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“Can you take a week off soon?”
“How soon?”
“In the next month or so.”
The line crackled as Payu shuffled some papers around. “Probably. I just finished a contract, and I’ll have to double-check with Saifah to make sure the garage is covered, but it shouldn’t be an issue. Why?”
A sly smile curled Pai’s lips. “I have an idea.”
Before he could explain, a rustling behind him caught his attention, and he cursed himself. He’d wanted to be there when Sky woke up. “I’ll text you, okay?”
“Alright. Take care of Sky for us.”
“Always do.”
Pai unceremoniously hung up his phone and tossed it on the bench at the end of his bed. Then he turned to grab the tray off the dresser, loaded down with enough calories to sustain a person through most of the winter, and headed toward the bed where, thankfully, Sky was just stretching, but still looked to be very much asleep.
With a guilty conscience, Prapai set the tray on his nightstand and crawled into bed to wake his boyfriend. He absolutely did not want to wake Sky, who looked nothing short of angelic buried in the bed with the thick, plush blankets pulled up around his neck, but Pai knew that not only was he probably starving, but that he had class in just a few hours. Though he was hoping that he’d be able to convince him to skip his classes today, since the semester was nearing the end and all the important midterms had already been turned in. Today was sure to be a day just for end-of-term lectures; if Pai convinced Sky to skip, he’d definitely be doing him a favor. Depending on his mood, if he was still feeling rattled and vulnerable, or if he was back to being stubborn, borderline-cold Sky, Prapai might be able to keep him wrapped up in the bed or on the couch downstairs with him all day. What he wanted more than anything was to spend the day (and the rest of his life, if he was being honest) lavishing as much affection on the boy as Sky would accept, snuggling and watching all his favorite movies and stuffing him full of his favorite foods and giving him all the loving kisses and cuddles and back rubs he could want. And though he knew he shouldn’t even be thinking about it after last night, if Sky wanted him to, Prapai would gladly spend the entire day buried inside his boy, not fucking him like their first time, but making love to him, slow and sweet, to drive off any lingering memories of unwanted touches. If Sky asked, Prapai would dedicate his whole day to giving him as many bone-melting orgasms as he could, until Sky was completely spent, and shaking for a good reason this time.
Pai snuggled up right next to Sky, ghosting his fingers over the bruise that seemed to be deepening by the hour, right at the corner of Sky’s mouth. He ran a hand through Sky’s hair and set his lips against the boy’s temple, not kissing, but speaking softly against his skin. “Sky,” He cooed gently, “Sky, krub. Wake up, love. Baby?”
Sky didn’t move or open his eyes, so Pai continued, his lips tickling Sky’s skin as he spoke. He hadn’t intended to dump his feelings out, but he couldn’t help it. Everything just bubbled over as soon as Prapai’s lips were against Sky’s skin. Sky was always warm to the touch, like the sun was shining on him every second of every day, which, given the way he smiled, you wouldn’t doubt for a second that the sun shone for Sky and Sky alone.
“Sky, my beautiful and perfect Sky. I wish I knew how to explain to you how precious you are to me. How much I adore everything about you, from the little snarl you give me when I’m being obnoxious to the sneaky smiles that you try to hide from me. I wish you wouldn’t hide them. I love seeing you smile, making you smile. I want to make you smile for the rest of my life. I’ve never wanted anything more than I want you, now and forever. If I had to, I’d give up every single possession I own to keep you with me, and I wouldn’t even think twice about it. I’d even give up the bike,” He laughed, “Though it would hurt, I’m not gonna lie. I love you so much, Sky, and I understand now why you hide those smiles I crave so much, why your wall is so high. I know you’re afraid to get hurt again, but I promise you, I’ll never hurt you, and I’d die before I let anyone else hurt you, either. I want you to let yourself feel safe with me, because I promise you, you are. I hope you know that I’d kill or die for you, and I hope that you let me spoil you for the rest of our lives. Our lives, because my life is nothing without you.”
“Enough!” Sky yelled suddenly, and though he’d never admit it, Pai jumped.
