Work Text:
- Mystery Cat Cafe
Peach frowned at the sign posted in front of his usual coffee spot.
CLOSED FOR RENOVATION UNTIL SATURDAY
It was a place he frequented more than his own home- sometimes even more than Thee’s office. Hell, even the people who worked there knew him to the point where, ‘trying something new’ sounded like an offense for the preprepared ‘usual’ they always had waiting for him at the same time everyday. In those cases, Peach would go home with dupes of whatever he actually needed, usually bringing the other one for Thee.
Sighing, Peach turned around, pulling his phone out to search for a replacement for the next 3 days…
Somehow the renovation was quicker than expected and Peach was back to his usual place, what he didn't expect however was the new sign in front of the store that wrote “cat cafe”. His eyes readjusted to the image for seconds of trying to understand what he was seeing. As he cautiously entered, the owner greeted him like always with the same warm smile. The only difference was the furry creature she held in her arms.
“Nong! What do you think of our new establishment? I do hope you’re not allergic to cats.”
Peach stared for a second, eyes blinking at the cute thing in her arms, its ears perked up while it purred softly.
“No. But how-”
“We suddenly had an investor who wanted to renovate the place into a cat cafe, and we thought it would help stocks rise.”
Peach disregarded how ridiculous the sudden occurrence was as a cat approached him, weaving through his legs as its tail whipped around his ankles. He held himself back from leaning down and scooping the thing right up into his arms, his hands twitching by his side from the physical effort.
“So would you like the usual?”
“Absolutely”, he replied, words drifting as his eyes remained solely fixed downwards.
Usually taking his drink to go, Peach found himself at a table with his normal coffee- only now with the addition of three cats. They were adorable, painfully so, coming towards Peach with those huge eyes and soft meows, tails curling absently around his arms.
At first he lightly stroked what looked like a ragdoll, but sooner or later it turned into a full petting with the overly fluffy cat resting in his arms. His heart almost exploded when it lay on its back, little legs and arms stretching to the side leaving its belly exposed.
If he was alone, Peach would have been inclined to squeal, steal the cat and betray his statement of not wanting to buy a cat. Instead, Peach slowly brought a hand to the expanse of fur, pursing his lips in anticipation as he tested the cat’s patience. The content meow as the cat eased into the touch told Peach enough, its little toes stretching out to reveal a touch of pink against its snowy white coat. The corner of Peach’s lips perked up, defeating the ill-sustained composure that hadn’t been working very well since the moment he’d come in.
From there, cat fur could have gotten into his drink and Peach wouldn’t have cared. His coffee in fact had been long forgotten, cold already by the time he would have remembered his actual purpose of coming to the cafe.
All he knew was that he was never getting his coffees to go anymore.
What he didn’t notice however, was the familiar black SUV parked metres from the cafe.
“I do not understand why he refuses me to buy a cat for him”, Thee spoke with a serene smile on his face, “he loves them this much yet calls me ridiculous when I offer to buy one for every day of the year.”
“Boss, Peach does not enjoy extreme things like that”
Thee’s gaze snapped to Mok’s through the rear mirror.
“Do you believe yourself more worthy than me for thinking of such a solution?”
“No boss”, Mok said flatly, holding back a sigh.
Thee’s face almost completely shifted the moment his eyes returned to the display of Peach playing with the cat, his hand propping up his chin as he gazed with the widest smile across his face.
So cute~
2. New app function
Peach sighed for the millionth time, head turning down to look at the ‘your ride will be here in twenty minutes’. His meeting started at ten o’clock, the journey up the lift and into the office was another three minutes, and that gave him not only no time but put his schedule in the negative.
He was going to be late.
It wasn’t the first time the driver had taken longer than expected, the red line of traffic doubling the time he was expecting. And usually Peach simply left earlier, however of late, even that wasn’t working out for him.
Luckily the meeting itself didn’t go too bad, his clients were understanding enough. But it had left him with that unsatisfied feeling inside that was more disappointment in himself than from others.
“What’s wrong”, Thee inquired, tone softened with worry as Peach plopped down onto his office sofa.
“I was late again this morning, it’s the third time you know.”
Thee frowned, about to ask- ‘so what? I won’t let anyone tell you off about that’, but thought against it as he observed Peach’s tired expression.
“I can have Mok drop you off in the morning” Thee offered, settling beside Peach.
