Chapter Text
Tankhun
"Now isn't this just cozy?" Tankhun sighed out with a satisfied little wriggle, his head looking left to Kinn then right to Porsche.
He ignored the eye rolling and halfhearted voiced yes and uh-huh coming at him from either side. He was sitting in the back of Kinn's car, smack dab in between the two men. It was a bit of a tight fit, especially because of Tankhun's large oversized bright orange fluffy coat, but they did fit and Tankhun was loving it!
"Remind me again, why you're riding with us?" Kinn asked, his voice neutral but his smile was totally fake.
Tankhun rolled his eyes. This little brother of his was so incredibly obvious. It was a wonder business was running so strongly considering Kinn didn't hide what he was thinking very well. And right now, Kinn's entire being was practically shouting his displeasure with Tankhun's intentional or unintentional, he hadn’t decided yet apparently, cockblock.
Tankhun smirked to himself. Interfering in his baby brothers' lives was one of his very most favorite things to do. Ever.
Tankhun scrunched his face up, turning to Kinn with an are you totally dumb frown.
"Are you blind? Could you not feel the tension practically oozing off of Tae?" he said with exaggerated shiver. "Time was flirting with another guy... again, right in front of his salad. Tae...”
“Tae didn’t eat salad tonight. None of us did,” Porsche piped up in confusion.
Tankhun threw him an appalled glance then gave himself a little shake. Ignore the idiot, he told himself, there is no hope for him, before turning back to Kinn.
“Kinn,” Tankhun insisted. “Words were going to be spoken in that car. Harsh ones. Maybe even bloodshed," Tankhun mused, his nose wrinkled. "And I absolutely cannot get blood splatter on this coat. It would never clean out!”
“So... voila!" he said, continuing on, his hand lifting up and twirling in the air with a flourish. "Easy fix. I just ride with you two. Besides... we are going to the same destination... go green and all that!" he ended on a pleased with himself note.
Tankhun could see Kinn nod in agreement as he simultaneously clamped his lips together. Kinn clearly had something he wanted to say but was refraining. It tickled Tankhun, who knew better than anyone, except maybe Porsche, how hard it was for Kinn to check his temper, withhold his ire, just keep his damn mouth shut when he was displeased.
He was displeased now.
But Kinn was holding back Tankhun knew, because it was Tankhun; his big brother, his overemotional crackpot brother that he would never intentionally hurt because to Kinn, his big brother had been hurt enough. Tankhun's heart melted and his throat choked up for a brief second but he fought that sentimental stuff down. Straight down. Right now, was an opportunity to play and play he would. He'd revisit the sweet moment later when he was alone.
"Tae should leave, Time," he continued on after a brief pause, getting back on track. He looked over to Porsche. "Don't you agree?"
Porsche only shrugged a response. Tankhun turned to Kinn.
"Well, don't you agree?" he asked him this time.
Kinn shrugged as well.
Tankhun screeched, startling both men on either side of him, making them jump in their seats, Porsche clutching at his heart. Thankfully though, Pol was driving. As used to Tankhun as he was, he didn't so much as flinch and the car continued to drive smoothly on just like Tankhun's mouth.
"Seriously, he is like one of your best friends, Kinn!" Tankhun exclaimed. "You should show more concern!"
"It's his business, along with my other best friend's," Kinn answered, side eyeing Tankhun pointedly.
"Puh...lease," Tankhun drawled out. "Tae is priority over that horndog. I mean Tae is beautiful. Inside and out. He could do so much better," Tankhun continued, irked for his friend. "Tae could have anyone and be so much happier! I mean look at him," Tankhun said, index fingertip to his lips as if he were mentally picturing the man they were discussing. "I mean, he is almost as gorgeous as I am!"
That got a response from Porsche. A giggle, muffled immediately by his hand which in turn triggered Kinn, who choked out a sound that turned into throat clearing. Tankhun turned his head one way then the other eyeing both men with suspicion but their faces remained passive enough for Tankhun to lose interest.
This wasn't as much fun as he thought it would be. Neither Kinn or Porsche were reacting the way he wanted.
He liked making chaos and getting knee jerk reactions. He enjoyed outraged responses. He got a buzz from frustrating the hell out of someone. He got a thrill out of knocking the wind out of someone’s sails. And he totally lived for shocking the life out of a person. Porsche and Kinn were giving him practically nothing, though. Nada. Zilch.
Frustrated that they weren't playing, Tankhun decided he might as well check in on his other littler brother. Maybe he could make some trouble there, though it was more of a long shot, but as they still had another thirty minutes left in this stuffy car it would at least kill time.
Digging into his coat pocket, elbowing Porsche in his ribs multiple times as he struggled, he finally pulled his phone out with an exuberant shout of triumph!
"Kimmy boy! Kimmy boy! What are you up to?" he said out loud to no one.
Porsche glanced over at him and so did Kinn.
Tankhun ignored them and continued searching on his phone.
"Oh!" he exclaimed! "Look Kinn!" he said, turning to Kinn, forgetting his annoyance, the pleasure of his discovery completely taking precedence, nixing all else.
"Kimmy just uploaded a new video tonight!" he said excitedly, holding his phone up to Kinn to see. "Let's watch!"
He turned to Porsche. "Have you met Kimmy, yet? I mean like an actual introduction? He sings and plays instruments. Like fabulously. I taught him, of course," Tankhun rattled on as he stared at the thumbnail, the frozen image of his little brother looking directly into the camera.
His finger lifted and he caressed over the cold surface of the screen where Kimhan looked back at him. Not smiling. As usual.
Porsche leaned closer to him and looked at the picture. He frowned then glanced at Tankhun then leaned around him to look at Kinn.
"No, but he looks familiar."
