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The first day after Phayu leaves for a business trip to Australia, Rain is dramatic. He slumps over his desk and whines loudly about how much life sucks without him.
Sky just rolls his eyes at him.
“It hasn’t even been 24 hours yet. Why don’t you save the dramatics until he’s at least been gone a week?” he asks, only a little judgmental. Or at least he only sounds a little judgmental. Rain doesn’t need to know just how ridiculous Sky finds him right now.
“I miss him!” Rain pouts.
“You’re acting like he’ll be gone forever.”
“It feels like forever!”
“Shouldn’t you at least pretend that you can get through the day without P’Phayu?” Sky asks. “Before you completely fall apart?”
“I’m not falling apart!” Rain protests, sitting upright to glare at Sky. Sky just gives him a pointed look. “I’m not.”
“Okay, maybe not yet,” Sky concedes. “But you sure are acting like it’s only a matter of time.”
Rain, very maturely, sticks his tongue out at him.
“Hah, what’s got you acting like a 5-yearold, Nong Fon?” Sig asks loudly as he walks over to take his usual seat behind Sky. Rain gives him the finger, and Sig puts a dramatic hand on his chest. “How rude! What would your boyfriend say?”
“Not much, since he’s not here,” Rain mumbles moodily.
“P’Phayu’s away on a business trip,” Sky explains. “Rain is being dramatic about it.”
“Like you wouldn’t be the same if P’Pai went away!” Rain huffs.
On the inside, maybe, Sky thinks. He certainly wouldn’t outwardly act the way Rain is right now, even if he’d be feeling the same way. And he’s not telling Rain that. Not yet, anyway. If Rain gets moodier as time goes on, Sky will take pity on him and tell him the truth.
Right now, he just scoffs and says, “I’m not as codependent as you are. P’Pai might be, but I’m not.”
Rain glowers at him and looks down at his notebook.
“It’s true, you’re very clingy. I’m surprised P’Phayu is into that,” Sig comments.
Rain’s head whips around to glare at him. “Shut up, Sig!”
“Shut up, Sig,” Sig mimics playfully. Rain lunges for him, but Sky reaches out to hold him back before he can even get out of his seat.
“Alright kids, that’s enough,” he says firmly. Sig giggles. Rain outright growls, but he does turn away from Sig again. Sky almost wants to say something about how this is more evidence that Rain is already falling apart without Phayu, but he knows all too well that this is just how Sig and Rain are.
“So P’Phayu’s away?” Sig asks once his giggles have calmed down.
Rain hums. “Yeah, on business. He’s in Australia.”
“And how long is he gonna be away?” Sig asks.
“Two weeks,” Rain replies with a pout.
Sig taps his chin thoughtfully. “Have you ever gone that long without seeing him?” he asks, clearly genuinely curious.
“No,” Rain replies quietly.
“Damn,” Sig says and leans back in his seat. A grin slowly spreads on his face, and Sky just knows whatever he’s about to say will be to rile Rain up somehow. And he’ll most likely succeed. “You’re gonna be a total mess so fast, Rain.”
Rain whips around to glare at him again. “I will not!”
Sky isn’t so sure Sig won’t be right.
Despite Sky’s comments on that first day, Rain doesn’t actually seem to fall apart much. He whines and complains about missing Phayu, and he lights up like a house on fire every time he gets a message from Phayu, but he turns up to class on time, with his homework done, looking perfectly put together (and usually wearing one of Phayu’s old uniform shirts).
He’s holding up surprisingly well, actually. Almost like he got most of his dramatics out on the first day, and is now hunkering down and focusing on his schoolwork, instead of just how much he misses his boyfriend.
He’s certainly very focused in class. He always turns up with his homework done, he takes a lot of notes, and there’s even a few times where he stays after the end of class to ask the professor a few questions. Once the day is done, he usually joins Sky, Sig, Por and Ple for smoothies or for finishing grueling assignments in the workshop.
“You’re doing a lot better with P’Phayu being away than I thought you would,” Sky tells him honestly on day four.
“I thought for sure you’d start sleeping in class again,” Sig comments. Rain hits him in the shoulder in retaliation.
“I always believed in you,” Ple asserts.
“Thank you,” Rain says pointedly.
“Really, Rain. With how you acted that first day, I thought you’d struggle a lot more,” Sky says.
Rain shrugs. “I don’t have time to think about it much. We’ve got a lot of schoolwork, and I’m helping P’Saifah at the garage as well sometimes,” he says.
“You fix cars?” Por asks, disbelief coloring his tone.
“I think I’ll have to stand up just to sit down from the shock,” Sig says.
“No,” Rain huffs. “I help with some of the administrative stuff, like checking invoices and stuff. Now that P’Phayu’s away, both P’Nui and P’Saifah are a lot busier.”
“It’s sweet of you to help out, then,” Ple says. Rain smiles at her.
“Just make sure P’Phayu still has a business to come home to,” Sig says, to which Rain hits him again. “Ow! This is abuse!”
“Shut up, Sig,” Rain says. It’s a little less playful than he usually is, but Sky doesn’t think much of that. Sure, Rain is doing fine, but it won’t exactly be a surprise that he’s just a little less happy without Phayu to come home to and spend time with.
“Anyway,” Por cuts in, before Sig can unnecessarily escalate anything, “What did you guys think about what Professor Kong said today about sustainable houses? It all sounded a little iffy to me.”
“Oh definitely,” Sky agrees, and the discussion rolls easily from there. They talk about the topics of their classes today, then move on to TV shows they’re currently watching, and the game Sig is currently streaming. It’s a good way to unwind after a full school day and a week with more than one assignment to hand in.
At one point, Rain’s phone pings on the table. He grabs it immediately, and from the way his eyes light up, Sky doesn’t have to ask who it is. After a moment, Rain bites his lip and starts typing furiously.
“No prizes for guessing who that is,” Sig says.
