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Chapter Text

Prapai was disheveled.  

And Prapai was never disheveled.  

He was known for being punctual and put together, not a hair out of place and yet here he was, hours behind schedule, scurrying down the sidewalk in a wrinkled dress shirt, the top button open and his tie askew with a coffee stain down the front of his pants - his suit jacket had taken the brunt of the mess and therefore left at the office. 

His day had started at 4am with a surprise phone call and hadn’t slowed for a moment between emergencies and demanding clients.  He was currently on his way to the bank before it closed, a task that was so far outside of his purview that it felt silly to even know what bank they used or when it closed.  Prapai wasn’t stuck up enough to think the task was beneath him, the menial grunt work was what kept a business afloat after all, but it was not the best use of his time or company money for him to be the one doing such tedious tasks.  But that had been his whole day.  A comedy of errors didn’t even begin to cover it.  Half the office was at a conference out of town and another group was out sick after a team lunch the day prior had resulted in a bout of food poisoning.  Add in scheduled vacations and a few unplanned absences and it meant that the office that day consisted of Prapai and about seven staff across the various departments, three of them interns who could barely be trusted to sharpen a pencil properly.  To say he was drowning was an understatement.  Which is how he ended up here, the CEO of an otherwise successful company, doing the bank run for the week.  Because literally no one else in the entire office had the approval or authority to handle it.  No one but Prapai.   

He reached the bank with a few minutes to spare, sighing in relief at the lack of a line and the burst of air conditioning that washed over him.  He could feel sweat dripping down his spine, his shirt clinging in all the wrong ways due to the heat.  He took a moment to gather his bearings before making a beeline for the first open teller window.

“I need to make a deposit,” Prapai said, opening up the manila envelope in his hands and shaking it out onto the counter.  Loose checks spilled out, fluttering across the counter as he looked up and— damn.  The most beautiful man he’d ever seen was looking at him.  

Correction.  

The most beautiful man he’d ever seen was glaring at him.  Prapai was used to being glared at, so normally this wouldn’t phase him, in another context he might even use the opportunity for some harmless flirting.  But today, after the exhausting and stressful day he'd had, and the way the man was looking at him, all judgy and annoyed, it only made Prapai more flustered. 

“First time?” The beautiful man asked, looking down at the messy pile Prapai had just dumped in his window but he made no move to help.  

“Excuse me?”  

“At a bank?” 

“Umm, no?” 

The man sighed as if the universe was testing him through Prapai’s very existence.  He fished around in the pile of checks for the deposit slip.  He glanced at the business name on the header of the slip, his eyebrows pulling together as he looked back up at Prapai.  “You’re Natam’s replacement?  Did she have the baby?  Oh wait, she’s not due until next month, is she okay?” His annoyance bled away immediately, his soulful brown eyes filling with genuine concern.  The switch in tone practically gave Prapai whiplash.

Prapai blinked stupidly at him, the barrage of questions about his assistant were not what he was expecting but he supposed it made sense, she had been making this same bank run every week for the past two years.  Of course the workers here would know her.  

“I uhhh… yeah, she had the baby this morning.  A little early but everyone is fine.”  Namtam going into labor early was the 4am piece of the clusterfuck that had been Prapai’s entire day.  He might have been able to survive the employee apocalypse if he’d had Namtan there to help him. Really her timing could not have been worse.  

Prapai realized a bit belatedly how unhelpful he was being and began picking up the checks, trying to put them in some semblance of an order.  

“What did she have?”

“Oh right, she had a boy.” 

The man smiled and wow, he somehow got more beautiful when he smiled.  Which felt borderline illegal.  Prapai’s brain errored out for a second, the checks slipping from his fingers and fluttered back onto the counter.  Prapai cleared his throat rather awkwardly and reached for the checks once again but was swatted away as if he was just getting in the way rather than being helpful.  Perhaps he was.   

“So you’re the temp?  She told me you’d be green but seriously, you don’t even know how to fill out a deposit slip?” He waved the form at Prapai.  Despite the fact that Prapai was a customer, the man made no effort to soften the judgement in his tone.  “And you know you have to stamp all those checks, right?”

Prapai wanted to be offended at being confused for an ignorant temp worker but… he probably looked the part right now, he was definitely acting the part.  He felt like an idiot and it had been a very long time since anyone had managed to cut him down so succinctly with only their words.  “It’s been a rough day,” Prapai answered, pulling a face his sister called his ‘puppy dog eyes’ that he knew made him look pitiful and got him what he wanted about 98% of the time.  

The teller just rolled his eyes.  

Damn.  So he was part of the rare 2% then?   

“You stamp, I’ll fill it out,” He said, sighing deeply like it was the greatest inconvenience of his life.  

“Stamp?” Prapai said rather stupidly, looking around as if a stamp would materialize if he wished hard enough.  He was pretty sure if he’d gotten a few more hours of sleep, or maybe had a bit less caffeine to compensate for the lack of sleep, his brain would be working better than this.    

“It’s in your envelope,” He answered without looking up, taking the checks and stacking them in a neat pile before he began filling in the check number and amount for each one on the deposit slip, making a new pile of checks once he’d finished entering them on the slip.  

Prapai dug around in the envelope, finding a stamp just as promised.  It was a little eerie how this stranger knew more about Prapai’s own business process than he did himself.  He took the pile of entered checks and busied himself stamping the back of each one.  

Contrary to how it looked, Prapai did understand how a simple banking transaction was supposed to work.  What he didn’t have was help.  Namtan’s maternity leave started rather abruptly with the baby arriving so early and the arrangement with the temp agency wasn’t supposed to start for two more weeks.  They would be sending someone over on Monday which was the best accommodation they were able to offer on such short notice.  Which meant Prapai was on his own for a few more days.  Not that it mattered since literally everyone was out of the office so there wouldn’t be anyone to train a temp anyway. 

The office had been a mess all day as Prapai had tried to juggle everything himself and make the necessary arrangements in her absence.  He was learning rather quickly just how much slack Namtan picked up for him and he was not looking forward to the next few months without her.  One Namtan was worth more than a whole army of temps.  

“Namtan tells me your boss is a real stickler for appearance.  If you want to be taken seriously there, you’re going to have to do better than this,” the teller said, looking up from his work and giving Prapai a pointed look, his eyes dropping from Prapai’s open collar to his stained pants.  Everything about his expression screamed 'unimpressed'.  

Prapai tried not to smile; the situation was tipping from comical to absurd.  

He couldn’t lie, being lectured by this very attractive man about how to impress himself as a boss was delightful to the point he had no desire to set the record straight.  He also felt just a little too embarrassed to admit he was, in fact, the boss in question.  Not when he looked a hot mess and was currently struggling to do something as simple as a deposit without help.  Better this cutie think he was just a dumb temp than to understand the true depths of Prapai’s ineptitude.  

“I’ll try to remember that.  Any other tips?” 

“Yeah, learn how to fill out your paperwork before you get to the bank.  It’ll go faster,” He said dryly. 

Prapai glanced at the clock, realizing it was already 10 past close.  “I’m sorry for keeping you late.” 

He only shrugged in response.  

“I’ll come prepared next time, and not minutes before closing,” Prapai promised.  Given his bottom of the barrel behavior today, it felt like a promise that would be easy enough to keep.  

The man began keying in the amounts, his fingers flying over the keyboard as he flipped through the stack, doing a quick double check of his numbers before updating the total on the slip and finishing up the paperwork.  

“Here’s your receipt.  Bring us an update on Namtan and the baby next week,” the words an order rather than a request. 

Prapai smiled, glancing around the window until his eyes fell on the name plate nearly hidden behind a potted plant.  “Thank you for your help, Sky.” 

The man just waved him towards the door, already busying himself with his end of day tasks and not sparing Prapai another glance.  

Prapai had just reached the doors when he heard a voice call out Sky’s name, a soft breathy sound that caressed the syllables in a way that felt inappropriate for the workplace setting.  He glanced back, seeing a man in a fitted suit leaning against the counter behind Sky’s desk.  There was nothing outwardly inappropriate about it, but it felt… off.  The way he looked at Sky matched his tone, a predatory hunger in his eyes that made Prapai's skin crawl.  

The glass door closed behind him, blocking out the exchange but Prapai couldn’t help but look back and see Sky’s face, emotionless and stoic as he stared at the floor while the man pressed in closer, too close.  His words were lost to Prapai but they made Sky’s shoulders tighten with obvious discomfort.  It was impossible to misconstrue that body language. 

Sky was uncomfortable. 

Everything about it felt all wrong.  Prapai didn’t know Sky at all but he knew he never wanted to see that look on Sky’s face again.  

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

The next week, Prapai was more put together.  

The work issues had ironed themselves out.  Staff returned from the conference, the others recovered from their foodborne illness and there was now a temp sitting at Namtan’s desk.  Prapai had a full nights sleep under his belt and no coffee stains on his clothes.  

He had picked out his burgundy suit for today, the one he knew made him look like a flash bastard, but like, in a stupidly hot way.  Prapai just wanted to make a different impression.  A better impression.  He’d felt like a bumbling idiot last week and he did not care to repeat the experience.  For his own ego as a successful business man but also because he didn’t want a very cute someone to hold the wrong impression of him.  So he dressed with intention, his suit sharp and his smile sharper.  His watch cost a small fortune and his designer shoes were polished until they sparkled.  He could land a modeling gig in this outfit if he wanted to.  Not that he needed a boost of confidence, but this suit always gave it to him.  

He fixed his hair until it fell just right, the part laying just how he wanted with the perfect swoop of bangs falling into his eyes.  He flashed a cocky smile at his own reflection in the window and strolled into the bank at a more reasonable time, manila envelope in hand with checks that were already stamped, just as he’d promised.  

This was going to go great, he could feel it.  

The bank was much busier at this time, he had to wait in line behind multiple customers, pointedly ignoring the other tellers with shorter lines who tried to encourage him over their way.  He was on a mission and it only partly had to do with banking.  So he just smiled blandly and avoided eye contact as he waited.  

Sky was wearing an adorable fluffy sweater today.  It was baby blue and made his dark hair and brown eyes pop.  He just looked so cozy and huggable.  Which was a weird thought for Prapai to have about anyone, especially a stranger he found so attractive.  He had always been more of a casual hookup sort of person, rarely did he think about other people in a romantic sense.  To Prapai, attraction meant sex.  And while Prapai was definitely attracted to Sky, nothing about Sky in that soft cozy sweater said ‘sexy’.  So why did he still like it so much? 

“Good afternoon, Sky,” He said, flashing a bright smile, trying not to look as cocky as he felt as Sky’s eyes made a slow path downwards, his face giving away nothing as he took in the sight before him.  

Yes.  

Good. 

Perfect.  

Sky was checking him out.  This was going to plan.    

“So are you also a lounge singer in your spare time?” Sky asked, his tone colored with humor.  He bit his bottom lip like he was physically fighting back a smile.  

“What?” Prapai looked down at his outfit, his own smile dropping.  Lounge singer?  He had been hit on no less than four times that morning!  Nothing about his outfit, or the easy confidence he carried it with, said lounge singer.  

“A little overkill for a temp, isn’t it?” Sky said, waving a hand at his whole look, his eyes practically sparking with mirth and Prapai was conflicted.  Something warm and gooey seemed to materialize inside him at the sight of Sky’s smile and his easy humor, he just wished it wasn’t at his own expense.  Sky’s eyes felt locked on him like a missile but the teasing didn’t feel mean, there was something playful and good-humored in it that made Prapai want to keep going. 

“What’s wrong with it?”  

“You look like you are desperate for attention,” Sky answered, his eyebrow quirked in a silent challenge, as if daring Prapai to deny it.  And of course Prapai couldn’t.  He’d specifically chosen this suit to be noticed.  The problem was he wanted to be noticed by Sky, noticed for the right reasons.  Instead he was being teased mercilessly.     

Instead of responding, Prapai just frowned; jutting his bottom lip out.  

“Pouting like that isn’t the argument you think it is,” Sky said blandly but the humor was still easy to read on his face.   

“You really don’t like it?” Prapai asked, feeling silly at how much the answer mattered to him.  Maybe he’d made a worse first impression than he’d realized?  Or maybe he was losing his touch?  He’d never in his life worked this hard for someone's attention.  Not to sound like a complete asshole but… he usually didn’t have to work at all for someone’s attention.  Not in his personal life.  He spent far more energy fending off unwanted attention than working to catch the attention of someone he was interested in.   

“Can I just have your deposit?” Sky asked instead and Prapai couldn’t help but feel like that was evasion.  He let it slide however because he wasn’t sure he was going to like the answer if he pushed and his ego was bruised enough already, thank you very much.  

“Stamped and all filled out, just as promised,” Prapai assured him, pulling out the checks that were even paper-clipped together this time.  He had done the prep work himself, not trusting the interns or his newest temp to handle it when he knew Sky would judge him personally for any small mistake.  

“Look at you!  Such a fast learner, are they going to teach you how to use the hole punch next week?” Sky asked, the sarcasm thick in his tone as he took the deposit and started keying in the checks.

“Are you this mean to Namtan too, or am I just special?” Prapai asked.  It was refreshing how easily Sky teased him but it was a bit odd as well.  He was there as a customer after all.  And Prapai very much doubted Sky was so blunt with all of his customers.  

“Namtam is a delight, of course I'm not mean to her,” Sky answered. 

“So I’m special?”  Prapai asked again, a smile blooming on his face.  He liked that Sky treated him differently from everyone else, even if different meant being the butt of Sky’s jokes.  His slightly bruised ego could handle it.  He had a rather extensive suit collection, he’d just have to try a different look next time.  Apparently flashy wasn’t to Sky’s taste.

“No.”  Sky didn’t look up from the checks and something about that made Prapai feel like he’d found his footing again.   

“Kinda feels like I am,” Prapai pressed, leaning into the window he dropped his elbows on the counter and rested his cheek in the palm of his hand.  Sky glanced up at him, unimpressed and Prapai’s smile widened.   

“I’m a bank teller, not a shrink.  I can’t help you with your feelings,” Sky responded.   

“I was going to show you a picture of Namtan’s baby, but if you’re just going to be mean to me…” Prapai trailed off, his tone light.

“Do you have one?” Sky asked, perking up immediately, the teasing tone falling away in favor of something more genuine.  It was sweet how authentically he seemed to care about Namtan even though he only knew her through these brief interactions at work.  It made Prapai curious.  Despite Namtan being on maternity leave, it made Prapai want to pepper her with questions about their relationship, how long they’d been friends and what they talked about.  How long had he and Sky been one degree of separation from each other and neither of them knew it?

“I do.  She shared one in the employee chat this week,” Prapai waved his phone playfully.  

Sky bounced in his chair with delight and it was the cutest thing Prapai had ever seen.  It was unreal, unfair, how easily Sky could switch between hot and aloof to so adorable it made Prapai want to squish something.  “I like your suit, love your suit, great suit, ten out of ten suit.  Now show me the picture!” 

Prapai rolled his eyes at the over the top compliments, but couldn't keep the smile off his lips.  He pulled up the promised picture, showing off the squished little baby wrapped up like a burrito in a green blanket.  Sky snatched the phone out of his hand, squealing with delight.  “Oh my god, he’s so cute!  Look at that little nose, he looks just like her.” 

“He does.  I always thought parents made that up or just saw what they wanted to because babies just look like babies for a while, but something about his eyes really does make him look just like Namtan.”

“Do you know her well?  I thought you just—” 

“Sky!” The words cut through their conversation.  The manager’s voice was soft but held an edge that felt brittle.  He had a polite smile on his face but he looked anything but pleased.  “Come to my office once you've finished with this customer.”

“Yes, sir,” Sky answered, sounding meek and tired all of a sudden.  Prapai didn't like either of their body language, watching the interaction with growing discomfort.  Sky was stiff with anxiety as he silently passed the phone back to Prapai, all his earlier joy had evaporated.  

“I didn't get you in trouble, did I?” Prapai asked, the sinking feeling in his stomach answering before Sky could.  

“No, it's not you,” Sky said, finishing up the transaction and all but throwing the receipt at Prapai.  “Don't worry about it; see you next week.”  Sky placed a ‘next window please’ sign in front of Prapai and marched towards the manager’s office.  

Prapai took his time gathering up his receipt, long enough to see Sky through the glass window, standing with his back straight and eyes on the floor while his manager pressed against him as he spoke in Sky's ear.  Even from the outside it was plain to read Sky's discomfort at the overbearing predatory way the manager stood over him.  He had a hand curled around Sky's bicep, possessive as he crowded Sky's personal space. 

Too close. 

Prapai had the rather irrational urge to go in there, to push the manager back or maybe pull Sky against himself instead.  Which was insane.  They didn't know each other.  But Prapai knew enough to know that Sky would not thank him for butting into his work situation.  So Prapai swallowed back whatever chivalrous but irrational thoughts flitted through his head and instead exited the bank, his feet feeling like lead.  Prapai had lived a privileged life of wealth and power, he was unfamiliar with the feeling of helplessness.  And he was finding he really really hated it. 

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

It was a little pathetic how quickly the bank runs had turned into the best part of Prapai’s week.  Okay, a lot pathetic.  

But he couldn’t help it.  Sky was cute.  Sky was funny.  Sky was cutting in a way that never really hurt.  Sky was a mystery and every interaction made Prapai ache to learn more.  It also kind of made him want to linger in the lobby like a creep just to get a few more seconds together. 

He didn’t know if he’d ever in his life been down so bad for someone.  Not like this.  Not ‘planning his week around a ten minute interaction with a man who doesn’t know his name’ kinda bad.  

Phayu would laugh himself sick if he ever saw Prapai like this.  

He needed to… do something.  Just ask Sky out already, perhaps?  Except that would involve owning up to some misconceptions and a whole lot of “so I might have lied to you the first time we met’ which didn’t exactly bode well for getting Sky to say yes to a date.    

Usual Prapai was overconfident to the point of cocky.  He knew how he looked, he worked hard to maintain his physique and spent a small fortune on beauty products.  It was worth the investment as anyone he showed interest in tended to fall at his feet.  Which only reinforced the overconfident to cocky feedback loop in his brain.  

But Sky was different.  And for the first time since middle school, Prapai felt a kernel of insecurity that if he asked, Sky might very well say no.  And Prapai wasn’t built for that kind of rejection.  Not rejection when he genuinely liked someone.  

So Prapai took the easy route and stayed within the safe parameters of professional interaction with just a bit too much teasing.  It wasn’t what Prapai wanted, but it was better than nothing and he couldn’t bear to let go of these scraps and risk losing everything.  Which was dramatic considering he didn’t know Sky.  They met two weeks ago and Sky was just the bank teller he flirted with and was in fact lying to about his identity.  

Which again, pathetic.  

Prapai was pathetic. 

But he didn’t need to focus on that right now.  Because today was his favorite day of the week, the day he made the bank run and got to talk to Sky.  And he wasn’t about to ruin that high by thinking about things like reality or how incredibly untenable this situation was if, or when, he decided to nut up and pursue Sky for real.  That wasn’t important.  What was important was that he was about to get his weekly dose of Sky’s teasing jabs and his adorable smile.  And that was enough to sustain Prapai for another week of work and meetings and boring legal documents.  

However, when he stepped into the bank, his excitement crashed down around him like shattered glass.  Sky’s station was empty, the little ‘next window, please’ sign stared back at him, its very existence a taunt.   

No. 

This wasn't the plan. 

This wasn’t how this was supposed to go.  

Prapai stood rooted in the spot for a beat too long, trying to make sense of reality before the older woman in the window beside Sky’s caught his eye, beckoning him over with a polite smile.

“Just a deposit, today,” Prapai said, begrudgedly passing the paperwork across the counter to her.  A million questions flashed through his mind, none of them particularly appropriate for the setting.  Where is Sky?  Is he out sick?  When will he be back?

The teller gave him a knowing smile when she caught his eyes drifting back to Sky’s empty window.  “Sorry, we’re a little short staffed today.  Sky had to take a late lunch.” 

Prapai softened, grateful for the bone she’d thrown him.  It relieved something in his chest to know Sky was fine.  He was disappointed to miss out on his weekly dose of Sky, but at least he knew nothing was wrong.  It didn't alleviate any of his disappointment but it settled some of his anxiety.

As usual, he’d dressed up for today.  A simple grey pinstripe suit with a black undershirt and black patterned tie.  Even his lapel pin was understated.  There was nothing over the top or too flashy this time.  He’d hoped to avoid getting made fun of for his outfit for once, but none of it mattered if he didn’t see Sky.

It was a little ridiculous how disappointed he felt, his mind already flipping through excuses and scenarios to make a second visit to the bank.  Perhaps he could pretend like he’d forgotten a check at the office?  Or maybe he’d stop in and order more checks.  That was a thing people did, right? 

Even in his own head it sounded ridiculous.  Sky would for sure make fun of him.

His pitiful and poorly formed plan was unnecessary however.  As soon as he stopped out the doors of the bank, he was nearly bowled over on the sidewalk by the very man who had captivated his attention.  

“Whoa,” Prapai said, his hands grasping Sky’s shoulders to steady them both.  Sky had a rather frantic look in his eye, glancing over his shoulder like someone was chasing him.  “Sky?  Is everything okay?” 

“I—,” Sky couldn’t seem to find the words, his mind still too preoccupied with whatever or whoever was behind him.  He grabbed Prapai’s hand and dragged him into the nearest shop, a quaint little cafe nestled beside the bank.  Prapai didn’t fight him, allowing himself to be manhandled through the doorway just in time to see the manager from the bank walking rather purposefully past the shop window.  Sky let out a sigh of relief, only then seeming to realize where he was and who he was with, a startled look flashing across his face.  Fear and embarrassment and shame all seemed to morph across his face and Prapai could see the gears turning in his brain, trying to figure out a way to explain himself to a mostly complete stranger.    

“Come on,” Prapai said, his tone softened into something gentle.  “My treat.”  It was his turn to pull Sky along, placing him in front of the cashier until Sky mumbled out a coffee order.  Prapai ordered one for himself as well, sliding a too-large bill across the counter and not waiting for change.  He just pressed Sky into an open booth in the back corner, as far from the front window as they could manage.  Prapai returned to the counter to collect their drinks, sliding it across the table and taking a seat across from Sky.  

“Thanks,” Sky mumbled.

“So, would you like to talk about it or am I to pretend like whatever that was, didn’t happen?”  Prapai asked, feigning nonchalance as he took a sip of his drink.  

“Can we not talk about it, please?” Sky asked, his voice sounding so small and unlike him it made Prapai ache.  He looked like he wanted to curl in on himself.  It was so unlike the sassy, confident man he’d gotten used to.  But just as quickly, that flash of vulnerability was gone and Sky huffed, painted a frown on his face and glared at Prapai.  “Why are you even here?” 

Prapai wanted to laugh, Sky's change in demeanor was such a blatant defense mechanism, trying to deflect Prapai’s attention from his exposed underbelly.  Prapai let himself be deflected.  “Why did I come to the bank at the same time I do every week?”

“No, why are you here?”  Why did you stay?

“Ahh well you see, someone nearly ran me over on the street and then dragged me in here,” Prapai shot him a bright smile.  “It’s a cute cafe though, I should stop in more often.” 

“I don’t care what you do,” Sky muttered, taking a long drag from his straw.

“Did you already have lunch?” Prapai asked. 

“No.  I have some snacks in my desk though,” Sky replied as if that was a sufficient answer.

“That’s not lunch, Sky,” Prapai said sternly.   

“Well I only have…” Sky tapped the screen on his phone to see the clock.  “Twelve minutes left on my break.” 

Prapai shook his head.  “This cafe serves food.  Let’s go order something?” 

“I’m fine.  I’m sure you need to get back to work.” 

“Sky, I'm not leaving until you eat something.  I will follow you back to the bank and be really really annoying.  I have siblings.  Trust me when I say I know how to be annoying.  Your coworkers will notice and ask questions.  You’ll probably have to call security on me.”  

Sky rolled his eyes, “You’re so dramatic.” 

“Yes, I am.  Now come,” Prapai said, sliding out of the booth and heading back to the register.  The food menu was sparse but there were a few serviceable options.  If Prapai had a choice, he’d whisk Sky off to a much better restaurant, treat him to a real meal.  Instead he was under a time constraint and he just had to make the best of it.  “Order something or I’ll order for you,” Prapai threatened, making Sky huff and the cashier hid a giggle behind her hand at the pair of them.  Prapai smiled at her.  He was very okay with her thinking he was Sky’s overbearing boyfriend.  In fact, he liked that quite a lot.  Sky picked a rice bowl dish and Prapai went along with his suggestion, ordering the same for himself.  

“To go, please,” He told the cashier as he held out his card, batting Sky’s hand away as he attempted to intervene and pay.  

“You are a temp!  You shouldn’t be paying for me,” Sky said.  “I’m the one with a real job here!” 

Prapai wanted to laugh himself sick at the words.  Prapai made enough money that money wasn’t a thing he even had to think about.  The idea that Sky should be treating him was comically ridiculous.  Someday he would explain the joke to Sky.  “Why do you think I don’t have a real job?” He asked as they returned to their table.

“I know you don’t have a real job.  Your fancy suits don’t fool me.”

“You think my suits are fancy?” Prapai asked, delighted. 

Sky frowned, annoyed he’d been caught with his words.  “I think your suits are stupid.” 

“No you don’t,” Prapai responded, confidence steeling his words.  “You think my suits are fancy.” 

“Who makes a temp wear a full suit, anyway,” Sky mumbled.

Prapai was saved from having to answer when their food order number was called at the counter.  He grabbed the boxes, helping himself to utensils and napkins from the counter before bringing the food back to the table.  “You have three whole minutes,” Prapai said, looking at his watch.  “So you can’t leave yet.” 

Sky tried and failed to bite back his smile.  “I need to be back at work in three whole minutes, so I should leave now.” 

“Your work is next door.  Just eat,” Prapai nudged the box closer to Sky.  Prapai was a little too pleased when Sky complied, grabbing a spoon and trying a bite of his food.

Prapai followed suit.  He was, to put it mildly, thrilled to be eating lunch with Sky.  He didn’t know what he’d done to earn such good luck but he wasn’t about to squander it. And to think, he’d nearly written off the whole day as a bust when he hadn’t seen Sky at the bank.  This was so much better than just seeing him across the counter.

Prapai just tried not to think too hard on why he was eating lunch with Sky, tried not to think about his creepy manager and the very obvious issues Sky was dealing with alone.  They didn’t know each other, not really.  Not in ways that mattered.  He understood why Sky would be unwilling to open up to him.  So Prapai simply had to settle for trying to be a bright spot in Sky’s day, like Sky was for him.  If all he could do was offer lunch and a moment of reprieve, Prapai would gladly do that.  

“I really do need to get back,” Sky said, glancing at the clock once again.  

“Are you going to be alright?” Prapai asked.  He had no clue what had happened with Sky and his manager but he’d seen enough to guess, seen enough to put those pieces together into a very concerning picture.  But he also knew Sky didn’t want to talk about it, so instead he tried to nudge around the bigger questions of Are you okay?  Are you safe?  Do you need help? 

“Everything is under control,” Sky answered, his words clipped with finality as he boxed up his food.  “Thanks for lunch.” 

“Any time,” Prapai told him.  

“Wearing cufflinks makes you look like a jackass.  Just FYI,” Sky told him before turning on his heel, not waiting for a response, not even watching his words land.  But Prapai knew Sky heard the bark of laughter he let out before the cafe door swung closed behind him.  

It settled something in Prapai’s chest, to know that despite everything going on with his boss, Sky still managed to make a joke.  Even if it was at Prapai’s expense.  Or perhaps especially because it was at his expense.  

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

The client meeting was dragging on long into the evening; dinner had turned into drinks, had turned into more drinks.  Prapai was always very careful with his intake while at events like this, allowing himself only a drink or two before switching to soda water for the rest of the night.  The servers were tipped handsomely for their discretion, allowing Prapai to keep his head and dignity without embarrassing the clients who grew progressively drunker.  His father sat beside him, looser than he usually was but like Prapai, had switched to a non-alcoholic choice three drinks prior.  

The clients were none the wiser and the dinner served its purpose, solidifying a re-up of their contract, continuing their working relationship for another year.  Everyone was happy and Prapai was bored.  Schmoozing with clients was a necessary part of the job, but it was Prapai’s least favorite part.  The small talk and the fakeness of it all got under his skin and sapped his energy faster than anything else.  He excused himself with a simple explanation of ‘bathroom’ before stepping out of the private room and into the main restaurant area to get a moment of reprieve.  He’d only just stepped out when his eyes caught on a scene across the room that caused his feet to stutter to a stop.  

