Ever since Fuse was a boy, his father had taught him different combat styles in order to train him to be an outstanding bodyguard. He’d enjoyed the mental and physical discipline, learning about the ways he could snap blocks of wood in half with his foot. There was a certain rush of exhilaration that came as soon as he broke the board, and splinters of timber shattered onto the ground.
But the excitement of learning from his father stopped once his mother fell ill. The sound of cracks against kicking stands turned to painful strikes to his back. The wetness of his uniform from sweat instead stained red. Any small hint of a mistake ended in stinging punishment. His father claimed the pain would remind him to not be so careless. The beatings got worse after his mother’s passing.
As he got older, he entered and won countless martial arts tournaments, but his father only ever pointed out his flaws rather than congratulating him on his accomplishments. The criticism made him determined to do better next time.
After ten years of trying to ‘do better’, he still hadn’t earned his father’s respect. The sane thing to do was give up, but he was certain that one day his Dad would praise him. Before her death, his mother had told him that he could achieve anything he put his heart into, and he didn’t want to let her down. Whenever he thought about throwing in the towel, his mother’s gentle voice rang in his ears.
He’d prove to his father that he was worth something, worth loving. Was the Bodyguard Program a way to prove this once and for all? From the brochure, the lessons and techniques were far beyond his capabilities. It would take all of Fuse’s dedication to potentially succeed in this program. This was likely another way he’d disappoint his dad, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to put his heart into it anyway.
Ake had tried encouraging Fuse to have more faith in himself, even mentioning that this was an amazing opportunity to get his dad’s approval. But Ake didn’t understand the amount of pressure his father had put on him to sign up for the damn program, as though the weight of the universe was sitting on his chest. Thinking about the hateful look on his father’s face and hints he didn’t expect Fuse to achieve much sucked the air out of his lungs and turned his legs into jelly. The flash of disappointment in his eyes was more painful than any beating Fuse had endured.
Already, Fuse had reason to dread the program, and Karn just had to add himself to the list a few days ago. Fuse didn’t really expect Karn to show up. It wasn’t like a mafia son needed this program when he had bodyguards by the dozen. There was a higher chance of it snowing in Bangkok than for Karn to show up today.
Clutching the backpack strap on his shoulder, Fuse stepped into the gymnasium. A few people had already arrived and were at a table near the front, receiving name tags and gym bags. The room was filled with unfamiliar faces. No sign of Karn—yet.
Fuse collected his name tag and bag, then checked his phone. Ake was terrible with his time management, but he always texted Fuse if he was running late.
“Bored already, Short Fuse?”
Fuse looked up from his phone to see Ake grinning, a sloppily-written name tag hanging against his chest. Relieved to see his friend, Fuse tucked his phone away and shrugged.
“Damn, they’re taking this even more seriously than I thought.” Ake pulled out an information packet from the handout bag. “How many people do you think actually become bodyguards after this?”
“Fucked if I know.” Fuse knew at least one person that would become a bodyguard after this program. Himself.
Ake suddenly grabbed Fuse’s arm and tugged him closer. His grip was so tight that Fuse swore he was going to cut off his blood circulation.
“He’s here,” Ake excitedly whispered.
Fuse’s heart jumped and his gaze followed Ake’s stare. Relief flooded through Fuse as he saw Tao was putting his name tag on and chatting with a girl at the table.
“You should go talk to him,” Fuse said as he pried Ake’s hand away.
“Not now!” Ake smoothed the back of his hair and played with the shape of his fringe. “I need to prepare myself first.”
“Three years isn’t enough time?” Fuse was only half joking.
“Yes.” Ake’s nail-biting proved that statement true. He didn’t often chew his nails, but when he did, Fuse knew he was on the verge of a mini panic attack.
Just as Fuse was about to give his friend a pep talk, his gaze landed on someone he definitely didn’t want to see, and a frisson of what he refused to label ‘nerves’ shattered his mock calm. No fucking way.
Karn looked stunningly casual in a plain white T-shirt and black gym shorts as he walked up to collect a name tag.
Fuse stiffened in rejection and immediately removed his gaze. It seemed that no matter where he turned these days, Karn was there. At first, Fuse was following him. Now he just wanted to get the hell away from him.
Fuse went from never having a conversation with Karn to this guy relentlessly up his ass. They shared one kiss, and it now felt like he was the one being followed.