“How is P’Phayu?” Sky asks.
“He’s good. He says he’s learning a lot,” Rain says excitedly. He turns his phone over to show them a photo Phayu has sent of the Sydney skyline.
“Man, I wish I was there instead of slaving over all this homework,” Por says.
“Me too,” Rain mumbles longingly. Sky can’t help but smile at him. He and Por definitely have different reasons for wanting to be there. And Sky certainly isn’t going to blame Rain for missing Phayu. The whining he may tease, and the dramatics he may roll his eyes at, but Rain missing his boyfriend is nothing but understandable.
Rain straightens up a little and puts his phone back down.
“But with all the work I have to do, P’Phayu will be back before I know it, and he can tell me all about what he’s learned in person,” he says firmly.
Sky nods, a little impressed. Rain really is holding up surprisingly well.
Sky may say that Rain’s doing well on his own, but Prapai has a series of texts and phone calls from Phayu that proves, much to his surprise, that Phayu isn’t doing all that great being away from Rain. Even before Phayu left, he’d asked Prapai to make sure he and Sky keep an eye on Rain to make sure he stays out of trouble. The first text message about Rain ticked in the very first night.
Phayu: Has Sky talked to Rain today?
Prapai: Probably, but nothing I’m aware of
Prapai: Why?
Phayu: I just wanna know if he’s going to be alright tonight
Prapai: Aren’t you gonna call him?
Phayu: What he says to me and what he says to Sky can be two different things
Prapai: Fair enough
Prapai: I’ll let you know if Sky says anything
Sky hadn’t said anything about Rain, but the texts from Phayu kept coming, every day.
On the first day, when Sky comes home and complains about Rain being whiny and dramatic about Phayu all day, Prapai takes great joy in texting that information to Phayu.
Prapai: Awww, Sky says your boy can’t even go 24 without missing you like a lovesick puppy
He expects Phayu to reply with something short, maybe something snarky. That’s not what he gets.
Phayu: I miss him too
Phayu: So much
Phayu: Sleeping without him last night was really strange
Prapai: Seriously?
Phayu: What, like you’re any better?
Prapai: Oh I know I’m not. I’m just surprised you’re like me
Phayu: I love Rain just as much as you love Sky
Phayu: I don’t like being away from him like this. It’s like I’ve left a limb behind.
Prapai: Dramatic, but ok
Phayu: I’m tired. I didn’t get much sleep last night. The bed felt lonely and way too big. I just kept thinking about how much I wish I could’ve taken him with me
Phayu: If I have a work trip when he doesn’t have class, he’s definitely coming with me
Prapai: Are you sure your boss would like that?
Phayu: People bring partners with them on these trips all the time, and Rain is an architect too. Anything I learn here, he can make use of too
Prapai: Fair enough
Phayu: And I’m worried about him as well
Phayu: I don’t want him to feel lonely at night either
Phayu: I hope he’s too busy to miss me the way I miss him
Prapai: Aren’t you too busy too?
Phayu: You’d be surprised how little time I need to miss him
Prapai: It’s been one day!
Phayu: One day is more than enough
Prapai stares at his phone. It’s true that in the time he’s known Phayu, Phayu hasn’t had very many relationships, and none of them have been anything like his relationship with Rain. Prapai has never seen Phayu this head over heels in love before. So it’s true, he doesn’t have a lot of prior experiences to compare the situation now with, but he’s still surprised at just how much of a sap Phayu has turned out to be.
Phayu, who is so calm and collected, who makes sure to organize his life and prioritize his time, who is probably the most professional person Prapai knows, has turned out to be like this.
Maybe it shouldn’t be that surprising. Phayu can be a huge sap, and rarely seems to let there be much space between him and Rain if he can get away with it. He’s just as much a lovesick puppy as Rain, really.
Prapai lets out a laugh. He will absolutely be holding this over Phayu’s head for the rest of time. Especially if Phayu starts teasing him about missing Sky (even if he knows Phayu will insist that there’s a difference between missing Rain because he himself is abroad and Prapai missing Sky because he’s been at work and Sky has been at school all day).
And it only gets funnier as the days go on.
On day three, Prapai talks on the phone with Phayu for ten minutes, most of which Phayu spends wistfully sighing over how much he wishes he could go home.
“It’s all very interesting, what we’re doing, but it’s a lot of learning and socializing, and it’s hard when I can’t recharge at night the way I want to,” he says.
“And what way is that?” Prapai asks with a smirk he’s sure Phayu can hear.
“By holding Rain,” Phayu says.
“Awww,” Prapai coos. “Sky says Rain still misses you a lot too.”
“But he’s doing alright, isn’t he?” Phayu asks.
“Yeah, he’s fine. He seems to be keeping busy with schoolwork and friends and helping out Saifah at the garage,” Prapai replies.
“I hope Saifah isn’t making him work too much. School already takes up a lot of time, and he needs to focus on that. He needs sleep, as well,” Phayu worries.
“I’m sure Saifah’s got it under control,” Prapai reassures him.
“He’d better, or I’m going to make him
Prapai can’t help but laugh. “You’re so funny when you’re lovesick.”
“Ass,” Phayu says fondly. “I’m hanging up now so I can call Rain.”
“Of course you are,” Prapai says and laughs even more when all he gets in response is the dial tone.
On day five, Prapai wakes up to the following text.
Phayu: I wish I had a fast forward button, so I’d be on my way to the airport again already
Prapai shakes his head and types out his answer.
Prapai: How many days have you got left?
Then he gets out of bed to start getting ready for the day. By the time he comes out of the shower, Phayu has sent him a string of messages.
