was still there in the same place, right as he’d left him a few hours ago. The incense had already burnt out, but the heavy scent lingered in the air, draping the house in some invisible shroud.
A tension Chay hadn’t realized had been present inside him seemed to release, and he let out an exhale of relief, nodding to himself.
He turned around and went back to his room for real, getting into bed once more. He opened his Spotify app and started playing some soothing jazz music softly on his phone, willing himself to focus on the sweet, lush melody of the song.
As he drifted off to sleep, his eyelids thankfully becoming heavy, it only occurred to Chay then that he didn’t remember unlocking his bedroom door when he’d gone to the bathroom earlier.
X X X X X
The snarling from the panther statue was already buzzing quite loudly as Porsche unlocked the sliding doors, with Kinn following right behind him as they entered the house. Both he and Kinn took off their shoes, tossing their blazers on the couch as Porsche switched on a lamp, trying to remain as quiet as possible.
“Tul, Ant, you guys can go home. Send a text to Tee for me, if you would please. I expect him here in about an hour or so,” Porsche directed his men at the door, his voice speaking in a hushed tone, patting both men on the back for their hard work.
Meanwhile, Kinn waited until Porsche was done giving instructions to the guards, letting out a tired exhale as Porsche finally slid the patio door shut, drawing the curtains closed. He kneeled close to where the panther statue stood, flicking its chin lightly with the pads of his fingers.
“Hey Kim, how are you doing?” Kinn asked, a touch of fatigue in his voice as he tried to get a better look at his brother, shutting his eyes tightly and shaking his head for a moment as the pungent remnants of the incense assaulted his nostrils. “That damn smell is annoying.”
A low-pitched growl erupted from the statue’s throat, seeming to agree with him, though not making any effort to hide its frustration, its form quivering for a split second. But alas, the sculpture remained unmoving, somehow stuck in its inanimate state.
Kinn patted the animal on its back, trying to soothe him. “Just give it a little bit of time. We’ll open one of the windows, and once we air out the room, then we can talk.”
As if on cue, Porsche opened one of the smaller windows by Chay’s computer, just in time to see the mysterious pet shop owner he’d met from about a week ago waiting by the gate, his smile as enigmatic as ever.
Porsche’s eyes narrowed in disbelief towards the unusual man, trying to get a closer look.
“Kinn,” he called over to his fiancé, pointing towards the direction of the gate. “Your friend is here.”
Kinn’s eyes widened, turning around and walking over to the patio door, pulling the curtains back. He let out a sigh of relief, moving to unlock the door and step out. Before he could do so however, Porsche stopped him, a deep frown etched on his face.
“You invited him?” Porsche asked, incredulous.
“I did—“ Kinn began, his eyes widening in a panic as Porsche turned away from him, clearly frustrated. “Hey, wait. Look, don’t jump to any conclusions, you know me better than that. Despite how he looks, he’s one of my most trusted acquaintances from Guangzhou, and he has yet to lead our family’s interests there astray.”
“I don’t care that he’s a business connection, Kinn. I only care about the fact that I had no choice but to trick my own brother into taking care of a wild animal,” Porsche stated bitterly, trying his best not to yell in sheer frustration.
The statue let out a ferocious growl at that last comment, the sound of claws trying to break free from its confines audible in their ears.
Kinn turned to his brother, trying to calm him down. “Pull yourself together, Kim. We can’t blame Porsche for being worried.”
He turned back towards Porsche, cupping his face tenderly. “I know you don’t like the Count, and he didn’t exactly make the best impression, but even so—he’s the one who knows the most about what’s going on with my brother, and Khun is already worried sick. Let me figure this out with the two of them, yeah?”
Porsche gave him a long, hard look, before nodding once, moving out of his way. Kinn smiled gratefully towards him, walking out into the courtyard to meet with the Count, shaking his hand, then promptly leading him back towards the house.
When the Count finally laid eyes on the statue, he gave it a sympathetic smile, kneeling beside it to lay a hand on the incense burner. “I see…so you have yet to eat, it would seem.”
He walked over to the window, producing a large, ornate fan out of nowhere, pointing the direction of the object towards the open window as he fanned the scent out, his hand moving elegantly.
