Fates Between Us

Chapter 1 - Where it all began...

It always amazed Tul Pakorn Thanasrivanitchai to wake up to the sight of the marks that he left on the man sleeping next to him, proof of their love-making spread all over the man’s skin.

It wasn’t smooth, as the ridges of the man’s muscle made it bumpy and quite interesting to trace with his kisses whenever they made love. Hence, Tul, every morning, allowed his fingers to slide over the bumps of muscle showing on the man’s back, lingering on the love marks he left behind. His fingers trailed down to the man’s hip and rested his hand on it as he rose to press a soft kiss to the man’s temple.

“Five more minutes,” the man mumbled sleepily.

“I have to leave for work,” Tul whispered softly into the man’s ear. “I’ll make you breakfast.”

The man simply hummed grumpily, and Tul could feel the sleepiness seep out of him as he left the bed to put on his underwear. He didn’t linger much in the bathroom, brushing his teeth under the shower head. He later sees the owner of his heart follow him into the small cubicle of the shower.

The man kissed his shoulder, softly, before humming again as Tul pulled him under the shower head. “You didn’t have to wake up this early,” the man commented, a whine barely concealed in his tone.

“You know I have to, Max,” Tul said with a smile. “Now, hurry up and follow me for breakfast.”

The entrance to their living space was hidden behind a hideous plant-filled foyer. A huge “Max Nattapol Diloknawarit” was written in several types of flowers decorating the front door, so when someone knocked on the door Tul knew immediately that it was for Max. He could hear Max groan from the shower.

“A client!” He sang joyfully. “You better hurry, my love. They can’t wait long.”

A sulking, fully dressed Max walked out of the bathroom and passed by Tul who gave him a huge grin. He could hear a woman’s voice talking frantically and soon Max’s soothing voice reached him, calming her. He's glad he'd left water boiling on the ashes of the previous night’s fire because Max definitely needed it for tea.

It took a moment, but soon enough the woman left and two strong arms wrapped themselves around Tul’s abdomen right after he finished stuffing a loaf of bread with Max’s hand-made jam and peanut butter. “I have to leave,” Max said with a pout. “A green witch may have poisoned my client’s son and she came to me for help.”

“I’ll leave you some loaves and jam to go with your morning tea,” he said, giving Max a soft kiss on the lips. “Good luck with that client.”

“Thanks,” Max mumbled, unwilling to let go of Tul. “I’ll miss you today.”

Tul couldn’t help but feel shy as he looked back. His ears turned crimson before he could mutter, “I’ll be home before five.”
Max kissed him again, grabbed his vest, then left the house. Tul took his time with eating as he had woken them early enough to laze around and leisurely kiss before heading to work. He had planned his morning differently but things like these happened often, and he had grown used to it as well.

As he teleported to his car on the edge of the woods, he couldn’t help but remember the first time he and Max met. He had lost his powers due to a traumatic betrayal and Tay, his best friend, was hard-pressed to find a solution for his case.

It wasn’t a lover or a friend issue.

No, it was even worse in Tul’s book.

His father Kraisee Thanastrivanitchai knew Tul didn’t love his fiancee, whom he had chosen for their mutual understanding and trust. However, it didn’t stop him from paying Tul’s best friend, who had a severe financial issue, to seduce her. Tul had been unaware of it until she was kind enough to come forward, especially when she fell in love with his best friend, and told him everything.