Archive of Our Own

Uea Nanthaphiwat had moved to another city after graduating from a university close in his home city, desperately needing to put space between himself and his mother and the man she called her husband, and he was meant to be moving in with Jade Tangtrakarn. Except Jade ended up falling in love, and moving in with his boyfriend, and Uea was left floundering for a place to live. Luckily, Jade had a friend of a friend who had an apartment, and apparently he pleaded with the guy until he agreed to take Uea in. Jade had assured Uea over and over again that King Kunakorn was a good person, someone that could be trusted, but Uea couldn’t help it. His walls automatically went up and he felt bristly all over, because suddenly his plans were different and he was moving in with some random person who didn’t seem to want him there, and so maybe he was a little prickly for the first few weeks he lived with King. 

Or few months, maybe. 

King was a few years older than Uea, he’d graduated almost three years ago, and he worked in a similar industry to Uea, although he was in Tech Support as opposed to Design. His family also came from money and had brought him the apartment when he had graduated, spacious and all his own. King was also very confidently bisexual which intimidated Uea to no end, since he had been shamed for his sexuality his entire life, and was still making his peace with it. Uea had only just admitted to himself that he was gay partway through college and was still coming to terms with that. It wasn’t that King was loud with the people he brought back, he was always respectful and would give Uea a heads up and Uea would disappear into his room and cram headphones in, or he would go over to Jade’s and demand to sleep on their couch. A lot of the time King would let him know in advance, sometimes even a few nights before, but sometimes it would be almost eleven o’clock on a Wednesday and Uea would get a message, and he would grumble and sleepily jam headphones on while pulling his blankets up over his head. 

It did make him more confident to explore his own sexuality, though, something that Jade was simultaneously proud of and worried about, and something that King didn’t mind discussing, if Uea used his manners and caught him on a day he wasn’t busy. As long as he kept things out of the common areas and wasn’t too loud, King didn’t care what he did, and he never looked at him with any judgement. The sex got rough, rougher than he expected sometimes and that was something that he found darkly exciting in a way he hadn’t expected with his history. Uea wanted to let go, to be mindlessly guided, and he definitely wanted marks left behind. Once he started exploring, he didn’t want to stop, and he knew he was being a little reckless because the men he was finding weren’t exactly treating him the best, but he could make do. 

Besides…He had King. 

Something seemed to have shifted one morning when Uea stumbled in feeling dazed and rubbing at his wrists, which were rubbed raw and almost numb, his body feeling cold and trembly. King was drinking a protein shake in the small kitchen, wearing a hoodie and a loose pair of shorts and his running shoes with sweat on his face and he’d frowned at Uea for a long time. Then he’d ushered him into the bathroom and told him to take a bath, and Uea hadn’t even realized until hours later that he’d stood there blankly until King had undressed him, trying to keep his eyes averted, before helping him into the bath and giving him some privacy. When Uea had come out, he’d been feeling a bit more aware and had dressed himself in the soft clothes King had brought into the bathroom for him, but King was still fussing, leading him into the lounge and cooking for him, making him drink warm tea and wrapping him in a blanket before sitting next to him and watching TV. Uea had felt good, good in a way he hadn’t really experienced before, and he hadn’t understood until later, days later, when King had cooked them dinner and explained. He’d been experiencing subdrop , and King had helped curb that before he had dropped much further. He hadn’t had any aftercare , the guy who had tied him up and fucked him until he’d been overstimulated and crying had barely stayed conscious enough to untie him before falling asleep, and Uea had just waited until the sun started coming up before leaving the house. 

King made sure he got aftercare now, even if the men Uea decided to spend time with didn’t. He scolded Uea for not vetting people properly, for not looking after himself better, but he always helped, he never let Uea go through anything alone. It was sometime around then that Uea tried to stop being so sarcastic and pushing back when it came to King, but it was like King triggered something inside Uea, and he really couldn’t help it. Most of the time King didn’t care, although there were certain things he preferred and certain things he disliked, and Uea found himself wanting to make King happy in those ways. King didn’t like it when he cursed at him or when he left his work things spread out on the kitchen table or unwashed dishes in the sink, and he liked it when Uea said please and thank you, which was taking some getting used to, but he was doing it.

He wanted to, even though he wouldn’t admit that just yet. 

It took Jade almost three months before he put it together, when he had shown up at their apartment and King had Uea laying out on the couch while he applied bruise cream carefully to the backs of his legs. Then he asked Uea why he wasn’t just having sex with King. 

As if it was Uea’s fault. 

Clearly he wished that he was having sex with King, because then he could fall asleep in King’s bed which smelt really good and had expensive sheets that actually got washed regularly and he wouldn’t have to sneak out of dingy looking apartments in strange neighbourhoods. And King would just bathe him instead, rather than always protecting Uea’s modesty and filling the bath with bubbles and leaving him to wash himself. And then he’d give him kisses when they were cuddling on the couch and Uea’s head was all fuzzy and he just wanted to climb into King’s lap and bury his face in King’s neck. 

But King never said anything and Uea didn’t know how to ask.

At least, until he got sick of it one day. 

It was a guy he had slept with a couple of times now, Pock, and it had always been… Okay . Not great but not terrible . This time hadn’t been so good at all, though, and he was limping a little when he got back to their apartment. King knew that he had gone out last night, and even though they never discussed it, Uea knew that King would be around the apartment when he got back. The first few times it had happened, King had come to Uea, after seeing the condition he was left in, but then he had told Uea to come to him instead. It was one of those things that Uea listened to him on, and so he trudged toward King’s room when he didn’t see the older man in the living room or kitchen. King’s door was shut, and instead of barging in like he might on an average day, he knocked twice and waited with his head hanging. King opened the door a moment later, his headphones around his neck and gripping his open laptop, clearly working on something. 

“Ah, Uea,” King’s expression softened as he saw Uea, quickly taking off his headphones and putting them down on his bed with his laptop. He took Uea into his arms, giving him a gentle hug that made Uea realize he was shaking. It settled after a few minutes, but King waited longer until he pulled away and directed Uea to the bathroom, pulling out one of the bath bombs that had appeared at some point. It was a regular routine now, one that settled Uea, even as he winced as he lowered himself into the bath, his ass aching and probably covered in welts. He’d been flogged harder than he liked, but Pock had been into it, and he got snappy when Uea complained, so he just took it, thinking about how King would look after him when he got home. 

“C’mere, sweetheart,” King muttered under his breath as brought soup with dumplings and some mochi on a separate plate. “Have something to eat.” Uea held the blanket tighter around him with both hands, leaning forward with his mouth open expectantly. King huffed out a laugh under his breath as he lifted the soup to Uea’s mouth and spooning some between his lips before giving him a dumpling. “Brat,” he murmured fondly, and Uea heard that word a lot from the men he slept with, but it was usually in a snappy, derogatory way. 

Not in the way King talked to him, like he was incredibly fond. 

“Why do you do this, huh?” King asked softly once the soup was finished and Uea was chewing his mochi. Uea blinked at him in confusion. “Why don’t you find guys who are going to treat you right?” He didn’t look as though he was expecting an answer as he looked back at TV and Uea frowned. 

“Like you?” He blurted out and King’s head snapped to the side. 

“Me?” 

“Yeah, you,” Uea pouted. “You’d treat me right, but you’ve never offered.” King raised his eyebrows as he regarded Uea silently, and Uea shifted under the scrutiny. 

“You’ve never asked,” King replied after a few minutes and Uea blinks.

“I—what?” He asked. 

“You’ve never asked,” King replied simply and Uea frowns, swallowing down the rest of his mochi. 

“That’s…That’s all I have to do? Ask you?” He knew his cheeks were heating up but he ignored them. 

“Have I ever turned down anything you’ve asked for nicely?” King asked with a raised eyebrow and Uea stared as his face flared even warmer, knowing King was right. Even when Uea didn’t use his manners like King asked, he couldn’t remember the last time he had turned him down for anything, even when he was whining and demanding food at a stupid time of the night. 

“...No,” Uea mumbled. 

“Okay,” King nodded. “So?”

“So?”

