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Rain pulled his phone from his ear and stared at it, an astounded look plastered to his face. "What do you mean you’ve never watched P'Phayu, Sky? His new show is right up your alley and he's SO HOT!"
Sky’s sigh sounded pained. "Rain, if you're walking you'd better be paying attention to where you're going."
Rain, who was, indeed, walking, glared at his phone and huffed, "I'm not an idiot. You're the idiot if you haven't at least tried an episode of 'Flame and Sword.' P'Phayu plays the Sword, and his moves...ugh, it's like watching one of your animes. A real human shouldn't be able to do those things! He's so damn graceful--"
Rain was already falling by the time he realized his foot had caught on a broken piece of sidewalk.
He barely had time to shriek before he collided with the ground, only just managing to reach out to cushion his fall, his phone flying. Pain shot up his arms and exploded in his knee. His nose came distressingly close to the concrete, but he managed to avoid a full faceplant.
He froze there for a moment, struggling to control his breathing.
"Rain?" came Sky's voice, somewhere to his left. "Rain! Are you okay?"
The sudden rush of adrenaline began to settle, leaving Rain shaking. He rolled to sit, and lifted his hands, staring down at the blood seeping through his torn palms. A slightly hysterical giggle pressed past his lips, shifting towards a sob.
"Rain!"
Slowly, Rain reached for the phone, just at the edge of his reach. He flinched when he picked it up. "I'm here," he said, voice very small.
"Are you okay? Why did you scream?"
How could he tell Sky he fell because he wasn't watching where he was going, when Sky had just told him not to do that very thing?
"Um...bee?"
"Did you get stung? Do I need to come get you?"
"No!" Rain squeaked. If Sky saw him, he'd see through the lie in an instant. He turned his eyes to his knee, where his jeans had nearly torn through, and winced at the red soaking into the denim. "No, I'm fine. I'm--"
"Hey," came a third voice. "You okay, Nong?"
The voice sounded familiar. Rain could swear he'd heard it vowing, "This Sword will protect you for the rest of my days, beloved," only just that morning, on the newly released episode of 'Flame and Sword.'
Rain raised his eyes and nearly swallowed his own tongue. P'Phayu--the most beautiful man Rain had ever seen--squatted in front of him, a concerned look knitting his brows.
"Sky, I have to go. I'll call you later."
"Wait--"
Rain ended the call.
He closed his eyes and shook his head. He was clearly hallucinating. Maybe he'd hit his head after all?
"Nong?" A firm hand settled on Rain's shoulder. "Can you stand?"
Rain opened his eyes and the hallucination was still there. Except that this hallucination wasn't wearing the long silver wig from the drama, or the bold black robe. His hair was pulled back into a messy bun. A form-fitting black T-shirt clung to his sculpted torso, before disappearing into black jeans, a black leather belt with a large, silver singha buckle fastened around his narrow waist.
"You're so damn handsome," Rain breathed. Oh, no did he say that out loud? "No, I mean--"
Phayu's lips curled up at one corner. "Thanks for the compliment. Now come on, Nong, let's get you up. Can you give me your hand?"
Rain reflexively extended his hand, then hesitated.
"But I'll bleed on you."
"If you're worried about that, then here." He shifted to Rain's side and slid his arm around Rain's waist. "Count of three and up we go."
Rain was about to protest that he didn't need help getting up, thank you, horrified that his idol was having to take care of him. Phayu shouldn't have to get his hands dirty. He was meant to be worshipped from a respectful distance. Not dragging clumsy idiots off the pavement.
He didn't get the chance. On the count of three, Phayu rose, tugging Rain with him. His grip was firm. His muscles pressed against Rain in a way that should not have been legal, and Rain didn't even put up a fight.
When he tried to put weight on his leg though, his knee nearly buckled, and suddenly he was grateful for the actor's support.
Phayu tightened his grip, keeping Rain secured. "What's your name, Nong?"
"Oh, uh, I'm Rain. Varain. Rain." Had he always been such a sterling conversationalist? He wanted to stuff socks in his mouth before he said another word. "Just Rain, Khun."
