Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When Rain comes down the stairs, Phayu has already been awake long enough to set the table and almost finish preparing breakfast.

“Morning, P’Phayu!” Rain chirps happily, as he sits in his spot.

Phayu smiles at him. “Good morning my darling.”

“A super good morning,” Rain replies, as Phayu sets the plate in front of him.

“What has made it super good?” Phayu asks lightly as though he is unaware of what had put his lover in such a good mood.

Well then as Phayu’s wifey it was his job to remind him now wasn’t it? “Because we spent the night together, and you’re here with me now,” he answers with a smile.

“How can you two be so sickeningly lovey dovey this early in the morning?” Saifah complains as he rounds the island in the kitchen to pour himself some coffee.

“How can you be this annoying so early in the morning? Phayu shoots back.

Saifah smiles as though it were a compliment. “It’s a talent.”

Rain laughed at their squabbling knowing that was how they showed their brotherly affection to each other. “Morning, P’Saifah.”

“He doesn’t deserve that amount of respect,” Phayu says.

“Good morning favorite brother-in-law,” Saifah says, completely ignoring Phayu in favor of ruffling Rain’s hair.

“Hands off,” Phayu says, knocking his twin’s hand away.

“Rainy boy doesn’t mind,” Saifah says. 

“Don’t push him too far Phi,” Rain warns him.

“Fine, I know when I’m not wanted. I have to head over to the shop anyway. By the way, have you decided about-”

Phayu shakes his head.

“Alright, let me know later okay?”

Phayu nods.

“What was he talking about?” Rain asks.

Phayu sighed, “I’ll tell you after breakfast.”

Rain crosses his arms, and pouts in the cute way he knows Phayu has a hard time saying no to. “Please tell me  now?”

The cuteness works just as intended, and Phayu went to the shelf where they kept the mail. He instantly finds what he is looking for, puts the rest back, and then comes back to the table where he passes the piece of mail over to Rain.

The invitation looks expensive, and feels quite heavy, but with the classic font, and simple layout it is tasteful rather than gaudy.

“A collector known in most circles as Mr. Ducati, because of his love for the brand, passed away recently. His grandson inherited most of his assets including his bike collection. It seems he doesn’t have the same love for them as his grandfather, and so he’s decided to sell them to a few choice buyers at ridiculously low prices, because he wants them to be loved not just owned by people that would see them as a status symbol.”

“It says the event is Friday morning.”

Phayu nods.

“Today is Wednesday,” Rain reminds him, noting that it was the date listed for the RSVP deadline.

Phayu nods again.

“You’re going right?”

Phayu looks away.

Rain frowns in confusion. “This is your chance to get some super cool bikes. You have to go.”

“I just got back from a trip, and I would rather spend my time with you while we have it.”

Rain stands up and walks over to Phayu, glad that the table and chair were just far enough apart that he could straddle his lover since Phayu always paid more attention to him when he was sitting on his lap. 

“You have to go. You’ll be back in a couple of days, and I’ll make sure to have my schedule clear so we can spend the day you come back together and then you can tell me all about how amazing your new bikes are using a bunch of details I won’t be able to understand.”

Phayu laughs at his honesty, before asking, “Are you sure?”

Rain nods. “You’ll let me when you get there, and when you are on your way home right?”

“Of course,” Phayu says, sealing the promise with a kiss.

Rain wiggles his body just so, and is gifted with a rather dangerous grin from Phayu.

He smiles ever so innocently and Phayu reacts just as he knew he would.

Later, when they finally get around to eating breakfast, Rain really can’t help thinking that Phayu worries far too much. Surely, with everything that happened since they had met, he’s used up all his bad luck for several years to come, so what was the worst that could happen?

Chapter Text

The nightmare settles on Rain like a predator who had been patiently waiting in the shadows for its prey to feel secure before attacking it.

He’s back in that building. Completely surrounded by people grinning dangerously at him. 

Despite the fact that he knows how this ends, he's still terrified as he sits there, bound and helpless, wanting nothing more than to berate Stop for being a sore loser who resorts to violence just because he couldn’t win fairly. 

He desperately wants to punch the bastard, and just keep punching until he isn't recognizable to anyone that knows him, but the knife on his skin forces him to stay still.

Then everything takes a sharp turn for the worse. 

Phayu is nowhere to be seen, and neither is Chai.

Stop turns back to Rain with an angry look in his eyes. Incensed that his ploy had not worked the way he had thought it would. 

The monster wearing a human facade, stalks forward, until he is standing before him.

Rain cries out in fear as Stop grabs his shirt with both hands, and swiftly rips the fabric apart.

“Looks like your beloved Phayu doesn’t care enough to come get his pet,” Stop says with a mocking tone. He laughs as he grips Rain’s face with one hand and forces their eyes to meet. “Guess you’ll have to play with me until I’m satisfied.”

Rain struggles to free himself, but it’s futile. 

“Come on boys, join me,” Stop says as he trails a hand down Rain’s chest to his pants in a mockery of tenderness . “This little slut definitely is too pretty not to get some use out of. Let’s make him scream.”

He’s released from the chair, and he tries to fight back one more time, but Stop places a hand on his throat and squeezes. 

Rain cries out, gasping, struggling as they rip his clothes away from his body, taking away his only protection from their assault, and just as he feels one of Stop’s accomplices at his back he begins to see dark spots from the lack of oxygen.

His whole body seems to shut down at that moment as he realizes there is nothing he can but endure quietly. 

He is helpless, and no one is coming to save him.

He closes his eyes trying in vain to shut out everything.

Just as the rough hands begin to take without consent, he jerks upright in his bed.

Rain sits for a moment, unable to process the images from the nightmare, and then he bolts to the bathroom.

He doesn’t throw up, but it’s a close thing, and he is grateful that his mother isn’t home to see him like this because she would ask questions he wasn’t ready to voice the answer to. 

His shower takes longer than usual, the nightmare having left him feeling unclean in a way the hot water can’t seem to wash away. Still he scrubs, and scrubs until his skin is reddened from it.

He stays under the spray for several long minutes once he’s done just trying to erase the feelings of the hands from his nightmare.

Maybe he should call Phayu?

No, his lover would come right back and miss out on a once in a lifetime opportunity. He’d tell him about the nightmare later, once he was back though.

Sky and Prapai?

Yes, he would tell them.

He had been planning to see if they were busy anyway, since he usually spent a lot of time with Sky when Phayu was away. 

Nowadays those hangouts are sometimes shared with Prapai as well, not that the man didn’t allow best friend bonding time with just the two of them, but they had more fun with him there, so he tended to end up with an invitation when he was available.

He’d just run his errands first and then see if they had plans. The errands themselves  wouldn't take long. He just wanted to purchase some new shoes, and grab a few supplies for an upcoming project, and today was the perfect opportunity because neither  Phayu nor Prapai would be present to sweet talk him into letting them pay for the items, a meal, and then anything else he indicated he was mildly interested in.

It wasn't so much that he hated being taken care of, just that sometimes it was nice to buy things on his own.

With that decided, he finds he feels a bit better, and he turns off the shower, wraps himself in a towel and goes to his room to get dressed.

Once he pulls some clothes on, he grabs his phone, he pulls up Sky’s contact.

Are you busy? He types. Please don’t be busy. Please don’t be busy. Please don’t be-

No. P’Pai and I are just at the condo watching TV. Are you okay? Do we need to come over?

The worry he can feel radiating from the written words heals something in him, and he actually smiles as he replies. No. I’m okay. P’Phayu left yesterday, and I just wanted to hang out later.

Feel free to drop by then.

Is P’Pai okay with me visiting?

I’m going to pretend you didn’t ask that. Rain laughs. He didn’t even need to see Sky to know that his friend had just rolled his eyes. See you when you get here.

I’ll call when I’m on my way.

Okay. P’Pai said to tell you he’s looking forward to seeing you.

Rain just sends a heart emoji, and he’s just about to pocket his phone when he notices an unread message in his chat with Phayu.

He’d fallen asleep talking to him, and Phayu had sent him, Goodnight, my Darling, I love you, sometime after that.

The words settle like a balm on the residual pain from the nightmare. Nightmare!Stop was as stupid as his real world counterpart. Phayu loved him, he had it in writing and in action, because Phayu did come for him. Phayu weighed Rain’s safety versus his own pride, and chose him .

With a smile he sends a ton of hearts to Phayu, because he loves his hubby, and wants him to know it.

He feels so much better now having the affirmation of his love, in addition to plans to meet with Sky and Prapai. Still he takes the time to drink some water, and have a snack even though he isn’t very hungry. 

Perhaps in a time before his best friend, an abundance of siblings, and his hubby he might not have thought to take the precaution. He was well aware of how absentminded he could get, but now, he has far too many people in his life to forget such things when he wasn’t around anyone that would remember it for him. 

The terrifying vision of those influences ganging up on and giving him a dozen lectures for passing out from dehydration or low blood sugar was more than enough motivation for him to eat the granola bar and drink the water.

A passing thought ran through his mind of further consequences that could happen. They would stop him from doing anything fun or enjoyable until he was able to adequately see to his own needs. Rain shivered at the thought. That was definitely something best avoided. 

He loved all of them he really did, but he really did have a knack for forming relationships with overprotective people it seemed.

“Ai’Rain, you're so lucky,” he tells himself with a grin. 

After tossing away the wrapper, and washing out the glass he’d used for his water, he grabbed his keys. A quick pat down of his pockets assured him of the presence of his wallet and his phone, and with that, he was ready to go.

Chapter Text

It really is quite calming driving down streets that he is so familiar with. While at a red light he turns on the radio grinning when the station it was on was playing a song he could sing along to. 

His first destination is the shoe store and after he had finished there he’d head to the shop where he and Sky liked to buy supplies since it was closer to the condo.

To his suprise, he actually finds a nice pair, that is in the bargain section, within the first fifteen minutes he’s in the store. This is minor miracle considering the amount of shoes and his attention span for such shopping.

As he totes the box over to the checkout, he notices some novelty socks. There is a pair with thunderclouds and lightning bolts, a set with one with tornados, and there’s even a pair with paw prints on them. Smiling he picks up a pair of each, and at the bottom of the bin he spies a blue pair with fluffy white clouds poking out. 

Rain laughs delighted at the find. “Ai'Rain you're so lucky!” he says as he picks up the pairs that caught his eye.

He's putting the final pair in his basket when he notices that a mom is pushing her daughter to hurry past him and a gaggle of girls, looking about high school aged are snickering.

Suddenly self-conscious he hurries to the checkout with the socks and shoes.

He barely registers the cashier informing him of the additional discount, as he pays for his items because he just wants to leave.

Once he has his bag in hand, he hurries out to his car, tossing the bag in the trunk, and then his phone vibrates in his pocket.

He pulls it out and grins. The message is from Saifah.

I’m trapped with a demon!

Rain got in the car before texting, What did you do to P’Phayu?

Nothing! But if I don’t make it back alive, you get everything. 

Before he can reply, he gets a text from Phayu.

Ignore him. He got us lost, and the signal is weak here so I had to ask for directions, I’ll call when we get there. I love you.

Rain laughs. Even with them so far away he still can’t escape their squabbles. He fiddles with the radio for a minute, and lands on one talking about the weather. 

He didn’t know it was supposed to rain.

Rain starts the car, if he hurries he should be able to make it to the store, and to the condo before the rain could get too heavy. 

He’s halfway to the shop when he sees it in his rear view mirror.

His heart begins to beat frantically and he tightens his grip on the steering wheel.

It was okay, he told himself.

Just an average delivery truck.

Nothing to do with him at all.

After a deep breath, he switches lanes so he can take the next turn available, it puts him a bit off course, but his peace of mind was worth more than the few minutes the detour would take.

The truck copies his movement and Rain feels panic begin to intensify.

“Ai’Rain, just calm down. It's not following you. Calm down.” He tells himself. 

He just needed to keep moving. He’d just go to the condo right now, and leave the shopping for later. Sky and Prapai might want to go with him anyway, and they could make a fun time of it.

Nodding at the plan, he keeps driving, but the van is still following with each turn he makes, finally he just decides to pull over and park. Muscle memory has him twisting the keys, and placing them in his pocket, and the van goes past.

Rain closes his eyes, trying to force himself to be calm. 

He’s close to the condo, maybe he should call Sky to meet him?

He shakes his head. 

No he could make it on his own. It wasn’t far and the van was-

Parked right across from him.

The driver exited.

He was-

Why was he walking this way?!

The man looked nothing like Stop or any of his lackeys.

Except his hair was just as dark and his height was almost the same and-

The fear of being held at that bastard’s mercy washes over him feeling more real than the seat beneath him as it intermingles with the nightmare, the images of what might have been fusing relentlessly with what had been.

He feels the hands upon him again, touching and taking, and he hugs himself, tightly lacing his arms around his midsection, in a desperate attempt to drown out the ghostly hands he could feel upon his skin.

The loud boom of thunder startles him further, as does the sudden splatter of raindrops hitting his car.

Usually he liked storms, especially when he was wrapped in Phayu’s arms, but right now it adds further anxiety.

The knock on his window rattles him even further.

His heart is in this throat as he looks up to see the delivery truck driver.

The man frowns at him, and points to the back of his car.

Rain watches as the man goes and closes the trunk.

Oh…

He had forgotten to close it?

He had!

He remembered now.

He’d forgotten because of the text from Saifah.

Rain manages to smile for the man. 

It must be somewhat convincing, because the driver returns the smile, waves at him, gets into his truck, and drives away.

Rain should feel relieved because the mystery was solved. It was just a good samaritan placing good karma into the world, but his body and mind feel chained to that moment. 

The rain begins to fall in earnest, trapping him further, and the images flash once more in front of his eyes, blending nightmare and reality, until he isn’t sure which is which.

Rain has no idea how long he sits there, frozen in his seat with the images playing out in his mind’s eye like a movie he unfortunately knew every moment of, but one name suddenly appears in his mind interrupting it.

Sky.

He had told him he would come visit.

He couldn’t break that promise.

He has to keep his promises.

He looks at his hands.

Trembling.

He’s in no state to drive.

There would be a lot of people sad if he drove and got hurt.

Rain forces his hand to the door, the limb heavy as a steel beam.  

His body, and mind feel disconnected. 

It takes so much effort to even contemplate movements let alone put the thoughts into action.

After an eternity of fumbling the door swings open. 

His next task is to get out of the car.

He shifts one leg and then the other.

 The rain soaks them in an instant.

After several long moments he slides out of his car. 

He leans heavily on the door to close it.

One foot in front of the other.

He just has to keep doing that. 

The simple task demands every bit of his focus.

His whole body is a trembling mess by the time he looks up and finds the door barring his path.

His hand lifts of its own accord slowly pressing the digits Sky had drilled into him. 

Pulling the door is a herculean task and he stumbles as it robs his focus from the placement of his feet. 

Somehow he manages to stay upright. 

His feet seem to know the way so he leaves it to them to get him to the right door.

Shortly after he knocks on the door the last of his energy fades.

His body doesn’t want to move anymore.

He just wants to rest.

The door opens and he falls forward into a warm body.

He is cold.

So cold.

“S-sorry…” he manages, because the warm body against him is certainly getting their clothing wet by holding him so close.

The warmth takes most of his weight like it does not affect them as it guides him.

He’s content to let it take him where it wants until the hands start to take off his clothing.

The fabric is cold and wet where it rests on his skin but it’s the only protection he has.

“Don’t, p-please,” he stutters, his focus only on the hands in his field of view.

Soft words, gentle but indecipherable, surround him. 

He should be worried about that, about the fact that he doesn’t understand the words, but the relief that the hands had listened was too potent to allow for worry. 

A smaller hand, just as warm as the previous ones, was suddenly before his eyes. It moved slowly, letting him watch as it rose, and came to rest on his cheek.

His eyes drifted shut, and tears became intermingled with rainwater.

The hand moved, sliding to his chin, and pressing softly.

It wanted him to look up.

So he did.

Sky’s concerned face met his gaze.

He watches as Sky takes off his shirt.

Rain swallows.

Sky waits, endlessly patient.

Did he want him to copy the action?

Rain tugs at the hem of his own shirt.

The wet cotton clings uncomfortably. 

He gazes to Sky.

Sky places his hands over Rain’s, helping him to get the shirt over his head.

Next Sky removes his pants.

Once again Rain tries to copy the action.

His trembling hands make it difficult.