Sky sat at a long table with a group of people Prapai recognized from the bank, his slimy manager beside him, practically plastered to Sky’s side and his hand was toying with the collar of Sky’s shirt, following the trail of buttons down his chest.  It was completely inappropriate behavior while in public, but at a work dinner?  Unbelievable.  Sky kept pushing his hand away, trying to scoot over and create space between them.  His coworkers were all watching with varying responses.  Some looked uncomfortable and sympathetic while others looked annoyed and disgusted.  None of them bothered to step in or try to help Sky in what was obviously a difficult situation.  

Prapai found himself moving before he’d made any conscious decision to do so, the table only shifting its focus to him when he forced an arm between them, lifting Sky to his feet and the manager flailed, falling sideways into Sky’s now empty seat.  

Sky’s eyes were wide with alarm as he looked back to find himself pressed against Prapai’s chest but he didn’t fight, allowing Prapai's hold around his waist.  It was like the air had been sucked out of the room, a sudden tension hovered over their corner of the restaurant.  Prapai ignored it entirely, only looking at Sky.  “You okay?”

“What the fuck?” The manager snarled, turning to Prapai with murder in his eyes.  Prapai maneuvered them so Sky was behind him, using himself as a physical barrier.  He’d be damned if he let this asshole lay another finger on Sky.

“It looks like he’s had more than enough, can someone get him home?” Prapai directed his question at the rest of the table.  The startled and confused blinks were not reassuring.  He locked eyes with an older man who seemed more sober than the rest, staring him down until the man nodded.  

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” The manager hissed, getting to his feet and attempting to intimidate him.  It was anything but as he drunkenly stumbled over his own feet, his sneer holding no weight when faced with Prapai’s fury.  He was swaying while he puffed up his chest which only succeeded in making him look pathetic.  

“What are you doing?” Sky tugged at Prapai’s sleeve, his voice thready and high with anxiety.  

“Pai, is everything alright?” His father’s voice broke through, taking in the scene with a confused but discerning eye.  The commotion was garnering more and more attention from the rest of the restaurant and the manager's confidence seemed to evaporate under so many watchful eyes.  He resorted to staring daggers at Prapai and muttering under his breath.  

“Fine,” Prapai answered, his tone clipped.  

“Is that your boss?” Sky hissed in his ear.  “Are you trying to get fired?” 

“Are you okay?” Prapai asked again, ignoring Sky’s concern entirely.  Maybe later he would think about how Sky still managed to worry about him even when Sky was the one in real trouble.  Maybe he’d dwell on how much trust Sky was putting in him at that moment.  Right now though, his only thought was how to get Sky away from his creep of a boss.

“I’m fine,” He huffed but there was a fragile way he was holding himself, his shoulders rolling forward in discomfort as if he wanted to curl into a ball, wanted to make himself smaller.  

The immediate annoyed response made some of Prapai’s anxiety settle, but he couldn’t bear the thought of leaving Sky in such a state.  There was no point in intervening if he was just going to leave Sky to fend for himself with this asshole and his cowardly coworkers.  “Let me take you home.”

“Go on, Sky,” an older woman told him.  “P’Jom is taking Gun home so everyone is heading out anyway.” 

“But—” Sky floundered. 

“Come,” Prapai wrapped an arm around Sky’s waist, guiding him towards the exit.  He paused in front of his father, “I’m leaving first.” 

A silent exchange happened between them, his father glancing at Sky with a flicker of curiosity.  “We’ll talk tomorrow,” His father answered simply.  

Prapai nodded, nudging Sky towards the door.  Sky was silent and compliant as he was directed outside and into Prapai’s car, but as soon as they were in the privacy of the vehicle, Sky’s timid air evaporated. 

“What the hell was that?  Are you trying to get us both fired?  Did you just walk out of a work dinner in front of your boss?  Are you insane?” Sky all but screeched at him.

“Don’t worry about me,” Prapai almost wanted to laugh.  Could Sky really not think about himself for one single second?  “Are you okay?” 

“Stop asking me that!  I had it handled.” Sky crossed his arms over his chest, defensive and annoyed.  

“Yes, it looked really handled as your drunk boss tried to feel you up in front of your coworkers,” Prapai said, the very memory of it sent shivers of anger down his spine. 

Sky glared at him but something about Prapai’s expression seemed to melt away his annoyance.  “It’s just… easier this way.  Can you just take me home?”

Prapai nodded, opening up his phone to the navigation app and silently handing it over so Sky could type in his address.

Prapai pulled out of the parking space, but he wasn’t about to let the conversation drop.  “Easier?  To let your boss harass you?”

“I still have to work with him.  I’ve seen what happens when people stand up to him,” Sky muttered, his crossed arms seemed like an attempt to comfort himself rather than a defensive gesture now.

“Will you tell me what happened last week?  At lunch?” Prapai asked carefully.  It felt like they’d barreled past the signpost of ‘I don't want to talk about it’ after what happened in the restaurant and Prapai needed the full picture.  No more educated guesses or puzzle pieces, he wanted to hear it from Sky.

Sky huffed.  “He overheard me mention to a coworker where I was going over my lunch break and just happened to be there as well when I arrived.  I made up an excuse to leave, told him I had errands to run, but I could just tell he was following me,” Sky answered, he sounded so calm and resigned about the whole thing.  As if this was just something that happened sometimes and it was simply his turn with the bad luck.    

“Sky that’s… so messed up,” Prapai said.  Messed up didn’t even begin to cover it but he was at a loss for words.   

“I know.” 

“He can’t get away with that.” 

“Well he does,” Sky snapped but he sounded tired more than anything.  

“Well I’m not going to let him,” Prapai answered, a finality in his tone.  He wasn’t going to stand by and let Gun harass Sky in that restaurant and he wasn’t going to stand by and let Gun get away with his crimes after the fact either.

“Why do you care?” Sky asked, an accusatory edge to his question.

“Besides the fact that it’s morally and legally wrong and no one should have to tolerate that?  Because you look really uncomfortable anytime he’s around,” Prapai answered.  It wasn’t the full answer but it wasn’t untrue either.   

“I looked uncomfortable so you decided to make a spectacle and risk both of our jobs?” Sky scoffed, clocking the half answer easily.

“My job is fine.  And if yours is at risk you should talk to a lawyer,” Prapai responded.  

Sky rolled his eyes, “Oh right, I'll just sue my boss with the oodles of money I definitely have.  Got one on retainer actually, I’ll just call them up right now!”

“Sky, I’m being serious.  What your boss is doing is inappropriate.  You should be talking to HR and yes, even a lawyer.  I can help you.  There are ways even if you don’t have a lot of money,” Prapai explained.  He would happily blow his cover right now if Sky was willing to listen to him.  

“You’re overreacting,” Sky mumbled.  

“I’m really not.  But it’s your decision,” Prapai responded, sighing in resignation.  It wasn’t his place to push like this.  He knew that but he also knew that he couldn’t stomach the thought of Sky putting up with such blatant harassment at his work.  He deserved better, everyone did.  There were few things Prapai hated more than people who abused their positions of power. 

He’d been groomed from an early age to take over the company and his father had hammered that lesson into him.  It hadn’t helped that Prapai was happy to flirt with anything that moved, leading to a few incidents in his younger years that danced with the line of propriety.  He’d gotten better as he matured, understanding where his father was coming from and restricting his dating pool to people he met outside the office.  Now it was second nature to him.  Anyone in the office, clients or business partners, anyone who he worked with directly, were simply off limits.  He didn’t find it a hard rule to follow.

“P’Gun is going to kill me tomorrow,” Sky whined.  “And everyone is going to be talking about it.” 

“What will he do?” Prapai asked. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Sky sighed, slumping against the window.  

“Well now I definitely will,” Prapai answered. 

“He’s just… vindictive.  It’s better to wait until he gets bored than try to stop him.  Trust me.” 

Prapai’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel, the anger he was feeling was unexpected.  The resigned way Sky talked, as if this was inevitable, and the indication that he’d seen this pattern play out before was painting a very dark picture.  “How long has this been going on?” 

“Long enough,” Sky answered.  “I told you, I had it handled.  He’s just a creep, he hasn’t done anything worse than what you saw.”

“What I saw was pretty bad,” Prapai responded. 

Sky sighed, “I know how to handle myself.  And I am careful to never be alone with him.”

“So you’re worried he would do worse if given the chance?” Prapai clarified.

“I— I don’t know but I’m not going to give him the opportunity,” Sky admitted, a tinge of vulnerability seeping into his tone.  And Prapai found he hated that.  It was great, wonderful actually, that Sky trusted him enough to talk about this, but Prapai hated that Sky didn’t have a baseline level of safety at work.  This was his boss.  The man controlled Sky’s life for 40 hours a week. The man had access to Sky’s personnel files, knew his phone number, his home address.  He held power over Sky and he was wielding it like a weapon.  It was disgusting and Prapai hated it.  

“Will you just take me home, please?” Sky’s voice was so small and sounded so unlike himself, it made something in Prapai’s chest constrict.  Prapai realized they’d been sitting at the same stop sign for far too long; he eased his foot off the break and continued on down the street.  

“Will you tell me if… if things get worse?” Prapai requested, knowing he was pushing on a line between them.  This tenuous relationship they’d formed was fragile and Prapai didn’t know if he was risking the very foundation with his words.  

“Why would I tell a customer something like that?  And a temp at that,” Sky asked, a note of humor coloring his tone for the first time all night. 

Prapai smiled, “Would you tell a lounge singer instead?”  Prapai pulled up in front of Sky’s apartment building, idling by the entrance.  

“Definitely not.” 

“How about a friend?” 

There was a hint of a smile pulling at Sky’s lips.  “Thanks for the ride.” 

His evasion of the question said enough.  “Good night, Sky.” 

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

For the first time, Prapai felt apprehensive when he came into the bank to make the deposit.  The event at the restaurant had rattled him more than he wanted to admit.  He wasn’t worried about himself, but for Sky who had been genuinely worried about what his boss would do in retaliation.  The fact that it was even a concern pissed Prapai off.  He wished Sky’s fears were unfounded but he knew that they weren’t.

He received glances and blatant stares from Sky’s coworkers as he waited patiently in line, the events at the restaurant clearly still fresh on everyone's minds.  He ignored them, waiting for Sky to finish helping the elderly man currently in front of his station.  Prapai couldn’t help but smile as he listened to the old man prattle on about his house plants, Sky responded kindly without rushing him despite the growing line in the lobby.  It wasn’t just professional courtesy either, Sky seemed genuinely engaged in the conversation, sharing tips about the appropriate watering schedule and sunlight exposure.  It sounded like a conversation that happened often between them, there was something familiar and well-worn in the way they interacted.  It was sweet.  

Prapai liked watching Sky at work, liked seeing how he interacted with customers and the way different facets of his personality seemed to brighten depending on who he was talking to.  Prapai loved that Sky was snarky and playful with him, loved even more that he’d never seen Sky act that way with anyone else.  But it was fascinating to see how different he was with others too.  He was being nice to the old man.  Prapai hoped one day he’d get to experience Sky being nice first hand too, rather than soaking up crumbs from the back of the line at the bank.

Sky's lingering customer gave Prapai more time to observe without feeling weird about it.  Sky’s sweater was emerald green today, a cardigan over a simple white dress shirt.  The color looked good on him, contrasting nicely with his dark hair.  Something about it made his features look sharper.  Or perhaps that was just the tense way Sky was holding himself as Prapai stepped up to the window.  

Prapai’s smile was a bit more careful, a bit more restrained, the air between them feeling new and stiff.  He’d even dressed more muted than he usually would.  Rather than anything loud or flashy, he opted for a classic navy blue suit and white undershirt, the maroon pocket square the only breath of life to his whole outfit.  “And how are you this afternoon, Sky?” He asked, the words feeling oddly polite and formal.  Prapai wasn’t sure how he was supposed to act.  He didn’t want to pretend like nothing happened, but he didn’t want to risk being overly familiar and making things awkward or uncomfortable either.  What happened at the restaurant and the car ride afterwards had shifted something between them, pushed them both into uncharted waters.  As much as Prapai wanted that shift to bring them closer, he knew he had to let Sky set the pace in that regard.

“So you didn’t get fired then?” Sky responded, not even giving Prapai a second glance before turning to the papers in his hands.  Even though Sky didn’t tease him for his outfit for once, it didn’t feel like a win.   

“You don’t need to worry about me,” Prapai assured him.  It would take significant effort for Prapai to get himself fired after all.  Even if he weren’t the CEO, a minor spectacle at a restaurant wasn’t even newsworthy at his office.  His father hadn’t even asked for details, just reassurance that whatever had happened at the restaurant wouldn’t result in a lawsuit they’d have to handle.  

“I wasn’t.” 

His words didn’t feel as playful as usual and Prapai hated it just a little bit.  Like the conversation in the car had been one step forward only for them to take two steps back. “How have things been with you?” 

Sky only looked up at him long enough to harpoon him with an icy glare.  “Peachy.” 

“That bad, huh?” Prapai sighed, wilting a little.  He wasn’t surprised but he still found himself disappointed.  He wanted Sky’s manager to be better if only for Sky’s sake.  However, the man seemed committed to being a cartoon villain rather than a boss.  Prapai wished he could do something about it, something real.  Whisking Sky away from a work dinner didn’t exactly solve the problem of his shitty boss.  Ultimately it only seemed to antagonize him if Sky was facing retribution because of it.  

“I can handle it,” Sky responded, a thread of very real anger in his tone.  He began keying in the checks, banging the keys with more force than necessary.  

He wasn’t just annoyed, he was pissed. 

“I have no doubt,” Prapai responded carefully.  He knew he had done the right thing at the restaurant.  Unfortunately, that didn’t necessarily mean it was the best thing for Sky and his position at work.  Prapai was a little lost on how to even begin to smooth things over however.  He wasn’t sorry he stepped in but he did feel terrible that his actions were making things worse rather than better.  It felt like a situation that was already out of Prapai’s control and he just had to watch as the pieces fell where they may.  All he could hope was that Sky would not be collateral damage at the end of it all.      

“Well, if it isn’t our little humanitarian,” Gun’s voice, soft and delicate but with a notable edge of venom, broke through their conversation and jolted Prapai out of his own head. 

Oh so this was happening then? 

One of the best lessons Prapai had learned from practicing law was the importance of a poker face.  Emotions were a weapon; you could use them or they would be used against you.  So knowing how to control them, to only allow his opponent to see what he wanted them to, it was power, it was leverage.  There was nothing Gun could say or do that would shake him once he’d put on his lawyer mask.  He took a deep breath, grounding himself as he prepared for a battle.  Sky’s eyes widened as he watched the tangible change come over Prapai’s face, his easy smile slipped away and a cold severity took its place.  Only then did Prapai turn to meet Gun’s eyes.  

“Excuse me?” Prapai responded, his tone tinged with polite confusion.  It was an opportunity to rethink his last statement, the only olive branch Gun would be given.  He didn’t deserve even that much, but this was Sky’s workplace and Prapai would not be the one to throw the first verbal punch.  

“I understand our little team dinner disrupted your evening.  We never want to upset our customers.  I suppose we got a bit too rowdy.  You understand how it is,” Gun’s words oozed with slime.  It made Prapai feel dirty just to hear it.     

Many responses flitted through Prapai’s brain in response to that, none of them constructive, all of them warranted.  The absolute audacity of claiming the dinner got ‘rowdy’ when he was caught sexually harassing an employee and the glib ‘everyone does it’ attitude, all of it made Prapai’s blood boil.  

“No, I really don’t know how that is,” Prapai responded, his tone cold. “Regardless, let’s not meet in such circumstances again.  I'd hate for personnel issues to impact our business relationship.” 

It was like the air was sucked out of the room, Gun’s face wrinkled into thinly veiled rage and Prapai could feel Sky tighten into a ball of anxiety behind him.  The usual bustle of the bank, the chatter, the clicking keys and shuffling of paper was all absent, every employee and customer seemed to pause in that moment to listen in on their exchange.  Despite their even tones and polite smiles, the tension in the room was palpable.  Prapai shot Gun with his fakest most plastic smile before turning back to the window. 

“Sky, it’s a pleasure as always,” Prapai said and his smile softened into something more genuine.  Sky’s hand hovered in the air, the receipt clinched tightly in his fist.  Prapai plucked it out of his outstretched fingers without being prompted.  

Sky looked shell shocked, his eyes flitting between Prapai and Gun like they were in a sparring match, in a way they were.  Prapai was sure the scene looked far more precarious to Sky who was still convinced Prapai was a lowly temp with no power, bluffing he was through the encounter.  He wished he could do something to reassure him, to ease that anxiety without tipping his hand to Gun.  

Once again, Prapai was hit with a deep sense of regret for not righting that misconception on day one.  He wished he’d just accepted the embarrassment and owned up to his stupidity.  It would have made everything so much easier.  This veil of misunderstanding he’d allowed to settle over them was now just getting in the way, but it was not the time for that conversation.  

“You’re with Patheera Holdings, correct?  I didn’t get your name?” Gun said, his sugary voice was cloying when marinated in anger.  It was clear this man was not used to anyone standing up to him.  His anger controlled his every word and action.  He was practically snarling at Prapai now.  

“I didn’t give it,” Prapai responded, dropping his false polite charm, letting his true feelings filter through his expression.  

Disgust.  

Disinterest. 

Loathing.  

Like Gun was something gross and sticky on the floor and Prapai was just annoyed to get his very expensive loafers dirty.  Gun clocked the change, his anger going from a simmer to a rolling boil.     

“Well perhaps I should give our contact a call and smooth things over properly.  I wouldn’t want any misunderstandings to impact our business relationship,” Gun said, the words intended as a threat.  An attempt to call Prapai on his bluff.  

“You do that,” Prapai’s smile was a taunt now.  He would love nothing more than to take that phone call.  The petty part of him hoped Gun would follow through if only for the sheer comedic absurdity of it all.  

Prapai didn’t wait for a response, didn’t look back as he strolled out of the bank, his stride confident and his head held high, clinging to his faux casual air until he was through the door and out of sight.  Only then did he stop to catch his breath, only then did he allow his mask to fall away completely.

Prapai was a bit startled to realize how affected he felt by the encounter.  Prapai was usually good at keeping an emotional distance when he was in that headspace, his lawyer mask dampering that emotional connection he would otherwise feel.  This was different though.  This was personal.  This was about Sky.  And Prapai was anything but emotionally distant when it came to Sky.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

The matter of the bank was officially closed.  

Prapai had sent Natsu from the finance department to their new bank location to handle the deposit this week in his place.  He had no reason or desire to keep doing the bank run himself if it didn’t involve seeing Sky, he was more than happy to let someone else handle it.  But he couldn’t in good conscience just ghost Sky.  They’d built up a relationship, a rapport, and Prapai wasn’t going to walk away from that. 

So he made one last trip to the bank.  

It was time to come clean.  

Sky deserved the truth and he deserved an explanation why Prapai wouldn’t be coming back.  The truth would make it easier for Prapai to offer his help with Sky’s manager situation as well.  Sky might be more willing to listen to a lawyer's advice than a lowly temp after all.  Maybe if the conversation went well and Sky wasn’t too upset about being lied to and all, he’d even work up the nerve to ask Sky out properly, to continue exploring the connection between them more intentionally.  

That felt overly optimistic, but hey, a guy could dream.  

However, Prapai didn’t get the chance to do any of that.  

As soon as he walked into the lobby, he was hit with heavy stagnant air from tension so thick it could be cut with a knife.  The discomfort was palpable. 

Gun had a pleased look on his face, sneering at Prapai before turning back to Sky and— fuck.  Sky looked two seconds away from crying.  His jaw was tight and his lip quivered as he cleaned out his station, putting his pictures and personal items in a cardboard box.  The security guard for the bank stood over his shoulder, watching him like a hawk.  Prapai could feel it in his gut, Gun had timed this intentionally.  He’d waited until the day and time Prapai usually came to the bank in hopes of causing a spectacle.  Everything happening now was planned with intention for Prapai’s benefit to maximize the hurt and impact on Sky.  

“Like I said, we cannot have our staff causing such disruptions.  First the incident at the restaurant and now your actions have caused the bank financial loss.  There must be consequences.  You understand,” Gun’s voice was like nails on a chalkboard to Prapai.  He didn’t have time to put on his lawyer mask properly, didn’t have time to steel his spine against the shitstorm he’d just walked into.  

Everything was happening out in the open, intentionally public with a layer of shame coating the whole situation.  The other employees and the customers in the lobby watched with fascination as Sky was humiliated.  It was despicable and Prapai would do anything to make it stop.

“What is going on here?” Prapai demanded, trying and failing to hide his horror.  The abject cruelty of it all and the sheer level of unprofessionalism happening was throwing him for a loop.  The swirling guilt in his stomach about it all was not helping either.     

“Ahh if it isn’t our favorite humanitarian once again,” Gun smiled at him, showing too many teeth.  “This is a private matter but then, you aren’t one to mind your own business, are you?” 

“There’s nothing private about humiliating your employee in front of a lobby full of customers,” Prapai snarled at him.  

“Ex-employee,” Gun corrected, his triumphant smile made Prapai want to punch him square in the teeth.  Prapai knew exactly how that would play out legally and he still toyed with the idea; it might be worth the consequences.  But then he glanced over at Sky and all his feelings of rage and vengeance seemed to dissipate.  Gone was the funny, snarky Sky he’d grown so fond of and instead Sky was just sad and confused.  He looked pale and his eyes were red rimmed but he didn’t cry, a vacant look behind his eyes keeping the tears at bay if only barely.  Prapai could tell, Sky was moments away from falling apart right there in front of everyone.

Prapai needed to get him out of here.  

Immediately.  

The security guard walked Sky out from behind the counter and into the lobby, his cardboard box clutched tightly to his chest.  Gun grabbed Sky by the arm, tugging him towards the door as he whispered in his ear and Prapai wasn’t going to tolerate that for a single solitary moment.  

“—why you had such a stick up your ass with me when you’re a right little whore, spreading your legs for customers.  You were begging for it and we both know it.  You made me do this.” 

As Prapai stepped closer he could hear the tail end of Gun’s words and Prapai didn’t let logic interfere this time, grabbing Gun’s wrist and ripping it off of Sky, putting himself physically between them.  He’d only held himself back all this time for the sake of Sky and his job.  That was no longer a concern and he had no intention of letting Gun say or do anything else from here on out.  “Say another word, I dare you,” Prapai said, his tone shimmering with rage.  

“Stop it, please,” Sky’s soft, broken voice cut through the cloud of anger in Prapai’s head, snapping him back to himself immediately.  As much as he’d love to lay Gun out, it wouldn’t help anything.  It might make him feel better, but Prapai’s feelings weren't important right now.  Sky was all that mattered.  

Sky looked so small holding his box full of pictures.  His potted plant spilled out over the top, the bright vibrant greenery looking too lively for how sad and broken Sky was at that moment.  Sky didn’t deserve any of this.  And Prapai knew he was going to do everything in his power to make things right again.  Because Prapai never wanted to see that look on Sky’s face ever again.    

Prapai dropped his hold of Gun, turning on his heel and putting the man behind him in every sense of the word.  “Come on, I’ll take you home,” Prapai said gently, ignoring the weight of the stares leveled at them and guided Sky out the door.  Sky sagged against him, the strength of holding it together seemed to desert him as soon as the door closed behind them, the tears he’d been holding back starting to fall.  

“It’s going to be okay.  I got you.” Prapai whispered, wrapping an arm around his waist and pulling him in tighter.  Prapai guided him down the busy sidewalk until they reached his car.  He popped the trunk, carefully taking the box out of Sky’s hands and setting it inside before leading Sky to the passenger's seat.  Sky seemed to be moving on autopilot, allowing Prapai to lead him without fuss.  It was a little scary to see Sky so folded in on himself, lost in his own head of worries and trauma.  The wrongness of it all made Prapai feel unsettled in a way he didn’t know how to handle.  

Prapai slid into the driver's seat, cranking the air conditioning but made no move to leave yet.  They both needed a moment to breathe away from Gun, away from the eyes that only cared about the entertainment, the drama of it all.  So Prapai just turned on music, something soothing and soft and sat beside him, his mind racing with possibilities and next steps.  

Prapai wasn’t good with silence however.  Every second felt like an eternity as Sky sat motionless beside him, lost in his own head.  

Prapai finally cracked.  “Sky?  Are you okay?  No— shit.  That’s a stupid question.  Do you want to talk about it?” 

Sky didn’t say anything, he just stared down at his lap, his fingers worrying the fabric of his pants as the silent tears fell.  It was heartbreaking to see him like this, to know that ultimately it was all Prapai’s fault.  If he hadn’t intervened at the restaurant, if he hadn’t antagonized Gun with his words and actions, maybe things would have played out differently.  Maybe Sky wouldn’t be in this position.  Maybe he wouldn’t have lost his job.  Maybe Gun would have left him alone instead of doubling down.  

It didn’t matter.  

Prapai didn’t regret how he handled things.  He couldn’t have lived with himself if he’d let Gun continue to harass and assault Sky at that restaurant, but he hated that it had caused this ripple effect that had only served to hurt Sky in different ways.  

“Sky?  Say something, please,” Prapai all but begged.  He hated this.  Hated seeing Sky so broken and closed off.  Prapai just wanted to wrap him up in a hug and never let him go.  “No?  Okay well I’m just going to keep talking then.  I— I saw a cat on the way here.  A big fluffy one.  It ran right up to me, got hair all over my pant legs when it started doing that twirl between the legs thing that cats do.  It was cute.  I took a picture actually, I wanted to show you.  Do you like cats?  What about dogs?  Rabbits?  What other animals do people keep as pets?  Hamsters?  Wait, you like plants, right?  I didn’t realize the plant in front of your desk was yours?  Do you have more at home?  I don’t have any plants.  My brother gave me a cactus once.  I think I killed it within a week.”  Prapai was rambling.  He knew that.  It was a nervous habit that he’d thought he’d broken but the silence in the car was still too heavy with pain.  

“I never realized you could kill a cactus.  I was always told they were indestructible but I managed to do it pretty easily actually.  People keep giving me plants as gifts and I don’t know what to do.  Maybe you can teach me how to take care of plants so I stop murdering things?”

Sky cleared his throat and Prapai snapped his jaw closed, cutting off whatever ridiculous stream of word vomit was about to come out.  

“Do you always talk this much?” Sky asked, his voice gravelly but the note of annoyed amusement was clear.  It made the knot in Prapai’s chest loosen.  An annoyed Sky was good, it was an improvement.  

“Only when I’m nervous,” Prapai answered.  

“Idiot,” Sky muttered under his breath, a fondness surrounding the word.  “Well, let’s see it then,” Sky said, wiping away the tear tracks on his cheeks, sitting up a little straighter.  Prapai fumbled around in the console until he found a few takeaway napkins crumbled up in there to offer him.  Sky took them without comment.  

“See what?”

“The cat picture.” 

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Prapai didn’t know how long they sat in the car, the city bustling around them as they stayed parked on the curb.  Sky had stopped crying, Prapai’s mindless chatter seemed to work somehow to keep Sky in the present moment.  It felt like a bubble had formed around them.  The events at the bank were just an unpleasant memory, one that didn’t feel quite real now that they were outside of it. 

The careful truce between them, an unspoken promise not to talk about what just happened, was broken by Sky however.  

“I just got fired,” He whispered, his eyes downcast.  “What am I going to do?” 

Prapai hadn’t thought through an actual plan.  He’d started the morning with very different intentions than the current situation called for, but he found himself already making decisions without needing any time to think through the ramifications.  He pulled out his wallet, fishing out a business card and handing it to Sky.  

“Are you free tomorrow?  You’re going to come in for an interview,” Prapai answered, his easy confidence coming back now that he had some control over the situation.  Sky not having a job was something he could fix.   

“I’m unemployed.  I’m free all the time,” Sky grumbled.  He was aiming for snark but the words were a bit too raw.  He looked at the card and his eyes went wide.  “You can’t just give me your boss's card!  He’s going to think I’m crazy if I just walk in and demand an interview because the temp said so!” 

“Would you just trust me a little bit?  I assure you, we have an opening and all you need to do is show up and it’s yours,” Prapai assured him. 

“But… why?” 

“What do you mean, why?” Prapai cocked his head to the side in a way he knew made him look very much like the golden retriever his sister liked to compare him to.  It was something about his eyes and the earnest, over-eager way he used them on people.  Prapai didn’t really care, he just knew it was effective and he was not above abusing it.  

“Why do you want to help me?” Sky asked, a brittle edge to his words.  Like one wrong word could crack him wide open.  