And then Sky’s eyes were open and wet, an embarrassed smile on his lips and a redness dotted on his cheeks that Pai hadn’t noticed rolling in while he spoke. Prapai smirked down at the boy beneath him.
“Good morning,” He teased, and Sky ducked his head. “So do you wanna get on with embarrassing me now, or would you like to wait and do it later? How much of that did you hear?”
“All of it,” Sky admitted with a grimace, but Prapai didn’t frown or scowl, like he almost expected him to. Instead, Pai just chuckled and shook his head.
“Well, I guess I should be embarrassed, but I’m really not.” He moved his hand from Sky’s hair to his cheek, turning his eyes toward him and holding him there as gently as he could. “I’ll say it all again, if you want me to.”
“Please don’t.” The look on Sky’s face was an amalgam, looking almost sad but very pleased, a little guilty, slightly horrified, but also intrigued, and Pai could pick out why he felt each and every one of those emotions.
“Why? Would you cry?”
“No, I’d kick—” Sky started the threat, but cut himself off, which was new. Instead of finishing the thought, he smiled and slipped his hands up around Pai’s neck, pulling him closer and sighing. “Yes. I’d probably cry.”
Ah, so Prapai would be getting the shy, vulnerable, submissive Sky today. Good. This version of Sky would be much easier to talk into playing hooky and not leaving the bed all day. Though they’d have to work at breaking Sky of that submissive side. After last night, Pai knew now that the little flashes of submission he’d seen from Sky had been beaten into him by his ex, who, as Sky had put it, ‘trained him to be obedient’. As easy as it could be sometimes, Prapai didn’t want that submission, that learned behavior. No, Pai almost preferred a battle of wits and words, the back-and-forth banter that Sky was so damn good at. Winning an argument by forfeit was the coward’s way out. No, Pai liked Sky, the bratty, stubborn, defiant Sky. That was who Sky really was, and that was the Sky that Prapai had fallen in love with so hard and so quickly. He pressed a kiss to his forehead.
“I won’t say it all again, then. Just know that whenever you need reassurance, I want you to not be afraid to ask for it. If there’s ever a moment when doubt sneaks into this pretty little head of yours, just ask, ”P’Pai, do you still love me?” and I’ll say yes and explain to you exactly why I’m so head over heels in love with you until that demon is gone. No matter how long it takes. Deal?”
Sky nodded once and pursed his lips, asking for a kiss that Prapai would never deny as long as his heart was still beating. He pressed his mouth to Sky’s, sweet and slow for a long moment, until Pai parted his lips and Sky pushed him away. A tremor of fear shook his whole body, but that shiver stopped when he saw that Sky was smiling.
“P’Pai, I haven’t brushed my teeth yet!”
Pai scoffed and kissed him again. “Sky, my darling, do you think a little morning breath is gonna keep me from you?"
Sky’s cheeks reddened even more, but Pai took pity on him and sat back up, Sky mirroring him subconsciously, and reached for the tray where Sky’s breakfast sat. “Just as well. Here,” He instructed, opening the legs of the tray and sliding it over Sky’s lap, “It should still be warm. Eat and then go brush your teeth so I can kiss you all you want.”
“P’Pai, how many people are you trying to feed?” Sky laughed at the sheer amount of food before him. The tray was piled high with still steaming skewers of khao neow moo ping, a bowl of the most luxurious jok that Sky had ever seen, topped with an absurd amount of fresh scallions and a perfectly poached egg, a whole plate of plump salapao and on the side was a bowl filled to the top with beautiful pa thong ko, the slightest hint of sweet aroma wafting off the dough in waves. It was more food than Sky could possibly eat, even at his most determined.
“Just you,” Pai answered cheekily, and Sky balked at him. “I ate already.”
“But P’Pai—”
“I don’t want to hear it. Eat as much as you want, you’re still thin from being sick.”
Sky wanted to argue, but his stomach chose right then to growl, and by the tilt of Pai’s head, he knew that he wasn’t getting away with anything today. So he ducked his head and reached straight for the bowl of jok, blowing on it gently before spooning it into his mouth. On instinct, his eyes closed and his lips curled into a smile, the warmth spreading almost instantly through his entire body.
