The Merger

Twelve

Khaotung could feel the warmth of the sun on his face. For just a moment he was surprised that it felt so gentle considering the scorchers everyone had experienced over the last few days. He  lifted his chin towards the skies and thought the only way this day could be better was if First was next to him. As if Khaotung had spoken out loud a voice made itself known and spoke with a soft gentle tone. "Hey sleepyhead, are you considering becoming a long term inhabitant of dream land?" It was unmistakably First's voice. Khao smiled answering without hesitation,  "make me an offer I can't refuse and I'll follow you anywhere." They both chuckled as they continued to banter. First traced his finger from the top of Khao's hairline, slowly down his forehead, planting a gentle kiss on Khao's nose as his finger paused there before continuing further, tracing the contours of Khao's face. His nose, his lips, his chin, his neck, his chest .... "First", Khaotung sleepily responded, "if you're going to play connect the dots on my face you might as well make it a little more ..."  "A little more what?"  First playfully interrupted. Khaotung giggled like a teenager, but his answer was everything but teenage. As a matter of fact, his answer and subsequent actions were more suited to an age restricted movie than a teenage giggle. In turn Khaotung traced his finger down First's chest, belly, lower, even lower.... First grabbed Khaotung's hand. "Be careful Teng," First warned. "If you go any further I promise you I'm going to reciprocate every action". "Is that a promise or a threat?" Khaotung responded in a sultry whisper.

First lowered his head and softly said in Khaotung's ear, " I claim your eyes," and kissed them. "I claim your nose," and kissed it. " I claim your soft cheeks..... your chin, your ears and your lips .." Each statement followed by a gentle kiss until First reached Khaotung's lips. "I give it to you freely," whispered Khao. "I give it to you along with my heart, my body, my soul. I give you my present and my future . I claim your heart as you have claimed mine... First, you are my love, my life, my home... This is my oath to you First Kanaphan. "

Khaotung's whispered oath was met with silence. 'First ! First !" Khaotung screamed into void as the image of First blurred and disappeared. "First " Khaotung sobbed. "First" now just a whisper and then it became a sigh.

As the image of First disappeared, the intense pain came rushing back. Khaotung was sure he's wrist was broken, probably his leg and right arm too. He couldn't pinpoint where the pain was coming from because it felt like it came from every part of his body. Mercifully at the height of his pain he'd passed out and probably survived the night through sheer stubbornness and willpower. He'd long ago lost all sense of time passing and floated between  fever dreams and visions of First.

His captors showed no mercy and kept hitting and kicking Khao wanting to know where the millions were hidden. Back when he could still respond clearly he'd repeatedly shouted that there were no millions. He told his captors that the police had taken everything, that he, Khaotung, had only taken over this company after the ex-owner had been arrested and that by then there was nothing left, not even a pencil or a piece of paper. "You're lying, "snakeskin shoes-man screamed back at him and emphasized his scream with a kick to Khao's gut. "My father left all his money in this company, he hid it somewhere in these walls and you.... You !" He screamed again. "You found it and you stole it. It's mine  and I want it back. Now tell me where you're hiding it!" Another kick. Khaotung kept repeating that he didn't know of any money, the police cleared the building, there was no millions but Khaotung wasn't believed. Khaotung kept trying to reason with them, beg and eventually pleaded but that was many hours ago.

His captors had repeated these threats and actions since they captured him and Khaotung couldn't honestly say whether that had been yesterday or the day before or even before that. He had no strength left and didn't know how much longer he could hold on, but he knew he had to ... for his mom, for First, for the future he still hoped to have.....