“Not to worry, Mr. Kim. We’ll find a way for you to eat soon, one way or another,” Count D assured the statue, continuing to fan for a few more seconds, before folding it closed, tucking it into the long sleeve of his changshan. “Yes, there we go. That should do it.”
All three of the men turned towards the statue, waiting for that slight quiver surrounding it to appear once more. They didn’t have to wait too long, and soon enough, the statue gradually melded into flesh and bone, the sleek, deadly form of the panther coming to life before their very eyes.
Once the animal stood before them, the panther let out a sharp hiss, before long, dark tendrils of shadows began to grow from beneath him, overtaking his body, like black ink spilling across a dark void. Eventually, the dark mass reshaped itself, until the one who stood before them once more was none other than the man of the hour himself, wholly familiar to them all.
Kim staggered to the ground, his breaths heaving in quick succession, like he’d taken his first breath of fresh air, after so long.
He looked paler than usual, Kinn thought as he tried to help Kim stand up, holding onto him by his waist and arm. He felt guilty at seeing his younger brother in such a state, gray circles beneath his eyes giving him a hollow, distant look. He was barefoot and shirtless, wearing nothing but a pair of black pants, his nails the color of a moonless night.
Yet still—to the naked eye, he looked quite well.
Kim’s current predicament began a little like this: during a particular visit in Guangzhou two weeks back, in which the patriarch and the sons of the Theerapanyakul family were all invited to attend the wedding of one of Korn’s old friends—more specifically, his friend’s eldest son, a certain incident occurred which resulted in the complete derailment of Kim’s plans for the rest of the trip.
While the boys had only ever heard of this family in passing on the rare occasion Korn spoke of his current dealings in China, they were nonetheless one of the Theerapanyakul family’s most important connections in the country. The family—headquartered in the outskirts of Guangzhou—were of an old, aristocratic bloodline, and though no longer considered a member of any nobility, still had considerable wealth and influence in the area.
Due to the old friendship, they allowed Korn’s own operations to run smoothly in Guangzhou by allowing free access to certain trade routes they controlled—trade routes that rival clans would kill to have access to.
Naturally, Korn wouldn’t dare risk offense by snubbing his friend and not attending the wedding. Even so, he still had things to keep an eye on here in Bangkok, and since Kinn was currently busy with his own work as well as assisting Porsche with some unrest that had begun to crop up with their territory down south, Kim was tasked with attending the wedding and acting as the representative for their family.
All things considered, it had been a grand, exorbitant, if not tedious event, and Kim had expected nothing out of the ordinary to occur. He would attend the wedding, mingle a little bit with a few of the Theerapanyakul family’s other important connections who had also been invited, knock back a few drinks, return to the hotel to get some sleep, and then just in time, catch a plane back to Bangkok the following day.
It would have been ideal, if that was how it had gone down.
Unfortunately, as is most often the case, the circumstances of life-altering events such as these were hardly ever ideal.
During the wedding, a rival family—also situated on the outskirts of Guangzhou, but on the other side of the Pearl River—took advantage of the large gathering and used it as an opportunity to get rid of their enemies. They were a particular group, truth be told. Though they made use of modern weapons and technology to protect their territory like most clans, they were also cult believers of sorcery and the supernatural, retaining shamans in their employ.
That day, one of their famed shamans was tasked with casting a spell on the bride of the wedding, in which she would be turned into a stone figure of a wild animal, cursed to remain as an inanimate object, while the gnawing hunger in her belly would gradually turn her insane.
Once she could no longer stand that unbearable torture however, she would revert back into flesh and bone, but in the form of the wild animal she had been transformed into. Only by giving into her animalistic urges and gorging on the flesh of a human being, will the spell be broken, and she would be set free.
In this case, presumably the aim of the enemy was for her to eat her own groom.
Kim had not been much of a believer, until this incident, in any case. If this was a dream, then it was an elaborate one; definitely something he ought to remember, since it was incredible material for a new music video.