“Are you going to ask?” He smirked and Uea’s eyebrows pulled together, pressing his lips together. 

“I already did.”

“No, you didn’t,” King looked amused and Uea huffed and tugged at his blanket, looking toward the TV for a few beats before finally looking back at King, who was still watching him. 

“Can you—can you Dom me?” He asked hesitantly. “Please,” he quickly added, and King’s lips pulled up in the corners. 

“Yes,” he said. “But we take it slow, and we do it my way.” Uea grumbled, but they both knew it was just for show, and inside fireworks were going off in his chest. 

It was on a day when things had all just gone bad. He’d just gotten off the phone with his mother, who had been demanding money, which was the only she ever called, and he’d spoken with his sister that morning who said that she was struggling in university, and Uea hated that he couldn’t be there for her as much as he wanted. Work had been difficult, their new marketing manager had been snapping at him most of the day, and he was lucky for the reprieve he got at lunch when he snuck off to meet Jade, and by the time King walked in from his own job, Uea couldn’t stop rocking back and forth, chewing on the corner of his thumb as he stared out the window. He could feel King eyeing him, but he didn’t ask anything, didn’t do anything other than giving Uea a greeting nod. Uea just stared back at him. 

“I’m gonna shower,” King began with a slow voice, giving Uea time to respond if he wanted to, but Uea didn’t, still chewing on his nail, his polish chipped away. King pursed his lips together before approaching, stopping just a foot away. “Did you want to play tonight?” He asked, sounding a little hesitant, but Uea’s eyebrows raised in surprise, his teeth parting before he nodded eagerly. “Have you showered?” King asked and Uea couldn’t help but roll his eyes before nodding again. “Are you comfortable in your clothes?” He continued and Uea just nodded this time, no eye roll. “Do you remember everything we’ve talked about? Your safe words?” Uea nodded a last time and King smiled. “I’m gonna shower, get cleaned up and then make us dinner. Make yourself comfortable, okay? Have something to drink if you need to, go to the bathroom, but by the time I come out of my room, I want you to be kneeling…” he drifted off as he glanced around, taking his time to think, Uea’s eyes on him intently the whole time, widening the whole time as he realized this was actually happening . King picked up one of the couch cushions, and put it down near the edge of the lounge, where it shifted to the dining area. “I want you to be kneeling here,” he said. Uea looked down to where he was putting, then back up at King, who was watching him with an expectant expression, tinged with an inquisition. 

He was probably wondering if Uea would actually listen to him, given Uea’s way of making things a bit difficult. 

But it was different now. 

He wanted to listen to King. 

“Mm,” Uea dipped his head in a nod, and he was rewarded with a bright smile from King, the older man closing the rest of the space between them and reaching out slowly, giving Uea plenty of time to move. Uea didn’t, although he stilled cautiously, until King’s hand was in his hair, ruffling it gently. 

“Good boy,” King said quietly, before he was backing away, turning to walk towards his room. Uea was thankful, too, given the way he knew his face was suddenly flaming red at the words.

Good boy . 

Good boy . 

He wanted to hear them over and over. 

Uea scrambled to follow King’s instructions, first going to the main bathroom to wash his face and use the toilet, before going to the kitchen to get a drink. He was in a loose, long sleeved shirt and a small pair of sleeping shorts, which were comfortable, and he fidgeted with his hands for a moment before dropping down to his knees on the cushion King had laid out, and waited.

And waited.

And waited. 

He heard when the shower turned off, there were no other sounds in the apartment other than the hum of electronics, and he heard movement in King’s room, but when King appeared, he glanced over Uea before going straight into the kitchen. Uea blinked, his eyes following King as he got a few things out of the fridge, and then a pot and some utensils, and he couldn’t help the way he shifted, eyes flickering around as his teeth ground together. He usually had anxiety buzzing under his skin, that was nothing new, the tension in his body was usually high, but that was why he liked this, it was rough enough to shake everything out of his head.

But not right now, whatever King was doing wasn’t the kind of thing he was used to, and it was making his mind race in a way that had his body locking up. 

Thankfully, King didn’t take long in the kitchen, washing his hands and then walking slowly over to Uea, standing over him and silently looking down at where he was kneeling. Uea swallowed hard as he stared up at King, wondering what he was about to do, when King was dropping to a crouch beside him, fingers gently prodding at his shoulders and his arms, pushing his knees apart a little further before he was standing again and nodding. 

“Keep your back straight, Uea,” King’s voice was gentle, the way it usually was when he spoke to Uea. It wasn’t the kind of tone Uea was used to from Dominant’s, but he corrected his posture immediately, following the direction, and it made King smile. “Good boy,” he said, and then he was turning to walk away again, back to the kitchen, and Uea’s expression fell, his eyes widening.

“Wait!” He blurted out, even though King hadn’t told him to speak. It wasn’t as though he had told him not to speak, but he was used to that being something Dominant’s wanted. King just turned around and crossed his arms over his chest with a raised eyebrow, waiting for Uea to continue. “What…What am I doing?” He asked haltingly, feeling awkward as his hands twitched on his lap. 

“You’re looking pretty for me,” King answered without hesitation and Uea blinked. 

“Wh-what?” He stammered. 

“I’m making us dinner,” King jerked his head over his shoulder. “And I want something pretty to look at,” he stepped closer, and one of his fingers reached out to touch under Uea’s chin. It was simple and light but incredibly effective, Uea pliantly letting his face be raised higher. “I deserve something pretty to look at, huh?” He knew that King must be able to see it all over his face, how much he liked that, the fact that King just wanted to admire him rather than take from him, even if for a little bit. “Don’t I?” King was clearly expecting an answer, and Uea had to take in a few shaky breaths before he was able to respond. 

“ Chai krab ,” he exhaled and King nodded. 

“Colour?” He asked. 

“Green,” Uea replied after a moment of hesitation, surprised at the check in so early. 

“Good boy,” King said, as his thumb lifted to brush over the corner of Uea’s mouth, only a feather-light touch to his lips, but it had Uea swallowing hard and swaying into his touch. When he backed away, Uea barely realized he was swaying after King until he almost lost balance, and his face flamed red as he quickly corrected his stance. King had a small smile of amusement on his face but he didn’t say anything as he returned to the kitchen. 

Uea was good in the kitchen, but King was better, he barely followed a recipe and moved with a confidence that Uea didn’t quite have, and he somehow managed to keep the dishes washed and the surfaces clean. Uea always loved it when King cooked for him, it hadn’t been something he had been expecting when moving in with someone who hadn’t wanted a roommate, but from his second week there, King cooked for him. They ate together most nights, and when they didn’t King would always let him know, even if for months Uea pretended that he didn’t care. 

He wasn’t sure what they were going to do as they ate, but he didn’t think about it, letting his eyes close occasionally, and after a while, King was standing in front of him again, with two bowls in his hands. Uea clumsily attempted to get up, but his knees and legs were heavy and asleep from where they had been folded underneath him and King quickly moved forward to put down the two bowls before he was reaching out for Uea. 

“Hey, hey,” he said quietly. “Don’t get up, I don’t want you to yet.” It was actually a relief to hear that, Uea was glad that what they were doing wasn’t over, he was still feeling so nice and his head was pleasantly empty. Instead, King put down another cushion, putting it on the ground beside where he usually sat, and he helped Uea shuffle over to reposition himself on the second cushion. Uea glanced between the couch and the low table with their food, before looking questioningly back at King. King just stared at him for a beat, his slow smirk directed at Uea and making him feel weak. “Don’t worry about the food, you leave the thinking to me, okay?” Uea blinked at him, exhaling through his nose slowly before nodding. King nodded back, taking a spot on the couch and doing something on his phone, the TV lighting up with a movie in English behind them, the volume turned down low.

And then King fed him. 

Uea’s eyes widened and his head jerked back in surprise when he first realized what was happening, and he wanted to protest, because he could feed himself . But King just held the spoon in front of him, waiting patiently, looking at him expectantly and Uea felt himself softening. 

King always did that.

Waited.

Didn’t push. 

Was patient. 

Let Uea move at his own pace.

