Chapter Text
When Tharn woke up he wasn't expecting much from the day. It was Sunday, Type and him didn't have any plans, content to just laze around. Maybe they would get up to something hot later seeing as was at Phayu's. Each time their son came home for the night, Tharn wondered if it would be the last time. He was spending more and more time at Phayu’s, it was inevitable. Even though a part of him wanted to protest he knows he can't. Both because he had promised himself (and Type) that he would do better, but also because it would make him a massive hypocrite.Though since they still had their son home sometimes, they had to take advantage of the empty house. (The first year they had Rain, Type refused anything more than what could take place in a shared shower. It had slowly driven Tharn insane).
Sprawled on the back porch, Type's body a welcomed weight, the sun just starting to hit them. Tharn had gotten a hand under Type's shirt with only a half assed swat, while he did want to start something, he also needed a moment to just be with his husband. Just feeling Type's smooth skin was enough to satisfy.
Type was starting to doze off, and Tharn's mind was nowhere particular, which meant when Type's phone began to ring they both dearly wanted to ignore it.
It wasn't any of the ringtones that would indicate the level of importance. Tharn's family all had the same, Techno and Champ had another, the hospital, and then Rain and Sky (and probably Phayu if Tharn were to guess). They let it ring out, Type grumbling as he shoved his head into Tharn's shoulder. And then it started ringing again. “
This better be important.” Type grumbled, swiping his phone off the table where he had dropped it earlier.
Tharn was ready to dismiss it when he saw the screen name. Ma
His body went cold as Type sat straight up. It was rare for Type's Ma to call without texting beforehand.
“Ma.” Greeted Type, putting the phone on speaker. Tharn wrapped himself around Type, bracing.
“Ah Type, I'm glad you picked up.” Her voice was strained.
“Is everything okay?”“
No,” she sighs, “Your father was in a car accident.”
Impact.
Tharn squeezes Type as tightly as he can when Type snaps. “What? Is he okay? What happened?”
“He was out picking up supplies for the roofs, he finally decided to get them fixed. This tourist wasn’t paying attention and ploughed right into his truck. He’s still in surgery, he broke a couple bones.”
Type is clutching his phone, the other gripping onto Tharn's arm. If there is one thing Tharn is proud of, it is how far they've come in the face of aversion. Where Type used to shy away from it, he now grabs Tharn close, seeking out the comfort he needs. Something Tharn also is able to do now.
“Is he okay?” Type asks again.
“I'm not sure,” he honestly replies, “he's still with the doctor. He won't be able to work for a while regardless.”
And there it is, the unspoken plea. Type's Ma is able to run the resorts without any trouble, she has for years, but the manual stuff she cannot do. Yes, there are people she can hire but it's expensive and while the resort does well, there is only so many extra expenditures they can handle, especially coming out of the pandemic.
“Ma?” Type has a job and a family, he can't drop everything to head to the south.
“Is there any chance you could come down for a week? Depending on what the doctor says I could really use the help. We're in the middle of fixing all the roofs.”
“Ma, I would but the hospital is short staffed right now.” Tharn can see Type starting to panic, “I can try seeing if Lin can cover-”
Tharn grabs the phone out of Type’s hand, “Ma, don't worry about it. I'll come down the day after tomorrow.”
There is a prolonged silence, Type is staring at him with a slack jaw, and his mother-in-law is equally silent.
“Oh Tharn, you don't need to do-”
He cuts her off, “Do you need help?”
She sighs, that one question cutting to the core of the issue. She raised Type, but had not given him her temperament, that was all his Pa. “Yes I do.” She concedes.
“Then I'll come down, I'm not sure if I'll be as good as Type, but I can spare some time on short notice.”
“I only need a week or two, just with the holiday and the renovations-”
“I'll stay as long as you need me.” He assured her, “Text me anything you need me to bring, and I'll see you in a couple days.”
“Thank you Tharn, this means so much.”
“We're family.” Is how he responds. They say their goodbyes and Type hangs up. His face is stuck in the first expression, staring at Tharn with an open mouth.
With teasing fingers Tharn shuts his husband's mouth, giving him a smile like he didn't just shake the very earth there on.
“Are you okay?” Is what Type eventually asks, putting the back of his hand on Tharn's forehead, like they've both done for Rain.
He batted the hand away, “Your mom needs help, so I offered.”
