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Chay didn't understand why he needed to know anything beyond counting to perform music. Why did he have to take calculus? Why did he have to have calculus exams? He could be watching Kim play to his adoring fans (him included) right now, but no. He had to study for his stupid exam for stupid calculus that was taking place stupidly early tomorrow.
Chay flopped over sideways onto the floor beneath the coffee table with the forlorn hope that, if he didn't see his calculus textbook, calculus itself would cease to exist.
He stared out across the plush carpet of the penthouse floor. At least he was studying surrounded by luxury with a great view. Not that his own rooms in the estate weren't just as luxurious, but something about Porsche and Kinn's apartment just felt like... more. Maybe because it was the highest floor? You could see the bank sign better. Maybe it was the bank sign? Did they ever turn that thing off?
Coughing sounded from the bedroom down the hallway.
He should probably check on Kinn. That was the whole reason he was studying in their rooms and not his own. Chan had conscripted Porsche for some mission for Khun Korn that would take him away from the house and a sick but recovering Kinn. Porsche had in turn conscripted Chay to stay with Kinn and keep an eye on him. It felt wrong to bother him, though. He'd been down with a bad flu for the last few days. His symptoms and Porsche's obvious worry kept him from getting much real sleep. His low-grade fever had just broken a few hours ago, and Porsche finally wasn't here to encourage him to drink water and take his temperature every hour on the hour.
Chay had a suspicion that Kinn had asked Chan to find something for Porsche to do so he could recover in peace.
Another round of hacking coughs echoed from the bedroom.
Chay sighed and got to his feet. He wouldn't bother Kinn for long. Besides, it got him away from calculus. Maybe his textbook would catch on fire while he was gone. Kim could always pay off his professor for a passing grade.
Chay padded down the hallway and stopped to knock softly on the bedroom door before opening it.
"P'Kinn?" Chay whispered as he stepped further into the room. "Are you awake? Do you need something?"
Kinn was curled up under the blankets facing the door, eyes open. "Chay," he croaked. "Is Porsche still gone?
Chay nodded and sat on the edge of the bed. "Yeah, it's only been an hour or so since he left." Chay reached out and gently placed his hand on Kinn's forehead. "Your fever is still gone. That's good."
Kinn went a little cross-eyed to stare at the hand on his forehead, but didn't try to shake it off, or just didn't have the energy to do so.
Chay giggled and took his hand away, settling it back in his lap.
"You don't have to stay with me, Porchay." Kinn said, pulling the blanket higher up his neck. "I'm not dying."
"It's okay, P'Kinn. I need to study for my calculus exam tomorrow and I can do that anywhere. Might as well do it here and keep you company." Chay smiled. "Besides, I don't think Porsche would have left if I hadn't agreed to stay."
"Yeah. Probably." Kinn agreed. "Calculus? I liked calculus."
Chay frowned. "I'm sorry, P'Kinn, we can't be friends anymore." Chay shook his head, voice sad. "That's just too far for me."
Kinn smiled, tired but bright and opened his mouth to speak, but another coughing fit overcame him. Chay waited patiently for it to stop, rubbing Kinn's shoulder through the blanket.
"I'm going to get you some more cough medicine," he said once Kinn had quieted. "Do you want to try to eat something?"
Kinn shook his head tiredly. "No. Just medicine."
********
Chay closed the bedroom door behind himself and headed back into the living room. Kinn had easily fallen back to sleep after his medicine and some water, and now Chay had no excuse to put off studying.
He settled back at the coffee table, and sighed at the sight of his textbook. Still here. Uncombusted. He flopped back onto the floor.
Maybe he'd just close his eyes for a little bit, rest his brain.
*********
A loud thump that felt like it reverberated through the floor startled him awake some time later. He shot upward, narrowly missing bumping his head on the coffee table.
Had Kinn fallen out of bed? Chay stood and quickly headed towards the hall, but stopped abruptly when he heard a curse in a voice that was not Kinn's and the sound of a struggle. Was there someone in Kinn's room? An assassin?
Chay spun back towards the table and grabbed his phone, sent a quick pre-arranged text to the group chat and then headed around the bar to grab the gun taped under the counter. Just where Porsche had said it would be.
His hands shook as he thumbed off the safety but he didn't hesitate to head towards Kinn. Kinn was still sick, he couldn't fight off an attacker for long. He brought the gun up as he edged around the doorway, heart pumping hard. This was not the shooting range. This was real.