Pai couldn’t help the smile. Sky enjoyed food the way some people appreciated art or music, and it was one of Pai’s favorite things about him. A single perfect bite of food could turn Sky’s entire day around, which was why Pai loved feeding whenever he had the chance. If food was a love language, it was definitely Sky’s. Pai could sit and watch Sky eat for as long as Sky could, and he’d never get bored of the satisfied faces and hums, especially since Sky didn't even know that he was making them. Occasionally, he’d even catch a bit of a happy dance from Sky, and when he did, Pai fell in love all over again.
“So,” Pai began as Sky dug into a piece of pork, ripping it apart with his teeth and making Pai smile even wider, “I have a plan for today, if you’re up to it.”
The look on Sky’s face could only be described as cautious curiosity. He swallowed slowly and side-eyed his boyfriend, who raised his hands defensively.
“It’s nothing bad, I promise! I just think that you should skip classes today and stay here with me.”
As expected, Sky rolled his eyes. “Yeah, sure thing,” He snarked, and Pai’s smile fell.
“Okay. We don’t have to stay here. We can go to the dorm and hang out there, if being in a familiar space will help. I just think you should relax today, since last night was…” He trailed off, and he could see in Sky’s face that he didn’t even need to finish his sentence.
“I don’t have many classes left,” Sky insisted, “I’ll be okay.”
Oh, so it was gonna be like that, huh? Fine. Pai could play dirty, too. He carefully plucked the bowl from Sky and set it back on the tray so that he could take Sky’s hands in his. “Sky, krub. I don’t ask you for much. I don’t ask you for favors, or to do things for me—”
“You could,” Sky cut him off, and Prapai’s frown deepened.
“I don’t want to ask you for things. Just the opposite; I like when you ask me to do things for you. I like when you ask for help, or for me to buy you food, or pick you up from school, or even to clean your dorm,” He added with a cheeky grin that made Sky blush, “I like helping you and doing things for you, and I like thinking that you need me.”
“I do,” Sky whispered, and as much as Pai wanted to kiss him for the comment, he steeled himself to continue.
“The only thing I ask of you is that you keep yourself healthy and safe, and that you let me take care of you. You didn’t sleep much last night, and when you did, you tossed and turned the whole time. And you have bruises on your face and stomach. You need to rest, baby, please. Let me take care of you.”
The instant that Sky caved, Pai could see it in his face. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
Sky rolled his eyes, but repeated, “Okay.”
Pai pressed a kiss to the crown of Sky’s head, then nodded toward the tray. “Thank you. Now eat your breakfast and we’ll go back to the dorm, because I know you’d rather wear your own clothes and sleep in your own bed. And I’ll stuff you full of junk food and we’ll be lazy and stay in bed and watch bad movies and nap all day.”
With each word, the smile on Sky’s face grew and grew until he was full-on grinning, with all his teeth on display. “How do you know I’d be more comfortable in my own space?”
The honest answer was that Sky’s trauma made him attached to and crave his own safe zone, which was obviously his dorm, where he had nothing but good memories of his friends and his boyfriend, but Pai wasn’t cruel enough to say that out loud, not yet, at least. One day, hopefully in the near future, Pai would be able to convince Sky to talk to a therapist, the best therapist that Pai could buy for him, but for now, he just shrugged. “Because who knows the Sky better than the Wind?”
Another rush of blood to Sky’s cheeks, and it made Pai’s heart skip. He nodded again to the food on his lover’s lap. “Eat. I’m gonna call Rain and Payu and let them know that you’re awake and feeling better,” He explained, crawling out of bed and heading toward the living room.
“Thank them both for me, please, P’Pai?”
Pai turned back and smirked. “Thank them? I’m sending Rain a fruit basket,” He joked, and Sky’s eyebrows furrowed. Pai had forgotten that he didn’t know what Rain had done to Petch after they left the apartment, the way he’d stomped on his balls, probably preventing him from ever having children in the future, if P’Chai and P’Pakin even let him live. He’d tell Sky some other day. For now, he just shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. Eat,” He instructed for the fourth time, and Sky nodded, reaching for the plate of steamed pork buns.