He always seemed to know what Uea wanted, what he really wanted, but he didn’t force it, he waited for Uea to come to him. 

It was different from anyone Uea had ever been with before—not just sexual relationships, but relationships in general, with his family, his mother —the only other person that he could really compare it to was Jade, who was always so careful with Uea, but it was still different . 

Uea felt his lips hesitantly part and he let himself sway forward, King lifting the spoon to his lips and tipping the soup inside. It was good, especially the soft vegetables that he chewed on, and his shoulders began to relax as King fed himself, and then Uea, glancing toward the TV occasionally, but mostly focussed on Uea. Usually Uea didn’t like it when all the attention and eyes were on him, but it felt good with King, it didn’t feel as though he was just watching Uea, looking for a weakness, a vulnerability, something to exploit and use against him. 

King was looking at him as though he wanted nothing more than to look after Uea.

The whole thing went for a few hours, although the only reason that Uea even knew it had been that long was because he glimpsed the time before he fell asleep, and that was after King insisted on a bath. Uea had wanted to protest, because King only gave him baths when he’d had rough sex, but King replied that he liked giving baths for aftercare, it helped bring him down as well, and aftercare came after all Scenes.

Uea was surprised, by the way King said that he liked giving baths for aftercare, for his sake, that wasn’t something Uea had thought about before. It made him wonder if he should do anything more for King, after everything he had done for him, but then King was gently massaging his shoulders, and all thoughts left his head. 

Uea was addicted. 

It had taken one night and no orgasms for him to be addicted. 

The high he had felt, the way he had floated so safely and freely, and then how light he had felt the next morning…It had been incredible. 

He wanted more, and King had just smirked a little knowingly that had Uea rolling his eyes and making a face, but then King had said yes . 

It was on an evening when King still had work that he needed to do, and he set himself up at the kitchen table with a cushion at his feet, giving Uea a pointed look. Uea swallowed hard, because he was still incredibly lucid, he was very aware of what he would be doing, dropping down to his knees on the kitchen floor in front of King, and King watched calmly as he struggled internally with himself. 

But eventually, he dropped in front of King, staring up at him with big, vulnerable eyes. 

King smiled, running his fingers through Uea’s hair and leaning down, finger hooking underneath his chin to tilt Uea’s face up to look at him.

“Be careful with yourself, okay, Uea?” He murmured. “I don’t want you to hurt your knees.” Uea just blinked, unsure of how to respond, and King didn’t seem to be waiting for an answer as he made himself comfortable at the kitchen table and started typing on his laptop. Uea swallowed his throat before shuffling into place, underneath the kitchen table, his knees tucked beneath him, chewing down on his bottom lip. He wasn’t too sure how close King wanted him, but King didn’t leave him to scramble, a hand under the table reaching for him, thighs spreading to make room for him. Uea’s eyes widened as he realized how close King wanted him, but he did it, he shuffled closer until he was between King’s legs and breathing shakily. 

King didn’t hesitate as one hand reached down, between his legs, and he took out his cock, and Uea swallowed hard, even though he had a feeling that this was coming—he had wanted it to happen, but it still took him a moment to process. And even though King seemed to have no shame or hesitation, he didn’t push Uea, holding his half-hard cock loosely in one hand while he waited for Uea to move in closer. King was clean—he looked and smelt clean, which shouldn’t be something amazing, but unfortunately it was— and what made him even more attractive was how he had preemptively asked Uea to go with him to the clinic for them to be screened, which they had done last weekend. Uea had been fucking dreaming about seeing King’s cock for longer than he would ever admit, and now it was right there, and his pubic hair was trimmed, and Uea was already imagining how good he would smell and he was a good size.

It looked like he could make Uea feel full without making him uncomfortable, and then his body twitched at the thought.

“What’s your colour, Uea?” King asked after a few minutes had passed, the typing from the laptop overhead completely stopping as he paid attention to Uea’s response. Uea took in a deep breath, one hand hesitantly reaching out to lay itself on King’s inner thigh, feeling the warmth through the material of his sweatpants, and he swallowed hard. 

“It’s green,” he managed to say. 

“And if there’s ever anything you’re uncomfortable with, anything I do that makes you uncomfortable, you tell me your colour and you tell me what’s wrong, okay?” King told him from above, and it was his tone that settled that last nervous part in Uea’s stomach. It was warm while in control and reassuring and it had Uea exhaling happily and leaning in with his lips parted. King’s hand shifted, moving away from his cock, and it briefly settled on top of Uea’s head, bumping against the underside of the table above him, before twisting into his hair. “ Fuck ,” King breathed out from above Uea, the word barely able to be made out, but Uea felt a twist of pride at drawing the sound out of his roommate. 

For a few moments, King didn’t say anything else, didn’t give any direction, just let Uea get himself accustomed with his cock, his fingers occasionally twisting in Uea’s hair when his tongue would curl around King, or when he took him all the way back, the head of his cock bumping the back of his throat. But then his fingers tightened properly and gave Uea’s head a light tug, pulling him off his cock and looking down at him. 

“I need to concentrate now, Uea,” King’s voice was a bit rougher than usual, but other than that, he sounded well in control of himself. It made Uea shiver as he tried to keep himself in check, his hands settling back on his thighs, rubbing up and down to try to ground himself. “So I want you to just keep me warm and stay quiet, can you do that for me, Uea?” 

“Yes—yes, I can,” Uea replied, trying to keep the shakiness out of his voice because he had given more blowjobs than he could count, and this shouldn’t be any different. 

But it was , because this was King, and he wasn’t just giving him a blowjob, it wasn’t as simple as that, there was more to it. 

Uea breathed through his nose as he took King back into his mouth, his lips slowly sliding down on either side of King’s cock, feeling hyperaware of every single thing that was happening around him. King tasted a little salty, and he smelt just a bit musky in a way that had Uea’s mouth watering, and King’s hands moved away from him, his attention shifting back to whatever he had been working on before. Uea could hear as King started typing again, the subtle clicking of keys and occasionally from his mouse, and his breathing sounded so loud in his ears as he tried to control it properly, settling himself down comfortably. 

King was heavy on his tongue, he filled Uea’s mouth in a way that made his jaw ache in a pleasant way and as the time went on, Uea felt everything beginning to filter out, no longer paying close attention to, well, anything. It felt good, and Uea wasn’t sure when his head tipped to the side to rest against King’s thigh, but King didn’t seem to mind at all and he reached down a few times to run his fingers through Uea’s hair, and over his cheek before resuming his work. It felt so nice, and the occasional connection of King’s fingers against his face brought him back to the surface just enough to remember what was happening around him, but nowhere near enough to break him out of his comfortable trance. 

Time drifted, just like it had the first time, although the simmering arousal that he felt was even more than it had been last time, and at some point, his hips started rocking forward, just gently, searching after friction from rubbing against King’s leg. When King was pushing his chair back gently and reaching down to cup Uea’s face and draw him off his cock, it felt as though only half an hour at the most had passed, but from how heavy his body was feeling, and how achy he noticed his bent legs were, it must have been substantially longer. 

“You did so good for me, Uea,” King said, looking down at Uea with wide, sincere eyes, and Uea wasn’t sure where it came from, but he wasn’t able to hold back his low whine, which just caused King to smile. “You want me to make you feel good?” He asked, and Uea paused to understand the question before he realized that he was still rocking his hips back and forth against King’s leg. “It’ll be so easy,” King whispered and embarrassment rushed over Uea, his cheeks burning, but it wasn’t as though he could pull away, King was still holding his jaw, and Uea had absolutely no strength to fight against him. 

And he really didn’t want to. 

He liked the twist of shame that King had a way of bringing up in him, it was different from the way that other men, other Dominant’s , had made him feel; as though there was something wrong with him, as though he was someone to be looked down on. The subtle humiliation that came from King’s words never actually made him feel bad about himself. It was more…He knew that Uea found it embarrassing that he was down on his knees and he was desperate enough to rub himself against King’s leg, and he loved that Uea was that needy. 