Once again, Sky helps. He guides Rain’s hands, and with a bit of effort the pants soon join the shirt on the floor.

Sky slips a finger in the waistband of his boxers.

Rain hesitates before he copies him.

Sky studies him, before pushing his to the floor, and stepping out of them.

Rain looks at Sky.

Sky waits.

Rain’s underwear joins the wet pile of clothing on the floor.

Sky pulls him up, guiding him to the bathtub, and helping him inside. 

The water is so warm.

Sky is there.

His presence so steady that Rain has no choice but to cling to him.

Chapter Text

“Do you think we should call him?” Prapai asks, looking at the time on his phone.

Sky rolls his eyes. “It’s been half an hour, P’Pai.”

Prapai smiles sheepishly. 

“Am I not enough for you?” Sky challenges.

“More than enough. To be honest you might be too perfect. Add to that the fact you come as a packaged deal with N’Rain," Prapai grins, "I don’t think I could be any luckier.”

“What about P’Phayu and P’Saifah?”

“I like them, but they bully me all the time.”

Sky laughs softly. “Let’s give him another half an hour. If he doesn’t call by then, we’ll go wherever he is.”

Prapai nods. “Sky?”

“Hmmm?”

“That really isn’t a problem right?"

"That?"

"I wasn't joking about being happy you two are so close that I get him just because I won you over. I suppose I'm asking is it okay with you that I like hanging out with N’Rain so much?”

Sky nods. “I haven’t changed my opinion about that. I trust you both with everything, so I don't have to worry about either of you when you're together. Both of you are a lot more extroverted than I am too, so sometimes it’s nice that you use up some of that energy with each other because it stops me from getting overwhelmed by it."  

“And you’ll tell me right away if you start to feel differently right?”

Sky frowns. “Of course I will. What brought on all this? Has someone said something?”

Prapai shakes his head. “Don’t worry. It’s nothing like that, I just want to be sure we’re on the same page.”

Sky nods, he could understand that because misunderstandings were relationship killers. “On second thought," Sky says, just then noticing the shift in the weather outside, "let’s make it five minutes, Rain is a trouble magnet, so better safe than sorry.”

Before that time frame could elapse, there was a quiet knock at the door.

Prapai and Sky exchange a look, Rain was normally a lot louder than that, perhaps it was one of the few neighbors they had?

Prapai reaches the door first, with Sky close behind him.

He opens the door, and Rain tumbles into his arms like a lifeless puppet. That alone would be concerning enough, and was even more alarming in conjunction with the fact that Rain's clothing was soaked through from the storm outside.

“Nong?” Prapai asks, his voice filled with concern.

Rain doesn’t react to his voice.

“S-sorry…” Rain stutters, his voice is so quiet Prapai barely hears it.

Why is he apologizing? 

What is responsible for his condition?

Did he need to go teach someone a rather harsh lesson?

He shakes away the useless thoughts when he feels Rain shiver. They need to get him in some dry clothing right away, they could figure the rest out later.

Sky seems to share the thought. “I’ll start the bath,” he says.

Prapai nods, and begins to guide Rain to the bathroom. While he could easily make the trip faster by carrying him, Rain was in no state to heed a warning and consent, so they would take it as slow as Rain needed.

When they enter the bathroom, Prapai sits him down on the closed lid of the toilet, and removes his shoes, and socks, setting them aside to be dealt with later.

“I need to take this off,” he says softly as his hands go to Rain’s shirt.

The reaction is instant and quite telling. 

“Don’t, p-please,” Rain stutters.

Prapai instantly removes his hands. 

“I won’t touch, see I’m moving away.”

Prapai looks over to Sky, and sees his own concern mirrored back at him.

“Let me take care of him,” Sky says.

Prapai wants to argue. He wants to stay, he wants to comfort Rain, but this wasn’t about him, and Sky was more suited to handle things here. With a sad glance in Rain’s direction he nods, and turns to leave.

“P’Pai, after we finish the bath, he might want to cuddle. So can you be ready for us?”

Prapai smiles. “Take care of him, Sky.”

“Of course I will.”

Prapai nods again, and leaves the bathroom.

Sky turns his attention to Rain.

His friend looks so small sitting there in dripping wet clothing.

Sky slowly moved his hand, letting Rain watch as it rose, and came to rest on his cheek.

Rain’s eyes drifted shut, and it takes a few moments, but Sky becomes aware that tears are mixing with the rainwater.

He needed to see Rain’s face. 

Gently he moves his hand to Rain’s chin, asking him to look up with the simple action since word were not getting through to him.

Rain seems to understand the question, and a few moments later, Sky is looking at Rain’s face.

His best friend looks quite pale, and his gaze somewhat vacant.

That lost look...it was hauntingly familiar because he’d seen it so many times from his own reflection.

Sky forces himself to remain calm, knowing that his such emotions would be noticed and amplified in Rain’s current state.

He’s tempted to simply let them stay as they are, letting Rain come back to himself as slowly as he needed to, and he would have if Rain was in dry clothing.

What to do? How could he make Rain comfortable?

What if…?

Would that work?

There was only one way to find out.

Sky takes off his shirt.

Rain swallows.

Sky waits. 

He knows Rain liked to be led. He knows Rain liked to be taken care of. He also knows that Rain trusts him. They’ve shared so much during their friendship, and hopefully that foundation meant Rain could place himself in Sky’s hands at a time where he felt unmoored.

As though in answer to his thoughts, Rain tugs at the hem of his own shirt.

Rain struggles with it, and looks at Sky.

Remembering the way Rain reacted to Prapai’s attempt to undress him, Sky places his hands over Rain’s, helping him to get the shirt over his head.

So far, so good.

Next Sky removes his pants.

Once again Rain tries to copy him only for his trembling hands to make it too difficult for him.

Sky helps, just as he did with the shirt. He guides Rain’s hands, and with a bit of effort the pants soon join the shirt on the floor.

Sky hesitates for a moment, before he slips a finger in the waistband of his boxers.

If Rain needed they could bathe with the last barrier present, but he would at least give his friend the choice.

Rain pauses before he copies him.

Sky studies him intently, making sure this was a choice and not simply because he had asked it of him, before pushing them to the floor, and stepping out of them.

Rain looks at Sky.

Sky doesn’t push him. Whatever made Rain comfortable is what they would do.

Rain’s dampened underwear joins the wet pile of clothing amassed on the floor.

Sky guides him to the bathtub, and helps him into the warm water.

Once Rain is settled, he stops the taps, and makes quick work of picking up the bundle of wet clothing and wrapping it in his own discarded items. He sits the pile outside the bathroom, and climbs inside the bath himself, and spared a moment to be grateful for Prapai’s love of large tubs.

Sky presses close to Rain as he settles.

He’d move right away if there was any indication that Rain wanted him too, but it felt like the right course of action, and moments later that seemed to be proven when Rain clings to him.

“You’re okay,” Sky says softly, “you’re safe here. I promise.”

He doesn’t know if Rain comprehends the words, but he needed to voice them, needed to let Rain know that whatever had happened before he has gotten here, this was a place where he would be safe and protected.

Chapter Text

When they exit the bathroom both of them are wrapped in fluffy towels that probably cost as much as a brand new text book, and Sky has taken on most of Rain's weight because his friend is still worryingly unsteady.

Sky immediately notices the missing bundle of clothing that he put outside the door, because he doesn’t trip over it, and feels a wave of affection for Prapai, knowing that it was his doing.

He guides Rain to the bed, rummaging through his drawer of clothing until he finds a new pair of underwear, grateful that they are similar enough in build that the fit won’t be too awkward. He grabs another pair of himself and pulls them on.

Rain is just as he left him, huddled into the towel, and Sky patiently waits for Rain to at least try to get the underwear on by himself, before he guides his friend’s hands so that they could finish the job together.

After that, he covers Rain up with the comforter on the bed, not wanting to make him struggle through trying to pull on more clothing or catch a chill. Once Sky finishes that task, he dons a t-shirt and a pair of lounge pants, before grabbing the blow dryer.

Thankfully the dryer is not too loud on the second level, and Rain doesn’t seem bothered with the warm air hitting him. Once his hair is passably dry, Sky unplugged the dryer and put it away.

“Stay right here, okay Rain? I’ll be right back. I promise,” Sky tells him. He wonders if Rain understands. Maybe he should just take him to the kitchen with him, but he won’t be able to move freely if he does, and there was a chance Rain would end up hurting himself somehow.

Prapai.

Rain was calmer now, so surely he wouldn’t mind if Prapai sat with him, and that would give Sky the peace of mind needed to decide if now was the right time to contact Phayu, while he went to get some snacks and drinks prepared for Rain.

When he opens the bedroom door, Prapai’s name is on his tongue, but before he can say it, he finds Prapai sitting against the wall, his head on his arms which are supported by his knees.

Sky drops down beside him immediately. “P’Pai, what's wrong?”

Prapai looks up, and Sky sees that his lover is wearing the mittens they had purchased for his Kuma time.

“I’m alright,” Prapai says reassuringly.

“P’Pai-”

“I am. I was a bit sad at what happened earlier, but I understand it was my fault for moving too fast and taking his level of comfort with me for granted.” He gazes at his hands. “I figured if I was only able to paw at him, he wouldn’t get afraid that he would be hurt by my hands. So how is he?”

Sky shakes his head. They’d definitely come back to Prapai’s reaction later, because it was something that needed to be talked about, but for now, Prapai was right to turn the focus back to Rain. 

“He still isn’t talking so I still have no idea what happened to put him in the state he’s in, but he’s somewhat aware, because he was able to follow my lead, so I think all he needs is to feel safe and get some rest. I just wish there was more that we could do…to…help…” Sky trails off as the idea hits him.

“Sky?”

“How would Kuma react to a friend?” He asks softly as though still puzzling out the details himself.

Prapai frowns. Forcing that dynamic on Rain wasn’t exactly a healthy choice. But that wasn’t what Sky was asking was it? Sky would never force someone into something like that, he knew that, but he needed more information because he didn’t understand Sky’s train of thought. “What do you mean?”

“When we were in the bathroom, he didn’t respond well to my words, but when I showed him what to do, he complied on his own. I know what being Kuma does for you, and I thought maybe giving Rain the chance to imitate that might give him the same sense of freedom.”

Prapai considers that. Rain is a natural submissive, a trait which made him a good partner for a dominant like Phayu, as well as someone like Sky, especially back when he had needed to exert so much control over his life to maintain his equilibrium.

What was it Sky had said? 

Rain had been willing to follow his lead, and that he was still in a rather non-verbal state?

So not so much actual pet play, as just letting Rain mimic him because it suited Rain’s needs at this point in time?

Rain didn’t want to talk? Let him take on a role that didn’t require it.

Rain wasn’t able to move steadily on two feet? Well let him have the option to crawl.

Rain didn’t want the herculean task of facing whatever memory had caused him to be this state to begin with? Well give him a state of mind where his biggest concerns would be eating, playing, and napping.

“Will you be okay?” Prapai asks. “I mean I can try not to be down too far but-”

Sky shakes his head. “I am more than capable of taking care of my puppy, and my best friend,” he says resting a hand on Prapai’s head.

“You’re sure?” It’s not that he doesn’t trust Sky’s judgment, because he does trust him to know his own limits, and it isn't as though some Kuma time doesn’t sound nice because it really does, but he has to be sure that he isn’t adding too much pressure to an already tense situation. He’d have a really hard time forgiving himself if he asked more of Sky than his lover could bear.

Sky smiles at him, and gives him a chaste kiss. “I promise I can handle this, and if it becomes too much, I will let you know right away. Now go get yourself ready, I need my good boy looking after my best friend.”

Prapai nods.

Sky stands up first, and offers Prapai his hand.

Prapai gladly takes it, allowing Sky to help him to his feet.

“P’Pai-”

“I know I’ll be gentle with him. I’m a teddy bear, remember?”

Sky laughs. “The best one ever.”

Prapai smiles at Sky in response, and then heads into the bedroom.

Rain is on the bed sitting unusually still, and covered by the fluffy comforter. 

It’s a bit unnerving seeing Rain so muted. He knows Rain isn’t all hyper all the time, but even still, there is always just an energy about him, something that was just purely Rain,  and it’s not there now, stolen away by something he couldn’t fight for him no matter how much he wanted to.

Prapai hurried to get dressed, hesitating slightly when he saw the collar. Once he put that on it would be a fight to go back before he had his fill of his puppy headspace.

With the collar weighing heavily in his hands, he makes his way over to Rain, and sits beside him. “You wouldn’t mind Kuma’s company would you?”

He doesn’t expect an answer, so he isn’t surprised at the lack of response, but it does make him a bit sad.

“I hope this doesn’t upset you,” he continues. “I’m worried about if it’s the right thing to do, but you seem really comfortable with me when I’m in that headspace so I’m hopeful. I’m going to put the collar on now, alright?”

Prapai waits.

Again he wasn't expecting a response, but Rain had been vocal when it came to refusing an action, so he put his faith in the fact that Rain had not pulled away or showed resistance.. 

Prapai took a breath, knowing that if he was too keyed up, he’d never be able to let himself fall into his headspace. Then put his collar on. 

Sky was his owner, the one to whom he belonged, and all he needed to be was a good boy who listened to his owner.

His Sky had told him to look after Rain, and that was what he would do because he was Sky’s good boy and he liked it best when all his packmates were happy. 

Chapter Text

Rain feels adrift. 

Even with Sky at his side, gently running a soft washcloth down his back, it somehow feels unreal. It is like he’s one level of existence removed from his body.

Eventually the warmth around him begins to cool, and he is guided from the water into a wall of fluff. 

It takes him the whole trip from the bathroom until he is seated to realize the wall was a towel. 

Then there is something in his hands. 

He looks hard trying to identify the item.

It takes far too long for him to identify that what he’s holding is a pair of boxers.

It takes even longer to note that he should put them on.

His body still feels heavy, but he tries to do it by himself. 

Just as before, the gentle hands return to help him, guiding his hands to get the fabric in place. Patiently letting him help even when it would be much simpler to just take over completely.

Once the boxers are pulled into place, a heavy weight settles around him, and then there is additional warmth and a whirring sound.

A dryer?

An unknowable amount of time later, the soft static of a voice fills his ears, but he is too distracted by fluffy warmth surrounding him, and his attention utterly lost in the sensation.

Somewhere within his mind, he notes that he is alone, but it isn’t for long. 

Once more there is a soft familiar voice speaking to him.

He’s too far gone for the words to stick, feeling far too safe to wade through them. 

Then there is pressure at his side. 

A rhythmic press that ignites curiosity.

A soft panting meets his ears, and then a ‘woof.’

Puppy?

It took more effort than it should have to summon the energy to move his head, but it was more than worth it when Kuma filled his sight. 

“Woof,” Kuma says again, body wiggling with the excitement of having gained his attention.

“Woof,” Rain imitates.

Kuma paws at him playfully.

Rain paws at him in return.

Kuma seems thrilled with the little game of tit-for-tat, and goes for another round of bumping his head fondly against Rain’s side. 

He can’t just let Kuma win their game that easily, so he moves until he can nudge his head against Kuma’s shoulder.

Emboldened by this, Kuma snuggles against him, until Rain is pushed into laying down. 

Rain is wide-eyed with shock, but Kuma simply lays closely beside him providing an extra layer of safety and protection. 

A soft rumbly sound fills the air then, and Rain shifts closer to Kuma to be closer to it, making himself as small as he can in the process.

Kuma was able to tell him so much with his sounds.

Maybe Kuma would understand sounds too?

A whimper joins the soft rumbly sound. 

It’s a painful sound, full of hurt and quickly it builds in intensity.

Kuma whines back, feeding off that sadness, and pets Rain gently with his paw hoping it would bring the same comfort he felt when they petted him.

~

Sky does call Phayu, but it  goes straight to voicemail. 

“Hey Phi, it’s Sky. Rain had a hard day so I wanted to let you know. I’m not sure what happened yet, but he’s safe with us, and we'll take care of him. If we find out what upset him before you call back, I’ll make sure to call you again.”

Sky ends the call, and puts his phone in his pocket. 

He takes a few deep breaths to prepare himself. 

Rain needs him, and he planned to help him in whatever way he would be allowed to. To do that though, he had to make sure he was in a good state of mind himself.

Once he feels calm enough, he goes around the kitchen, looking in cabinets, and the refrigerator to decide what snacks he would bring. He settles on water, and a few cups of pudding and some cups of applesauce. 

