The Devil, the Beauty, and the Beast (short story)

Chapter 5

"P'Pai!"

With a miserable little whine, Rain drops down onto the couch, half of his weight landing on the Alpha already lounging there. Prapai laughs and gathers the Omega up into his arms properly while he starts to purr compassionately at the dejected face his boyfriend makes.

"Aww, hey, my princess! What's wrong?" he asks with a smile and very gently cards one hand through Rain's silky hair. The Omega settles his chin on Prapai's chest and looks up at him, putting on his best, cutest pout.

"P'Pai, can't you talk to P'Phayu for me?" he pleads, and his eyes glisten with almost-tears that immediately startle Prapai to full alertness.

"Talk to him about what, Rain?" he asks sharply. "Did he do something you didn't like?"

"No! He didn't do something I would've liked!" Rain corrects him, still sulking. "No matter what I try or how often I ask him to play lately, he always tells me that he doesn't have time because he's too busy with that new project his boss assigned him! Each time I walk in on him, he's already on the verge of sending me out again, and now he's even started to work in his office at the firm so I won't bother him anymore! It's been five days since he's last had time for me."

Now that's nothing if not a new world record. Usually, it's hard enough for both of them to go a day without fucking like rabbits (there's a reason why Phayu calls Rain bunny, after all), so if Phayu has lasted on a full five-day self-inflicted celibacy, that's almost concerning right there. Prapai furrows his brows and gently slides one hand under Rain's shirt, bunching it up so he can stroke his naked back. Skin-to-skin is always better to soothe their needy little thing when he's upset.

"I'm sorry to hear that, princess," Prapai mutters worriedly. "Can I help you out with something? Or does it have to be Daddy?"

Rain whines pitifully at the sound of that name, and a shudder runs through his entire body. Ever since they've shared their contract with Prapai, there hasn't been a single good opportunity to show him how they play, to show him the good and safe and wonderful side of their dynamic, and Rain is getting restless. He wants to convince Prapai that Daddy is really taking good care of him – just as much as he actually wants to play for the sake of playing, but the occasion just never seems to arise.

"I want Daddy," Rain moans softly and buries his face in Prapai's shirt, hiding away in the silky fabric that smells like a fresh breeze straight from the ocean, salty and cool. "And I want you to touch me. Please."

The Alpha kisses the crown of his head with a gentle sigh.

"I can help with one of those, princess," he mutters and slides his hand from the slight dip of Rain's spine down to the waistband of his shorts. "Promise I'll talk to Phayu the first chance I get. What do you need right now, sweetheart? Use your pretty words with me."

Prapai isn't entirely sure about how much Phayu needs him to enforce their rules too, but there's a certain kind of thrill in this. He has always liked to at least consider himself equal to his partners – better yet spoil them rotten to the best of his abilities – and only keeping a very subtle power dynamic, if at all. All of the sway he's ever held over people stems from his no-strings-attached mentality. Prapai has always been the one to end relationships with a single snap of his fingers. He can't really imagine dominating Rain the way Phayu does, but he can certainly get behind the whole "If you ask nicely for it, I'll serve you the world on a silver platter" thing.

"I want P'Pai to touch me," Rain repeats bashfully, voice muffled by Prapai's shirt.

"I got that much already. You'll have to be more concise. For all I care, I'm already touching you," the Alpha teases and tugs on Rain's waistband, letting it snap against the Omega's skin to make him yelp slightly in surprise.