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Rain teetered at the top of a ladder, the end of a coiled string of fairy lights squeezed between his lips, and tried to twist the last hook into the trellis. Phayu had said he'd take care of hanging the lights when he got back from his work trip, but Rain had a plan, and that plan didn't care if his hubby had a few more centimeters of reach.
P'Phayu had been working so hard this last month. Overtime with the company, helping cover for P'Aon's paternity leave at the garage, and now having to spend a week at a jobsite, making adjustments, when initial excavations made it clear the specs they'd received on the soil composition were not just wrong, they were a lot wrong...
Phayu never complained. Just put his head down and pushed through, like he always did. Like he was some sort of iron man who was strong enough to handle anything. Maybe he was, at that, but he didn't have to be, and Rain was staging an intervention.
They'd erected the trellis a few weekends ago in a quiet corner near the swimming pool, and chosen a nice set of teak furniture. Two rockers, a coffee table, and a gliding loveseat. They'd been delivered while Phayu was away.
Rain had bribed Saifah, who had moved in with his girlfriend, and P'Pai into setting up the furniture, while Sky helped Rain to plant climbing jasmine at the base of the trellis, which would eventually provide a bit of shade. He'd paid them off by treating them to some of the tasty frozen drinks he'd learned to make earlier in the term break.
Rain had always been nervous of blenders--how do you keep from accidentally losing fingers?--but Phayu had shown him the trick. His Phi wouldn't let him do anything he thought was actually dangerous, so Rain had the confidence to try it on his own.
The result was quite satisfactory! Even Sky gave him a tiny raised eyebrow of approval after a discerning sip. A second drink was enough to buy their promises not to breathe a word to Phayu. This was a surprise.
But the week was almost over. Phayu would be back in the morning, and Rain was going to make him relax for the whole day.
Their little corner was almost perfect. Beyond the jasmine for the trellis, Sky had helped Rain pick out some good outdoor plants in sturdy, decorative pots. Rain had added a Japanese-inspired water feature, burbling softly nearby, as well as a portable record player they could set on the coffee table when they wanted some ambience. At that moment, it was playing one of his mom's old records from the 80s that Rain remembered from his childhood.
It was almost perfect, but not quite. He still needed to get this last string of lights hung for the final touch.
Twilight had already settled over the city. The fairy lights in his mouth gave just enough illumination to see what he was doing, though, admittedly, they were getting quite toasty.
Rain struggled on his tiptoes to twist the hook just a little bit further, but he was at the end of his reach.
With a frustrated huff through his nose, Rain frowned at the ladder--at that top step that was clearly labeled with a 'do not stand here' warning. He wouldn't be there for long. Just enough to get this one thing done. He wouldn't even stand on it. Just being on one knee would give him the reach he needed, and he could hold onto the trellis for balance. It might not be built to hold a person's weight, but he didn't need it to. Just give him a little extra confidence in the difference between up and down.
Mind made up, Rain grabbed the ladder's top step and steeled his nerves.
"If you even think about moving, you're not getting so much as one kiss for the next month."
Rain straightened reflexively, turning to look behind him. The ladder gave a warning shudder and he grabbed it with one hand while it settled. "P'Phayu!" he tried to say, but the mouthful of fairy lights turned the name to something closer to "Phu-phyu!"
Phayu clearly hadn't changed before making the drive home. He looked like a cross between a panther and a corporate god. His tailored, all-black shirt, jacket, and slacks, illuminated with the golden glow of the fairy lights, displayed his body in a way that shouldn't be legal, and he covered the distance between them with single-minded purpose, until he had his hands on either side of the ladder.
"Get down here, naughty boy, before you hurt yourself."
Rain scampered down the ladder, with nothing close to the caution he'd used when climbing up. He didn't need it. Not when his Phi was there.
What was he doing there?
He paused two rungs from the ground. "Phu-phyu, wha..."
With a sigh and a fond shake of his head, Phayu wrapped one arm around Rain's waist and lowered him to the ground, pulling the string of lights out of his mouth with his free hand. "You just couldn't wait for me to get back, could you?"
