#indthai

“They won’t be mature enough for another few weeks,” Kasem explained, “but I’m more than happy to let you have one when they are.”

“Alright,” he said softly, “Then I can’t wait to see them at least so I can choose one.”

“Just inform me of when you plan on coming by and I’ll make sure they’re ready to greet you.”

“I’m going to be visiting with Japan this weekend, so maybe on Monday?”

“Doing military exercises again?”

“Yao is being a menace.”

“The prince off to save us all, hm?”

“Something like that,” he laughed, slightly embarrassed.

“Thank you for all that you do,” Kasem said.

Nalin felt validated, which was Kasem’s intention, he knew.

The weekend passed slowly, but soon Monday came and he found himself texting on the way to Kasem’s place. When he arrived, the other man was there to greet him with a black kitten in his hands, and one on his shoulder.

“Sorry,” Kasem said, “I would greet you properly, but I have these little ones.”

“It’s alright,” Nalin kissed him, and then stepped inside the house properly. There were, it turned out, five kittens. He and Kasem settled on the floor and Nalin let the kittens climb over and around him. “Why are you giving them away?” he asked.

“I can’t keep all of them, now can I?” Kasem asked, “I’ve asked Hue to take one, and she agreed. And I’m asking some other neighbors as well.”

“I hope you find good homes for them all,” Nalin said, “they deserve them.” He lain down on the floor and let one of the kittens claw its way up his face.

“Of course I will, our neighbors are good people,” Kasem said, “I think I’ll ask Emran if he wants one.”

“Emran can barely remember to feed himself he’s so caught up in video games,” Nalin said, and turned to lay on his side, “why would you trust him with a pet?”

“He’s not that bad,” Kasem said, “I’m sure he would be able to take care of a pet.”

“I wouldn’t risk it,” Nalin said. The one he was fondly starting to consider a beast was batting at his wiggling fingers. The pure black one was trying to chew on his watch. And he was falling fast. But for which one?

“Such little faith in your brother,” Kasem said with a laugh.

“I have faith in few things.”

“But you do have faith, so that is good enough.”

“You have faith enough for the both of us, I’d say,” Nalin smiled at Kasem, and got a kiss on his forehead for his troubles.

“True enough. Decided on which kitten yet?”

“Honestly, no. It’s hard to choose.”

“Well then, let’s make lunch, and you can think it over more.” Kasem stood up and offered Nalin a hand. He took it.

They made lunch with Thai pop playing lightly in the background. The kittens came exploring at the smells, and Nalin welcomed them even as they got underfoot. Kasem’s other cats were more respectful, and/or probably asleep. Nalin imagined kittens were a lot to take care of. Just like babies were, and just like Aahan had been. He couldn’t stop the sad look from appearing on his face as he thought on his brother that he had lost, and only so recently gotten back.

“What’s wrong?” Kasem asked.

“Nothing,” Nalin said, and found it easy to lose himself again in preparing their lunch. Kasem left it alone, and they settled in to eat.

“I want the white one,” Nalin said as he watched it tackle its siblings. Kasem looked down at the floor where they were playing and chuckled.

“Of course you would.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Well, you’ve always been attracted to that sort.”

“Ah,” Nalin thought about that. Was he attracted to the sort of person that Kasem seemed to be implying he was? But no, he was also attracted to gentleness, so far removed was it from his usual life. “I’d have to disagree.”

“Oh? Why?”

“There’s you to consider, after all, if we’re talking about my types now.”

“That is true,” Kasem laughed, “that is most certainly true.”

“Yes, so, the white one, I think.”

“Yes,” Kasem said, “I think so too.”

“I’ll call it--”

“Him,” Kasem said, “he’s male.”

“Alright. Have you named them already?”

“Not really. I’ve just been calling them ‘white one’ and ‘black one’ and such,” Kasem said, “I didn’t want to get too attached after all.”

“That’s a good idea,” Nalin said, “Gora maybe then, so it’s not too confusing for him.”

“Will he be okay with your peacock?”

Nalin scoffed, “Of course!”

They finished eating, and washed the dishes.

“Are you staying over?” Kasem asked at one point.