Phayu: Ten
Phayu: It’s not even the halfway point yet
Phayu: It feels like an eternity
Phayu: I never want to do this again
Phayu: Also, can you ask Sky to keep an eye on Rain today? He seemed a little down when I talked to him last night, and I’m worried he’s lonely
Phayu: And worried he’s not taking properly care of himself too
Phayu: They’ll probably get more assignments soon, so he’ll be busy and mostly on his own
Prapai: You worry way too much. He’ll be fine
Prapai: But yes, I’ll tell Sky to keep a closer eye on him
Phayu: Thanks
Prapai shakes his head.
“Hey, honey!” he calls out.
“Yeah?” Sky calls back, just as he wanders into the bedroom with a bowl of cereal.
“Phayu says Rain seemed down when they talked last night, so he wants to know if you could keep an eye on him today,” Prapai says.
Sky blinks at him. “I don’t think we have any plans to spend time together,” he says. It makes sense. It’s a Sunday, so there are no classes, and there are no major assignments or group projects for them to slave away at together right now. “I guess I could go by, but on Friday, it sounded like he’d be busy at the garage.”
“Then Saifah can keep an eye on him,” Prapai says.
“Should I be worried about him, Phi?” Sky asks. He sounds like he already is, so Prapai walks over, puts his hands on Sky’s hips, and rubs their noses together.
“Nah, don’t worry. Phayu’s just being dramatic. He misses Rain a lot,” he says.
Sky giggles a little.
“I guess it’s good to know Rain’s not the only one of them who’s like that,” he says.
“And if we’re honest,” Prapai says and gives Sky’s nose a quick peck, “we’d be like that too if one of us was away for two weeks.”
Sky badly hides a smile and gives Prapai’s shoulder a shove.
“You might,” he says, haughty. “I’d be perfectly fine. That whole big bed all to myself would be wonderful.”
“Awwww, Sky!”
On day six, Rain turns up to class looking very, very tired. Sky thinks about what Prapai had said yesterday and wonders if Phayu had been onto something after all.
“I just didn’t sleep great, that’s all,” Rain says when Sky asks him about it. Sky doesn’t question him further. It makes sense that Rain would be more tired on a Monday. He probably slept in on Sunday (that’s what Sky did too), and thus had a little trouble with going to bed early. “And I miss P’Phayu.”
He’s said that every day since Phayu left, but the way he says it now is different. It’s not whiny or pouty or in any other way dramatic. It’s quiet, and almost a little sad. It makes Sky pause. Maybe he should have checked up on Rain yesterday.
“Only a week until he’s home, right?” Sky says, trying to be encouraging.
Rain sighs again, nods and gives Sky a small smile. He still doesn’t seem entirely ok. He hardly looks up from where he’s doodling in his notebook. As far as Sky can tell, he’s not doodling anything in particular, though Sky wouldn’t put it past him to be writing Phayu’s name over and over again.
It says something about Rain’s mood that when Sig arrives, he doesn’t make even a single teasing comment.
Ple must notice too, because once classes are done for the day, she puts a gentle hand on Rain’s arm as he’s packing up and asks, “Do you wanna go get some coffee and hang out?”
“No thanks,” Rain says, shaking his head a little. “I’m just gonna go home. We’ve got a lot of homework.”
No more than usual, but Sky doesn’t call him out on it. It’s clear Rain is a little off-kilter today. Phayu’s absence must have felt bigger over the weekend. His phone hasn’t pinged even once today either.
They all bid Rain goodbye and watch him leave. Then Por says, “Well, I’m up for some coffee.”
“Me too. Anything to procrastinate doing homework,” Sig says. Ple and Sky both roll their eyes. It’s a marvel Sig has made it this far in his education, and generally with pretty good grades, too.
“How about we go get coffee and get a start on our homework together at the coffee shop?” Sky suggests.
“No,” Sig says.
“Yes,” Por says. Ple giggles, and Sky can’t help but laugh a little too. “Shut up, Sig. I could use some help. And I bet so could you!”
“Alright fine,” Sig groans.
“Then it’s a plan,” Sky says and puts the last of his things in his bag.
“Why didn’t you tell Rain the plan?” Ple asks.
Sky looks at the door Rain disappeared through moments before. “I got the feeling he wanted to be alone.”
It would probably be a stretch to say that Rain is happy the next morning, on day seven, but he does show up in a better mood, and even though he looks tired, he seems very determined.
“I take it you got more sleep?” Sky guesses as he sits down next to him.
“A little,” Rain replies. “But mostly I decided not to have a repeat of yesterday.”
“Oh really?” Sky says, eyebrows going up to his hairline. “You can just decide that.”
“Yes,” Rains says, as if it should be obvious.
Sky just nods. “Alright then. If you say so.”
“We’re at the halfway point. I just have to keep myself distracted until P’Phayu’s home,” Rain says, with that same determination in his voice that he’d had years ago when he was pursuing Phayu.
“That sounds like a good plan,” Sky says. He’d thought that’s what Rain had been doing last week, but maybe he hadn’t been all that conscious about doing it. Maybe he hadn’t realized. Or maybe he’s just reaffirming the plan for himself, after clearly not being able to shake off Phayu’s absence yesterday.
To help Rain with his plan, Sky starts talking about a new manga he’s reading and keeps the conversational ball rolling after Rain expresses enough interest in reading it himself that Sky doesn’t want to give him any spoilers. Sig and Por join them as well, and the conversation turns to badminton, until Ple arrives with less than a minute to spare before the professor walks in and starts class.
“My alarm didn’t go off,” Ple explains hurriedly as she pulls her books out.
“I’ve been there,” Por says sympathetically.
“Me too. But today I woke up before my alarm,” Rain comments.
Sky tilts his head and looks at him. Rain loves sleeping in, and hates getting up early. Him waking up before his alarm on a day with 8am class seems very odd. But before Sky can ask about, the professor arrives to start.
The lesson doesn’t stop Sky from looking over at Rain every once in a while. He seems fine, though. He’s focused on the board and his notes most of the time. A few times, he pulls out his phone, but he only types on it once, and he quickly puts it back down again.
He really seems to have found some determination again.
