Archive of Our Own ^beta

Trust was a fickle thing. It’s hard earned and easily lost. Some never learn to extend it and others get burned hard enough to stop trying.

Prapai has had a good life. Trust was something daddy’s money and an off-hand reminder of his last name usually inspired in others.

When you’re surrounded by those either uninterested in beyond what you could provide for them or how good the fucking sex was, trust was not exactly an immediate concern. People come and go.

And they mostly demanded in between.

Time, money, favors, his body.

While the favors didn’t exactly require any trust…the sex, however, did…to an extent, Prapai had come to realize.

It briefly flared up. Embers of entrusting your body to your partner. Trusting them to please you, being granted the chance to please them in turn.

In Prapai’s experience, come morning, this trust turned to bittersweet nothings. He was no saint by any means; had known this applied to both parties. The feeling of having been wronged, of doingsaid wrong to another, he let dissolve in reminders that these encounters were as fleeting to themas they were to him. The faces of his previous conquests and one night stands slowly blurring into one another, the favors, and lavish gifts they requested never quite significant enough to remember – or even feel offended by.

He knew the game well. Was a player in it for too long to assume any moral high ground.

A decent man, a patient lover, and an honest person – those he was, to a fault even. But a particularly domestic one? Well, his loyalty mostly lied with his loved ones, then himself and his principles. He knew how that looked from the outside; but relationships were…difficult. His upbringing a loving but cautionary tale of his parents making sure he knew he was deserving of affection but careful who to give his affections to.

Turns out…destiny too was a fickle bastard.

Observing Sky warming up to his advances - despite his best efforts not to -, was a high he had previously only found in inebriation, but without the abysmal headache afterward. There was a pull he had been entirely unfamiliar with; couldn’t get the boy out of his head if he tried.

Watching Sky then slowly rely on Prapai, if only for the passing of cutlery over a lunch he had bullied Sky into - Sky scowling something fierce the whole time - he lapped up the attention, irrationally craved more, not a sliver of shame to be found.

Simply watching Sky thaw, catching him smile down a snack du jour or flowers of the week while Sky thought he wasn’t looking – domesticity suddenly had an appeal he was willing to sacrifice everything for. For god’s sake, he’d been leaving work at the drop of a hat, infuriating his assistant who was probably about to quit on his ass and definitely due a raise for dealing with his antics. Shit, even his dad had taken notice.

Then Sky had called him, trusted Pai to rush to his side…to help finish…an assignment. He had ruined a shirt worth the average worker’s salary with something as benign as superglue in the process. And he had liked it! His fingers endured the occasional cut curtesy of Sky’s boxcutters although his prickly nature could have left some cuts in their own right. The harsh words falling onto deaf ears in Prapai, though. He’d gladly fall victim to Sky’s tools if it meant to be cared for by his darling boy afterwards.

What a rush that was. That level of care from a partner…from Sky, quite addicting. Entirely new to him.

This is where guilt started to make a home in Prapai. He’d be lying if he were to claim his best intentions from the beginning. However, he’d not been raised a liar and had told Sky as much. Had laid out his intentions to the best of his abilities. Sky was hot. He was single (as far as Prapai was able to tell at the time) and feisty. Foul mouthed and bold.

How fun.

“Just fucking take what you want,” Sky had said at that fateful first meeting, a challenge…a fire in his eyes equal to the mistrust Prapai had only learned to tell apart much later.

Looking back, Prapai should have seen the signs. Should have paid more attention.

Sky lived in an apartment complex guarded by a woman who must have been one of the most unreliable building managers in existence. He had watched Sky wait for an opportune moment to slip past her - twice. The action had seemed silly and endearing at the time. The gravity of what that distrust truly meant and which fears had lain behind? He’d been utterly blind.

While it had worked in his favor during his pursuit of Sky, Sky’s apparent avoidance of P’Joy and his obvious struggle to ask for help without overthinking were indicators Prapai really fucking should have had taken note of.

Rationally, he knew Sky’s small circle of friends, even his closest one, Rain, not seeing past his sometimes cracking, but generally unbothered demeanor should have made him wary.

Worse yet, Sky having been cautious at every turn, at every dinner invitation, every sweet but honest(Prapai swore on his siblings’ lives) flirty promise and gift…the alarm bells had stayed silent.

It had taken too long to realize.

The night Gun’s mate had asked for his lair’s key, he should have straight-up refused. Should have stopped playing games and trusted his gut instead of his upbringing. Politeness wasn’t everything it was made out to be. Neither were status nor the sanctity of someone’s word to ‘clear up the mess after, promise’. He just had to learn the hard way.

At Sky’s expense it had turned out.

So, there he was. Cradling Sky’s catatonic body into his shaking arms, desperately trying to pull himself the fuck together in order not to storm back out and commit a crime in presence of witnesses who would likely (and gladly) lie for him in court anyway.

Tempting.

If Sky weren’t unresponsive and possibly on the verge of disassociating, he’d be hunting down the motherfucker this very moment. His father’s words ringing in his ear: Predators like to believe themselves supreme. They don’t see the merit in being weak. Don’t go and confuse weakness with failure, son.

For the first time in his life, he felt he understood the meaning behind his father’s tales. But wished he didn’t need to.

“Sky?” His voice broke.

“Sky, please talk to me, love.”

“Sky…can you hear me?”

With every question going unanswered, the chasm in his chest ran deeper. Sky’s empty stare in his usually so animated face unleashed something violent in Prapai’s pit of emotions. Anguish currently warring for his attention.

Too many sounds pushed from several directions right into Prapai’s skull.

Sky’s erratic breathing despite his lifeless expression and the defensive crossing of his arms crashed against the shouting Prapai could hear from the next room over.

Phayu and Rain must have taken control upon finally processing the shitshow that had become this evening. Thank fuck they had followed him.

The muscles in Sky’s arms must have started to lock up from sheer terror, going by the red marks beginning to bloom beneath his fingers.

Looking Sky over proved difficult both for fear of what he’d find and the sheer alarm Prapai was feeling at Sky being this still in his presence.

“Sky…please,” he implored.

Sky’s abuser definitely deserved to be put down, his life forfeit. He would have to call P’Chai to end Gun’s miserable existence next door because he’d been incapable of doing the one thing he had so easily promised time and again. He’d sworn he would take care of the boy in his arms currently in unfathomable distress. Stiff fingers, tapping against Sky’s own arms in a heartbreaking attempt to self-soothe.

I’m a fucking joke. My word means nothing.