“You gotta ask, Uea,” King was watching him closely, his lips twitching, clearly trying not to smile. “Ask for it.” He knew Uea wanted it. Uea’s eyebrows were pulled together and his cheeks were burning red and his lips were parted, clearly trying to find the words. 

King waited. 

He shifted his leg forward, just enough to brush against Uea and make him gasp, but he waited. 

“ Please ,” Uea finally managed to utter and King smiled widely. 

“Yeah, baby, go on,” King said, sliding his foot forward again so that he was pressing more firmly between the v of Uea’s thighs, and Uea gasped, grabbing at King’s thigh and rocking his hips forward. He wasn’t sure what affected him more, King finally giving him enough pressure to hump against, or King calling him ‘baby’. Baby . “Make yourself feel good,” King whispered, and he leaned forward, so that he was closer to Uea, as though he didn’t want to miss a single thing, and Uea’s eyes rolled back at the close attention. “You’re so fucking beautiful, Uea,” King whispered as Uea’s hips started moving faster, clinging onto King’s thigh and knee as he humped against his lower leg, his orgasm now so close, and it built to that point where he wasn’t going to be able to turn back. His shoulders tensed and King reached out to wrap a hand around the back of Uea’s neck and brought him in closer, curling himself almost in two to be able to look directly in Uea’s eyes. “Cum, Uea, and then I’ll give you a kiss for being such a good boy.” 

The loud noise that was punched out of Uea would make him grimace in embarrassment later on, but he couldn’t care about it now, not when King was offering to kiss him . 

He came in his pants, the first time that had happened in years , but his head felt as though it was so high in the clouds that he couldn’t even think about it. Especially when King was shifting out of his chair and onto the floor in front of Uea, easily steadying his shaking body with his arms around him and drawing him in close. Uea couldn’t stop his trembling, and he was panting a little but he couldn’t help but force his eyes open. 

“Kiss…You p-promised a kiss,” Uea mumbled breathlessly. King smiled, a finger curling under Uea’s chin to encourage his face upward, before leaning forward, his lips pressing down against Uea’s plush mouth. Uea whimpered, wishing he didn’t feel so boneless and unable to respond, because he had been dreaming of kissing King since he’d met him, even though he’d try to deny that.

“Come on, Uea,” King whispered after a few minutes. “Let’s go have a bath.” 

It wasn’t often that King wasn’t home in the evenings, but when he was away, he always gave Uea a heads up, and he’d already told him that he was going out for a farewell dinner for a colleague with the rest of his work team. Uea had just hummed, as though he was unbothered, but he’d already known how he would feel as he stepped into the dark apartment. 

Lonely. 

It was always better when King was here, and most of the time, he was. 

Uea showered and wrinkled his nose as he thought about what to make for dinner, but when he opened the fridge, there was a bean curry covered, with a sticky note on top telling him to heat it up. Uea’s smile was embarrassingly wide as he snatched the bowl out of the fridge and tucked the note into his pocket to save for later. 

The food was good, because King’s food was always good, but it didn’t taste as good as when he sat at the table across from King and he was listening to King rant about his work or he would be prompting Uea to tell him about his day, and sometimes their feet would bump together under the small table that Uea kept complaining about. But now the table seemed normal sized, because there was only his meal and drink on it, and he hated it, quickly eating dinner without really appreciating it before washing his dishes and walking listlessly through the apartment. 

He usually liked his own space, he had loved when his last roommate wasn’t around, but it was different with King. Before, when he had first moved in, it hadn’t bothered him much at all, especially when he knew King was going out to be with someone. But now it was different, and it wasn’t like he was jealous that King was out with his friends and he wasn’t thinking about King hooking up with anyone else because—well, one; he wasn’t going to let himself think about that, it made him feel things he wasn’t ready to examine. And two; King wouldn’t do that. It had been King who had proposed being exclusive with each other, and Uea trusted him. 

He just missed him. 

Uea cleared some space in the lounge and did a yoga routine to loosen himself up, something he and King had been doing more often together in the evenings, before pulling the blanket off the back of his couch and curling up in the corner. It was where he always used to sit, in the first few months that he had moved in with King, before they had started drifting closer together and King eventually started closing that gap, tugging a hesitant Uea into his side. He’d always liked the corner of the couch, with the three pillows King hadn’t complained about him adding, but it just felt really cold tonight as he turned on the TV and streamed a movie that he and Jade had watched a few weeks ago. And then he ended up falling asleep, the blanket pulled up under his chin and his head lolled forward. 

“ Uea…My Uea baby… ” King’s words sounded weirdly distorted and faraway but it was King and that was enough to have Uea’s eyes fluttering, his head twitching to the side before he was slowly waking up and realizing that King was hovering over him in the semi-darkness. The TV was a lot dimmer than it had been before, and there was only one lamp on now, and King looked unsteady on his feet.

“Ah, King !” Uea straightened up quickly which seemed to disorient King as he jerked back, before swaying forward again with a giggle and tapping a finger against Uea’s nose. 

“You’re so cute,” King cooed, his eyes all glassy and his breath smelling like bourbon and a bit like cigarettes. It made Uea’s nose wrinkle, because he really didn’t like cigarettes, but King already respected that by never smoking around him, and Uea wasn’t going to ask for more than that. 

“You’re drunk,” Uea replied and King just stared back at him for a moment, smile fixed on his face, before shrugging.

“Yeah,” King nodded with a laugh and Uea couldn’t help his own fond laugh. He got to his feet and wrapped an arm around King, steadying him as much as he could. He wasn’t quite as used to guiding King as King was used to leading him, but they managed to make it down to the bathroom so that King could brush his teeth and wash his face. Uea didn’t know his whole night time routine, but he figured the basics worked, and King was smiling the whole time, reaching out to hold onto the sleeve of Uea’s shirt at one point and kissing his cheek at another. It was making Uea all blushy and pink even though he was trying to scold King and keep him from getting too handsy, but the thing with King was that it never felt dangerous or invasive, only playful. He’d been around enough drunk men to know the difference, and it was also why he had no issue helping King undress and rolling into bed, although he pulled back when King tried to tug him into bed after him. “Aw,” King pouted a little but rolled away, grabbing onto one of his spare cushions and cuddling it close. Uea left to get him water and medication for the morning when he woke up, and as he was turning off the lights in King’s room, King reached out and caught his hand. 

Uea thought King was going to ask him to stay with him, but instead, King just smiled sleepily, his eyelids heavy and his gaze glossy, and leaned forward to press a gentle kiss to the back of his hand. It made Uea pause and stare down at King, and King just looked back at him for a moment before his head slumped to the side on his pillow and he fell asleep. 

It felt like a really low bar that Uea was happy that he felt completely safe around King while he was drunk, but after the way his mothers husband used to act, and the men that Uea had found himself with over the years, it was a big thing. He kissed King’s fingers before gently tucking him under the blankets and leaving the room quietly. 

It really didn’t seem to matter how old Uea got, or how hard he tried, or how many boundaries he put in place, his mother would just trample all over him. There were times when she backed off, sometimes he was lucky enough to go weeks without hearing from her, but it seemed like something had really gotten under her skin recently. She had been ringing and messaging him nonstop, and she’d even sent him a few emails in the past few days and so when he had finally answered the call—in a happy daze and half asleep with his head on King’s chest—she had completely unleashed on him through the phone. 

Uea was jerked abruptly out of the fuzzy, safe bubble that King had created for him like he’d had ice water dumped over his head. He pulled back, away from King, his spine becoming ramrod straight as he kept the phone to his ear. She was screaming so loudly that King could definitely make out what she was saying from where was on Uea’s other side, straightening up as well, giving Uea some space but not leaving the couch. 

Uea ended up getting to his feet and leaving the room, though. Not because he wanted to, because he wanted to stay on the couch, tucked safely under King’s arm, but his mother was screaming , and she was calling him vile things that made tears rush to his eyes and his body shake and his nails dug into the palm of his hand as he slammed his bedroom door shut. He hated the way she still had this affect on him, even with the distance, even though he had tried to do the right thing and go to therapy for a while, even though he knew she couldn’t hurt him anymore …His stomach rolled over and nausea washed over him and he let the tears roll after he ended the call from her abruptly. 