That should be okay for now since he had no idea when Rain had last eaten. If he had to guess, he would say that it most likely wasn’t recent since Rain often got too distracted to eat, so he needed to have something, but Sky’d rather not risk Rain choking on something he needed to chew, so pudding and applesauce were the best options.

With the snacks in one hand, and drinks in the other, he heads back to the bedroom.

He takes in the scene quickly.

Prapai was clearly in his Kuma mindset, and was cuddling with a crying Rain.

It was a sad thing to hear, but it was also a good thing too. Rain had been so subdued, so lost within himself that he had barely been aware of what was happening around him. Now he was settled within himself enough to let his emotions through.

A bark from Kuma is enough to bring him out of his thoughts.

Sky sets the provisions on the side table, and goes around the bed. “Good boy,” he praises, petting Kuma. “You took such good care of our Rain.”

As usual Kuma eats up the praise, but he is far less animated, not wanting to disturb Rain.

Rain gazed up at the sound of Sky’s voice.

Sky meets his gaze, waiting for a cue of what Rain needed from him. He watches the way Rain’s gaze slides to the hand he still has on Kuma’s head.

Did he want pats too?

It wouldn’t be too surprising if that was the case since Rain was extremely tactile.

Moving slowly, so that Rain has the chance to move away if this isn’t something he wanted, he pets Rain’s head.

Rain doesn’t push him away, in fact he seems to be happy with the attention. Well then some praise wouldn’t hurt, especially considering how effective it was for him. “So smart,” Sky says softly, “You did so well coming here to us. I’m so proud of you.”

Sky doesn’t know if it’s the tone or the words but something resonates with Rain.

Feeling a bit left out, with Sky’s attention elsewhere, Kuma decides once again that he is in fact a lap dog.

Apparently Rain had taken to following his lead, because he crawls from his blanket fortress to snuggle with Sky as well.

Kuma lets out a growl as the force almost sent Sky toppling over, but before Sky could reprimand him, Kuma nudges Rain gently, moving him so that they are balanced at Sky’s sides, and wouldn’t knock Sky over while still cuddling him.

Sky can’t help smiling, because this position is also advantageous in that he can pet them both now with ease. 

Kuma starts up the humming growl noise, and Rain imitates it.

He lets it continue until they seem almost ready to doze off and he remembers that they haven’t eaten. 

He wriggles out of the sandwich they have made him the filling of, and a soundtrack of whines follow him before they decide to give chase. 

Sky tries not to laugh as Kuma struggles to get down from the bed, before gauging it too high, and going down feet first in and then letting the rest of his body follow.

Rain tries to copy the move, but is far too unsteady, thankfully Kuma has waited for him and moves so that he can act as a footstool and guide him down.

Sky doesn’t know if Rain just wanted to copy Kuma or if he felt better on all fours, but they scramble after Sky together, and once they are close he orders, “Sit.”

He fully expects Kuma’s compliance.

He doesn’t expect Rain’s.

He knew it was likely that Rain would copy Kuma, but he hadn’t expected him to respond to the order itself, which was silly now that he thought about it. Rain was probably more used to following simple orders like that than Prapai was.

He grabs the four cups, two of applesauce, and two puddings.

He places one set of the cups in front of Kuma and the other in front of Rain.

Kuma paws at the pudding, and Sky opens it, placing it carefully into the pup's paws.

Rain watches as Kuma attacks the pudding, looking down at his cup and back up at Kuma.

Slowly he taps the applesauce, and Sky opens it for him before putting it in Rain’s hands, and making sure it was held securely before letting go.

Rain looks over at Kuma again.

The puppy is half way through his sweet treat now and is intently focused on said treat.

Rain takes a tentative lick at the applesauce, and then, seeming to discover that he liked the taste, was really hungry, or just desiring to copy Kuma again, he began to attack it with fervor. Honestly Sky didn’t care what the reason behind it actually was, it could have been any combination of them or something else entirely, he was just happy that Rain was eating.

Kuma looks at the applesauce in front of him before passing it to Rain with a paw.

Rain butts his head gently against Kuma’s shoulder, in what Sky interprets  as gratitude, and gazes hopefully at Sky.

Sky grabs the cup to open it.

While waiting, Rain gazes down at his pudding cup, and then slides it over to Kuma.

Kuma cocks his head questioningly. 

Rain pushes it even further in Kuma’s direction.

“You two are giving me cavities,” Sky complains even though neither of them will respond. The two of them really are a lethal combo like this.

After they finish eating, Sky cleans them up with some napkins, and has them drink from the water bottles while he holds them.

Rain looks ready to fall asleep where he is aftwards so Sky decides that it’s time for a nap. Climbing up onto the bed in the room would be too much trouble especially considering how far down Prapai still was, and Rain’s urge to imitate him, so he needs to set up Kuma’s bed.

“Stay,” he tells them, not that it’s truly necessary.

Rain is too tired to do more than lay where Sky left him, and Kuma sits next to him, giving him affectionate nudges.

After dragging his eyes away from the adorable sight, he collects everything he needs from the closet. Despite the fact that they called it a bed, the end result was more akin to a nest. It was constructed by using a full size futon mattress at the center and then adding a ton of pillows of various sizes to make it as cozy as possible.

Once he finishes setting everything up, he ushers the two of them over and lets them settle in. 

They circle the middle of the nest, Rain sleepily mimicking Kuma’s movements, before finding comfortable spots, and once they are laying down Sky covers them with blankets. He chooses a thicker one for Rain to avoid the need for pajamas, and a lighter one for Kuma so he wouldn’t overheat.

He gives them both a few gentle pats, and sits with them until they doze off. Once he is sure they won’t wake up the moment he moves, he gets up to clean up the trash from their snack. He was wary of leaving them, but they were together, and he would leave the door open so that he would hear if either of them called out. 

Still… what if Prapai panicked. He absolutely did not want a repeat of that.

He really should invest in some kind of comfort item to wordlessly communicate that he wasn’t going anywhere out of reach, but for now, he simply gathers his keys and his favorite jacket, the former is placed just outside the nest, and the latter was added atop the blanketed forms of two of the people he loved most in the world.

That done, Sky sets about cleaning up the mess, and getting something to eat for himself. He’d hardly be any good to them if didn’t eat to keep his strength up. Still he doesn’t have the energy to spare nor the time for anything too elaborate, so he makes a quick sandwich with some odds and ends he finds in the fridge.

Once he finishes the preparation, he takes it to the couch and sits.

Now that he has time to reflect, he’s even more worried about what could have happened to Rain.

Was it a rehash of their shared trauma, something that he had endured alone or was it something completely new that had happened? There were so many possibilities.

He shakes that thought away, down that path lay nothing but more questions, and the more he stressed over it, the more likely it was that he would add more stress to the one he wanted to help.

Taking a bite of the sandwich, Sky takes a moment to celebrate what they had been able to do. When Rain had showed up, he was barely aware, and seemed scared out of his mind. Through a combination of factors, they were able to calm him, get some kind of sustenance in him, and provide a place where he felt safe enough to rest. 

Rain had been so much more present with Kuma there with him, and it also served as a release for Prapai. It had to be stressful for him seeing Rain like that and not being able to help beyond letting someone else see to him so being able to engage as Kuma had certainly relieved a portion of that.

After he finishes the first half of his sandwich, he reaches for his phone. There were no missed calls, and Phayu had yet to respond. The man was going to go into protective overdrive when he found out, and Rain would eat up the attention.

Imagining that makes a smile come to Sky’s face.

As he sits there, he finds himself beginning to doze off. He shakes himself awake, cleans up his mess, and goes back to the bedroom. He checks to make sure they are still asleep, and is relieved to find that they’ve hardly shifted at all.

Gazing at the bed, he frowns. It’d be rather lonely there all by himself, and there was really more than enough room in Kuma’s nest.

Between the cold lonely bed, and the occupied nest, there was definitely a clear winner.

Carefully Sky crawls into the nest, and almost instantly, his eyes drifted shut, and he too was asleep.

Chapter Text

He’s floating in darkness.

Nothing can get him here and no one can take him away or do anything to him.

Then he realizes that he’s alone in the dark with no one beside him. 

He tries calling out, but his voice is gone.

He tries moving, but his body won’t obey.

He’s trapped.

No one knows where he is!

His heart pounds. 

The beat deafeningly loud in the infinite silence around him.

Before the panic can become all consuming however, he feels warmth as a hand breaches the void to rest on his shoulder.

That one touch sparks something and he opens his eyes to find himself the focus of a concerned Prapai and Sky.

Rain blinks.

He was at Prapai and Sky’s condo, but what-

Before he can even finish the thought the memories slot into place. The nightmare, being followed by the delivery truck, walking in the rain, and finally making it to Prapai and Sky.

The details of that care were a bit fuzzier than the rest of the memories, but he knew they had spent a lot of time and energy taking care of him. 

“Rain,” Sky says warningly.

Rain looks at him in surprise. What did he do wrong?

“I know that look. We are not brushing this under the rug. You don’t have to tell us anything if you don’t want to or aren’t ready, that’s okay, but whatever happened was not nothing , so don’t try to make it seem that way.”

He wasn’t going to…

Well maybe he was, but….

“I’m sorry.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Prapai begin to reach for him, only to abort the action before he touches him.

Rolling over is a challenge considering the blankets, but he manages. “P’Pai, is something wrong?”

Prapai smiles at him, trying to be reassuring, but it doesn’t completely hide the worry he’s feeling. “Is it alright if I hug you?”

Rain blinks, face screwing up in confusion. He loves that kind of tactile affection, and Prapai knows that, because they are the same in that way. So why would Prapai be worried about initiating it?

Rain scoots closer to Prapai, having to wriggle in a way not dissimilar to a worm since he was hopelessly tangled in the blankets, and Prapai’s arms close around him instinctively.

Safesafesafesafesafe.

The feeling fills him completely.

All he can feel is safety here held so close to someone that would give him the world if he asked for it. 

Why would Prapai doubt that he would welcome the affection?

Sky tentatively scoots closer, and after a brief hesitation, he loops an arm around Rain.

Sky had never hesitated that way when he chose to reach out, and it really worried Rain that both of them were behaving like that all of a sudden.“What did I do?” he asks softly.

There was a heavy silence, and then Prapai broke it with a remorseful tone of voice. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I was the one that hadn't considered my actions thoroughly and overstepped a boundary with you. I’m sorry.”

“I don’t get it.” Rain says, his confusion only growing at the apology. “What happened?”

“You were soaked from the rain, and P’Pai wanted to get you out of your wet clothes. You were terrified when he tried, so he backed off right away.” Sky pauses, and then tightens his grip on Rain just a bit, just to reassure himself that he was there. “Rain, I’m not trying to force you to tell me what happened but please, I just need to know that nobody…” Sky trails off, unable to voice his suspicion. 

Rain gets it at that moment. He sees the pieces that he had laid out for them to put together, and the awful picture it created.  He needed to tell them the truth right away, he needed to let them know that nothing they feared might have happened had actually happened. “No. It was…. Not that. I just, I… I had a nightmare! And I know I should have said something right away because I promised, but it was fine. I felt fine and I was gonna see you guys later, and P’Phayu would be back soon anyway. Then there were the people at the store looking at me, and I got followed by a delivery truck, and I panicked, even though it was my fault for leaving my trunk open.” He takes a deep breath. When laid out like that it feels so trivial. “I’m sorry for making you worry over something like that.”

“Rain, I need you to listen. Are you listening?”

“Yes,” Rain says, startled by the hard tone Sky is using.

“A nightmare is more than enough to send someone into that kind of spiral, I know that firsthand, and with additional stressors added on top of it-” Sky cuts himself off imagining all the harm that could have befallen his friend. Then he promptly stops because none of it had happened and it would do none of them any good for him to panic over the what ifs. “I am so grateful that you made it here safely, Rain.”

“Sky is right. Thank you for trusting us enough to take care of you.”

“Can I… can I tell you about it still?”

“Of course,” Sky says. “But only if that’s what you want.”

Prapai nods. “If it’s too hard to say, we can just cuddle until Phayu comes to steal you away from us.”

Rain laughs softly at the image that pops into his head of being the rope in the game of tug of war. “I want to,” he decides. He didn't want that nightmare to retain its power, and safely snuggled between two of the most amazing people he knew was a great place to talk about it.

They waited patiently, and he remembered that from before too. He remembered just how gentle they had handled him when he couldn’t care for himself. They were always so patient with him weren’t they? Others would have long since given up on him. Others had given up on him, but not Sky and Prapai. 

“I was in the warehouse with Stop, and his friends, but this time no one came for me, and he and his friend wanted to play with me. I couldn’t do anything to protect myself, I just closed my eyes, and tried to be somewhere that wasn’t there, and then I woke up."

Rain had been concerned he might break during the retelling, but with Sky and Prapai cuddled so closely to him there was no way he could fall apart.

“I felt so dirty," Rain admits, "It felt like it had actually happened, and showering barely helped.

“I was really scared, but then I thought about both of you, and I was given permission to come over, that promise helped so much. It’s why I came here even with my brain not working right.” Then he remembers something else. “Sorry for not calling, I know it’s important, but I didn’t remember that part.”

“Rain,” Sky sighs, “Calling ahead was the least of your worries, brat.”

Rain wormed his way around so that Sky was hit with the full force of his pouting face.

Sky, far too used to such an expression, just rolled his eyes.

Prapai, however, as usual was a sucker for the look. “Sky, my love, you should be nicer to N’Rain.”

“I’m plenty nice to him,” Sky asserts. “ You should stop spoiling him.”

Now Sky has two pouting faces aimed at him.

“And now I’m the bad guy here,” he sighs in resignation. “I really need to hang out more with P’Phayu, he’s the only one that would be on my side in these situations.”

“Hear that, Nong? Sounds like a double date to me.”

Rain nods enthusiastically, and Sky wishes he could be more surprised at how this had turned around on him, but he has made peace with the fact that this fate at this point since was the only logical course of action.

Sky’s phone begins to ring. As though hearing his name spoken by them, the screen shows the name P’Phayu.

“Is everything alright? I just got your message. Is Rain okay?” He asks with barely contained panic.

“Everything is alright. Rain just had a hard day, but he seems to be recovering well after sleeping for a while. He’s right here next to me, did you want to talk to him?”

“Yes. Thank you, Nong.”

“Of course. I’ll always take care of him. He was my best friend first you know.”

Phayu laughs softly, unbothered by the possessiveness in Sky’s voice because it was a four way street with each of them being that way as the situation called for it.

With a smile Sky hands Rain the phone.

“P’Phayu?”

“Darling. I’m so glad you’re alright. I knew I shouldn’t have left. You know what, I’ll let Sai handle the rest and-”

“No. That’s not fair! You didn’t know anything would happen! I’m okay now so don’t worry.”

“Always my brave boy aren’t you? Are you sure you’re feeling better?”

“Mmhmm. Sky, and P’Pai have helped so much, and they have me in the middle of a cuddle puddle right now.”

Phayu laughs. “We’re lucky to have them.”

“We are!” Rain agrees, then he hears someone call Phayu’s name in the background. 

Phayu covers the phone and says something back to the person.

Rain smiles. “Go on Phi. I’ll see you when you get home. If you don’t come back with a cool bike your wifey will be really sad, okay?”

He can hear the smile in Phayu’s voice when his lover says, “I understand. I love you Rain.”

“Love you too.”

“Promise you’ll stay safe?”

“I promise.”

“You better keep that promise or your punishment will be to do twenty laps with the tire.”

Rain can tell he means it. “I double promise!”

Phayu laughs. “Okay, my good boy. I’ll see you when I get back.”

Once the phone call ends he hands the phone back to Sky. “Can you take a picture for P’Phayu?”

Sky grins, and holds the phone up. They’re already so close that all he has to do is snap the photo.

“You two are so sweet to each other,” Prapai comments as Sky sends it to Phayu.

“You and Sky are sweeter,” Rain replies.

“You think so?” Prapai says proudly.

Rain nods. “I never thought I’d see Sky be all shy, and cute with someone the way he is with you.”

“I didn’t come here to be insulted,” Sky huffs as he begins to dislodge himself from the cuddle.

Rain, and Prapai quickly reel him back in.

“I like seeing you so happy,” Rain tells him. “You deserve it and it makes me ultra happy to see you happy.”

“And I like hearing that I make you happy,” Prapai adds. “It’s my goal to make you so happy you’ll have no choice but to be mine forever.”