Type twists around, it's a bit awkward their legs tangled together but Type persists. “You'll be there, alone, with my pa.”
“Maybe Rain will come with me.” He jokes.
“Tharn!”
“Hey, hey,” he wraps his arms around Type and draws him close, “I know this isn't a great situation. But if I don't go down you're going to stress about your Ma, and work yourself up into a panic. I've handled your Pa before, I can do it again. Who knows maybe this time I can finally win him over.” Tharn knows that won't be possible. It's been ten years since he's last seen Type's Pa with the disaster trip, Type's only been home once since then. They both know Type's Pa blames Tharn for Type's absence, for the lack of presence in Rain's life.
“Tharn,” Type sighs, bringing his fingers up to trace the features of Tharn's face, “you don't need to do this.”
He kisses the pads of Type's fingers, “Yes I do.”
***
Rain has only just stepped out of the washroom when his phone rings. Phayu and him had turned a peaceful day into something wild after Rain had started being a brat during breakfast. Rain's schoolbreak was starting and Phayu had been persuaded into taking a break to spend time with Rain.
(Not that it had taken Rain much persuading, they both knew how much power Rain had.)
Phayu was lying on the bed, shirtless, when Rain's phone began to ring. He only had four special ringtones, Phayu, Sky, his Dad, and his Pa. That was his Pa’s ringtone.
“Hello Pa?” He knew his parents were going to spend the day together, so he hadn't been expecting a call.
“Hey bud,” his Pa says, and Rain’s blood runs cold. His parents had given him a lot of nicknames over the years, but most were teasing. ‘Bud’ was like an alarm going off, especially from his Pa.
“Is everything okay? Is Dad okay?”
“What? Oh, yes. You're Dad is fine, it's,” he hears his Pa sigh, “Your Grandpa was in an accident.”
Rain sits heavily on the bed, feeling Phayu's arms wrap around him. A grounding presence as he manages a quiet, “What?”
“We got a call from your Grandma a little while ago, he's not in danger right now but he is on strict bed rest for the next while.” His Pa sighs again, “Your Dad has agreed to go down and help out.”
Rain nearly topples over, “What! Why would he do that?”
“Because your dad is a better man than most. I told him he didn't need to but he insisted.”
“Are you going with him?”
“I can't leave work on such short notice. I'm going to try and be down next week.” He can hear the way his Pa shakes his head as if to clear his thoughts, Rain does the same thing, “That's not important I just wanted to call and let you know. I need to help your Dad pack, I'll talk to you tomorrow if you want to come to the airport with us.”
And look, Rain's brain moves a million miles an hour in a thousand different directions, which leads him to make decisions in seemingly split seconds. Rain has a strong dislike for his Grandpa (he can't say hate because it'll make his Pa upset), and he knows his Dad is basically Grandpa's number one enemy. He remembers the disaster trip, and the way his Dad had just looked so depressed and his Pa’s anger. And that was with their whole family there, his Dad going alone means that his Grandpa won't even try for civility.
“Can you book me a ticket as well?” He asks.
“Rain.” He sounds exhausted, they probably fought after talking with his Grandma.
“No,” he cuts in, “Grandpa is always mean to Dad, at least if I go with him he won't be alone.” He thinks of something, “Unless Dad doesn't want me to go.”
“That's not it, your Dad would love to have you,” He can imagine the pinched expression, “Weren't you and Phayu going to spend your break together?”
They were, but Rain can't allow his Pa to go into the dragon’s den alone. Phayu would understand, he's always talking about the importance of family.
Phayu hooks a chin over Rain’s shoulder, “Pa if it's not an issue I’ll go with Rain.”
Rain whips around, nearly smacking head with Phayu. Only saved by Phayu's reflex and his all knowing of Rain's habits.
“Phi, no. You don't want to do that.”
“I promised to spend the week with you, and I'm going to keep it.”
“But that was before, Phi you haven't met my Grandpa he's horrible.”
“Not to agree with such a statement,” his Pa interrupts, “but Phayu I can't ask you to go. My Pa is not an easy man to be around.”
“I have been warned,” the way Phayu says it Rain wonders if someone else has said anything. Maybe Sky? “Pa,” Phayu continues, “if you need help, more hands will be better than less. I was thinking of taking Rain on vacation anyway.”
His Pa snorts, “This won't be much of a vacation. If you insist, fine, but don't say I didn't warn you.”