She wanted money for his sister's schooling, at least that was what she said, because Uea had already paid the fees directly, and was also sending Tonkhao money every month and always checked in with her to make sure it was enough. Just because he had issues with their mother and her husband, didn’t mean he would ever neglect his sister. There had been a brief period while he had been at university when they hadn’t been able to connect properly, because she was still so young, and she didn’t understand, but things were a lot better now.

He knew that his mother was lying, but honestly, he didn’t have the energy to care about it right now. He just wanted her to leave him alone and get it done as effectively as possible, so he transferred her enough money that Uea could guarantee a quiet month at least, before turning off his phone and throwing it onto the bed. Then he just let himself cry. 

Uea had been feeling good recently. He liked his new job and the people he worked with, they went out for lunch together most days, even though he didn’t talk all that much. He really liked that he was closer to Jade now, and they saw each other at least once a week, sometimes more, especially since Jade and King were also friends. It was nice, the way all of them would hang out sometimes, moreso recently; Jade and his boyfriend, and Uea with…King. He still couldn’t sleep in the dark, but he hadn’t been using the main overhead light anymore, slowly working his way down to fairy lights hanging around his room and two night lights. And it wasn’t as though King had made him do that—King had been ridiculously more supportive of Uea’s needs, more than any proper relationship he’d been in, getting four different night lights and demanding Uea choose which one should go in King’s room. Just—just King in general , everything with him…

Things had been going well, and then she had to come along. And she always knew how to make him small and insignificant and disgusted with himself. 

Uea wasn’t sure how long he cried for, but it was getting dark outside by the time he uncurled himself from where he had dropped to the floor. His eyes felt swollen and tender, his cheeks felt all sticky and his body was sore from how he had himself folded on the floor. He winced as he straightened up and stretched, rolling his shoulders back before walking slowly toward the door. He really should apologise to King for running off like that and for anything he heard, and he took a steadying breath as his hand laid on the door knob. He exhaled and opened the door, but didn’t even make it a step outside. 

King was leaning against the wall opposite his door with his eyes closed, legs spread out in front of him, and a cushion hugged against his chest with both arms wrapped around it. 

Suddenly, Uea’s body and mind didn’t hurt as much. 

He wasn’t sure how long King must have waited there, but it had been a long time, and he quickly moved to crouch at King’s side, putting a hand on his arm. King’s eyes opened immediately, looking toward Uea with a concerned expression. Uea’s heart fluttered, and he swallowed hard, needing to look away from King’s face, down to where his hand was on King’s arm, pearly-pink painted nails contrasting with King’s dark hoodie. 

“Are you okay, Uea?” King asked after a few moments of silence passed. Uea closed his eyes and sighed before shrugging a shoulder. 

“She’s always like that,” he muttered. 

“Doesn’t make it okay,” King responded immediately and Uea felt a surge of affection at the protective tone. 

“I know,” he murmured. King was quiet again, before he was discarding the cushion and wrapping his arms around Uea, slowly gathering him close, giving him plenty of time to pull away if that’s what he wanted. It had already been quickly established that King was clingy, a lot more touchy than Uea was—simply because it wasn’t something he was used to—but it was turning out that he quite liked it when King was clingy. 

And right now he loved it. 

“I can order dinner and we can watch a movie?” King suggested, his breath warm against Uea’s ear. He nodded wordlessly, and King ordered them dinner while they were still huddled on the floor, managing to get his phone out of his pocket with just one hand, one arm still around Uea, and he didn’t complain, even though it must have been uncomfortable on the floor. It wasn’t until King got the notification on his phone that the food was near that they moved, although they didn’t stray far from one another for the rest of the night.

Jade’s birthday fell on the weekend, and he was being taken away by his boyfriend that night for a week away at the beach. Jade didn’t know he was going to the beach yet, because his boyfriend, Mai Pakin, had spoken with Uea a couple of times to make sure the surprise was perfect. Jade was still trying to get details out of Uea or King, but he was a little drunk when they were only a few drinks in, while King was practically stone cold sober and Uea was refusing to tell him anything. When they left, an excited Jade practically carried out by Mai, and Uea and King walking in the opposite direction, the trio was all feeling a bit tipsy, although Uea was definitely feeling it more than King was. He clung to King’s arm as they walked, partially because he needed help to stand up straight and partially because he didn’t have such a strong reign on what he really wanted. 

It started raining when they were a block away from their apartment, and Uea’s eyes widened as he looked upward toward the sky while King just let out a laugh. 

“ Ai , my make up!” Uea yelped, because he had spent a bit of time doing himself up before they had gone out for a late lunch with Jade, glittery pink eyeshadow around his eyes and a little eyeliner. Jade had pointed it out when King was in the bathroom, and Uea had just snipped that he wanted to look pretty for the photos Jade was undoubtedly going to take but Jade had just snorted. Wanted to look pretty for King , Jade had whispered back as King had been returning to their table. 

“Come on, Uea,” King wrapped his arm around Uea, pulling him in close and walking faster. “We’re not far from home.” Uea ignored the squeeze in his stomach at the sound of King calling the apartment their home , and let himself get tugged along, the rain starting to fall much quicker. 

It turned out that King was much quicker at moving than Uea, but he didn’t leave Uea behind. Instead he knelt down in front of Uea at one point and Uea’s eyes had widened and he had protested weakly , but then…He climbed on King’s back and let the older man piggy back him home, something he was sure he would never hear the end of. 

They were both wet right through their clothes by the time they made it to the apartment building, but Uea found he didn’t care so much when King was laughing and lowering him carefully in the elevator, gently crowding him against one side and reaching up to brush back Uea’s damp hair. It was sticking to Uea’s forehead and the sides of his face, and King was just as big a mess, his hair longer and hanging down over his ears and around his face, but it didn’t matter.

He was still stupidly handsome, and he was touching Uea’s face and laughing happily under his breath, and running a thumb across Uea’s cheek to catch the raindrops that were trickling down, and Uea wished that King would kiss him. King seemed to see that on his face, his grin fading to a softer smile and his hand slipping down to cup the side of his neck, and he tilted his head to the side. The tension felt as though it was thickening, and Uea’s eyes drifted lower, to King’s mouth, and he knew King knew what he wanted. 

But then the doors were sliding open at their floor, and Uea realized that they were squashed right in one corner of the elevator with their dripping wet bodies pressed together into damp clothes, and the whole thing looked incredibly suspicious. Uea’s eyes widened in panic, quickly looking down the empty hall to see if there was anyone who had seen them. King let his hands fall back to his side, taking a step back before holding out his arm, inviting Uea to leave the elevator before him. Uea bowed his head forward before quickly walking out first, wincing at the way his shoes were squishing together from how waterlogged they’d already become and how his pants were rubbing between his thighs. The cold was starting to seep into his skin, and Uea fumbled with the keypad for their door and King didn’t say anything as he reached past Uea to quickly enter the pin so they could get inside. 

“Shit, you’re freezing,” King uttered once they got inside and he was reaching out for Uea. “Get out of this, come on,” he mumbled as he helped Uea strip out of his jacket, and then the sweater he had been wearing underneath. Uea’s shirt was pulled out from where it had been tucked into his pants, flashing his stomach briefly before King pulled back and raised his eyebrows briefly. “I’ll go turn the shower on for you, okay?” 

“You shower first,” Uea replied off-handedly as he bent forward to take off his shoes, King doing the same but moving a lot quicker than Uea was. 

“We’ll shower together,” King decided, already walking away before Uea properly processed those words and straightened up. He blinked, opening his mouth to protest, but then he hesitated, his brain mulling over whether he should call out and argue. 

Technically, there were two showers, King had his own ensuite. 

But then Uea pressed his lips together. 

He decided not to argue. 

He wanted to shower with King. 

He wondered if they would kiss in there. 

There hadn’t been another kiss since Uea had gotten off against King’s leg, almost a month ago. It wasn’t that they hadn’t played since then, because there had been two instances that Uea would class as Scenes, and King had actually gotten off the last time which Uea hadn’t stopped thinking about when he was alone in the middle of the night, but they hadn’t kissed again. 