“Now,” the professor says towards the end, with an expression of glee on his face that can only mean their torment. Sky is already afraid. “I want you to take what you’ve learned here today and apply it to a design. Make a floorplan and a model, and hand in both at my office on Thursday before 10am.”
A collective, low groan spreads through the whole class. It only seems to bring their professor more joy.
“Two days? Professor, you are cruel,” Por calls out.
The professor just laughs and claps his hands together. “Are there any questions?”
“Why are you doing this?” Sig asks very seriously.
“No?” the professor says, ignoring Sig. “Then good luck! I’ll see you all Thursday morning.”
And with that, he dismisses class and starts packing up his things. Sky turns to Rain, who is now glaring forlornly at his notebook as he doodles in it again.
“Well, I guess that’ll keep you distracted,” Sky says dryly.
“I guess,” Rain says with a pout. “It’s not exactly what I had in mind, though.”
“Well, it’s what’s happening,” Sky says. “Do you want to come over after school so we can start, then?”
Rain nods. “Sure.”
Sky eyes Rain for a moment. He’d been worried about his friend yesterday, but he seems to have picked himself up today. It’s sort of what Sky had expected. Rain has always been good at picking himself up, because he’s nothing if not stubborn. Phayu being away won’t have changed that, even if the two of them are incredibly codependent.
Sig and Por end up joining Rain and Sky at Sky’s dorm to work on their assignments. Normally, Sky would protest them just inviting themselves over to study, but today, he didn’t put up a fight. He figures their presence will keep Rain even more distracted than Sky can manage on his own.
He’s right about it, too. It obviously doesn’t take very long for Sig and Rain to start trading barbs and throwing pencils at each other, even as Por and Sig try to keep them focused on the task at hand. Which, like always, they somehow manage. In between the mayhem, they all work. They compare notes, exchange ideas, and give each other advice as they slowly start working on their floorplans.
At six, Prapai joins the four of them with dinner, which they devour before going back to working. Prapai pulls out his laptop to get some work done as well, and for the entire evening, Sky can’t tell that Rain is missing Phayu.
Until they hit midnight.
Sig asks, “Oi, Sky, can we stay here tonight so we can keep working?”
“Dude, I didn’t bring anything for a sleepover,” Por says without waiting for Sky to answer.
“Rookie mistake, my friend. I always have the essentials in my bag, just in case,” Sig says wisely.
“Guys, I’m not staying here tonight,” Sky cuts in. On the couch, Prapai smirks but doesn’t say anything.
“You’re not?” Sig asks, surprised.
“No. Once I’m done with this section, P’Pai’s gonna take me home,” Sky says.
“Why do you even still have this dorm, if you don’t sleep here?” Por asks curiously.
“So I can work here,” Sky replies. It especially applies to when Prapai is away on business, but he chooses not to mention that right now, lest it makes Rain think of Phayu being away on business. Rain still seems to be focusing on his work, thankfully.
“Well, can we still stay here? It’s closer to school than my house,” Sig says. Por gives him an incredulous look. Sky honestly isn’t that surprised.
“Sure,” he sighs. “Knock yourselves out, if you want. Just don’t break anything.”
“Really?” Por asks. Sky just nods.
“Alright! You’re the best, Sky!” Sig grins.
“Mhm,” Sky hums.
“What about you, Rain? You don’t have a boyfriend to return home to. Are you staying?” Sig asks, and Sky immediately wants to throttle him for that. Rain has been so good at keeping distracted from Phayu and focusing on the assignment all day, and now Sig is not just mentioning Phayu but specifically mentioning his absence.
Sky hits the back of Sig’s head at the same time Por elbows him and says, “Sig.”
“Ow!” Sig whines, rubbing the back of his head.
“Shut up!” Sky mouths, but it’s too late. Rain visibly slumps. His back curves, his shoulders fall, and his head hangs. His face would be disappearing behind his hair if he hadn’t put it up earlier.
“Idiot,” Por hisses, because he’s clearly also noticed Rain’s mood today. He and Sky both gesture towards Rain, and realization dawns on Sig’s face, closely followed by a sheepish expression.
Sky turns back to his best friend. “Rain? Are you ok?”
“I’m good. I’m just tired,” Rain says quietly. Sky doesn’t believe him for even a second. “I’m gonna go home soon as well.” He looks up at Prapai. “P’Pai, can you drop me off at home?”
“Sure,” Prapai agrees.
So half an hour later, they’re dropping Rain off at his parents’ house. Rain has been quiet most of the way, but he thanks Prapai for the ride before he gets out. As he turns around to walk away, Sky rolls down his own window.
“Hey Rain,” he calls out. Rain turns back around to look at him. “Are you going straight to bed?”
“No, I think I’ll work a little more,” Rain replies.
Sky frowns. “You got a lot of work done today. It’d probably be better for you to just go to sleep.”
“I wanna look over what I’ve done so far, at least,” Rain says.
“I’m not in charge of you,” Sky says with a sighs. “I just think it’d be good for you to get some sleep. You can pull an all-nighter tomorrow if you fall behind. There’s no reason to pull an all-nighter right now, when you’re on top of things.”
Rain pouts a little. “I guess.”
“Get some sleep while you can,” Sky says, with an air of finality, to let Rain know that he won’t be berating him any more about this now. Rain simply nods, without making any promises one way or the other. “Goodnight Rain.”
“Night Rain!” Prapai calls.
“Goodnight!” Rain waves at them and heads inside.
Prapai puts the car back into drive and heads for his apartment. When they’re a little further away, he asks, “Is Rain gonna be okay?”
“I think so,” Sky says. Then, because he’s not actually sure, “I hope so.”
Prapai remembers what Phayu told him, about Rain not taking care of himself when there’s a big assignment due. He’s seen Sky like that too, so busy making models and calculations that he forgets to eat for a while, and his time management skills drop significantly. Prapai is good at reminding him and taking care of him, though. He guesses Phayu usually does the same for Rain.