If trying to hide the wrath wouldn’t take as much effort as it did, he’d have noticed the angry tears slowly carving their way down his grief-stricken face, dripping down onto Sky’s bare torso. Pai felt terrified not knowing how far Sky’s state of undress would extend. What his state implied.

“Baby, please, I’m beg—“ Prapai’s voice gave out.

Get it the fuck together. He cleared his throat.

“I’m begging you, say something. Anything.”

Prapai’s attempts to soothe Sky with gentle motions of his thumbs on the apple of Sky’s cheek and his temples did fuck all.

He wasn’t getting through.

Why wasn’t he getting through to him.

The sea of panicked tears obstructing Prapai’s vision was starting to make registering Sky’s minute movements difficult.

A quick swipe over his brimming eyes, his heart breaking for the boy residing in it and on this bed that was supposed to be their safe haven at some point, he allowed himself to crumble for a second.

He didn’t know if it was the uncontrollable shaking of his shoulders or the anguished sounds he was desperately trying to withhold from upsetting Sky further, but hands - precious and soft hands - were suddenly touching his wet cheeks.

Cold fingers cradled his face, clumsily turning his face up from his wet collar, and away from the place he wanted to hide in shame.

He knew those hands. He wanted to kiss them every hour of the day. Protect them above all else and he had failed.

Sky’s hands slowly, insistently, dragged Prapai’s face out from his hiding place, forcing him to face the troubled eyes that had taught him love.

Eyes that he now recognized held trauma beyond his grasp.

Prapai tried but no sound would leave his mouth in the face of what he now knew to be true.

Choking on all the things he wanted to say, to apologize for, to beg for forgiveness, to make Sky understand.

The well of angry tears seemed endless so they continued to fall onto Sky, some – he noticed absently - hitting Sky’s clavicle, some following the dip of the protruding bone.

The world between them narrowed, leaving them with just enough space to breathe. Prapai considered suffocating.

‘No, think of Sky. Do something,’ a voice, suspiciously like Phayu’s intercepted his descent into despair.

Prapai felt as if he’d lost his hearing all of a sudden. A welcome reprieve after the cacophony of noise he’d tried shutting out earlier.

‘Tragic. Get it together.’ Oh, that was definitely Pakin’s voice, to be examined later.

The last semblance of strength must have left Sky’s hands in the time Prapai had wrestled with unsolicited advice in his swirling mind as they briefly couldn’t hold up Prapai’s face anymore, allowing Prapai’s eyes to catch a glimpse slightly below Sky’s clavicle, still gathering Prapai’s tears, where something black was stuck on Sky’s—

A piercing.

A ring of black steel rested in Sky’s nipple.

……he’d end Gun’s life.

He would. Fuck reason. Fuck the law.

No circle of hell would be good enough for Gun once Prapai was done with him.

There would be no mercy, he’d rip him to shreds, not a piece of him left.

Time to make decisions. Immediate if not smart ones.

Dislodging Sky’s hands seemed impossible, Sky’s grip having turned almost painful upon noticing the trajectory of Prapai’s vision. He could feel Sky’s fingernails digging into the soft curve of his cheek.

He couldn’t read Sky’s reaction. Wasn’t sure if Sky was afraid or in pain. His judgment clouded, blanketed in furious red and taunting black.

Something needed to be done.

Immediately.

Slowly, so very slowly, Prapai lifted his own hand to palm Sky’s left, hoping the warmth would be welcome.

The gesture was accepted. Gently, Prapai loosened Sky’s hand from his face a smidge, mostly to avoid being scratched.

Prapai couldn’t care less about marks on his face, let alone right this moment, he deserved worse anyway, but he knew Sky would blame himself once he would resurface.

‘If he ever did,’ an ugly voice in his head supplied.

Swallowing down the specks of spit his previously dry mouth had managed to produce, he prayed to all the God’s he’d never truly believed in for his voice to pull through.

“Sky, am I allowed to touch you?”

Aimlessly roaming Prapai’s face as if Sky was stuck in a nightmare, unable to tell dream from reality, and Prapai his only lifeline. Sky’s eyes did not provide a clear answer.

Neither did his mouth. Prapai needed to be sure. There was no fucking room for error.

This could make or break him. Them.

“Sky, I don’t want to hurt you, please, I just…I need to know if I can take this off?” he explained, gesturing to the offending piece of metal.

If Prapai weren’t in tune with every single damn molecule of Sky’s this instant, he would have missed the miniscule nod to go ahead.

So, he lifted the hand that wasn’t holding onto Sky’s as if loathe to part, and oh so carefully removed the piercing from Sky’s body.

It should have been more challenging to do so with one hand but as if it knew it didn’t belong on Sky’s body, the piercing gave without fight and slipped into Prapai’s hand.

With a flick of his wrist, outside of Sky’s field of vision so as not to startle him, Prapai threw the offending item into the room, to be found and destroyed later by cleaning staff, a demolition crew if need be.

He certainly would never set foot in this room or apartment again.

Neither would Sky.

He would make sure of that.

As if the removal dislodged something in Sky, his breathing seemed to even out a little.

A semblance of life returned in increments into Sky’s lovely features.

With stray tears, more out of grief than anger at this point, still making their way down Prapai’s face, he licked the salt off his lips before trying to get Sky to respond once again.

“Are you with me, Sky? I’m here. I’m right here.”

He carefully reached for Sky’s hands grasping onto him, some of Prapai’s fingers slipping between Sky’s.

“…”

Sky pulled him closer until his forehead rested against his lover, the mess of hair on Sky’s head tickling Prapai’s forehead and nose a little. The sensation absurd in its innocence, out of place in a room this tainted by malice.

Prapai tried to collect himself. He only noticed having closed his eyes upon feeling Sky’s soft exhale against his lips.

Sky’s whisper of a voice, heavy from disuse or residual panic, gave him hope, “…why are you crying, P’Pai?”

His answering burst of a huff in relief, accompanied by another brook of tears, startled Sky a little. He sniffled, his nose a mess. But Sky didn’t seem to care much, so he went.

Gently pushing closer so Sky would be almost fully covered by Prapai, sheltered from the world that had been so cruel, so unforgiving and vile. Prapai found his voice and wished for a miracle for it not to break again.

“Why aren’t you?” he implored.

Sky’s brow furrowed as if not understanding.

Prapai would decimate the shit stain of a man the next room over that had trained Sky to be this apathetic to his own pain.

“Sky, I’m crying because you aren’t,” he implored.

His reasoning clearly didn’t quite reach Sky. He’ll have to elaborate then.