“You two are the worst,” Sky whines as he hides his flushed face in the closest blanket. The two awful people beside him had the audacity to laugh at him. This was simply proof of another habit Rain and Prapai shared. They way too honest, especially when it came to how they felt about him which made him simultaneously feel like he was the luckiest boy alive and like he would melt from sheer embarrassment.

His protection is tugged upon, and he puts up a fight, but in the end it is pulled away and he has to look at them.

The fools are grinning like a pair of lunatics, because of course they are.

Still, it is so much better than the blank look Rain came to them with, and the lost expression Prapai wore when he felt unable to help.

“I love you,” Sky says.

Rain and Prapai look at each other, and then back at him.

Sky laughs. “Both of you.”

It’s not much of a surprise that Sky ends up the center of the next cuddlepile.

Sky’s phone, tossed away in the playful tussle chimed at a received message.

Thank you for the picture. I’m glad to see Rain so happy. I am a bit curious about Pai’s outfit though.

Chapter Text

The bulk of the afternoon is spent watching the Catnado series of films on the television, since according to Rain and Prapai, the fact that Sky had never seen any of them was a tragedy of epic proportions that had to be remedied whether he liked it or not.

Outnumbered, and weak to the both of them when they decided to team up and beg, Sky reluctantly begins the journey that is the Catnado… hexology? Sextet? Six part assault on his sanity? Whatever the description, he had no way out of it, so he decided to simply bear it with his usual stoic grace.

Dinner, which happens during the break between the second and third films, consists of several deliveries because Prapai has every delivery app in the country, a lack of impulse control where his loved ones are concerned, and the infuriatingly lovable desire to make sure Rain and Sky both have their favorite foods. Sky scolds him for being so extravagant in a way that shows Rain that they have had this conversation before, and would likely continue to have it without a true resolution for several decades.

Around the time that night truly settles upon them, they’ve managed to get through films three and five, Prapai explaining that four really should have come after five for some reason having to do with a minor recurring character from the first movie or something like that, Sky really isn’t paying attention to all the details of his rant, but the movies are a trainwreck wrapped in a disaster,  and at this point he really has no choice other than to see them through to the end. 

By the time Prapai cues up the fourth movie though, Rain has become really fidgety beside him.

Sky had ignored it for a little while. He’s known Rain long enough to know that sometimes he just needed to move around, not because he was bored or wanted to go somewhere, but simply because his body wanted to be in motion as he had once explained it or rather that was the simplification of that conversation. What he had really said had been a mess of incoherence that Sky was lucky to have gleaned enough from to simplify. The 'explanation' if it could be called that had been composed partly of words and the rest was made up of brief interludes with movement that made him look like one of those tubemen that stood sentry in front of car dealerships. To be fair, it was only partly Rain's fault since sleep deprivation, and caffeine were not a good mix for him, and Sky had then promptly literally dragged him to the bed and told him to go to sleep. 

The current fidgeting was a far cry from the usual almost hypnotic sway of motion though, and was crossing into 'kid on a sugar rush' territory so he couldn't delay questioning it any longer .

“Rain, what's the matter? I thought you liked this series.”

“I do, the cats are super cute, and each movie is comforting because I remember watching them for the first time with P’Pai.” 

“Then what’s wrong?” Sky asks again, slipping his hand into Rain's.

Rain shyly averts his gaze. “I guess I was just wondering if I should head home now.”

“No,” Sky and Prapai decree in unison. 

After the way he had appeared at their door that morning, neither of them were willing to let him go so soon, especially when it meant that he would be by himself with all the residual emotions of the day.

“Driving, and being alone after the day you had, you’re kidding right?” Sky asks incredulously.

“Stay here at least until Phayu comes to get you. If you want to be alone for a bit you can just go into the bedroom, and we’ll stay out here," Prapai says.

“Are you sure? I mean you two had plans right?”

“So what?” Sky scoffs only to soften the expression in the face of Rain’s utter confusion at the dismissal of his reasoning. “You mean to tell me if you and P’Phayu were having some time together, and I showed up at your door nearly catatonic or called you after a bad nightmare, you guys wouldn’t drop everything to help me?”

“That’s d…” Rain stopped as he realized Sky was right. If Sky was suffering, pained by the awful stuff that had happened to him, there was nothing he wouldn’t do to make him feel better. 

Prapai gently pulls Rain into a hug. “You’re not being a burden or overstaying your welcome. I promise I would tell you if you were bothering me. I would tell you if you were being troublesome. We promised to be honest with each other, remember? Don’t I keep my promises?”

Rain nods, because he did remember that, and Prapai did keep his word. Suddenly a flash of memory sparks in his mind of Kuma cheering him up,  understanding even without words that he was hurting and needed comfort.

It had been so easy then, no expectations, no words, simply existing as he was, and having permission to do so.

It had been so similar to the way he felt when Phayu took control and removed all the crushing choices from him for a time. While he loved being independent, and taking care of his own problems with his own hard work, he also loved being cared for and given a hard line of right and wrong to follow to let himself reset.

“What are you thinking?” Sky asks softly.

Rain blinked. “Just that…it's a lot easier when I don’t have to think so much.”

“Then stop thinking as much.”

“Huh?”

“Cuddles, and movie night isn’t some magical cure-all that fixes everything. It helps a lot, but you still have to work through the feelings even if you set them aside for a bit. It’s exhausting, trust me, I know how tired it can make you. So if you need to just turn off for a while to get your equilibrium back, and just be in the moment, that's okay.”

Rain blinks back tears at that. 

Sky, and Prapai too, they understood so easily. He didn’t have to explain his thoughts much because they knew him that well. He remembered Phayu’s words from earlier, and agreed once again, because he really was lucky to have the two of them.

“Come here Rain, lay down. P’Pai will you take his legs?”

Prapai nods.

With very little movement of his own accord, Rain finds himself with his head in Sky’s lap, getting what amounted to a head massage from the way Sky was moving his hands, and his legs laid across Prapai’s lap getting idle patterns run across the bare skin where his borrowed pajama shorts ended.

They started the movie then, and the images on screen served to be almost hypnotic as he lost himself in the combination of casual affectionate touch and images on the screen.

~

It’s during the end of the fourth movie, Rain happily dozing in his lap, that Sky hears his phone. He grabs the device and finds a message from Phayu.

Is Rain still doing well? 

Sky is glad Phayu hadn’t texted a little bit ago, he had no doubt the man would have rushed back had he learned about the  panic Rain had stirred in himself over the idea that he was a drain on both his and Prapai’s time. Still he wouldn’t omit too much, because that would be wrong as well.

He’s okay now. Just dozing, I think he’s still a bit more worn out by everything than he thought, but we are taking good care of him.

Good. How are you two holding up?

Sky takes a moment to glance over at Prapai. The man is finding something a bit less complicated than a movie to watch, likely in hopes that Rain would focus less on it, and finally give in to sleep.

We’re doing well. 

That’s reassuring. I’ll be back around noon tomorrow. Will you let everyone know?

Of course. See you then.

Rest well, and let Pai know to do the same.

Sky smiles, and then blinks. When had he missed a message?

‘ Thank you for the picture. I’m glad to see Rain so happy. I am a bit curious about Pai’s outfit though.’

His outfit?

Oh.

“P’Pai.”

Prapai frowns at the caution in Sky’s tone.

“Did something happen?”

Sky hesitates pondering how to ask the question. “Have you ever thought of telling P’Phayu about Kuma?”

“Maybe at some point if it comes up, why do you ask?”

“That picture from earlier…” Sky doesn’t bother to finish the explanation, because Prapai gets it.

“What else did he say?”

Sky shakes his head. “Nothing, just that he was curious about the outfit. I’m sorry, I didn’t even think about it before I sent the picture.”

“I don’t blame you, none of us were thinking about it.”

Sky can tell that he is being honest, but still he can hear the upset in his voice “Are you worried he’ll make fun of you?”

Prapai shakes his head. “I don’t think he will. He's been more involved in the dynamic than I ever was, so I’m sure he’s seen it before.”

“But…”

Prapai sighs. “I guess I’m just nervous because I’m not certain of how he’ll react. I love being Kuma, and I’ll never be ashamed of that because that dynamic brought us,” he eyes slid to Rain, who, rather adorably, was fighting sleep with all the energy he seemed to have, “all of us closer, and I don’t want anything to poison that space.”

“Maybe we should call him? He said he won’t be here until about noon, and I don’t want you worrying all night over this.”

Prapai shakes his head. “He’ll be here soon enough, tonight I just want to relax.

Sky nodded. In the end it was Prapai’s decision, and he would abide by it. Still he would be grateful when Phayu got there, and reassured Prapai that having a pet headspace was not something that would cause any strife in their relationship. Right now though, he was willing to set that aside, because there was something else they needed to address, and now with Rain finally asleep, it was an optimal time. “There is something else I want to ask you.”

“Yes?”

“Are you okay?”

Prapai shot him a quizzical look.

“The look in your eyes before you went in the room with Rain, I could see how hurt you were that he had rejected you, and I wanted to address it then, but Rain needed us then, and you didn't seem ready I had to wait.”

“I didn’t want to worry you with my own emotions, but I was sad, but I was even more upset with myself for not being more observant, because I knew he wasn't processing things well at the time and I still acted impulsively. Having time alone just made me feel worse and I was afraid that I had pushed Rain even further into his own mind and had left you to fix my mistake. 

“Being Kuma and getting to comfort him helped a lot, though. It also helps that we know what he went through now, and that he let us help him through it. What about you? You spent a lot of energy on us, are you feeling alright?”

Sky nods. “My brain might be mush from those silly movies, but other than that, I’m fine.”

Prapai laughs softly. “Let me take him to bed, and I’ll really make you melt.”

“We are not having sex with Rain in the other room,” Sky hisses.

Prapai laughs again, as he gently pulls Rain into his arms. He walks slowly, trying to minimize the amount of the movement so as not to jostle Rain too much.

Once inside the bedroom, he moves over to the bed and tucks Rain in.

Prapai is almost at the door again, hand poised to turn off the light, when he hears, “P’Pai…”

His name is said so softly, but he immediately turns, and goes back to the bed. “Sorry, did I wake you?”

Rain shakes his head. “Would you leave the light on?”

“Of course.”

“And will you and Sky come cuddle later?”

“You can come back to the living room if you’re not ready to sleep.”

Rain shakes his head. “You and Sky need time together too.”

“Are you sure?”

Rain nods. “...but you won’t forget I’m here right?”

“Absolutely not, and you can always come get us okay?”

Rain nods, but Prapai can tell that he won’t unless it becomes his only option. Which meant that he was just going to have to make sure they weren’t away from him for too long. 

“Want me to stay until you fall asleep?” Prapai asks.

Rain blushed slightly, looking far too shy. Silly boy probably thought he was being too clingy or something equally untrue. 

If he was in his petspace it would be so easy, they wouldn't need words to communicate. 

Perhaps that was the answer, he couldn't go down right now, but he could offer that kind of easy comfort.

Sliding into the bed, he pulled Rain close. Showing with body language alone this was not an inconvenience for him.

Rain smiles, seeming to get the message or just simply accepting of the offered comfort, and before long, he drifts off.

Prapai let's a few minutes elapse to be sure he is fully asleep before he gets up. When he reaches the door, he checks once more that Rain is still sleeping before slipping out the room, leaving the door ajar behind him.

Chapter Text

“Is everything okay?” Sky asks, standing up as  Prapai enters the room. 

Instead of sitting idle, Sky had decided to clear up the mess they had made with dinner as he waited for Prapai to put Rain to bed. He had expected Prapai to be done long before he was finished with his self-assigned task, but he had managed to finish cleaning several minutes ago, and had just started to worry that something might have happened.

“He woke up after I put him into bed. I asked him if he wanted to come back in here with me, but he said no on the condition that he gets more cuddles when we’re ready to join him."

"You said yes right?"

"Of course I did, and then I stayed with him until he fell asleep again.”

“That’s good.”

“And now…” Prapai says, stepping into Sky’s personal space. “I think I promised to melt you.”

“P’Pai…”

“I know, I'm not planning on doing anything like that tonight.”

Sky gazes at him suspiciously, which was fair, considering that once they had bonded on a sexual level, Prapai gladly welcomed such intimacy. “I’m serious, My Sky, just kissing.”

“It’s never just kissing with you,“ Sky scoffs, but he willingly submits when Prapai pulls him close.

Prapai runs one hand through his hair, settling it on his neck, and the other slips beneath his shirt. 

Sky almost pulls away right then, but after another moment elapses he realizes Prapai really isn’t taking it any further. 

This makeout session is far softer than usual, and on one hand Sky is grateful for it. He really doesn't want to have sex with Rain here in the condo with them, it felt off, as though he was forcing his best friend to take on the role of a voyeur, but at the same time he loved being with Prapai, because he loved touching and holding him in the way that only he was allowed to.

This love surging within him, Sky moved, pressing Prapai backwards until he was forced to sit on the couch. 

He followed him down, positioning one leg on either side of Prapai’s legs, and caging him in, all without breaking their kiss.

Prapai let him take the lead, submitting  without hesitation to Sky’s desire.

And Sky loved that too. The way this kiss was simply a metaphor for their relationship with the easy give and take of it. He loved the way Prapai would lead, and then allow himself to be led in turn. It never seemed to matter to him who was being assertive, as long as Sky was as happy with the situation as he was.

Both of Prapai’s hands were under his shirt now. His touch is just as warm and safe as it always is. 

His own hands yearned to pry at Prapai’s clothing, and his body was flooded with the overwhelming desire to take care of the rather distracting proof of Prapai’s attraction to him.

But…

They need to slow down.

They needed to bring this to an end before the heat of passion had their clothes strewn across the living room.

Sky pulls away, and Prapai whines at the loss. 

“No sex,” Sky reminds him with a kiss to the cheek.

“Tease,” Prapai says, and while once, such a term would have filled him with fear and guilt, Prapai’s voice and expression made it feel more like a compliment than anything else.

Sky laughs softly.  “Looks like I’m the one that melted you .”

Prapai’s gaze turns mischievous and before Sky can react to that, the man is attacking him with kisses. 

He squirms trying to get away, and ends up laying on his back, Prapai above him, still laughing as the man continues to pepper him with kisses. “I surrender!” Sky calls out breathlessly. 

Prapai kisses him once more, and then lets him up. “I love you Sky.”

“I can tell,” Sky says, looking pointedly at a certain aspect of Prapai's anatomy.

“With my mind, heart, and body,” Prapai assures him when he sees where Sky was looking.

“Me too,” Sky confirms. “Mind, heart, and body.”

Prapai pulls him close, letting the moment settle into a calmness before pulling back slightly. “So what are we going to do until this resolves itself?”

“No more kissing.”

Prapai reluctantly agrees. While kissing Sky is definitely one of his favorite things, and ranks just under breathing in his rankings of necessity,  it was clear that would only make the current situation even more pressing, and he had promised. Still… “Then what should we do?” he asks with an exaggerated pout.

Sky rolls his eyes, but the grin on his face shows that he isn’t really bothered by Prapai’s playfulness.

“We could talk about something.” Sky thinks for a moment, and Prapai is content to rest his body against him until he decided.

“How about you and P’Phayu? What were you two like before you started dating me and Rain?”

Prapai grins he truly loved that Sky was always eager to learn more about him, and he had to admit it was a topic that was sure to smother the remaining embers of their passion. 

“We’ve only been friends for a few years, but I have just about as many stories about Yu and Sai as I do about my brother and sister.”

“I guess you guys are a lot like me and Rain in that way.”

Prapai shakes his head. “The three of us are close, but you and Rain are something special. It’s like you two were meant to meet when you did.”

Sky couldn’t deny that. When he had met Rain, he had his walls built so high he didn’t think anyone would ever make their way into his heart again, but Rain was so bright and affectionate he couldn’t help caring about him, and before he knew it he was inviting Rain into his life more and more of his own volition.

“Watching the way you two interact makes me believe in platonic soulmates, I honestly would have thought it was just a fanfiction trope if I didn’t see the way you two are with each other.”

“Fanfiction?”

Prapai gave an embarrassed smile. “I may have gotten hooked on Catnado fanfiction.”

“That was Rain’s doing wasn't it?” Sky asked with an air of suspicion.

“He did send me the first one that I read, but I fell down the rabbit hole on my own. I really couldn't help it, someone wrote a Sushi reincarnation fic with a happy ending and it just snowballed from there.”

