Chapter Text
Congratulations, you're a depraved asshole.
Nut nodded at the doorman as he walked into his building. Hong walked beside him, his hand tucked inside his. It made him feel a little sick, knowing the doorman probably wanted to high-five him for bringing home yet another person, but he couldn't exactly stop and explain to the guy how he was different. How he hoped Hong would be walking through the door a hell of a lot more than once. No, he couldn't do that, because he’s gone somewhere inside that head of his, and he didn't know how to get him back. He shouldn't be focused on getting him naked, he should be talking to him.
This is where he became a depraved asshole, however. If he could just get him into bed, he could make him accept this connection between them. This was his genius plan. He didn't know if the assurance came from an arrogant place, only knew it was battering around inside him, making a friendly heart-to-heart seem like a distinctly unviable option. This feeling, this need to be as close to him as humanly possible, was completely foreign. Yes, he'd been around a little. Okay, maybe a lot. He didn't lack confidence when it came to sex. Right now, when he sensed Hong slipping away, it felt like all he had left.
Back on that street, when he was touching him, everything came together for a while. He was trusting him, letting himself go and being honest with him. He just wanted to get back to that place so he could... what? Get a promise out of him that he wouldn't go away? Make him pinkie swear that he wouldn't make him wait another week to see him again?
Yeah, that pretty much summed it up.
Since he gradually clammed up on the ride home after he'd gone all sex maniac on him, it might not even work. It could drive him away more. Why? The single word raced from one end of his mind to the other.
Hong liked what he'd done to him. No way to fake that kind of reaction. So why wouldn't he look at him as they boarded the elevator? He thought back to the dark street, the things he'd said to him. Maybe he'd come on too strong, but there hadn't been any help for it. When they were touching, he lost control of his mouth. Lost the ability to run words past his brain and make a mutual decision if they should be set loose. These ... feelings for him spent so much time being locked away that maybe his subconscious had just disguised themselves as something else.
All right, so he'd found a twisted way to excuse his plan of screwing him into staying with him. What about the rest? What about the fact that he'd looked right into his excited brown eyes and lied? Even if he never found out about the favor he'd called in, it would always be there, reminding him he'd deceived him to get what he wanted. What he wanted was Hong. And in order to have him and maintain his sanity, taking his clothes off in a stranger's apartment couldn't be on the agenda.
This business of keeping him around was going to be complicated, but not having him around would be worse.
For now, he would focus on that and worry about the axe hanging over his head later.
"You've gone quiet on me."
Hong shifted and tucked a stray hair behind his ear. "Yeah? Well, last time I was in this elevator, I was dressed in a bunny costume."
He sighed. "I thought we agreed not to talk about that anymore."
"We agreed not to talk about the song," he corrected him, finally giving him a smile.
"And yet you just did."
"Well, since I already broke the agreement...." he cleared his throat and started to sing. "To my hotshot honey bunny-"
He lunged toward his side of the elevator and cut him off with a hand over his mouth. "Not cool." His body registered his closeness on impact and began to tighten. Christ. Just like that. When the laughter in his gaze lessened and those pupils started to dilate, he knew he felt it, too. That response, so in time with his own, gave him that final push. Taking him home and getting him underneath him was the right thing to do. Being with him in any way couldn't be wrong. Not when he made him feel like this.
Maybe his reasons weren't as honorable as they should be, and yeah, he'd lied to him. But this, this, was the most honest fucking thing in the world. So were the words that followed. "Hong, even in that costume, you were so goddamn beautiful, I don't think I've taken a decent breath since."
He made a small noise behind his hand, reminding him he still had his mouth covered. The second he removed it, he threw his arms around his neck and plastered his sexy little body against his. He only had a split second to savor the fact that he'd distracted him from whatever thoughts he’d been having, before their mouths were moving together. Licking, nipping, then devouring.
Somewhere in the distance, he heard a ping and the elevator doors rolled open. Get him to your bed, depraved asshole. Now. Breaking away with a groan, he gripped his tight, sweet ass and boosted him up so he could lock his legs around his waist.
He completed the move with such hungry desperation that his thoughts momentarily blurred and he stumbled from the elevator, still carrying him. They crashed into the opposite wall of his hallway, their mouths meeting once more in a hot tangle of tongues and lips. The heat between his thighs sat directly on top of his hard dick, giving him no choice but to thrust up against him. Fuuuuuck. Knowing all he wore under that outfit was a thin pair of pants made him crazy to rip them off.
Crazy to unzip his pants and sink into him. If the fingers tearing at his hair were any indication, he wanted it.
"Hold on, baby. Just let me get you inside." He locked eyes with him and moaned, working his hips in a circle and sending him closer to the edge. Unbelievable. I might not even make it to the fucking door. "My fingers weren't enough?" He drove him higher on the wall with a hard thrust. "You want this, don't you? You want it all?"
"Yes." A panting breath. "Please, Nut."
"Oh fuck, I like you saying my name."
With the remaining willpower left inside him, he pulled him off the wall and walked them toward his apartment. He used one hand to fish the keys out of his pocket, not an easy feat when his breath was racing against his ear, his body bouncing up and down on his with every step. Finally, finally, he got his key in the door. "Hong, I'm going to make you feel so good-“
His apartment lights were on. What the hell?
"Nu-ut!" The familiar, whiny voice hit him with the impact of a sledgehammer. No, no, no. This couldn't be happening. No way could life be this cruel. Hong was definitely not climbing off him with an alarmed squeak and ducking behind his back. Definitely not. If he just stood here without speaking, the waking nightmare would dissipate and he could go back to kissing Hong. Please. Please. Please?