As he came into the room, he saw Kinn on the floor under a man wearing dark clothes and a black balaclava who had his hands around a weakly struggling Kinn's throat.
"Get off of him!" Chay shouted, voice breaking.
The attacker startled and released Kinn’s throat. Kinn immediately fell into a coughing fit, body curling up. The attacker held a hand out towards Chay as he slowly climbed to his feet, callously shoving against Kinn to push himself up. Once standing he took a step towards Chay and the gun with a silencer attached lying on the floor between them.
Kinn recovered himself enough to grab at the man’s ankle, still coughing but clearly determined to distract him from Chay.
A nasty smile stretched across the attacker’s face. “C’mon, kid. You’re not gonna sh–”
Chay shot him. Twice. Center mass.
The attacker crumpled, landing beside Kinn. Chay watched as he gasped desperately, eyes wide and panicked. He gurgled one last time and then fell silent. Kinn shoved the body away, his own breathing rough and raspy.
Shivers wracked Chay’s body as he slowly crept forward, gun still aimed at the body. He could feel himself gasping but could do nothing to stop it, his eyes locked on the man he had just shot to death.
“Chay!”
Chay startled and almost pulled the trigger again. He turned his head towards the voice to find that Kinn had managed to get himself to his feet and was standing next to him. He was horribly pale and looked as if it was sheer willpower keeping him on his feet.
“P’Kinn,” Chay whispered and then started to cry.
Kinn carefully took the gun from his shaking hands, thumbed on the safety, dropped it somewhere on the floor, and then pulled Chay against his chest, pushing his face into his shoulder.
Chay wrapped his arms tight around Kinn and sobbed just as dozens of armed bodyguards swarmed the apartment.
********
An hour later, Chay and Kinn were settled comfortably in Chay’s rooms, watching a rerun of The Star in the living room.
After Arm, Pol, and the rest of the cavalry arrived, they had been carefully escorted out of Kinn’s room and to the medical suite where they had both been looked over by a doctor. The doctor had wanted Kinn to stay with medical, but he had refused and ordered them both be brought to Chay’s rooms where Tankhun had been waiting to fuss over them. Tankhun was now passed-out on the other couch, recovering from a panic attack at the thought of their home being infiltrated and his brothers almost killed.
Kinn was half asleep with an ice pack on his neck to treat his swelling throat and his returning fever. Chay stayed pressed to his side, comforted by his presence and the sound of his raspy but even breathing.
“I’m not sorry,” Chay said softly.
He saw Kinn turn his head towards him in his peripheral vision.
“I’m not sorry I killed that guy,” Chay continued, turning to face him. “He was going to kill you.”
Kinn held his gaze for a moment. “You might be later,” Kinn finally replied, turning back to watch a contestant sing terribly on live television. “After the adrenaline fully wears off and you’ve had a few nightmares about it.”
Chay thought of Porsche, who was at that moment breaking numerous laws of both traffic and physics to get back to them, and the way he smiled at Kinn and teased Kinn and worried about Kinn. He thought of Kim and the way he sniped at Kinn, but was the first to defend him against their father. He thought of Tankhun, who insisted that Kinn watch terrible American reality TV shows with him when Kinn had had a bad week.
And he thought of Kinn and the smile he only showed his family, his terrible dancing, and juvenile sense of humor. And how he made sure they were taken care of.
“No,” he said firmly. “I won’t. I’ll never be happy or proud of it, but I definitely won’t regret it.”
Kinn turned back to him, a fond look on his face. “You’re my favorite little brother, you know?”
“I’ll tell Kim you said that,” Chay replied, grinning.
“Good. It’ll motivate him.” Kinn said and resumed watching TV. “This is a terrible song choice.”
Chay couldn’t disagree.
Chay was struck by a sudden thought. “Hey, Kinn? Do you think you could bribe my calculus professor into giving me a passing grade?”
“Sure.”
********
Porsche shoved the door open and strode into the room, Kim right on his heels, only to stop abruptly at the sight that greeted them.
Chay and Kinn were both asleep, leaning against each other, Kinn’s head on Chay’s shoulder and Chay’s head resting on Kinn’s.
“Chay’s cuter,” Kim whispered.
“Obviously.”
“Personally,” Tankhun mumbled from the other couch. “I think I’m the cutest one in this family.”