“Sushi?”

“A calico cat from the sixth movie."

Sky shakes his head. “There are worse addictions,” he sighs. “Anyway we were supposed to be discussing you and P'Phayu.”

“Like I said, we met a few years back and clicked, and thanks to the races we saw quite a bit of each other at least once a month, and we gradually began to hang out more often.”

“You said they bullied you.”

Prapai laughs. “To be fair I would push Phayu into reacting.”

“Why am I not surprised,” Sky interrupts. 

“Because you know me so well,” Prapai says without a hint of shame. “So I’d push him and Sai would side with whoever seemed to be winning. I’m guessing you want an example?”

Sky nods.

“I think I had known Phayu for…” he pauses for a moment, “six months, I was complaining about Mae since she was after me to settle down, and he as always was a terrible friend and sided with her . So I pointed out he hadn’t exactly lived like a monk either so he had no room to laugh at me. I also might have said he wouldn’t ever settle down with someone  unless one of his motorcycles gained sentience and a human form.”

Sky snickers. “And how did he take that?”

“Like a dragon that’s had its treasure stolen, and it probably didn’t help that I said he was so mean a regular person didn’t stand a chance at being his partner for very long.

“Meanwhile Sai was laughing himself sick, because he was always commenting on Phayu’s personality like that.

“As punishment, he didn’t work on my bike that week like we had planned so I had to ride my spare for a month, and I’m pretty sure he made Saifah do a ton of paperwork at the auto shop for his part in mocking him.”

“I can’t say you two didn’t deserve it.”

“Who’s side are you on?” Prapai pouts.

“The one that wins.” Sky laughs at the look on Prapai’s face. “Yours,” he says and the look of genuine joy that replaces the comically betrayed look was more than worth the honest answer. 

Glancing at the clock he noted that it was getting late, but they did have time to talk a bit more, and there was something else that he was curious about since they were already on the topic. “Will you tell me about how the whole disowning thing started?”

Prapai looked away.

“I’m sorry. I-”

“It’s okay. It’s not a happy story, not to start with, but it’s still an important memory for me. 

“I was less experienced with racing then, and I ended up accepting a stupid challenge. While I was practicing I lost control of my bike, and fell off. I was lucky, I only had a few scrapes and bruises, but Phayu was livid. He had warned me, but I still did it anyway.

“I was embarrassed, and so I lashed out at him, saying that he was only upset because I had damaged the bike.

“He completely shut down, and said he didn’t think we should be friends anymore.”

Sky grabbed his hand, and patiently waited for Prapai to continue. 

“I felt awful after I calmed down, and once I managed to swallow my pride I tried to apologize to him, but he wouldn’t let me.

“Finally, the day of the challenge came, and I backed down and took the penalty. I wasn’t ready and I didn’t want to get hurt even worse just because of my own pride.

“I think that’s when Phayu began to forgive me, since he could see that I had learned my lesson. After that he told me that he would actually forgive me if I wrote ‘I will not risk my life for stupid reasons’ one thousand times.”

“One thousand?!”

“I think he was joking, but I really did it. I owed him that much for being so stupid.”

“If the first time was that serious, how did it become a joke?”

“I think that was my fault too. After that it took a while for our friendship to become easy again, I was trying so hard not to upset him that he just snapped.  He pinned me to a wall and glared at me. I was too shocked to move. He said ‘start acting normal or I’ll disown you for real this time.’  

“I was in shock and then I laughed. Tears were pouring down my face, and I knew I was a mess, but then Phayu was laughing too. Sai was the one to find us there, and he took one look and walked away. After that though, everything got a lot better.”

“I’m glad you two were able to work through that, and I’m sorry I made you tell me.”

Prapai shakes his head. “You didn’t force me to tell you, you asked and I chose to, and like I said it might not be happy, but it is important.”

They sit in comfortable silence for a while before Prapai breaks it. “Are you ready for bed?”

Sky nods. “It is getting late, and we do owe Rain some cuddles.”

Prapai stands, and without warning, he scoops Sky up into his arms.

“P’Pai!” Sky gasps.

Prapai laughs.

“Idiot,” Sky grumbles.

Prapai just grins, knowing from the soft tone, and the relaxed nature of his faux complaint that Sky didn't mind.

Chapter Text

P’Pai, it’ll be okay,” Rain tells him, trying to ease some of the nervousness that was pouring off of Prapai.

After waking up, they’d had a lazy breakfast consisting of last night's leftovers, and Sky had told him that Phayu would be home by noon. 

Rain was elated by the news, because how could he not be excited for his hubby's return? 

Prapai, on the other hand, had become apprehensive at the reminder. Rain noticed that right away, and Sky had quickly explained to him that Phayu had seen Prapai in his Kuma outfit in the picture they had taken, and had subsequently asked about it, which had resulted in Rain’s current attempts to reassure Prapai that nothing bad would happen when Phayu arrived.

Prapai smiled at him, but it was just as unconvincing as the previous one had been.

“Sky, please tell P’Pai it’ll be okay.”

Sky sighed. “He won’t believe it from me either,” he says, knowing that it was the truth of matter, since he had tried to convince him of that the night before.

Rain pouts. It seemed the only way Prapai would be convinced was when Phayu walked in the door, asked a question or two then declared that it wasn't a big deal to him, until then though, distractions were necessary.

“We should do karaoke!”

“No,” Sky argues.

“Please?”

~

“I’ll wait for countless days

And on the restless nights

I’ll look up at the stars

Entranced by the moonlight

And as the tears will fall, to your memory I’ll hold tight

I’ll be here praying for that moment when

You say you love me… again.”

Rain claps. “That was amazing P’Pai!” 

Prapai bows.

Sky tries to pretend to be unaffected by his lover singing a ballad and fails miserably.

“Did you like it?” Prapai asks Sky with a charming grin, and an aura that just begs for praise. 

But  he can’t just hand over such a reward so quickly. “It was okay I guess.”

He says making sure not to meet Prapai’s eyes.

“That means you loved it right?” 

Sky makes the mistake of looking directly at Prapai.

The man can be so silly yet somehow he managed to still be so sincere, and handsome. It was sometimes annoying how handsome he was with his pretty grin, and wonderful eyes that somehow could make the world vanish when he was caught in them…

“Sky!”

Sky blinked and became aware of how lost he had become in his affection for Prapai. He could feel his face heat with embarrassment, and it made Rain, who was already laughing, laugh even harder.  Sky scowled at him. He of all people had no right to laugh when he had been completely distracted by Phayu’s very presence more times than Sky could count.

He doesn’t bother to look at Prapai though, no doubt the man was preening like a peacock for causing Sky’s loss of composure.

“Your turn to sing, Rain.”

Rain pouted. “I wanted to do a song with you.”

“I don’t sing.”

Rain just looks deep into his eyes, and Sky swears he can hear ‘Please, Sky, please please please?’ telepathically communicated to him.

“I want to hear you two sing together, please My Sky,” Prapai chimes in.

One day he would say no to such pleading, but that day was not today unfortunately and he feared it was not soon to come. “Fine,” he sighs, “pick us a song.”

“Yes!” Rain cheers.

“But nothing from those stupid teen musical movies you love so much.”

“Sky-”

“Rain, I already agreed to rewatch the trilogy with you for the second time this year, I am not singing anything from it.”

“Okay, I’ll choose something else.”

“Thank you.”

The song Rain chooses is the theme to some anime they had watched a couple of months ago, lasts a whole three minutes, but Sky has a hard time keeping up his disgruntled persona throughout with because of how much fun Rain is having doing this dramatic rendition of the song.

When Sky and Rain finish the song Prapai wasn’t the only one to clap.

They all instantly turn towards the door.

“P’Phayu!” Rain calls running to his lover.

Phayu, having anticipated Rain’s exuberance, already had his arms open to catch him.

“Did you miss me, darling?”

“Of course your wifey missed you, but that can wait, can you hurry and tell P’Pai that everything is okay so he can stop being worried.”

Phayu frowned. “Worried about what?” he asked looking over at Prapai, who was currently looking a curious mix of guilty and scared.

“The picture, P’Phayu.” Sky reminded him softly.

Before Phayu can say a word to him, Prapai speaks up, “Petplay. Sky and I are involved in non-sexual petplay,” the words are delivered harshly, practically daring Phayu to ridicule him for it.

Phayu steps away from Rain and goes over to where Prapai is standing. “I just have two questions.”

“Yes?”

“What’s your name when you’re in your headspace?”

“Kuma. What’s the other question?”

“When do I get to interact with Kuma?”

“Huh?” Prapai asked clearly blindsided by the question.

Phayu laughs softly. “You really thought I would make fun of you?”

Prapai grins sheepishly. “Yeah.”

“Pai, you’re my friend. I would never make fun of something so obviously important to you, and by the looks of it Rain, and N’Sky wouldn’t ever forgive me if I did, and I would deserve that.”

“See I told you so,” Rain says brightly as he wraps his arms around Prapai. 

“Yes you did,” Prapai says.

“Come on Sky, you told him so too, right?” Rain says.

“I did,” Sky replies. “But he wouldn’t listen.”

“I get it, I get it” Prapai laughs, ruffling Rain’s hair. “You two were right, I was worried even though I didn’t need to be. What do you guys want as a reward?”

Rain and Sky didn’t even need to look at each other before deciding. “For Kuma to come out to play.”

Phayu grins. “Seems fair to me, what do you think Pai?”

Prapai laughs. “I think that answers your second question.”

~

Prapai is surprised how fast he manages to get dressed, it’s as though one minute he is in his lounge clothes, and the next he is attired in his gear with the ears atop his head.

All that’s left is the collar and once again he hesitates.

Hearing about something, and seeing it first hand were two different things. Even if Phayu had experience with other pups, he didn’t with him. The what ifs and maybes began to plague him again.

Prapai takes a deep breath. Worrying like this wouldn’t fix anything, the only way to know what would actually happen was to go out there and experience it. He wouldn’t be alone either. Sky and Rain would be there for him, and he knew just how protective those two could get. They would never let harm come to him, not even from Phayu.

Before he could second guess himself again, he fastented the collar, and breathed deeply as his thoughts stopped racing within his mind. 

Kuma is anxious though, not since he had first adopted this headspace had he felt so out of sorts, but he was Sky’s brave boy so he left the room, and hurried to his owner’s side.

Sky began to pet him, which as always was something he enjoyed, but Kuma’s attention was stolen by Rain when the boy plopped down on the floor beside him with a bright grin in place, and bumped their shoulders.

Kuma wuffed happily at the playful action, and proceeded to pin Rain, and rub his nose against the soft skin of his face and neck.

Rain laughs, and half-heartedly tries to push him away, but Kuma is relentless, fully intent on leaving Rain a mirthful mess on the floor.

Squeak .

Kuma stilled, he knew that sound. 

It was the squeaky bone! 

Where was it?!

Squeak!

Kuma looked around, and his eyes fell on the newcomer in their midst, who was holding his toy out invitingly.

“Kuma, come here.”

Before he could even think, his body was in motion, moving him closer to the person in the chair.

When he arrived at the man’s feet he cautiously looked up.

“Good boy,” came the firm reassurance, and then the toy was there before him.

He placed his paws on a free section of the chair to push himself up high enough to take it carefully, making sure not to nip or drool on the hand that offered it.

Freed from the task of holding the toy, the hand gives him a friendly pat.

So entranced is he that he fails to notice Rain sneaking up on him until he is on his back. 

Thankfully he has practice escaping such a hold, and he manages to dislodge him and scurry away. 

Rain chases him dodging around the furniture in a bid to cut him off and take his treasure.

Kuma backs up, squaring up to protect his toy.

Rain smiles, and then, “Mew!”

It's so cute that he can't help freezing and staring.

This reaction has the side effect of allowing Rain to claim the squeak toy from him.

Rain laughs as he runs over to Phayu.

“P'Phayu will you toss it for us?” He asks with his body practically vibrating from the happiness within him.

Phayu studies him for a few seconds before smiling at him and taking the toy. He gives it a gentle toss, in Kuma's favor.

Rain hurries towards it though, and manages to grab the bone right before Kuma can. 

Kuma rears up, and pulls Rain down to the ground, nuzzling and nudging until he manages to steal the bone away.

Rain sat there dumbfounded at the actions that had lost him the toy, and Kuma was strutting away far too proud of himself.

Rain goes after him while he’s still distracted by his victory, catching him unaware, and he begins petting and scratching gently at his favorite spots and naturally Kuma melts at the attention, going slack jawed, and allowing Rain to reclaim the bone.

Kuma whines as Rain stops petting him, and Rain glances between the toy and the pup. After a few seconds he tosses the toy to the side and tackles Kuma, the same way Kuma had done earlier.

Kuma paws at him, and Rain lets him up. Kuma then proceeds to attack him with cuddles, and Rain naturally fights cuddles with cuddles, and in the end they end up an exhausted mess cuddled together on the floor.

Phayu comes over and kneels to pet Kuma. 

Kuma untangles himself from Rain and presses against Phayu until he is laying across his lap.

“Kuma,” Sky chides, but Phayu waves him off. 

“I know about his addiction to cuddles,” Phayu says fondly.

Sky laughs softly, and then his gaze falls to Rain. His friend looks a bit miffed, and he can’t tell if it is because Phayu is petting Prapai in petspace or if it’s because Kuma had abandoned him to cuddle Phayu.

Either way it’s clear Rain wants some attention too.

“Come here, you nuisance,” Sky says as he sits down on the ground with the rest of them.

Rain shoots him a confused look.

Sky huffs, and practically pulls Rain into his lap.

Rain squirms for a bit, but settles down when Sky presses one arm over his waist as a gentle restraint. 

Sky pulls him closer, and Rain goes willingly, sliding down slightly, so that he can rest his head directly over Sky’s heart.

Sky holds him steady with one arm, and uses his free hand to run fingers through Rain’s hair.  

~

“Is he asleep?” Sky asks.

“He is. He didn’t sleep well did he?”

Sky nods. “He was really worried about what you would think.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?”

“It couldn't have been easy watching him worry about this. He was afraid of me and of how I would react to something that brings him comfort. What does that say about our friendship?”

“That it matters to him.”

That answer seems to startle him. “Thank you,” he says with a sincere smile.

Phayu and Prapai were quite the pair it seemed. Individually they exuded insane amounts of confidence, but he often saw the softer side of Prapai, not so much with Phayu, and it was comforting to know that Phayu felt safe showing that vulnerable side to him.

“I see Rain has fallen asleep as well. Did he have trouble sleeping last night?” Phayu asked.

Sky shakes his head. “He actually went to bed early, but he was really stressed when he got here yesterday.”

Phayu nods. “I shouldn’t have gone.”

Sky rolls his eyes. “As much as you two would probably love it, you can’t be with him all the time. Even if you had been in the city it still could have happened, you just would have arrived a lot earlier.” Actually that may have been disastrous because then Rain and Phayu would have felt bad if Rain had rebuffed Phayu’s attempt at comfort.

“What did you just think of?”

Sky debates the merits of lying, but decides against it. “Just that, in the state he was in, he wasn’t receptive to physical touches, so if you had been here…” Sky trails off seeing understanding in Phayu’s eyes.

He would have tried to use his usual methods of comforting and Phayu knew that Rain would have felt horrible once he was in the right headspace to perceive it had he pushed him away during that. Rain’s sadness would have made Phayu more upset than the rejection itself. “I suppose my absence was a blessing in disguise in that case,” he says mostly to himself, and then adds with a slightly brighter tone, “and I wouldn’t have gotten to meet Kuma had I been here.”

“That’s the bright side?” Sky asks.

Phayu grins, while the words were somewhat harsh, the tone was far too fond to come off as anything less than adoration.

Looking down at the cuddlemonster himself though, Phayu can understand why. Pai was a lot of things, but before seeing him in his petspace, innocent was not one of the adjectives that he would have used to describe him. “Yes it is. Seeing Rain interact with him was interesting as well. Does he usually play with him like that?”

Sky shakes his head. “That was new, not the playing, Rain loves playing with Kuma, but the fighting over the toy, and the amount of wrestling, was unusual. Maybe it’s because Kuma was the one that really calmed him down once he was more receptive to affection?”

“That could be it.”

“You think there might be another reason?”

“I think he might enjoy the freedom of pet play.”

“He mentioned that sometimes he likes not having to think too much.”

Phayu nods.