Watching Karn swing a bag over his firm shoulder churned Fuse’s insides to mush. Doesn’t he have something better to do, like play with all that money he’d gotten from the hotel? He could use it to buy a hundred bodyguards if he wanted to. The fucker had no business being here.
“Are you sure you don’t know P’Karn?” Ake questioned, nudging his side.
“I know of him,” Fuse said, rolling his eyes as he turned away, though he really wanted to keep observing the other male. “But I don’t know him personally.” It wasn’t really a lie. He’d met the guy twice.
“Then what’s with all the staring? You look like you’re about to eat him.” Ake laughed and patted his back.
Gritting his teeth, the corner of Fuse’s mouth twitched. “I’m not staring at anyone. Just looking around. Is that a crime?” he asked, suppressing the heat in his tone.
“Alright, I was just asking.” Ake put his hands up defensively.
Ake’s suspicion reminded Fuse that he was supposed to be ignoring Karn. They had one crazy ass day together, and that was it. It was time to move on. He couldn’t move past this if he gave Karn any more attention.
Boom!
Fuse turned to the abrupt sound echoing throughout the gym. A lean, fit man stood tall and proud in the middle of the room, eyeballing the students. Judging from the sound, he’d stomped to grab everyone’s attention.
“If you’ve received your bag and name tag, circle yourselves around me,” he commanded militantly.
Pfft, a circle? Fuse hadn’t gathered in a circle with his peers since he was six. Next thing he knew, they’d be finger-painting and singing 'The Chang SongChang is Thai for elephant. The Elephant Song is a very popular children's song in Thailand. It's quite cute.', after this. Exchanging an unimpressed look with Ake, they marched over to the man and joined the gathering circle of nervous participants.
Once the man seemed satisfied with the group, he left his spot and paced around the circle. “Welcome to BU’s Bodyguard Program. I’m Instructor Sapol.” His gait was slow and purposeful, taking each stride with confidence. “This program is designed to give you the best hands-on experience needed to become a successful bodyguard. We train in martial arts, teach you how to think like a bodyguard, familiarize you with weapons, both actual and potential, and most importantly, you will go on missions in which you will be assessed on how well you bodyguard your partner.”
Blah, blah, blah. Fuse was familiar with all that crap. He still recalled the prickly rope cutting into his wrist from when his father had simulated a kidnapping and had tested Fuse on how quickly he could escape. Of course, he only knew it was a test after escaping.
Instructor Sapol returned to his spot in the center of the group. “Now, I will be pairing you. And before anyone asks, you may not switch partners.”
That was no problem, as long Fuse wasn’t paired with Karn. Based on the number of participants, there was a slim chance they’d be stuck together.
“When I call your name, step in front of me. After you’ve been paired, you are to stand on that white line with your partner.” He pointed to a long, thin line of tape splitting the gym in half.
“Please pair me with N’Tao,” Ake chanted quietly, crossing his fingers by his side.
“Ake Bannawat,” Instructor Sapol barked.
Ake twitched and rushed to the instructor, awkwardly teetering in place as he waited for his partner to be revealed.
The instructor scoffed at him before continuing. “Tao Yasadatt!”
Ake’s eyebrows shot straight up on his tomato-red face. Honestly, Fuse couldn’t believe it either. Maybe crossing his fingers actually did something.
Tao met Ake in the middle and gave him a calm smile. They wai’d 'Wai' is a formal Thai greeting. There isn't really another translation for this. Essentially, they put their hands together (in a prayer pose) and nod their head to the person. to each other and walked to the line.
Crossing his fingers behind his back, Fuse internally wished to not be partnered with Karn. He even bargained with whatever deity was listening to give him the guy that was picking his nose over Karn.
One by one, the list of names was dwindling, and neither he nor Karn had been paired with anyone. It was beginning to look like his silent prayer had no effect, but that didn’t stop him from praying anyway. He was too desperate.
“Fuse Kanakasiri!”
Fuse uncrossed his fingers and set his arms by his side. First impressions were lasting impressions. Fixing his posture, he left his spot from what was now barely a circle and surveyed the group of remaining participants.
Nose picking guy was still there. That was a good sign.
“Karn Tamisonan!”