“Uea!” King called from down the hall and Uea quickened his step instinctively. “Come on, the water's warm!” He was honestly glad that he still had some vodka in his veins because it helped give him the courage to join King in the bathroom, although he almost promptly tripped over his own feet when he saw a naked King stepping into the shower. There was only frosted glass in a strip around the middle of the shower, and King’s toned calves and broad shoulders were still on full display. Uea looked down to quickly undress, fingers fumbling a little with buttons on his pants and throwing off his shirt before stepping into the shower, after King. “C’mere, Uea,” King reached out for him, fingers curling around Uea’s wrist and tugging him closer, so that their bodies bumped together and they were both underneath the hot spray of the shower. King seemed so steady as he held Uea in close against him, looking Uea directly in the eyes as though the pair of them weren’t completely naked together and pressed together. 

Uea had caught glimpses of King naked before, nothing ever intentional, just things that happened when sharing a living space with someone, but this was the first time it was on purpose , and it was both of them, and it made Uea feel dizzy. The contrast of King’s hands against his pale chest had Uea swaying forward while holding his breath, and King quickly shifted to holding Uea around the waist. There was an amused smile on King’s face, but he didn’t say anything as he guided both of them until they were standing underneath the spray of hot water. It was a good distraction, Uea closing his eyes and purposefully tipping his head back so the warm water was hitting his face and giving him a good excuse not to look directly at King. 

“Let me wash your hair,” King said after a few minutes, his voice a low grumble and Uea suddenly felt a rush of emotion that made his throat thicken, making it impossible to talk. Instead, he jerked his head in a nod and then turned around, so that his back was to King. 

None of his lovers had ever wanted to wash his hair—none of his boyfriends had ever washed his hair or even just him in general when they were in the shower. 

It had always just been another place to get him naked and grope him and make jokes that Uea would laugh off but would make him feel just a little on edge and eventually it just lead to him needing to take another shower. 

King treated him like he was precious, the same way he always did. 

Uea felt like he could fall asleep standing up as King massaged shampoo and then conditioner into his scalp, taking care to wash them both of his hair so as to avoid any bubbles going in Uea’s eyes. And then King started massaging him , his whole body, his shoulders, his back, briefly his lower stomach which made Uea moan involuntarily, before he moved to Uea’s hips and thighs. When King knelt down in front of him and started washing his feet, Uea couldn’t even watch him because it was making his heart beat so loud he was sure King must be able to hear it. He was a pile of mush and completely warmed up from the iciness that had coated him earlier from the rain when King got to his feet and quickly washed himself off, scrubbing his hands through his hair and then making sure he got out of the shower before Uea.

“Ah, King ,” Uea mumbled, feeling stupidly taken care of when King greeted him with a fluffy towel. “You’re being too much,” he muttered. 

“Tell me stop and I’ll stop,” King responded easily, easily towelling at Uea’s upper body and then ruffling at his hair. He paused when the towel was surrounding Uea’s face, making him feel ridiculous but drawing out an incredibly fond look from King. “Want me to stop?” 

“...No,” Uea mumbled and King grinned, returning to what he was doing. He wrapped the towel around Uea’s waist before drying himself off as well, the pair of them moving to the vanity to moisturise. 

Uea couldn’t take his eyes off King in the mirror, their elbows bumping together as they shared the same sweet-lemongrass cream. Their eyes met several times and there was this thickening tension that made knots twist inside Uea’s stomach, his toes curling into the warm, slightly damp tiles below him, and even though he finished his after shower routine quicker than King, he couldn’t help but linger, not wanting to leave the bathroom, not wanting to burst this gentle, shimmery bubble that surrounded them. King didn’t look as though he minded Uea still at his side, smiling at him in the mirror in a way that made Uea’s knees weak. Then he couldn’t drag his eyes away from King’s smile. 

His mouth.

His really pretty mouth. 

He’d just used a lip scrub and they looked so soft , and then King’s eyes were finding his in the mirror, a knowing look on his face, and then his eyes dropped, so they were fixed on Uea’s mouth as well. 

Uea stuttered out a breath that was so loud in the silent bathroom that his face flushed and King grinned, a little smug, but so incredibly attractive that there wasn’t a single part of Uea that was annoyed at the cocky expression on his face.  

King turned to look at him, reaching out for Uea’s towel and tugging him forward so he stumbled into King’s arm. The towels were both still securely around their waist, but their damp chests were pressed together and Uea’s body burned . King’s arms wrapped him to keep him securely in place and he was only looking at Uea’s face but it felt as though he was seeing right through him, as though he could see everything, as though Uea was completely transparent in his eyes, and that he loved what he saw. 

“Do you want me to kiss you, Uea?” King asked softly and Uea’s breathing hitched loudly again before he was swallowing hard and squinting a little as he tried to hold out. It had happened so quickly, the way he was easy for King, so different from every other relationship he had where he had the instinct to brat, at least a little. With King, Uea just wanted to dissolve into his touch and let him guide him everything. He was so busy staring at King’s mouth that he almost missed his next words. “Ask for it,” King stated. 

“ Huh ?” Uea blurted out, almost in a whine. 

“Ask for it,” King replied. “Ask me to kiss you.” Uea blinked at him while King just grinned back, waiting, always patient, giving Uea time to think and squirm in his arms. They stared at each other for a beat and Uea’s entire body was thrumming with energy, nerves shooting under his skin and making his fingers twitch with the need to touch . Or be touched. 

Specifically by King.

By his mouth . 

He swallowed hard and forced himself to meet King’s eyes, feeling small but safe at the way King’s gaze pinned him in place. 

“Phi…Can you please kiss me?” He managed to ask, and he had a moment of feeling a spike of pride at the flash in King’s eyes at the honorific, but then King was lunging forward, a hand cupping the side of Uea’s face and bringing him to meet King. 

This was firmer and longer than the kiss they had shared before, where Uea had barely been able to return any of the pressure. This time he had enough presence of mind to feel King’s tongue running along his upper lip, and then his lower one, coaxing Uea’s mouth open confidently but carefully, waiting for Uea’s tongue to meet his before deepening the kiss. King’s hands were holding his face, their bodies hot and a little damp from the steam that still filled the bathroom. Uea’s fingers flexed at his side, finally lifting to grab at King’s body, unsure what he was allowed to touch but just needing to feel him, and the quiet moan that left King’s throat was encouraging as Uea’s hands grabbed at his waist. 

It was over much too quickly, King pulling away with a small smile on his face and shifting his hand to steady Uea’s waist as he swayed. Uea knew his own expression was dazed, his head feeling like it was filled with cotton, and he was so relieved that it was King who was here with him, looking after him like this. In all fairness, it usually wouldn’t just take a kiss to make him feel as though he was going to trip right into subspace, but it was King , the things he did to Uea were things other people had never done. 

“Wanna get dressed and cuddle in front of the TV?” King suggested, and he wiggled his eyebrows playfully as he led Uea to his bedroom door, giving his arm a squeeze. Uea wanted to protest, play a bit hard to get, like he did with everyone else. But it was King , and even though it took him a while to open up to physical touch, it was easy when it was King. Plus he knew that his roommate was being serious when he was just saying ‘cuddle’, he wasn’t going to try anything or make Uea uncomfortable. 

“Yeah,” Uea agreed with a nod, and King’s smile widened, that sincere, sweet smile that filled Uea with butterflies. 

It took another month before Uea really began to grow impatient and start to want more . 

Not to say King wasn’t giving him so much already, but…Uea knew that there was more , and that King was waiting for him to ask . 

It was like this sick kind of game where King was trying to teach him how to communicate his needs better. 

Uea kind of loved it, as much as he hated it. 

He was pretty sure he loved King, but that wasn’t something he was going to admit anytime soon because they technically weren’t even dating . 

Technically. 

They ate dinner together almost every night, they spent nearly every weekend together whether that was in their apartment or out of it, they were kissing on a reasonably regular basis even outside of Scenes, they even fell asleep together once or twice a week, sometimes in Uea’s bed which he’d never shared with anyone, and they were definitely exclusively only fooling around with each other.