“Unless you want me to leave,” Nalin stated simply. But Kasem made clear with a kiss that he didn’t. One kiss lead to another, and the dishes got discarded in favor of moving to the living room. The kittens were no longer underfoot, having been summoned by their mother to feed. Nalin curled up on the couch, and let Kasem hold him as he hadn’t in a long while. He’d missed this.

He said as much to Kasem who kissed his forehead, and rubbed his arms, “I, too, have missed you.”

“You haven’t acted like it,” Nalin said jokingly.

“Must I?”

“Always.”

“Hm, I’ll make it up to you tonight,” Kasem said.

“Is that a promise?”

Kasem kissed his forehead again, “It’s a promise.”

Nalin hummed, and relaxed against his chest.

If Nalin was a prince with an overwhelming aura of ‘everything goes according to my plans’, then Kasem was his opposite, he couldn’t help but think. Kasem was still some type of royalty, but he didn’t pressure people like Nalin did. He didn’t have a sly smile that hinted at secrets like Nalin did. Instead his smiles were always as truthful as he was. If Nalin wasn’t so excessively fond of him, he might hate him, resent him, just a little. Kasem was too good, it seemed, sometimes for Nalin.

Kasem was almost like a relic from older times in Nalin’s life. Times when he had been on top of the world, had a mission to spread, had passions to sow. Before Aahan, before the wars, before white men on his shores, and white men in his bed, Kasem had been there. Far enough away that their time spent together was short, but close enough for Nalin’s influence to reach. Like Hue, he had fallen for him easily. Unlike Hue, that romance hadn’t been short lived. And unlike usual, the flame of their passion hadn’t gone out, but merely slowed down and softened over the centuries.

Kasem didn’t know all of Nalin’s secrets, wasn’t privy to all of his pain, and Nalin preferred it that way. He knew that if he wanted to, Kasem would be there as a listening ear. That he would just hold him if he needed it as well with no questions asked. Nalin appreciated that in his partners. He knew the important stuff, of course, there was no escaping that, but he didn’t know every single last detail unlike certain others Nalin could name, but wouldn’t.

So, he appreciated Kasem, in a different way than he appreciated others for example.

“What are you lost in thought about?” Kasem asked. While Nalin had zoned out, Kasem had turned on the tv, and the kittens had returned. They were trying to climb up on the couch like their mother who was lazily watching them. Nalin leaned out of Kasem’s embrace, and picked up his kitten. The little white beast nestled into his chest, and Nalin smiled. Yes, he and this little one would get along just fine.

“You,” Nalin said finally, “and how much I appreciate you.”

“Ah, I’m touched, Nalin, I appreciate you as well.”

“Do you now?” Nalin said, and if he sounded slightly unsure about that, Kasem was there to reassure him with a squeeze of his arms.

“I do. How could I not?”

Nalin laughed, “Indeed. You’re far too sweet to me, Kasem.”

“Well, what can I say? You inspire me to be this way.” Nalin could feel Kasem’s laughter from his back, so he laughed as well. Things with Kasem were just so easy, so natural. They’d both been through hell and back, so it felt good to connect with someone who understood without words what was wrong, even if they didn’t know the full stories. “Now, is your heart truly set on that little one? He’s a bit of a troublemaker, after all.”

“Like you said, I have a type.”

“I did say that, didn’t I? Even still it’s rather curious why me considering your type.”

“Ah, I suppose I should be serious about the answer to that,” Nalin mused, and then winced as the kitten on his chest scrambled to get down. Nalin let him join his brothers and sisters and mother. The mother cat herded them all somewhere out of Nalin’s viewfield, and he considered Kasem’s question.

“If you wouldn’t mind.”

“I do love you, of course,” Nalin said, as he said to all his partner’s, but so rarely meant but with a few of them. “I love your gentleness, and your kindness, and your passion, and your strength. I greatly hold you in high esteem.”

“Now who’s being sweet?” Kasem asked. Nalin turned in his embrace, and grinned at him.

“Me,” he said simply, “since I’m sweet on you.” Before Kasem could respond, Nalin kissed him. Kasem kissed him back, and Nalin could feel his glasses moving on his face as they did so. So he pulled back, and took of Kasem’s glasses for him. They returned to kissing, and he settled on Kasem’s lap as they did so. He lost track of time, but paid attention to his own body and Kasem’s reactions as he kissed his neck, and mouthed hard against the skin there. Kasem let out a quiet moan, and Nalin smirked, satisfied as he reached down between them. “Still want to wait for tonight?”