Fuse’s heart jolted as soon as the cursed name left the instructor's lips. Completely shocked, he turned into a statue, a man without breath. Jaw clenched, Fuse sharply watched Karn strut towards him like he was walking the red carpet, smiling for the cameras, except his focus was one hundred percent on Fuse. He pinched his thigh to make sure he wasn’t stuck in some ultra-realistic nightmare. But the twinge of pain, and his pulse pounding in his ears confirmed that this was really happening. Fuse was indeed paired with Karn Tamisonan.
Instructor Sapol gruffly cleared his throat, indicating that the boys had been staring at each other a beat too long. After wai’ing, they gathered with the others at the end of the line. The sly bastard looked like he had won the lottery by stealing it from his biggest enemy.
“I look forward to working with you, partner,” Karn said smugly as he stood opposite Fuse.
Fuse shouldn’t have been this aware of Karn next to him. They hadn’t even started training, and already, Fuse’s heart was beating as though they’d been rolling on top of each other for the past two hours. The only way he could control his body from short circuiting into a frenzy was to squeeze his fists by his sides.
This was a mistake. Fuse was going to have to ask his father to take him out of this fucking program. It wasn’t like he wanted to participate anyway, and he didn’t want to see what other crazy shit Karn was going to do to him.
The impossible part was convincing his father that he’d made the wrong choice. When it came to his father’s opinions, they were more difficult to move than a tree stump. The one time Fuse had mustered the courage to ask for his father to change his mind, that had ended with a huge, black bruise on his stomach. For two weeks, he was painfully reminded to never go against his father again.
Fuse was so close to getting his father’s approval and really didn’t want to fuck it all up. But he had no choice. Associating with Karn was dangerous, and he wouldn’t be able to pay attention anyway now that they were paired together. The way he saw it, there were no positives to this situation. At this point, Fuse was destined for failure.
“What is the most important thing between a client and his bodyguard?” Instructor Sapol asked, after the stragglers were paired. The students in the room responded with small breaths and shifting feet.
Really? The answer is so obvious.
“Trust,” Fuse spoke up, voice booming.
The man paused and faced him, no clear expression on his face. “Why trust?”
Shit, was I wrong? “Because, without trust, the client can’t feel protected, which defeats the whole purpose of having a bodyguard.”
“Correct!” Instructor Sapol strode down the line, hands behind his back. “Before we send you on missions, you must trust your partner.”
“Woof,” Karn muttered.
“Huh?” Fuse glared at him from the corner of his eyes.
“I didn’t know you were a teacher’s pet,” Karn teased.
Fuse immediately smacked Karn’s hand away as the sneaky male reached up to pet his head. “Cut it out,” he scolded under his breath.
To Fuse’s relief, the instructor hadn’t seen their quick squabble. From the brief impression, he wasn’t the type that allowed nonsense behavior. “Today, we will be building the relationship between you and your partner with exercises based on trust. I’m sure you’re all familiar with trust falls.”
Instructor Sapol demonstrated what trust falls were for those that lived under rocks, heavily emphasizing that they were going to be assessed on how well each pair was open to trust, and whichever pair scored the lowest would have to do three hundred push-ups. So much for the idea of ethical training.
As soon as the instructor's demonstration was complete, six people with clipboards poured into the gym. These were clearly the ‘assessors’.
“Come on. I don’t bite...unless you want me to.” Karn shot a devilish smile as if to intimidate him while opening his arms. Fuse admired his broad chest, wondering what if he’d feel hard or soft to fall into. The memory of their wretched kiss snuck into his mind.
Fuse bit back a scathing remark in case it provoked Karn to not catch him. Muscles stiff, he turned away from Karn. This intense vulnerability felt so out of place, considering he’d only offered his back to Karn. It was all coming back to him in a scalding rush—the sensation of touching Karn. He gulped as he sensed those dark eyes on the vulnerable nape of his neck. Ugh—he couldn’t sneakily check behind him with this damn assessor staring right at them.
Sucking in a shaky breath, Fuse squeezed his eyes shut and spread his arms as though they were wings. This was just a trust fall, nothing to be so nervous about. Karn wouldn’t drop him, otherwise Fuse would return the favor.
Fuck it. Fuse leaned back, surrendering to gravity. Sinking into the nothingness, adrenaline shot in his veins, and the fear of crashing heightened his sense of awareness. The time of his fall was stretching longer than expected with no a sign of support. Just as Fuse was about to catch himself, a pair of strong arms warmly embraced him from behind. Karn held him tightly, his masculine scent filling Fuse’s lungs. Karn’s smooth face pressed against his ear, shocking his throat dry and stinging his skin from the gentle contact. How many more times would he have Karn pressed against him?