But they weren’t dating. 

Technically . 

That was all beside the point, though, because they didn’t need to be dating for Uea to want to be fucked by King until he cried. He also wanted to have sex with King gently and under fairy lights, but there was no way he was giving all that up too easy to King, he knew that he would be teased mercilessly, even if it was full of fondness. 

They had gotten close, even outside of Scenes. There were nights when they made excuses to end up in bed together—King’s stomach was hurting and he wanted Uea to rub his back, or Uea didn’t like the rain so he wanted to sleep beside King—and they would end up close, noses bumping and lips slippery and hips grinding together. It never went further than dry humping and clumsy handjobs, King often groping at his ass underneath his pyjama pants and encouraging Uea to hump his thigh. Uea loved it, but…He wanted more. 

He wanted King inside him properly. 

“King?” Uea spoke up from where he was leaning back into the cradle of the back and arm of the couch, feeling loose from the drinks he and King had had with dinner, and warm from the way King’s palms were brushing up and down his legs. 

“Mm?” King hummed back, his attention on the TV still even as he started turning his head toward Uea. Uea watched him with a fond smile, pursing his lips together as he waited. King stared at the screen for a few more beats before finally dragging his eyes away and looking toward Uea with a smile, one hand tightening around his ankle. It felt so easy, looking at each other with light only coming from the TV and the string of fairy lights that King had strung around the top of the room a few months ago, incredibly domestic , which was something Uea had never shared with someone before, not to this level of comfortability. “What’s up?” King asked with a gentle squeeze around Uea’s ankle. It made Uea shiver, although he tried to suppress it as he looked back at the TV, because he couldn’t ask King while looking at him. 

“I want to play,” he stated. He could feel the change in King, the way he straightened up and his fingers twisted until they were banding all the way around Uea’s ankle and holding it much more firmly. Uea’s stomach dipped and twisted at the change, his next exhale coming out a little shaky. 

“Oh yeah?” King’s voice ticked upward playfully and Uea rolled his eyes but couldn’t stop his pleased smile. 

“Yeah,” Uea nodded, still looking forward, gathering some more confidence. “But I want you—I want you to fuck me.” King froze for a moment and Uea felt all that confidence deflate, hoping that the way the lighting on the TV flickered didn’t show up the way his expression was faltering. But then King was moving, somehow tugging Uea down further so he was laid out on the couch and bracing himself over Uea in a surprising show of agility. Uea blinked up at him while King stared down at him with wide, sparkling eyes. 

“Yeah?” King breathed. “You want me inside you?” Uea shuddered, trying to keep his composure. 

“You know I do,” he replied with a touch of brattiness. 

“Oh?” King arched an eyebrow down at him. “And how do I know if you don’t ask?” Uea narrowed his eyes back at him, contemplating just how much he wanted to sass King back, but in the end, it was just going to delay things further , which was the opposite of what he wanted. He’d already been so good and patient and waited this long . 

“Please,” he finally said, staring up at King through thick eyelashes, licking his lower lip and feeling satisfaction licking at the pit of his stomach as he saw King’s eyes greedily follow his tongue. “Please fuck me, Phi’King.” Uea knew King loved when he acknowledged their age difference, and the implications behind the honorific, the care and affection that King showered him. He was playing a little dirty, and he knew that King knew, from the way his eyebrows were still curved upward, but he felt the way King’s hips rutted forward, and the grip around his wrists tightened. 

“Fuck, Uea…” King shook his head, letting out a short laugh before he was slotting their lips together easily, in a way that fit so well and made it seem as though they had been doing it for years not just a handful of months. “Fuck—” King didn’t let himself get lost in the kiss, pulling back after only a few seconds and rolling off Uea, getting to his feet and holding out both hands, palm upward, toward Uea. “Come on, baby, let me take you to bed.” Uea felt as though his breath had been stolen from him before he was taking King’s hands, letting the older man guide him to his feet. 

King didn’t let him go as they stumbled toward his bedroom—their rooms weren’t that much different in size, but King’s was the master and definitely a little bit bigger while also having it’s own private bathroom, and he had a gorgeous window that stretched from ceiling to floor along an entire wall. Uea wasn’t really thinking about that, though, as King guided him backward, one hand cupping the back of his head, the other holding his hip, carefully turning him through the open door and toward the bed. 

“I promise I’ll make this good for you, Uea,” King whispered as he kissed at Uea’s neck. “Just tell me how you want it.” Uea blinked as his thighs hit the bed, surprised by King’s words, a little jarred as his eyebrows pulled together. 

“How do I want it?” He asked in confusion, while King just nodded eagerly, waiting for his response. Uea stared at him for a long moment, because even though they negotiated fairly regularly and talked about their likes and dislikes, he hadn’t been expecting this. King was the Dominant, he was supposed to decide things like this and Uea happily followed along. “I don’t…” he drifted off and King’s expression softened, the fingers resting on the nape of Uea’s neck massaging gently. 

“We haven’t had sex before, Uea,” he murmured. “It doesn’t matter which one of us is in charge, we’re talking about how this is going to happen so I know that you’ll enjoy it.” Uea stared at him for a long moment, longer this time, before leaning forward and pressing a butterfly-soft kiss to King’s lips, his mouth trembling slightly at how much emotion was running through him. King seemed to notice that, leaning their foreheads together and not saying anything as they took in a few deep breaths. 

“I don’t care,” Uea finally answered quietly. “I don’t care how we do it, as long as I see your face.” 

King’s face glowed as he smiled back. 

It was strange, because while King was definitely in charge , Uea didn’t feel out of control in any way. The dynamic between them felt the way it usually did when they were in a Scene, King was Dominant and Uea was Submissive, but it felt like a lot more as well, as though it meant more than that, which was really something, because what they had already felt so special. 

King touched him as though he was someone deserving of being worshipped, his hands sweeping up and down Uea’s sides and his stomach, cupping his cock and squeezing at his balls gently and making Uea arch and groan, his head thrown back against the pillow. King kissed him everywhere, lightly massaging his calves as he kissed Uea’s knee, circling his fingers around Uea’s ankle as he bit at his thigh…The pillows and blankets all smelt like King, like his skin and faintly of the cologne he wore, and King was touching him and kissing him, and then playing gently with his hole with a slick finger…Uea felt dizzy.

He’d never been looked after like this before. 

He’d never been cared for like this before. 

He’d never been loved like this before. 

That’s what this was, it had to be, something this precious, the way King looked at him, the way his heartbeat quickened…It had to be love.

“Mm? Open your eyes, Uea,” King teased lightly, three fingers deep inside Uea now, still moving at a pace that was far too slow for Uea’s liking, although the way his cock kept dripping belied that. He was clawing at the blankets, his back arched and his cheeks rosy as he whined, beginning to throw his hips back against King’s fingers, losing his shame to his neediness. “Uea, baby, open your eyes, let me see you,” King spread his fingers purposefully, tugging lightly at his rim and making Uea gasp. “Listen to your Phi, Uea,” King leaned forward to bite lightly at Uea’s chest, which was already blotched pink and red from previous bites and kisses. 

“ Fuck ,” Uea hiccuped as he forced his eyes open. He would be lying if he said that King was the only one affected by the honorific. He met King’s gaze and King grinned at him, clearly pleased, his fingers beginning to move quicker inside of him, Uea groaning happily. 

“That’s right,” King breathed happily, and he paused only for a moment, just enough to put more lube on his fingers, adding to the sticky, dripping mess that was making lewd noises everytime King moved, and then a fourth finger was sliding into Uea. King’s pinky finger eased in gently, twisting inside, Uea’s legs trembling as King’s other hand was grabbing at one of his thighs and throwing it over his shoulder. “You open perfect, Uea, I knew you would. I knew you were going to be perfect.” Uea was shivering, feeling so stretched open and vulnerable with one of his legs folded and bent at the knee, fallen open and to the side, while his other leg was hooked over King’s shoulder. King seemed to love it just as much as Uea, turning his head to the side and kissing Uea’s knee. “You’re perfect in every other way, of course you’d open up for my cock perfect, huh?” King seemed to be rambling a little, and Uea didn’t care at all, wanting to hear every single thing King was thinking. 

