Farang had pulled in every favor he could to try and make things work. He switched routes with his friends, arranged pick ups and drop offs for Terrana, and was taking on any extra jobs that came his way to raise the funds for his mom's surgery. The last thing on his mind was the handsome little foreigner.

So when he was making a delivery near the university and heard the news that there'd been a fire at the Phoenicia, he didn't know what came over him. He knew that Fraser was okay, they'd been together the night before, and yet he couldn't stop himself from going to see for himself. When he walked into the opulent lobby and approached the security desk, he suddenly realized he didn't belong there. 

It was better to leave as quickly as possible.

The guard clocked Farang's ratty jean shorts, the sweat stain on his shirt and the cigarette tucked behind his ear; it was clear there was no one of his acquaintance staying at the Phoenicia.

"I er... I just wanted to ask about the fire..." said Farang in Modeshi, "I heard something nearby..."

"From what I understand, the foreigner's already found himself a clean-up crew" the guard told him, "there's no work for you here."

Farang graciously smiled and nodded good bye. Fraser wasn't the only foreigner living in Modesh, but it still couldn't help him from worrying. Getting back to his deliveries, it was late in the day when he went to collect Terrana from her friend's house and brought her home. 

As he held her hand to climb the stairs, he was wondering if there was a way he could pass a message to Fraser. He just wanted to know if tragedy had befallen the angel; if he'd cursed him somehow. Farang didn't need to ponder things for very long. When he opened the door to the apartment, he found him waiting at the dining table with a stack of takeaway containers.

"Mr Fraser!" Terrana cried, "Mr Fraser's in our house, Daddy!"

Farang thought he was hallucinating. He was sure he hadn't left him behind that morning. How he'd suddenly appeared in the apartment was a mystery he couldn't easily solve.

"Are you hungry?" Fraser asked them.

Terrana had already had dinner with her friend, but Farang had yet to find the time. But never mind thoughts of food, what was the handsome little foreigner doing there? His nonplussed expression led Fraser to believe he was yet to hear the voicemail his mother had left.

"Can you tell your daddy to check his messages..?" Fraser asked the only available translator in the room.

Terrana did as she was told, and Farang at last heard the news from his mother. Fraser watched him blush, he could only imagine it was the part where she'd talked about touching...

Despite his mother's explanation, Farang was still trying to make sense of things. His usual calm demeanor was shaken.

"I, um... bath, bed, I come back" he said, motioning to his daughter as he tried to steady his racing heartbeat.

The little girl was disappointed that Daddy's friend wasn't going to read her a bedtime story, but she was far too tired to put up much of a fight about it. Once Terrana was in bed, Farang delayed his talk with Fraser, choosing instead to greet him after a quick shower and a change of clothes.

The bathroom was a little run down; the toilet didn't always flush on the first try, the bathtub had a permanent water stain, and the temperature of the shower was dependent on the mood of the boiler. Farang looked around and panicked further. Every flaw he overlooked daily was magnified when he saw them through Fraser's eyes. Splashing his face with water, he pulled himself together. He'd left him waiting long enough.

Fraser had been alone at Farang's place for most of the day. He'd ordered in sheets, towels and any other necessities that wouldn't make him a burden to the Warik family. He was sure the food he'd bought for dinner was probably cold by now; but he'd patiently kept it wrapped up, waiting for Farang to come home.

"Hungry?" Fraser asked Farang, finally appearing with his wet hair; his T-shirt sticking awkwardly to his torso.

Fraser was starting to feel hungry himself.

Farang nodded, sitting across from Fraser and putting his mother's phone on the table between them. He typed in some words and showed the translation on the screen.

'Can really stay here?' it read, Farang's eyes full of concern.

"Yes" said Fraser, with a smile, pulling out his own phone.

'I'm really grateful to have a place to stay, and if you need help, I can help Terrana.'

'I was worried when I heard about fire. You don't have to help, but I'm not sure this good enough for you. This isn't Phoenicia.'

Fraser put a reassuring hand on Farang's.

"Eat" he told him, "No need to worry."

Farang gratefully ate his fill of the rice and meat dishes that Fraser had bought, thankful that it wasn't some expensive cuisine he would have felt guilty about. When it came to the local food options, Fraser's choices were limited; he ended up going for quantity over quality, and was still surprised when the total came out to less than the price of an appetizer. 

A few more words typed out, and Fraser's phone was slid across the table.

'Can I sleep your room?'

Farang swallowed. He knew things were impossible between them; but with Fraser's pouting lips and seductive eyes, it was equally impossible to say no.

"Okay..." he said.

Switching over so suddenly from his usual late shift, Farang still wasn't tired. When Fraser came back from the bathroom and joined him on the mattress, he was lying wide awake, his restless body twitching as he tried to quiet himself.

The food and linens were not the only things that Fraser had brought to the Warik's apartment. He was clutching a little toiletry bag when he came into the bedroom, wondering when he should reveal its contents.