"Probably because though you didn't meet, you did meet," Tankhun answered as if that made perfect sense.
Porsche's face scrunched up, as well as his shoulders as he raised his hands in the air and waved them around.
"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" he asked the car at large.
Tankhun whipped his head toward Porsche and frowned back. "You two brothers are so alike!" he grouched. "Mini P reacted just the same way when he saw Kimmy's picture though he at least had the excuse of having been knocked out. What's your excuse for not recognizing him?"
"Chay?!" Porsche gasped, sitting up straighter to look at Tankhun then Kinn. "What's Chay got to... Oh!" Porsche halted as Tankhun's words started to make sense and realization dawned.
Porsche turned as much as he could towards the brothers and pointed to the phone, "It was Kimmy... Kim," he hurriedly corrected himself, "who came in and got Chay out that day at the warehouse?"
Kinn only nodded but Tankhun gushed on.
"Yes! Didn't Kinn tell you? He rushed in like the brave dashing hero he is and rescued little Mini P. He also totally killed everyone at Hum...!"
"It was crazy busy that day," Kinn interrupted Tankhun, shooting him a look that said shut up! "It just never came up, I guess," Kinn muttered.
Porsche eyed Kinn before turning back to Tankhun's phone with more interest.
"Play it. I'm curious now. And send me his contact number or set up a meet because I need to thank him."
"That isn't necessary," Kinn said but Porsche overrode him.
"Of course, it is! This kid, your brother, saved mine. Nothing gets more necessary than that. I owe him hugely. That's Chay we're talking about, not just anyone to me, but half of my world!" he argued back making it clear he expected to meet their little brother and soon. "Now push play!"
Tankhun complied. Not because Porsche told him to, but because he was dying to hear his brother's latest. Listening to Kimmy sing was another one of Tankhun's most favorite things in the world. It was right up there with annoying the crap out of him and Kinn.
As the video started, the music and lyrics captured Tankhun's heart. Kim was singing them with such sadness, a melancholy longing.
"This is so different from his usual stuff," Tankhun murmured, glancing up at Kinn whose eyes were glued to the screen.
He nodded.
"Why don’t you stay? Sounds to me like your brother got his heart broken. Damn! And bad!"
Tankhun looked at Porsche who was still frowning.
"What?"
Porsche scrunched his face up.
"Your brother is just so familiar to me."
Exasperated, Tankhun hit pause and turned to look at him.
"I just told you who he is and where you saw him before!"
Porsche shook his head back and forth.
"Nope. I've seen him somewhere else."
He scratched his head, thinking. "Just hit play again. He's good. The song, too."
Sighing heavily, Tankhun pushed play again, starting the song over from the beginning, Kim's voice filling the car.
"Oh my God! I know!" Porsche cried out a few moments later, snapping his fingers suddenly, looking at Kinn and Tankhun in disbelief.
"Oh, my goodness gracious, what now?" Tankhun asked, pausing the video, yet again.
"That's Chay's idol crush, Wik! Chay loves his music. He has tons of his pictures hanging in his room at our home. Wait till I tell him his idol is the one who rescued him!"
Porsche pulled out his phone. "I'm calling him now. He's seemed down lately. This should cheer him up!"
"But he..." must already know, Tankhun almost said but stopped himself as his nose started twitching, the tip tingling as his nosy senses kicked into overdrive.
Kim rushing in to rescue Porchay out of the blue. Mini P's weird reaction to finding out who Kim was, Kim's rampage at Yok's bar, Kim's hanging around at home recently, Mini P's strange sadness. Why don't you stay?
"Hmm, he's not picking up," Porsche said, disconnecting the call. "Probably in bed already. Oh well, I'll tell him when we get home. Hit play!”
Then Porsche laughed before Tankhun pressed the play button.
“Now that I’m thinking about it I wouldn’t be surprised if Chay's been watching this on a loop all night and that's why he's not picking up. That’s pretty much what he does every time Wik releases a new song. Now I can actually talk knowledgeably about it with him. Oh!” Porsche said again, looking at Khun in excitement. “Can you get your brother’s autograph? I can surprise Chay with it! This is awesome!” he continued on completely missing Tankhun’s horrified expression. “Play, Khun, play!"
Tankhun swallowed and side eyed Kinn who had been acting a little funny all along. Kinn flared his eyes at Tankhun. It was all he needed to see to have all his suspicions confirmed and obviously Porsche didn't have a clue.
Tankhun pushed play again. He watched Kimmy more sharply this time. He looked tired. Thinner, too. And he did look sad. Very sad. Maybe as sad as Chay. What had gone on between these two?
The last notes played and Tankhun watched as his brother just stared at the camera. He felt his chest tighten. He'd never seen Kim like this before. Never.
"Damn! I am telling you that kid's heart is fucking broke!" Porsche said, shaking his head. "I wonder who the bastard is that broke it?"
Tankhun's eyes widened and he didn't dare look at Kinn. Thinking at how Porchay had looked the last few weeks, Tankhun was pretty sure it was Porsche's brother who had had his heart broken, and Kim was the bastard. The bastard that looked like was currently reaping what he had sowed.
Tankhun was about to press stop when Kim spoke... quietly, softly, completely heartfelt, and utterly heart stopping...
"This is for Porchay."
The air vibrated with tense silence. Tankhun for once could not think of a single thing to say. He stole a glance at Kinn who looked like he was done... just so done. And Porsche... Porsche, Tankhun noticed as he snuck a quick peek, was dumbstruck, his mouth agape, frozen in place. That was what made the howl that came three seconds later all the more jolting, making both Tankhun and Kinn jump in their seats, Tankhun the one this time to clutch at his heart.
And Pol... Pol still remained unfazed, not a flinch in sight, as he continued to drive the three men home, the ride as smooth as ever.