“Wouldn't even cross my mind.”
“Alright, I'll text you both once I have the travel details.”
“Bye Pa.”
Rain hangs up the phone and immediately sags into Phayu's side. His Phi lets out an amused huff, letting Rain's weight push him onto the bed so that they're cuddling. Wrapped around each other, Rain can't help the confusing mix of annoyance and guilt. He knows his Grandpa couldn't have planned something like this, and he doesn't want to see the man dead, but the last thing he wants to do is spend his break around him.
Phayu pets him slowly, allowing Rain to sort out his thoughts. It's one of the reasons they work, Phayu knows that sometimes Rain needs space to figure out what he's feeling before he can properly articulate it.
You don't need to come.” He whispers, minutes later.
“I want to spend the break with you. If you're going, I'm going.” Rain's heart swells with love, “Can my sweet boy tell me why he hates his Grandpa so much?”
Rain buries his face into Phayu's chest with a whine. He should, if nothing else than to warn Phayu but talking about it brings back bad memories.
They lie in silence for a while longer, Phayu alternating between petting Rain's head and his back.
“Remember when you first met my parents and I said that Grandpa tried to kill Dad?”
Phayu hums.
“I wasn't being dramatic. Which if you listen to the stories you'd think I might be. They like to tell the story of how Grandpa chased Dad with a machete because Pa was the ‘wife’. And there are other stories, like giving Dad spicy food, or locking him out of the house.” He buries his head deeper into Phayu's chest, seeking the comfort, “The last time we were all down, a patch job needed to be done on the shed. Pa said he'd do it, and Dad volunteered to help. I was bored so I went to find them, though they didn't see me when this happened.”
“I'm not sure why Grandpa was there, but Pa and Dad were being themselves. Pa was on the roof with the material as Dad was coming up the ladder. I'm not sure what Dad said, knowing them it was probably gross.” Phayu chuckles below him, the timber resonating through his chest. Rain knows he doesn't have a leg to stand on now.
“Both of them say the same story, the ladder fell with Dad on it. It was old and rickety. Grandpa had meant to get a new one but kept blowing it off. Phi, it was so scary. Dad was on the ground, not moving and there was blood from where he hit his head. Luckily it was a surface wound, and Dad wasn't seriously hurt. A cut on his head, bruises from hitting the ground, a sprained wrist.” Ran sucks in a breath, “The sound my Pa made…” Rain trails off with a shudder. He can still picture it so clearly. His Dad lying on the ground where he had hit his head, not moving. His Pa screaming for him, stuck on the roof of the shed.
Phayu nearly crushes him with the force of his hug, which Rain needs.
“My sweet boy, that must have been horrible to see.” Phayu presses a kiss to his crown, “but what does this have to do with your Grandpa.”
“He kicked the ladder.”
It hangs in the silence, a lead weight one move away from crashing down. Rain had never said it out loud, even when it had happened. He had been too far away, hidden by the foliage, when he watched it all unfold. He hadn't heard his Dad or his Pa’s response, but he knew it would have been all in jest. Did they know his Grandpa was there? Maybe not. But he watched as his Grandpa had kicked the ladder, probably in frustration but the ladder was old. It fell. His Dad had been hurt. And that night, when his parents had gotten back, Rain had a meltdown. He wanted to leave, he wanted to go home, he wanted his dad to stay safe. He never wanted his dad near his Grandpa again.
“Oh my sweet boy, that must have been so horrible to see.” Phayu brings Rain so much closer, pressing kisses into any spot he can reach.
“I never told my parents, I'm not sure if they know. Dad was really confused at the hospital and Pa probably couldn't have seen him.”
“That's why you don't want your Dad to go alone?”
Rain nods as best he can, “It's also how sad he gets after visits. When I convinced them to go home early, Grandpa threw a fit and blamed Dad. He said if it wasn't for Dad, Grandpa would actually get to see his son and grandson. That it was Dad’s fault he no longer had a son. Dad gets quiet after talking with Grandpa, it's unnerving.” He closed his eyes, “I hate it.”
“My sweet, sweet boy.” And all of a sudden Rain couldn't help it, tears running down his cheeks. He had been so scared that day, and seeing his Grandpa do something like that it has severed the line between them. Rain had wanted nothing to do with his Grandpa since then.
“Phi,” he whispered, “promise me you'll be safe if you come on this trip?”
“I promise.”