“If you can’t, I will cry in your stead. If you suffer…then so do I. Don’t you fucking get it?” Prapai really needed to hold his usually tepid temper in, Sky had flinched at his outburst…he didn’t know if this reaction was better than the apathy till now.

“Just…feel something, let it out. I’ll be here. I won’t judge…or leave.” Prapai kept insisting, gentling his voice for both their sakes.

Prapai felt Sky’s finger’s twitch as if trying to disagree. He wouldn’t let him.

“Sky, listen to me. Please, listen. If you are in pain, I am too. Don’t you understand?”

Wherever Sky’s higher brain functions had gone to protect himself from what had been inflicted upon him, they seemed to mostly remain there.

More direct then.

“Please, Sky, just let go. Don’t hide it…let me see the pain you’re in. I’m here…”

He had to close his eyes again, willing Sky to understand through sheer determination and spite.

“I promise I will always be here. Let go.”

As close as ever, Prapai noticed first Sky closing his eyes, then the fine tremors of his lower lip finally giving way to a sob so heart-wrenching, he lost all reason for a second.

“P’Pai please don’t leave me! Please. I love you…so much!”

Hearing his Sky break allowed Prapai to finally embrace his hurting lover fully, no longer shielded by arms, he drew Sky’s face into his neck. Prapai breathing in Sky’s sweat and scent, sour from panic and stress.

As if a dam had broken, Sky kept confessing and implored, “I love you, P’Pai. I love you so much. Please don’t leave me again. Don’t throw me away. Don’t give me away. I didn’t—“

Prapai stopped Sky’s onslaught, fearing it would take a turn for the worse.

Fisting a good few strands of Sky’s silky hair, matted with sweat and tears, Prapai gently but imploringly twisted Sky’s head away from his damp neck to fully face him once again.

It was important Sky could see his eyes for this. The honesty in them.

They were on a metaphorical cliff. Prapai perched on the ledge as much as Sky had been for a good while, it seemed.

He jumped.

“Sky, do you trust me?”

And it should have been more terrifying than it was. It was the most agonizing thing he could have thought up before this night. Putting himself out there for all of Sky to see and judge and refuse.

Hovering over Sky’s trouble face, Prapai chastised himself for putting Sky into this position so soon after the trauma that must have been rekindled. He shouldn’t push.

‘Give him time,’ echoed in his mind.

“Sky, listen to me. You don’t have to answer. Okay, darling? Just…let me bring you somewhere safe. Just…somewhere that is not here?” Imploring with his eyes to the best of his abilities, Prapai held onto the sliver of hope that was Sky roaming his face, waiting patiently for any reaction that could be translated into a decision having been made.

Into permission being granted.

The tiny nod of Sky’s head pierced something soft in Pai’s body, but he ignored the pang of pain and clinically readied them for departure.

It should truly bother him more than it did, but Prapai had almost no recollection of how they got out of the apartment and back into the sanctuary that was his family’s home, but they had managed eventually.

Some part of him registered that Phayu must have taken charge and arranged their way home.

His mind provided him with a flash of Rain’s devastated face and his moment of fierce protectiveness upon leaving the room with an unsteady Sky clutching his arm and hip. The touch had given Prapai pause and burned itself into his mind for later discussion. He took notice of Rain’s position. Phayu and his fierce lover had made sure to block Gun’s pathetic sprawl from Sky’s line of sight until they had securely reached the hall.

Prapai’s mind drifting back to his family’s dimly lit living room, he startled at his sister in pajamas – a late night snack in hand. He felt so out of place. None of what happened fit into the world of safety and love that he had grown up in, right underneath this very roof.

Not usually one to be curt with his siblings, he simply signaled a ‘not now’ to his sister upon running into her first thing. Her baffled look shifting to one of consideration and finally, taking notice of Sky hiding behind Prapai, half-curled into his side, she schooled her expression into one of understanding. No questions asked.

The adoration he felt for her right then knew no bounds, the palpable moment of relief allowed her to slink back into the kitchen, giving them space to move freely towards the stairs and Prapai’s room.

Sitting them down on the decorative bench at the foot of his bed first – the bed simply seemed a bad idea - he tried to get his mind somewhat into order.

Sky would need structure right now, support…right? Both, emotional and (if he still allowed) physical. Pai’s guess was as good as any. Better something than nothing then.

Alright: Clothes off. Bath. Clothes on. Rest. Food. More Rest? Talk?

Wrong order, apparently. Prapai tried to gently extract his hands from where they were tangled with Sky’s, but Sky immediately grasped them tighter. He let out a tiny sound of distress which would haunt Prapai for as long as the events of this night were going to.

“Ah…don’t…please,” Sky choked out.

A small huff escaped Prapai, not amused by the situation in the slightest but fond of Sky’s reaction nonetheless.

“I will be right back, okay? Promise.”

Sky seemed to contemplate for a second. His grip tightening, he implored, “P’Pai, I need to tell you something right now. I think…if I don’t do it now. I won’t ever…I am done hiding.”

He fidgeted, his gaze bouncing around points of Prapai’s face almost frantically before settling on his eyes, “I want…no…um, I kind of need you to know.”

“I need this nightmare to end,” he added in a few decibels quieter. As if speaking to himself.

Prapai, not prone to deny Sky anything, especially not now, threw his list of plans overboard and settled in to listen carefully.

Sky took a while until he was ready. The air between them thinning out, slowly suffocating Prapai. Sky starting to speak caused the vacuum to pop like a pesky tinnitus, the sting of release reverberating.

“I’m tired, P’Pai. I am so tired of these nightmares and having you there…not knowing what I am running from.” He paused as if trying to rearrange words into sentences that would hurt less.

Prapai could wait. He would exercise patience. He could do this. He would. Come what may.

Prapai pulled Sky infinitesimally closer in an attempt to radiate safety and for Sky to go on in the knowledge that his Pai was there regardless of what haunted him exactly.

Nobody had told him he would likely fight shadows himself after all this. But being trusted with Sky’s absolutely devastating story was…an honor and a wanted burden all the same.

No wonder Sky had protected himself this much. No fucking wonder he had resisted Prapai the way he did.

God, it took conscious effort not to spiral and punish himself then and there. He’d been so inconsiderate. So forceful, insistent, brash. Just like him.

Pai wanted to punch something. Preferably Gun. Or himself. Not now, Sky was done looking for words, “If I tell you this, you have to promise me one thing, I mean it.” The importance of Sky’s request cemented further by the death grip Sky had on the fabric of Pai’s sweater.