“Because I like you, Sky,” Prapai said simply.  “Friends, remember?” 

“You don’t even know me?” 

“Sure I do.  I know you’re snarky and sarcastic but never in a mean way, probably because you’re too nice to actually be mean.  You care about the people who are important to you.  You ask about Namtan every time I come in.  I know you took pity on a frazzled temp who couldn’t even fill out a form properly, staying late just to help when you really didn’t have to.  I know you enough to know I’d like to know you more.”  The answer seemed to flow out of him without having to think about it.  Each word seemed to hold so much more meaning when paired together with their history, their past interactions, and the intimacy the car provided them now.  

“Are you offering me a job or asking me out?” Sky muttered, looking down at his hands, avoiding Prapai’s eyes and trying in vain to hide the blush creeping across his cheeks.  

“Which of those answers would you accept?” Prapai replied, aiming for a light, joking tone but the raw honesty left the words hanging heavy with implication instead.  

Sky shifted in his seat and Prapai sighed.  Right.  This was really not the time.  He knew that.  Sky had just been through something awful and traumatic and he didn't need Prapai making things awkward or giving him more things to stress about.  Sky needed a job more than he needed a date.  

“Would you please just let me help you, as a friend?” Prapai pleaded.  “Think of it as a giant ‘fuck you’ to your boss.  He wants you to struggle and suffer because of him.  Instead you’re going to get a new job, a better job, before the ink can even dry on the termination paperwork.  You’re going to hit the ground running and not even stumble.”  It was a weak consolation, Prapai knew.  But it was something.  He may not be able to change what happened, but he could alleviate the anxiety from instability that the job loss caused. 

“I’ve never been fired before.  I hate this.”  Sky still refused to look up, fidgeting with Prapai's business card in his hands.

“Hey, you didn’t do anything wrong.  None of this is your fault,” Prapai tried to reassure him.  They were easy words to say but he knew they were harder to hear, harder to believe.   

“Doesn’t matter though, does it?” Sky scoffed.

“It does,” Prapai argued, his tone soft and careful.  “I know you’re hurt and upset right now, but when you are ready to feel mad about it, we should talk about what you’re going to do.”

“Do?  I’m going to find a new job before I lose my apartment and have to drop out of school,” Sky said.  

“Yes, you’re getting a new job tomorrow, remember?  I meant what are you going to do about that shit stain of a human you used to call a boss and the way he very illegally fired you in front of a lot of witnesses,” Prapai practically spit the words.  Just the very thought of Sky’s boss send ripples of fury down his spine.  He selfishly needed Sky to reach the anger stage of grief sooner rather than later because Prapai was ready to be a weapon hurled at the unsuspecting asshole.   

“Illegally fired me?” Sky frowned, looking up at Prapai with those beautiful brown eyes, so open and vulnerable in a way Prapai had never seen before.  Part of him wanted to revel in it and part of him hated that they’d only reached this point because of fucking Gun.  It was infuriating how many aspects of their relationship had been dictated by that piece of scum.

“Sky it was so obviously retaliation because you wouldn’t sleep with him?  I heard what he said to you before we left.  Like I said, when you reach the anger stage of processing all this, we should talk,” Prapai said.  “I know people who would find real joy in ending his career and taking every penny they can from that place.”  Prapai was in fact, one of those people.  He could practically see Gun pissing his pants in front of a judge when Prapai was done with him.  The fantasy was one of the only things keeping him calm right now.  

Sky just stared at him, confused and incredulous.  “That’s not—”

Prapai held up a hand, cutting him off.  “It’s been a bad day for you and this is a lot.  We don’t have to talk about it now.  Let me drive you home?” Prapai asked.  He couldn't bear to listen to whatever minimizing defense Sky was going to come up with.  He couldn’t take that today.  Not after what he’d witnessed. 

It was only then that Sky seemed to register that he was sitting in a car already.  “Your boss clearly has too much money; who gives a temp an Audi?” Sky muttered under his breath and Prapai tried not to laugh.  This was his practical commuter car, if Sky thought this was impressive he was going to have a heart attack if he ever saw Prapai’s garage.  Prapai pulled up Sky’s address from his GPS history and eased away from the curb.

“So, you mentioned school?  What are you studying?” Prapai asked, pulling the conversation towards lighter topics.  It felt important to keep Sky talking, to not let him slip back into his own head.  It didn’t seem to matter what they talked about just as long as Sky didn’t go stoic and silent again.  

“Oh I— I’m studying architecture.  I take night classes so I can work full time,” Sky told him.   

“How do you manage school and a full time job?” Prapai asked, something like awe filtering into his tone.  Did Sky ever sleep? 

“Nothing much to manage, it’s the only way I can afford to live,” Sky shrugged.  

“That’s really impressive and a little scary.  I’ve heard architecture is a difficult study to begin with,” Prapai pressed.  He’d heard enough stories from Rain about his university days to be impressed with what Sky was saying. 

“It is,” Sky sighed.  “That’s one of the reasons everything with P'Gun—  I was trying to shift to a four day work week for a little bit so I had more time to study.  We’re starting in on modeling and building out in software programs and it’s a bit of a learning curve.  He suggested I make up for that day in… other ways,”  Sky scoffed.  “I threatened to go to HR and he flipped out.” 

Prapai took a moment to breathe through the information Sky had just given him.  The whole situation was so fucked up.  He wished there were stronger laws against people like Gun.  The amount of harm he was allowed to get away with was criminal and Prapai would love nothing more than to see him face some consequences for his actions.  Prapai would love nothing more than to be the consequences for his actions.  

“We will discuss that later,” Prapai promised.  “So when you’re hired at my company you’d need a flexible schedule?” Prapai asked, trying to stay on topic and not drown in his rage.  Sky was out from under the thumb of that asshole, that was the important thing.  Consequences could come later.  Right now Sky needed a job, needed stability.

“No!  And don’t you dare repeat that,” Sky glared at him.  “I’ll never get hired if I go in making demands like that.” 

“But that’s what you need?” Prapai frowned. 

“What I need is a sugar daddy and a nap,” Sky replied, and Prapai snorted with laughter.  That could very easily be arranged but he knew Sky enough to know that is not what he wanted.  Sky’s work ethic would never allow him to rely on someone else like that, hell, he’d protested simply because Prapai had bought him lunch once.  

“Interviews are a negotiation that go both ways, there’s nothing wrong with stating your needs, in fact, you should be making demands of your own,” Prapai advised.   

“Easy for you to say, I can see the silver spoon from here,” Sky responded, quirking an eyebrow at Prapai as if daring him to deny it. 

“I won’t pretend like I haven’t led a privileged life, but I have also studied business and an employee/employer relationship is meant to be mutually beneficial.  It’s a contract and you shouldn’t be agreeing to a contract that isn’t meeting your needs.”  It was a very basic business principle but he realized it was rarely that simple.  So many people lived too close to the edge to be able to demand what they deserved. 

“I’m sure you are right but have you considered, I have rent to pay?  I don’t get to be picky,” Sky answered with a huff.

Prapai sighed, making a mental note to bump up the pay, add tuition benefits and a flexible schedule to the job offer he was preparing for the morning.  He couldn’t force Sky to take the job but he could make it irresistible given his personal circumstances.  

“What is this mystery job I'm interviewing for tomorrow?” Sky asked.

“As you know, Namtan is out on maternity leave,” Prapai said.  “The boss needs an assistant until she is back.” 

“Isn’t that your job?” 

“I’ve been picking up some of the slack during her absence but I am not her replacement,” Prapai answered, choosing his words carefully.  He’d gone into the bank with the intention of telling Sky the truth and suddenly he was right back to lying and evasive words.  But now was not the right time to come clean.  Sky had enough to grapple with, he didn’t need this too.  The excuse felt thinner and thinner the longer Prapai dragged it out.  

“She’s been gone for ages, don’t you all already have a replacement?” 

Prapai smirked, “Yes.  We’ve gone through five of them already.” 

“Oh, so this job is doomed, now it’s making more sense,” Sky scoffed.  “Why are you trying to get my hopes up just for me to get fired twice in one week?” 

“The job isn’t doomed.  The boss is just… difficult to please,” Prapai responded.  Which was true.  He knew he wasn’t the easiest person to work for.  Namtan had no problem telling him as much.  The revolving door of temps was only reinforcing the truth of her words.  

“So like I said, doomed,” Sky threw his head back against the headrest with a dramatic sigh.   

“You are smarter than all five of the past temps put together.  And you want it more.  I think you’d be perfect.”  Prapai wasn't just saying that either.  Sky was smarter and more hungry than any of the people the temp agency had sent over.  Prapai had no doubt that Sky could do the job, he just needed to get Sky through the door.  

“And what if it does work out, what happens when Namtan comes back?” Sky asked, clearly unconvinced.  

“That’s not for ages,” Prapai pointed out.  “And there are openings frequently.  If you impress the boss you can get a permanent posting without any issues.” 

“Says the temp,” Sky rolled his eyes. 

“What can it hurt?  Money is money, right?  It can at least bridge the gap until you find something that is a better fit,” Prapai answered.  It was a reasonable argument and they both knew it.   

Sky didn’t answer, watching the city stream by through the window.  Prapai decided not to press any further, allowing the silence to settle between them, heavy but not uncomfortable.  

Prapai rolled to a stop in front of Sky’s apartment complex and Sky took a deep breath before turning to look at him, squaring his shoulders with a resolute look on his face.

“What time should I be there tomorrow?” 

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

“Sir, your 10 o clock is here.”

“Thank you, Chinda.  Send him in,” Prapai answered, smoothing out the nonexistent wrinkles from the front of his shirt and letting a playful smile pull at his lips as Sky stepped through the doorway.  

Sky was wearing grey suit pants with a white button down tucked in, looking sharp despite the ill fitting cut to the shirt and the overall generic off-the-rack quality to the outfit.  It was a little unfair, Prapai had to pay a fortune for custom tailoring to even look passable but somehow Sky still managed to look great in a cheap department store suit.  

Sky’s feet stuttered to a stop, his eyes locked on Prapai and a million emotions seemed to flit across his eyes at once before his expression turned hard.  The polite smile slipped off of his face and his glare was sharp enough to cut.  Prapai braced himself for what was to come.  

“Please tell me the temp is being extremely unprofessional and sitting behind the wrong desk right now,” He said, a thin veneer of anger coating each word.  

Prapai let his smile widen, showing a flash of teeth.  It was unfair that even Sky’s anger was adorable.  Even though Prapai was fully in the wrong and he definitely should have told Sky sooner, the whole situation was a little too absurd and comical not to enjoy.     

“Oh god, I’m such an idiot,” Sky mumbled, his forehead crinkling in a pained sort of frustration.  “Pai.  Your boss-- whoever it was, he called you Pai at the restaurant.  Because it’s short for Prapai.  You literally gave me your business card and I still didn’t make that connection?  Fuck.”

Prapai chuckled.  He definitely wasn’t surprised Sky hadn’t made the connection, it was weak at best and only happened weeks after Sky had solidified his assumptions about Prapai.  

“Do you think this is fucking funny?” Sky hissed, masking his embarrassment with anger once again.   “This is all some hilarious joke to you?  What, you don’t have enough entertainment in your rich asshole life, you’ve gotta find a way to spice things up by fucking with strangers’ lives?  Watching me get fired once this week wasn’t enough?  You have to dangle the prospect of a new job in front of my face as a joke?  You made me come all the way down here just so you can humiliate me for your own amusement?"
“Whoa,” Prapai, held up a hand.  “Humiliate you?  I’m not trying to humiliate you?”  All his enjoyment evaporated like smoke because Sky wasn’t just annoyed with him, he was livid.  He was pissed and was taking the worst possible interpretation of the events.  Prapai may not have the best standing in this particular situation, but he didn’t think he’d done anything bad enough to warrant this.  

“Why else am I here then?  Why did you lie to me for weeks about who you were if not for your own sick amusement?”  Sky demanded.  There was nothing adorable in his anger now.  It was red hot and wrapped around him like armor. 

“I— in my defense, I never actually lied.  I may have chosen my words carefully and failed to correct some assumptions at times, but I never lied,” Prapai said, realizing as the words were coming out of his mouth how not the right thing to say it was.  Now was not the time to be defending himself through semantics.  

“How could I not know you were a slimy lawyer when you say shit like that?” Sky muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose like he was fending off a headache.  

Prapai ignored the jab, plowing forward.  “And I am not trying to humiliate you?  I am very serious about the job.” Prapai suddenly felt old and tired.  This was just really not how he’d envisioned this playing out.  What he had interpreted as a small and amusing misunderstanding, Sky seemed to be taking as a deliberate and intentional act of malice.  “Here I thought this was going to be something we could laugh about, just a harmless little misunderstanding about who I really am and instead you think I’m some heartless bastard who destroys people's lives for fun.”  He was a little hurt that after everything they’d been through, Sky could think so lowly of him.  Didn’t he deserve some benefit of the doubt?  But perhaps that was unreasonable given the circumstances.  He had lied and evaded the truth and after watching Sky’s professional life publicly implode, he was now dangling the prospect of a job in front of Sky like a carrot.  Wow, he was realizing far too late that he had really not thought this plan through at all.  “Can we start over?  Be mad at me all you want but please don’t leave.  I did not ask you here as a joke, I am not trying to mess with you.  Just— please?  Come sit?”

Sky stared at him for a few agonizing seconds before taking the seat across the desk, his back stiff and his hands curled tightly around a file folder in his hands.  Everything about his posture screamed defensive and Prapai was once again kicking himself for not just righting this particular wrong that first day.  Why had he let it drag on this long?  He was sure there was a reason but right now, facing down a very angry Sky, the reasoning that had carried him through the past few weeks was lost on him.    

“Sky, I am sorry for evading the truth.  It wasn’t some master manipulation plan, I didn’t set out to lie to you or hurt you in any way.  God— this is embarrassing.  Even having to say it out loud now is embarrassing.  I just— I felt like an idiot that first day we met and it would have only compounded my embarrassment to admit it wasn’t the untrained temp in front of you, but the damn CEO who couldn’t manage to fill out a deposit slip.  That would have been humiliating,” Prapai admitted, a desperate pleading edge to his words.  He just wanted Sky to hear him, to understand his intentions even if it didn’t change anything.  More than anything, he couldn’t bear the thought of Sky hating him or believing he was capable of being so cruel.  “So yes, I let you believe my position at the company was less important than it is in reality.  Not intentionally, not because I wanted to fuck with you or because I thought it was funny, but because I do have some pride and it was very bruised that day.  And I realize that’s a terrible excuse, but it’s the truth.”

Sky’s cold expression cracked if only slightly at the memory, the ghost of a smile pulling at his lips before he pulled it back into a scowl.  “At least that ridiculous suit makes a little more sense.” 

Prapai frowned, “I look damn good in that suit, I am offended.” 

Sky’s anger seemed to melt just a bit more and Prapai felt like he was gaining ground.  Something he was saying was getting through.  

“Why didn’t you just tell me?”

“I—” Prapai couldn’t even answer because he didn’t have an excuse.  At first it was just a silly misunderstanding that was working in his favor.  After that however, after he and Sky grew closer… he didn’t have a good excuse for not coming clean.  He just really liked how Sky spoke to him, treated him, and he knew that the truth would change that.  So he'd delayed it as long as possible.  But he’d put it off for too long, waiting for the ‘right’ moment that was never going to come because there was no right moment to tell someone you’d been lying to them since the day you’d met.  “I don’t know.” 

“How exactly did you think today was going to go?” Sky asked, incredulous.  

“Not like this,” Prapai answered, running his fingers through his hair in frustration.  Perhaps it had just been wishful thinking but he really hadn't anticipated Sky being quite so angry about it.  But Prapai could see the embarrassment and flash of hurt under all that anger and it was killing him that he was the cause.  All this time Prapai had thought they were growing closer but he hadn't even shown Sky his real identity.  Of course Sky was angry!  It was only his own stupid heart-eyes that had gotten in the way of seeing that until it was too late.  

“Why did you put off telling me if you invited me here knowing I’d find out the truth?” 

“I did want to tell you, but everything with your boss kept getting in the way and I— I guess I just kept putting it off.”  Prapai felt a bit like a bug under a microscope the way Sky kept prodding him with very reasonable questions that he had no good answer to. 

“You’re an idiot,” Sky muttered, bafflement seeming to override the anger for once.   

“Yeah, I’m getting that.” 

“Why were you the one doing bank deposits anyway, isn’t that like a massive waste of your time?” Sky asked, apparently giving up on his line of questioning.  

Prapai chuckled without any real humor in it, thinking back to that frantic and stressful.  “That first day was out of desperation.  It’s a long and rather boring story but I didn’t have any other options.  And I think we both know that was not my finest moment.”

“And after that?” Sky pressed.  

“Because I wanted to.”  Because I wanted to see you.  Considering how long Prapai had been lying, the naked truth fell from his lips rather easily.  The implication of his words was not lost on Sky.

A flicker of something flashed across Sky’s eyes before he schooled his expression into neutral territory and Prapai knew better than to push.  

Not here, not now.  

Not when Sky was still rightfully mad at him.  

As always, it was the wrong place and the wrong time for Prapai’s feelings to be seeping out like this.  They were on tenuous footing as it was, if he wanted this to work, he needed to stick to the plan.  

“I may just be a slimy rich asshole lawyer to you right now but I promise, I didn’t do any of this to hurt you.  I— I came to the bank yesterday to tell you the truth actually.  Not that it matters now I suppose, but I didn’t like that I was lying to you and I was trying to make things right.”

“So you admit you were lying?”  Sky didn’t miss a thing, snagging on the word and hurling it back at Prapai.

“I didn’t like that I was letting you believe a misconception,” Pai amended.  “I thought we were becoming… friends?  I thought you were starting to trust me and—”

“You don’t get to use the word ‘trust’ when you have been actively lying to me for weeks,” Sky cut him off but his glare felt lighter, more familiar somehow.   

“I— okay.  Fair.  But I really was coming yesterday to tell you?  And then everything happened and it… it just didn’t feel very important.  But I want you to know I never lied to you or let you believe a misconception about anything else but my name.”     

Sky rolled his eyes, “ Just your name and your position and how much power you actually hold?” 

Prapai huffed.  “I could make an argument that when I was at the bank that day, I was acting in the same capacity as a temp and therefore not even being evasive.”

Sky let his unimpressed look do all the talking for him.  

“Right.  Nevermind.  That’s a slimy lawyer thought.  I really am sorry?  I haven’t lied about anything else and I promise I won’t lie going forward.”   

“And I should believe you… because?” Sky raised an eyebrow, a question and a challenge in one.

“Because I really really mean it?” Prapai said, his tone hopeful despite how stupid his words were. 

“If you are this bad at defending yourself, I fear for your clients,” Sky muttered but his words and his tone held none of the venom it had when they started.  

“I’m not talking to you as a lawyer right now, this is just me, trying to apologize for a misunderstanding and yes, maybe a teeny tiny bit of lying,” Prapai responded.  He had no desire to talk them into knots, he didn’t want to ‘win’ an argument, he just wanted Sky to hear him.  “So am I forgiven?  Forgiven enough to move forward at least?”

“We’ll see.”  Sky was still giving him that unimpressed look, but his body language was softer, less tense and defensive.  He wasn’t forgiven yet, but Sky didn’t hate him and perhaps that was all he could hope for right now.  With any luck, the job offer he had sitting in front of him would help push the needle a little further in his favor.  

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

“So… let’s discuss the job,” Prapai said, clearing his throat, trying to find his way back to even footing once again.  Prapai was used to being in control and it was unsettling how easily Sky seemed to knock him off balance.  “Like I told you, we’ve gone through a few temps already since Namtan has been out and I need someone with some level of competence.  It is standard administrative assistance work, things like answering phones, scheduling meetings and shuffling paperwork around the office.”

“Why are you struggling to keep an employee in a standard assistant role?” Sky challenged.  For all Sky’s blustering about needing a job too much to negotiate or push back, he seemed to have no problem asking pointed questions.  Perhaps that was just his anger talking.  

“I already told you; me.  I have standards and so far none of the temps have been able to reach them.”  It was the truth after all.  He tried very hard not to hold the temps to the standard Namtan had set but even with a generous amount of slack, they were still falling concerningly short of the bar.  

“Why?  What was wrong with them?  Or are your standards just completely unattainable?”  The edge of a challenge in his words oddly made Prapai feel better, made things feel closer to normal between them.  

“Well let’s see, the first one was dismissed after she deleted my calendar for the rest of the year when she went to add a meeting.  It took IT three days to recover it and the entire month of September is still a black hole for meeting invites for some reason.” Sky winced on her behalf.  “One was dismissed after showing up in a cropped top.  I believe it had the English word ‘Juicy’ in rhinestones across the front?  When she was asked to change she threw a stapler at the wall and screamed obscenities on her way out the door.  So technically she quit rather than got fired.  One was dismissed when it turned out she only knew how to use a cell phone; a computer with a keyboard was beyond her.  I didn’t actually fire that one, I had someone sit with her to train her and she begged to be sent back to the temp agency by the end of the day.  One young man lasted all of 12 minutes before he called one of the partners ‘sweetheart’ and demanded she make him coffee.  Firing him was a mercy; the partner was ready to murder him.  And the most recent one couldn’t answer the phone without using this breathy tone that made her sound like a phone sex operator.  I had four different clients comment on it.  I didn’t fire that one either, I simply asked her to stop and she never came back after lunch.  So you tell me, do my standards seem unattainable?”  Prapai may be difficult to please but that didn’t mean they weren’t also scraping the bottom of the barrel with these hires.

Sky let out a chuckle, “Okay so the bar is like, really really low?” 

Prapai smiled.  “I don’t expect anyone to replace Namtan.  She’s the best, and has set the bar entirely too high for me.  I’ve been very spoiled having her around, so these past few weeks have been trying to say the least.  I just need someone who isn’t going to lose me clients or be a walking HR violation until she returns.  A smidge of competence would just be an added bonus at this point.”    

Sky nodded, opening up his folder and passing over his resume.  “I’ve never done assistant work like this but I’m familiar with corporate culture and most of my prior jobs have included basic administrative tasks.”  His words were rushed, with a rehearsed quality to them that reminded Prapai just how badly Sky needed this.  Another pang of guilt washed through him that he’d inadvertantly made Sky believe for even a moment that this was all a joke at his expense.  

Prapai shuffled through the papers Sky handed him more out of politeness and personal curiosity than anything.  He already had an offer letter sitting in front of him, there was nothing in Sky’s resume that could change Prapai’s mind.  “Here’s a copy of the job posting so you have a better understanding of what you’ll be doing.  Here is the formal offer letter and this packet from HR includes the information on the benefits package and perks that come with this role,” Prapai explained.  

“Benefits?  Perks?  I thought this was a temp position?” Sky asked, taking the papers and his eyes widening as he looked them over.

“The assistant role is temporary as Namtan has pinky promised she won’t leave me, but the job offer is permanent.  All roles have a probationary period but beyond that, you will become an employee here and will be moved to a different role upon Namtan’s return.”  Prapai had told Sky that impressing the boss would result in a permanent position after all.  He was just making good on that promise earlier than Sky was anticipating.  

“Is this real?” Sky asked, holding up the offer letter.  His angry facade shaking loose in favor of bafflement.

“Yes?”

“You want to pay me how much money?  And why does it say four days a week? I thought this was full time?” Sky’s eyes widened like saucers as he looked over the paperwork in his hands.  

“Did you want to negotiate the salary?” Prapai asked, biting back a chuckle.  He knew the offer was far higher than Sky was expecting.  It didn’t take much market research to get an idea for what the bank was paying their employees and Prapai was less than impressed.  Even the temps they’d brought in were making more than Sky had been at the bank.  “And as you mentioned yesterday, you needed a flexible schedule for your schooling.  It would be easiest on my end if you have a set day of the week you are off, but I left it open-ended in case you need to move it for some reason.  Oh, and the benefits package includes tuition reimbursement!  That’s fairly new.  We’ll have to discuss with HR if your current semester is covered or if it doesn’t kick in until the next.”  Prapai was rather proud of the company and how well-compensated their employees were.  He had high standards but he paid generously for those standards to be met.  They were consistently receiving good feedback and their turnover rate was quite low compared to the industry standard.

“Just so I’m clear, you want to pay me nearly twice as much as I was making at the bank for less work and you want to pay for my school?” Sky was incredulous.  It was kind of adorable how confused he was, did he really not realize his worth?  Prapai would pay anything to get him to stay.  Not just because he was an idiot with a crush, but because he really did need an assistant and he was getting a little desperate.  He could not go two more months dealing with a revolving door of incompetent and innappropriate temp employees.    

“We have a killer retirement plan as well,” Prapai gave him a cheeky smile. 

“This is a joke, right?  I sign this and a banner drops down from somewhere that says “you’ve been punk’d’ or something?”  Sky asked, the look of wonderment still clear on his face.  How bad were his prior job experiences that he was doubting the validity of a job offer?  Sure it was maybe a bit cushier than normal but nothing particularly extravagant in Prapai’s opinion.  Most of the things Sky was baffled about were standard offerings for their company.      

“That hardly seems like a very funny joke.  I need an assistant.  You need a job.  I think you are just trying to poke holes in an otherwise mutually beneficial plan,” Prapai replied.   

“And all I have to do is manage a calendar and not use my phone sex voice?”  Sky clarified. 

“Well you’re welcome to use your phone sex voice with me, just not with clients.” Prapai quipped, earning himself an eyeroll in response.  

“You’re not just doing this out of pity because of what happened yesterday are you?” Sky asked, looking down at the papers in his hands with renewed suspicion.  “Or some misguided attempt to make up for lying to me?”   

“Sky, what I saw yesterday was a very shitty boss illegally fire one of their best employees.  I’d be stupid not to take advantage and snatch you up when I have the chance.”  While Prapai was far from altruistic motives here, he was also not stupid enough to make business decisions with his dick.  Not completely at least.  Sky was smart, Sky was capable, Sky was a safe bet as his assistant.  “And I know I can’t just give you money to make up for lying to you.  I may be a rich asshole but I’m not that dense.  But you getting fired was a bit my fault and I would like to make up for that.”

“How is it your fault?” 

Your boss wouldn’t have gone to such lengths if he didn’t feel antagonized.  I embarrassed him at the restaurant and I didn't let him save face afterwards, so he took it out on you.”  At the very least, Prapai’s involvement had moved up the timeline of Sky getting fired.  Prapai knew Gun’s type, knew how that scenario would have played out if he hadn’t intervened and it did not end in Sky’s favor.  But Prapai’s existence, Prapai’s obvious defense of Sky, had escalated the course of events in unpredictable ways.      

“It wasn’t your fault,” Sky frowned at him.

“It was.  But I’m not sorry.  I hate how it happened but I am relieved to know that creep doesn’t have a position of power over you anymore,” Prapai answered.  Beside all the guilt and regret over how things had played out, there was an equal measure of relief that it was over.  Sky was out of that situation, he was safe and everything was going to be okay.    

Sky looked at him for a long moment, like he was weighing each word carefully.  “So I guess I can’t just call you the temp anymore, can I?” Sky asked, picking up a pen and signing the offer letter in front of him.  His hand was steady and his signature was an adorable loopy flourish.    

Prapai couldn’t quite tamp down just how happy he felt at the realization that this had worked, that Sky was actually going to work for him.  He wasn't going to see Sky once a week, he was going to see Sky every single day.  “Might look a bit odd to the rest of the office,” Prapai agreed, trying and failing to keep a smile off his face.   

“So what am I supposed to call you now?” 

“Most employees say Sir or Khun Prapai.  Namtan calls me an airhead sometimes but not usually when anyone else is around to hear it,” Prapai answered. 

“A shame, Khun Airhead has a nice ring to it,” Sky smirked. 

Prapai chuckled, “You are welcome to call me P’Pai if you’d rather but please don’t call me an airhead in front of clients.  I do have a reputation to maintain,” Prapai offered.  The only people he’d ever allowed to call him ‘Pai’ were family or close friends.  Namtan didn’t even call him Pai.  And yet it felt right, felt natural for Sky to call him something so familiar.   

“Got it, only call you an airhead in front of employees, not clients,” Sky quipped, not looking up as he flipped through his paperwork.   

“Yes, that is exactly what I meant,” Prapai laughed, the warm familiarity of Sky’s teasing made him feel lightheaded with relief after the tense way the meeting had started.  

“So when do I start?”  Sky asked.

“Unless you want some time off before jumping in, you can start tomorrow?” 

“Tomorrow is good.” 