In one final attempt to banish the scene in front of him, he squeezed his eyes shut and opened them slowly. Nope, his sister Lena was still there, sitting on his couch. In full meltdown mode. Black mascara was caked on her cheeks, dark hair a mess on top of her head. His eyes quickly scanned the room for clues. Shit, she'd found his tequila. This wasn't going to be pretty. He turned his head slightly so he could speak to Hong without taking his eyes off Lena. "Don't make any sudden movements."
"Who is that?"
The hint of jealousy in her voice surprised him. It shouldn't, he realized. What conclusions would he jump to if he found a man in her apartment if she was supposed to live alone? It also relieved him a little to know she felt at least some kind of claim on him.
Apparently he'd managed to make some kind of progress tonight.
"My sisters."
His body relaxed slightly against his back. "Sisters ... plural?"
"Where one goes, the other usually"
"Nu-ut!"
"Follows."
Celeste stumbled out of his bathroom, lighting a cigarette.
"Where were you? We're starving. The only thing you have in your freezer is microwave lasagna and Kraft singles, you loser." She fell onto the couch beside Lena, who stared straight at the wall, as if in a trance. "Who's the guy? I can see you, boy. I hope he took you to dinner, because there is fuck-all available at this shit show." He heard Hong take a deep breath behind him before he moved to stand at his side. God, he wanted nothing more than to smuggle him out of there and never come back. "Hey, I'm Hong. We had Italian food, so it's all good."
Celeste gestured wildly with her cigarette. "Well, lucky you. I'll just sit here and die of starvation, everyone! Grab a seat and watch my ribs grow more pronounced."
Nut pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why didn't you order takeout?"
"Lena threw our cell phones into the toilet."
"Both of them?"
Lena shot to her feet. "Yeah. Both of them. You want to know why?"
Hong patted him on the shoulder. "You know what? I think I'm going to go."
"No." He moved in front of the door. Awesome. Barring his exit for the third time since they'd met. Fuck it. He'd worry about himself growing increasingly pathetic later.
If he let him leave now, he might lose his chance. And God, he wanted him so bad it hurt. "I'll get rid of them. You're staying."
"You know why I threw our cell phones in the toilet, Nut?" Lena's words slurred behind him. "So my bastard fiancé would stop trying to get in touch with me. A stripper! He had a stripper at his bachelor party."
He turned to Hong. "Hey, maybe you should go."
Nut reached behind him to open the door, but Lena moved in front of him. "Look! I found her shirt under his couch."
His sister dangled a familiar white T-shirt in front of his face. It smelled like cherry blossoms. A vision flashed in his head of Hong putting on his button-down shirt over his mesh under shirt and skirt. No T-shirt. It was definitely his. Very subtly, he moved in front of a wide-eyed Hong.
"I knew something was up, so I asked all his dumbass friends." Celeste positioned herself just behind Lena. "Dumb. Ass. Friends.” she repeated like some sort of psychotic hype girl.
"Not one will tell me the truth." Lena pulled an object out of her pocket. A yellow lighter.
And then she set the T-shirt on fire.
"You'll tell me the truth, won't you, Nut? You were there." The flames moved up the T-shirt, turning it to charred, black rags. Lena seemed perfectly content to get burned if it came to that. Might even enjoy it. "I can always count on my brother, can't I?"
"Can she?" Celeste echoed. "Can she, Nut?"
"Should I make my peace with God?" Hong whispered behind him.
"Lena, look at me." Keeping a close eye on the progress of the flames, he put out both of his hands in a calming gesture. "Remember that vacation where you backed Dad's new Mercedes into the lake?" She nodded, and the knot in his chest eased a little.
"Who took the fall for you?"
"You did," she said grudgingly.
"Who told you when your perm in ninth grade looked like a dead poodle?"
She swiped at the mascara tracks on her cheek. "You did."
"Right. So you can trust me when I say not one stripper walked through AJ’s door that night. Not a single one." As far as he was concerned, Hong was an actor. He'd told enough lies for the night. He wouldn't add another one to the list. Especially when his sister might burn down the apartment if she sensed he wasn't telling the truth. "Your future husband made it through the night lap dance free. You have my word on that, as your brother." Lena narrowed her eyes at him. He unearthed his guileless little brother smile and pasted it on.
"I guess I believe you.” She jerked her chin toward Hong. Are you going to introduce me?”
"Why don't we put out the flaming T-shirt first?" Having no choice but to leave Hong standing toe to toe with his sister lest they all die in an epic blaze, he plucked the T-shirt out of her hand and strode to the kitchen sink. After turning on the water to douse the fire, he moved back quickly toward the girls. "Listen, I'm going to see you guys for Sunday lunch tomorrow at Dad's place, right? Do you mind—"
"You're not kicking us out, are you?" Celeste plopped back down on the couch. "We just got here."
"Yeah, come on, bro." Stripper drama swiped from her memory, Lena grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the couch. He barely reined in the impulse to hang on to Hong, whose fear had turned into what looked like amusement. Oh, nice. "Don't send us away. We need a N’Nut night."
"I brought popcorn," Celeste piped up.
"Why didn't you eat that if you're so hungry?" His voice had risen to a near shout, much louder than he typically used with his sisters. Could he help it? No. The guy he wanted more than oxygen already had one hand on the doorknob. They need a N’Nut night, Hong mouthed at him silently.
"We wanted to wait for you," Lena explained.
Both of his sisters' faces had fallen, like a couple of scolded toddlers. He heaved out a frustrated breath toward the ceiling and threw his arms around their shoulders. On cue, they both snuggled into his sides and let out feline purrs. He had cats for sisters. Two bat-shit crazy cats with anger issues. He knew it was useless, but he implored Hong with a look.
"Stay?"
He was halfway out the door before he'd even gotten the word out. Apparently the chase would have to wait until tomorrow