As Kim had been trying to make his escape from the attempted massacre, he had spotted the young niece of the bride, hiding herself within the voluminous red robes of her aunt’s wedding gown. Seeing the child in danger, Kim didn’t think twice, and had quickly run over to the pair, if only at least to save the little girl, no more than three or four years old.
Despite his own nature, Kim did occasionally try to do good by way of decency. Chay would have been proud of him, had he been there to witness it.
In the end however, Kim had been caught up in the spell as he’d shoved the little girl out of the way and towards the exit. He’d lost consciousness by then, and by the time he came to, he had woken up disoriented in Count D’s unusual pet shop in a different form as he’d originally left the country, though thankfully—returned to Bangkok in one piece.
Enter, Count D.
Count D was a friend of Tankhun’s, one of the earliest business connections he had forged on his own, when he had still been the heir before Kinn. The mysterious man was knowledgeable, not only in the dealings of rare and exotic animals, but also of the old practices and myths from the mainland.
Kinn genuinely didn’t know if the Count was even human, and Tankhun’s own thoughts on the matter had not been forthcoming whatsoever, nor was he inclined to share what he knew.
The incense he’d given to Porsche did exactly as he’d claimed, but with some caveats. Using the incense would calm the animal’s general impulses, but it was a temporary measure and also tended to affect the animal’s other senses and ability to seamlessly change between both forms.
He was just as eccentric as his eldest brother, if not more so, Kinn thought, grateful nonetheless for the man’s help.
“I honestly can’t believe I’m standing here in front of my little brother’s boyfriend, who is on the verge of hunting someone for food—all the while Chay is sleeping upstairs, none the wiser,” Porsche gritted out loud, clutching his head as if trying to wrap his brain all around what he’d just said.
“Truth is stranger than fiction they say, but this is fucking ridiculous,” he continued, finally shaking his head, walking over to the window, his eyes seeing nothing. “I don’t like it, I don’t like this one bit—“
“None of us do, Porsche—“ Kinn began, holding up a hand to try and soothe his lover.
“I say we lock him up in one of the warehouses and feed him a corpse to get it over and done with. I don’t fucking want him in this house, I don’t want him anywhere near Porchay,” Porsche rambled on incoherently, but before he could say anything more, Kim swiftly tackled the older man towards the carpet. Cushioned by the carpet, the sounds were muffled as Porsche hit the ground, suddenly finding himself pinned to the floor by a lethal, predatory animal.
The panther bared its teeth towards Porsche, his claws threatening to bury themselves in the meat of the man’s neck. Kinn could only watch in horror as Count D blocked his way, a finger to his lip as he signaled for Kinn to keep quiet, to not move a step.
Just as quickly however, Kim changed back, his usually handsome face contorted into a murderous expression, speaking for the first time since the unfortunate incident, his voice hoarse with disuse. “You have a lot of nerve to say what should be done with me, considering you’re probably the one who understands the least of what’s going on right now.”
“And you’re saying you do?! That’s rich, considering you have no fucking idea how to solve your little involuntary hunger strike either.”
“I know my body, more than anyone else,” Kim hissed towards Porsche, his hand still clutching at the man’s neck. “And I can assure you, since I didn’t realize it bears repeating out loud—what I feel towards Chay right now is unimaginable hunger, but the last thing I feel is wanting to pick him off my teeth.”
Though for how long, the question remained unsaid, hovering in the air like a menacing, black cloud, doing nothing to diffuse their current predicament.
“How can I trust you, Kim? How can I trust that my brother is still safe around you?!” Porsche asked in desperation, trying to lift Kim’s grip off of him.
“Chay is mine,” Kim asserted fiercely, his expression viciously daring Porsche to argue with him, before finally releasing the older man’s neck, letting him drop to the ground unceremoniously. “I’ll find a way to break this damn curse, or I’ll die trying.”
He said nothing else, turning around as he moved away from all of them, the transformation into his other form initiating once more. The black shadows from before enveloped him like a dark fog, seeming to swallow him whole.
Soon enough, right in front of their eyes where Kim had been, the beautiful sculpture of the animal stood before them, as if nothing out of the ordinary had ever taken place.
Kim was hungry. So goddamn hungry.