“Okay.  You’ll probably spend most of the day with HR and IT tomorrow, getting everything set up.  I’ll schedule you with Ple in the afternoon, she can show you the ins and outs of the office and the basics of the job,” Prapai explained.  He’d done this routine too many times now and was far too familiar with the first day pattern.  

“That's it?”

“Yes?  Unless you have any questions?” 

“Is this how rich people really get jobs?  You just… know someone and they hand you a job on a silver platter with no interview, no hoops?”  Sky asked, something raw and uncertain in his tone.   

Prapai smiled softly, “Sometimes?  I'm not sure why you think you didn't interview though?  Think of the past few weeks as an interview you didn't know you were on.  I've seen you at work in a professional context, I’ve seen how you interact with customers, I've seen you work under pressure, I've seen you handle yourself during a conflict.  What interview question could I ask that is going to tell me more than I already know?”  Prapai knew that this ‘interview’ was a formality more than anything, his decision to hire Sky had been solidified long before he walked through the door.  But he wasn’t lying either.  There was no formal question he could ask that would tell him more about Sky as a person or how he’d perform at work than he already knew.  

“This all just feels a little fake.”

“Well I assure you, it is not.”  Prapai wasn't sure what he could say or do to convince Sky this was real, he was serious and there were no strings.  He supposed it would just take time.  Prapai pulled out a post-it, scribbling his cell phone number onto it.  “Here.  I know this is overwhelming and I know I sprung this on you a bit.  Again, I'm sorry I was… evasive about who I am.  It was mostly because I was embarrassed about how stupid I looked that first time we met.  But I don't joke about business.  The job is real, it's yours.  You've already signed so it's official and everything.  No take backs.  Text me if you have any questions and I'll see you tomorrow.”

“What time?”

“9am.”

Sky nodded, taking the post-it and sticking it to the inside of his resume folder.  Prapai wanted him to be able to reach out with questions he may have forgotten to answer but he also selfishly wanted Sky to reach out for other reasons, to chat or tease, maybe to yell at him some more.  

Sky wouldn’t.  He knew that.  But Prapai could still dream.  

Sky stood up to leave, pausing at the doorframe for a long moment before looking back at him, his face a mess of conflicting emotions.  “I’m still mad at you but… thank you, P’Pai.”  The words seemed to hold more weight than just ‘thank you for the interview’ or even ‘thank you for the job’.  Despite all of Prapai's words about mutually beneficial contracts and it's just business, they both knew what was happening was outside of the norm.  The process was too easy, the contract too cushy for the position.  Prapai wasn't a saint, he wasn't a selfless martyr, but he also wasn't doing it to manipulate either.    They were in a weird nebulous middle ground of Prapai wanting to keep Sky close, to keep him safe but in achieving that, it meant putting a collar on himself.  It meant stepping back from his own feelings and the very real crush that was consuming him and instead assuming the role of boss.  It was what Sky needed in the moment, but it was not what Prapai wanted.  Yet it was the easiest decision he’d ever made.

Prapai softened, “You're welcome.”

Chapter Text

“Pai, why did HR just inform me that you signed off on a substantial budget increase for Namtan’s position?”  His father sounded more confused than angry.  Prapai was well within his rights to make such a decision but he wasn’t stupid enough to think it would slip past his eagle-eyed father.  That didn’t mean he had to play along with the conversation that easily.  

“I need an assistant,” Prapai replied.

“Pai,” His fathers tone demanded a real answer.

“We’ve gone through five temps so far and none of them lasted more than a day.  I found someone who can do the job and that required some tweaks to the position to make it happen.  Also Namtan is getting a raise when she comes back.  This whole headache has made me realize how underappreciated she is,” Prapai was very serious about that.  He’d missed Namtan more than he thought possible these past few weeks.  The woman was a mind reader and a saint and he had not realized what a good thing they had until she was gone.  Much like he’d created a job too good for Sky to say no to, he planned to make Namtan’s job so cushy and appealing she would never leave him.  He would guild her in golden handcuffs until they were both old enough to retire.  He didn’t care what it cost or what it took.  They were a package deal and Prapai would walk through broken glass to keep her beside him.   

“And who is this mystery employee who never submitted a resume in the hiring portal?” His father asked, eyebrow raised in challenge. 

Prapai had no intention of explaining the unconventional way they met or the very real crush he was nursing on a now employee at their company.  Not to his father.  Not now, hopefully not ever. “He has a background in banking,” Prapai said simply. 

“You need someone with a background in banking to manage your calendar?”  His father was clearly not going to tolerate Prapai's evasive responses and half answers. 

“No.  I need someone who has a single brain cell, maybe even two, to manage my calendar.  So far that has been impossible to find in the temp pool but I did find someone who can do the job and he just happens to have a background in banking.”  

“You’re serious about this?”

“Yes.” 

“Alright.  Meet with the budget department next week and smooth this all out.  If this new hire stays, you’re going to have to find the money to pay them what you promised,” His father told him.  A green light if he’d ever heard one.  Compared to finding someone to fill in for Namtan, shuffling money around was the easy part.   

“Done.” Prapai promised. 

“And Pai… as CEO you have to hold yourself to a higher standard.  So keep it in your pants, hmm?  Everyone already knows you’ve been making the weekly bank runs and then you suddenly switched banking institutions?  It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out,” His father said, unimpressed but seemingly resigned to the situation.

“Dad!” 

“He’s the one from the restaurant, right?”  

Prapai’s silence answered for him. 

“Don’t let this be a problem,” His father ordered.

“Dad… it’s not like that.  Okay maybe it’s a little like that, but not the way you mean!  His boss was sexually harassing him and fired him for it.  I just wanted to— I don’t know, I just wanted to make sure he was safe, wanted to make sure he landed on his feet.  He really is smart?  I’m not just thinking with my dick here, he can do the job unlike the morons from the temp agency.” 

“Yes, I did make the mistake of calling you last week.  With the way she was talking, I felt like I should be paying by the minute.  I didn’t even know someone could say the word ‘financial statements’ in a sexy way but she sure tried,” His father laughed at the memory.  

Prapai snorted, “So you agree, upping the salary to get someone competent is worth it if that never happens again?” 

“His competence has yet to be determined.”

“Trust me.  He's going to impress you.”

Chapter Text

Prapai felt positively giddy the next morning.  

Which was ridiculous.  

Yes, he had a bit of a crush that was consuming his every waking thought, but Sky was now an employee and therefore off limits in any romantic sense.  He'd known this when he'd decided to hire Sky and he'd done it anyway.  And yet… he still felt like a schoolboy getting to sit next to his crush on the bus.  His heart was racing just thinking about the day ahead and he had a stupid grin on his face he couldn’t seem to shake.    

He picked out his sage green suit for the occasion, a bit more toned-down from the maroon, but the fit was impeccable.  The softer color made it feel less flashy and he paired it with a simple white shirt and a gold paisley tie, making sure all his accessories were gold to match.  He had then spent way too long on his hair, making sure it laid just right and framed his face perfectly.  

Just because he wasn't allowed to pursue Sky didn't mean he couldn't do everything in his power to look hot as fuck.  It wasn’t his fault if Sky was interested in him after all.  

Which was stupid.

He knew that. 

But it didn’t stop him from fussing with his hair and smoothing his suit the entire elevator ride up to his office, nervous energy coursing through him until he practically vibrated with it.  He just wanted to ensure he made the best impression possible when Sky saw him.   

Which didn't even make sense because they already knew each other.

And the only impression Prapai needed to make was as a kind and fair boss because he was not allowed to pursue Sky.  

Reminding himself of that did nothing to ease his giddiness or stop him from fussing.   

All his primping was for nothing however as Sky wasn’t even at his desk when Prapai arrived.  Sky had clearly been there, a messenger bag sung over the back of the chair and an ice coffee dripping condensation all over the desk was proof of that.  But the real human person of Sky was nowhere to be found. Prapai huffed his disappointment, deflating like a day-old balloon.  

Of course the universe was against him, his morning was packed with meetings so he couldn’t even play the good boss and show Sky around the office.  What was the point of looking this good in a suit if there was no one around to notice?  All around this was a very bad, no good start to his day.

His morning did not improve from there.  

He shuffled from conference room to conference room, barely catching a glimpse of Sky all morning.  Feeling more disappointed as the morning dragged on and he still couldn't steal any time with Sky.  The desk outside his office was either empty or crowded with people every time Prapai walked by.  The various people from the IT department and HR seemed to be buzzing like flies around Sky, preventing Prapai from having any of Sky’s attention.  Sky was here to do a job, Prapai understood that.  But also the job was paying attention to him!  So it felt a little unfair that every single person in the office seemed to have a reason to monopolize Sky's time and attention that morning.     

So Prapai was relieved, ecstatic even, when his final meeting before lunch wrapped up early and Sky was alone at the desk when he turned the corner.  Sky’s eyebrows were furrowed in concentration as he typed away on the computer, looking adorable in a dark blue sweater, a white collared shirt peeking out from underneath.  Prapai slid up to Sky's desk, hands in his pockets as he tried not to bounce with excitement.

“So… how is your first day?” Prapai asked, a smile blooming on his face.  It all still felt like a dream, having Sky here in front of him.  It felt like it should be a little bit illegal to be this happy at work.  And it was still only the first day?  How was Prapai supposed to pretend like everything was fine and normal when Sky was going to be here ever day? 

Sky glanced up at him, “Busy.”

Prapai nodded, checking his watch.  “Well, finish up what you're working on.  We have lunch next.”

“We?” 

“You're a new employee, Sky.  A welcome lunch is a requirement,” Prapai had never once taken a new employee out for lunch but it sounded plausible.  It wasn’t a lie per se, just a new tradition he decided to start.  So he just smiled his best, most winning smile and waited for Sky to respond.   

Prapai expected an eye roll or a snarky comment but Sky simply nodded, turning back to his computer. 

Huh.  

That was odd.

And a little disappointing after Prapai had spent all morning thinking about this moment in particular.  Manufacturing some alone time with Sky during lunch is all that got him through his morning full of meetings.  

But it was Sky's first day after all, he was probably just a little overwhelmed.  Prapai could be patient; he could give Sky time to settle in and get comfortable.  So Prapai stepped into his office, checking his emails and prepping for his afternoon as he waited for Sky and their impromptu lunch date.  He’d almost gotten sucked into work once again before Sky knocked gingerly at the door. 

“Ready?” Prapai asked, giving what he hoped was a reassuring smile. 

“Yes.  You have a meeting after lunch and the head of budget asked for some time with you before it starts so we should be back early.”

Prapai nodded in understanding, snapping his laptop closed and grabbing his phone off the desk.  “Anything in particular you'd like for lunch?  We have a pretty good selection in the area,” Prapai asked. 

“I can eat anything,” Sky answered with a shrug as they made their way towards the elevators.  He was polite but quiet, no teasing tone or cutting words.  It was a bit unsettling if Prapai was honest.  He didn't like it.  He missed Sky’s biting wit.  Was he still angry?  Was he just nervous at the new job?  Should Prapai let it dissipate naturally or should he say something?  

“Did you get everything squared away with HR?  With your school situation?” Prapai asked instead, keeping things professional.  This was a professional lunch between work colleagues after all.    

“Yes, if I stay for three months, they'll reimburse my tuition for that time and will start paying it directly going forward,” Sky explained.  

“Is that okay?”

“Yes?”

“I mean, is that sufficient for your needs?” Prapai clarified.

That pulled a small huff from him. “It's better than my previous employer, so yes, I'd say more than sufficient.” 

“Okay, but if the three month probation period is a problem, please just let me know.”  

And Prapai could see how Sky physically bit back a retort at that.  He didn't know why, Sky had never felt a need to hold back before but then again, their whole relationship had changed overnight in a very literal sense.  Perhaps it was expected that they were both acting a bit weird about it.  Prapai hoped that Sky just needed time to feel comfortable again. 

The air outside was muggy and oppressive, despite the thin fabric, the suit Prapai was wearing felt suffocating.  Sky however, seemed to come alive in the bright sun, turning his face up and letting the warmth soak into his skin for a long moment before stepping off the steps and onto the sidewalk.  There was something raw and beautiful in the motion that made Prapai’s heart feel like it was too big for his chest for a long moment.  

Was this really his life now?  He was just allowed to spend all his time with Sky?  They both got paid to spend all day every day together?  What had he done in a past life to rack up so much good karma?  

In all his excitement at the thought of working with Sky, he hadn't thought about just how difficult it would be.  He felt pulled to Sky like there was a hook in his chest yanking him forward and he was powerless to fight against it.  He didn't want to fight against it.  And yet he wasn't allowed to give into that pull.  The title of 'boss' hung like a tangible weight around his neck.  

He was jolted out of his own head when Sky sent him a questioning look, realizing he was frozen on the front steps of the building, simply staring at Sky.  

Fuck.

This was bad.  

He needed to get himself under control.  

He tried to shake off the confusing mess of thoughts swirling in his head and fell in step beside Sky. 

The office was in a busy business district, so the restaurants were always packed around the lunch hour.  Prapai led the way towards a small restaurant tucked in an awkward corner which meant it wasn't quite as visible as most of the other options.  It had the best curry on the street though and the owner was generous with the portions.  They ordered at the counter and were ushered towards a seat in the back, a small and intimate little table and Prapai couldn't have planned it better if he tried.  Sky however, took his seat rather gingerly, his shoulders stiff with tension. 

“What's wrong?” Prapai asked, frowning at him. 

“Nothing, sir.”

“Sir?  Really?”  Prapai raised an eyebrow.  What happened to P’Pai?  Maybe Sky being weird today was a bit more than new job jitters.  

Sky checked his watch, “That’s what you told me to call you.  I promised budget you'd be back in 45 minutes, so let's eat quickly.”

Prapai frowned.  “Are you really going to be like this?”

“Like what?”

“All… polite and boring?”  Prapai explained.  He hated this.  Sky was being polite to the point of cold and it felt all kinds of wrong.  He’d worked too hard for this moment just for Sky to shut down on him like this.  

“Excuse me?” The smallest flicker of authenticity crossed his face before he schooled it into something professional once again.

“This isn't you.  Why are you being like this?”  Sky knew exactly what he meant but was seemingly refusing to acknowledge it. 

“I don't know what you mean,” Sky said, stubbornness lacing through his tone.   

“Is this because you’re still mad at me?”  Prapai asked, putting words to the awkward air between them.  

There was a long pause.  “No.” 

“I understand if you’re still mad at me.  But if that’s the case, I’d rather you just yell at me some more.”  Anger he could handle but this tangible wall between them was too much to tolerate.  

“I said I’m not mad.” 

Prapai frown deepened.  “You want to know one of the reasons I'll never let Namtan leave?”

“She's great at her job?” Sky replied, a defiant edge still present in his tone even as Prapai redirected the conversation.  

“She is, but no.  Anyone with a willingness to learn can be good at a job. I’ll never let her leave because she doesn't pull her punches.  I'm in a position where people are always trying to use me for their own gain.  People try to tell me what they think I want to hear in hopes that I’ll favor them.  The lack of authenticity that surrounds me every single day is exhausting.  From day one, Namtan told me I was, and I quote, ‘smiling like a smarmy idiot and it was off putting’.”  Sky's lips quirked in an involuntary smile.  “Namtan isn't afraid to tell me the truth, she quite enjoys hurting my feelings actually.  And you and Namtan are birds of a feather.  That's one of the reasons why I hired you.  You had no problem calling me an idiot when I was, in fact, acting like an idiot.  You told me I looked like a lounge singer for fucks sake.  You called me a slimy lawyer yesterday.  So whatever this is,” Prapai waved his hand vaguely in Sky's direction.  “Whatever this overly polite, biting back your comments and ‘sir this’ and ‘sir that’ nonsense is, it stops today.”  

Prapai had not gone through all the trouble of making Sky work here just to watch him wither into a polite shell of his former self.  It was some karmic irony that Prapai had been reluctant to tell Sky the truth for fear of it changing their relationship, only for his lie to bring about just that.

“Just so I'm clear,” Sky said.  “You want me to be less professional and polite?”

“If professional and polite means inauthentic and bland then yes.  Be professional and polite in front of the partners and clients, not me.” Prapai answered.  

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“I said, okay,” Sky rolled his eyes and Prapai lit up with delight.  He never would have thought that someone rolling their eyes at him could make him this happy but all the usual rules seemed null and void when it came to Sky.  He should probably talk to someone about that actually, it couldn’t possibly be normal.  

“So… how's my suit today?” Prapai asked, leaning back with a cocky smirk and an exaggerated quirk to his eyebrow. It was a softball pitch, testing how far Sky was willing to bend.  

Sky gave him a dry look, “fishing for compliments?”

“Does that mean you think I look good?”

"There's a line between self-confidence and cockiness and you’re flirting with it,” Sky answered, sidestepping the question once again. 

“Wow, it's really hard for you to admit that you like my suit,” Prapai said, his tone far too delighted for the conversation they were having.  The amount of joy he felt at goading a response out of Sky was borderline unhealthy.  

“Maybe it would be if you didn't ruin it with those horrendous shoes,” Sky responded.

Prapai threw his head back in a laugh.  It was probably weird how much he enjoyed being insulted by this man.  Was this a kink he'd never heard about?  Degradation but only from one specific person?  But something about the teasing way Sky said it, with no real bite, the way his lips quirked in an almost smile as he said it, the sharp words wrapped in a caress of affection. It was delicious and he wanted more.  It scared him a bit just how badly he wanted this to be the norm.  Not just quick lunches between meetings but all the time. 

Nope. 

That was a dangerous line of thinking.  He was Sky’s boss now and crush or no crush, he would not put Sky in the same sort of uncomfortable position he’d dealt with at the bank.  More than anything he wanted Sky to feel safe at work.  Prapai wanted their playful banter to go back to what it had been before, wanted them to be close once again.  But he knew there was a line in the sand because of his position.  

Boundaries, Prapai.  

Professional boundaries. 

Prapai looked down at his two-toned brown leather shoes, narrow and pointed with sharp gold tips making them look severe. “You hate Versace now?”

“Don't blame the designer simply because you don't know when or how to wear them,” Sky responded.

Prapai chortled but their teasing banter was cut short when the food was placed before them. 

“Now tell me how your first day is really going,” Prapai demanded as they tucked into their lunch.  

“How do people already know I work here?  I’ve gotten like 17 instant messages this morning,” Sky asked, part genuine question and part whine. 

“Yeah, I think there’s a betting pool going on to see how long you’re going to last,  So unfortunately for you, the whole building is well aware of your existence,” Prapai laughed.  It didn't surprise him in the slightest that Sky was getting attention.  “You are temp number six to sit at that desk after all, people are invested.” 

“Did you put money in?” Sky asked between mouthfuls of curry.  He seemed determined to get them back to the office on time as promised.  

“Of course!” 

“Yeah?  And how long do you think I’m going to last?” 

“I am very confident you are going to make it through Namtan’s leave.  You know this,” Prapai was very confident on that fact.     

“And how much money did you back up that confidence with?” Sky pressed, his eyes crinkling in amusement as he tried not to smile.  

“Two hundred baht,” Prapai answered with a smug smile.

Sky snorted.

“Hey now, it would be unfair of me to take all my employees' money when I win.  A bit like insider trading,” Prapai explained.

“You’re an idiot,” Sky said, but unlike yesterday, the words were wrapped in fond playfulness.  His eyes sparkled with amusement, the corner of his lip just barely upturned, softening his features.  And Prapai didn’t mind being a little bit of an idiot if it made Sky look at him like that.    

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Things felt closer to normal on their walk back to the office.  Sky was starting to relax and act more like himself and Prapai was walking on air.  This was what he’d envisioned, getting to steal quick lunches together and recharge between the bustle of work and meetings.  He felt energized in a way he didn’t even know how to articulate just from a quick trip around the corner and a few minutes of uninterrupted time with Sky. 

Things didn’t have to change drastically between them.  They could still talk and tease and maybe flirt a little and it would be fine, it would be normal.  This was going great, this was going to work.  He could do this, he could maintain this balancing act of boss and friend.

Prapai felt very comfortable and confident right up until they got back to the office to find an obscenely large bouquet of sunflowers sitting on Sky’s desk.  The bright yellow flowers sticking out like a sore thumb in the beige office space.

“What the hell?” Sky gasped.  

Oh… in the excitement of the day, Prapai had all but forgotten about that.  He’d taken Phayu’s advice but only realized now that maybe he should have had them delivered to Sky’s apartment rather than the office.  He should have considered that Sky wouldn’t want attention on him at work.

Sky plucked the card out of the arrangement, his eyes going wide before he leveled Prapai with a glare.  “Seriously?” 

“Too much?” Prapai asked, a sheepish smile pulling at the corners of his lips. 

“Why did you do this?”  Sky demanded.

“I just wanted to apologize again for the misunderstanding,” Prapai answered but the words felt insufficient somehow.  His excuse felt flimsy when held up against Sky’s mounting anger.

“You lied to me for weeks and think embarrassing me on my first day at the office with a truckload of flowers is the way to apologize?"  Sky asked, incredulous.  

“How are flowers embarrassing?” Prapai pouted.  It was a perfectly reasonable sized bouquet in that it was the largest arrangement he could find, and anyway, Prapai thought they looked quite nice actually.  They livened up the bland space, breathing life into the generic office hallway filled with hotel art and fluorescent lighting. Maybe he should order flowers more often?  Or redecorate all together?  

“Everyone is staring at me!”  Sky hissed at him.  He seemed annoyed to even have to explain why he was upset.   

“No one is staring at—” 

“Oh, those are lovely!” Chinda from reception said as she walked by.  “Did your partner send you those for your first day?” 

Sky smiled, a polite but false pull of his lips that reminded Prapai of plastic.  Cold, brittle, cracked plastic.  “Oh, something like that,” He answered, sliding the card into his pocket, hiding the evidence of who they were from before anyone could see or ask him about it.  

“That’s so sweet!”  She cooed. 

Sky just smiled until she turned the corner, his face falling into a scowl immediately after.  “No one is staring?”  He challenged.   

Prapai huffed.  “That just seems like poor timing.” 

“What were you thinking?” 

“I was led to believe that flowers were customary when making an apology.”  He was going to have to yell at Phayu about this later.

“P’Pai, how many times have you sent flowers to employees?” Sky demanded. 

“I send flowers to clients all the time,” Prapai answered, sidestepping the question entirely.  A maneuver that was not lost on Sky.

“I said employees.”

“I— that’s not— actually once!  I sent Namtan flowers because I forgot her birthday.” Prapai answered, thrilled to have an answer.

Sky looked less than impressed.  “It’s not my birthday.” 

“Well technically I missed your last birthday,” Prapai mumbled, flinching at the way Sky’s glare seemed to cut like knives.   

“Don’t ‘technically’ me, P’Pai.  Slimy lawyer behavior!”  Sky snapped, punctuating his words with an accusing finger to Prapai’s chest.  

“Fine.  I didn’t realize this would upset you.  I won’t send flowers to the office anymore,” Prapai relented.  Perhaps he’d gone a bit too far.  

"No flowers.  Period.” 

“I—”   

Their exchange was mercifully cut short as Prapai’s father rounded the corner.  His eyes fell to the flowers on the desk and Sky’s cutting glare with bemusement.  “Ahh, you must be the new assistant, Sky?  Welcome.  I’ve heard such promising things.”

Sky tried to school his face back into politeness, pressing his palms together and ducking his head in a polite bow.  “Thank you, sir.” 

“Pai, we need to discuss the M&A documents for the Singapore deal and there’s an issue with the H Corp contract.”  He gestured towards an empty conference room.  

“Quickly, I have to meet with budget in a few minutes.”  Prapai said, but he was just relieved to escape Sky’s piercing eyes as he followed his father into the conference room, snapping the door closed behind them.  

“Do I even want to ask about the flowers?”  His father asked, caught between bemusement and his duty as the head of the company. 

“I’d rather you didn’t,” Prapai sighed, running a hand down his face.  “I’ve been scolded enough for one day, thanks.” 

His father just chuckled.  “So the H Corp contract…” 

~~~

Prapai’s afternoon was mercifully calmer.  Sky said nothing further on the flower debacle but his annoyance was palpable and Prapai was only sort of hiding in his office.  Hiding however, did come with the added perk of allowing him some uninterrupted time to get work done instead of just moving between conference rooms and video calls.  However, it was supremely hard to focus on said work with Sky sitting right outside.  He wanted to check in on him again, maybe take him for an afternoon coffee, maybe find an excuse to drive him home after work.  But that would only annoy Sky further and he was trying to be good. So Prapai tried to act normal, act like he would if Namtan was sitting outside, but it was just so difficult.  He had a pile of work to get through, reports to review and paperwork that required his authorization but he couldn’t seem to make himself care about any of it.  

Not today.  

Not with Sky so close.

Sky was like a siren call outside of his office, every fiber of his being was being pulled away from the desk and the boring office work he was supposed to be doing.    

This was bad.  He needed to get himself together.  This was his new normal and he’d have to learn how to get his job done even with Sky sitting just outside the door all warm and real and ready with a snarky comment.    

Ugh. 

Maybe he really did need another coffee.

Sky liked coffee.  

Maybe he could…

“P’Pai,” Sky said, knocking on the doorframe of his office, jolting Prapai out of his head.  The relief of Sky coming to him was short lived however.  Sky had a piece of paper clutched tightly in his fist and a look on his face that did not bode well for Prapai.   

“Hmm?”  

“What is this?” Sky placed the paper in front of Prapai on the desk.  

Prapai skimmed it and… shit.  He probably should have mentioned that to Sky as well.  “It’s an internal memo notifying all relevant parties that we recently moved banks,” Prapai answered, his tone measured and careful.   

“Care to explain?” Sky said but it was a command rather than a question.  

“Do I have to?”  Prapai tried very hard not to whine.  He was already on thin ice with Sky, he really didn’t need more fuck ups he’d completely forgotten about to add to the pile.  

“Yes,” Sky hissed. 

“Would you believe me if I said it was kind of a funny story?” Prapai flashed his most winning smile, hoping to soften Sky’s defenses a little bit.   

“P’Pai be serious,” Sky crossed his arms across his chest, apparently immune to Prapai’s charm.  Which was really unfair because Prapai didn’t know how to win anyone over without his charm, he’d never had to do it before.  

“Okay well after the incident at the restaurant, when Gun tried to antagonize me at the bank; he did end up calling the office,” Prapai explained.

“And?” 

“And I had the call forwarded to me, of course.  So he got to call and complain about me to me.  Which actually was quite funny.  I wish I'd recorded it.  Anyway, he is a piece of shit and made up quite a story about me and the scene I made in the lobby.  I did let him carry on for a bit, just for fun, before I explained to him exactly who he was talking to.  Then I called the bank's corporate office to file a formal complaint before I went down to the finance department to start the process of closing out our accounts.  Natsu was very unhappy with me that day.”  Closing out their accounts with no prior plan was a bigger deal that he was letting on.  He was going to have to make it up to Natsu and the whole team for the added work and stress.

“But… why?” 

“What do you mean, why?  He was sexually harassing you; why should I keep doing business with them?”  Prapai responded.  It seemed rather black and white to him.  If Gun felt confident enough to act like that out in the open, it meant what was happening in secret was a festering cesspool.  What he'd seen was bad, but he knew it also meant the well of toxicity ran even deeper.  Even if it wasn’t Sky, Prapai would have had concerns about associating his business name with the bank after what he’d witnessed.  

“But I—” 

“Sky, money talks.  So I told the bank rather loudly what I thought about them,” Prapai said.  People like Gun, people like the bank executives who allowed Gun to work for them, they only respond to one thing and that is their wallets.  Prapai couldn’t force people to be better humans but he did have the power to hit them where it hurt most.

“Is that why P’Gun said I’d lost the bank money?”  Sky asked, understanding blooming on his face as the puzzle pieces fell into place.  

“Probably.  Asshole,” Prapai muttered.  The bank lost money because of Gun not because of Sky, but the details didn’t matter to them.  He had no doubt Gun had spun quite a tale about the whole thing despite Prapai filing a formal complaint.  Prapai would just have to wait until Sky would allow him to file a lawsuit before the truth would come out.     

“You can’t just change banks because you’re mad at the branch manager!  That’s a huge business decision!” 

“I think you’ll find I can and I did,” Prapai answered.  It may have been a huge business decision but it was an easy one to make.  

“That’s— You can’t just— Ugh!  And you, what?  Weren’t planning on telling me this either?” Sky demanded, his tone taking on the telltale marker of anger that Prapai was unfortunately getting overly familiar with. 

“This was a very new development and on the list of things I planned to tell you that day at the bank.  You cannot hold the same level of a grudge against me for this as my name,” Prapai argued.  This wasn’t a secret he’d been keeping, not in the same way.  He could admit he’d been deceptive about the whole identity thing, but this was completely different.  

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Sky snapped. 

“That memo also says confidential.  It’s information that isn’t supposed to be shared outside of need-to-know employees.  You’ve worked here for five hours, I hardly think this counts as withholding information," Prapai pointed out.   

“Don’t give me that technicality bullshit either,” Sky shot back.    

“There was a lot going on, this genuinely slipped my mind,” Prapai pleaded.  “I was coming into the bank that day to tell you who I was and why I wouldn’t be back, which would have included explaining that we no longer held accounts there.  I wasn’t hiding this from you, please believe me.” 

Sky huffed but he didn’t appear to be too upset.  “So it really is your fault I got fired.” 

“Yeah, a little bit.” 

“Is there anything else you conveniently forgot to tell me?” Sky demanded. 

“I— You look really nice today?” Prapai said, giving his most charming smile another go.   

Sky sighed like the weight of the world was on his shoulders.  “For a lawyer, you’re a really bad liar.  If you’re hiding anything else from me, I’m going to kick you right in the shins.” 

“Noted.  And I’m not.  Scouts honor.” 

“Hmmm,” Sky replied, looking unimpressed as he turned on his heel and stomped out of Prapai’s office.  