“Don’t bother him with that, he’s already busy enough.”
“But-”
Thee wasn’t allowed to finish his sentence, Peach’s stern gaze cutting through whatever excuse he was about to offer.
“I just need to leave even earlier, that's all.”
“You know”, Thee began, the amusement already evident in his voice as he rested his chin on Peach’s shoulder, “You could move in with me, my place is closer to the building”
Peach let out a laugh at Thee’s hopeful eyes, swatting the man’s head away.
“Theee come on, how many times have you asked that”
“Why? It would take less time that way wouldn’t it”
“Not happening”, Peach smiled teasingly, “Not yet.”
-
The next morning Peach’s alarm was set to a time twice as early as usual. He groaned, a lazy arm stretching towards the off button- reluctantly but surely getting up from bed.
He got ready as normal, slightly slower with the fatigue of having slept less. With a yawn, Peach opened up the app to book his ride, until something caught his eye.
NEW UPDATE- PLEASE DOWNLOAD
Peach frowned lightly, confusion evident at the notice. He wasn't sure he ever remembered needing to update the app- let alone if it even required or accommodated such a thing.
Once the download was complete, Peach scrolled through the settings trying to see what could have possibly been changed. That was when his eyes landed on a new feature in the corner of his screen:
‘MINUTE GRAB’
‘NOW FASTER AND QUICKER. YOUR PRIORITHEES MATTER’
Peach blinked a few times, not believing it for a second. Though his finger drifted to the new feature, pressing it with little belief it would actually work.A minute had almost passed, no sign of any driver around and Peach was about to give up- just when a car drove in front of his house.
“No way…”, he muttered to himself in disbelief, “Where has this been my whole life?”
Rushing out with his bag slung over his shoulder, Peach got into the car, flashing the driver a quick smile. The journey was somehow even quicker than usual, in fact Peach was arriving at work way too early for even a good day.The man behind the wheel mentioned something along the lines of a newly funded upgrade when Peach questioned it but refused to elaborate from there really.
Nuch greeted him once he entered, smile slowly turning into avid confusion.
“N'Peach, why are you here…?”
“P’Nuch what kind of question is that, I’m here for work of course”, Peach smiled, peering over at the clock at his desk.
“Right…”
The week continued like that, quick, short journeys. It was perfect really- so much so that Peach was actively gaining time from everything.
It was a particular weekend, however, when he was out with Aran that things seemed a little off. The night had trickled off into later hours, the soft amber lighting of the restaurant replacing the teetering day light and the two friends were deep into their nth drink of the night. Aran took his phone out, seeing the time and exhaled lightly.
“I’m sorry, I have to go soon- they booked me another late night shoot today”
“Another one? Awhh my poor friend, are they overworking you, do you need Phi to come tell them off”, Peach joked ruffling Aran’s hair, earning him a laugh in return.
“Why so early though? Isn’t there a lot of time till then?”
“Gotta arrange my ride, I can’t risk being late.”
Peach frowned slightly at that, “Why not use the new feature?”
“New what now-?”
Peach rummaged for his phone, Aran raising a disbelieved eyebrow at the foreign notice on the screen.
“You know, the minute grab update”
“Huh…?”
3. Stars brought for you
The gentle breeze carried itself through the little camping set-up that belonged to two people. It was small in size, not extravagant enough to put off Peach’s ‘normal’ requirements for a camp- yet equipped so meticulously that it satisfied Thee enough not to offer moving their entire house to the woods. They sat on a single round folding chair- not even bothering to bring separate ones as it would surely be discarded. And amidst it all, Peach’s head rested against Thee’s chest, his eyes wavering from a combination of fatigue and peace.
Thee’s hand was laced into the brown strands, thumb circling over a spot as he observed the distant look on Peach’s face.
“What are you thinking about LookPeach?”
Peach blinked for a second neck arching upwards to face Thee.
“It’s just a shame”, he mumbled, “ so many stars in the sky and yet you can’t even see them from here.”
Thee frowned slightly, eyes trained on Peach, “Do you want to go to Chile? It's best for star gazing there.”
Peach didn’t even bother to react at the ridiculous offer, softly shaking his head as he stared upwards.