“See, I’ve got you,” Karn whispered silkily.
Fuse struggled out of Karn’s arms, scowling as he tried to ignore the rush of shivers along his back. Damn his gorgeous voice.
“Just turn around,” Fuse hissed. An internal sigh of relief washed over him as he saw the assessor nod and fervently write. Hopefully, that was a nod of approval.
The idea of not catching Karn and watching the jackass splat by his feet was incredibly tempting. It might even show Karn that he was serious about being left alone. A necessary warning.
However, Fuse was certain that his father had ways of getting information on Fuse’s performance. He couldn’t imagine his father would appreciate hearing that he failed to do something as simple as catch his partner.
He had no choice.
Karn turned around, and Fuse’s breath caught in his throat. Wisps of ebony-black hair rested against his neck, the strands reminding Fuse just how soft they were in his palm. A white shirt clung to Karn’s body, tracing his wide shoulders and long, muscular back. And shit, his ass was perfect for a few handfuls...
“Ready?” Fuse asked, squeezing those distracting thoughts out of his head.
“Never readier.”
Scoffing, Fuse positioned his arms and waited for Karn to fall into his chest. The male wasted no time, reclining back as though he was plopping onto his bed after hours of hard, manual labor. With a grunt, Fuse caught Karn. As his hands brushed against the male’s taut abs, heat rushed throughout his body. His nipples grazed Karn’s firm back and to his annoyance, formed hard points. Satin strands of hair feathered his nose, the sweet taste of shampoo running down his throat and tongue. Blood rushed to the pit of his stomach, and he felt the stirrings of a totally unexpected physical response...
Without a word, Fuse threw Karn off and turned away, shame burning his cheeks. Little did he know that his own body would be his ultimate betrayer.
“Nice catch,” Karn mused, seeming completely unmoved by the moment. Fuse swore that nothing affected this guy.
Karn turned around to face him. A heavy look in his eyes seized Fuse’s heart for a brief second. Anger was the best answer he came up with to explain that stare. Was he that obvious?
“I hope you and your partner have built up some trust within this exercise. If not, there are plenty of opportunities today during training before you go to your dorm together,” Instructor Sapol announced.
Time suddenly froze. The man couldn’t be serious. Fuse wasn’t going to last more than a week in the program if he couldn’t get away from Karn sometime. Roommates? How was he going to concentrate? Study? Relax? Breathe?
I have to quit.
***
All evening, Fuse was stressed out to the point where he swore some of his hair turned grey. How would he approach his father about leaving the program? Considering Fuse had never successfully changed his mind, this was a damn-near impossible task. But he had to try. Begging and pity didn’t work. Logic also went completely out the window. What else was left?
Prasit had advised Fuse against this, but he didn’t know about Karn. No one did. Only Fuse knew the entire circumstances, and he bet that if anyone else was in his position, they’d do the same as him.
Seriously, what was Karn’s deal? Fuse couldn’t figure out why he’d waste his time with this program. Whatever the reason, it didn’t change anything. Stuck with a shitty program and a mafia member? Fuck that.
Outside his father’s office, Fuse repeated his plan over and over in his mind. The door swung open, and Prasit motioned for him to enter, whispering, “Good luck,” as Fuse stepped inside.
“N’Prasit said you wanted to discuss something with me.” His father hadn’t bothered to look up from the stack of documents in his hand.
Sucking in a tense breath, Fuse crept towards his desk and stopped at an unreachable distance. “Yes, that—”
“Is it urgent?”
“It’s about the Bodyguard Program,” Fuse said hesitantly, eyeing for a better read on his dad. Sadly, it was to no avail, since he was still reading those damn papers.
“Mhm.”
Here goes nothing. “I really appreciate you suggesting the program, and I gave it a try but—”
His father drew an unamused sigh. “But?” Licking his thumb, he flipped to the next page, shuffling the previous one to the back.
Fuse strummed his palms along his thigh in attempts to soothe his distress. Delivery was everything. “But I don’t think it’s a good fit for me.”
Tapping his fingers against the surface of his paper-filled desk, his dad sternly glanced up at Fuse. “Because?”
Deep breath, Fuse. At least it’s just paper in his hand.
“I’m too advanced for it. All we did today was trust exercises,” Fuse pushed his voice for more control.
“It’s your first day,” his father said, tension rising in his tone. “I’m sure it’ll advance.