“Would you be okay if that happened?” I mean if he does want to play that way it probably would be here since that side of him seems to happen more when Kuma is around.”

“I wouldn’t mind. I’m happy knowing that he has more than one place where he is able to feel that level of safety. I’ll talk with him about it though, in the end that is a conversation that he should be part of.”

Sky nods in agreement. “Make sure he knows that I’m okay with it too, and please don’t forget to say that I am more than sure I can handle the two of them at the same time.”

“I’ll make sure to tell him that when the time comes.”

“Oh and P’Phayu,” Sky starts.

“Yes?”

“Don’t get too protective of him, I would like to hang out with my best friend again before the year is over.”

Phayu shoots him a mock glare, and Sky snickers at the reaction before shifting his attention to Rain. His friend was having a pleasant dream, something Sky was truly grateful for. Hopefully the nasty nightmares would stay far away for the foreseeable future so that Rain could resume his role of being a ball of fluff and sunshine. Sky smiles as Rain snuggles in further, apparently pleased with using Sky as a pillow. Well he’d let him get away with it for now, but Rain better not complain when it was his turn to be a pillow. Who was he kidding, Rain would never complain about that, he soaked up all the affection Sky could throw at him, and returned it tenfold, it was one of the reasons they got along so well. 

When he looks back up, he notices that Phayu’s attention is on him. The look in his eyes is soft though, the way it usually is when he looks at Rain. Love really is a nice look on Phayu. 

Nothing more needed to be said between them because they knew where they stood with one another, and so with an air of solidarity settled between them they patiently waited for the sleeping pair to awaken.

Chapter Text

“Sky!” 

Hearing his name, Sky turned around and saw Rain running towards him at full speed. Wait…was the boy actually emitting shojo sparkles? He blinked okay there were no actual sparkles, but he was aglow with happiness, and only a few seconds from colliding with him.

He had several options before the inevitable occurred, but as he considered those options the fact that he hasn’t seen Rain since Phayu took him home on Friday washes over him. While it had only been roughly three days since then, it was still nice to see him, especially looking so happy after everything that had happened that day. With that thought in mind, Sky doesn’t bother to do his usual dodge, and instead actually pulls Rain into a hug.

Rain freezes, and Sky guesses it because his friend is stunned by the unexpected reaction his hug attack had gotten, but then Rain laughs happily at the warm reception, and hugs Sky in return.

“Why are you so excited?” Sky says once he lets go of him.

Rain looks around, and while there are a few other students gathering it’s still relatively quiet, and they have a bit of time before class starts. “P’Phayu told me what you two talked about on Friday,” Rain says unable to contain his happiness. 

Sky couldn’t help grinning because of how Rain was actually vibrating with excitement. “Is it really that exciting for you?”

Rain nods rapidly. “I was really happy when he told me. Have you talked to P’Pai about it?”

Sky nods, and manages to summon a put upon expression. “He was thrilled, of course. Nearly drove me crazy with all his ideas of how the first time would be, and he even offered to contact his friend that made his outfit if you wanted him too.”

Rain was positively giddy. “ I’m still deciding what I want, but I’ll make up my mind by Saturday night, and I was going to ask him then.”

“Oh that is this week isn’t it?” Sky muses. He and Rain had chosen to stop going to the races for a while after the whole incident with Gun and the subsequent fear that became associated with the monthly event. 

Rain nodded. Then he frowned. “Do you mind going this month, right?”

Sky smiled softly at his friend’s concern. To be fair it was still an anxiety inducing prospect, but  he couldn’t deny that he missed the event and the energy of it, and part of him just wanted to go and prove that Gun no longer had any sway in his life. “It’s okay. P’Phayu, P’Saifah, and P’Chai will probably smother us with protection, and I really do miss being able to cheer P’Pai on when we don’t go.”

Rain snickered.

Sky rolled his eyes. “Don’t even start. You and P’Phayu are loads worse than we are with PDA and lovey dovey stuff.”

“I’m really happy that you let him love you, Sky.”

Sky thinks about denying his affection for Prapai, but Rain would see right through it, and it really was time he started being more honest about his feelings. “So am I. Now let’s hurry, we don’t want to be late for class.”

Rain nods, and follows Sky.

~

With school starting back up, and their professors adding new assignments as though trying to make up for the fact that they couldn’t during vacation, Rain starts to lose track of time. In his defense though, the days had begun to blur because of the easy pattern that they fell into.

Wake up, go to school, meet up with Sky, attend classes, stay after class to work, and then go home to Phayu, work some more, break for dinner, a bit of loving from his hubby, his before bed routine and then off to sleep. Rinse and repeat and suddenly it was Friday night and Phayu was pulling him close as they lay snuggled in bed together.

Rain shifts.

Normally being snuggled up with his hubby is enough to put him in a zen state of being, but tonight is different. It’s night before the race, an event he hasn’t been to in a while, but the anxiety is driven back by the fact that he would finally get to let Sky, Prapai and Phayu know what he’s decided on for his petsona.

He had briefly toyed with mythical creatures and the like, but as interesting as it might be, he wanted something simpler that he could just be when he wanted an escape from the heaviness of his responsibilities. He had waffled a bit between the choices because there were so many and he wanted to choose something that would be the right fit for him the same way adorable husky fit Prapai, and finally he settled on something that suited him the best, and he hadn’t told anyone yet. At this rate he wouldn’t get any sleep, and he and Phayu would be teased for it.

“Excited for tomorrow?” Phayu asks in an amused tone as Rain shifts again.

“Yes. I mean I’m nervous too, but I really want to tell all of you what animal I decided on.”

“I’m surprised you managed to keep it secret from all of us.”

Rain blushes. Big secrets like the races, and Sky’s past he could keep just fine, but smaller things, especially things he wanted to talk about he was lucky to last a few hours with. “I just settled on it when I got home from school.”

“Will you tell me first?”

“P’Phayu that wouldn’t be fair!”

“I was just teasing you, darling. I know that this was a big choice for you, and I’m happy to wait until you’re ready to tell me. I promise”

Rain beams at him, but then it fades. “Is it really okay?”

“It?”

“That I want to play like that with Sky, and P’Pai. I mean I know Sky said he can handle it, but what if it is too much? What if P’Pai finds out that he doesn’t like sharing Sky? Or what if you feel lonely when I go play with them? What if-”

“Rain,” Phayu says softly. 

The fearful worries spilling from him halt as Rain focuses on Phayu, and his panic begins to subside even before the reassuring words can be spoken because Phayu knows him. Phayu knows that Rain will completely focus on him when his name is said in that soft loving tone and in that quiet space he is free to help Rain either find the needed answers or coax him from a spiral. This is a power that Rain gladly gives him, and the Pavlovian calm that results never fails to quiet his turbulent thoughts.

“The four of us are more than just a friend group. Communication is a crucial part of what we’ve become to one another.”

It’s not a question, but Rain nods anyway. Everything about why they had become a complex unit of four was awful, but he couldn’t imagine his life now without Sky being so comfortable with him that they could just talk about anything and everything without there being dark shadows he wasn’t granted access to. In that same way he couldn’t imagine just being friends in passing with Prapai, with their only bond being the people that they loved.

“They will tell you if it is too much,” Phayu promises, “I truly think it is nice that you three have that kind of bond, and I don’t feel being pushed out because of it. You and Pai often have a lot of energy, and it is satisfying to watch you feed on the presence of each other until you both calm down. In that same way N’Sky balances you both out, with a gentle, but commanding energy. I can be involved if I feel a bit lost and lonely or if you all simply want me to be there. Does that make you feel better?”

Rain nods again. “I guess now that I’ve decided what I want to be it’s just more real.”

“That makes sense. Remember to tell them about your worries, especially before you guys play together.”

“I will,” Rain promises.

“Good boy,” Phayu praises him.

“P’Phayu,” Rain says just as begins to drift off.

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, sweet boy.”

~

As was normal, time seemed to move agonizingly slowly when there was something being waited on. Even though Rain had slept in, and jotted down some ideas for an upcoming assignment, time still moved at a snail's pace.

Saifah had of course made fun of him, to which Rain responded maturely by sticking his tongue out at him, much to Saifah’s amusement.

Eventually though, it was time for them to get ready to go, so Rain put on a slightly too small t-shirt that Phayu loved to hate, added a button down over top of it, and a pair of blue jeans to finish the look.

Phayu notices the shirt immediately since Rain hadn’t bothered to loop even a single button through its corresponding hole, and Rain just grins innocently eagerly awaiting the punishment that would come when they were home alone.

After passing through security, Phayu begins to set up, and as usual Rain sticks close to him, because he loves watching him tend to the bikes. The competence and the care he displays when doing so makes Rain fall in love with him even more even though sometimes it feels like it should be impossible given how much he already loves him.

A hand suddenly waving before his eyes grabs his attention.

“P’Pai?!”

“I called your name, but you didn’t hear me,” Prapai laughs. 

Rain pouts. “I was busy.”

Prapai nods sagely. “Admiring Phayu. Can’t say I understand the appeal though.”

Sky sighs. “You’re just asking for trouble again, P'Pai.”

Rain looks over at his friend, and blinks. Sky had dressed up just a bit. Like Rain, jeans and a t-shirt were his usual going to the race attire, but this outfit was all black and fit him quite well, and was he wearing make-up? Rain moves a bit closer. He was! It was light but definitely there, and the finishing touch was the racing jacket, which definitely was bought for him by Prapai since it matched the one the man was wearing.

“Earth to Rain,” Sky says, making Rain focus on him.

“Sky,” Rain whines, “why didn’t you tell me you were dressing up?!”

Sky rolls his eyes. 

Prapai looks at Sky, his love on clear display. “He looks amazing doesn’t he? We almost didn’t make it to the race.”

“P’Pai,” Sky says, his voice a warning, but the effectiveness was slightly dulled by his blush.

“What? I can’t help that my boyfriend is so sexy that all I want to do is make love to him.”

Sky glares at him. “You won’t get any love from your boyfriend if you don’t cut it out.”

Prapai holds up his hands in surrender.

“Sky and P’Pai sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G -”

“Rain, don’t you dare finish that or you’ll be sorry.”

Rain glances at Prapai, and in unison they say, “I love you Sky.”

Sky looks between them like he can’t decide if he should hit them or not. “What did I do to deserve you two?” Sky huffs. 

“Something good?” Prapai suggests.

“Something right?” Rain suggests.

“That’s it. I’m going to talk to P’Phayu before you two actually manage to drive me insane.”

“He’s so adorable,” Prapai coos with a smile, before turning to Rain. “Sky said you had something to tell me.”

Rain nods, realizing then that Sky had set up this chance to talk for them, but he wants to tell them what he has picked all at once. “I wanted to try petplay with you and Sky.”

Prapai nods. “Have you decided what kind of outfit you want?” 

Rain nods.

“Then I’ll introduce you to the person that made mine.”

“I would really like that. I also wanted to tell you what animal I picked.”

“You decided already?”

Rain nods proudly. “I want to tell you, Sky and P’Phayu at the same time though.”

Prapai smiles. “Let’s go. I can’t wait to find out what you’ve decided on.”

Rain smiles back, grabs Prapai’s arm, dragging him over to Sky and Phayu. “Is your sanity safe?” Rain asks.

“Barely,” Sky responds with a grin. “P’Phayu said you wanted to tell us all at the same time.”

Rain nods wildly. 

“Alright spit it out before you pass out.”

~

Saifah looks around and finds the four of them off in a corner together; the sight honestly doesn’t surprise him. Whenever the four of them are in the same space they seem to gravitate towards each other.

Sometimes he wonders how much of their cohesion is simply because they are two pairs of best friends who are dating, and how much of it is the result of the shared experience of trauma.  Would they have been so close had darkness not come calling?

There is still a lot that he didn’t know about that darkness, but he knew enough of it to see that it had taken a toll on each of them.

He didn’t know Sky quite as well as the other three, but from the brief interactions he had with him he could see the guilt within that influenced his behavior, especially when it came to Rain. Sky tended to go along with whatever Rain wanted to do, and perhaps that was part of their dynamic before, it was clear that he was seeking to apologize for something that none of them blamed him for. Rain seemed to recognize it as well, so he would gently push Sky to make choices by being a bit more scatterbrained than usual and pushing Sky to take charge.

With Rain it was easier to notice because he saw more of him. It was the way he would just get quiet sometimes, and the nightmares that drove him further into Phayu’s arms. If he managed to wake up without disturbing his Phayu, Rain would go to the kitchen for a glass of water, some nights he would return to bed afterwards and other nights he would dissolve into tears. The first time Saifah had found him that way he had sat next to him tentatively, not knowing what Rain would accept from him. Later, though, after they had become more comfortable with each other, he would just hold him and let him cry. They would never talk about it when daylight came, but he knew Rain valued his presence in those moments because now he would gently knock on his door to ask for his company instead of waiting for his arrival in the kitchen.

Prapai and Phayu were the easiest for him to notice a change in.

Prapai was usually cheerful. Of course he had moments of seriousness, and he knew when a situation demanded more of him, but he was typically happy in his own skin. He worked hard, and played just as much and then he met ‘the boy’. It had been quite a thing to watch as he’d gone from wide-eyed infatuation to head over heels in love, and he had been floating on clouds ever since he had won Sky’s affection. 

Then came the darkness, and some of that cheerfulness was robbed from him. He had been less steady, but the others refused to let him endure by himself. They didn’t push him too much, and it let him confide in him by his own choice. Being around them brought out his light, especially when he was around Rain, since the two seemed to feed on each other’s sillier traits. 

And finally there was his brother. Phayu had always been the demanding type, possessive of the things he valued, but now there was a concentrated aura of protectiveness that flowed out like a barrier when he was around any or all of the others. There was more fragility too. He’d never seen his brother more in love than he did when Rain was around and the fact that Rain had been hurt, and some of that pain was a direct result of Phayu’s actions had wounded him. The powerlessness he had felt had led to more than a few nightmares, usually when Rain wasn’t with him, but the silver lining of it was that the others were protective of Phayu too, they refused to let him burn out, and seemed to coax him into being more open.

“Saifah, are you alright?”

Saifah pulled up a smile. “Yes,” he says pointing over at the group of four, “target acquired.” When they get closer he calls out, “There’s a challenger for you.” The suspicion in the air is darn near tangible and Saifah hurries to add. “I can vouch for him.”

The tension almost vanishes completely and Saifah's smile becomes more genuine because he can’t help how happy it makes him that his word carries that much weight for them. “This is Taz, he’s a top racer over at P’Jun track, and he thought he would come over for a little friendly rivalry.”

“Well if Sai says you are good you must be,” Prapai says. “So what’s the stakes?”

Taz looks surprised. “Would you settle for 1000 baht?”

Prapai grins. “Works for me, I’ll put it towards buying a racing jacket for my little brother.”

“P’Pai-”

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed the looks you’ve been giving Sky’s tonight, and you can’t be mad if it’s paid for from winning races that you cheered me on for, right?”

“Then I won’t cheer for you.”

Prapai proceeds to send him a sorrowful set of puppy dog eyes, which usually would make Rain give up instantly, but he’s determined to stand his ground this time, because if he let Prapai have his way with this he would make a million baht and spend it all on the jacket and Rain would be too afraid to wear it.

“I don’t want to race then,” Prapai laments.

Taz gently nudges Saifah. “Does this mean I won’t get to race him?” he asks quietly.

Saifah grins. “He’ll race you as soon as he gets Rain to cheer for him. Those two,” he indicates Rain and Sky with a quick glance, “haven’t come to the races lately. The one in the jacket is his boy, and Rain is his sibling in all but blood so it means a lot that they cheer him on tonight.”

“Maybe I should help him out?”

Saifah laughs. “Sure, just don’t go too far. Rain is Phayu’s boy, and they are all protective of each other.”

“Okay,” Taz says as he reaches into his pocket.

Saifah rolls his eyes, Taz was always prepared to put on a show.

“Nong,” Taz says, addressing Rain.

Rain’s attention shifts to him, and Taz takes that moment to execute a movement that ripped straight from a ballet dancer’s arsenal, which makes the cape that had magically appeared flare out as it flows with the movement. In short he looks like one of the love interests in an otome game when they are introduced in the opening cinematic. “Won’t you please cheer for that poor racer so I can have my challenge with him?” 

“Rain, are you seeing shojo sparkles?” Sky asks in a carefully neutral tone.

Rain nods. “So many sparkles.”