Prapai, for a lack of words, simply nodded his head, his pleading eyes willing Sky to see the trust and acceptance oozing out of his very soul.

Sky needed a rock; well, Pai would be a whole goddamn canyon. Sky started off slow, clearly choosing his words carefully.

“You have probably figured out a bit of what I’m about to tell you…but please. Listen till the end, okay?”

For the first time since he had realized Sky carried a darkness in him which he simply wouldn’t share, didn’t trust him enough to, he felt breathing came easier. Despite the shard of glass that seemed lodged firmly in his chest.

No words left on his tongue, he simply turned further towards Sky, lifting his right leg to rest on the velvet bench bed and locked onto Sky’s stare. He softened his gaze, as if beckoning the pain from Sky through sheer will.

Sky held a breath for a long moment.

A chilling but bone-weary sigh marked the end of his deliberation. Sky’s words escaped his mouth like shards of pottery, sliced him open on the way out, leaving him bleeding, heat pulsing in the open wound – a vehicle through which his darkest moments could seep out into the light.

“You know my background. My dad and I…I grew up in the countryside and moving to the city for university was my first true taste of freedom. Remember?”

The word ‘freedom’ elicited a look from Sky so unbearably sad, Pai felt the sting of tears once again.

“Innocent country boy experiencing his first big break. My friends at uni taught me to ‘live a little’. I drank alcohol for the first time. Proper alcohol, not the stuff you get from your parents when you’ve overstuffed yourself…I smoked too for a while,” Sky admitted, his tone seemingly devoid of shame, but his face full of it.

“We went out for a drink and that’s where I met him. I always knew I didn’t really care about gender, but he was the first man that had caught my eye. I didn’t know shit.” Sky slightly shook his head as if to say ‘no’, blinking away memories.

“All was well at first. It didn’t last long. He started to…isolate me from my peers. You…know him, right? He has a decent reputation. Some of my friends, though. They saw what I was trying to hide. Didn’t believe his stories, or mine. I didn’t want them to see. I sometimes made him angry. I was too…clingy.”

As if bringing the sheer thought out into the open was an act of disgrace, Sky whispered, "I think I loved him. I was so…naïve. I didn’t know better. I didn’t know.”

The tears had again grown too heavy for his lids and fell, mirroring those on Sky’s face, silently racing towards his lap. His hands twisting in it.

Another labored breath, Sky continued, “Some friends saw the bruises, then the burn marks. He…liked to see me in pain. At first it was small things. Rough…sex. Rough…um, he called it ‘marking’. Said it was his way of showing he liked me. I was…numb. It took me a long time to realize that he was…is…sick in the head. He got bored. That’s when he started to…give me to his friends.” Sky raised his head to the ceiling, eyes closed in agony, tears escaping the corners. His chin trembled, bunched up, the lower lip shaking before bursting into a pained laugh, a sound clawing from his throat that was nowhere near the realm of being alright.

Sniffing, his nose clogged, he watched Sky rub at some snot and that god-awful imposter of a smile – more of a grimace, really - with his sleeve before lowering his head, this time, clearly in embarrassment.

“I noticed too late. I didn’t understand what was happening. I begged him. Them too. To stop. To let me go. They…didn’t listen. He…he watched.” Sky cleared his throat. “He watched while smoking, he snapped his lighter constantly. I can’t handle the-the clicking…or the smell all that well.”

Sky lifted his head, finding Prapai’s eyes.

“If you ever start smoking, I might not be able to kiss you anymore, I’m sorry. I—“ Sky worried his lip, the line of thought visibly distressing him. “I’m sorry.”

Prapai ducked his head, searching for Sky’s gaze once more, unsure if his touch was wanted right now. Wasn’t sure if Sky was done; the thought of interrupting unappealing simply for the fact that he needed to know for them to have a future, if Sky’s insistence was any indication. He opted for his best and most sincere look of assurance, a slight shake to his head, imploring that ‘no, there was no need to apologize’. He was no smoker anyway but would sooner drink bleach than start the habit after Sky’s plea. A bargain he shouldn’t even feel obligated to make.

The anguish and resentment within him had simmered but fought anew. What kind of sick fuck do you have to be to break someone’s idea of self-worth to this extent?

No more.

Whatever this night had in store, he would make sure nobody in this fucking house would ever smoke in Sky’s presence. Plerng was the occasional social smoker, Prapai knew. His father had stopped years ago, his pa though…he did smoke when stressed…he’d make sure to drop a hint in the family group chat at least. Knowing his pa, he’d rather miss out on a cig than hurt anybody for a quick but short-lived kick.

Prapai should have probably said some of his thought process out loud as Sky’s face had darkened even more while he was off mentally strategizing.

Sky looked so…defeated. As if baring his soul, sharing his pain and trauma was something he hadto do but paid for dearly.

“I know you didn’t sign up for any of this, P’Pai—“ And no, hearing this he did physically end Sky’s line of argument with a deliberate but gentle palm over Sky’s mouth. Just a moment. So he would stop. Successful, he released Sky.

Prapai started but faltered, put as much force behind his words as possible, despite feeling inadequate to handle the situation – he owed it to Sky to at least try.

“And you did?”

Prapai let the question stand. Let it grow roots in Sky whose protest died on his very lips.

He pressed on, “Did you ask for any of it when you first met him? When you trusted someone with your heart at such a young age, far from home, a taste of freedom making you careless – as it should, as it ought to. Did you sign up to be treated like…an object? Passed from one hand to another. Betrayed by the one you thought you loved? Did you ask?”

He had nothing left in him; a helpless stare directed at Sky. His hands open in question. Asking Sky implicitly to hand him answers.

Sky worried his lip, Prapai’s line of questions indeed growing roots in his heart, airing out old paths of thinking.

Pai had to tell him. Now.

“I think I owe you an apology, Sky. I may not have dealt immeasurable pain like Gun, but I certainly didn’t help at first.”

Sky’s face scrunched up in confusion. Again. He wasn’t doing this right, was he?

“Sky,” and Prapai sighed, long and weary until his lungs burned from lack of oxygen, all fight leaving him. “Sky, I am sorry for how I treated you when we first met. At the street race? Behind that truck? That…night. Knowing what I know now…I was no better than him. I was cocky and—”

“Yeah, you were.” Sky’s agreement stung; it was expected, grounding even, but it still hurt. Sky seemed to know that, adding, “I like that part of you. I do.”

Pai’s doubt must have been obvious because Sky’s voice held conviction. Finally present in a way that highlighted its absence before.