"Phi is fine, N'Rain." He was smiling again, like he found Rain's fumble-mouth endearing? "There's a bench just ahead."
"Oh, no, it's okay. I just need a second and I'll be fine..."
Phayu ignored his objections, leading him to the bench and sitting him down, out of the way of the other pedestrians. They weren't far from Rain's university, and a steady stream of students passed by in either direction, rushing to classes or back towards the shopping district with friends for a quick meal or study session.
"Do you have any first aid supplies in your pack?"
Rain flushed scarlet. "Sky keeps telling me I should."
"Sky sounds like a smart man."
"He really is! The smartest and the best!" Rain's palms were really starting to sting, so he lifted his hands and blew. It didn't help much.
"Your boyfriend?"
Rain choked, eyes saucer-wide. "Boyfriend? Sky?! He's like my brother, P'Phayu."
A slow smirk spread over the man's face. "You know my name, then?"
If Rain had thought he was blushing before, he hadn't understood the true meaning of the word. "Uh, well, you see..."
Phayu raised one eyebrow, waiting.
Rain swallowed hard, then brought up the lock-screen on his phone and turned it toward Phayu. He stared at his knees, hoping against hope that the ground would open and claim him. His lock-screen was a fan-edited shot of the Sword, emphasizing the piercing gaze and the black robe hanging half-open, revealing a generous glimpse of the man's tantalizing pecs.
Phayu laughed out loud. "You're adorable, Nong."
A hand ruffled Rain's hair, then cupped his cheek for a moment. Rain thought his skin might actually melt and he couldn't resist the urge to look back at Phayu, falling willingly into his hypnotic dark eyes.
After a moment, Phayu looked away, over Rain's shoulder, and beckoned towards someone Rain couldn't see.
"My manager is always prepared for everything," Phayu said, by way of explanation.
A tall, imposing man appeared at Rain's side, a diffident expression on his face. "Helping the clumsy boy, Phayu?"
Phayu grinned. "He's a fan, P'Chai. Besides, we should always help those in need. You have your medical kit with you?"
"Of course." He set down his leather messenger bag and dug inside it. "I remind you of your upcoming engagement."
Phayu took the medical kit with one hand and brushed away the manager's reminder. "There's still half an hour to go. We can easily reach the auditorium in ten minutes."
"Oh, don't let me keep you!" Rain interjected. He’d be mortified if Phayu was late to an engagement because of helping him.
"Be a good boy and shush," said Phayu. "Give me your hands."
The buzzing that filled Rain's brain at the words 'good boy' overruled any other objections and he obediently extended his hands.
Phayu's hands were works of art. Long, narrow fingers, callused from his work with the weapons he wielded for the show. Warm--the heat seeping into Rain's skin, and racing from his hands to his core. His heart felt like it was stuttering. Like he might cry from the sensations overwhelming him, overriding even the sharp sting of the antiseptic.
Too soon, Phayu was sealing off the last bit of medical tape and releasing his hands.
Before Rain could rue the loss of touch for long, those beautiful hands were moving on, one settling on his thigh, the other grazing over his now-bare knee. Rain inhaled a startled breath, willing himself not to press his leg back up into the touch.
"I think we can get this cleaned properly, too."
The pavement had done a number on the jeans, leaving only a few threads to hold the tear together.
"Is it okay if I cut these?"
Rain nodded, too overwhelmed by the fact that Phayu's hand was on his thigh to think of objecting. He would have sacrificed every pair of jeans he owned to experience this, even just for a moment.
P'Chai cleared his throat. "The time, Phayu."
Phayu squeezed Rain's thigh gently, then snipped the last remaining threads and set about tending the injured knee.
It was over far too soon, but Rain knew he couldn't be greedy. He'd already had more than he could ever have dreamed of. This encounter would fuel his daydreams for the rest of his life, he was sure.
He brought his newly-bandaged hands together in a wai. "Thank you, Phi."
Phayu ruffled his hair again. "Such a polite boy," he said, fingers still buried in the strands. He leaned in closer and inhaled deeply. "I like polite boys."