Taz strikes the finishing blow by somehow making a yellow rose appear out of thin air.

The sparkly one was too powerful, and thus Rain had no choice but to give in to the sparkles and cheer for Prapai.

Chapter Text

“And I lost,” Taz sighs as he removes his helmet.

“It was a good race though,” Prapai praises him.

“Still a loss is a loss,” Taz says, handing over the money he had bet.

Prapai shakes his head. “You got my brother to cheer for me, that’s payment enough for this time.”

Taz laughs as he puts the bills away. “You guys really are close, huh?”

Prapai nods looking at Rain and Sky who were making their way over to him. “They are mine,” he says.

With most people that would sound possessive, maybe even a bit off-putting but all Taz can hear is protective fury and he couldn't help wondering what had happened to account for such a strength of emotion.

“Did I look cool?” Prapai asks with a radiant grin when Sky and Rain reach him.

“You shouldn’t ask questions you know the answer to,” Sky says, but the fact that he’s glued himself to Prapai’s side belies the nonchalant tone and phrasing.

Rain, on the other hand, seems to have no qualms about being honest with his response. “You looked very cool. After P’Phayu you’re the one that looks most awesome on a bike!”

Prapai laughs. “High praise,” he says as he ruffles Rain’s hair, and then begins to guide their three person chain to the sidelines to let another set of racers get ready.

Taz makes a split second decision and runs to catch up with them. “Hey, would you three mind giving me your contact information?” 

Something in the air changed then, and Taz hurried to explain in an attempt to bring back that playful atmosphere. “It’s just that aside from Saifah, I’m kind of alone at sea here, and you all seem fun to be around. It’s alright if you say no though.” 

“There’s something else too, isn’t there?” Prapai asks.

Taz lets out an embarrassed laugh. “Caught. My girlfriend… she wants a double date, I’m sure a triple date would be fine too. The problem is I tend to put people off with my personality, and you guys seem to tolerate me just fine. Not that I know you that well but Saifah has good judgment, well at least when it comes to people… most of the time.

“Again you guys can say no, but I would like it if you didn’t.  Feel free to tell me to shut up any time now. Did you want to see her? My girlfriend I mean? Here!”

Without stopping for a response Taz pulled out his phone and showed them a picture… of a dog. “Hold on! Crap, no. That’s Fluffy. Here!” The woman in the picture is recognizable to all three of them.

“You’re dating P’Zumi?!” Rain exclaims.

“You know her?”

Rain nods wildly. 

Sky laughs. “ That's why you wanted our numbers.”

“She told you about her…”

“Preference?” Prapai supplies with a grin.

Taz blushes. “Yes that. I can’t even tell you how many BL dramas I’ve had to watch with her.”

“Which one was your favorite?” Sky asks.

“My Love Mix-up,” Taz replies instantly. “Aoki was too cute not to love, and Zumi teased me the whole time about liking the show more than she did.”

“Hey Pai, you have another challenger,” Saifah calls out to him.

“It better not be Mil again,” Prapai sighs.

Saifah laughs. “It’s Mil again.”

“Mil?” Sky asks. 

“He’s been challenging me for a few months now. He’s just some rich kid that has more money than skill. I keep telling him to work his way up but he won’t listen. Will you give me a good luck kiss?” he asks Sky.

Sky rolls his eyes. “I thought it was going to be an easy win, why would you need luck?”

“Please?”

“Fine,” Sky says, giving him a chaste peck that lasts less than half a second.

Naturally Prapai lights up brighter than the most gaudy Christmas tree in the world. 

“Go on loverboy, I’ll stay with them,” Saifah says.

Prapai nods. “Oh Sky, you can give Taz my number too okay?”

Sky nods, and Prapai goes off to win yet another race.

~

After the event was packed up like the most efficient traveling circus to ever exist, Phayu goes over to where Sky has been waiting for him since Taz said goodnight, and  Rain and Prapai had left.  “I didn’t make you wait too long did I?”

Sky shakes his head. Honestly he had expected it to take longer, so it was a pleasant surprise that he’d only had to wait half an hour. “Rain was right, you are different when you’re with the bikes. I never really noticed it before.”

“I like tending to the bikes, they are easier to handle than people, so it’s relaxing to work on them.”

Sky nods in agreement. There was a lot of comfort to be found in doing an action and knowing in advance what the result would be, especially when that certainty couldn’t be counted on elsewhere.

“So you’ve decided on a name for him?” Phayu asks as he buckles his seatbelt.

Sky grins as he fastens his own seatbelt. “I already knew what it would be when we were talking that day.”

“And you’re not going to tell me until we get there are you?” Phayu asks as he pulls onto the street. This late at night the road is fairly empty with only a few other late night travelers.

“Was it that obvious, Phi?”

Phayu can hear the smirk in Sky’s tone. “Yes. It seems that you and Rain are alike in that way.”

“In what way?”

“That you like to leave me in suspense when it suits you,” Phayu says, looking over at Sky since they were at a red light.

Sky laughs. “Well unfortunately you, you can’t punish me like you do with Rain.”

“Can’t I?” Phayu says dangerously.

Sky freezes.

Phayu pulls over.  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have teased you like that.”

Sky takes a breath.

“Are you alright, Nong? Should I take you home?” Phayu asks with forced calm.

Sky shakes his head. “I’m…fine?”

Phayu frowns. “I’ll call Pai. He can take you home.”

“No. I am fine. I thought it would be a trigger for me so I just preparing for it.”

Phayu doesn’t seem convinced.

“I’m okay, P’Phayu,” Sky insists. “I think it’s because I trust you. I know you won’t hurt me so I was just a little shocked that’s all.”

“You’re sure you’re alright?”

Sky nods.

“What’s the matter?” Phayu asks when he catches Sky fidget a bit in his seat.

 “I liked it.”

Phayu simply waits. 

Sky looks at him, and then down to his lap where hands are folded. 

“I liked the power in your voice. I feel like you could talk me down from any kind of spiral using that tone. Is that okay? It doesn’t make everything weird does it?”

Phayu laughs softly in response to that concern. 

Sky joins in after a moment, because Phayu is right. This is hardly the weirdest thing about their relationship. If there was a handbook written on interaction with your best friend’s boyfriend, they had probably blown past most if not all of the items in it the first time they’d literally slept together, and definitely by the time that they had shared a scene just to make sure that Sky would be emotionally secure. So this, enjoying that commanding tone Phayu was capable of,  it was simply yet another thing in a long list that they shared. “Rain’s never going to let me live this one down, is he?”

Phayu just pulls back onto the road which answers that question quite well.

~

“What’s your friend like?” Rain asks.

“A bit eccentric, but a really good person.”

“Are you sure it won’t matter that we’re visiting so late?”

Prapai grins. “They are a nightowl. They’ve been that way since we met, and I learned early that If you wake Khim before noon there better be a really good reason for it.”

“Have you tried to wake them before that?”

“Once,” Prapai says with a shiver. “It was the scariest thing ever, and I’ve had to deal with a sick Phayu.”

“P’Phayu isn’t scary when he’s sick.”

“Maybe not for you , but he’s a terror for anyone else.”

“So he likes me best?”

“You know he does. I was so happy once you two were together, because if I had to endure one more session of ‘that boy doesn’t know how cute he is,’ I might have actually gone crazy.”

“P’Phayu talked to you about me?”

“Of course he did. Got a taste of his own medicine after I met Sky though. I guess being in love turns everyone into a sappy mess.”

Rain nods in agreement. “Sky is way more cuddly now, even though he still pretends to be as prickly as a cactus.”

Prapai laughs. “I’m telling him you said that.”

“He already knows. I had a cactus emoji next to his name for a month.”

“And how did he react?”

“He added the galaxy emoji to my name and said it was because I take up too much of his space, but really he was calling me spacey but didn’t want to admit to the silly pun.”

“My Sky is so cute!”

“Not as cute as my hubby.”

Prapai lets out some weird amalgamation of laugh, snort, and wheeze. “There is nothing cute about Phayu.”

“You might need to see an eye doctor, P’Pai,” Rain tells him as Prapai pulls into a parking lot.

Prapai just laughs in response, as he undoes his seat belt.

Rain copies the action and follows him. Prapai presses one the button for one of the unit's and they get buzzed inside. They don’t have far to go before Prapai knocks on one of the doors.

“You’re late,” Khim says as they pull open the door.

The person before him was tall, with dark eyes, and fair skin. Their hair was shoulder length and was held back with a hair tie that was black and gold. They were dressed in a cheongsam, with the same color, the base fabric was dark and had been decorated with  intricate golden patterns that Rain’s eyes instinctively try to follow.

“I’ll add extra payment on my commission,” Prapai says, waving away the admonishment as though this was something that happened often.

“The boy is cute so I’ll let it go this time. Come inside.”

The room they enter is awash in color. It was like a craft shop had exploded and it felt like it should clash given that there were so many shades of a multitude of colors, but somehow it simply works. 

Rain’s attention is pulled away from the odd decor by Prapai introducing him, and Khim begins to study him. 

Catching Rain’s discomfort Prapai rests a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Khim has a bad habit where they stare creepily while estimating someone’s measurements.”

“Oh,” Rain says, lacking any other response. The staring was a bit odd, but he had some habits himself so he couldn’t be too judgmental over it, especially when he was the one being done a favor.

“What were you thinking as far as design?” Khim asks as they grab a measuring tape.

“Golden, and soft, with a longer tail.”

“Hmmm,” Khim hums as they measure Rain.

Rain casts an uncertain glance at Prapai.

Prapai smiles encouragingly.

“Continue,” Khim orders.

“Easy to move in, and a snug fit.”

“Stripes?”

“Light ones on the arms, legs and tail, if that’s not too much.”

Khim pauses in their measurements. “I am a master of my craft, a few stripes will not best me. Go, I have to begin working.”

“Huh? You’re going to make it now?”

Khim glares at Prapai. “Did you not explain to him how I work?”

“Khim has a quirk or maybe obsessive tendency might be a better descriptor.”

“Still an idiot,” Khim says, shaking their head. “I have to work while the idea is fresh. Give me three hours and it will be ready, now shoo.”

“I’ll be back tonight,” Prapai tells them.

Khim waves him away dismissively.

“Thank you,” Rain says.

Khim grins at him before getting back to work.

Prapai accepts this in turn because Rain was able to turn Phayu cuddly, so Khim never stood a chance against him. “Let’s go, if I don’t get you home soon Phayu will probably contemplate taking up the kind of voodoo they do in those horror movies and with my luck it’ll really work for him.” 

Rain smiles as he follows Prapai out the door.

“Hey!” Prapai exclaims in faux outrage.

“Just imagining P’Phayu in a witch doctor costume,” Rain tells him.

Prapai seems to consider that and pulls out his phone when they get into the car. First he sends Sky a text to let him know that they are on their way, then he looks up witch doctor’s outfits. “Actually this might not be a bad look on him,” he muses.

Rain sends a message to Phayu to let him know that they were on their way and then looks up some of the outfits. “This one would look amazing,” he says.

Prapai looks over to see his screen. “You’re right, it would suit him. What would suit Sky the best?”

Rain doesn’t think the question was really aimed at him, but he answers anyway. “Hmmm, maybe some jeans and that riding jacket you got for him? He looked really nice in it.”

Prapai nods. “Maybe I can convince him to wear it tomorrow when we play together.”

“That would be nice.”

“What’s wrong?” Prapai asks.

Rain looks at him.

“You look nervous.”

“I guess it’s just real now.”

“If you don’t w-”

Rain shakes his head before Prapai can finish. “I do. I promise, I just…I want it to go well, and I’m scared I won’t know what to do.”

“You do what you always do. Play with Kuma and have fun.”

Rain laughs. “That’s easy. I love Kuma. Thank you, P’Pai.”

Prapai smiles. “You’re welcome.” 

~

“P’Pai just sent me a message to let me know he and Rain are on their way.”

Phayu nods, and looks at his phone.”Rain sent me a message as well. Would you like something to drink while we wait?” Phayu offers.

“Water, please.”

“Make yourself at home, I’ll be right back.”

Sky nods and sits on the couch. He’s just finished dismissing some notifications when Phayu comes back.

“Here you go,” Phayu says, handing him the glass of water.

“Thank you,” Sky says as he takes it.

“Did you want to watch something while we wait for Pai and Rain?”

“If it wouldn’t be too much trouble I wondered if I could see some of your old projects from school, Rain’s been telling me about them for a while so I’m curious.”

“Of course. I’ll be right back.”

In no time at all Phayu returns with two large black binders with Year 2 down the spine. “Most of my favorites are in these binders.”

Sky sets his glass on the table and rubs his hands on his pants to get rid of any residual moisture. 

Phayu grins, and hands the first one to him.

Sky begins flipping through the plastic sleeves, grinning at the detail in each design, and then halfway through he finds one with a huge coffee stain on it, and an unsullied copy of the same design in the next sleeve.

He looks at Phayu, and the man smiles.

“Saifah spilled the coffee on it while he was teasing me. I was so angry at him, but I couldn’t do anything because I hadn’t gotten any sleep the night before trying to make sure it was done and was too tired. The next morning I found Saifah passed out on the couch. He had stayed up all night trying to perfectly recreate the plan down to the last detail. I actually got a decent grade with it and was able to fix it before the next part of the project was due.”

Sky grins, and then turns to the next page and only to find that it isn’t a project that is contained in the next sleeve. It was Prapai’s writing. ‘I will not risk my life for stupid reasons.’ Why did that… oh. “You kept this?”

“I see he told you about writing it.”

Sky nodded even though it wasn’t really a question. “We were talking, and I asked how disowning him had become a joke between the two of you.”

Phayu nods. “I really didn’t expect him to actually do it, but the fact that he did showed me that he valued me as a friend.”

“I’m glad you were able to forgive P’Pai.”

“Forgive me for what?” Prapai says from behind them.

“Being an idiot,” Phayu answers.

“I love you too, Yu,” Prapai says brightly, sending him a hand heart as if he were some kind of idol.

“Get out.”

“Hey!”

Leaving the two of them to bicker, Rain went over to Sky.

“How did it go with P’Pai’s friend?” Sky asks.

“P’Khim is…interesting,” Rain says, lacking a more apt descriptor. “But they will have it done soon, and I can’t wait! It’s going to be amazing.  So were you able to get it?” Rain asks excitedly.

“Of course.”

“Can I see?”

“You just want to know the name I picked out,” Sky accuses.

“Yup!” Rain says not bothering to hide it.

Sky rolls his eyes, but he is excited too. He really hopes Rain will like it. He and Phayu had looked through about two dozen other options before choosing the one resting in the nondescript jewelry case. 

The collar itself is black with silver trim. Attached to it is a metal tag in the shape of a cloud, doubling a symbol for Sky, and Rain, and the tag itself bears a name.  

“Usagi?” Rain says.

“You don’t like it?”

Rain shakes his head. “It’s perfect,” he says softly. “It fits with Kuma too. Thank you, Sky.”

“Come here,” Sky says, inviting Rain to hug him. 

Rain doesn’t hesitate to accept the invitation.

“Hey, I want a hug too,” Prapai whines.

Sky rolls his eyes, but motions for him to come over.

Prapai races towards him, almost tripping in his haste.

Sky hugs him. “Come on Rain, you too.”

Rain laughs and joins the hug. “P’Phayu come hug us too!”

“No thank you.”

“Please, Phi?” Sky asks, channeling his inner Rain.

Phayu joins the hug.

Prapai laughs at that when they separate.

“Let’s see you refuse them,” Phayu challenges.

“I wouldn’t even try.”

“You’re smarter than I thought.”

“I accept your back-handed compliment as a token of  your love.”

“Come on P’Pai, let’s head home before you antagonize P’Phayu too much and end up writing more lines.”

“He’s the one that starts it. Hold on, why are you on his side? Phayu what did you do to my boy?”

Phayu grins. “Nothing. Right, Nong?"

Sky turns away but not before Rain and Prapai catches the flush in his cheeks.

“Sky, did something happen?” Rain asks.

Sky turns to look at his friend, finding Rain looking far too concerned. Well fine, he’d been planning to tell him anyway so... “I like his Dom voice!” But not like that!

“Eh?”

“Don’t make me say it again,” Sky groans.

Prapai turns to Phayu for an explanation.

“I teased him because of something he said about Rain. I thought I had gone too far, so I apologized, and offered to take him home or to call you. But he recovered quickly, and we checked in with each other to make sure that we were both comfortable with what happened.”