A hand slid across Farang's broad chest. The handsome foreigner was smiling happily in his bed, his fingers carelessly caressing him above his clothes. As much as he wanted to resist, there was no denying how incredible it felt when Fraser touched him. Farang was close to tears.

The little toiletry bag was unzipped, and Fraser pulled out a box of condoms and a small bottle of lubricant. Farang closed his eyes when he saw them. Of course he wanted to. How long had it been since he'd had that kind of privilege? But with an angel like Fraser no less? He wasn't sure he could begin to satisfy him.

Fraser passed the items into Farang's hands. His eyes opened, wide with concern and brimming with questions. As he reached for his phone to voice them, Fraser stopped him. His warm and inviting smile gave way to a sensual kiss.

"I want to... with you" he assured the Knight.

The items tucked within reach beneath his pillow, Farang gave in to temptation; his passionate kisses painting a trail across Fraser's neck, the hindrance of his clothing peeled hurriedly away. Their naked forms entwined, touching, squeezing, breathlessly kissing as they fought to deepen their connection. Farang positioned himself behind Fraser, embracing his naked body tightly against his own. For a moment he just held him; satisfied with the warmth contained in his arms. Fraser felt comfort in their strength, as though he could abandon all cares and allow Farang to take the weight of his worries.

The only sound was one another's breath, melding into a synchronized exhalation. Farang kissed Fraser's neck as he shifted his body away, an errant finger exploring the gap left between them. A slick of gel and a cautioned push, Farang's lips lingered on the angel's shoulder as he sought to gently expand him.

An unexpected moan, and the movement ceased.

"Hurt?" asked Farang.

Fraser laughed and shook his head.

"Not hurt..." he said, "keep going..."

Fraser's fear that Farang would continue to treat him as though he were made of glass was not well-founded. As soon as the task of preparing him was completed, he could no longer hold back from the intense desire the little foreigner had awoken. He pushed inside him with slow but forceful determination; dissatisfied until his length was buried deep in Fraser's ass.

Gripping the sheets and steadying his breathing, Fraser turned his head; Farang's eyes were black. Like a wild beast, his Knight bucked his hips with ferocious strokes, lost helplessly in the throes of his exquisite conquest. Gone was their social divide, the feelings of inadequacy... all that remained was the power of his thrusts and the rising cries of his fallen angel.

He didn't just want to dirty his wings, he wanted to bring him to damnation, to bind him to his side and face eternal torment together. Such was the raging fire that drove him onwards.

Fraser reveled in his Knight's fury, the purity of his heart corrupted by his longing. He angled himself to better withstand the incessant heat of his lover's fevered drilling. In only the wildest of his dreams could he have imagined the raw power that Farang unleashed on his willing body. How long had he endured it..? How long had he been holding himself back? The blazing passion seemed endless. Twice, Fraser had reached his climax, and yet Farang was far from finished. 

Reaching his hand back, Fraser grabbed at Farang's hair, pulling him into a deep and frenzied kiss. Farang held him tightly, spasming as he came. The kiss of the angel releasing him from desire's obsessive hold.

As though coming to his senses, the concern in Farang's eyes returned.

"Hurt?" he asked for the second time that night.

Fraser was far from comfortable, but he was blissfully happy. He smiled, wiping the sweat from Farang's brow as he turned his aching body to face him. A soft but simple kiss planted on his Knight's lips was his response.

Things were becoming dangerous. With the fire lit, Farang wasn't so sure it could be extinguished. He had nothing to offer, and no future he could provide. When Fraser grew tired of him he was scared, that the persistent flames would consume him. He pressed closer with his sweat-soaked skin, fighting back tears as he kissed the face of the angel in his arms.

Fraser had no such concerns to contend with. 

As he basked in his Knight's attentions he felt at peace. Where they would honeymoon, where they would live, and how long he'd have to wait until Farang was ready were the only thoughts that danced about in his dazed little head.

If the mattress was an island, surrounded by a shimmering sea, he felt certain he would want to remain there, deserted forever with Farang.

The Knight got up from the bed, removing his condom and pulling a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of his jean shorts. Opening the window, the sweet nighttime breeze blew across Fraser's chest, as Farang lit up a smoke. Fraser watched his broad back as he leaned on the sill, raking his fingers through his hair and staring out into the quiet streets below. He didn't see the tears that ran down his face; the culmination of his fears and gratitude, as emotions overwhelmed him.

As Farang went to brush his teeth, Fraser stretched his limbs. So what if his feet touched the wall? So what if the mattress was too hard and the sheet too thin? He would rather be here in Farang's little room than alone on a king-size bed. And as soon as Farang was willing to accept him there would be no need for compromise, they could live together in comfort and happiness.

Farang sat on the toilet, his daughter sleeping nearby, the stain on the bathtub haunting him. He knew he shouldn't smoke indoors, but he lit another cigarette all the same. The pressure was building, the creeping inferiority returning... 'No' he should have said, 'I have to be up early, you sleep in my mother's room tonight.' It was too late for regrets; the greed he had never dared to feel was already awakened. 

The hunger was insatiable... but the cost was more than he could ever afford.