Rain stared back at him, utterly trapped. Had Phayu sniffed him? And why did that make his skin tingle with an urgent need to be touched?
"Phayu. We have to go."
Phayu released his grip on Rain's head. "Of course, P'Chai. Rain, are you heading for the university? Which department?"
"Architecture, Phi."
Phayu nodded. "That's on the way. We'll give you a ride. P'Chai, where did you park?"
Chai led them to a black Range Rover parked nearby and the three clambered inside, Rain into the back seat with Phayu.
Unable to bear the quiet inside the car, Rain asked, "How do you know where the architecture department is?"
"I'm a graduate of the performing arts department, but I started in architecture before I got my first big acting break. I'd like to come back to it someday."
"Really?" Rain perked up like a rabbit.
"Yes, really. But for now, it's time for you to get to your classes, and me to my presentation."
Rain looked out the window, and Phayu was right. They were parked in the lot just outside the architecture building. He bowed deep before getting out of the car. "Thank you for everything, Phi. I know you'll give the performance students the very best presentation! Susu na!"
Then he fled, before he could succumb to the urge to do something stupid like beg for his contact information. Phayu was a celebrity and he deserved his privacy. Rain had been given the most amazing gift of Phayu's time and attention. He couldn't ask for anything more.
Somehow Rain managed to make it through his two morning classes, the only two he didn't have with Sky, though he was sure he didn’t actually absorb a word his professors said. At least his hand seemed to take notes well autonomously. He could look back at them later, when he'd recovered a semblance of normalcy.
After gathering his things, Rain joined the stream of students leaving the building, eager to find a place to sit and call Sky. If he didn't talk about what had happened, he might actually explode.
He dug the phone from his pocket and headed down the stairs, punching in Sky's number, but before he could finish, a voice pulled his attention away. "If you fall down those stairs because you're staring at your phone again, I'm not delivering this message, Nong Rain."
Rain lowered the phone and stared at Phayu's manager, reclining against a pillar. "P'Chai?"
Chai straightened and crossed the distance between them, his hand extended. "Phayu wanted you to have these. They’re tickets to a VIP pre-screening of the next episode of ‘Flame and Sword.’ There are two tickets here, so bring a friend."
Rain touched the tickets tentatively. "Really? He wants me to come?"
Chai rolled his eyes. "His exact words were, 'Give these to the cute boy, but don't tell him I called him that.'"
"But you just told me--"
"I'm his manager, not his lackey. I don't follow all of his directions. He can thank me later. But do try to take better care of yourself. Also, take this." He handed over a small shopping bag.
Rain took it and glanced inside.
"A first aid kit?"
"Again, exact words, 'It will make his friend happy, and me, too.'"
"I--thank you, Phi!"
"Thank Phayu when you see him." Chai gave him a jaunty salute, then turned and strode away.
Rain stood a moment with the bag dangling from his hands, then ran to one of the tables under the tree across the walkway, stabbing the call button.
Sky picked up after two rings, "Rain, what the heck was that this morning?"
"Sky! You have to come with me on--" he paused and looked down at the tickets "--Saturday night!"
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Flame and Sword! VIP pre-screening! P'Phayu gave me tickets! And...oh it says here that Prapai will be there, too! He plays the Flame. He's a fire mage, and they're in love, and Prapai is almost as hot as Phayu and--"
"RAIN!"
"Yes, Sky?"
"Breathe. Then start from the top."
By the time Rain finished the story, he'd managed to wring a reluctant yes out of Sky, and a promise to have a watch party to catch up before Saturday.
"You won't regret it, Sky. It's an amazing show, and Phayu and Prapai..." he sighed dreamily.
"Yes, well, someone has to make sure your head stays screwed on straight." Sky's voice was full of fondness mixed with exasperation. "Meet me for lunch?"
"On my way!"
Rain couldn't believe his luck. Despite the bandages all over him, this was the best day of his life, and Saturday could be even better. With Phayu making the first outreach, he was a sword that Rain would happily throw himself on.
He clapped his hands together in tiny fists, excitement overwhelming him in a fit of giggles, then skipped away down the path.
Saturday couldn't come soon enough.