“P’Pai?”
Had it been anyone else, Pai would have sighed and turned back around with a glare, but for Sky, he just stopped, turned, and smiled. “Yes, wifey?”
“I love you,” Sky said simply, and Pai’s chest inflated with pride when he heard Sky admit it without hesitation.
“Love is not a strong enough word, but it’ll do for now. I love you, too, Sky.”
With a satisfied smirk, Sky turned back to his food, finally letting Prapai leave the room. He made sure to close the door behind him, and before he could reach the top of the stairs, three heads appeared along the bottom of the railing.
“Is he okay?” His mother, sister, and brother all asked at the same time.
Pai nodded and made his way down the stairs. “He will be. He just needs time. And a hot wind god to watch over him.”
Prapering and Praipan shared a confused look, but Pai didn’t explain.
“You take good care of my son-in-law, you hear me?” His mother warned him, waving a finger in Prapai’s face.
Pai answered with a cocky smirk. “Always have, always will. Now if you three nosy bats will excuse me,” He stepped past the trio and called Payu for the second time in less than an hour.
“Oh, what do you want now?” Payu answered the call, but his voice gave away that he was smiling and not nearly as annoyed as he tried to sound.
“First off, you dick, Sky wants to thank you and your twin and your wife for helping him last night.”
“No thanks needed. He’s part of the family.”
“I want to thank you, as well.”
“In that case, you can thank me with a nice bottle of scotch. Very old and very expensive.”
Pai chuckled. “Consider it done.”
“Is there a second off, or can I actually get some work done?”
“Second off, I have an offer for you and Rain.”
“I’m listening.”
********
“This is weird.”
“Agreed.”
The sounds of the restaurant around them didn't stop, the tinkling of glasses and the scrape of silverware against plates, the low rumble of a dozen and a half conversations all being held at once, the crackle of candles on each table, the abrasive shriek of a violin from the live music on the other side of the dining room. Sky heard someone shout from far away; a cook most likely screaming at a new hire for burning something. The menus were printed on thick cardstock and bound in leather, something that Sky would never be used to. Even Rain’s family was well-off, he’d probably held luxurious menus like this before, but it was completely new to Sky. The glasses of water on the table were etched with filigree and shimmering brightly in the candlelight, and Sky deduced that they were probably made of crystal, yet another unnecessary layer of opulence that he hoped he’d never get used to.
Rain had come knocking on his dorm room door with instructions from Prapai and Payu to dress Sky in something presentable and wait for them here, that the two would be along when work wrapped up, and to order whatever they wanted while they waited. Sky opted just for water, but Rain, who had no shame in letting Payu spoil him, had sprung for some fancy sparkling lemonade with what looked to be an entire fruit salad floating in it, and had asked for a plate of papaya salad, peanut hummus and scallops while the boys waited for their partners. Sky just gave him a side-eyed glance, which made him shrug and insist that “They said order whatever!”
“Why are we here?” Sky pouted, and Rain paused with a scallop hanging out of his mouth.
“I have no clue,” He mumbled as he chewed, “They just said to show up and wait for them.”
Despite himself, Sky’s mouth twisted into a grimace. He felt very out-of-place here. He had just reached for his phone to call his boyfriend when two hands slipped over his shoulders, and he jumped so hard that his knee hit the table and two of the glasses clicked together aggressively. No less than a dozen heads turned to glare at him, and Prapai sent his apologies to the other tables as he sat down beside Sky, reaching for his hand and kissing his knuckles.
“I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t mean to startle you. I should have known better.”
Rain and Payu looked on, awkward grimaces on their faces as Sky fought to even out his breathing.
“It’s fine, P’Pai,” He insisted, mad at himself more than Prapai. It had been almost two weeks since Gun had disappeared, and though he was trying his best to work through everything, Sky still found himself jumping at loud noises and shuddering when he heard the flick of a Zippo. Even worse than the residual fear was the guilt he saw on Pai’s face. He set his hand on P’Pai’s neck, fingertips dipping barely into his hair and rubbing at the nape of his neck. “You didn’t do anything wrong, I promise. I’m sorry for overreacting.”