“That night was consensual, P’Pai. Don’t get me wrong, I…resented you for it after but that’s my problem. I could have said no. Would you have stopped P’Pai? Would you have let me go if I had truly asked?”

There was no hesitation. “Yes.”

It wasn’t just that night though, Prapai carried doubt a mile long after the events of this evening. It put everything into perspective, the verdict making him nauseous. He re-evaluated his pursuit of Sky months after their one-night stand. Understanding the gravity of their courting phase and what it had likely done to Sky in the interim.

“P’Pai, I swear I did, ah, DO like the way you made me see how interested you were. Yes, you were pushy. Yes, you were annoying as fuck for a while, but you showed me you understood what boundaries were.”

Prapai felt like taking a hot shower. Wanting to wash away the guilt, the grime of his knowledge at having backed Sky into a corner, aligning himself with the likes of Gun and his cronies.

Sky took his head and forcibly made him meet his eyes. “Remember when I got sick? I know you were probably horny as hell, but the point is, you stayed! Not to sleep with me, but to make sure I was okay.”

An angry tear escaped Prapai’s eyes. Honesty had never hurt this much.

“I came over because I wanted to, Sky. Sleep with you, I mean.”

Sky nodded. “Yeah, but you didn’t.” He took Prapai’s hands in his, kneading at his palms. “You are a good man, P’Pai. Good people aren’t judged by what they think or plan to do. That’s all bullshit. It’s what you do that matters.”

Sky’s nails dug into the lines of Prapai’s palm, while he finished his thought, “you showed me time and again that you are a decent man. A kind one, flashy, sure but you back it up. You are cocky, possessive, and arrogant,” Sky’s sad smile was audible, “but you wear it well. You wear it like a coat, you don’t wield it like a weapon.”

They looked at each other, Prapai stuck in Sky’s teary but loving gaze. Sky struck his last blow: “It hangs nicely off your shoulders.”

A surprised and visceral bark of laughter tore up Pai’s throat. The river of tears burning in his eyes. He didn’t deserve him, didn’t deserve Sky one bit.

Which is why his heart shattered anew when Sky’s reasoning turned back onto himself, much less kind than it had been to Prapai.

“…that is why you would be better off without me. I am…damaged goods. Now you know how much and why.”

“No.”

“P’Pai.”

“No. Stop. You’re wrong.” He collected himself, he was tired, the was hungry. He was done with listening to the – in all likelihood – love of his goddamn life belittle himself, feeding the field of doubt that Gun had sown for far too long. He would burn this way of thinking to the ground. Clear the soil from Gun’s presence and watch Sky bloom anew. He would watch Sky heal, Prapai swore, and if it killed him.

His anger this time was explosive, it ached, much like his tear ducts. He gently released Sky’s grip on his hands, then almost jumped from their shared bench and, filled with manic energy, with sparks of rage – he walked up and down in a line, franticly searching for the right words.

“You are not an object, Sky. Stop saying that. Please! You are not damaged goods, you are hurting. You are traumatized, for fuck’s sake.” Sky watched helplessly as Prapai gripped his hair into his fists, almost pulling at the mess in frustration. Pai wasn’t done yet.

“You are the victim here. He found you, young and impressionable! If only…if only we had met sooner—”

But what-ifs wouldn’t change anything. What truly counted was this, “You have nothing to apologize for, Sky.”

Sky itched to get up, his body protesting. He craved Prapai’s contact, wished to breach the gulf between them that was only an ordinary rug in theory but in practice felt like a crater of hurt and misunderstandings.

He wanted to loosen Prapai’s grip on the mop of hair Sky loved to touch when Pai was out like a light.

Trust, Sky had come to realize, was a two-way street best traversed with caution, yes. But what good was caution if it hurt the person who had gone above and beyond to build a bridge over that very street? To meet him halfway at any twist and turn. To convince him that what he had thought to be love? Paled in comparison to what Prapai had offered. Had given him freely, with barely anything in return. His heart on a platter.

The time had come to reciprocate.

“P’Pai, I don’t know if you need to hear this, but I’ve forgiven you. I…forgive you, okay?”

And a sob joined the collection of reactions Prapai wasn’t proud of tonight.

He was grateful but still felt undeserving of Sky’s absolution, so easily granted. He loved him. He would never love anyone as he loved this sweet and brave darling boy.

Sky, still struggling with his shaking legs, did what he could from his position. He opened his arms, reached for Prapai with both his hands, in invitation.

Prapai went. He followed the siren call of Sky’s waiting arms and sank onto his knees in front of him. His hands – devoid of intention - simply finding their way over Sky’s thighs, past his hips into the small of Sky’s back where they clasped onto each other, twisted into the fabric of Sky’s shirt, essentially locking Sky into Pai’s embrace. Prapai’s head heavy and reeling, landed in Sky’s lap, Sky’s fingers first tentatively, then firmly tugging and smoothing down the tufts of hair Prapai had pulled at in frustration.

A calm settled over them. Their breathing slowly but steadily returning to normal. He wanted to try and reassure Sky with words as well but his mind, finally fully fried, had him drift for a good while. The motions of Sky’s hand softly caressing over his head and through his hair outbidding his knee’s cry for a reprieve.

A short, barely-there ripple of knuckles on his bedroom door alerted Prapai, drawing his mind back into his body far too soon for his liking. The reminder that the world extended beyond Sky’s embrace was jarring, undesirable. Sky too seemed tense.

He was loathe to part from Sky - he too finally somewhat calm, bundled up in his lover’s arms.

Another soft knock rang out in the quiet, Prapai knew it’d be best to answer. With great care and murmured reassurance to Sky’s slightly anxious and clingy form, he exited the cocoon that had been Sky draped over him and stepped towards his door.

Constantly looking back, checking on Sky, his head unable to turn away from him for longer than a few seconds, he turned down the handle, the door softly wafting open. Huh. Nobody was waiting behind, but a tray with two steaming mugs smelling heavenly sat on his doorstep, a napkin with a warning in Phan’s elegant penmanship jutting out from below a dotted mug, it read: “Enjoy :) Family breakfast at 8, come introduce your boyfriend. We’ll be nice. Promise.”

Crouching down, he turned the napkin upside down. He wasn’t sure if Sky was in a state to consider meeting his family. Prapai wasn’t even sure if HE was ready to face real people at the moment. Their concern would probably break him. No, Sky should be given a choice. He would ask Sky before throwing him to the sharks in the morning, that was for sure. Sky’s inquisitive “P’Pai?” had him quickly lift the tray and shut the door with his knee.