A few days had passed since the standoff with Porsche, but otherwise, it was like a calm before the storm.
Kim fought the gnawing, uncontrollable urge to transform so he could hunt, reaching deep into the wells of self-control he’d nurtured growing up in the household he was raised in for all these years. The incense Chay had burned for him a little while ago before he’d gone up to his room had finally begun to dissipate, and he no longer felt like his brain was muddled with hazy dreams and half-baked illusions.
Not yet, just a little longer.
Amidst the heavy coils of incense still lingering in the air, Kim tried to distinguish Chay’s comforting, sunflower scent from everything else.
Kim found it by the couch, where Chay had been trying to study earlier in the day, but ended up mostly glued to his phone, typing away furiously to nag about Kim’s whereabouts, no doubt. It touched Kim, truly—how Chay has done his best to keep himself together throughout the face of adversity, as he had always done, the anxiety and worry and love for him, just always simmering beneath the surface.
His love was loyal, even if Kim had to hear Chay suspect him of cheating, as if he could so easily be tempted.
Kim let out a sigh at that, inwardly shaking his head. He concentrated his attention on the couch once more, yearning senselessly for the capacity to hoard Chay’s scent all to himself, bottle it up to keep with him forever.
It was ironic, in a way, Kim thought to himself cynically. It was here, in this very living room, where he had once dismissed Chay’s love by proclaiming that he was hungry, his words utterly childish—all in an effort to avoid the conversation altogether.
Now, by the cruelty of the gods and the laws of karma, he was here again, truly hungry out of his mind this time around.
The world really worked in all kinds of mysterious ways.
For all the good memories Kim had of this house during the first few weeks of his then acquaintance with Chay, he didn’t like staying here too often. How could he? This was the scene where everything between them had inevitably changed and brought nothing but sad memories for the both of them now.
Kim had never been proud of what he’d done, and staying in this house—already steeped in so many memories besides their own—only reminded Kim of his own shortcomings. Remembering Chay’s heartbreak never failed to induce a dull pain in his chest, one that has never gotten better with time, even now, when he can freely call Chay his beloved, his one and only.
It was cruel of Porsche to have brought them both back here, when that was the last thing they had wanted. Still, beggars can’t be choosers, and being given the miraculous chance to spend time alone with Porchay once more, even in this accursed, horrific form—after the harrowing ordeal of finding out just what exactly he needed to do in order to get back to normal, was something he thought he’d never get again.
A true blessing in disguise, one Kim couldn’t help but feel thankful for in retrospect, as it had given him the time to think of a plan. At the very least, a plan he had been getting ready to enact, before his father had conveniently sent him a more fitting solution to his little problem.
In this form as a statue, Kim couldn’t see whomever it was that was currently trying to pry the locks off of the patio door, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t hear them. From what he heard of the muffled voices outside however, it sounded like a two-man operation.
Simple enough. He could handle two men easily.
In the count of three, Kim felt the vines of shadows crawl all around him, clinging onto his skin, his bones, the meat of his body. Gradually, he felt his muscles loosen, the frozen body of polished stone melting away, as if a veil were being lifted. He flexed his paws, the sharp claws extending like vipers, ready for his use.
Perfect.
Once the transformation was complete, Kim stalked towards the open window by Chay’s computer, lifting the blinds slightly using his snout. Looking out towards the gate, Kim realized that Boot and Ant have been knocked out, their guns scattered around them. Tul was nowhere to be seen, and Kim sincerely hoped he’d managed to escape in order to get reinforcements.
Kim heard the lock give way, his sensitive ears twitching, and the two men, one familiar to him from the wedding and one unknown, finally stepped foot into Kim’s sanctuary, the scent of blood and gunpowder permeating off of them, stinging his nostrils.
It was only when Kim registered the copper smell of blood that he’d realized the guards outside had been killed, not knocked out like he’d originally thought. He felt himself snarl at his own mistake, though allowed the relief of their deaths to wash over him, regardless.
Before his father had sent him this convenient present, Kim had already been planning to hunt either Tul or Boot, whichever one would have neared the house first, he wasn’t picky. For the past week, he had slowly calculated which one would make for the best kill, one that would best satisfy the animal’s urge to hunt, to give chase.