"What're you doing here, Phi? You aren't supposed to be back until tomorrow. I'm not ready yet!"
Phayu took half a step back, the corner of his lips twitching, like he was trying to contain a smile. "Oh? So you don't want any kisses?" He slid his arm off of Rain's waist and moved another two steps away.
Rain broke instantly, grabbing and clinging to Phayu's hand. "I didn't say that! Don't go!"
The record player hit a scratch, catching and repeating the same half-word.
Phayu glanced at the coffee table, eyes widening. "You bought a record player?"
"You said you loved listening to old vinyls! I found this at an estate sale. It's a relic, but it still works, and it has its own travel case so we can use it inside or outside. I borrowed some of my mae's records."
Phayu knelt and nudged the needle over the skip, a full, unrestrained smile on his face. "Somebody's been busy while I was away."
Rain clasped his hands behind his back, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He bit his lower lip. "Do you like it?"
"You did amazing, baby," Phayu replied. He slid his hand over the smooth teak of the coffee table. "Our own little oasis."
Rain preened until Phayu's eyes narrowed, sending a nervous shiver through Rain's chest.
Phayu rose and stalked back to Rain, taking his face between his hands, trapping him with his dark gaze. "It's beautiful, but I saw what you were thinking just now. You should know better. Climbing a ladder by yourself is bad enough, but not using the top step is jobsite safety 101. You should be glad my brother can't keep a secret."
"You knew?"
"That you'd gone full home-improvement mode with every intention of doing the one thing I specifically told you I'd do myself? Yes, Rain, I knew."
Rain looked down guiltily. "I only wanted to surprise you."
Phayu tilted Rain's head forward and pressed a kiss to the top of it. "I know, sweet boy, but think how I'd feel if you'd gotten hurt, when you were trying to make me happy."
Rain made a sad little noise. "I'm sorry, P'Phayu."
Phayu lifted Rain's face with a fingertip under his chin. "What are you going to do in the future if you can't reach something safely?"
"Wait for help?"
Phayu slid his thumb over Rain's lower lip. "That's right. Every time. Am I clear on this?"
The silky touch along the skin of his mouth sent an entirely different shiver through Rain, tingling down to the base of his spine. His breath caught and his tongue slid out to follow the path Phayu had just traced.
"Rain?"
Oh, he wanted an answer. Rain nodded. "Yes, Phi."
"Good boy."
Only then did Phayu close the distance between them. Rain thought he would kiss him, but instead Phayu's tongue also slid along the path he'd touched, so very slowly, its damp heat sinking into Rain's skin, until he reached the corner of Rain's lips.
Rain's mouth dropped open on a gasp. He grabbed hold of Phayu's lapels, trying to pull him closer.
Phayu chuckled and stepped away, gently uncurling Rain's hands. "Not yet. There's a job that needs doing, first."
A job? Rain's brain couldn't think beyond, Why isn't Phayu's tongue in my mouth right now?
Phayu shed his blazer, then crouched down and picked up the forgotten strand of fairy lights. "Come on. Hold the ladder for me."
Rain blinked for a moment, then grinned. "Yes, Phi!"
With Phayu's extra height, he got the hook installed and the lights hung in only a few minutes. Rain thoroughly enjoyed the view. Nobody's ass should look that good in a pair of slacks, but if somebody's was going to, his hubby deserved it.
But nobody else was allowed to look at it. Not like this.
When Phayu came back down the ladder, Rain wrapped his arms around him, squeezing so hard Phayu chuckled. "Glad to have me back, I take it?"
"Mmm," Rain replied, listening to Phayu's steady pulse.
His hubby gave him a quick squeeze in return. "Let me put away the ladder so we can get a good look at my good boy's surprise."
"Oh!" Rain exclaimed. "Idea!"
Phayu gave him a quizzical look.
"You put away the ladder. I'll be right back," Rain said. "If you're done first, you should try the loveseat. I didn't let anybody else sit in it. I wanted us to be first."
Rain hurried inside to the sound of Phayu's bemused chuckle, then went to the freezer to grab some ice.
A little later, two blended mango drinks in hand, he returned to the pool area. The scene under the trellis with its fairy lights stopped him in his tracks.