“Just wish it wasn’t so polluted round here”
The fire continued to crackle, the flames flickering down until the two finally retreated to their tent. However, what Peach didn’t realise was when Thee lingered outside making a hushed call to Mok…
-
What followed Peach after their camping retreat was a workload he’d never imagined. And not only was Peach drowning in work, but Thee too. It was after the first few nights Thee was returning later than usual. And Peach had become worried. It was close to the amount of time spent from when Thee had first become CEO of GMM Thee V, and it was showing with the ill-fitting eye bags to the usually pristine man.
One of those days Thee came concerningly late- quiet footsteps treading into their room yet failing not to awaken the half-asleep Peach.
“P'Kian, is everything ok at work?”
The worry that stretched into Peach’s features despite the evident fatigue he carried himself made Thee’s heart melt.
“Don’t worry LookPeach, everything’s ok.” As he said the words Thee leaned over the bed, bringing a light kiss to Peach’s forehead, the lingering touch a soft reassurance. “Just a new company I’m working on”, Thee clarified while taking off his watch.
“New company?” Peach echoed, “don’t you already have enough going on.”
Thee shook his head, a distant smile on his face, “as long as I have you nothing is too much for me LookPeach.”
Peach laughed lightly, head sinking back into his pillow as he closed his eyes.
-
For Peach, it was a normal day like any other- sprawled over his chair, gradually becoming more and more tired with every passing photo he was reviewing.
Somewhere to the side, he could tell Thee kept eyeing him- observing every passing yawn and shallow sigh. He didn’t acknowledge it however, neither did- knowing Peach wouldn’t be able to finish his work otherwise.
Albeit the moment Peach shut his laptop, Thee had practically teleported to his side. His smooth voice drawling by Peach’s ear as his hands lightly massaged his shoulders.
“LookPeach, aren’t you tired yet?”
Peach exhaled, letting his eyes flutter shut.
“Mhmm, just finishing up now.”
“Bored?”
“I guess so”, Peach replied before scrunching his eyebrows together, “don’t tell me you booked a flight to the Grand Canyon again, that’s not what I meant when I said I was bored-”
Thee shook his head curtly, offering his hand to lift Peach up.
“I have something a little different this time.”
When Peach heard ‘different’, he truly didn’t expect what Thee had prepared was that different from his expectation.
The terrace had been completely transformed, an expanse of the floor cushioned with blankets, pillows and whatever else could possibly transform the solid ground into something softer than a bed. A lifted pergola had been installed, the skirtings of it flowing with warm lights and a flowing fabric that pooled around the floor.
“What is all this?” Peach asked, his voice quiet with growing amazement.
“Your very own star gazing spot”, Thee smiled warmly- taking Peach in hand to guide him to the arrangement.
And that was when Peach realised it.
How clear the sky was, like his eyes had been magnified a thousand times over, like the sky itself had brightened for him that night.
The two arranged themselves among the mass of fabric, Peach lying on the extended arm that Thee had already placed beneath his head. And it was perfect- the night, the stars, the atmosphere, it was everything yet seemingly not too much- capturing Peach’s gaze so high to where his eyes could simply observe.
Thee’s other free arm lightly lifted, pointing at a spot.
“Do you see those stars there- shaped like an eagle. That one is Aquila”, Thee explained while moving his finger, “And that one is Lyra, the one that looks like a harp. They’re two separate constellations yet they always appear side by side. Named after lovers.”
Peach slightly turned his head, gazing up towards Thee’s face as mirth played at his eyes.
“You really did your research huh?”
“Why? Do you think I am not knowledgeable about constellations?”, Thee mused- though his prideful tone gave him away.
“No, you’re very smart indeed”, Peach laughed lightly, leaning upwards to plant a kiss over the mole just under Thee’s eye.
They continued to gaze upwards, Peach’s round eyes so lost in the sky that he alone was something of a sight to behold for Thee. It was like the fatigue just moments ago had been replaced with something so serene it combatted that feeling. Just the two of them, coexisting with millions of stars above.
“Thank you P’Kian”, Peach muttered after a while- eyes still trained upwards, “It’s all so beautiful.”
And when Thee replied, his eyes weren’t on those stars that stole compliments from his lover’s lips, they were right on the person he held so close to him.
“Yes, truly beautiful”
Some time ago~
“Khun Thee, that one is Cassiopeia not the Orion constellation”, Mok reminded curtly for the third time.
