VASAN S.

Vieng stared blankly at the man that lay next to him. The Earth King’s breathing was steadying with little struggle other than the few aftershocks of what had transpired earlier that evening. A trembling hand blindly found its way to Vieng’s stomach. He became immediately irritated.

Well. Not really.

It’s just that he was damp and kind of sticky and smelled like what he could only describe as if someone ran a mile uphill and fell into a barrel of incense and perfume only to get rolled into sheets that were also damp and kind of sticky and now there’s a dead cold hand groping at him like he didn’t just let that man grab all he wanted a few minutes before.

“Duck?”

Eurgh. Vieng grimaced for a split second at the pet name before smoothing his face into a sweeter expression as unfocused verdelite green met dark brown.

“Kuei,” Vieng responded, soft as rain.

Or. Well. As soft as he could muster considering there was a corpse hand situated at the heat of his stomach siphoning all of Vieng’s body heat into itself like a parasitic tick. But that’s what he gets for loving a man with cold hands.

“Would you be so kind?”

Right. His glasses.

Vieng swatted around the rumpled sheets. Technically Kuei could easily find them himself; he’s not completely useless without them — at the same time he’d mentioned that he feels naked without them despite the fact that he’s naked as the day he was born at this very moment. He just likes making things harder for Vieng because stripping away his upbringing and titles, he’s a bastard of a man. Something flat and round grazed his fingers.

Vieng fished out the shape and determined that yes, these were in fact spectacles — before setting them on Kuei’s nose, pinching the bridge in place. Kuei, now apparently less naked, let out a small sound of discomfort.

“That was more force than necessary.” Kuei frowned.

“Was it?”

“Yes.”

“Ah,” Vieng feigned innocence. “And I thought it would be so kind of me to put them on for you.”

Kuei’s frown deepened before Vieng propped himself up, kissing it away. Deemed a suitable apology, the king returned his gesture in kind, cradling Vieng’s face. The cold had lessened to where Vieng allowed himself to lean into the touch for a moment before settling his body against Kuei’s.

“You’re so pretty,” Kuei murmured fondly, fingers toying at a strand of Vieng’s hair.

“Just pretty?”

Kuei seemed to consider it for a second, his head tilting slightly as his eyes looked up in thought. Apparently he was thinking to be mean.

“No, I enjoy sticking my cock in the ugliest places imaginable. I am the least picky man alive when it comes to who warms my bed. Forgive me.”

Vieng’s face flattened. Bastard.

“You’re cruel,” Vieng huffed, not moving away.

“You were fishing.”

“So what if I was?”

“You could do a better job at hiding it,” there was a laugh in the king’s voice. “Maybe then I would humour you.”

“I humoured you enough with your dick up my ass, you horse-faced bastard.”

“Mm,” the insult bounced off Kuei with little ceremony.

There was a pause between them other than soft breathing and Kuei’s fingers threading through Vieng’s hair.

“Is it so bad to want to know I’m desired by my husband?” Vieng mumbled.

Kuei’s fingers stilled.

“Your husband?”

Shit. Vieng immediately regretted saying that stupid word, not because it came for a soft vulnerable part of himself that still hasn’t been snuffed out, but rather that it was inaccurate to what they were and Kuei, that asshole, had a habit of pointing out inaccuracies. Like that one time Vieng said he liked green tea and Kuei with all his wisdom had said — but you’re drinking jasmine… — and? — You said you liked green tea, why are you drinking jasmine —I can still drink different teas and have a favorite, your majesty — Yes but that’s not the point you could’ve just asked for green tea, we have green tea — Are you fucking stupid or are you just trying to piss me off?

“Forget it,” he said too quickly.

Vieng should’ve said boyfriend. Even if he was a grown ass man with a grown ass man and that word made him feel juvenile. Lover. Partner. Now he’s probably going to hear Kuei say in that earnest voice of his paired with that little frown of concern; but we’re not married. Followed by what he’s heard a million times before in his past relationships and clients he made the mistake of getting attached to; I thought you knew you were desired after what we did. Have you seen how others look at you? He then felt a thumb rub against his cheek.

“I believe your husband should be kinder towards you,” Kuei whispered, soothing.

No, I should be kinder towards you.

“Because my husband is as beautiful as the sun that rises over us. As luminous as the crystals that are under my very city,” he continued. “I would be a fool to not tell him that he is the foundation of my very being and also the ever-all-consuming object of my desires. And that frivolous matters like this...”

Kuei stopped speaking as if to let him connect the dots. Vieng stared as if he couldn’t believe what he heard, heat rising to his cheeks.

“Do you understand?”

“….I love you.”