But now that Phayu is away, Rain might not have anyone to make sure he eats and sleeps. And unlike yesterday, he’s not working with Sky today.
Prapai comes home from work to find Sky sitting alone at the dining table, his finished floorplan to one side and all the various materials he needs to make a model scattered on the other. When Prapai asks about Rain, Sky gets a pinched look on his face and says, “He said he’d rather work on his own at home.”
It’s clear Sky isn’t entirely happy with Rain making this choice.
“Are you worried about him?” Prapai asks.
“No,” Sky insists, but he’s biting his bottom lip like there’s more to it, so Prapai stays silent and waits him out. “Okay, yes, a little. But just a little.”
“What are you worried about?” Prapai asks. “He can take care of himself, can’t he?”
“He’s just been really sad about missing P’Phayu this week, and I don’t want him to miss the deadline tomorrow because he couldn’t focus on work, or because he oversleeps or something,” Sky explains.
“Did he seem fine in class today?” Prapai asks.
“He did,” Sky replies.
Prapai squeezes Sky’s shoulder and kisses the top of his head.
“Then I’m sure he’s gonna be fine,” he says reassuringly, and sets about preparing to spend the evening looking after Sky. He orders dinner, cuts up some fruit to put in the fridge for Sky to snack on all night, and takes place at the other end of the table with his own work. None of it is urgent and can easily be put aside if Sky wants his help with his model, and as a bonus, finishing it tonight will give Prapai more time with Sky this weekend.
When dinner arrives, Sky puts his work aside so they can eat together.
“Hey honey,” Prapai says. Sky hums around a mouthful to acknowledge that he’s listening. “Since you’re taking a break now anyway, why don’t you call Rain and check up on him? If he’s behind, I can ask Saifah to help him.”
Sky pauses for a moment, then nods. “Good idea.”
So while Prapai clears the food and their plates from the table, Sky calls Rain.
“How’s it going over there? Are you getting anywhere, or did you get stuck?” he asks. Prapai can’t hear what Rain’s reply is, but it makes Sky huff out a laugh. “Yeah, me too. I’ve still got so much work to do. But it’s mainly the model now, so… oh really? That’s great, Rain.” He laughs again. “That’s right, light at the end of the tunnel… Yeah… Yeah.” He glances over at Prapai. “We just had dinner. P’Pai’s cleaning up right now… Not right now, but maybe later… Oh, I hope so. I’d rather not pull an all-nighter if I don’t have to… That’s true… Yeah…Alright, we should probably both get back to work. Call me if you need any help. We can both be over there in twenty minutes if you need… Okay. Good luck… See you tomorrow.”
He hangs up and puts his phone down again with a small sigh.
“So how is Rain? Is he doing alright?” Prapai asks, walking back to the table.
“He says he’s fine. He just needs to make his model, basically, and he’s ready to hand it all in,” Sky replies.
“And did he sound like he was telling the truth? Did he sound fine?” Prapai inquires.
Sky seems to think about it for a moment. “Yeah, he sounded fine.” He smiles at Prapai. “You’re right. He’s gonna be just fine.”
“Good.” Prapai smiles back at Sky. “Now, do you need anything right now? Food, help, anything?”
“I’m good. You get back to work,” Sky says and pulls his materials back in front of himself. Prapai sits down in front of his own work as well, and a comfortable, concentrated silence settles between them. The only noises are form Prapai’s typing and Sky’s tools as he measures and cuts his cardboard.
Not long after, Prapai gets a text.
Phayu: Rain says they’ve got a big assignment due tomorrow. How is he doing with it?
Prapai: He’s fine. Sky says he’s on top of things
Prapai: And don’t worry, we’re keeping tabs on him. Not that he needs it, but we are
Phayu: Good. Thanks, friend
Phayu sends a “Ur welcome!” sticker back that Phayu doesn’t respond to. Phayu has been difficult to get hold of for more than a minute at a time this week. Apparently his schedule is a lot more packed than it was the first week. And for that reason, Prapai hasn’t told him even once about Sky’s concerns for Rain. There’s nothing Phayu can do about it anyway, and he doesn’t need to be stressing unnecessarily when he’s so busy. Just like Sky doesn’t need to be stressing about Rain when he’s elbow deep in this assignment.
He cracks his knuckles and shakes out his hands. It’s probably going to be a long night.
“You know, you don’t have to go in with me,” Sky says when Prapai unbuckles his seatbelt.
“But I want to,” Prapai says.
“Why? Don’t you have to get to work?” Sky asks as they get out of the car.
“Hey, that model is my work too,” Prapai says. Sky rolls his eyes and pulls the model and the tube with his floorplan out from the backseat. “I spent two hours cutting and gluing. I need to make sure it reaches its destination unharmed.”
“Whatever. Suit yourself,” Sky says, nonchalant, but Prapai sees through him. He knows that secretly, Sky likes it when Prapai is being ridiculous like this. Especially if it means they get to spend even just a few more minutes together.
They walk in silence for a while as they walk from the parking lot towards the Architecture buildings. When Prapai yawns, Sky gives him a look.
“You really don’t have to go in with me,” he says again.
“But I want to,” Prapai says again. “I want to be right there with you. And I want everyone to see you’re taken.”
It’s barely 8am, so it’s fairly quiet. A few students are milling around, on their way to class or to hand in assignments. The people who are there are too tired to make much of a ruckus. There’s not a lot of people to see Sky arriving with Prapai, or a lot of energy to react to it.
“People know I have a boyfriend,” Sky says, rolling his eyes, but he doesn’t stop Prapai from going with him as he heads to the faculty entrance.
There’s a small figure sitting on the steps by the entrance, completely curled up. Prapai squints at the person. They look familiar, even when he can’t see much more than a general shape and some hair.
Some messy, auburn hair.