Kasem was watching him with unfocused eyes, and shook his head in quiet acceptance of a change in plan. Kasem smiled at him when Nalin put on his glasses and got off his lap. The glasses made the room go soft and blurry, and he offered Kasem a hand up off the couch. He accepted it, and squeezed Nalin’s hand.

The house was as familiar as Nalin’s so he was able to navigate it with Kasem’s hands on his shoulders. They kissed just outside his bedroom door. Inside, Nalin took off his glasses and settled them on the nightstand next to the bed. He helped Kasem take off his shirt, and then Kasem’s came off. He didn’t mind that it pooled to the floor as Kasem urged him to lay back on the bed. He didn’t mind much when it came to Kasem, because he knew that the other man would treat him right.

That was the connection between them after all.

Nalin held back a soft sigh as Kasem kissed his neck, and made his way down his body. Kasem made him feel like it was okay to just relax and let someone else take the lead for once. That was another thing he appreciated about him.

Kasem treated him like he was something precious, something beautiful despite all the scars that lined his body. Nalin loved that about him. Kasem knew where to touch him exactly to have Nalin turning into putty in his hands, even without removing either of their pants. Nalin was trembling with anticipation when Kasem smiled up at him.

“So sensitive today!”

Only for you, Nalin thought, but didn’t say. He just carded his fingers in Kasem’s hair, and tugged slightly just shy of being painful, “We’re both far too dressed for my liking.”

Kasem laughed, and pulled away to take off the remainder of his clothes. While he did that, Nalin slipped out of his pants and removing clothes as well. Kasem settled on top of him, and that was nice but not perfect, not exactly, so Nalin tugged him into a kiss, and wrapped fingers around Kasem’s cock in a loose grip.

All of this, he had missed,  he thought as he jerked Kasem to full hardness. Kasem reached into his nightstand and dropped a condom on Nalin’s chest that he opened and rolled onto Kasem’s shaft. Before he could ask about the lube, Kasem was pulling away, and moving between his legs with a container in hand.

“Kiss me,” he commanded even as Kasem spread the lube all over his fingers. Kasem kissed him, mouth curled into a smile as he did so. Nalin barely flinched as he pushed one finger inside, choosing to focus his energy on swiping his tongue across Kasem’s bottom lip and tangling their tongues together. Another finger, and he was rocking on Kasem’s fingers, burying them deeper inside himself as Kasem worked on spreading him open. Kasem was somewhat of a tease, all careful touches, and smiling kisses, and laughter just moments away from coming out. It only made Nalin want him more. Made him want to see that carefulness, that gentleness fade away into passion.

A third finger, and Kasem kissed his neck, fingers brushing against his prostate with each stroke inward. Nalin could probably come from this stimulation alone, but he wanted so much more than that. He needed so much more than that.

“I want you,” Nalin started to say, and then Kasem’s teeth grazed his throat and he was gone. He muttered quiet statements of praise towards Kasem in Hindi, and stroked his back as he pulled his fingers out. Kasem hovered above him and Nalin was struck by how intimate it was without his glasses in the way. Kasem pushed in, and now his hands on his back weren’t so gentle. The world narrowed to just him and Kasem in bed, and their bodies connecting in the best way. He dug his nails into Kasem’s back as the other man rocked forward. He wrapped his legs around his waist, and moved with him.

Kasem called him beautiful, and didn’t seem to mind the pain too much. He was used to how enthusiastically Nalin would react to things. So, Nalin let himself go, as he so rarely did. He didn’t put on theatrics, and was honest with Kasem and himself about how much he was enjoying this. There was nothing fake about the way he gripped Kasem closer, and moaned loudly as he hit just the right spot.

And Kasem wasn’t silent either, praising him with an intensity that made Nalin’s whole body flush. Kasem was feeding his ego, and Nalin couldn’t get enough of it. He demanded more, and got more. He felt as he had in the past, before his ego had been shattered and rebuilt (twistedly at that it seemed sometimes). He was on top of the world, and Kasem was right there next to him.

He could feel himself getting closer, and so he pulled Kasem in for a kiss to soften his moans. When he came, it was like someone had lit up the sky, and rearranged him somehow. He felt renewed.