Work Text:
Paran softly stroked the back of Khem’s head and loosened his grip around the younger man’s waist. “Khem, you should probably get some rest,” he suggested with a glance at the alarm clock on Khem’s nightstand. It was 2AM, Paran didn’t know it was that late but time had gotten away from them both in Khem’s dream.
Khem looked tired and scared. His cheeks were streaked with dried tears, his normally plush lips were dry and chapped, and dark circles outlined his eyes. Paran hated seeing Khem look so…bad.
He could feel Khem nod into his neck. He gently gripped the student’s shoulders and pushed him onto his back. He silently watched as Khem settled against his pillows. Paran turned to slide off the edge of the bed when he felt a hand grip his wrist tightly. He turned to see Khem’s face splashed with fear, “Phi! Please don’t leave me,” Khem begged him.
Now that sounded familiar, not too long ago Paran was pleading with Khem to stay beside him like this as well. He remembered how he felt waking up the next morning to see the love of his life gone. He’d never felt so alone before. He knew why Khem had left but it still didn’t change the hurt he felt in that moment.
But Paran had no plans of being separated from Khem ever again. He grabbed the hand holding his wrist and pulled himself free. He rested a soft hand on Khem’s cheek and stroked the skin there comfortingly.
“I’m not leaving Khem,” he assured his boyfriend, “I was just going to get you some water. You have to be dehydrated from all that happened in your dream.”
Khem shook his head, “I don’t want water, I just want you Phi,” he said. One look into Khem’s wide, begging brown eyes and Paran was powerless. He nodded towards the desk chair on the other side of the room, “I can sit in the chair and watch over you while you sleep until Jet or Charn comes back.”
Khem shook his head again, “They’re not coming back Phi,” he said, “Please sleep in the bed with me. You must be tired too after all that traveling and coming to me in my dream.”
Paran frowned but made no moves. “How do you know they won’t be back?” he queried. Khem grabbed his phone from beside him on the bed and showed Paran the notification on his lock screen. Paran grabbed the phone from Khem’s shaky hand and saw that there was a message from Jet to Khem.
‘We’ll leave you with Por Kru tonight, Khem! Charn and I will grab everyone breakfast and meet back up in the morning,’ it said.
Khem turned his wide eyes back to Paran and waited for his response. Paran nodded and passed Khem back his phone. He grabbed his travel bag off the nightstand where he had thrown it earlier and placed it neatly on the floor. He took a moment to remove his rings, bracelets, his watch, and finally his rosary. Paran wasn’t sure if it was the best idea to remove the rosary and amulet but he was sure he wasn’t going to get much sleep tonight and he at least wanted to be comfortable.
He pulled off his shoes and climbed over Khem to occupy the other side of the bed. As soon as Paran’s head touched the pillow, Khem had fitted himself against his side. He rested his head on Paran’s shoulder and threw his arm over the shaman’s abdomen. Paran wrapped his arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders and hugged him closer. He rested his cheek on Khem’s soft fragrant hair and laid his other arm over the one hugging his midsection.
“I’m sorry for leaving the way I did Phi,” Khem said against his chest. Paran reached a hand up to stroke the younger’s hair. “I know you were afraid, Khem,” he said. “I was and I still am,” Khem replied, “Not even of me dying Phi, I’m so terrified of you getting hurt. Or Jet or Charn or Sis Jane. I don’t want anyone else to die from my bad karma.”
Paran kissed the boy’s crown before beginning to speak, “We’re going to get you through this curse Khemjira,” he promised. Khem slowly nodded.
“I want you to believe in the strength of the people who love you and I want you to believe in the strength you carry,” the shaman continued, “I don’t plan to be apart from you again and your friends need you in their lives. We all need you Khem and you need us. We can do this together okay? She can’t beat us.”
Khem hugged Paran tighter and the older man could feel tears wet his shirt as Khem silently cried in his arms. Paran didn’t say anything else; he just hugged Khem as tightly as he could and soothingly stroked his hair.
Paran could feel Ramphueng’s angry spirit hovering outside Khem’s dorm door but as long as she didn’t come past the threshold he would ignore her for the night.