Thee tilted his head, his expression sour with perplexity, “Mok I can not see any difference, the stars are stars- they shine, why can they not have labels in the sky?”
“I thought you said you wanted to learn them for Khun Peach?”
Thee nodded feebly, squinting over the diagrams and descriptions again with a renewed courage that could only fight against his struggling mind. Managing multiple companies? Sure, he could do that. But it seemed the mafia was defeated by a few constellations in the sky.
Suddenly a ring sounded in his pocket, Mok nodding in acknowledgement as he left his boss to answer.
“Khun Theerakit Kian Lee?”
“Yes, are there any hindrances to the project- why do you call?” Thee’s voice sounded sternly prompting the man on the line to respond hurriedly.
“No, no boss- just updating your request for the schedule timeline. The anti- pollution system should be complete by the end of the month.”
“Very well then, make no delays. Someone important is waiting on me.”
“Yes boss.”
+1 A Sick Peach
Peach always did have a habit of forgetting his umbrella.
Though recently, he’d been coming across a lot of ‘umbrella stalls’ he was quite sure had never existed. It was a much needed help when he was getting back from work and not planning to be drenched in rain. However, as always, coincidences were coincidences and there was one day more normal than others when Peach’s calm return home turned into a sprint to get out of a real time shower. He liked rain, honestly, playing out in the seemingly depressing weather had become one of those things he got to share with Thee.
But the moment he shut the door, hair dripping wet- plastered to his skin- practically making a wet puddle on his porch, and sneezed- he knew he wasn’t going to be as lucky.
The warm shower he took felt too hot, and the usually comforting feeling of flopping onto his bed felt more like hitting a plank of wood. His head thrummed with an approaching cold, and he knew it. Peach rummaged in his bedside table, taking the cold medicine. Not long after he drifted off into a much needed sleep.
That was until his phone insistently woke him up, the ringing repeating every time it wasn’t answered and quite frankly giving him a worsening headache.
“Hello?”, his voice croaked out, tone much more nasally than when he’d gone to sleep.
“P’Peach?! Why is your voice like that, and you didn’t answer my calls. Are you ok?”
“I’m fine LookPlub just a little cold”
“Fine?” her voice practically squeaked, “you never sleep through a call Phi. Is P’Kian with you? Did he give you medicine yet?”
Peach let out a slight chuckle, though the sound came out more worrying rather than amusing- ending in a slight cough.
“He’s not here, he left for a business meeting in the morning and I'm at my old place since it was closer", then after a short pause, the familiar word reserved for Thee's place instead of his own slipped out, "I'm not at home.”
Plub was akin to an explosion over the line, stuck between frustration at her brother and worry for how sick he sounded. The ‘it’s ok’s’ from Peach weren’t doing much to help calm her down either.
“You’re unbelievable, I- look, take your medicine, sleep, rest and just wait don’t do anything. Ok?”
Before Peach could reply, the line hung abruptly leaving just the hazy static weighing on his hearing left in the room. The ringing however was soon cut through by the loud sound of Peach’s stomach rumbling- a kind reminder that he’d skipped out on breakfast, lunch and whatever else he was meant to have had.
Groaning in pain, he hoisted himself from bed- vision blurring around the edges slightly as Peach dragged his feet towards the kitchen.The journey down felt a lot longer than usual, as well as the effort to open his fridge with his aching muscles.
Good- Peach thought- at least I’ve got enough ingredients to make a soup
Bowls clanged against the countertop, Peach just about ready to prepare the vegetables when the door practically burst forth.
His weary eyes widened, focusing on the dishevelled appearance of Thee looking him up and down. The shifts were almost instantaneous- Thee seeing the pale and very clearly ill Peach, his face morphing into horror, then anger, before bolting across the room.
“LookPeach, oh my- you- what are you doing while so ill?!”, Thee raised a hand to Peach’s forehead expression turning even more frightened, “you are burning up and you did not call me, what would have happened if I had not come?!”
Peach blinked a few times, “I’m not that bad but wait- how are you here?”
“Your sister called me, and I came straight from my meeting”, Thee shook his head in disappointment directed at himself, “to think I could have been ignorantly sitting at that table while you were here suffering.”
“It’s ok seriously P’Kian-”
But Thee wasn’t having any of it as he shot Peach a stern gaze.