So, Phan had left them warm milk with what smelled suspiciously like honey at his doorstep like some sort of fairy godmother providing in his time of need. His heart beat an affectionate thumb, thankful for his family.

“How…what?” Sky looked confused upon being offered a steaming mug.

“Phan,” he shrugged briefly, carefully avoiding any spillage during the gesture.

Ah, that didn’t clear up anything, it seemed.

“You might have been too out of it; we ran into Phan, my little sister? Downstairs? She is a bit of a mother hen, also a menace. She must have thought we needed something to help us fall asleep. She’s…” Prapai blew out a small sigh. His expression so fond, Sky’s heart ached to be granted the same. “…the best,” Prapai finished. Lowering the tray so Sky could take his pick of mug, carefully, so as not to burn him, Prapai waited.

He couldn’t help but attempt to lighten the mood, the act of sharing insight into his family with his lover a deeply warming experience. “If Plerng were home this week, you might have to fight him off with a stick. He’s been going crazy over my ‘secret lover boy’. I am still not sure if you two should meet, actually. You will definitely gang up on me. I won’t live anything down.” Prapai faked a pout, the corners of his mouth lifting in response to Sky showing signs of amusement, his darling smiling into the mug, amused by the prospect of Prapai’s exaggerations.

After fully appreciating Phan’s thoughtful gesture, Prapai and Sky had little else in dire need to be spoken aloud. A lot had been said already, a lot more revealed, and more than enough would be sure to follow.

There was only so much a heart could take in one night and the two of them had flirted with the edge for far too long.

So they stopped. No more secrets, no more self-deprecating declarations. Not tonight.

In silent agreement, they sipped from their respective mugs, occasionally turning toward one another, basking in the quiet – only checking in. Once the milk had run dry, Pai offered Sky a hand, to balance and guide him towards the en-suite bathroom.

Their next steps were a poor facsimile of what their night routine had recently become with Prapai staying the night at Sky’s dorm more frequently. Their toothbrushes drying on the rack, they changed in companionable quiet, Prapai instinctively laying out his softest pair of pajamas for Sky to find safety and comfort in.

After Sky collected the mugs, he moved them onto the tray, and put it down on Pai’s desk, avoiding the pile of papers towering over Pai’s keyboard; Prapai got the lights.

The darkness greeted them like an old friend. The pair shuffling under the covers, meeting in the middle, legs wordlessly hooking over hips, fingers finding their resting place for the night – their noses touching. Sky breathed a “night, P’Pai” against his lips, which Pai answered with a slow drag of his nose down the bridge of Sky’s, a soft peck following before pulling Sky into his neck.

Despite exhaustion clawing at him, his mind swirled for a moment. His thinking must have somehow been loud enough to translate to Pai. His arms engulfed Sky underneath the patchwork comforter and pulled him closer.

Wrapped up in Prapai, the dark and peaceful quiet of Pai’s home around them, the weekend ahead, Sky allowed himself to finally leave the events of this night behind, allowed his mind to rest. Prapai barely a second behind.

The knock ripping Prapai out from his already dissipating dreams felt like a) an unpleasant déjà vu– ah yes, Phan had visited. And b) like a personal vendetta against anything good and merciful in the world. They had barely gotten a few hours in, and reality had the audacity to demand their return.

He sighed and grumbled a little. His family knew that once awake, he had trouble falling back under. Resigned to his waking state, he took stock of his surroundings. His dreams he had mercifully never entered, too short a rest for his subconscious to haunt him. A displeased whine from the burrito blanket next to him caught his attention.

Watching Sky fight his way to consciousness sent shots of affection all the way through him, right down to his toes.

“Good morning, my love.”

The few hours of sleep were not too kind but definitely kinder to Sky than they had been to Prapai. His boyfriend regaining some of his prickly and feisty attitude if the “nooo, hnnnnng, how can it be good if it’s way too early…P’Paaai” was any clue.

In an instant Prapai recalled his sister’s threat via napkin. How to break it to Sky? Best rip it off like a band-aid.

“Sky?”

“Hm?” He stretched, yawning something fierce, the action reminding him of a cat.

“Would you…like to meet my family…downstairs?”

Their sleeping positions left no space nor reaction to the imagination, he felt Sky freeze for a moment. Pai had faith though, and was rewarded by Sky’s blinking eyes flitting all around his features, before asking, “Do they, um, know about me?”

That, Pai could proudly answer. “Of course, they do. I miiiiight have gone a bit overboard in the last few weeks. You just make me so happy whenever you’re around. It was a matter of time until they noticed…” He admitted.

“Pa especially…he’s asked to meet you a few times now, but he’s away on business right now. I think he’ll be back later today, I’m not sure though. He probably won’t be at breakfast in any case…but my other dad might be. There’s really no need to be scared though!” He added a bit more sheepishly, as if sweetening the deal with less parental presence around.

Sky affirmed, “To be honest, I am a little scared. And…tired. I don’t want to leave a bad impression.”

“Sky, I am more worried about my siblings making you run for the hills, or…” Pai turned serious for a second, “them being inconsiderate and pushy…I, it might be a family trait?”

“Good thing, I’ve had practice then, hm?” God, Prapai loved this darling boy – sass and all.

“I mean it though. You don’t have to. If you don’t feel like meeting them yet, especially so soon after last night…I get it, is what I’m saying. We have all the time in the world, so mmh.”

Sky had stopped him with an index finger to Pai’s lips.

“It’s okay. Let me meet the people that made you who you are. I guess you could say…I would like to speak to the manager, AH!” Prapai tackled his little darling devil into the sheets. A few more kisses would have to do before jumping right back into the fray. First though, Sky deserved all the love Pai had stored for him, and he might need a bigger heart.

Prapai indeed did a little double-take upon seeing not only his sister and his dad (dressed down for once, in weekend mode) in the kitchen, but also an either hungover or sleep-deprived Plerng. His presence a 50:50 this close to his ‘beloathed finals’.

Pai halted them in the huge open archway leading to the breakfast table. He shot his family a sweet, but tired warning look. At the slightest indication that Sky felt pressured or overwhelmed, he would pull the plug on this breakfast. His stomach could eat itself for all he cared.

He announced their presence with a “Bro, finals kicking your ass already?”

Plerng groaned in response, not even deigning to lift his head. “Not everyone can be a genius, P’…someone had to get the looks in this family,” he retorted, not moving an inch besides his hand pointing towards himself.