From the look on Pai’s face, he was about to argue, but thankfully, Rain interrupted him.
“So, what are we doing here?” He asked, and three faces turned toward him, “We don’t usually spend time together, all four of us. What’s the occasion?”
Smirks that could almost belong to brothers crept onto both Prapai’s and Payu’s faces, and if Pai’s predatory gaze made Sky shiver, the power of them both together made his thighs tremble, even if Payu’s was focused on Rain. Payu was definitely attractive, Sky wasn’t blind, but he wouldn’t say he was attracted to him. He just looked so much like P’Pai with that grin on his face that Sky couldn’t help the heat from pooling right beneath his fly.
“Pai and I made some plans for the four of us,” Payu announced, leaning back in his chair with his hand on the back of Rain’s neck. There was something in Rain’s eyes that made Sky want to gag; it was a slight kind of glaze, which he assumed was due to the pressure on the back of his neck. Sky knew that there were some weird dom/sub undertones to his and Payu’s relationship, and the only reason he could stand to hear or even think about it was because he knew that their relationship was as pure as one could be, unlike Sky's own dabble in the practice. Payu looked at Rain like he hung the moon, and that was enough for Sky to know that Rain submitted to him willingly instead of by force, which was something he'd never wish on his worst enemies, let alone his best friend. He’d never been curious enough to ask about the details, even though he knew that Rain would give him every lewd bit of information if he did, and he’d also never seen it in person, not this up close and personal. Rain and Payu both looked like they would strip and fuck each other on the table this very second if prompted, and to be honest, as much as it was kind of gross, Sky appreciated the love they shared.
For a brief moment, Sky worried that he and P’Pai looked just as salacious, but Pai’s eyes weren’t half-lidded like Payu’s, and he wasn’t smirking anymore. Instead, he was looking at Sky with a soft smile, still running his fingers along his knuckles. He was waiting for Sky to speak.
“What kind of plans are you talking about?” He asked, and he was rewarded with Pai’s shimmering smile.
“I’m glad you asked.”
Again, like they were the twins instead of Payu and Saifah, Payu and Pai both reached down beside their chairs for matching bags, which neither Sky nor Rain had even noticed before. The bags were a lovely shade of brown, with ribbons for handles, and decorated all over with some elaborate department store logo that Sky didn’t recognize, but made Rain’s eyes widen as they were simultaneously set in the young boys’ laps.
“Open it, honey,” Pai whispered, and though it wasn’t spoken to him, Rain immediately dug through the shimmering tissue paper, pulling out an expensive looking double-breasted peacoat in the richest, most beautiful shade of burgundy, which piqued Sky’s interest.
Looking into his own bag, Sky found a matching wool peacoat, thick and soft and warm in his hand, lined with the satin softer than anything he’d ever imagined he would touch, in a stunning emerald green. Though he shouldn’t be surprised at the little details that Pai had a knack for remembering, the gesture of gifting him a coat in his favorite color was not lost on Sky.
Suddenly a kiss was pressed to his temple, and words whispered against his skin. “Do you like it, my love?”
Despite the fact that Sky usually hated seeing Pai waste money on him, the coat was indeed beautiful, and no doubt stupidly expensive. It was certainly nicer than any other article of clothing he owned. Sky nodded. “I do. It’s beautiful and luxurious, but… Why?” He couldn’t help but ask. Even on the coldest days in Thailand, he’d die of heatstroke in something this warm. This coat was made for snow and temperatures that dropped below freezing, which, as long as Sky had remembered, had only happened once or twice in his lifetime. Thankfully, across the table, Rain was done sucking on Payu’s mouth in gratitude, and he was also wearing a puzzled expression.
“What are they for?”
Again, their dastardly boyfriends shared wolfish grins, both leaning over to wrap an arm around their boyfriends. Sky couldn’t help himself with P’Pai this close; he leaned in for a kiss before he could explain. And when the kiss was over, Pai simply shrugged.
“We’re taking a vacation.”