~~~

Prapai gathered his things, his workday ending at a reasonable time for once and he planned to take advantage of it.  Sky was still sitting at his desk, a cute little wrinkle forming between his eyebrows as he plunked away at his keyboard.  

“Sky, whatever it is can wait until tomorrow.  Let me drive you home?”  Prapai asked, his smile a little too hopeful given the rocky day they’d had.  

Sky glanced up at him, “I’m almost done.  And no.” 

Prapai’s smile fell.  “Why not?”

“Did you drive Namtan home?” 

“Namtan has her own car.” 

“The interns take the bus.  Why don’t you offer them a ride?” Sky suggested.

“Should I start a work carpool?  Would you let me then?” Prapai tried very hard not to pout.  

Sky smirked, “Tempting if only to see you chauffeur the interns around.” 

“Will you at least let me walk you out?” Prapai let out a long suffering sigh.  He’d made enough missteps with Sky today, he was not going to push things.  For the record, he would offer to drive Namtan home if she didn’t have a car.  At least some times.  

“Only if you stop looking like a kicked puppy just because you didn’t get your way,” Sky replied as he tidied his desk and began gathering his things.  

“So how was your first day?” Prapai asked, ignoring the comment entirely. 

“The boss was needlessly annoying but otherwise it was fine,” Sky answered, a teasing smile pulling at his lips.  

“Hurtful.”   

“Oh and P’Pai, if you send me flowers again, I will quit.”  

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Prapai tried very hard to be good.  He didn’t send any more flowers, perish the thought.  He didn’t coerce Sky into going to lunch with him, though he did ask near daily, and he only offered to drive Sky home when their schedules aligned.  It just so happened that their schedules aligned frequently.  

He spent far too much time in the mornings picking out his suit for the day just so he could strut around the office like a peacock in hopes of catching Sky’s attention.  It didn’t seem to work though, Sky was either unaffected by Prapai’s eye-catching feathers in the form of slim cut suits and silk ties or was simply too professional to let it show.  Either answer was unsatisfactory in Prapai’s humble opinion.

Working with Sky was challenging in ways Prapai had never even imagined.  Going from seeing Sky for a few minutes a week to having him outside his office all day everyday made Prapai feel a little like he was drowning.  Drowning in the best way possible.  He was just a man and apparently a weak one at that.  He had thought that seeing Sky every day might make things easier; might start to feel normal.  He was realizing now it was just the flow of river over stone, he was wearing down more and more each day rather than building up any sort of tolerance.   

He was in over his head.  Despite his resolve, his feelings for Sky only grew stronger as they spent more time together.  He couldn’t find it in himself to feel anything close to regret however.  He was being good, he was being professional but he was also pretty sure he was being tortured.  

His resolve was being tested each and every day.  It was hard to focus on his work when he knew that one press of a button and Sky would be standing in front of him.  It was impossible to pay attention to boring finance updates when Sky was sitting beside him taking notes, looking perfect and warm and real and far more interesting than finance updates.  It was just ridiculous to expect him to stay locked away in his office working when he could take a few small steps and be talking to Sky.

In short, Prapai was suffering.  

Just as Prapai predicted, Sky was perfect for this job.  It was a fact that didn’t surprise Prapai in the least; he did love being proven right however.  Sky was smart and efficient and knew how to answer a phone without needing HR intervention.  He was good at taking notes even if the subject matter was new to him and he was organized to a scary degree, color coded sticky tabs and alphabetized file folders were quickly becoming a regular part of Prapai’s life.  

Sky taking to the position like a duck to water also meant by the end of the first week, he’d managed to wrangle the rats nest of paperwork that had piled up, the prior temps simply ignoring it as it grew on the corner of the desk.  But suddenly everything was organized into labeled piles and files were migrating to Prapai’s desk to be reviewed and signed at an alarming rate.  

He was also finding that Sky was personable, his prickly exterior seemed reserved for Prapai alone.  Everyone else was greeted with a smile and a kind word.  There was an endless stream of people, half of whom Prapai didn’t even recognize, stopping by Sky’s desk on a daily basis, just to chat or invite him to join the coffee club or try out a new restaurant.  

Prapai might have gotten his feelings hurt about it all, watching Sky be so goddamn nice all day to everyone who wasn’t him.  Except… it reminded him too much of that first morning when Sky started.  There was something so polite and surface level about the interactions.  The smile never reached his eyes, the words were kind but empty.  No, he much preferred Sky’s teasing tone, his biting comments.  There was an authenticity behind them.  Maybe it was his own delusion and wishful thinking, but he liked that Sky treated him differently from everyone else.  It made something warm settle in his belly, made him feel special.

But Prapai was being good and he wasn’t going to let feeling special ruin the careful balancing act they had established at work.  He liked Sky.  He could freely admit it.  But Sky was his employee now and therefore his feelings had to take a backseat to his responsibilities and duties as the CEO. 

Deciding that had been easy. 

Living it day in and day out however?  That was slowly starting to break him.  

~~~

“You are late,” Sky said, hands on his hips and a very unamused look on his face.  

“I know, I know,” Prapai replied, dropping his things on the chair beside Sky’s desk rather than take the extra few moments to walk them into his own office.  “Traffic was horrible, I think there was a wreck,” Prapai explained.  He hated when days started like this, feeling frazzled and off balance had a way of lingering, causing a domino effect.  The frantic edge of the morning seemed to cling to him like a second skin, coloring his whole outlook for the day.  

“I moved your meeting with outsourcing to next week but your update with the Chiang Mai office starts in ten minutes.  You look a mess, did you run here or something?”  Sky huffed, something between exasperated and fond.

Prapai looked down at his impeccable suit and back up at Sky in confusion, he couldn’t see anything wrong with his outfit.  

He had dressed with work in mind that morning rather than Sky for once, the quarterly board meeting was that afternoon and he needed to look sharp.  Sharp as in gaining the approval of stuffy board members who were older than dust.  It meant a three piece suit in a classic cut and neutral colors.  Nothing flashy or fun about it at all. 

Sky rolled his eyes, stepping forward until he was standing painfully close and reaching out without a bit of hesitation to straighten the knot on Prapai’s tie.  Prapai could smell his cologne, warm and earthy, but a green sort of earthy, like dew drops on fresh spring grass, and it was simply too early in the day for his willpower to be tested like this.  Sky decided to make it worse, pushing up onto his toes and carding his fingers through Prapai’s hair, fixing whatever he’d deemed unacceptable and utterly ruining Prapai in the process.  

His brain scrambled inside his head, his breath catching in his throat as he tried not to whimper.

Prapai stood stock still, trying to repress the full body shiver that ran down his spine at the feeling of Sky’s fingers against his scalp.  

He was at work.

He was a professional. 

He was Sky’s boss. 

All those semi-important little details evaporated out of his head like soap bubbles, leaving him only with the feeling of Sky touching him and the cavernous desire that welled up inside of him because of it.  

Sky stepped back and whatever he saw in Prapai’s expression made him pause, eyes going wide before he cleared his throat.  “You’re going to be late for your meeting,” Sky said, plunking an iced coffee in his hands and shooed him off towards the conference room like he hadn’t just rocked Prapai’s whole world.

Prapai didn’t remember entering the conference room, he didn’t remember the meeting at all, his mind simply replaying that moment with Sky on loop in his brain for the rest of the morning.   

~~~

Prapai had a day full of meetings so he’d been away from his desk most of the afternoon, rarely getting a moment at his desk.  Which was for the best because his heart still seemed to leap out of his chest every time he saw Sky after what had happened that morning.  He needed at least three business days to get himself back in check because Sky had touched his hair for fucks sake. 

He’d seen Sky flitting around the office, going between the copy room and the conference room and talking to various people from other departments.  Prapai didn’t know what he was working on and didn’t really care.  Namtan was always busy with things Prapai knew nothing about as well, it seemed to him like Sky was just settling in.  

When he entered the conference room before his update with the board, he was pleasantly surprised to see the room so well set up.  His fathers secretary was always impeccably prepared but she’d outdone herself today.  A hard copy of the presentation slides were all printed out and left at each seat along with water bottles and a neat pile of notepads and pens in the middle of the table.  The presentation was all ready to go and there was even a coffee cart and snack tray from the cafe on the first floor waiting for them.

It was a bit more formal and put together than their average meeting and Prapai was glad for it, grabbing a much needed coffee as he prepared for the meeting ahead.  

However, perhaps he should have given it all more thought because as soon as the meeting ended, he found a very annoyed Sky glaring at him as he walked past his desk.

Ugh. 

Why did he have to look so hot with a scowl on his face? 

“What?” Prapai asked.  He racked his brain for what infraction he could have possibly committed.  He really had been good lately, he couldn’t think of a single thing he’d done to warrant Sky’s ire today.  

Sky huffed in annoyance, following Prapai into his office and shutting the door behind them with a definitive snap.  “A little warning would have been nice.”

“Warning?  Sky, I have no idea what we’re talking about,” Prapai frowned.  He was growing too familiar with being yelled at by Sky but he would at least like to know why.   He didn’t even mind it so much if he’d done something to deserve it, but this time he was pretty sure he was being falsely accused.

“The meeting?”  Sky said rather pointedly.  

“What about the meeting?”  Prapai asked, still rather baffled by the whole conversation.   

“Your father personally demanded I ‘prepare the conference room’ for your board meeting.  Gave me all of 15 minutes notice. What the fuck does prepare the conference room even mean?”  Sky asked but Prapai was pretty sure it was a rhetorical question.

Prapai just blinked at him, the gears turning in his head, filling in the gaps between Sky’s words.  “I wasn’t aware of that.” 

“I thought I worked for you, not everyone in the office.  But I obviously can’t say no, he’s the president!  It puts me in an awkward position,” Sky explained but his anger seemed to be softening at Prapai’s obvious confusion.

“I— you’re right.  It won’t happen again,” Prapai promised.  It was an easy promise to make since he knew his father was good at respecting those boundaries.  His father’s involvement hadn’t been a disrespect in the way Sky was interpreting it.  There was no way of explaining that to Sky without creating a whole world of new problems however.  

“I don’t even mind doing it just… ugh.  Can I get some advanced notice next time?” Sky said, dissolving into a small whine.  He seemed frustrated to not be able to yell at Prapai like he’d planned to.   

“I’m sorry, Sky.  I really didn’t know he’d done that, but I’ll deal with it.  And by the way, what you did in the conference room was great.  The cafe cart was a nice touch,” Prapai assured him.     

“Yeah, whatever,” Sky huffed but his annoyance was visibly melting from the compliment.  Prapai filed the information away for later, apparently compliments were a good way to disarm him.  

“Don’t you have class tonight?” Prapai asked, glancing at his watch.  The meeting had run rather long and the hallways were practically empty now.    

“Ugh yes, I need to go,” Sky replied.

“Did you really stay late just to yell at me?” Prapai asked, trying and failing to hide his amusement.  It was really unfair that anyone was allowed to be so incredibly cute.    

“No,” Sky said stubbornly, grabbing his bag off of the chair.  

“Good night, Sky,” Prapai said, watching him stomp down the hallway towards the elevators.  He was clearly still upset but at least seemed to believe Prapai’s defense.  He really hadn’t known anything about it but he also couldn’t have stopped it if he’d wanted to.     

Prapai made his way to his fathers office, leaning casually against the door frame.  “Satisfied?” 

“Hmm?” His father glanced up.

“The conference room looked quite nice today, don’t you think?”  Prapai prompted, giving him a rather pointed look.  

His father smirked.  “It was adequate.” 

“You can just admit you are impressed,” Prapai replied, a little smug.   

“I said it was adequate.”

“Are you going to stop testing my assistant now?  Sky has an actual job to do.” 

“Did he yell at you about it?” 

“Yes.” 

His father snorted with laughter.  “Okay fine.  He passed.” 

“Admit it, you’re impressed.  I told you he was worth the pay increase,” Prapai pressed.  Sky was doing far better than adequate and they both knew it. 

“Forgive me for not trusting you snap judgement on this purely business decision,” His father said, heavy with sarcasm.  “But I’m more impressed he’s lasted longer than a week.  He looked ready to murder you that first day over those flowers.”  

“Flowers aside, I have been nothing but professional,” Prapai replied with a frown.  It was taking a lot of effort to remain nothing but professional and he didn’t feel like people appreciated that enough.  He had the most beautiful person he’d ever seen sitting outside his office every single day, the most beautiful person who was also snarky and witty and smart and who had touched his hair, and Prapai was being the epitome of professional about it.  

“Yeah and you had better keep it that way,” His father responded.  

“I will.  Now leave my assistant alone.  You don’t need to give him reasons to yell at me, he manages just fine on his own.” 

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

It was bright and early and Prapai was halfway through a meeting with the accounting department when there was a commotion outside the conference room door.  The modern building design meant there were glass panels along the entire wall, making it easy to see the crowd that was congregating around the elevators.  Normally, the bustle of people in the hallway was little more than white noise and was easy to ignore, but today, it was obvious that something was going on.  A small group of people broke away from the crowd at the elevator bay only to huddle outside the conference room, whispering among themselves and looking into the room with concern.  

Prapai tried to ignore them, he tried to stay focused and turn back to the cashflow projections in front of him but any illusion of focus was shattered when someone knocked on the door and a woman from the communications department was suddenly letting herself in, nervous but determined as she made a beeline for Prapai. 

“Khun Prapai?  I’m sorry to interrupt but your assistant collapsed in the elevator,” She said quietly, but the words seemed to reverberate throughout the room anyway.  

“What?  What happened?” Any thought of work vanished as concern flooded his system, his heart racing.  Sky was sick, maybe even hurt, and Prapai was already on his feet before he’d made a conscious effort to do so.

“I’m not sure but he won’t let us call anyone,” She explained.  

Beside the mountain of worry inside his chest was a hint of exasperation.  It was just so very Sky.  Of course he wouldn’t let anyone help him.  He was probably trying to shoo everyone away, pretending like nothing had happened.  If the circumstances weren't so serious, Prapai might have laughed.  

Prapai left all his things on the conference room table.  “I’m sorry, we’ll need to reschedule this meeting,” he announced to the group before turning back to the woman, “Where is he?” 

He followed her out, the crowd by the elevator mostly dissipated now, only a few people continued to hover around Sky who was seated in an office chair someone had rolled out into the hallway and looked very annoyed at the fuss.

“I’m fine.  Really it’s noth—”

“Sky,” Prapai cut him off, his tone heavy with concern.  “What happened?”  He dropped down to one knee beside Sky’s chair so he wasn’t looming over him, but Sky squawked at the action.

“Stop that!  I’m fine.  I got a little light-headed and everyone is just making a fuss.”  Embarrassment and annoyance was clear on his face.  He hated that everyone was looking at him.  

“Khun Sky, you collapsed and you hit your head really hard on the railing on your way down,” the women who had fetched Prapai said.    

“You hit your head?” Prapai’s hand immediately reached out to check only for his hand to be slapped away.

“Oh my god, I’m fine!  Can we all just go back to work, please?” Sky hissed, the tinge of pink on his cheeks would have been cute if Prapai had the ability to think beyond the concern sitting heavy on his chest, pressing all the air out of his lungs.

Prapai knew that he wouldn’t get any answers out of Sky with an audience present.  “I’ll take it from here, thank you everyone.”  He just forced a smile and nodded at people until they left, all while Sky huffed from his chair.  Once they were gone, Sky jumped up from his seat, grabbing his bag off the floor and headed down the hallway to his desk without a word or backwards glance.  Prapai fell in step beside him, not saying anything as Sky set his bag down at his desk.  Prapai sighed, Sky was not going to make this easy.  Prapai gestured to his office, holding the door open for a huffy Sky and shutting the door behind them. 

“I’m fine,” Sky said again before Prapai could get a word out. 

“So you’ve said,” Prapai responded, folding his arms across his chest.   

“It’s nothing.” 

“Sky, you fainted and hit your head.  That’s not nothing.”  

“Objection.  Hearsay,” Sky quipped, throwing lawyer jargon at him, a tactic he’d apparently picked up from Prapai himself.  

“Sky, this is serious,” Prapai frowned at him.  

“It’s really not.  I’m going back to work now,” Sky rolled his eyes, starting to turn towards the door.

“No you aren’t.  You are going to the doctor,” Prapai said firmly.

“Like hell I am!” Sky spun back around to face him, incredulous.  

“Well you’re going home at least,” Prapai amended.  He could admit, at least to himself, he was a bit of a pushover when Sky was involved.  But this was serious and he wasn’t going to just back down and pretend like nothing happened.   

“You pay me to be here,” Sky reminded him.  

“You’re sick.  Go home,” Pai said.  The company had paid sick leave for a reason. 

“I’m fine.”

“You are not fine.”

“I haven’t been here long enough to be sick,” Sky said.  

“That is the stupidest argument I’ve ever heard.  And I once had to sit through opposing council claim our breach of contract case should be thrown out because I was being mean and should ‘focus more on where their client did follow the contract stipulations’.” 

Sky snorted. 

“So I’ll say again, you are sick.  Go home,” Prapai’s tone firm.  

“It was just a dizzy spell!” Sky tried to argue.  

“Not an answer.” 

“I just started working here!  I can’t just call out,” Sky argued as if his words made any sense.  

“I don’t understand how that is relevant,” Prapai replied.  Tenure at work had no bearing on if you were sick or not.   

“But I can’t—”

“No.  I’m not doing this with you,” Prapai huffed, reaching his limit with Sky’s ridiculous objections.  This was not something he was going to argue about and he would pull rank as boss if need be.  “Get your things, I’m taking you home.” 

“P’Pai, no.  You are supposed to be in a quarterly follow up with accounting right now and marketing has new vendor contracts you have to—” 

Prapai held up his hand to stop him.   

“I have class tonight anyway,” Sky muttered.

“So you should go home and rest before class,” Prapai retorted.   

“If you make me go home I'm just going to work on my school project,” Sky replied, his tone sinking into something petulant and a little childish.  It was so ridiculous and unlike him and Prapai didn’t even know how to respond.

“Why are you so stubborn all the time?” Prapai muttered more to himself than Sky.  “This isn’t up for debate.  Go get your things.”  Prapai held the door open until Sky’s shoulders sagged in defeat, letting out one long suffering sigh before he went back to his desk.  Prapai shot off a few quick messages from his phone, moving his afternoon meetings to video calls and gathering any files he’d need for the rest of the day.  

Sky looked like he was ready for a round two of their argument but seemed to think better about it when Prapai glared at him.  Instead he simply grabbed his bag and followed Prapai to the elevator.  

“I can get home myself,” Sky mumbled, a half-hearted protest at best. 

“So you can pass out on the street instead?” Prapai responded.  As if he’d leave Sky in such a state to get home by himself.    

“I’m—”

“If you say ‘fine’ one more time,” Prapai snapped, smacking the button on the elevator harder than was strictly necessary.  While he would usually love the chance to bicker, and he appreciated how headstrong Sky was, he was not going to entertain it when it came to Sky’s health.  If Sky wouldn’t take care of himself properly, Prapai would just have to do it for him.  

Sky huffed, the fight starting to bleed out of him.  “I just didn’t have time for breakfast this morning and it’s hot out,” he said.  “I’m not sick.” 

“So we’ll order breakfast,” Prapai answered.  

“That’s not— That’s not what I meant,” Sky said, without the fire in his tone he just sounded tired. 

“I know.” 

“You’re being annoying,” Sky said, sulky and petulant but he didn’t argue any further as they climbed into Prapai’s car.  

“Get used to it,” Prapai responded.  He didn’t mind being annoying as long as it meant Sky was okay.  In fact, he had plans to be even more annoying given the circumstances.  

“I have food at home, just drop me off,” Sky said with a resigned sigh as Prapai pulled out onto the road, not even needing the GPS to get to Sky’s home anymore.   

“No, I'm coming with you,” Prapai said as if it were the most reasonable thing in the world.  

“What?” Sky squawked. 

“Sky you won’t let me take you to the doctor and I’m not going to leave you alone after you passed out.  And you literally already told me you have no intention of resting if I just drop you off,”  Prapai explained, keeping his tone even and matter-of-fact even though he kind of wanted to take Sky by the shoulders and shake him.  How could anyone be so stubborn?  

“You’re coming with me to my apartment?” Sky gasped, finally understanding Prapai’s meaning.  

“Yes.” 

“No.”

“Okay, then we’re going to the hospital,” Prapai responded without missing a beat.  At this point he wasn’t really picky which location they went to.  He wasn’t going to force Sky to go to a hospital but he was definitely not going to allow him to work after what had just happened.   

“Ugh!  What are you even going to do at my apartment all day?” 

“I brought work,” Prapai said, gesturing to the back seat where his bag sat with his laptop in it.  

“Just go back to the office?” 

“I’m not arguing with you.  There are only two options.  Are we going to the hospital or your apartment?”  Prapai asked, his tone even and calm, not giving away how incredibly frustrated he felt.  It was clear Sky was used to Prapai giving into him and he was at a loss how to handle things when Prapai refused to back down.  He couldn't lie, it felt nice to be the one flustering Sky for once instead of the other way around.  

“Ugh, fine.  Apartment.” 

“Excellent.”

“This is stupid.  You’re being ridiculous,” Sky was very close to pouting now.  

“Don’t pass out at work and I'll stop being so ridiculous,” Prapai responded. 

He found a parking spot outside Sky’s building and gathered his things, following a very reluctant Sky up to his apartment.  Prapai didn’t even feel a little bad about it.  It was far from the right circumstances to be visiting Sky’s apartment for the first time.  It was nothing like how he’d imagined this scenario playing out.  And he’d imagined this scenario a lot.  But right now none of that mattered.  What mattered was making sure Sky was okay, that he was healthy and not at risk of hurting himself when no one was around to help.  And if that also meant Prapai got to spend the whole day alone in Sky’s apartment with him, then so be it.  He wasn’t one to question gifts from the universe.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Sky’s apartment was small but tidy.  A kitchenette opening up to a small living room area, most of the space monopolized by his drafting desk and bookshelves.  Prapai stepped out of his shoes and set his bag down beside the sofa before hovering awkwardly, shifting his weight from foot to foot.  “So… breakfast?” Prapai said, trying to dissipate some of the tension around them as he grabbed his phone, searching through the delivery app for a good option. 

Their interactions up to this point had been regimented by work with the occasional emotionally charged conversation that never left the car.  It felt different, for both of them Prapai was pretty sure, to cross this invisible threshold of entering each other's world in such a tangible way.  Prapai was a little torn.  On one hand, he loved it.  He desperately wanted to push those boundaries and sink deeper into… whatever it was between them.  But on the other, he was very aware of how he’d strong-armed his way in, not even giving Sky a say in the matter.  There was also the pesky persistent problem of him being Sky’s boss.  The only thing keeping him holding the line being that it was temporary.  Namtan would come back eventually and Sky would move onto another position.  That didn’t exactly solve the problem but he could more realistically deal with it then.  Maybe talk to HR, make things official and above the board.  

Not yet though.  

They would never allow Sky to stay on as his assistant if they were dating.  

But he was getting ahead of himself. He hadn’t even talked to Sky, hadn’t broached the subject except hinting with some shameless flirting.  And even Prapai realized shameless flirting didn’t really convey ‘I want a real relationship with you bad enough to sign paperwork at work about it’.  

He did not need to be planning out their HR conversation just yet.  

He didn’t need to be thinking about HR conversations.

Being inside Sky’s apartment was messing with his head, clearly.  

“Order what you want.  I’m going to go change,” Sky said; resigned but still annoyed seemed to be his default state today.  He disappeared into the bedroom, shutting the door with a snap.  Prapai did as instructed, ordering porridge for them both with as many topping options as the restaurant offered.  Sky may deny he was sick but it wasn’t going to stop Prapai from taking care of him.  He had an opportunity, an excuse to fuss over Sky, and he was not going to let it slip through his fingers.  

Sky’s apartment was much warmer than the frigid office Prapai was dressed for, so he quickly shed his jacket and tie, popping a few buttons of his dress shirt and carefully rolling the sleeves up his forearms.  None of his video conferences for the afternoon demanded much formality so he might as well get comfortable.  He got himself situated on the sofa, switching between his phone and his laptop as he waited for Sky to rejoin him.  Before he quite realized it, he had fallen into work mode and time slipped by without him noticing it.  So he was jolted out of his own head when he glanced up to find Sky standing in the doorway, a far away look in his eyes as he stared at Prapai.  He looked unbearably cute in his lounge shorts and tee shirt that was comically large on him, the cotton fabric faded and thin from years of wear and washing.  

“Sky?”  Prapai caught his attention, cocking his head to the side, an unspoken question on his face.

Sky startled, his spine snapping straight and his eyes widened in panic at being caught staring.  

“Everything okay?” Prapai asked, an amused smile creeping onto his face.  It was usually Prapai who got caught staring and he was not unhappy for a change in pattern.  

“Yeah.”

“Well… let’s hear it,” Prapai said, leaning back and throwing his arms across the back of the couch, playfully putting himself on display.

“Hear what?” 

“Whatever mean commentary was running through your head about my outfit,” Prapai prompted with a teasing smile.  It was a well-worn pattern between them after all.   

Sky blinked at him for a long moment, like he had no idea what Prapai was talking about.  “I— did your buttons just give up?” 

“What?” Prapai looked down at his shirt in confusion, usually Sky’s quips were a bit snappier and actually funny.  He’d only let out the top two buttons, but he hadn’t realized in all his shuffling and stretching across the back of the couch, the pull across his chest had been too much and a third button had given out, leaving his shirt half open.  It wasn’t exactly what he’d consider work appropriate but it was hardly scandalous either.  He glanced up and realized Sky was blushing.  Oh.  Oh.  

Interesting.  

“What’s wrong with my buttons?” Prapai asked, his tone innocent but he couldn’t fight back the smile.  He’d never seen Sky flustered before.  Not like this.  It was adorable; all nervous and pink cheeks and biting his lip.  The urge to kiss him breathless was welling up once again.  It was a feeling Prapai was growing painfully familiar with, but sitting here on Sky’s couch, in Sky’s apartment, without the tangible weight of the office to remind Prapai why he needed to hold himself back, it felt so much stronger, so much more all consuming. 

Sky rolled his eyes in place of responding and was mercifully saved by a knock at the door, their food arriving. 

Prapai decided to be nice, Sky was sick after all, so he didn’t tease him further.  But Prapai did file the interaction away in his mind to mull over later.  Apparently he’d been wasting his time with his flashy suits and being all buttoned up, he just had to find a way to flash a little chest at the office if he wanted to ruffle Sky’s feathers.   

