Golden Nightingale (KinnPorsche/MileApo)

Chapter 9: An Emperor's Nightingale Song

The keens, moans, and groans that escaped the pair of them from their multiple couplings was nothing short of animalistic, wholesome, and made Kinn painfully aware of how easy it could be taken from him. How simple it would be for someone to pluck Apo and deposit him straight into the fire. Left to be turned into ashes.

He rolled back onto his back. Studiously glared holes into the ceiling as he lifted a hand up to see the signet ring on his finger and not for the first time longed to remove it. To shrug off the responsibilities.

"If only I wasn't born Kinn Theerapanyakun...I could love you as an ordinary man."

His impulsiveness and momentary miscalculation of not taking Vegas, of all people, seriously almost became costly. He curled his fingers into a fist in return. How he wished he'd punched Vegas' teeth out. Left the man slurred and choking on his teeth and blood, the satisfying gurgling of discomfort would've made it worth the broken skin he'd have on his knuckles. Kinn just sighed again. The exhalation felt heavy.

Kinn did his best to not jostle his other arm that was serving its purpose as a pillow for Apo, the hair tickled the crook of his elbow, and he didn't dare move. He was treasuring this moment.

'What about next time Kinn? You might not get a next time.'

The devil on his shoulder that always prayed on his insecurities came to stab Kinn in the neck with its imaginary pronged fork into his brain, pierced through to inject realisms, and withdrew with cynical laughter as that was all Kinn was left with.

"What do I do?" Leaning over to brush a delicate kiss to Apo's temple, Kinn withdrew his arm from underneath Apo's head gingerly to deposit the younger onto the pillow, making sure he was covered fully and still resting before shifting to get up from the bed and sit on the edge. He had to put safeguards in place, so this didn't happen again. "Increase the guards with him. Limit the events he's going to. Make sure he's escorted at all times. I can't live with a repeat of this in the future." The resolution sounded plausible to him as he shuffled to put on some silk pajama pants and matching robe, and about to travel to the door to rally the troops to get everything in order and paused.

Something made him turn around to see the reflection of the time on his alarm clock to see that it was 2AM. He was going insane.

Sounding restrictively like a tyrant. Wanting to keep Apo caged. Like the little nightingale that sang its song to the emperor that captured it after hearing it sing. Only there to entertain without any other purpose until one day it stopped singing for the lack of its freedom. A withered shell of what it once was. Would he be doing the same to Apo? That love would turn to hate quickly, and he paled.

"He'd hate me..."

Kinn wanted to pull out his hair in frustration. He wanted to smoke. He wanted to punch a wall. He—

"Meow?"

A little purring at his ankles had Kinn peek down to see Sour Cream Lobster had snuck into the room from the couch he normally preferred to sleep on. Throwing off his groove. Kinn tilted his head to the side, "Did you come to answer the call to my meltdown?"

The feline just bumped its head against Kinn's ankles and calves, circling for attention and swishing its tail left then right. He sighed as he crouched, vaguely aware of his lack of underwear in his pants, then scooped up the creature to feel it nudge its head against Kinn's chin, "What? You didn't want to be carried?" He laughed lightly as if confused as the furry limbs were attacking him in a bid to change positions, "I thought you did?"

"Meoooow."

Snorting to himself, Kinn just waited for the animal to get comfortable in his arms, which resulted in Kinn feeling the tickle of fur against his neck as the cat lay there, much like a baby that was being carried around like a prince. Of course, Apo always carried Sour Cream Lobster like his baby, made sense the cat wanted Kinn to do the same. They were co-parents now.