“I doubt that,” Fuse remarked. His palms stopped mid-stroke as soon as the words slipped from his lips.
“Have you forgotten that you’re in no position to argue with me?” The man’s gaze flashed darker.
“Dad, I—”
Bon struck the papers against the edge of his desk with a threatening smack and glowered as Fuse jumped. “What did I say about calling me that?”
Fuse withheld a shiver. “Khun,” he corrected.
Bon pursed his lips and sat back in his chair.
“Please, I’ll do anything you want. I’ll train harder, study more.”
Bon’s expression didn’t change, and Fuse knew his tone had edged into pleading, something his father despised, but he couldn’t stop.
“I’ll work overtime and sort through every document in this company.”
“Fuse, this program is going to prepare you to be a bodyguard.” Bon set his papers aside and straightened his posture. “I know you believe kicking and dodging in a dojo has trained you enough. It has not.”
If only he fucking knew. Until a few days ago, Fuse had never been more confident in his abilities. Escaping the mafia had that effect on him. Feeling defeated, he looked at the floor with hands fisted at his sides.
“Why do you want to quit so badly?”
Do I dare say? “I’m paired with Ai’Karn.”
“N’Karn Tamisonan?”
Fuse nodded.
His father broke out into delighted laughter before his expression turned serious. “This is very good news indeed. Make sure you become close with him without incident.”
Sharp pain pierced Fuse’s palm as his nails dug in. “What do you mean?” Fuse managed to say, hatefully staring at that ugly, red floor.
“I’m sure you’ll find a way to fuck it up. You always do...But this time I will be extremely unhappy if you fail.”
Fuse suppressed a shiver. He had vast experience of what his father would do to him if he caused him to be ‘extremely unhappy’.
“If there is nothing else, you may leave. Just make sure you don’t fuck this program up, understood?”
“Understood.”
“Good.” Bon picked up his papers and motioned towards the door. “Now get the hell out of my office. And never ask about quitting the program again.”
Fuse turned away, a sinking feeling in his chest.
I loved this chapter. It gave deeper insights into Fues as he
Strongly in my mind was this abusive father of Fuse who said of his son, “ It was a waste of sperm. More aspects of this toxic father are revealed. Training in martial arts was initially appealing as a boy. But then the abuse entered with the illness of Fuse’s mom.
It was very painful to learn about such abusive treatment with painful strikes to the back and uniforms stained red with blood.
The father was an insatiable monster who claimed that the pain of the stinging punishment would teach Fuse not to be so careless. Even worse, sadly the beatings got worse with the mom’s passing.
Impossible to please and never satisfied was Fuse’s upbringing. This led Fuse to a desperate desire to earn his dad’s impossible respect.
The constant criticism did two things. Unloved Fuse kept holding on to an unrealistic hope that he could ever earn his father’s praise.
“ The sane thing was to have given up, but he was certain one day his Dad would praise him.”
The second outcome was that Fuse truly doubts “ that he was worth something , worth loving. “ His self doubts are powerful. His fear of failure is powerful.
The only warmth in his life came from his mother’s gentle words, that he could achieve anything that he put his heart into. So Fuse decided succeeding in the program was his pipe dream hope of earning respect.
His mother’s words echo with “ that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to put his heart into it anyway. “
I like his friend Ake showing caring friendship and encouraging Fuse to believe in himself. But even Ake could not understand the depth of pressure Fuse has gained from years of abuse.
I like: “as though the weight of the universe was sitting on his chest. “ or in picturing his father’s hateful look and not expecting Fuse to achieve, “ sucked the air out his lungs and turned his legs to jelly. “. True fear. I like the image.
I love this. : “ The flash of disappointment in his eyes was more painful than any beating Fuse had endured. “. Emotional abuse at its most toxic is extremely painful.
Pressured Fuse is telling himself that Karn would not show up.
Amusing that there was a higher chance of it snowing in Bangkok than for Karn showing up that day.
Ake shows up wondering about the feasibility of the program actually producing working g bodyguards. Fuse has decided he will be one to succeed.
Ake who tells Fuse to have faith in himself ironically has no faith in himself around his crush Tao. Ake is cute shy. With his mini panic attacks. “ 3 years isn’t enough time. “
There is no doubt that Fuse has been searching the crowd wondering if Karn would show up while trying to convince himself he would not.
Again Fuse has a instant powerful reaction seeing Karn.