He had some silk shirts at home that would give a much better effect than the cotton button down he was currently wearing.  He’d have to start working them into the rotation and test his hypothesis.

~~~

A quiet domesticity seemed to fall over them.  Prapai made a home for himself on the couch, typing away on his computer, reading through contracts and responding to his emails while Sky sat at his drafting desk, working on a project for school.  Prapai had tried to talk Sky into taking a nap and actually resting properly but he was completely shot down.  So instead Prapai simply monitored from the sidelines, ensuring that Sky was taking breaks and staying hydrated while he worked.  Despite the events that morning, Sky really did look and seem fine.  Prapai would still prefer if he were checked out by a doctor, but there were limits to how far Sky would allow him to push. 

The click of the keyboard and the scratching sound of pencil on paper was soft and soothing.  While usually Prapai would try to fill the empty air with chatter because silence often made him nervous, this felt different.  It felt comfortable.  It felt right. There was something intimate about being close enough to just exist together without forcing anything. 

At some point Sky got up to stretch, raising his arms above his head and leaning side to side in a way that made a tantalizing sliver of stomach flash and Prapai felt like he was choking on air, the comfort of domesticity replaced with the recognizable hunger of desire.  He’d never been so pulled towards another human before.  Part of it felt familiar, the attraction, the lust, the unfiltered want.  But other parts were wholly new.  The urge to spend his every waking moment with Sky, talking to Sky or thinking about Sky for example.  He didn’t care what they talked about or what they did, just the fact that they were doing it together made him delirious with happiness.  Here he was, going about his normal workday from Sky’s couch, and yet it was the best day he’d had in ages because they were doing it together.  And that was all very new to Prapai.  

He’d never been much of a relationship person.  There were simply too many hot people in the world to think about committing to just one.  His interests had always been satisfying but fleeting.  So this desire that welled up inside him, that was consuming him from the inside out, was new and terrifying.  He wanted in ways he barely understood.  All he knew was that he’d been unable to think about anyone else since the moment they’d met.  Getting to know Sky had only made the problem worse, not better.  And now he was Sky’s boss, sitting on Sky’s couch with his shirt half open, his brain turning to mush over a glimpse of bare midriff.  

He was losing his damn mind.  

Sky puttered over to the kitchen, returning with two glasses of water, clinking one down beside Prapai without a word.  Prapai smiled at the small act of care.  Sky didn’t seem to even register what he was doing, just drifting back to his desk and sinking back into his work.  And Prapai loved that he was weaseling his way into Sky’s life so deeply that Sky would do things like let him work from his couch all day and bring him water without being asked.  It was such a small thing, just a simple glass of water, but it was also tangible proof that Sky was thinking about him, worrying about him in the same ways Prapai thought and worried about Sky.  

Okay, maybe Prapai was reading into things again.  But that didn’t stop the butterflies in his stomach from stirring themselves up into a tizzy over it.  

~~~

“Sky?  Are you hungry?  I can order lunch?” Prapai offered, glancing at his watch.  

Sky took a long moment to finish what he was working on before setting down his pencil and turning to look at Prapai.  

“Do you only eat takeout?” Sky asked, the judgement clear in his tone. 

“No?  We can go out if you’d rather?” Prapai offered.  Prapai wasn’t much of a cook so unless he was eating at his parents house, he did mostly live off of takeout or heat and eat meal kits.  However, it was clear that Sky wouldn’t approve of that answer.  

Sky rolled his eyes, “Don’t you have a lunch meeting today anyway?” 

Prapai frowned, looking at his calendar, but of course Sky was correct.  It was the only time slot he could get to work with the Vietnam branch.  “Shit.  Yeah.” 

“We can eat after,” Sky said, getting up and going to the kitchen where he began digging through the fridge and setting a frying pan on the stove.  

“Wait, are you going to cook?” Prapai asked, watching him with bafflement.   

“Yes?  Not all of us can afford to order in everyday, P’Pai,” Sky answered, the rich asshole jab was implied if not said out loud.  Prapai didn’t care, he was still a little too enthralled with the idea that Sky was going to cook for him.  The urge to smother the younger man in affection was strong.  He wanted to press up behind Sky, wanted to slot his chin over Sky’s shoulder to watch in fascination as he cooked.  He could practically see Sky’s pleased little smile he would try to hide; he’d probably smack Prapai with a spatula for bothering him when he was working.  The wave of unbridled want that washed through him at the thought made Prapai lightheaded for a moment.

No, this was bad.  

He was already crossing too many boundaries forcing his way into Sky’s apartment, he did not need to be fantasizing about a future where Sky would let him do things like that.  He was not going to be a creep.  He was not going to take advantage of his power to make Sky uncomfortable in any way.  He was not going to be like Gun.    

“It’s technically a work lunch, Sky.  I don’t mind—” 

“P’Pai?  Shut up,” Sky responded, not even looking up from what he was doing.  The smell of garlic wafted through the small apartment, warm and fragrant and homey.  Prapai didn’t get a chance to respond, wasn’t sure what he’d even say, as the incoming call from Vietnam popping up on his computer.  Prapai just put in his headphones and tried to get back into the right frame of mind for the call, but it proved to be extremely difficult as the smell in the apartment grew stronger and more delicious with each passing minute.  

There was something so perfectly domestic about the whole situation, Prapai working quietly on the couch while Sky puttered around, clearing off the coffee table and getting it set up for lunch, quietly flitting between the kitchen and the living room space.  As Prapai wrapped up the call, Sky began setting out the food, somehow whipping up a multi-course meal in the time it took Prapai to make one phone call about unit cost changes.  

“How on earth did you have time to do all this?” Prapai asked as he looked at the two plates of fried rice, laden with vegetables, a pile of papaya salad and some sort of vegetable fritter on the side.  You could have given him every ingredient with detailed recipes and a full day and he still couldn’t come up with something half as good as this.

Sky set a refilled glass of water on the table, settling on the floor across from Prapai.  “What?  It’s just lunch, P’Pai.” 

“You say that so casually like you didn’t just magic up an entire meal out of thin air,” Prapai didn’t even try to hide the awe in his voice. 

Sky rolled his eyes, clearly finding Prapai’s words ridiculous.  “It came out of the fridge actually.  Now eat.”  Sky commanded. 

Prapai took a bite of his fried rice and groaned.  “Of course it’s delicious. Why are you so good at everything?” Prapai whined.  It was so unfair, how was he expected to hold himself back when he was tempted with utter perfection all day every day?  

“Stop being dramatic, it’s just rice,” Sky responded but there was a pleased curve to his lips at the compliment.   

And Prapai may not be much of a cook, but he knew that this wasn’t ‘just rice’.  Sky had made this with his own hands for Prapai and he was going to enjoy every bite.  

~~~

“So do you believe me yet?” Sky asked as he came back into the living room dressed for class in blue pants and a white button down.  He looked so cute Prapai wanted to squish something.

“Believe what?” Prapai asked, gathering up the last of his papers and shoving everything in his bag.  

“That I’m fine and you are overreacting?” 

Prapai smirked, “Trying to get rid of me?” 

“Obviously.” 

“I don’t know, you’re normally so nice to me so this behavior seems out of character for you.  Come here, let me look at your pupils, maybe you have a concussion,” Prapai said, making an exaggerated lean in motion towards Sky.

“P’Pai,” Sky laughed, pushing him away.  “Stop it.  I need to get to class.”

“Okay, I’ll drop you off,” Prapai said.  “And text me when you’re finished, I'll come pick you up.”

“Absolutely not,” Sky responded, carefully rolling up the plans he’d been working on all day and putting them in a protective tube to take to class with him.  

“I’ll drop you off and text me when you get home so I don’t stay up all night worried you’ve fainted on the street?” Prapai amended.   

Sky rolled his eyes, “You’re impossible.” 

“Please?” Prapai asked, using the full force of his puppy dog eyes and pouty lips.  

“You’re so annoying,” Sky mumbled, but there was a pink tinge to his cheeks that hadn’t been there before.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

After the fainting incident, Prapai added ‘have you eaten?’ to his morning greeting to Sky, and he talked with the office manager about making some room in the budget to stock the break room with snacks.  He knew better than to try to buy Sky breakfast every morning despite how much he was tempted to try it, but he could make breakfast available to everyone at the office, including Sky.  He was a lawyer after all.  Loopholes were kind of his thing.  

Sky returned to work and valiantly tried to pretend like nothing had happened, waving off concerns from his coworkers, his responses growing terse and annoyed at all the fuss.  By the following week, gossip had begun to die down and things were mostly back to normal.  

Despite Prapai bursting through their carefully maintained boundaries like the Kool-Aid man, they fell back into their easy banter and efficient working relationship without too much awkwardness.  

And Prapai began working a silk shirt with no tie into his outfit rotation.

But that meant nothing. 

~~~

“You wanted to talk to me?” Sky peeked into his doorway, tablet in hand. 

“Hmm,” Prapai said, not looking up from his laptop, reading glasses perched on his nose.  He'd promised this report by the end of the day and he'd hoped to finish it before their meeting but it was proving to be difficult.  “Come sit, I just need two seconds.” 

Sky did as instructed, sitting in the cushy arm chair across from Prapai at the desk, tapping at his tablet.  A comfortable, familiar sort of silence settled over them, both working on their own projects but somehow doing it together.  The final touches on the report that had been eluding him for hours seemed to fall into place effortlessly now that Sky was here as a calming presence.  Prapai pulled off his glasses, dropping them on the table and letting out a deep sigh.  He pinched the bridge of his nose, the glasses always seemed to put pressure in all the wrong places, intensifying his headache.  “Sorry, long day.”

“I know, I make your schedule,” Sky reminded him.  He set down his tablet, giving Prapai his undivided attention. 

“Right, so it's been a month now since you started and I just wanted to check in,” Prapai explained.  It was common practice to hold both formal and informal performance reviews like this.  With Sky being so new, Prapai didn’t feel the need to make it formal or official this time, he really just wanted to make sure Sky was settling in.

“Check in?” Sky seemed confused at the concept.   

“How are you liking the job, how are you settling in at the office? Any questions, concerns?” Prapai prompted.  

“Oh… it's going well, I think?  Everyone is nice and no one has yelled at me yet,” Sky shrugged like this was a reasonable response.  Prapai hated that getting yelled at in the office was apparently Sky’s baseline for good or bad.  

“No one should yell at you,” Prapai responded with a frown.  

“I know,” Sky seemed to be fighting back a sarcastic response.  Prapai would just have to keep trying to show Sky what a healthy work environment looked like rather than trying to explain it to him.  Well, healthier.  His rather overt flirting probably took off some points on the healthy work environment scale, but he was still leagues ahead of where Sky came from at the bank.  

“You're doing well with managing the calendar and you seem confident in the various systems now.  So how are you feeling about the position?  Is there anything you have concerns about or want more training on?” 

“It's a calendar, P’Pai.  What level of training do you think I need?”  Sky did roll his eyes this time.  

Prapai's lips quirked in a smile, “You're the first one in this position since Namtan to be able to handle it.”  

“Yes and I am very concerned at the caliber of people you were trying to hire if that's the case,” Sky answered, crossing his arms across his chest and leaning back in the chair.  

“As am I. So that's a no to training?” 

“If you want me to do more training, you should assign that.  If you’re waiting for me to volunteer, it’ll take awhile,” Sky said, looking unamused and annoyed with the entire conversation now.    

“So no more training.  Good.  How are you managing the workload with your classes?”  Prapai asked.  

“The same way I always have?  Seriously, P’Pai.  What are these questions?”  Sky scoffed.   

“I hate to break it to you, but this is a pretty standard corporate check-in conversation,” Prapai wanted to laugh.  He was very glad this wasn’t an official conversation.  Sky would probably have an aneurysm if he was asked to fill out a self-evaluation.

“This is ridiculous,” Sky rolled his eyes and huffed as if Prapai was intentionally wasting his time.   

“I haven’t heard anyone complain about the copier in awhile, apparently you fixed the wobbly paper tray?  That’s not really part of your job but everyone is grateful.  One of the partners asked me to send you up to the 14th floor and look at their coffee maker,” Prapai told him.  He hadn’t realized Sky was so capable but it shouldn’t surprise him at this point.  It seemed Sky could do anything and everything with ease, making everyone else look bad in comparison.  

“They probably just don’t clean it,” Sky muttered. 

“Again, not your job.  If you want a very rich and powerful asshole to owe you a favor though, that is one way to do it.” 

“Apparently I should have gone into small appliance repair instead.  And you should find a new tech repair guy, he was called about the copier like 17 times and couldn’t figure it out.  It was like… really obvious what the problem was,” Sky said, blatant disgust in his voice as if the tech guy's incompetence personally offended him.  

“Is there anything you can’t do?” Prapai asked, as always a little in awe of Sky.  He was just a little too perfect, it was intimidating sometimes.  Prapai may be the one wearing power suits to work everyday, he may be the one who looked the part, but Sky was the one people should be intimidated by, not him.  

“Ride a bike.” 

“Really?  Do you want to learn?”  Prapai asked, delighted for a new tidbit of information.  

“Do I need to?” Sky scoffed.  

“Not really.” 

“Did you really put a meeting on the calendar just to ask me these stupid questions?” Sky asked, his agitation at the whole concept of a check-in conversation finally reaching a breaking point.  

“Well… yes.  These stupid questions are just to make sure you’re settling into the job and to offer my support if you need it?” 

Sky sighed, “This is a waste of time.  I manage your calendar; it’s not brain surgery.  If you have concerns about my work, you'll need to voice them yourself.”

“I don't, I think you're doing well. Great, actually.  If I hadn’t sold my soul for Namtan already, I'd let you stay on forever,” Prapai answered.  He wouldn’t trade Namtan for anything but he couldn’t deny the growing kernel of disappointment at the thought of no longer having Sky outside his office every day.   

“You don't want me as your assistant forever,” Sky muttered.  The way he tensed, straightening his spine made Prapai feel like the comment slipped out, like he had meant to be kept inside his head.

“I don't?”  Prapai asked, unsure what Sky was implying.  Prapai loved having Sky as his assistant.  His day was no longer just a slog of meetings and piles of paperwork.  It was a slog of meetings and piles of paperwork and Sky.  The monotony of his workday was broken up with verbal jabs that never failed to make him laugh and Sky’s rare and elusive smile that made his heart sing whenever he was the cause.  

Sky cleared his throat, looking nervous for the first time and Prapai blinked in confusion. “Nothing. Is there anything else?”

“I— how did you get Tan in marketing to stop being such a bullheaded dickwad?”  Prapai changed the subject, filing away Sky’s odd response to mull over later.  

Sky snorted. “Well, I don't call him a ‘bullheaded dickwad’ to his face, for one.” 

“I've never used those words in that particular order in front of him,” Prapai answered.  He maybe thought them, loudly, in a way that showed on his face, but he’d never say them.  He was a professional. 

“It turns out that your weekly meetings disrupt his childcare pick up. Apparently he asked to move it once and you insisted on the time and were very inflexible about the whole thing.”  Prapai didn't remember that particular detail but it sure sounded like him, Tan always put him on edge, so ‘no’ came out a lot smoother than ‘yes’. “I offered to be more accommodating and sent his department lunch as an apology for your past behavior,” Sky explained, shrugging it off like it was no big deal.   

“That's it?” 

“It really doesn't take that much effort to not piss people off,” Sky said, rather pointedly.   

“Hmmm.” 

“The appropriate response is ‘thank you, Sky. You're the second best assistant I've ever had.’”

Prapai smiled, “Thank you, Sky. You really are the second best assistant I've ever had.” 

“What every employee dreams of hearing,” Sky said dryly. 

Prapai chuckled.  “Seriously.  Thank you.  I’ll try to be less of a dick to Tan.  Even though he deserves it.” 

“He’s actually a very nice man,” Sky responded.

“He once called me a nepo baby with a FisherPrice diploma in front of the board of directors,” Prapai said, his face as unimpressed as his tone.  Despite his education and years with the company, there were still people who refused to see him as anything but his fathers shadow.  

“You poor thing.  I’m sure your diploma is very real,” Sky said, his tone dry with sarcasm. 

“That is hurtful.” 

“You do realize that you’ll never disprove Tan’s assumptions of you if your actions only reinforce his beliefs, right?  Going out of your way to be a dick to him only justifies his lack of respect for you,” Sky told him, completely unsympathetic to Prapai’s struggle.   

“Maybe, but… it makes me feel better,” Prapai stuck out his bottom lip in an exaggerated pout. 

“You’re ridiculous.”

“I’ll be nicer to Tan but only because you asked me to,” Prapai promised even though Sky had asked no such thing.  

“I’m sure he’ll be thrilled.” Sky quipped, shaking his head at Prapai’s ridiculousness.

“I also wanted to talk about—,” Prapai paused, realizing he was slipping a bit further away from strictly work talk which was dangerous territory for him.  Prapai was not good at maintaining boundaries without the rigid structure of work to keep him in place.  “If you had considered taking any action or recourse against the bank, against Gun?” Sky blinked at him for a long moment, clearly blindsided by the angle of the discussion.  “You had a lot on your mind that day, so I don’t know how much you remember about our discussion but… what Gun did was illegal in like eight different ways.  Now that you’ve had some time and distance from it all, have you thought about next steps?”   

Sky sighed, “I guess you would know, being a lawyer and all.”

“Yes, and being a lawyer and all, I’d be happy to handle it,” Prapai offered, trying not to push, trying not to tip his hand to how rabid he was to take this case.

Sky shook his head, making Prapai frown.  He hated the thought that Gun might just get away with it, get away with his slimeball ways and his literal crimes.  He understood choosing peace, and fuck if Sky didn’t deserve some peace after what he’d been through, but it always seemed to come at the expense of justice.  

“I’m not saying no,” Sky said suddenly.  “I’m just not ready to make that decision yet.  I— I know you’re right, but the thought of going up against them, of facing Gun in court and having to talk about it… I don’t know if I’m ready.  I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready.  There are people who will defend me, back me up that Gun was inappropriate.  But there’s just as many people who will say that I was asking for it, I was trying to sleep my way to the top and I’m just bitter it didn't work.  I don’t know if I can stomach it, what lawsuits do to people,” Sky explained, looking down at his lap as he spoke, his voice going soft and vulnerable and it made Prapai ache. 

“Okay.  I understand, I really do.  I’ve seen the good and the bad and you’re not wrong to be worried.  Just know that if you decide to pursue this, you will win.  Not just because it’s obvious what Gun was doing was wrong and illegal and there’s clear evidence that incriminates him.  But also because I’m a really good lawyer.  I don’t take cases I’m going to lose.  But Sky, it’s always going to be your decision.  If you want to pursue this or you want to close this chapter and never talk about it again, it’s entirely up to you.”

Sky nodded but didn’t seem to have anything to say.   

“We could talk about it as a hypothetical?” Prapai suggested.  “Like what it would look like if you choose to move forward?  The likelihood of seeing a courtroom is very slim, for example.  Cases like this are generally settled out of court.”

Sky shook his head, “Not today.  I just want to think about it some more.”

“Okay.  If you have any questions, you know where to find me,” Prapai told him, tamping down his own disappointment.  It was Sky’s decision and he would respect it, but it was a hard promise to keep when all he wanted was to tear Gun to shreds in any way Sky would let him.  

“Is that all?” Sky asked, words feeling more brittle than before, as if the mention of Gun had pushed him out of his comfort zone.  

“Yeah, that’s all.  I really do think you’re doing well here.  I knew you were a safe bet and I love when I’m proven right,” Prapai smiled, a little too gentle.   

Sky rolled his eyes, “You just want to win the betting pool.” 

“I’ll take you out to lunch with my winnings,” Prapai promised, both of them relaxing into banter that felt warm and comfortable.  

“You only bet two hundred baht.  Your winnings aren’t even going to be enough to buy a coffee,” Sky muttered.  

“Irrelevant,” Prapai said.  

“Your stories about the temps sound even more ridiculous now that I’m familiar with the job.  Seriously, how dumb were these people?” Sky shook his head with a scoff.  

“Very.”

“I would think you made it all up except I’ve heard the one about the phone sex voice girl from like three different people,” Sky said with a laugh. 

“You think I would lie to you?”

“You lied to me literally the first time we met.” Sky reminded him with a rather pointed look.  

“Objection!  It was a misunderstanding; I never lied,” Prapai argued.   

“Fine, then I redact my defense of your FisherPrice diploma,” Sky responded, a quirk of his eyebrow that was a definitive challenge.  

Prapai clutched his chest in mock outrage.  “You wound me.” 

“Are we done with whatever this is?  I have class tonight, I need to prep,” Sky said, but there was a smile fighting at the corner of his lips.   

“Yeah, we’re done.  See you tomorrow,” Pai said, asking himself for the millionth time how he was supposed to remain unaffected or remotely normal when Sky was so effortlessly funny, his sharp wit and biting sarcasm burrowing under his skin and making a home in his chest.

Chapter Text

Prapai had just finished up his last meeting of the day, the late hour and the less than stellar meeting left him feeling drained and exhausted.  The office was dark and deserted as he made his way from the conference room to his office to grab his things.  Sky’s desk was long empty; Prapai knew he had class that evening.   

However, when he entered his office, there was a file folder waiting for him, strategically placed right in front of his seat rather than in the in/out trays that Sky meticulously managed.  There was a bright pink post-it note on the front with Sky’s loopy handwriting scrawled across:  

would you like me to frame it before your next meeting with P'Tan? 

Prapai’s frown of confusion morphed into a delighted smile and suddenly he was laughing, a deep belly laugh that made it feel like he couldn't breathe.  The tension seemed to melt off of him, the laughter shaking loose any remnants of stress as a warm gooey feeling settled in his stomach at the realization that Sky had invested time and energy into teasing him in that perfect, affectionate way that only he seemed to achieve. 

Chapter Text

It was dark outside, long past normal office hours, and Prapai was still at his desk because a meeting with the London branch had run long.  It was all part of the job, but wow was it terrible sometimes.  He closed his computer and pulled off his tie, crumpling up the silk and stuffing it in the pocket of his blazer.  He knocked open the top few buttons on his dress shirt and sighed in relief.  There was no one left in the office, he didn’t need to look the part any longer.

He had plans to grab a quick drink with Phayu and Rain and then he had every intention of falling asleep on his couch with a beer.  It had been a long day and he’d earned it.  Except when he gathered up his things and left his office for the first time in hours, his eyes snagged on Sky’s desk.  The desk lamp had been left on, Sky’s bag was still slung across the back of the chair and there was an empty coffee cup even though he knew Sky was meticulous about cleaning up his space.  But the desk was empty, no Sky in sight.    

Prapai frowned, setting his things down on a spare office chair and making his way down the dark hallway.  Everyone else was gone and the overhead lights were all on motion sensors, so the bright fluorescents burst to life as Prapai moved into the space.  However he could see there was a dim glow coming from the conference room at the end of the hall.  Prapai peeked his head in to find Sky with a pile of stationary supplies around him, little scraps of wood littered the table and a set of detailed instructions were crumbled under Sky who was face down over his folded arms at the table, fast asleep. 

Prapai didn’t even try to fight the smile that crept up at the sight, there was no one here to see it after all.  Sky worked harder than anyone he knew.  He had no idea how Sky managed to be so good at his job while splitting his time and focus as a student.  It turned out, he’d just been burning the candle at both ends all to crash in the conference room. 

Prapai wanted to let him sleep, wanted to give him a chance to recharge, but he also didn’t want to give the cleaning lady a heart attack.  Sky wouldn’t thank him either.  He was obviously working on a project and would consider this impromptu nap a waste of valuable time.  He was sleeping deeply despite the uncomfortable chair and the too-cold air conditioning of the office building.  Prapai couldn’t help himself, shrugging off his jacket and draping it across Sky’s shoulders.

Prapai quietly stepped out of the room, placing a delivery order from one of the restaurants around the corner.  It was late enough that it should arrive quickly.  He knew that Sky had skipped dinner once again.  His drawer full of energy bars did not count as a meal and Prapai would die on that hill. Prapai then headed down to the first floor to talk to the security guard and let him know that there were still people in the building.   They exchanged polite small talk until the food arrived and Prapai went back to the conference room to find Sky right where he left him, asleep but hopefully a bit warmer.  

Prapai just sat for a long moment, taking in the man in front of him.  The usual tension in Sky’s face was absent, the furrowed brow and typical frown softened into neutrality that made him look impossibly sweet.  There was a bit of hair falling in his face, each puff of air as he exhaled making it flutter and dance against his cheek.  Prapai watched it, a bit mesmerized before carefully brushing it to the side.  

Prapai was being creepy. 

He shouldn’t be watching Sky sleep. 

He shouldn’t be touching Sky while he slept.

He couldn’t help himself though.  Sky was just too gorgeous for words.  It was rare to see him so unguarded like this.  Sky usually wore his sarcasm like armor, keeping his distance with cutting words and an unimpressed scowl.  Like this though, he just looked so much younger, so soft against the harshness of the world.  It triggered something protective in Prapai’s chest.  The intensity of his feelings scared him a bit, feelings that were still new to him but they were getting harder and harder to ignore.    

“Sky?” Prapai whispered, gently shaking Sky's arm.  Sky mumbled, an incoherent garble of syllables, clinching his eyes closed tighter.  “Sky, you need to wake up,” Prapai tried again.  He didn’t want to startle Sky but he also knew Sky would not forgive him for letting him sleep at the office all night.  He was pretty sure that fell under the umbrella of ‘bad boss behavior’ anyway.  

Sky jerked under Prapai’s hand, a confused look on his face as he took in his surroundings, glancing down at the blazer he was cocooned in before he looked up and caught Prapai’s eyes.  There was a long moment where Sky simply stared at him, confusion morphing into consciousness as his eyes tracked down Prapai’s face, dropping lower to the open V of his shirt before Sky seemed to startle fully awake.  “I— fuck,” Sky dropped his head back down with a thud.  

“It’s okay,” Prapai assured him.  “You just fell asleep in the conference room.” 

“What time is it?” Sky mumbled, sitting up and rolling his neck like the sleeping position had made him stiff.  

“Late.  It’s nearly 9pm.  Let me drive you home?” 

Sky shook his head in protest.  “I have to finish this.” 

“Of course you do,” Prapai chuckled.  He was getting better at understanding how Sky ticked, so it was really no surprise to him that Sky wanted to stay even later.  He would always prioritize work over his well-being.  “Come, eat,” Prapai said, sliding the art supplies out of the way and setting out a takeout container in front of him.  

“What?” Sky just looked on in confusion as Prapai rearranged the table and plopped a takeout container in front of him.  “Where did you even get this?”

“Eat.”

“Why are you still here?” 

“I was working.”

“Why aren’t you going home?” 

“Because I’m going to drive you home,” Prapai answered like it was the most natural thing in the world.   

“But—”

“Sky, just eat?” Prapai nudged the container closer to him.  “You’ll get done faster if you’re recharged properly.” 

Sky looked like he wanted to protest but he was simply too tired.  Instead he just accepted the fork Prapai was holding out to him with a resigned sigh.  

“So… what are you working on?”  Prapai asked, brushing some wood shavings off the of the table with a flick of his pinky finger. 

“I have to make a to-scale model of my design for my final project,” Sky explained through a yawn, pointing towards the half formed model beside him.  

“What class?” 

“Historical preservation theory.” 

“Which means?” 

“It actually is really interesting.  It’s all about maintaining the historical integrity when doing repairs or like, adding onto an existing historical building without it looking a gaudy mess.  So I had to design a new building using a mix of historical and current materials while maintaining the aesthetic and integrity of the historical structure it’s based on.” 

Perhaps it was just because it was late or the fact that Sky was still groggy, but it was easier than usual to get him to open up.  The foot in the door of his project was all it took to get him rambling as they ate, explaining the intricacies of the project and why it mattered.  The little that Prapai understood was interesting.  It was obvious that Sky was passionate about what he was studying, his smile came easy and his eyes sparkled, his whole face animated rather than hidden behind a scowl and Prapai would happily listen to him talk forever.  

“Next semester we start on outdoor spaces which is what I’m really interested in.  I love plants and incorporating nature into designs.  The flow is very important and greenery can be a great way to manage heat and carbon output,” Sky explained.

“So that’s what you want to do when you graduate?” 

“Yeah,” Sky shrugged, a little self conscious.  “I know I'll have to pay my dues and work for some company that builds ugly high rise apartments or something when I start out.  But I think that buildings should tell a story, I think they should be beautiful as well as functional and to me, harmonious with nature achieves both of those things.” 

Prapai smiled, a dopey, smitten sort of smile that he couldn’t seem to stop if he wanted to.  “I think it’s really cool that you know what you want to do, that you're so driven and passionate.  My future was already set in stone and I still feel like I just dicked around for years.” 

“Do you not like it?  Law?  Business?” 

“I like being in charge,” Prapai laughed.  “And I’m good at it.  But I didn’t really get serious about anything until law school.  I do like law though.  Corporate tax law however, is not exactly riveting stuff.”

“What would you have wanted to do instead?”   

“When I was a kid I was really into racing.  Motorcycles specifically.  I was pretty good, too.  So I had big dreams of going pro and getting sponsorships and stuff,” Prapai chuckled at the memory.  “That’s what you’d call a rich asshole sport, though.  Most everyone in the racing circuit comes from money.”

Sky smirked, “At least you’re self-aware about it.” 