In the dead of night when Chay would go to bed, Kim would watch their movements from his enclave here in the house. Tul was much too observant, aware of every noise and chirp around the front lawn, while Boot had been the fastest between the three of them. Ant had been the best with firearms, and Kim had studied his aim when the man would practice shooting in the yard once Chay had gone to sleep.
In any case, there wasn’t much time to study these assailants as he had done with the other three, so Kim would have to make do.
Using the cover of darkness, Kim crouched low beneath Chay’s desk, making for a quick sprint near the dining room table, his movements entirely hushed. He watched intently as the men wandered around the living room, opening drawers and trying to find whatever valuables they could take.
Kim tried to discern if either of the men had a firearm, and soon enough, he got his answer: the one familiar to him from the wedding had a Glock tucked into his pants, the glint of stainless steel sharp against the light from the street lamps outside.
Most likely, this was the man his father intended to be Kim’s next meal. Already Kim knew his docket for the next couple of months was going to be jam packed full of errands, especially with Songkran coming up fairly soon.
No rest for the weary, indeed.
As he turned his attention towards him, Kim scanned the vicinity for the other individual, his heart skipping a beat as he saw the one unknown to him head for the stairs leading up to Chay’s room, a knife already drawn in his hand.
In a split second, a surge of madness ran through him, and Kim abandoned any plans he may have had of hunting the man from the wedding, quickly turning his focus on the other person.
No longer thinking, Kim swiftly moved, letting out a rage-fueled roar as he quickly hooked his fangs into one of the man’s calves, subduing him within moments. The stranger let out a strangled cry, and Kim dug his claws into the man’s flesh. When the man turned around to try and pry off Kim’s mouth, Kim bit his hand, using his powerful jaw to remove two of the man’s fingers, severing them completely.
He chewed and briskly swallowed the flesh, the hum of the shaman’s curse reverberating in his ears, the spell-infused chains that bound him to this form rattling in succession.
Kim didn’t have time to think about it whatsoever, already moving for the kill as he aimed for the man’s jugular, a spray of blood spurting out of his neck as Kim crushed his flesh between his teeth, coming very close to severing the man’s head from his body.
He heard the ringing shot of the gun behind him, barely missing his shoulder.
Kim turned around, cursing internally. Without a doubt, Chay will be waking up within the next minute or two. He abandoned his kill by the stairs, running towards the man with the gun. The man lifted his hand to aim once more, but Kim was much quicker, leaping off of the ground to bite onto the stranger’s arm, knocking him down to the floor.
With sharp stabs of pain undoubtedly shooting up his arm, the man’s grip on the gun loosened, the weapon falling to the ground. Kim kicked it far away with his hind legs, his fangs gritting tight with adrenaline as he shoved his claws deep into the man’s chest, instantly killing him.
Kim wasted no time and began to eat as much as he could, keen to satisfy one of his appetites as promptly as possible.
From the corner of his eye, a small note fell out of the man’s pocket. The handwriting—though in Thai, had been written with a crude hand, but still legible enough to read.
——
My friend,
My utmost apologies for the inconvenience I’ve caused you and your family. I would hate for this incident to disrupt our harmonious dealings up until now; what a terrible impression we’d made during the wedding, truly a shameful display. As a token of my sincere remorse, please take this offering. I dearly hope they will be of some assistance to your precious son and make up for any wrongdoing on our part.
Signed, Your Friend
——
X X X X X
When Chay had heard the gunshot downstairs, he had stayed frozen in bed for a few seconds, before jumping out of bed in a panic, grabbing his phone as he headed towards his mostly empty closet, tucking himself into one corner. He had phoned his brother, whispering in a panic as he recounted what he’d just heard on the first floor.
“Just hide for now, don’t come out until I call you back,” Porsche told him, the urgency in his voice apparent as he yelled out for some of the men to get ready to come to the house, Kinn ordering the other guards to stay put as Chay heard them both shuffling in the background.