“Yeah, that being ME!” Phan teased, shuffling to her designated spot at the table, sleep mask still on top of her head. “Oh, who do we have here?”

Everyone’s attention instantly shifted towards Sky, a step behind Pai. Pai’s father, at the head of the table – of course – decided to halt the teasing and wished them ‘a good morning’, before beckoning them towards the spread of breakfast items, smelling divine to their empty stomachs. Hesitating a moment, Prapai considered the next move, turning to Sky to guess at his emotional state.

But Sky surprised him, walking right up to the table, determined. Prapai’s hand at his back, a little way behind – a tether of sorts, more for him than Sky it appeared.

In the meantime, his dad had put the iPad he’d been perusing to the side, giving them his full attention. “Did you boys sleep well? I didn’t even notice your arrival, son. Everything alright?”

“Yeah, good morning, por. Sorry, we had…an eventful night.” Prapai shot Plerng, the cheeky mix smelling blood in the water, a look – rather a warning.

“I figured. And who might you be?” Pai’s father asked, a simply question, with such genuine delight and devoid of any displeasure at having to start the day with a stranger. Sky instantly clocked where Pai had gotten his demeanor from.

“Good morning, I’m Sky. Thank you for your hospitality. I’m sorry for coming unannounced,” he waii’d politely and looked at Prapai for guidance on where to sit.

Pai’s father waved him off, “No, no, my boy, what better way to start a day than to finally meet the person my son has been losing his head over, no?”

Sky didn’t miss Prapai’s ears flush, the rest of his face not giving away any hint of shame or embarrassment.

He truly seemed as content as can be, sitting there with Sky, presenting him to his family out of the blue. Huh.

Sky would need a quiet moment to himself to explore how the revelation made him feel.

For now, ‘loved’ would have to do.

Phan couldn’t hold herself back any longer, her half-buttered slice of bread and cooling fried egg forgotten at the prospect of finally having direct access to her brother’s boyfriend. Boyfriend!

“P’Sky — I’m Phan by the way — I hope you know that Prapai hasn’t spoken about literally ANYTHING other than you recently. I probably know more about you than I should. But no worries, we’re on your side! Did you really make him glue fake leaves onto tiny trees – in his favorite Armani shirt?” Plerng seemed elated at the sheer possibility.

Sky blushed, nodding awkwardly. “I…well, yeah.”

Pai’s father set off an amused ‘ha!’, while nursing what looked like espresso.

Prapai whined briefly. “Team Rocket at it again, have mercy, I could have changed…that’s on me.” He fake-cried, before plopping a tomato into his mouth. Sky definitely got that reference, but it didn’t quite connect until Plerng snorted over his breakfast plate, showing off his cute braces with a cheeky smile, explaining, “When we were little munchkins, Phan and I always dressed up as Jessie and James from Pokémon. We were obsessed.”

Prapai quickly interjected, “You still are little munchkins.”

His siblings ignored him outright. But distracting them from grilling a depleted and still-tired Sky was a success.

Phan joined the anecdote, a hand in front of her mouth, reminiscing, “Oh god, we went all ‘prepare for trouble’.” Prapai grinned, his heart warming at the memory, “And you two did make it double, so…” Phan half got up out of her seat to swat at him good-naturedly.

“Children, behave,” Pai’s dad admonished, radiating amusement and calm. His gaze mostly focused on his iPad. A perpetual smile on his face, his children bickered on around him with gestures and practiced silent communication.

Sky, still quite reserved and withdrawn this early and in unfamiliar company, found his bearings a little. The joy of watching Prapai be a big brother and interact with his siblings took him a little by surprise. Their back-and-forth spoke of love and genuine affection. His inner 5-year-old stomping his feet childishly, demanding a sibling, ached a little. Would things have been different with a big brother or sister around?

He shook himself, there was no use for what-ifs and maybes.

Prapai’s soft touch to Sky’s hand below the table broke him out of his daze. Phan must have asked him something, his face indicating Sky had missed his cue to answer a question. Phan seemed a bit unsure but patiently waited for his response regardless.

“Phan had asked if you would like to spend some time with us, gaming in the living room? After breakfast?” P’Pai supplied, his tone indicating no pressure to the suggestion. It was up to Sky to decide. Prapai would listen.

Sky considered. “Do you have Mario Kart?”

“CALLING DIBS ON TOAD!” Phan shouted out of nowhere, having turned on her brother, her spoon raised like a weapon. Gone was her image of the poised young lady. Clearly, an age-old feud was rekindled. The excitement all around the table was hard to miss, Sky tuning out for some of the discussion. Prapai laughed, reserving Dry Bones for his turn, and happily eating breakfast, occasionally turning to Sky, shoving bits and pieces he thought Sky might like onto his plate. Sky would need a second stomach if this continued, he smiled. A genuine, carefree smile. The action coming easier in the presence of Prapai’s family.

He would call and check on his own dad after a round of gaming, he’d decided.

To Sky’s surprise, after breakfast was done, they left the table for the maid to clean – Sky uncomfortable at leaving his dirty dishes to staff, when he could do it himself. Noticing Sky’s discomfort, their housekeeper P’Anya, already in the process of clearing the table, reassured that it was one of her duties and she was happy to do so, a sweet smile on her aged face booking no argument.

It was a bit of a surreal experience to race Prapai’s father (of all people) in a virtual go-kart game but there he was. Sky’s mind blissfully tuning out any thoughts that didn’t involve shortcuts and colorful racing maps. Turns out, Prapai may seem unfairly capable at everything - a business prodigy, a generous lover, an undefeated racer – a gifted gamer he was not.

Having thawed significantly, Prapai watched as Sky hollered in genuine elation at ranking 2nd, Phan leading the board, Prapai’s dad coming in hot on third. Phan and Sky giving each other a high-ten, their smiles jubilant while Plerng lamented his defeat, shouting baseless cheating-allegations at his dad and Sky, pointing in indignation. Prapai found a moment to excuse himself, no reason for the one placing 10th to argue anything.

He walked straight to the guest bathroom on the ground floor, two doors down from the animated discussion still reaching his ears, albeit muffled. Door closed behind him, the sound of the lock clicking into place allowed Pai to implode unseen. For the first time in a good 10 hours, Prapai had removed himself from Sky’s side. He took a breath, heavily slumped against the green-tiled wall. He closed his eyes for a moment and took mental inventory.