But he still wanted more, he wanted King’s cock. 

“ Please ,” Uea pouted, his face feeling warm and sticky with tears. He wasn’t sure when they had started falling steadily—little raindrops in his eyelashes that framed his big eyes that King couldn’t drag his own eyes away from—but he couldn’t stop now, little hiccups catching in his chest as King teased four fingers inside him. King was stroking up against his walls, pulling his fingers out while keeping them spread before curling them together and sliding forward easily again, finding his prostate with just a brush of the pads of his fingers. He was teasing . “ King !” Uea’s voice was coming out whiny now, something he had always tried to avoid with other lovers but something King seemed to enjoy bringing out of him. 

“Yeah, baby?” King was smiling, hand still moving inside Uea, turning and biting lightly at the bone and making Uea shiver and wiggle underneath him. “You know how to ask for what you want.” Uea’s breathing hitched in his throat, eyes closing for a split second before quickly opening them again, meeting King’s eyes again, and it felt like he lost his breath again at the proud look that shone through King’s face. 

“Phi’King, please…Please fuck me,” Uea said, finding it so much easier to swallow his pride and teeter on the verge of begging when it was King who was bracing himself over Uea. “ Please , Phi,” he added, rocking himself down, batting his damp eyelashes up at King needily, knowing how it affected King. 

And he was right, King faltered slightly, his eyes widening and the pace of his hand becoming slightly jerky before he was nodding with a laugh under his breath, shaking his head as his hand slid free from Uea. 

“Shit, Uea,” King exhaled heavily. “You’re fucking gorgeous.” He reached out for a towel on his bedside table, wiping down his fingers before undressing himself quickly and positioning himself between Uea’s thighs. Uea breathed in sharply, waiting for King to press inside, but he didn’t, not right away, the tip of his cock pressing against Uea’s ass but not sliding inside. “You tell me if anything hurts, okay, Uea? Or if you want to stop—at any time—you tell me straight away, okay? You safeword and let me look after you.” He was staring down at Uea intently and Uea just couldn’t help but smile, a little bashfully, a lot gratefully at the way King was always doing what was best for him. 

“I know, Phi,” Uea whispered. “I know you’ll look after me.” King smiled, leaning in for a soft kiss, before his attention was shifting, back between their legs. Uea heard the sounds of King putting more lube on his cock even though there was so much already, and then he was spreading one hand against Uea’s inner thigh to hold it open, before he was slowly pressing the head of his cock inside. Uea groaned, curling himself up into King’s touch, eagerly wanting more, reaching out a hand to grab at King’s shoulder, sinking his nails in. 

“Yeah, Yea,” King agreed, meeting Uea’s eyes as he slowly slid the rest of the way inside, watching Uea closely, looking for any side of pain. “I’ll always look after you, I promise.” Uea’s eyes widened, and the tears were back, not just from how good it felt to have King fill him, but from how King’s words were making him feel. It sounded as though he was talking about so much more than sex, more than what they were doing here, and it was so much . King didn’t rush what they were doing, taking his time to push and pull, until any discomfort was gone, and Uea’s groans were pitching louder and louder. “Sound so pretty, Uea,” King whispered, stealing one more kiss before he was properly pushing back to straighten up on his knees, changing his angle and drawing out a gasp from Uea. “Shit, you’re pretty…” King’s words abruptly stopped as his hips started snapping forward faster. 

Uea cried out as he felt his orgasm so quickly build, unlike other times when he’d been fucked, when he’d needed so much more stimulation, when he’d felt so unsatisfied his orgasm built so pathetically slow. But King…King had learnt his body and what he liked and asked questions and was so attentive and paid attention, and it built to all of this, and Uea felt as though he was spinning out of control. He clung to King desperately, more to stop himself from floating away, wanted to stay as present in this moment as he possibly could, and there was a wince from King as Uea’s nails dug into his skin, but Uea felt the way his cock throbbed inside him, and he already knew how much King liked the pain. 

“You feel so good, Uea,” King groaned, and somehow he was pressing Uea’s legs further back, sinking inside Uea deeper, and stretching him further and Uea couldn’t stop shaking, clawing at King’s back, letting out a sob from somewhere deep inside. “Oh, sweetheart ,” King’s voice came out more in a growl, so close to Uea’s ear, and the words rolled over Uea’s skin, making goosebumps break out. “You’re so close, huh?”

“ Yes !” Uea cried out and King let out a breathless sound that was almost like a laugh, but came out strangled. 

“Shit, you keep squeezing around me—cum, Uea, go on. Cum for me,” King grunted and Uea’s body responded instantly, letting go and feeling his orgasm rip through him with so much intensity his vision spotted in the corners and he fell to the mattress limply. He could feel King moving, could feel him tensing when he came and how he rolled away a few moments later, but still kept his body close to Uea, his warmth comforting. When King did finally move away, he whispered in Uea’s ear that he would be back shortly, and Uea believed him, happily feeling hazy as he laid on King’s bed. 

He didn’t realize how much time had passed when King was gently running his hands through his hair, urging him to open his eyes properly. King had wiped him down with something, a damp cloth or wet wipes, although he was still a bit sticky, especially between his legs, and Uea blinked at the fact he had completely missed King cleaning him up and also running a bath in his adjoining bathroom. 

“Come on, Uea,” King whispered, wrapping an arm around Uea to help hold him up. “Let’s take a bath.” 

“You’re finally letting me take a bath in here?” Uea smiled a bit dopily, still feeling completely blissed out as he slumped against King. King just smiled and shook his head. 

“When are you going to learn that I’ll let you do anything if you just ask, Uea, hm?” King asked and Uea’s head lolled to the side, burying his face in King’s neck as they stood beside the large corner bath, filled with bubbles and a bath bomb that was pink-blue and filled with glitter. It was going to get all through the sheets but it looked so pretty, and King had drawn him a bath after giving him the most mind blowing orgasm from their first time going all the way…

It was all so much. 

It was all too much. 

“King, I…” Uea’s voice sounded choked up, his face burning red and tears in his eyes, still feeling overwhelmed and overflowing with emotions. “I…” his nose was itching with the need to cry, even though he really didn’t want to cry again. 

“Uea,” King murmured and squeezed his hips. “It’s okay. Whatever you want to say, it’s okay.” He didn’t wait for Uea to say anything else, though, instead climbing into the bath with one leg, and then the other, and shifting his grip to be more supportive of Uea, waiting for him to get into the bath. It was gorgeous , just a little bit too hot, which was how Uea liked it, and when Uea leaned back against King’s chest, the bubbles and sparkling water almost came up to his shoulders, covering most of his chest, the water was so deep his legs floated a little.

“I want to take a bath in here every time we finish,” Uea sighed happily without really thinking through his words. He felt King stiffen for a moment and it made Uea’s brain sharpen, realizing what he’d said. But before he could even think of something to say, try to cover it up, something nonchalant, but then King was speaking. 

“We can do that,” King murmured, and he dropped a kiss to Uea’s damp shoulder. “We can do that whenever you want, doesn’t have to be after we have sex or play around.” Uea nodded, not saying anything else, settling happily in King’s arms. “I can find some candles next time, make it all romantic,” King added, kissing Uea’s shoulder again, while Uea’s eyes widened. 

“So…Romance? Is that what this is?” Uea asked nervously, a nervous shake in the middle of his question. King fell quiet behind him again, and it seemed like he was maybe nervous as well, with the way he curled himself forward, hooking his chin over Uea’s shoulder, plastering their bodies together. 

“I…I want it to be, if you want that too,” King eventually said, and Uea heaved out an exhale he didn’t realize he’d been holding in. It felt like it was a breath he’d been holding for weeks now, and he could finally just let go. King held him close, waiting for his response, always giving him time and Uea slipped down further in the water, easily resting his head against King’s shoulder. 

“I want that,” Uea said quietly. “I really want that.” King squeezed him closer, and then kissed the top of his head.

“Perfect.”