Chay had ended the call soon after, an unease settling in his chest while he waited, as his brother had instructed him to do so. Yet still, the irrational, tortuous feeling of hiding in the closet like a sitting duck did not sit right with him whatsoever, so after the initial shock of his panic had worn off, Chay had exited the closet, making for the small knife hidden in the drawer on his bedside.
He brandished the knife, taking a deep swallow, before opening the door of his room, slipping out into the landing. As he turned towards the direction of the stairs, he was met with a gruesome sight at the bottom: an unknown assailant who, as far as Chay could tell, had been decapitated—his neck mauled ferociously.
As Chay took to the stairs one by one, his form shaking with dread, he heard a man’s voice panting, as if he had just run a marathon. He heard the old creak of the couch in the living room, like someone had just sat on it, before they abruptly stood back up, their shadow barely visible as they moved about in the room.
Chay thought they may have been looking for something, the sound of jostling noises echoing in the otherwise quiet house.
A few seconds later, the sound of a call on speaker being made on the phone could be heard, his brows shooting up to his hairline as he realized who the call was being made to.
“Who the hell is this?!” Kinn asked over on the other end, his voice sharp, promising violence.
“Relax, it’s just me.”
Chay’s eyes widened in disbelief, recognizing that voice anywhere, the pounding of his heart ringing loudly in his ears as he descended the stairs, barely managing to avoid stepping on the corpse. Tears escaped his eyes, his chest feeling full, too much of everything that has happened in the past few weeks unable to be contained any further.
He’s back…he came back to me—
There Kim stood, shirtless, his face and naked chest splattered with blood, his hair disheveled. He was still holding the phone to his ear when he finally looked up, the expression on his face stunned as he and Chay took in the sight of each other, as if trying to memorize each other’s form. Neither one was listening to what either Kinn or Porsche were saying anymore, and Kim gladly ended the call, the phone slipping from his fingers as he rushed over to where Chay was, his eyes filled with relief and intent.
Clearly thinking the same, Chay ran up to him, his arms outstretched as they grabbed one another in a tight hug, holding onto one another for a long time. Chay sobbed loudly, his hands running up and down Kim’s face, his neck, the length of his arms, trying to make himself believe that this was real, that this was no dream.
A reunion never felt so heartfelt such as this. How had the both of them managed to stay sane? It had only been a few weeks at most, yet that stretch of time seemed as if it wanted to sublimely sink unto them, to fill the caverns of their bodies with its incomprehensible nothingness.
It wasn’t until Kim pulled away first and crushed his lips against Chay’s that the latter was finally persuaded, throwing his arms around Kim’s shoulders, pulling him closer, wanting nothing more for their bodies to merge and become one being. A moan erupted from his throat as Kim all but dragged him to the couch, positioning Chay so he was straddling his lap.
Once settled, Kim dove once more to capture Chay’s mouth, his lips utterly besotted as he assaulted the other boy’s lips, ravishing him over and over, sucking on his tongue as he began to lavish him with attention.
kim could hardly breath, his mind barely able to keep up with his desire, his hunger.
“Chay…Chay, Chay—” Kim repeated incoherently, his voice husky with arousal, bringing a hand to clutch at Chay’s backside, grabbing handfuls of that soft firmness with his fingers, pulling him ever closer. “Chay—I missed you so much, fuck—”
He broke away from the kiss, burying his nose behind Chay’s ear, breathing in lungfuls of his scent, before licking a line from the base of his jaw, all the way to the edge of his collarbone. Chay lifted his face to give Kim better access, holding onto the back of Kim's head as he felt himself hardening in his pants, leaning back slightly to clumsily remove his shirt. He tossed it behind him, grabbing Kim’s hands away from his rear and pressing his palms to his own chest, rubbing circles on Kim's skin with his thumbs.
“I’ve missed you too, P’Kim,” Chay sobbed, tears running down his face as he encouraged Kim to caress him, to play with his nipples. “I was so scared, I was so worried, you weren’t answering me—!”
Kim readily complied, bringing his tongue to flick a dusty bud, a deep groan rumbling from his chest. He pressed Chay even closer to him, his hand sliding up Chay’s side until his thumb caught at the boy’s mouth, pushing his lips apart so he could suck on the digit.