He would talk to his dad in private once he’d returned Sky to his dorm or Sky’s preferred destination. P’Chan or P’Chai would have to be notified. Shit, he should call Phayu and check on him and Rain. He didn’t know where Gun had ended up overnight, and he would not be able to rest fully until he was taken out. Whatever that implied.

Drive Sky home…or anywhere. Call Phayu, then talk to dad. Then…what. He might have to call Miss Nattaphit again. He hadn’t spoken to his therapist since they had all lost their surrogate mother to a medical mishap. Both of his fathers had done right by him and found their children the support they needed back then. Should he breach the topic of therapy with Sky?

Brushing a shaking hand through his un-styled hair, Prapai blew out another breath. This one less jarring. Sky was safe. Sky was laughing amongst the people he loved most. Why did he still feel this disconnected? Why could he not fully enjoy their morning, Sky trusting him, blowing everything out into the open the night before. Sky had met his family, they got along beautifully…Sky loved him. He had said so.

Prapai moved towards the sink, waiting till the water turned tepid, he splashed his face and stared into his reflection. He took notice of the bags under his eyes, the tilt of his mouth, anxiety in his eyes. Get it together, man.

All was well…okay, if not well, at least better.

Hypervigilance an old but uninvited friend, he relieved himself before washing up once again, gathering his faculties so as not to worry his loved ones.

Sliding the barn-style door back open, he startled a little, coming face to face with P’Anya. Obviously concerned. He had grown up orbiting her, the housekeeper practically a part of the family, of course she saw the signs.

“Do you want me to speak to your father for you, little lion?” The childhood nickname flowed off her tongue, anchoring him in the present, surrounded by people he could trust. He realized with a pang in his chest that he was now tall enough to tower over the woman that had essentially raised his siblings as much as he had, whenever his fathers had to shield them from the family business.

Having run out of words to explain himself, weary to the bone all of a sudden, he walked straight into her arms. The towels previously stacked in her hands swished to the floor. Prapai didn’t have it in him to speak an apology. He engulfed her small frame as much as she squeezed life back into him. Her hands moving in familiar motions from the small of his back upwards to the precipice of his shoulders – again and again, until he felt breathing came easier.

Anya parted them softly; she would likely never see him as anything but a kid. Fine by him.

He certainly felt like one in the face of all that had happened within the span of less than a day…or night.

“Are you okay? Do you need anything else, per chance?” She offered, a familiar dance. Typically, their little dance was reserved for after the rare disagreement with one of his fathers. Teenage rebellion seemed almost laughable after yesterday’s revelations.

While Prapai was fighting over silver spoons and entitled clients taking away his parents’ attention, Sky had been fighting for his life because of someone that had taken advantage. Shaking the painful thought away, he didn’t want to worry P’Anya any further.

There was a time for this. It wasn’t now. He could manage. He would deal with it.

Sky and his family needed him.

Knowingly but with a disapproving look, Anya patted his cheek. She knew when to pick her battles.

“When did our little lion grow so much, hmm?” She asked in a chiding tone, Prapai huffing a laugh, wiping his burning eyes.

He thanked Anya with a single look and squeeze to her shoulder before leaving her to her tasks. He would have to visit her family soon, thank her with less witnesses around. He needn’t worry anyone further.

Squaring up, lifting his shoulders with a little more effort than confidence, he reentered the living room. His father instantly saw through his façade – right, damage control. Not disturbing the on-going game…ah, they had switched to Mario Party, Prapai seated himself next to his father.

Oblivious to Prapai’s plight, thankfully, the competition kept going. Sky seemed lively. Last night but a bad dream, nothing chasing him that would hurt come mornings like these. Prapai desperately hoped he was right.

Almost conspirative, his father moved an arm over the back of the couch, over Prapai’s shoulders, turning a little inwards, as if wanting to make sure their conversation remained between the two of them. Growing up, there was a time his fathers had felt larger than life. He’d felt so very small under his father’s wing. Now, he roughly matched his height. How then could he still feel so protected at the gesture?

“Want to talk about it?” His father didn’t pull his punches, huh.

He knew though, his dad was not one to push and prod at a gaping wound, so he left him with ample opportunity to refuse.

“Can we talk later…tomorrow, maybe? I need…some help.”

His father couldn’t quite hide his surprise but schooled his face, questions but also affection seeping through his brows and familiar smile.

“Then you shall get some. 9 sound okay, bud?”

He affirmed. “The library?”

“Study, your Pa has an early online meeting in the library, I believe.”

Nodding in agreement, Prapai allowed himself to sink into his father’s side. His dad’s hand curling around his shoulder in a reassuring squeeze. Ostensibly satisfied with their appointment, Prapai’s dad checked his watch, patted his thighs while pushing onto his feet, and moved to leave the room. He sent a short “I’m off to pick up your Pa from the airport” into the room at large before sending an impish smile (that should really have felt out of place on someone his age, but didn’t) towards his younger children ribbing Sky, “Behave, and it was lovely to meet you, Sky. Welcome to the family. I hope to see you around more often, na?” Two thumbs up, his father slinked away. God, his dad was…great, embarrassing but great.

Sky, completely thrown out of the game at being addressed, only nodded, before scrambling up and waii’ing. Prapai’s father already out of sight.

Plerng and Phan cackled like the menaces they were before restarting the mini game they had paused and Prapai was left to watch over his little Team Rocket, who definitely had adopted Sky while Prapai had had his little freakout.

Good. He knew he could trust them with Sky and vice versa.

Checking his phone, he shot a message to Phayu. Hoping he wasn’t disturbing some one-on-one time with Rain; they deserved some reprieve after Pai had dragged them into this mess unwittingly.

He barely noticed his eyes drooping – exhaustion had finally caught up with him.

Surrounded by the sounds of a cheerful Sky and his siblings teasing one another, shouting competitively, buttons being smashed occasionally, he drifted off. He was safe. He could rest a little.

It was hours later that he woke again, with Sky having joined him on the couch, a blanket over them. His phone digging into his thigh painfully, he removed it. The motion lighting up his lock screen. A notification blinded him, Phayu’s response had come an hour ago, to be read later. He dropped his phone onto the armrest behind him and blinked into the open space. No siblings in sight, the day almost turning dim again. He must have been completely knocked out.

He could hear the faint sound of someone chopping something in the kitchen. Probably his dad, P’Anya already off-duty this time of day.

Without wasting another thought, he pulled Sky towards himself to avoid him falling off the edge, then shifted the pillow he’d been moved onto, making sure Sky had equal access to both the pillow and plaid fabric of the enormous couch blanket.

The world could wait a little.

Prapai, for once, was sure of it.