“Hey, Sky,” Prapai says cautiously. Sky hums, and Prapai points at the figure. “Is that Rain?”
Sky is quiet for a moment. Then he gasps. “Oh my god, yes it is.”
Prapai stares. When he and Sky left this morning, Sky had been worrying if Rain would make it to school on time for the deadline, since he’s seemed a little out of it recently. Apparently he hadn’t needed to worry about that, but maybe there’s something else to worry about. Because that’s Rain, huddled on the steps, curled around his backpack. He’s so still, it almost looks like he’s asleep.
He doesn’t have a model with him, so Prapai assumes he’s handed his in already. Maybe he’s just finished and is taking a rest before going home?
“Rain?” Sky calls out and starts walking faster in Rain’s direction. Prapai follows behind him. Rain lifts his head a little, just enough to peek out over his folded arms. When he sees the two of them, he gives them a weak wave. “Rain, why are you sitting here?”
“Tired,” Rain mumbles into his arms. As they get closer, Prapai notices that his eyes look red and a little shiny.
“Did you turn in your assignment?” Sky asks. Rain just nods. “How long have you been sitting here?”
“What time is it?” Rain asks.
Prapai looks at his watch. “About ten past eight.”
“Then…” Rain trails off for a moment, clearly thinking. “I’ve been here for four hours.”
Prapai stares. Next to him, Sky visibly freezes.
Rain has been here since four in the morning?
The moment Sky unfreezes, he sits down next to Rain. Prapai follows his lead and sits down on Rain’s other side.
“Why were you here so early?” Sky asks, bewildered. Rain buries his head in his arms again. “Last we talked, it sounded like you were on pretty good track, but did you have trouble finishing it after all? You could’ve called me if you needed help.”
“No,” Rain just says.
“No?” Sky echoes, eyebrows raised.
“I didn’t have trouble,” Rain clarifies. “Wanted to make sure I could hand in my assignment on time.”
“So you got here at four in the morning?” Sky asks. Rain just nods, so Sky says the only thing that comes to mind. “You must have been the first.”
Rain just shrugs.
Something is very definitely wrong with him. This is not just because he hasn’t slept yet. This is more than that. Even Prapai can tell that much. He glances over at Sky. He looks worried too, and he’s gripping the model in his hands so tightly Prapai is a little afraid he’s going to accidentally crush it.
“Babe,” he mumbles, and Sky looks up at him. “Why don’t you go hand in your stuff, and I’ll stay here with Rain?”
Sky looks between him and Rain a couple of times before he nods and gets to his feet.
“I’ll be right back,” he says to Rain. Rain doesn’t react.
As Sky walks away, Prapai puts a careful hand on Rain’s back, which Rain doesn’t react to either.
“When was the last time you talked to Phayu?” he asks gently.
Rain sniffs. “Um… four days ago, I think,” he mumbles wetly, like he’s trying not to cry. “We’ve both been busy, and the time difference isn’t a lot, but it still messes with how much we can talk and stuff.”
“You haven’t talked to him for four days?” Prapai asks. He’s shocked Phayu would let it go so long between communication.
“Well, we’ve texted every day, but not talked,” Rain clarifies.
Okay, that makes more sense, but Prapai is still surprised. Phayu is just as co-dependent as everyone says Rain is. And with how much Prapai and Sky have seen Rain struggling for the past week, if not more, Prapai can’t imagine that Phayu wouldn’t be crawling out of his skin with worry if he couldn’t talk to Rain.
Which does make Prapai wonder how much (or maybe rather how little) Phayu knows.
“Have you told him you’ve been having a hard time?” he asks carefully. As Prapai suspected, Rain shakes his head. “Why not?”
“He’s busy. I didn’t wanna disturb him,” Rain mumbles.
“Rain…”
“I don’t want him to think I can’t be on my own. Because I can. And I don’t want him to think I’m not okay, because then he’ll spend his time worrying about me instead of working, and I don’t want that,” Rain says, more firmly, but his head is still buried in his arms.
“And… are you okay? Because I’m not sure,” Prapai says quietly.
That seems to break some kind of dam.
Because Rain bursts into tears. Prapai moves his hand so he can wrap his arm around Rain’s shaking shoulders and tries to shush him as he sobs and heaves for shaky breaths. Rain tilts to the side, leaning in against Prapai’s chest.
“I’ll take that as a no,” Prapai mumbles.
“I just… I miss P’Phayu so much,” Rain sobs. “I miss him, and it’s been really hard not talking to him, and – and this stupid assignment was hard, but I didn’t wanna bother him, especially when he’s so busy he can barely text me, and he – he said he might have to extend his trip, so it would be even longer before I can see him, but I know he’s working hard so he doesn’t have to, but he might, and I just… I really, really miss him.”
Phayu possibly having to extend his trip does explain both why Rain has seemed extra down this week and why Phayu has been so hard to get a hold of, if he’s working extra hard to avoid extending the trip. Prapai can’t imagine that he wouldn’t do whatever he could (within the realm of reason) to avoid having to stay in Australia longer.
“And you haven’t told him the assignment was hard?” Prapai inquires.
“I told him –” Rain hiccups. “I told him it was hard, but that I had it under control, and he didn’t have to worry.”
“How much have you slept this week?” Prapai asks.
“Not a lot,” Rain mumbles in between deep, shuddering breaths. It sounds like he’s trying to stop crying, but not like he’s necessarily successful. “And not that well.”
Right. So Rain has been struggling to sleep all week, has been up all night and at the university since 4am.
Not good.
“How about when Sky comes back, you come home with us?” Prapai suggests.
“I just wanna go home, I think,” Rain sniffs. Prapai doesn’t really like the sound of Rain being on his own right now, though.
“Yeah, I’m going to veto that,” he says. “You’re coming with us, and we’ll make sure you get some food and some sleep.”
