Lantern Lights (Khun Bam)

Chapter 2

The break and the fall

Of you in it all

Let's now make some haste

And fasten the pace

**

They were back at the inn, and Bam was one of the last to take a shower.

An hour later he emerged from his bath, still brooding intolerably, and lingered for a few moments in front of Khun's room before he made a decision and walked over to Leesoo's.

The door creaked open. Leesoo looked up. "Oh, it's you," he mumbled. The regular was counting his wins from a night of successful gambling at the festival. "Dang here's another fake," he grumbled and tossed a rusted copper into the bin. "Hundred and five dollars, hundred and six dollars..."

"Uh – do you need help Lee?" Bam tried to sound helpful. After all, he was here for a favor.

"Nope. Don't want you stealing my money." Leesoo didn't miss a beat and as he continued his sums. Bam sat awkwardly like a fixture in the room, unsure of how to begin. He blinked as Lee tossed a coin towards him.

Leesoo grinned as the coin bounced off Bam's forehead. "Penny for your thoughts?" Bam's face brightened. An opening! He had a chance to do his experiment after all.

He moved towards Leesoo deliberately, much closer than the usual. He watched closely for a reaction. Leesoo gave him a weird look but did not move away. "Hundred and twenty two dollars, hundred and – "

"Lee, could you stand up for a minute?" Bam pointed vaguely towards the wall. "Maybe over there."

Leesoo sighed. If it was anyone else he would have told the person to go away, but because it was Bam – and Bam was always hard to say no to.

Leesoo got to his feet lazily and turned towards the wall. He barely had time to register the shabby wallpaper before he was spun around by an unexpectedly firm grip. His back hit the room's wall with an ungraceful thud. Bam's nose was inches from his.

His mouth dropped open and his eyes went round. Bam was definitely close enough to count the number of freckles on his cheek. Bam's soft exhalation fanned near his mouth, and enough was enough. "Whoa, whoa." He tapped Bam's chest gently away.

Bam stepped away and released his hold. "Lee," he said, looking absolutely serious. "How did that feel?"

"Felt like you wanted to jump me," Leesoo muttered under his breath. "Or kill me, either one." He looked at Bam who was waiting insistently for his reply. He scratched his head. Maybe irregulars were all this weird.

"Bam, you probably only push someone up the wall like this when you want to – ah – do things to them," he said ambiguously. He prayed in Jahad's good name that Bam wouldn't need him to be more explicit. Relieved he was when Bam nodded in understanding. But real understanding dawned and his eyes bugged. That man wanted to do things with Khun?

"What other things do people do if they want to do – things – with another person?" Bam demanded. He thought of what the man did to Khun previously. He remembered the sharp yank of a tie and long fingers dipping in between Khun's buttons.

He walked up to Leesoo and jerked his collar forward till their faces were closer than before.

"How about this?" Bam breathed in his face. Leesoo made a choking sound and kicked him hard in the shin. He could feel the warm press of Bam's body against his and it was very, very, uncomfortable. "Try not to do that again Bam," he growled.