I love : and a frisson of what he refused to label ‘ nerves’ shattered his mock calm.
The mock calm nicely expresses the truth of Fuse. He pretends to be calm but is anxious about seeing Karn again.
This is such a lovely twist or paradox. I love this.
“ At first Fuse was following him. “
“ Now it felt like he was the one being followed. “.
And even nicer to this twist is that Fuse does not know that Karn has actually been following him for months.
Fuse stiffens in rejection. Nice. He tells himself he wants to get the hell away from “ this guy relentless up his ass “. Like the pun.
Again Fuse is extremely consciously remembering the one shared kiss.
Fuse is a delightful confusion of responses. Angry , telling himself that Karn had no reason to be there. But sensually observing and responding to Karn , his insides churned into mush.
I love Ake blurting out this truth.
“ what’s with all the staring. You look like you are going to eat him “ This is very true.
Again perplexed Fuse responds heatedly with denial.
Again another toxic example of Fuse being tormented with a kidnap but later finding out it was not real.
As I like Ake I was happy to see him paired with Tao.
Desperately praying did Fuse no good. Karn was his assigned partner. Yay.
This whole exchange that ensues is quite delightful.
Karn is relentlessly flirting. He is unflappable.
I love “ the sly bastard looked like he had won the lottery by stealing it from his biggest enemy. “. Karn is gloating and happy inside that Fuse is his partner.
Karn is smug .
Fuse keeps responding sensually to Karn, overly aware. This is quite sensual.
“Fuse’s heart was beating as though they had been rolling on top of each other for the past two hours. “.
And I love this image. The only way he could keep his body from shirt circuiting into a frenzy “ was by squeezing his wrists.
The attraction is powerful.
Also Fuse is very aware of the attraction and is trying to control it.
Panicked he ponders telling his dad he wants out of the program. But trying to make his dad change his mind was failure and resulted in a bruised stomach. This is painful to read.
Hopeless. Fuse feels destined towards failure.
Fuse is accurate and emotionally aware that trust is needed between a bodyguard and his client.
The “woof “ was laugh out loud unexpected and cute as Karn teases Fuse about being a teacher’s pet. Karn even playfully pets his head. Karn is a cute flirt.
“ Come on I don’t bite unless you want me to “ Cheeky flirtatious Karn I like. And the Devilish smile trying to intimidate or get a Fuse reaction fits Karn.
Filled with kiss memories and conscious of that hard chest, Fuse muscles stiff with fear , feels terribly vulnerable.
I love : “ this intense vulnerability felt so out of place. “ Fuse is flashing into the closet encounter and sensuality.
The beauty of this trust exercise is that it has many levels. One is the professional level for a bodyguard client. The other is the emotional trust level developing or being explored with Karn and Fuse.
I like this trust exercise for character development. Nice.
So Fuse when falling , out of fear , was about to catch himself.
It took longer than he expected to be caught. Also his fear of the unknown Karn is there.
“ sinking into nothingness , adrenaline shot into his veins , and the fear of crashing heightened his sense of awareness. “This is beautiful writing.
There is an Immediate sensual reaction.
I love. “ shocking his throat dry and stinging his skin from the gentle contact “.
Karn saying I got you is so beautiful. As a double entendre.
And the “Damn his gorgeous voice “ took me back to the initial can you taste a voice.
Karn tells himself he had no choice but to catch Karn.
Karn in contrast to Fuse’s vulnerable fearful fall, is smug and relaxed. He falls naturally and is quickly caught by Fuse.
I love the contrast in the falls.
As Fuse responds sexually with the catch, he panics , ashamed. Fuse throws Karn off.
There is no. “ see I got you. “ in a silky voice.
The contrast between the two falls is telling. Fuse feels his body has betrayed him. Karn enjoyed. the contact.
Nothing affected Karn. Even a “ nice catch “ by karn.
There is sensual attraction. Fuse notices the heavy look in Karn’s eyes that seizes his heart.
Fuse chooses anger as the reaction to the stare. It is safer.
The Ending scene with the father was painful. It hurt to see the fear that Fuse has developed with his dad.
Fuse knew that his pleading was useless but he could not stop.
To compound the pain his dad is happy and loves Karn as a partner.
Fuse is left with his dad’s pronouncement that Fuse will fuck everything up. But with a threat that he had better not.
Fuse is left alone and in despair.
I love this chapter.