“In law school I really liked immigration law though.  The cases we studied were interesting and complicated but at their core, it was just about people trying to make a better life for themselves and their families.  Every country's laws are so different and complicated and people just need help, you know?  I think I liked the idea of being able to help people get a fresh start.  But immigration law would not pay for my Armani suits,” Prapai quipped, trying to soften his words back towards their playful, comfortable banter.  

Sky didn’t take the easy bait however, just looking at him for a long moment, his expression unreadable.  “Well that’s certainly a better answer than ‘motorcycle racer.’”

Prapai laughed, “Can you imagine my ego if I were allowed to run around in racing leathers all the time, track bunnies falling at my feet?”  

Sky rolled his eyes with an amused huff, “Insufferable doesn’t even begin to cover it." 

Prapai just smiled.  He couldn't help but agree, he probably would be an insufferable ass if he'd been allowed to go down that path.  He needed someone like Sky around to keep his ego in check, to keep him grounded.   

"Are you finished?  I need to get back to work,” Sky asked. 

Prapai nodded and tidied up the table, wiping away crumbs and packing the empty containers away.  He rolled his sleeves up his forearms, getting the cuffs of his shirt out of the way.  “Okay so… put me to work.” 

“What?  P’Pai, no!  You really don’t have to do that?”

“It’s late.  I’m driving you home.  So we need to finish this so we can both go home,” Prapai explained, leaving no room for argument.  

“You make like a million baht an hour, you shouldn’t be wasting it gluing fake trees together,” Sky said with a huff. 

“Nonsense, this is personal time.  I don’t get paid anything for my personal time,” Prapai responded.  Prapai would love nothing more than to glue scraps of wood together if it meant spending time with Sky.  Which was a ridiculous thing to even think, but it was true.  All his plans of drinks or going home, of the couch and a beer, poofed right out of his head the moment he realized Sky was still here.

“That—”

“Sky.  Let me help.  I promised the security guard we’d be out of here before midnight,” Prapai pressed.  He knew it made no sense to Sky, but there was nowhere he’d rather be than right here.   

Sky had a hesitant vulnerable look on his face, timid in a way that simply did not suit him.  Prapai just smiled, reassuring and warm until Sky seemed to snap out of whatever thoughts were wrecking havoc inside of him, his face falling into something soft and open rather than his default state of annoyed that he usually wore around Prapai.  “Okay fine, do you know how to read a schematic plan like this?” He held up his instructions. 

“Nope.”   They looked like hieroglyphs to Prapai.  

Sky huffed, “Well then you’re on tree duty.”

“Just show me what to do.” 

And Sky did. 

He was a surprisingly patient teacher, explaining as he worked.  Prapai followed along, feeling clumsy and boarish as he tried to replicate Sky’s example, resulting in an unidentifiable mess.  Rather than tease him, Sky just chuckled, a fond, affectionate sound that made Prapai’s heart skip a beat.  “Like this,” Sky said, reaching over and taking Prapai’s hand to help him through the folding motion until a tree materialized in his hands.  And Prapai would never be able to recreate it because of course his brain had shut off the moment Sky touched him, it was just happy little clouds and rainbows floating through his empty head.  But he nodded anyway and picked up another tree template to try again.    

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Prapai was knee-deep in contract reviews when Sky knocked on his door.  

“Do you have a minute?” Sky asked, biting his bottom lip in that adorable, nervous sort of way.

“Yeah, of course,” Prapai answered.  It didn’t matter what he was working on or how tight the deadline, he would always make time for Sky.  

Sky settled in the chair across from Prapai and took a deep breath.  “I think I’m ready.” 

“For?” Prapai pressed when Sky paused.  He couldn’t help the way his heart seemed to stutter in his chest at the open ended phrasing, even though that was stupid, so he just waited patiently for Sky to elaborate.  

“To be mad at P’Gun.” 

Prapai smiled.  It wasn’t the love confession his over-active imagination wanted, but he was far from disappointed.  After their talk, he’d tried very hard not to push, to give Sky space to breathe and come to terms with what had happened.  He was afraid Sky was going to brush it under the rug, let it all go and move on.  He understood the desire, but he selfishly wanted Sky to fight, wanted to see Gun suffer for his actions, for his crimes.  So he was thrilled that Sky was ready to talk about this and move forward with a lawsuit. 

“Oh, I’m very happy to hear that.”  Prapai set his pen down, digging around in the bottom drawer of his desk before pulling out a manila folder that was overflowing with papers and post-it notes.  

“P’Pai, what is that?” Sky asked, hesitant as his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“The working file for your case against Gun and the bank,” Prapai answered, smiling brightly like he hadn’t just said something ridiculous.  

“What the hell?” 

“What?  It’s just a detailed timeline of events and statements from all of your coworkers as well as testimonies from the three prior employees who he has targeted in the past, including all the HR files they were willing to provide.  Two of the three are interested in pursuing legal charges against him.  Once we open a formal case, I can get the full paper trail from HR,” Prapai explained, flipping through the folder with practiced ease.  He had spent a not insignificant amount of time tracking this information down.  It was a little bit harder to do without a case open, without being able to use the formal legal channels, but he’d gotten it done regardless.   

“Seriously?” Sky asked, incredulous.  Prapai could practically see him oscillating between confused and annoyed.  

“I told you before, what he did was very blatantly illegal.  This is an open and shut case.  The only reason I haven’t filed yet is because I knew you’d be mad at me,” Prapai smiled without an ounce of shame.  He’d wanted to be ready to hit the ground running if, and when, Sky decided to pursue charges.  If not… well he could always pursue a case on behalf of the prior employees still.  Prapai could still make Gun’s life a living hell and make the bank bleed money, he could still get some level of justice for Sky, even if Sky never knew about it.   

“P’Pai you’re a corporate law attorney.  You handle merger contracts and behind the scenes bullshit for the company, not low-grade harassment cases like this,” Sky continued to look at him with that baffled look in his eyes, like Prapai’s behavior was incomprehensible.  

“But I can?”  No, it wasn’t exactly in his usual wheelhouse but the case was as clean as they came.  A first year law student could win this case.

“Low-grade harassment cases don’t exactly pay for your custom suits,” Sky pointed out.

“Well this is pro bono so it doesn’t pay for anything,” Prapai retorted.  He didn’t want money, this case was personal and he was getting a little offended that Sky doubted his abilities as a lawyer.  

“P’Pai….”  

“What?  Pro bono work is an important and expected part of the industry.  I’m just giving back to the community,” Prapai argued before Sky could even complain.  It wasn’t untrue.  The firm took on plenty of pro bono work, it built up goodwill in the community. 

“P’Pai, I don’t want you to be the one to handle this case.  Damn it, I haven’t even agreed to this anyway!” Sky snapped, crossing his arms across his chest, a scowl on his face.

“Why don’t you want me to handle it?” Prapai frowned.  “I am a very good lawyer.”  The idea that Sky would turn down free legal help hadn’t really occurred to him.  Prapai was a lawyer.  Sky worked for Prapai.  It only made sense that Prapai would handle this.  He was quickly jumping from a little offended to a lot offended.   

“If I pursue this legally, I want an impartial lawyer,” Sky pointed out.  “You are definitely not impartial about this.”  

Prapai’s frown deepened.  “I am impartial.  It’s literally part of the job.”  He could pretend to be impartial at least.  And that’s all that really mattered.  

“You are many things, but impartial about P’Gun is not one of them.  Plus you’re literally a witness?  Isn’t that a conflict of interest?”  Sky argued and for the first time, Prapai regretted having Sky come work for him.  He had learned too much about the legal system in only a few short weeks and was now using that knowledge against Prapai.  Which was annoying. 

Prapai pouted, “Only a little.” 

Sky raised an eyebrow at him in challenge. 

“Okay fine.  Maybe you’ve got a point.  There isn’t a legal case yet though so I haven’t done anything wrong,” Prapai reminded him.  He could win this case without using his own experience or witness statement so he didn’t really see how any of it was relevant, but he’d promised himself that he would respect Sky’s decision.  He wanted Sky to pursue this legally more than he wanted to be the lawyer to do it.  It was a slim margin though.  But if he needed to step back in order to get Sky to move forward, he would do it.  

“What if I let you pick who handles the case instead?” Sky offered; an olive branch if Prapai had ever seen one.  

“Deal,” He would nurse his disappointment later, already his mind was flipping through his options and who would make Gun suffer the most.  There were plenty of people in the office and in his professional network who would love an easy case to put under their belt.   

“Stop smiling all weird like that,” Sky huffed.  “Why do you even care so much about this?” 

“I care because what he did was wrong.  It’s illegal and it’s awful.  You aren’t the first person he’s done this to and if he isn’t stopped, you won’t be the last.  He’s a bully and an asshole and he uses his position of power to ruin people’s lives.”  Just thinking back on the things Gun had done, reading over the statements from his prior victims, it made Prapai see red.  

“And that’s the only reason why you care?” Sky asked, his words too soft for the challenging way his question came across.  

“No.  It’s not the only reason.  But it’s the only one I need to justify taking action against him,” Prapai answered honestly.  Even if he didn’t have feelings for Sky, he would still want to pursue a case against Gun.  Maybe not with as much zeal, maybe not for free, but it was still a solid case that he’d be stupid to leave on the table.  Gun was a bad person and Prapai had enough of a conscience that he couldn’t just let things be now that he knew.

Sky looked at him in that hard, unblinking way that made Prapai feel naked in a vulnerable, unsexy kind of way.  Like Sky could see through him, see his every thought and feeling he tried to keep hidden.  “So what happens next?” 

“I’ll arrange a meeting with the lawyer of my choosing,” Prapai flashed him a bright smile.  “I’ll give them this,” He held up the folder.  “And you and the other plaintiffs will sit back and let them do mountains of paperwork.  Cases like this rarely even see a courtroom.  It’s a lot of legal posturing and squabbling over discovery.  At most you’ll be subpoenaed, meaning you’ll have to answer questions from the defense on record, but it’ll be in a big conference room with your legal counsel beside you, no judges, no public spectacle.  Based on the evidence I was able to uncover without even needing legal firepower to get it, I doubt even that much will happen.  The bank will settle out of court in hopes of keeping their dirty laundry out of the public eye.  They’d be stupid not to.”  Prapai was confident about that much.  They were not on strong footing and Prapai had only scratched the surface.

“And if they don’t?” Sky asked.

“We bankrupt them,” Prapai answered with a nonchalant wave of his hand.    

“How are you so confident?” Sky asked.  “Other than your ego being the size of a small island.” 

Prapai chuckled.  “I’ve earned that ego.  I am good at what I do,” He reminded Sky.  “But don’t worry, whoever I choose to hire will be almost as good as me.  And I’m confident because I’m pretty sure Gun is related to someone high up in the bank, hence why he’s been allowed to get away with so much for so long.”

Sky frowned, “That seems like a bad thing?”

Prapai shook his head, “Legally, for our purposes, it’s great.  It means the trail of corruption runs deep, it gives us more footholds in our case, more angles to hit them with.  It’s not just a case of one bad manager, it’s a pattern of behavior from the top down, it’s HR failing to do its duty, it’s toxic to its core.  Which is terrible for the people who work there, who have to suffer under them, but it’s a legal goldmine for a pitbull of a lawyer like me,” Prapai explained.  The evidence against them was piling up and the pattern was materializing before them.  Gun had gotten away with his behavior because someone was willing to prioritize Gun over the wellbeing of the company, because someone at the bank had been willing to cover things up for him and that cover up will be their downfall.  Prapai had found the loose thread and now it was a matter of pulling until it unraveled.    

Sky rolled his eyes, “Pitbull?  You’re a golden retriever if I’ve ever seen one.”

Prapai laughed.  “Well maybe so, but even a golden retriever will bite to protect what is theirs.”

Even Sky’s startled expression was cute. 

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

“Sky, I'd like you to meet Phayu.  He’s going to be taking over your case.  I sent over the details already,” Prapai explained as they arrived at the restaurant for lunch.  Prapai had figured a more lowkey meet and greet would be an easier transition than just plopping Sky in Phayu’s office.  “Phayu and I went to law school together and he has the privilege of calling me his best friend.” 

Phayu gave Prapai a very unimpressed look.  “It’s nice to meet you, Sky.  Prapai has told me a lot about you.” 

“It’s nice to meet you,” Sky pressed his palms together politely.

Prapai always felt a bit of yin and yang when he stood beside Phayu.  Prapai with his bright flashy suits and his easy smile beside dark and brooding Phayu made a comical picture.  Phayu put a lot of effort into fitting the image of a severe lawyer type.  He was always dressed in dark colors, usually charcoal grey, maybe with a pinstripe for some spice, and he always had a scowl on his face.  It was sometimes hard for people to believe the two of them were friends.  But the Phayu he’d met in law school, the Phayu who wore nothing but oversized hoodies and once stole all the spoons out of the cafeteria as a prank was still in there somewhere, hidden under layers of expensive designer fabric and a scowl.  That Phayu was easy enough to get to the surface after a few drinks as well.  But he wasn’t here for Sky to meet his friend, Phayu.  He was here for Sky to meet workplace rights lawyer Phayu who was going to put Gun’s balls into a proverbial vice and squeeze them.  

“And I haven’t actually agreed to take the case yet,” Phayu pointed out. 

“You will,” Prapai said with complete confidence.  Phayu may squawk and complain but Prapai hadn’t asked him out of professional courtesy or with an IOU of any kind, he’d asked as a friend.  He’d asked as a favor.  And Phayu would never say no to that.  

“Thank you for considering my case,” Sky replied, ignoring Prapai’s puffery.  

“So you’re Namtan’s replacement?  Tell me, how utterly terrible is working for Pai?” Phayu asked, his usual stoic expression melting as a sly grin pulling at his lips.

Prapai gasped, indignant, but Sky cracked a smile.  “He’s insufferable at times but better than my last boss I suppose.”  

Phayu’s eyes sparkled, his grin widening.  “Based on the case file I read, that is a very low bar.”

“Insufferable?  That is just hurtful,” Prapai mumbled under his breath, trying and failing not to pout like a child.  He was going to regret introducing these two, he could feel it in his bones.  Phayu knew too much already.  

“But accurate,” Phayu retorted. 

“I hate this,” Prapai huffed.  

“Pai tells me you are studying architecture?  My boyfriend is actually an architect.  I took the liberty of inviting him to our group lunch today.  I figured you might like meeting someone in the industry, or at least have someone more interesting to talk to than Pai for a change.  Afterwards you and I can head back to the office to talk about your case,” Phayu said as they took their seats at the table.  

“Really?  What firm is he with?” Sky asked. 

“He’s with HKS and Associates.”

“Wow, that’s like… a really prestigious firm.” Sky had literal hearts in his eyes.  And maybe Prapai was feeling some kinda way about how nice and polite Sky was being to Phayu.  It wasn’t fair that Prapai had to work so hard to get Sky to give him the time of day when Phayu just had to breathe near him and Sky was being positively pleasant.  He just knew Rain would be no different.  Oh course it was a good thing that they were getting along.  Of course Sky would be nice and polite to his new lawyer.  Prapai wanted Phayu to take this case, and Sky was great, of course everyone would love him.  The thread of jealousy that wove through him was irrational and stupid.  

“Hey, sorry I’m late!” Rain said.  He looked a little disheveled, breathless and rumpled from his commute as he scurried over to their table.  He slung his bag over the empty chair and plopped down.  “Hey P’Pai.  You must be Sky!  Hi!” 

“Nice to meet you?”  Sky replied, looking a little overwhelmed at Rain’s intense energy.

“Sky, meet my boyfriend, Rain,” Phayu said, with a resigned shake of his head.  It couldn’t be interpreted as anything but fond however with how disgustingly soft and affectionate he looked when he laid eyes on Rain.  Phayu reached across the table, giving Rain’s hand a little squeeze.  

“Rain, this is for you,” Prapai slid an envelope across the table.  “And of course, your alpaca,” Prapai said, fishing around in his bag until he found the alpaca keychain, made of brightly colored yarn and intensely round.  It looked more like a neon golf ball with legs and a long neck.  

Rain squealed, snatching it up to inspect his prize like a little kid at Christmas.  

“Oh thank fuck,” Phayu muttered and Sky watched the interaction with a fascinated confusion.  

“With your donation, I was able to buy seven raffle tickets to name the next baby that is born.  You choose the name Death, Destroyer of Worlds, naturally.  Also it came with this free keychain,” Prapai explained, looking a little too smug.

Rain cackled with delight.  “Oh I love this.  Good name choice.” 

“I lost a bet,” Prapai explained to a very confused looking Sky.  

Rain grabbed his bag off the chair, attaching his new keychain to the outside and it looked so silly and childish and so perfectly Rain.  “We always bet something ridiculous like an alpaca or last time it was a trip to Bali.  And whoever loses has to honor the agreement in the worst way possible.  And P’Pai keeps losing.” 

“I gave you a wonderful trip to Bali,” Prapai replied.

“You gave me a detailed itinerary to visit China.”  He turned to Sky, “Apparently there’s a town called Bali in Lanzhou?”

“Somewhere in my parents garage is a toddler size tricycle,” Prapai added.  “I won a new 'racing bike'.  I think my parents are saving it for grandkids that don’t exist yet.” 

“They do this all the time,” Phayu said, sounding exasperated but there was a sparkle in his eye as he watched Rain fiddling with his new toy.  

“It seems rather harmless,” Sky responded, trying and failing to hide his smile. 

“You say that now, wait until one of these idiots decides the joke will be funnier if they get an actual alpaca or whatever,” Phayu replied as if it were inevitable and he was just waiting for it to happen.   

“Now there’s an idea,” Prapai laughed.  

“Phayu acts too good for our silly games,” Rain said, his tone going a bit conspiratorial as he leaned over to stage whisper at Sky.  “But these two have an ongoing game as well.”

“Oh?” Sky asked, amusement and curiosity clear on his face.  

“It’s lame lawyer stuff but they get so into it.  Ready?  I thought of a good one this week,” Rain said, looking over at Phayu and Prapai to make sure they were giving him their undivided attention.  “Is Ursula's contract in the Little Mermaid enforceable?”

Prapai and Pahyu both perked up in their seats.  “What?” Sky laughed.  

“Just watch,” Rain advised. 

“No, Ariel was under age,” Prapai answered definitively. 

“Maybe in the human world.  What age is a mermaid considered a legal adult?” Phayu responded, immediately taking an opposite view from Prapai.  The game was no fun if they agreed after all.  

“Considering most of the plot is ‘Ariel should have listened to her dad’ I'm going to assume she’s still a minor by mermaid standards,” Prapai answered.   

“Ursula did make the contract terms quite clear and Ariel fully understood them when she agreed,” Phayu pointed out.   

“The contract that would turn her into a worm?” Prapai said dryly.  “You’re not a very good lawyer if you can’t get your client out of that one.” 

They dissolved into bickering, words like ‘unjust enrichment’ and ‘duty of good faith and fair dealings’ being hurled at each other like weapons.   

“They will do this about anything,” Rain stage-whispered.  “And it’ll go on for hours if you let them.” 

“Is that why they became lawyers?  Because they just like to hear themselves talk?” Sky asked, matching Rain’s pretend whisper tone.

Rain cackled at the twin-offended looks on Phayu and Prapai’s faces.  “Oh, I like you!” 

“Don’t encourage him, Rain.  Sky is already so mean to me,” Prapai whined, letting his face fall into a pathetic little frown.

“You definitely deserve it,” Phayu responded, his friend immune to his charms after years of knowing each other. 

Prapai sighed, as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders.  “With a friend like you, who needs enemies?” 

“I’m not even mean, I’m just doing my job of keeping your ego in check,” Sky quipped, earning another cackle from Rain that drowned out Prapai’s groan.  

“So Sky, you’re in your second year of school, right?” Phayu asked, not even attempting to be subtle in his subject change.  Prapai redacted the enemies comment. 

“Yes.”

“You’re a little old, aren’t you?” Rain said, blunt to the point of rude as usual.  

“Rain,” Phayu scolded.  

“It’s fine,” Sky laughed.  “I am.  I went for one semester and had to drop out.  My dad got sick and I moved back home to help him, so it set me back a few years.  Money was tight after that and I couldn’t afford to be a full-time student,” Sky explained, his words matter of fact but Prapai knew him well enough to know there were layers of pain buried under them.  

“You never told me that,” Prapai frowned.  He hated the very thought of Sky having to make such difficult decisions, hated that his life and his future was dictated by things outside of his control. 

“You never asked,” Sky replied, taking a sip of his water and avoiding Prapai’s gaze.  

“Is your dad okay now?” Prapai pressed.   

“He’s fine.  He lives in Lopburi so I go visit a few times a year.”   

“I think it’s really cool that you’re still a student.  It takes tenacity to go back after a setback like that.  And architecture is really hard anyway, the fact that you can work full-time and handle your classes too is really impressive,” Rain said.  “I bet you’re working way harder than most students because you want it more.”

“Thanks,” Sky said, his cheeks pink with a pleased shyness.  It was obvious he wasn’t used to receiving compliments.  It was one of Prapai’s missions in life to change that.  

“I wish I'd worked harder in school,” Rain sighed.  “I was a fine student and all, but I did not appreciate the opportunity for learning when I was in it.”  

“I’m glad I got a chance to go back.  The classes are interesting and I’m learning a lot.  It is definitely more challenging to juggle everything with working full-time though.” 

“If it’s too much, you can always ask Prapai to stay late and help you with your projects again,” Phayu quipped.

“P’Pai did what now?” Rain perked up.  

“No thanks, I want to pass my classes,” Sky answered. 

Phayu snorted with laughter.  

“See what I mean?  He’s so mean to me!  I made perfectly adequate trees,” Prapai pouted.  He was right, he never should have introduced them.  They were just bonding over teasing him and that was supremely unfair.   

“I had to redo half of them!” Sky scoffed.  “You weren’t paying attention at all.  It would have been quicker for me to do it myself.” 

“I was trying,” Prapai frowned.  It wasn’t his fault that his brain dissolved into cotton fluff and happy little rainbows whenever Sky tried to show him what to do.  

“You’ll have to tell me all about it later,” Rain said to Sky.  “So P’Phayu is taking your case right?  What’s it about?  He won’t tell me anything,” Rain pouted at his boyfriend, making Phayu roll his eyes. 

“It’s called confidentiality, Rain.  I’m not allowed to tell you.  And you don’t need to know.  You don’t have to tell him anything,” Phayu said to Sky.  “It’s literally none of his business.” 

“But we’re friends now!” Rain whined.  “I’ll let you hold the alpaca if you tell me?”

Sky chuckled.  “It’s okay, I don’t mind talking about it.  I’m suing my prior employer for wrongful termination and my old boss for sexual harassment,” He explained.   

“Eww,” Rain crinkled up is nose in disgust.  “That’s terrible.  P’Phayu, you have to go kill them for my new friend, Sky.”

Phayu snorted in amusement.  “I haven’t even agreed to take the case yet.”

“You will,” Prapai said with confidence once again.  

“Yes, you will,” Rain agreed.  “You’re the best, you have to help.” 

“He is not the best,” Prapai argued.  “But alas, Sky refused the best so now he must settle for Phayu.”

Phayu’s smile widened.  “You’ve never tried a workplace rights case in your life, Sky was right to turn you down.” 

“Wait, Sky won’t let you be his lawyer?” Rain asked, laughing hysterically at the information. 

Prapai frowned at him.  “It is not funny.” 

Rain only laughed harder.  

“It’s okay, Sky.  You made the right call,” Phayu told him, smug as anything. 

“I hate you both,” Prapai muttered.  

“My old boss being a creep doesn’t have much to do with corporate tax law,” Sky shrugged.  

“But that doesn’t mean I couldn’t—”

“P’Pai?” Sky cut him off. 

“Hmm?”

“Enough.  The answer is no.  Let’s just have lunch?” 

Prapai pouted, only making Rain and Phayu laugh all the harder.  

“Oh, you don’t let him get away with anything, do you?” Phayu chuckled, the knowing smirk he shot at Prapai was not welcomed or appreciated. 

This lunch was a terrible idea. 

His friends were the worst. 

He should have hired Joy instead.  

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Prapai was focused for once.  He had a break from his string of meetings and with the uninterrupted time, he felt like he was finally making a dent in his actual work.  The ever-present pile of paperwork was steadily shrinking as he reviewed, initialed, and signed off on a million documents.  There was a light at the end of the tunnel, he could almost see the plastic bottom of the paper tray for the first time, perhaps ever, and Sky had sent him an instant message earlier, letting Prapai know he was going out for a coffee run.  If he could just get through these last few documents, he could probably talk Sky into taking a real coffee break with him once he returned.  

Except the last few documents kept eluding him because Sky wouldn’t stop texting him.  

Which was not normal.  

Sky rarely texted him, never without a reason.  And yet, Prapai’s phone kept pinging beside him, Sky’s name flashing across the screen over and over again.  

Prapai was pretty sure Sky’s phone was just unlocked in his pocket or something because of the string of absolute gibberish coming through.  Letters and half formed words as separate messages popping up one after the other.  There was even a voice note of just scuffling sounds and muffled voices, as if he were walking on the street.  So needless to say Prapai’s focus on his work was evaporating quickly.

He considered ignoring it, expecting Sky to walk through the door any minute with coffee for them both and Prapai could tease him about it.  But the minutes dragged on, his phone kept buzzing, and Sky didn’t walk through the door.  

He checked the clock against the time stamp on Sky’s instant message.  There was nothing particularly concerning about any of it and yet there was a pit in his stomach, a gnawing feeling of wrongness spreading like poison through his system.  

It was nothing. 

He was being stupid.  

He called Sky, hoping to put an end to his unease, however it just rang and rang without Sky answering.  

Which again, odd.  

Sky clearly had his phone on him so why wasn’t he picking up? 

He knew it was probably nothing.  He knew Sky would tease him about it if he found out.  But Prapai couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.  The older brother senses in him were on high alert, protective instincts twinging off of the odd series of events.  He tried calling again with no answer and he found himself heading towards the elevators before he’d even made the decision to do so.  The coffee shop Sky liked was only around the block and Prapai would just go meet him there.  If everything was fine, he could just say he needed some fresh air.  Sky didn’t have to know.  

The anxiety continued to mount and Prapai kept hitting the redial button.  The chances of him playing things cool with Sky quickly evaporated as he felt more and more frantic the longer this unease stretched.  All he knew was that he wouldn’t feel okay until he saw Sky with his own eyes.

Just as he exited the building, his phone finally connected.  But rather than Sky’s voice on the other life, annoyed at Prapai’s persistence, all he heard was muffled voices and scuffling sounds again.

“Sky?  Are you there?” Prapai all but yelled into his phone.

The unidentifiable noises continued and Prapai was quickly sliding from concerned to panicked.  

He turned down the sidewalk towards the cafe, letting his strides lengthen as he wove through the pedestrians milling around.  He stopped short when he saw a mess on the sidewalk, not even registering the bumps from people behind him who hadn’t anticipated his abrupt change of pace.  Prapai stared for a long moment at two coffee cups in a carrying tray that had been dropped on the ground, the milky mess still had ice cubes that hadn’t melted even with the sun beating down on the pavement.  Anxiety twisted like a knife in his gut, panic clawing at his throat.  He looked around, wild and frantic, looking for any clue, any hint of what happened and where Sky might be.  Instinct pulled him towards a small alleyway between two buildings just behind the mess on the sidewalk.  It was the only secluded area in this section of the city block, a series of trashcans lining one side, nearly blocking the entrance.  

Prapai stepped closer and his anxious fears were realized.  

Sky was backed up against the wall, far from any prying eyes from the street, his old manager, Gun, caging him in, a death grip on Sky’s arm, holding him in place and his mouth a snarl as he hissed god knows what awful things at Sky.  

Prapai was an adult.  He was a lawyer.  He knew how to control himself in just about any situation.  He knew the consequences for his actions and he knew a physical altercation was almost never worth the hassle. 

Prapai didn’t care.  

Something primal overrode his rational brain at that moment.  He didn’t think, he only reacted.  He grabbed Gun by the shoulder, ripping him off of Sky and letting his fist fly, the pain muted by the satisfying crunch sound that Gun’s nose made.  Gun yelped in shock and pain, falling back on his ass in the dirty alleyway.  Blood started to run down his face, his nose sitting at an odd angle.  Prapai followed him down to the ground, dropping to a knee beside him only to land another solid hit to his cheek.  “You stupid piece of shit,” Prapai hissed.  “How dare you touch him?  Did you really think you’d get away with this?  I'll break every bone in your body before I let you touch him,”  He punctuated his words with his fist, no thoughts in his head except the need to unleash this new-found rage on Gun’s very punchable face.  