Phayu fairly glowed. He reclined in the loveseat, one arm stretched out, a now-bare foot on the bench, knee raised. He'd rolled up his pants, probably to rinse his feet in the pool, and the swell of his calf disappearing into the pant-leg made Rain swallow reflexively. The potted plants swayed in the breeze, as if they were dancing to the music swelling from the record player.
This was everything. This was perfect.
He hurried the rest of the way over and set the drinks down on two of the new ceramic coasters, then perched on the edge of the loveseat, bracketed by Phayu's one leg behind him and the other lazily moving the glide back and forth.
Phayu's eyes half-opened, and he regarded Rain with a lazy, sensual smile.
Rain picked up one of the drinks and handed it to him. "It's a new recipe. I practiced it just for you."
Phayu took a sip, then ran his tongue over his lips. "You're getting good at this."
"And you've had a long month, and a long drive to get back here today, so you should relax and enjoy it. I'm going to take care of you tonight." And tomorrow, he thought, but didn't say. P'Phayu wasn't going to lift a finger. Not anymore.
Rain scooted back and picked up Phayu's foot, resting it on his lap. "Other one, too," he said, and Phayu complied.
His hubby didn't always let him take charge, so Rain seized the moment. He took over the loveseat's glide and proceeded to massage Phayu's feet. By the time the drink was gone, Phayu had leaned his head back fully, eyes closed, and Rain moved his attention further north. Those tempting calves were right there, and surely they needed some attention, too.
Rain slid off the seat and crouched down, tracing kisses from the tips of Phayu's toes up the side of his leg, nipping and sucking as he went. Phayu groaned and his toes curled.
"You like it?" Rain asked.
Phayu stretched out a hand and smoothed it through Rain's hair. "I like it. I'd like it better if you came up here and let me hold you."
Rain wasn't going to argue with anything Phayu wanted tonight. The last track of the record finished. "Let me flip the record, then I'm all yours."
Phayu ruffled his hair once more. "You're always mine, baby."
True enough.
Rain turned the record over and placed the needle at the edge, then turned back to the loveseat. Phayu had rearranged himself so there was a space between his legs just big enough for Rain. He beckoned with one hand. "My arms are empty, sweet boy. Let me fill them?"
He didn't have to ask twice. Rain settled himself between Phayu's thighs and curled up against his reclined chest. Those arms that meant love, safety, and security, closed around him, one hand in his hair, moving in tiny circles. Rain closed his eyes and let himself just drift, the slow, smooth motion of the glider soothing him into a place where nothing existed but Phayu. His warmth. His scent. The thrum of his heart.
"I missed you, Phi."
"Mmm. Missed you, too, angel." Phayu sounded so sweetly drowsy.
"I want to be your angel," Rain replied. "Want to watch over you. Take care of you."
"Have you been worrying about me?"
"Of course, I have," Rain said, lifting himself up to look down at Phayu's restful face. "You're working too hard, Phi. You barely have time to be home. So I'm doing what I can to make home the best it can be. I want you to have a place that's just for you and for me. Our nest, where you can just be."
Phayu's eyes opened, the fairy lights reflecting in their depths like galaxies. He slid the back of a finger along Rain's cheek. "You don't realize it, do you?"
"Realize what?"
"You are my home, Rain. I love that you care. That you worry about me, and you want to make our house a home, but you never have to do a thing. Just this--having you in my arms--is home."
Rain tried to swallow, but a lump suddenly clogged his throat. He blinked back happy tears. "Phi..."
Phayu pulled him back down and kissed the top of his head.
The song from the record player, Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You, shifted into the chorus, and Phayu crooned along with it, softly running his hand up and down over Rain's arm.
Overwhelmed, Rain stopped trying to hold back the tears.
Phayu stopped singing just long enough to whisper, "I've got you," into Rain's hair.
Rain smiled through a small, hiccupping sob. "And I've got you, Phi."
The song played on, and Rain's tears slowed until his eyes slipped shut, and he drifted into a hazy slumber.
Phayu was right.
No matter what, no matter where, home was right here, between the two of them.