In the meantime, Chay worked to unbutton Kim’s pants, his expression delirious with delight as he found Kim just as hard, aching for him as he was. He gently pulled out Kim’s cock, lovingly stroking him up and down, until Kim threw his head back, a moan fighting its way out of him as he yanked Chay’s head forward, kissing him deeply, their kiss messy and wet, the sounds bouncing back against the walls. He broke it off just as quickly, diving towards Chay’s other nipple, even biting it none too gently, slapping it with his hand, before continuing to pleasure him once more.
Distantly, Chay could smell the rotting stench of death and decay, gradually becoming aware of the other corpse that lay still just a few feet behind the couch. It was dark, and it was hard to see, but Chay thought he saw a column of ribs poking out of someone’s chest, mangled flesh hidden beyond the shadows cast by his old home.
Even so, he didn’t have it in him to care. Not right now, not in this place that had seen so much death already, so what was a few more, in the grand scheme of things?
Not when Kim was back in his arms, and he in his, not when Kim hungered for him, his eyes filled with a wildness that was wholly, dearly familiar, yet not, as if he wanted nothing more than to devour Chay whole. And in the face of that blatant desire, what other choice did Chay have, but to provide his love the succor he so clearly craved?
Not when the stench contributed to his own arousal, because it meant that Kim had protected him yet again, keeping him safe, as he had always done. That he had won the fight against these strangers whose names he will never know in this lifetime.
Licking his lips, he lined up his own cock against Kim’s, getting ready to lift his hips.
Kim stopped him however, his eyes lidded heavily as he spoke, an edge of hardened lust lacing his voice. “Ride me, sweetheart. Please? I don’t think I can last, and the others will be here soon—”
Chay nodded his head frantically, not needing for Kim to say anything more. He leaned forward to give Kim a drugging kiss, running his hands through Kim’s locks as he felt a jolt of mischief surge through him, giving Kim a maddening smile. Kim returned his grin, fully understanding the intoxicating adrenaline rush of a race against time.
Chay settled back onto Kim’s lap, not wasting another second. He licked his hand, trying to gather as much saliva in his mouth to make the friction between them easier, desperately wishing he’d grabbed the lube from the bathroom upstairs.
It was an insane, mind-boggling thought; he had not planned for any of this when he’d made the decision to go downstairs, rather than wait inside his room like some child.
He couldn’t help but let out a crazed giggle, his brain filled with happy chemicals while he fondly caressed Kim’s face, so beautiful and handsome, especially beneath the light of the moon. While Chay wished he could have savored this reunion with a long, drawn out session of making love, the desire to come with Kim seemed more urgent, especially when time was running short before their brothers came to get them.
At this point, it was less about pleasure and more about using this time to know one another again, so that the time they had spent apart would become a thing of the past, a miniscule grain of time they will eventually forget and move past from.
He adjusted himself, moving closer so he was flushed against Kim’s chest, bringing a hand to both of their cocks, letting his forehead rest against the man’s shoulder. His breaths coming out in hard pants, Chay rocked as hard and fast as he could against him, his boxer shorts eventually sliding down to his foot.
Chay shook his head, his mouth hanging open slightly against Kim’s skin as a small rivulet of drool dribbled onto his chin, his eyes fluttering closed as he lost himself to his own pleasure, the couch creaking incessantly as they rocked against one another, uncaring of anything else.
“Just like that, faster…!” Kim demanded harshly, leaning further backwards, to better accommodate Chay’s weight, as well as to make the glide between them smoother. As precum oozed out of Kim’s dick, he brought a hand to gather it on his fingertips, spreading the moisture onto both of them. He gripped them both in his hand, moving his hold up and down in quick succession, flicking his fingers expertly in that familiar way of his that had them spilling onto one another in no time.
“I was so hungry, Chay…! So fucking hungry—” Kim mumbled, his voice severe, more animal than human as he continued to move against his partner, unable to stop himself.
“No one fed you, huh?” Chay cooed indulgently, pressing his nose against Kim’s hair, inhaling the delicious, familiar scent of sandalwood and pine. He was so happy that Kim was finally home. “Well then, phi…come here, and eat your fill.”