Then, without warning Thee scooped a much alarmed Peach up into his arms- the latter unable to resist.
“You are staying in bed until you’re fully recovered- no getting up.”
Peach could only hum in response, leaning into the warm embrace that felt even hotter against his own burning skin.
The moment he was placed down, Thee shot out of the room, returning with a folded wet cloth. Placing it over Peach's forehead, Thee next replaced what was the thick duvet Peach had cuddled into with a lighter cover- ignoring the insistent frowns at the loss.
“Cold.” Peach murmured- eyes shutting in pain.
“I know LookPeach, I know but you need to cool down”
Thee’s voice was strained, watching over Peach with a heavy heart as he slowly fed him his medicine. After what seemed like an eternity, Thee remembered to breathe properly- seeing the muscles in Peach’s face relax as he fell back into sleep.
He slowly retrieved his phone, deciding upon calling Mok to bring food rather than messing up Peach’s kitchen and potentially making him more ill with whatever he cooked. However, the light breathing next to him thought otherwise- not daring to wake Peach up.
Thee who hadn’t really texted anyone other than Peach in his life, found the sparse chat typing out a ‘Congee. Quick.’ which he was sure was more than enough for the bodyguard to interpret.
Thereafter, Thee’s gaze returned solemnly to Peach. His hand pushed the slightly damp hair away from his head, fingers grazing the cloth which had already gone warm once again. Yet the moment he stood from the mattress to replace the cloth- it was like the sleeping Peach could sense his absence.
“P’Kian”, the sleepy voice whined.
“I’ll be back right away”, Thee spoke, as though Peach could hear him, planting a kiss on his forehead in the mean time, “I’m right here”
The action somehow translated into the relaxing of Peach’s contorted expression, easing back into sleep like the subconscious reassurance was all that mattered…
The next time Peach awoke, his body felt less like he’d been hit like a truck and more like it had gone through a mild storm- which it had. That was all but the figure weighing over his legs, chest slowly rising and falling.
“P’Kian”, Peach softly called, smoothing a hand over his back.
Thee practically jolted awake, fear flashing in his eyes and then dying down as he made eye contact with a visibly much better Peach. He still raised a precautionary hand to check Peach’s temperature, relieved by the cool touch. Though now there was another more audible issue as Peach’s stomach rumbled once again.
“Hungry?”, he smiled, reaching for the container left by the door, revealing the warm congee. “Sorry”, Thee laughed sheepishly, “I panicked and ordered it too early it’s not hot anymore, I’ll ask for another-”
“It’s ok. I don’t like it too hot anyways”, Peach said, holding onto Thee’s arm to bring him back down onto the bed. Thee insisted on feeding Peach- convinced he needed to conserve all the energy he could. He held a cupped hand underneath the spoon, Peach not refuting the action. “Wait. Is this from the place I took you to when we first met?!”, he exclaimed the familiar taste, a comfort he didn’t know he needed, “How did you even remember my order-”
“Memory is a fickle thing LookPeach, now you need to tell me how you fell so ill.”
Peach smiled sheepishly despite Thee’s stern tone.
“I forgot my umbrella again and the rain was pretty heavy this time round.”
“And you had no umbrella! Did I not install enough stalls for you to never have to-”
Thee slapped a hand over his mouth, the other still holding the spoon hovering with food in the air. Peach lightly laughed, leaning over to catch the spoon in his mouth, “I already saw your initials embossed onto the handle, subtlety isn’t your strongest suit.”
“Sorry LookPeach, I know you don’t like it when I do too much. I’ve been trying to be more hidden with the things I do.”
“Wait. Things? What else have you been doing-”
But Peach wasn’t allowed to finish his question as more food was rushed into his mouth. Thee’s head was turned away slightly, ears so red they could’ve exploded from the unsaid truth that Peach was realising. Though he didn’t mind, contentedly chewing as that warm feeling of care rushed through his system at Thee’s thoughtfulness.
Once the last bit was finished up, Peach finally relaxed into the bed with a relieved exhale. As he let his eyes flutter shut, a warm feeling placed itself on his forehead- lips parting slightly as they left skin to whisper out words that sounded like a promise.
“I love you, LookPeach.”
And through the lingering haze, Peach echoed the words- completely intentional yet somehow involuntary in how automatic they slipped through.
“Love you too P’Kian.”