Sky nods. “P’Phayu was really good about making sure I was feeling safe.”

“P’Phayu always makes me feel safe,” Rain agrees, because of course that was the most important thing for him to remark on.

“Are you upset with us P’Pai?”

Prapai shakes his head. “I was just worried about what would have made him resort to that.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to worry you.”

Prapai shakes his head again. “You don’t have to apologize, I always worry about you, it just comes with being in love.”

“So sappy,” Sky complains more by reflex than anything else, and then he yawns.

Prapai takes him by the hand. “I’m going to take Sky home. Goodnight, we’ll see you both tomorrow.”

“Goodnight,” Rain says to both of them.

Phayu walks them out, and then returns to Rain.

“P’Phayu?”

“Yes?”

“What did Sky say to make you use that voice?”

“That I couldn’t punish him the way I will do to you for leaving me in suspense earlier.”

Rain’s eyes widen and then he turns a bit devious. “And how will you punish me, Phi?” Rain asks innocently as he removes his button down so that Phayu can get a good look at his shirt.

Phayu smiles, it seemed the time had finally come for him to teach his lovely boy a lesson, and luckily for both of them, Rain was an excellent student.

Chapter Text

“P’Pai, will you please sit down?”

Prapai smiles sheepishly, and does as he is told.

Today was the first, hopefully of many, playdates for Usagi and Kuma, and he would bet that Rain was rushing Phayu to get ready so they could get here just that much sooner. Sky can’t even blame Prapai for being equal parts excited and anxious, especially when he is sharing the same cocktail of emotion because he didn’t know who would be most disappointed if something went wrong.

“No, if I can’t pace, you can’t worry,” Prapai says.

“Didn’t you say worry came as a package deal with love?” Sky asks.

“Yes, but not for My Sky.”

“That’s not how this works,” Sky tells him.

“I know, but I want you to worry as little as possible.”

Sky takes Prapai’s hand with his own. 

His hands were so capable.They were used to protect, and persuade, gentle and firm in equal measure. They could show affection through a touch, just as easily as they could inflict pain to someone that challenged him or threatened the things or people he cared about. 

“Sky?”

“Worrying about things is pretty much an instinct for me now, but I won’t let myself be incapacitated by it anymore. I have so much support from the people closest to me that I feel confident I won’t fall into that trap again.”

“And you wondered why I worked so hard to be accepted by you.”

“Why did you?”

“Because you’re brave, and wonderful. You make me want to be the best version of myself, and you are everything I’ve been looking for even before I realized what that would look like."

“P’Pai…”

“Yes, love?”

“I was expecting a quip about how hot I was, now I’m at a loss for words.”

“You can tell me why you love me,” Prapai suggests, as though he isn’t well aware of all the reasons. 

Fine, he would stun him the same way he had just been, it was only fair after all. “You’re perfect for me. Immovable when you have to be, but always willing to listen. I’m so lucky I met you that night, because of that you came to find me, and I became yours, and I don’t mind that. I wanted to hate it, but that would mean never seeing you again, and even at the height of my denial I knew that was the one thing that I didn’t want. I wanted you to love me so badly that it hurt, and I wanted to be a person that was worthy of that love. I’m still working on that though, so P’Pai, will you please love me through all of the changes I’ll go through to become the best version of myself?”

Prapai hugs him. “Of course I will. You’ll be complaining about me and my sappy ways for the rest of your life, I promise.”

Sky hugs him back, laughing as he does so. 

“Are we interrupting?” Phayu asks, startling them both because they were so enraptured in their own conversation that they hadn’t noticed Phayu and Rain’s arrival.

Prapai pulls away from Sky. “No.”

Phayu frowns. “Are you sure?”

Prapai nods. “Sky was just confessing his undying love to me, and I couldn’t help but get emotional about it.”

“And the mood is successfully ruined,” Sky sighs. “Go and get dressed, you nuisance.”

“Hey,” Rain calls out from behind Phayu, “that’s your pet name for me.”

“No your petname is Usagi.”

“Sky!” Rain pouts. 

Sky rolls his eyes as Rain’s dramatics, but he can’t help smiling at them as well. “Both of you are nuisances. Now go get ready. I want to play with my puppy, and meet his new friend.”

Rain dramatically turns and stomps away towards the bedroom. Prapai laughs at the silliness and hurries to follow.

When Rain gets into the room he stops. On the bed laid out waiting for them is the pair of onesies. It's everything he imagined and more, and a wave of anticipation hits him because he wants this. He wants it to go well. He wants to revisit that wordless oasis that he found during a time where Kuma and Sky had been the beacons of light rescuing him from the surrounding darkness.

Glancing over he notices that Prapai has closed the door, and is already nearly finished undressing, and he hurries to follow suit.

“Would you like me to help you?” Prapai asks when he sees that Rain hasn’t made a move to pull on his outfit.

Rain nods. 

Prapai moves closer and then hesitates trying to shake off the fear that had suddenly come over him. He had asked, and Rain had accepted his help; there was no need to panic.

Rain eclipses Prapai's hand and when Prapai looks at him Rain sees that fear and feels a sudden rush of anger.

Not at Prapai or himself, but at the situation, because Prapai shouldn't be afraid of this, not when he is one of the people that has permission to touch. He should be happy to reach out, because he knows Rain enjoys the contact, they are both extremely tactile and it forms a feedback loop of happiness because they know by doing something that makes them happy the other is feeling that same happiness as well.

Prapai was allowed to be as close as he wanted to be allowed to reach out to pull Rain in. Rain had given him these permissions freely, and doubted he would ever have reasons to take them back, and more importantly, Prapai had asked before reaching out just as he often did, and had been given a clear yes.

Rain refused to let this stay this way. He had to do something before the fear could fester so much that Prapai began to fear even sharing casual affectionate moments with him.  

His heart would be broken if he had to endure a future where Prapai second-guesses every ruffle of hair and hug.

What if that fear even bled over into his Kuma time? To lose that rough and tumble playfulness is painful to imagine.

So Rain let go of Prapai’s hands and walked into the older male's space, and wrapped him in a hug.

He feels Prapai shiver, and presses even closer. “I would tell you,” Rain begins, making sure his voice is clear, “I would tell you if I didn't want you this close. I would tell you if you crossed a line and needed to step back, P’Pai, I promise.”

There is a brief pause, and then Prapai finally hugs him back. “I understand,” Prapai says. Then he pulls away and grabs Rain's onesie. “Can I help you get ready?” He asks again. 

Rain nods, and this time Prapai doesn't hesitate. 

~

“They've been in there for a while,” Sky says with a worried frown.

“Let’s give them a bit longer,” Phayu suggests.

Sky knows he’s right. Prapai and Rain were in the room together, and if they needed anything one of them would have called out for either Phayu or himself. Still he can’t help but worry, because Rain is a trouble magnet, and after everything they’ve endured together, the worry comes all too naturally, that worry brings him to his feet and as he begins to pace, he remembers having to tell Prapai to stop pacing about half an hour ago.

Content to be a hypocrite, Sky continues to pace as the what if’s and the maybes begin to overrun his thoughts. 

So entangled is he in the web of such concerns that he doesn’t even notice Phayu moving until he literally crashes into him. 

Sky blinks and gazes up into Phayu’s eyes.

“Calm down, N’Sky.”

Sky looks away, part of him wants to argue with the command, because again, Rain is a trouble magnet, but he really doesn’t want to fight Phayu because he is right, he does need to calm down the last thing he wants is for Rain and Prapai to worry about him when today was meant for far happier pursuits. Yet the worry still coils uncomfortably within his body, and he has no idea what to do with it.

A warm hand rests atop his head, and all his thoughts seem to flee at the contact. Sky looks up again, and the hand flows the path down his head before coming to rest on his shoulder, and pushes.

Sky sits, and Phayu smiles. “We are right here if they need us. There is no danger that will get past us. So we will wait for them, as patient as they need us to be.”

Sky nods. Then he notes the hesitation in Phayu. “P’Phayu what’s wrong?”

“N- I almost fell into a pattern I’ve gotten used to with Rain when he gets overwhelmed. When you listened to me and calmed from the panic, I wanted to praise you for it, and I didn’t know if you would be comfortable with that.”

Sky laughs softly, happy it wasn’t something more serious. “While I don’t think I have the same level of praise kink Rain does, I do enjoy being told that I’ve done a good job.”

“Does that mean that you would be comfortable if I called you a ‘good boy’ and perhaps left the honorific from your name when doing so?”

Once again Sky is struck by the sharp difference in Phayu’s version of dominance. It was as though he were trying to earn the right to behave as he wished in circumstances where cool level-headed domination was beneficial to all parties involved. For Phayu his submission wasn’t a given, it was something that had to be freely given or not at all. 

“Would you… I mean you could try it, that way we can be sure.”

Phayu looks directly at him, making sure their eyes have met before solemnly saying, “I’m so proud of the way you listened to me, you’re a very good boy, Sky.”

And yup, Sky was definitely blushing, but he dosen’t hate it. In fact the words filled him with a sense of validation, justifying his worry, but praising him for calming down even though he was anxious. 

“Alright?” Phayu asks.

Sky nods. 

“I’m happy that you’ll indulge me in this need of mine, however will you promise you will tell me if I get too overbearing or cross a line?”

And yet again there was that juxtaposition of the need to be in control, and setting that control with the condition that it be taken away the moment it was too much. “You mean something like a safeword?” Sky asks.

“I wasn’t thinking of that specific term, but it is accurate, and it would make me feel a lot better knowing that you had an easy way to communicate what you need regardless of the situation that we are in.”

Sky thinks for a moment, and settles on something that would be easy to slip into a conversation. “Since you’ll use just my name when you need to get through to me, what if I used ‘blue’ to mean everything was okay? I guess following that logic ‘gray’ would be the obvious color to mean ‘no’, too.”

Phayu nods. “Whatever is the easiest for you. I hope there won’t be a need for it, but I have seen enough to know that it is better to establish the boundaries before they are needed.”

“P’Phayu?”

“Yes?”

“I’m really glad you’re the one Rain fell in love with. If that didn’t happen, I don’t know if Rain would be nearly as happy as he is with you, and I don’t think I would be as happy either. It was because of you that I got to start learning that submission doesn’t mean being completely passive while being hurt and taken advantage of.”

A flash of anger passes over Phayu, but before it could be misconstrued, he pulls Sky into a hug. “I’m sorry you ever had to endure the attentions of someone who didn’t see how wonderful you are. Having someone submit to you out of genuine fear is…” Phayu takes a deep breath, and Sky can feel how he tenses, “it isn’t right.”

“You would never treat me or Rain like that would you, Phi?” Sky already knows the answer, but he needed to hear it.

“Never.” The word is said with such vehemence that Sky has to pull away and see Phayu’s expression.

The blazing passion and anger there, and knowing that this was toned down for fear of scaring him, well it makes him feel…treasured. Self-esteem was not something he had come out of his relationship with Gun with a surplus of, but Rain, and Prapai had begun to help him gain some of it back, and sitting here with Phayu showing him through action and emotion that he felt that Sky was important, he just couldn’t doubt it. He had scars, metaphorical, and physical, and he couldn’t see them ever fading completely, but he had more good days than bad now, and he owed it to them, to all the people that had rallied to his side and showed him that the trauma induced negativity was something to be worked through with warm hugs, and gentle undemanding company, and not the sole factor that determined his worth. 

Before Sky could utter a response though, the bedroom door finally opened.

Phayu nods when Sky meets his eyes, they would continue this conversation later, but for now they needed to focus on Kuma and Usagi, because that was definitely the pair that was in front of them.

Kuma woofed happily, but was unable to plow forward with his usual speed and incoordination, since Usagi, looking like an overly regal mix of tabby and golden retriever, was perched upon his back as though Kuma were a horse.

Kuma rears up, and Usagi slips off, but the movement is far more fluid than either Phayu or Sky expects, which leads both of them to suspect that some of that time they had been in the room had been spent practicing the movement.

“Mew!” Usagi proclaims proudly.

Kuma wuffs happily, nudging against Usagi’s shoulder with his own.

Usagi darts away, far more graceful than a person should be able to be on all fours, and now Kuma presses forth with his usual speed, and a playful growl.

While Kuma is trying to pin Usagi who is moving with the liquid grace felines are known for, Sky off-handedly comments “I see a lot more kitten in this so-called kuppie, what about you P’Phayu?”

Usagi looks at him, and wriggles out of Kuma’s hold, and growls. 

Phayu smirks, walking over to Usagi and lays a hand atop his head.

And there went another stereotypical canine trait, loyalty, for in the exact moment of contact, the growl morphed into purr that had definitely been created by practicing the way some languages rolled their tongue on the ‘r’ sound.

“I think there is plenty of pup in this hybrid,” Phayu states.

Usagi clear communicates his agreement with a soft “raruff” as though to rub it in. 

“Alright, alright, I was wrong,” Sky surrenders.

Kuma trots over brushing up against Sky’s side, and rises up to paw at him.

“At least my Kuma loves me,” Sky laughs as he pets his puppy. 

Usagi whines softly, and Phayu bends down to whisper something to him.

“Mew?” Usagi asks.

Phayu grins, and Usagi slinks away.

Sky looks suspiciously, but Kuma is being an attention hog, and distracts him.

Suddenly paws are looped about his neck, “Mew,” Usagi says proudly.

Sky gets it at that moment. Usagi had pounced on him, and caught him. He’s just been ‘hunted’.

Phayu hides a laugh behind his hand, but Kuma has no such decorum, and falls to his back laughing merrily.

Sky turns in Usagi’s hold, and finds the kuppie standing in a way that meshes human upright with feline mid-pounce extremely well. 

“Is this an ‘I love you’ or an attack?” Sky asks.

“Mew.”

“An ‘I love you attack?’”

“Mrow!”

“You’re not that cute,” Sky says, but the gentle scratching right under the chin undercuts the validity of the statement. 

Squeak!

And the moment is gone as Kuma and Usagi dash over to Phayu and that accursed squeaky bone toy.

The man tosses it, and they both race for it, getting to it at roughly the same time, instead of taking it, and running with it though, they begin a game of something that has a passing resemblance to soccer. 

Sky watches them scramble around the room, batting at the bone with their paws, and racing after it, wondering how long they would be able to keep up the energy.

Phayu must be thinking along the same lines because he pulls out his phone, taps the screen a few times and turns it to Sky so that he can see that the stopwatch function has been started.

At 24 minutes 44 seconds, and point 18 of another second, Kuma is laying on his side panting, while Usagi is curled up beside him locked in place by Kuma’s paw. 

They are annoyingly cute, to the point that a picture of them would fit right in on one of those online compilations that get cliche names like “20 pictures of fluffing cute pets sure to reduce your weekly stress.”

“I thought they would crash sooner,” Phayu muses, “Rain was up half the night.”

“How much of that ‘half the night’ was your fault, Phi?”

Phayu grins. “About half.”

Sky rolls his eyes. 

“What about Pai?” Phayu asks, noting that the pup in question has already succumbed to sleep.

“He dropped me off, and didn’t get back until after 2:30, because that’s when I fell asleep. He was already up when I woke up too, so he probably only got about five hours of sleep at the most.”

Phayu nods. “Did he eat?” 

“A little, but that was more so I wouldn’t worry about him.”

“Rain was the same this morning. Should we order out?”

Sky nods. “Ordering out is a good idea, Rain is new to this so I don’t know how he’ll react to one of us not being here when he wakes up, but P’Pai panicked and I don’t think I could endure that again.”

“Would you like a hug, Sky?”

Sky nods, and Phayu pulls him in. 

When they finally part, not going too far as they decide to share the sofa, Sky laughs softly. “Is this going to be a thing now?” he asks.

“I wouldn’t mind if it did.”

“I’m happy about that. I used to think we were the weak link in this whole,” Sky waves his hand about lacking a word for it, “whatever we four have.”

“I think we were doomed to bond from the start.”

Sky laughs. Between Rain and Prapai, it had been inevitable. “Let’s decide what to order before they wake up and P’Pai tries to buy something from every restaurant in a 5 mile radius.”

Phayu sighs in a way that shows Sky that he is well-acquainted with Prapai’s habit of ignoring price tags when it comes to showering someone with affection. He pulls out his phone and a sheepish expression comes over him as he peers at the screen.

“P’ Phayu, is something wrong?”

“We’ll have to look for something on your phone, Nong, mine just died.”