Rain doesn’t say anything to that. He just lets out a small whine and keeps crying.
So that’s how Sky finds them a few minutes later: Rain crying, leaning into Prapai’s chest while still completely curled in on himself, and Prapai with his arms around Rain, stroking his back, occasionally murmuring something he hopes his comforting.
“What happened?” Sky asks as he approaches them, clearly very worried by the sight of them.
“Rain misses Phayu a lot, and he’s been feeling overwhelmed this week, but he wanted to do things on his own,” Prapai quickly recaps for him.
“Oh.” Sky sinks down on the stairs next to Rain again. “Rain, I told you to tell me if you needed help.”
“I didn’t,” Rain insists sullenly. The hiccup that follows undercuts his argument a little.
“Really?” Sky raises a disbelieving eyebrow. However, because Rain can’t see it, Prapai doubts it has much effect.
“No,” Rain insists. He even lifts his head to glare at Sky through his tears. “I didn’t need help. I just needed P’Phayu.”
Saying the name makes Rain sob again. He really, truly misses Phayu that much. It wouldn’t have helped to have Sky help him with the assignment or with homework, Prapai knows. The only thing that could make Rain feel less overwhelmed was Phayu’s presence, and that was impossible.
Sky seems to understand that too, because his face softens, and he doesn’t say anything in response. Instead, he gently grabs Rain’s arm and tugs a little. “Come on,” he says quietly. “Let’s go.”
By the time they get home, Rain has stopped crying, and instead, he’s distant and sluggish. Sky leads him to the guest bedroom while Prapai goes to the kitchen to get Rain something to eat and drink. If he’s been working until late and sitting outside the school since 4am, he probably hasn’t eaten since dinner last night (if he even had dinner last night). So he pours a tall glass of orange juice and grabs a couple of protein bars, and then heads to the guest bedroom as well.
Sky is getting Rain situated in bed, sitting against the headboard with the duvet tucked around his waist.
“Here, I got you something to drink,” Prapai says and hands the glass to Rain. Rain takes it and instantly starts drinking. Once he’s downed more than half of it, Prapai asks, “When was the last time you had something to drink? Or eat?”
“Um,” Rain taps the side of the glass. “Last night? I don’t remember when.”
So, not a great sign.
Prapai holds out one of the protein bars. “Here. Eat.”
“Thank you,” Rain says and takes the bar. “You know, you two don’t have to coddle me.”
“Shut up and eat,” Sky grumbles.
Rain pouts a little but obeys without a word. Prapai puts the other protein bar on the nightstand so Rain can eat that later if he wants, then ruffles his hair and walks out. Once in the hallway, he pulls out his phone to text Phayu.
Prapai: You got time for me to call you?
As expected, it doesn’t look like Phayu even reads it.
Sky joins him a moment later, closing the door behind him.
“I think he’s asleep,” he says. “He was practically nodding off while chewing. And if he’s been stressed and up all night, he should be about to crash.”
“Well, he can sleep here for as long as he needs to. Even if that’s several days,” Prapai says reassuringly.
Sky smiles and flushes a little. “Thanks, P’Pai.”
“You should go get some more sleep, too,” Prapai says. Sky looks like he’s about to protest, but instead he yawns, and Prapai can’t help but laugh a little at that, even when it makes Sky glare at him. He gently herds Sky towards their bedroom, then turns back to his phone.
Phayu: Why?
Good enough.
Prapai presses the call button and waits. It takes a moment, but finally, Phayu picks up.
“Why are you calling me?” he says in lieu of hello.
“Don’t freak out and don’t worry too much, okay?” Prapai starts off with.
“Why?” Phayu asks.
“Rain’s had… a bit of a breakdown,” Prapai says delicately.
“What does that mean?” Phayu asks. Prapai can already detect the worry.
“Remember, I told you not to freak out or worry!” Prapai reminds him. “He’s fine. But he’s been missing you a lot, and he hasn’t been sleeping great this week, and with spending all his energy on the assignment he just got overwhelmed. Sky and I found him outside the university this morning. He said he’d been there since 4am.”
There’s silence and shuffling on the other end. Then Phayu mumbles, “Shit.”
“He’s at our place now, sleeping. And I know you’re busy, but I was just wondering if it would be possible for you to call him today? And maybe also make sure you don’t have to extend your trip?” Prapai glances at the door to the guest bedroom. “The idea of you being gone even longer seemed to really take it out of him.”
“I’ll definitely see what I can do,” Phayu sighs. “When I talked to him, he sounded fine. He said he was doing fine, and he sounded like it was true. I knew he was tired and a little stressed, but he seemed like he meant it when he said he could handle it. Fuck, I can’t believe I didn’t catch it.”
“I don’t think he even knew himself how overwhelmed he was until last night,” Prapai says, hoping to soothe him a little. “He probably even fooled himself.”
“I should’ve called more.”
“Then call him today. But wait a few hours so he can get some sleep.” There’s some rustling on the other end again. Prapai just waits patiently.
“I’ll make sure I talk to him today, I promise,” Phayu says firmly. “And let me know the second he wakes up.”
“I promise,” Prapai says, and with that Phayu hangs up.
He takes a quick peek into the guest bedroom to confirm that Rain is asleep, then goes to check if Sky is asleep. Like Rain, Sky has conked out. He looks so precious when he’s asleep, Prapai can’t help but go give him a kiss on the forehead. Then, as much as he’d also like to get some more sleep, he goes to his office and starts up his laptop. Rain and Sky may be lucky enough that they don’t have classes today, but Prapai still has work to do.
When Phayu said he’d make sure to talk to Rain today, Prapai had assumed a phone call. Maybe even a video call, so they can see each other.
He was not expecting to open his door at half past nine that evening and find Phayu on the other side of it.
“Phayu?”
“Hey. I thought you said you’d let me know if Rain woke up,” Phayu says accusingly.
“He hasn’t, as far as I know,” Prapai says, still feeling a little dumbstruck. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in Australia for another few days?”
“I cleared it with P’Mohk and the organizers so I could go home early,” Phayu says, stepping forward and thus reminding Prapai that he hasn’t invited him in yet. His mother would be disappointed in his bad manners.
“How did you do that?” he asks.
On the one hand, it’s surprising that Phayu would just cut his work trip short like that. He takes his responsibilities very seriously, and always makes sure to present himself as a dedicated, reliable worker. But at the same time, dropping everything to come running to Rain’s side is a very Phayu thing. Especially because Rain is usually also responsible and hard-working enough for there to be no need for Phayu to rush to help him or comfort him. So on the rare occasion that it does happen, that Rain needs Phayu, Phayu also knows its that much more serious.
“I told them I had a sudden family emergency,” Phayu says. Prapai would tease him for that, because bosses will usually assume that means hospitalization or something, but he can’t. He would do exactly the same if Phayu had called him and told him Sky had a minor breakdown.
And speaking of Sky, he comes round the corner right at that moment.
“P’Pai,” he calls, “who’s at the – P’Phayu!”
“Hello Sky,” Phayu says warmly.
“What are you doing here?” Sky asks, perplexed.
“I came to see Rain. I managed to cut my trip short,” Phayu explains.
“Did you tell him that? Because I’m pretty sure he’s been asleep since we got home this morning,” Sky says.
“I wanted to surprise him,” Phayu smiles. “So where is he?”
“Guest bedroom, down the hall,” Sky replies, pointing in the general direction. Phayu gives a quick thanks and heads towards the guest bedroom. Prapai looks at Sky. He still seems very surprised that Phayu is here, but also very amused. He probably also realizes that this is a very, very Phayu thing to do.
The two of them share a look. Then, with single, identical nods, they head in the same direction Phayu went.
The door to the guest bedroom is open enough for them to stand outside the room and still see the way Phayu slowly sits down on the side of the bed and reaches out to stroke Rain’s hair. Rain doesn’t react at first, but then he slowly starts stirring. He turns around, stretches his limbs, and eventually blinks his eyes open.
“Hey darling,” Phayu murmurs.
“Phi?” Rain says, groggy. “I thought I woke up. Guess not.”
He closes his eyes again and Phayu lets out a low chuckle. “No, silly boy, you’re awake. At least, partially.”
Rain’s eyes blink open again.
“But you’re here,” he says simply.
“I am. I came back early to see you,” Phayu confirms.
Rain blinks again. Then his eyes go as wide as saucers, and he leaps up to throw his arms around Phayu’s neck as he shouts, “P’Phayu!”
Phayu is just as quick to wrap his arms around Rain’s waist. They sit there for a moment, just holding each other, faces buried in each other’s necks like they’re sniffing each other, until Rain pulls back as abruptly as he’d gotten up.
“Why did you come back early?” he asks. He sounds a mix of confused and suspicious, and Prapai has to press his lips together to hold in a giggle. He doesn’t want them noticing him and Sky.
“Well, a little birdy told me that you missed me a lot,” Phayu says teasingly, pinching Rain’s chin. “And I missed you too.”
“That’s not the only reason,” Rain says, now more suspicious than confused.
Phayu sighs and readjusts himself so he’s sitting a little further in on the bed, facing Rain a little more.
“I heard you got overwhelmed with everything. And that you had a really rough night and morning,” he says gently.
Rain leans back against the headboard, pouting. “I could handle it on my own.”
“Could you?” Phayu asks, which just makes Rain pout even more and cross his arms over his chest. “Rain.” Phayu reaches out to stroke his hair. “It’s okay to struggle sometimes. It’s okay to be overwhelmed. You don’t have to do everything on your own. You can ask for help.” That makes Rain soften a little. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want to worry you when you were so busy,” Rain says. “And I didn’t realize how overwhelmed I was until last night. I thought I could handle it.”
“Next time, let me know. I’d rather have you tell me that you’re struggling a little than get a call from Pai about you being upset,” Phayu says.
There’s silence between them for a moment. Then Rain says, “I missed you so much, phi. It felt like you were gone forever.”
“I know. I missed you too.” Phayu holds out his arms, and Rain moves back into his embrace. “So much. It felt like I was gone a lot longer. I’m so glad I could come home early.”
“Me too,” Rain mumbles into Phayu’s neck.
That’s when Sky nudges Prapai in the side. When Prapai looks over at him, Sky mouths “Let’s go” and gestures back towards the living room. Quietly, so Phayu and Rain won’t notice they were watching, the two of them leave their friends alone to hug and snuggle and whatever else it is they’re gonna do (probably nothing sexy. They’re most likely both too tired for that).
“I’m glad P’Phayu came back. Rain needed him,” Sky says when they’re sure they’re out of earshot.
“Yeah,” Prapai agrees. “You’ve been a good support for him, though.”
“I know,” Sky says smugly. Prapai loves it when he’s smug. “But I can’t replace P’Phayu entirely.”
“Well, that makes sense. Rain wouldn’t be able to replace me, either,” Prapai says. Sky laughs, then quickly tries to hide it.
“I’m surprised P’Phayu could come back early, though. Especially if there was talk of him staying longer,” he says, in a very obvious attempt to change the direction of the conversation. Prapai will let him have this one.
“He’s a very dedicated worker. That gives him some leeway,” he explains.
“I suppose,” Sky sighs. “P’Phayu would really do anything for Rain, huh.”
“Oh yeah,” Prapai says and wraps an arm around Sky’s waist. “Just like I would for you.”
This time, Sky doesn’t try to hide his laugh or his smile. Prapai leans into kiss him, because Sky’s smile is the best taste in the world.
He may have made fun of Phayu this week, but he wouldn’t last a week away from Sky. So really, he thinks both Phayu and Rain have done pretty admirably, even if Rain did need a little extra help in the end.