Gun gathered his wits enough to fight back, taking a wild swing that was more windmilling arms than an intentional punch, but it landed, hitting Prapai in the temple and the asshole was wearing rings, making it hurt more than it should have.  Prapai pulled his fist back for another hit when Sky grabbed his arm, yanking him to his feet and off of Gun.  

“P’Pai!”  Sky gasped.  “You can’t just— P’Pai!” Sky looked down at the bloody mess that was Gun with horror.  

“You little fucker,” Gun snapped at Prapai, his voice garbled and thick from the blood.  “You won’t get away with this.”  His threat didn’t carry much weight given the pathetic picture he made, sprawled out on his ass, his greasy hair wild and blood dripping down his face.   

If Sky wasn’t holding him back, pulling him back into rational territory Prapai would have kicked the asshole right in the kidneys. He was wearing very pointy shoes today, he could make it really hurt.  Prapai turned, taking in Sky’s wide-eyed terror, his skin pale and the fragile way he was holding himself and the anger that had driven Prapai left just as quickly.  

“Sky?” Prapai’s voice was painfully soft even to his own ears.  “Are you okay?  Did he hurt you?”  Prapai’s hands brushed down the length of his arms, searching for any indication of injury.  Sky looked a little rumbled but otherwise physically unharmed.  

“P’Pai what did you do?” Sky said but his voice held none of its usual fire.  His eyes kept flitting between Gun, sprawled out on the ground, still grumbling and cursing, and Prapai as if he were worried Prapai would jump Gun once again.  His hypervigilance couldn’t hide how scared he looked nor the tremor in his hands.

“Hey,” Prapai said gently, taking one of Sky’s hands in his own like he could soothe away Sky’s fear with only his touch.  His other hand cupped Sky’s cheek, forcing him to look away from Gun and meet his eyes.  “It’s going to be okay.  You’re safe.  He’s not going to hurt you.”  Prapai tried to pour as much reassurance and calm into his words as he could.

Sky nodded and something in Prapai’s chest seemed to seize at the way Sky looked at him, so full of trust, like Prapai’s words were all that was keeping him together.  Prapai wasn’t sure he’d earned that trust yet, but in that moment he knew he’d do anything to keep those promises, to keep Sky safe.

Gun was on his phone with what sounded like the police, glaring in their direction but didn’t seem like he was interested in continuing their altercation.  Prapai’s brain went into lawyer mode, making a list of things they needed to do before the police came.

“We’re going to call Phayu, okay?  Don’t say anything to the police until Phayu arrives.  He’ll handle everything.  Phayu filed your suit against him yesterday, correct?  So he probably just found out and this is retaliation.  Which is very stupid of him.  You’re going to need to get a restraining order and make a formal harassment and stalking claim.  Phayu will walk you through it,” Prapai promised, he tried to sound reassuring, tried to give him something tangible to hold onto.  Things were about to get chaotic and Sky didn’t have any training on how to handle this.  The reality of the situation was sobering him quickly.  He wasn’t going to be able to be there for Sky, not like he needed to, because he now had his own legal mess to clean up.  

“P’Pai he’s not going to let this go,” Sky said, glancing over at Gun, fear and trepidation still swimming in his eyes.  “He’s going to come after you.” 

“Don’t worry about that,” Prapai almost wanted to smile at the absurdity.  Sky had been dragged into an alleyway and assaulted and yet he was still more worried about what was going to happen to Prapai.  Prapai wished Sky would just be a little bit selfish for once, but he knew that was asking too much.  Instead he had to comfort himself in knowing that he’d hired Phayu for a reason and he had to trust Phayu to stand in and guide Sky through this when he couldn’t.  

“But what about—”

“Sky,” Prapai cut him off with a gentle press of his fingers against Sky’s lips.  “It’s going to be okay.  I know what I’m doing,” Prapai reminded him.  “I’m not someone he can hurt.” 

“But P’Pai—”

“Sky,” Prapai said, a soft smile pulling at his lips.  “Would you trust me, just this once?” 

Prapai could still see all the anxiety and fear swirling through him, the stress of the situation and the spike of adrenaline still running high and yet Sky nodded, letting Prapai lead him back towards the street, into the sunlight and away from Gun.  

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

It was a long afternoon to say the least.  

Prapai was not used to being on this side of the legal table.  He was used to standing proud and intimidating beside the person in the hot seat, using his words to steer the situation where he wanted it to go.  

Instead he was in the hot seat.

And he had to take the advice given to every client ever, the advice his father gave him now: sit down, shut up and let the lawyers handle it.  

He was realizing it was harder advice to follow than to give.  

But he knew the laws, he knew what he was up against and he knew it was ultimately his word against Gun’s.  Sure he’d punched Gun’s lights out, but it was in the process of intervening on an assault in progress.  He had Sky’s testimony on his side and he had the fact that Sky had just filed a lawsuit against Gun to back up his story.  There was no scenario where Gun came out of this looking like the victim, even with his busted face.  If he or his attorney had any sense, they’d drop these charges and save everyone the paperwork.  

When Prapai was released to go home, he found Sky and Phayu still in the waiting room.  Sky popped up out of his seat immediately, anxiety and stress all over his face.  Prapai wanted to soothe it away but perhaps the police station in front of his father was not the best place for that.  

“I thought I was done bailing my children out of jail after the Krabi incident,” his father muttered, a tired resigned sort of sigh leaving his lips.  

“I guess we’re just never too old for a fist fight,” Prapai quipped.   

“Stop it,” Sky said, hands on his hips.  And suddenly he was channeling all that stress into pure annoyance and anger.  “How can you joke right now?  What the hell were you thinking?  Acting like a teenager just punching people?  You broke his nose!  He had to go to the hospital!  And for what?  So you could feel better?  This is some real rich asshole behavior, doing whatever you want because you know your dad will bail you out. Idiot.” 

Prapai tried very hard not to smile, the mountain of angry words all contained the same thread of genuine concern and worry.  Sky didn’t give a shit about Gun or his broken nose, he cared that Prapai had done something reckless and stupid.  He cared that Prapai had risked arrest, had risked a lawsuit.  

“Well at least we all agree, Prapai is an idiot,” Phayu said.  “But adding a restraining order to the file, adding stalking and assault to the pile of Gun’s crimes, does make our case that much stronger.” 

“We didn’t need that, don’t encourage him,” Sky snapped, turning his glare on Phayu instead.  

Phayu’s eyes widened as he took the full brunt of Sky’s ire for the first time.  “Goddamn,” he muttered under his breath.

Prapai’s father chuckled, “Well it seems like Sky has the lecture part down, so I’ll just skip that for tonight.  Everyone go home, get some sleep.  We will discuss all this in the morning,” He said, giving Prapai a look that promised an uncomfortable talk in his future.  He knew he’d earned it.  

“Thank you for your help today,” Sky said, bowing politely to Prapai’s father and Phayu as they exited the building.  He turned his cutting glare back at Prapai with a huff.  “Take me home, idiot.” 

Prapai tried very hard not to smile.  “Is that my new nickname from now on?” 

“You’re not funny.”  

Prapai chuckled, which earned him a slap to the arm paired with a glare, so he shut up and followed silently behind Sky out to the parking area.  Sky threw himself in the passengers seat, crossing his arms across his chest and staring daggers out the window, pointedly ignoring Prapai. 

“So you’ve really decided to be mad at me?” Prapai asked as he eased the car out onto the street.

“Obviously.” 

“How long do you plan to stay mad at me?” 

“I don’t know, how long do you plan on being an idiot?” 

“Sky… I don’t even know how to explain it.  I got all those weird messages from you and you wouldn’t answer your phone, I was worried and scared and then I saw you— fuck, Sky, he had you pinned to a wall in an alley— It’s like my rational brain just shut off.  You were in danger and I just reacted.  All that mattered was— was getting him off of you.  I won’t even pretend to apologize; I’m not sorry.  I understand I could have handled things better, more diplomatically, less violently.  But if I could do it over again, I’d still punch that fucker right in the face,” Prapai felt like he was really mucking up this whole explanation.  Everything had just happened so fast and his emotions were running high and he’d reacted on instinct.  Even after hours had passed and adrenaline had dissipated, he couldn’t find it in himself to regret any of it.  

Sky huffed, “I don’t want your fake apology.  But you’re a lawyer.  You’re supposed to be smarter than this.  I do not want to see you risk your license over an asshole like P’Gun.  He's not worth it and you’re playing right into his game.” 

Prapai couldn’t help the soft smile.  “It’s cute that you’re worried about my license, but can we both just worry about you for a bit?” 

“Asshole,” Sky muttered under his breath.  “I’m not worried about you.”

“Sure,” Prapai said, feeling far too light and happy considering the day he’d had.  “How did Gun find you?  What did he say to you?” 

Sky sighed, “Does it matter?” 

“Yes.” 

“I already went over this with P’Phayu.  Don’t worry about it,” Sky retorted. 

“Sky,” Prapai frowned at him.  “You know I'm going to worry about it.” 

“Why?  You already punched him in the face over it.  Are you planning on hunting him down to punch him again?”  Sky asked, his tone so incredibly unimpressed.  

“I don’t know, does he deserve that?”  Prapai asked, treating Sky’s very sarcastic question like it was reasonable.  

Sky gave him a look.  Something caught between exasperated and fond.  Prapai would never admit how affected he felt by just that one look or how desperately he wanted Sky to look at him like that forever.  Now was really not the time to get caught up in his feelings however.  Sky was mad at him. Rightfully so.  And he needed to stay focused if he was going to survive the interaction.  

“Okay, fine.  I promise not to hunt him down and punch him again.  Not if you don’t want me to.” 

Prapai pulled up in front of Sky’s building but Sky didn’t move, just giving him a look like he was making a decision, weighing the pros and cons in his mind in real time.  He had no idea what Sky was debating but he knew better than to push, so he just sat quietly and tried to look remorseful for his actions.  

“Come up, I have a first aid kit,” Sky finally said, nodding to Prapai’s knuckles which were red and cracked from his scuffle, before Sky opened the car door.

Prapai sat for a long moment, the invitation so unexpected considering how upset Sky was with him.  But he gathered himself quickly and jumped to follow.  Mad or not, he wasn’t going to question any excuse to spend more time with Sky, so he just trailed along at Sky’s heels.

Sky’s apartment looked the same as Prapai remembered it.  Neat and tidy but with a warmth that only came with such a visibly lived in space.  His drafting desk overflowing with blueprints and bits of wood from the most recent model he'd been working on.

“Sit,” Sky commanded, coming out of the bathroom with a first aid kit in hand.  Prapai was happy to comply and only partly because he didn’t want to do anything else to upset Sky that night.  Prapai sat on the couch as instructed and Sky settled beside him.  “I can’t believe you did this,” Sky muttered.  “You’re a grown ass man, why are you hitting people?” 

“Are you really mad at me?” Prapai asked, for all Sky’s blustering, it came across as concern far stronger than it did anger.   

“The police had to be called!  Of course I’m mad at you,” Sky answered, fussing with the first aid kit in his hand and not even looking up at Prapai to answer.  

“You don’t have to worry about me, I know a lot of really good lawyers,” Prapai said, giving him a playful little smile.

Sky smacked his arm, “That’s not funny.” 

Prapai’s smile only widened.  “It’s a little funny?” 

“No it’s not!  Do you see now, why I didn’t want you as my lawyer?  What would have happened to my legal case if my own lawyer had assaulted the defendant?”

Prapai pouted.  “It wasn’t even assault; what he did to you was assault.  Since I hit him, the charge will be battery.  And one of the elements of battery he’d have to prove is that it was unprovoked with no justification.  And intervening on him assaulting you counts as legal justification so…” 

“P’Pai?”

“Hmm?”

“Shut up. I don’t want to hear your lawyer bullshit right now.” 

Sky cradled Prapai’s hand in his lap, pulling out some antiseptic wipes and dabbing at the cracked skin.  Prapai watched with fascination, barely even registering the sting against his cracked skin as he was too busy noting Sky’s ever so gentle touch despite how annoyed he was with Prapai.  The silence that settled over them was soft and familiar but not quite comfortable.  There was too much unsaid between them for that.  

There was something so tender in the careful way Sky handled his injuries despite how small and superficial they were.  He couldn't remember the last time someone took care of him like this.  How was he supposed to not fall even more when Sky was like this?  Even when Sky was spitting mad, he still worried about what it all meant for Prapai, still handled him like he was something precious.  His heartbeat quickened in his chest.  

Sky scootched closer, taking a clean antiseptic wipe and dabbing at the broken skin of Prapai’s temple.  In all the excitement of the day, he’d completely forgotten about the cut on his head where Gun’s ring had scratched him.  Prapai sucked in a sharp breath, the sting of pain secondary to just how close Sky was all of a sudden.  Sky was focused on the task at hand, allowing Prapai a rare opportunity to just… stare.  To take in the gentle slope of his nose and the way his eyelashes curled and how his eyes were the darkest, warmest brown Prapai had ever seen.  The color so deep Prapai felt like he’d drown in it.  Prapai could see every pore on his delicate, smooth skin, only broken by a faint scar on his cheek and Prapai suddenly desperately wanted to know how he’d gotten it. 

Sky had his bottom lip clasped tightly between his teeth in concentration as he worked, his fingers soft against Prapai’s cheek to stabilize his movements.  Prapai's gaze zeroed in on Sky’s lip, all plump and perfect as it slipped out from under his teeth, shiny with saliva.  Prapai’s breath hitched and suddenly Sky was looking into his eyes, no longer fussing with Prapai’s injury.  The moment between them seemed caught in time, an eternity passing in an instant and Prapai’s heart felt like it was seizing in his chest.  The diminished space between them was Prapai’s downfall.  Prapai found himself moving before he could think better of it, cupping Sky’s cheek and leaning forward and giving into a desire he’d been repressing for months. 

The kiss was little more than a press of lips, careful and hesitant and yet Prapai felt cracked open.   He let out a desperate, hungry sound at the contact.  The floodgates of desire and affection he’d been holding back came crashing through him all of a sudden and he couldn’t do anything but press closer, to deepen the kiss.

Prapai moaned, low in his throat as the months of repression were suddenly unleashed.

Just as suddenly, his brain caught up with his actions and he jerked back as if he’d been burned, the lingering taste of Sky on his lips a torment.

“Shit,” Prapai gasped.

Sky was looking at him with those perfect brown eyes, a rare openness in his expression and Prapai suddenly realized that knowing what Sky’s lips tasted like and holding himself back was infinitely harder than the allure of the unknown.  

Prapai ripped himself away, standing up and putting physical distance between them so he couldn’t do something else stupid and reckless.

“Shit, shit shit.  Oh no.  I shouldn’t have done that.  Fuck.  Sorry.  Forget I did that.’  He had one rule!  Just one!  And yet here he was, smashing through those carefully constructed boundaries with no regard for what it meant to their relationship.

“P’Pai—” 

“Nope.  I need to leave.  I should not be here.  We’ll talk tomorrow.  Legal stuff.  Yeah.  Tomorrow.”      

And before he could even think about it, Prapai was running away.  Not from Sky, not from his feelings, but running away because if he didn’t, he’d never leave.  He’d do something very dangerous like confess and kiss Sky stupid and blow up the precarious balancing act they’d established up to this point. 

It was not his proudest moment, but it was the only thing he could do to keep himself from further ruining the only thing he actually cared about.  

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

“I should have hit him harder,” Prapai muttered as he sat in the conference room with his father, watching the grainy CCTV footage from a restaurant across the street.  The angle of the camera wasn’t great, but the quality was good enough to show the way Gun had come up to Sky on the sidewalk, grabbing his wrist hard enough to make him drop the tray of coffee in his hands.  It captured the snarl on Gun’s lips and the spike of very real fear flash across Sky’s face.  It captured the concerned glances from bystanders but no one intervened as Gun all but dragged Sky out of frame and towards the alleyway.  The whole thing made Prapai sick to his stomach.  

Sleeping should have brought about some thread of rationality.  He should regret his actions in some way as the mountain of legal paperwork stacked up and the reality of the situation set in, but the only thing he regretted was not getting there sooner, not hitting that bastard harder when he had the chance.

“He seems like a real piece of work,” His father commented, taking notes as they watched through the footage for the millionth time.  “I have the first years combing through more footage from surrounding businesses.  So far nothing captures you punching his lights out.” 

“Fantastic,” Prapai muttered.  It was fantastic.  They had proof of Gun’s harassment and assault on Sky but the actual fight was his word against Gun’s.  And the video evidence made Prapai’s word sound a lot more believable than Gun’s.  All of that was good news, but Prapai couldn’t bring himself to give a shit about his own legal case.  He was too busy worrying about Sky’s case and even more busy worrying about what had happened in Sky’s apartment the prior evening.

He’d tried so hard to be good and act appropriately professional despite his own feelings, and all it had took was a cotton ball to his forehead and his self control had snapped like a twig.  He couldn’t believe after weeks of holding himself back, after weeks of maintaining those boundaries, he’d crumbled like a stale cookie because Sky looked into his eyes for a moment too long.  And Prapai had pounced on him mere hours after Sky was assaulted by his sexually harassing ex-boss!  It was all so wildly inappropriate, he couldn’t believe himself.   

His poor impulse control should be medically studied.  

They hadn’t spoken.  

The whole lawsuit idea had been monopolizing Prapai’s time all morning, giving him a convenient excuse to avoid Sky completely.  Not that he planned to avoid Sky.  The selfish, cowardly part of him wanted to.  But he knew he couldn’t do that.  

He’d fucked up.

He’d crossed a line. 

He needed to acknowledge that and try to make things right, in whatever way that looked.

It was a conversation he was dreading.  

He’d literally run away last night.  He’d just smushed their faces together and ran away like a crazy person.  

Very mature, Prapai.  

He was mad at himself, he was terrified of what was to come and he was embarrassed at his own behavior.  And despite it all, he couldn’t stop the running thread in his head that just kept screaming, ‘I kissed Sky last night’, like he was a lovesick teenager with his first crush.  It was a hell of a combo to grapple with first thing in the morning.  

At least one of them was capable of being professional, Prapai thought to himself as he rounded the corner to find Sky seated at his desk.  Despite everything, Sky still showed up to work and went along like everything was fine and normal.  There was nothing teasing or familiar in the look on his face though.  Sky looked uncertain, bordering on concerned, and Prapai hated that he’d caused this.  This was all his fault and he felt like everything he’d worked so hard to build was starting to crumble around him.  

“A word?” Prapai said, the tension in his jaw made him sound stiff and stilted.  He wanted to ease the anxiety off of Sky’s face but he didn’t know how to do that without muddying the waters even further.  Sky didn’t say anything, only following him into the office and shutting the door softly behind them.

Prapai took a deep breath, trying to ground himself.  He’d fucked this all up, it was time to try to make it right.  

“Sky, I’m sorry.  About last night.  I crossed a line and it was inappropriate and—”

“P’Pai, it’s—”

“No.  Let me say this,” Prapai held up a hand to stopped him.  He couldn’t bear for Sky to tell him it was fine or try to minimize what had happened.  Despite everything, he knew Sky would try to brush things off, get back to normal at the expense of himself.  Prapai couldn’t live with himself if he let that happen.  “I’m your boss, it’s completely inappropriate what I did.  There is no excuse.  I completely understand if you don’t feel comfortable working with me anymore, we can talk to HR and—”

“Wait, you’re firing me?” Sky asked, incredulous, his uncertainty falling away, morphing into anger. 

“What?  Of course not!” Prapai sputtered.  He was royally fucking up this whole conversation.  Not only did he throw himself at Sky and act completely inappropriate, now Sky was convinced he was going to be fired for it?  Again?  “I meant we can expedite your transfer to another department.  It’s a little earlier than planned, but given the circumstances I think it might be for the best.”  

“Why would I need to transfer to another department?” Sky demanded.  

“Because I’m a terrible boss who doesn’t understand boundaries?”  Prapai responded, a thread of self depreciation slipping through his professional mask.  

“P’Pai, it’s not that big of a deal?” Sky said, looking more confused with every word out of Prapai’s mouth.      

“Yes, it is,” Prapai snapped, more at himself than anything, but Sky still flinched. 

Fuck. 

He just kept making things worse. 

“I’m sorry.  But it is a big deal.  I’m your boss.  There are ethical boundaries I can’t cross and I did.  But I’m the one who fucked up, not you.  I’m so ashamed of myself, I never should have put you in that position.  If you want to report me to HR, I'll admit to everything.  Actually, no.  I should just report myself to HR.  You don’t have to do anything.  If you don’t want to work for me anymore, I’ll approve your transfer, anywhere in the company you want to go.  I’m not saying you have to do anything.  You should be the one deciding where we go from here.  I just meant, whatever solution will make you feel the most comfortable, I will be accommodating.”   

Sky looked at him for a long moment, his face completely unreadable before he rolled his eyes and dropped his hands to his hips.  “You’re being ridiculous,” Sky huffed.  “HR?  Department transfers?  Really?  You’re so dramatic sometimes, I swear.  You’re trying to make a big deal out of nothing.  It’s only a few weeks until Namtan returns and I’ll be transferred anyway, so why make such a fuss?  But you’ve clearly gotten yourself all worked up about this so if you want to pretend like last night never happened, then let’s just do that.”

Prapai just blinked at him.  In his very long night of restlessness, it hadn’t occurred to him that Sky simply wouldn’t care?  Which Prapai had to admit, stung just a bit.  The kiss wasn’t nothing.  It was everything to Prapai.  And it sucked to hear that Sky didn’t feel the same.  But in the context of work and Prapai stomping all over their boundaries, perhaps it was for the best?  He was still the worst boss ever and should probably force himself to watch more HR training videos as punishment, but at the end of the day what mattered was how Sky felt about everything.  “I— guess?” 

“I’m going back to my desk.  You have a meeting in ten minutes, can you pull yourself together by then or do I need to reschedule it?”  Sky just looked so incredibly done with him.  Which was familiar and much preferable to the uncertainty from before, but it felt different this time.  The fond, affectionate edge to Sky’s words was absent for the first time.  He just sounded annoyed, maybe even angry.    

Prapai just blinked at him for a long moment.  “I’ll be fine?” 

“Great,” Sky deadpanned, turning on his heel and marching back to his desk.  

What the fuck had just happened? 

~~~

The performance check-in meeting on his calendar loomed closer and Prapai didn’t know if he’d ever dreaded something so much in all of his professional life.  He’d scheduled this before everything had happened, a simple check-in conversation, routine, normal.  Now it felt like a ticking time bomb on his calendar.   

The past week had been painful to put it mildly.  

Sky had said it was nothing.  Sky had been the one to say he wanted to move forward and pretend like it had never happened.  And while he was being the epitome of professional as always, there was a notable coldness coming off of him that made Prapai want to scream.  There was a tangible distance between them that had never existed before.  

He had tried to handle things the best way possible considering the circumstances.  He thought he was doing the right thing, offering Sky options and paths forward after Prapai had gone and blown up any and all boundaries that were supposed to exist between them.  However, he couldn’t help but feel like he’d read everything completely wrong as Sky’s gaze skated over him, all warmth and humor gone, a shiny perfect mask in its place.

What was worse, he didn’t even know where to go from here.  He didn’t know how to make things right, didn’t know how to get them back to normal.  Perhaps his definition of normal had been the problem to begin with?  He hadn’t wanted to admit it to himself, but he’d never treated Sky as just an employee.  From moment one he’d been blurring lines and pushing boundaries between them.  So maybe it was for the best that Sky was constructing actual boundaries between them.  But then why did it feel so incredibly shitty?  

There were no more impromptu lunches, no more afternoon coffee runs and no more joking at Sky’s desk between meetings.  Instead there was just cold professionalism and Prapai was pretty sure his soul was dying a little more with each passing day.  

He didn’t know how to fix this, didn’t even know how to bring it up.  He was the one who drew the line in the sand, how could he be upset with Sky for honoring it?  

All Prapai knew was that he hated this.  That he would do anything to get back to what they were before.

He didn’t know it was possible to regret kissing your crush, but wow, was he regretting it now because he’d apparently broken something fundamental between them.  The thought of this being their new normal, of never getting back to where they were before, scared him more than anything.    

Sky knocked on the door frame to get his attention.  “We have a meeting?” 

Prapai nodded, rifling through his papers to find what he’d prepared for their meeting.  

“Namtan comes back soon so I figured we should talk about next steps?” Prapai explained.  Even saying the words after what had happened felt like he was juggling with a live grenade.  As if the very mention of his upcoming transfer would throw them both back into the uncomfortableness of the past week.  But the reality was that Namtan was returning soon and Sky would be transferring to a new position.  The deadline for… whatever this was between them, was looming and Prapai had promises to fulfill, mainly getting Sky a permanent posting within the company.

Sky nodded and took a seat across the desk, his face unreadable as always.

“I have a list of open positions throughout the company, there are a few I think you might be interested in.  Considering you are in school, I assume you don’t want to move, so I only included postings within the Bangkok branch.  There’s also some less official options we could talk about,” Prapai said, sliding over a list of openings, the best matches circled with a few notes he’d jotted down as to why he thought it would be a good fit.  

“Less official options?  What does that mean?” Sky asked, not looking up from the paper in his hands.  

“Well for example Tan from marketing seems quite interested in you joining his team?  They don’t currently have an open position but their receptionist is retiring next year.  If you were interested in that, we could talk about options to bridge that gap until the position is available,”  Prapai explained.  Prapai had been approached by numerous people across the company, asking when Namtan would return and trying to tease out what Sky’s plans were.  He’d made an impression and proven his worth even in the short time he’d worked there.  Even without Prapai’s endorsement, Sky would not struggle to find a placement within the company.  

“You’re going to find bullshit work for me to do for a year until a position opens up?” Sky asked, rather incredulous. 

“I was thinking more along the lines of more temp work in another department or perhaps some budget jiggering so you could start earlier and train before officially taking over the position,” Prapai answered.  “It really depends on what you want.” 

“What I want…” Sky said, a scoff more than anything.  As if his wants and desires had no bearing on the conversation they were having.     

“Yes?” Prapai frowned at him but Sky didn’t elaborate.  

“I’ll think about what I want.  And I’ll look through these and get back to you,” Sky said, holding up the list.  “Is there anything else?” 

“I— Is there anything else we should discuss?  About work, I mean?” Prapai qualified quickly.  They were at work, this was a work meeting, he didn’t want Sky to think he was trying to take advantage of that time to try to talk about their personal relationship or lack thereof.  

“No, P’Pai.  I think with work, we are just fine.”  Sky’s words felt barbed but Prapai wasn’t given a moment to think about them, to do anything but feel their sharp edge before Sky was up and strolling out of the room. 

Chapter Text

“Sit,” His father ordered as soon as he stepped through the doorway.

Prapai felt like a teenager again, about to receive the ‘I'm not mad, just disappointed’ speech.  It was deserved though, he was acting reckless and stupid.  He was too old to be getting into fist fights, too educated in legal proceedings to jump someone on the street, even someone as vile as Gun.    

“Would you like to explain or am I just going to keep filling in the blanks for myself?” His father asked, his face unreadable, a calm mask of composure.  

Prapai sighed.  “What is there to explain?  The man my assistant just filed a lawsuit against attempted to assault him and I intervened.” 

“Oh, cut the bullshit.” 

“What do you want me to say?” 

“Oh I don’t know, how about ‘I only hired him as my assistant because I have a crush and now it’s impacting not only my business decisions but is also causing legal and professional recourse and I’m in over my head’.” Sometimes Prapai hated that his father was a lawyer.  He was too good at hiding his own emotions and much too good at seeing Prapai’s, no matter how hard he tried to keep them hidden.  

“You don’t have to remind me how pathetic I am, thanks,” Prapai sighed, wanting to beat his head against the table. 

“I don’t think you’re pathetic.  I think you’re acting out of emotion.” 

Prapai groaned, “What’s the difference?” 

His father just studied him for a long moment.  “This is for real, isn’t it?” 

“What?”

“Sky.  He isn’t just a fling, you’re in love.”  He said it so plainly, a statement of fact rather than a question. 

“I—,” What could he even say to that?  It felt ridiculous to use words like ‘love’ when they weren’t anything, when they hadn’t done anything beyond one single kiss.  And yet he couldn’t pretend like his crush hadn’t grown and morphed into something bigger and more all encompassing over the past few months.  But love?  That’s a word he’d never used with anyone outside of his family before. 

“Pai, you've always been good about keeping your work and personal life separate.  So whatever this is with you and Sky, it’s different.  Everyone can see that.  So if you want this to be real, if this is something you want to pursue, you need to talk to HR.  He can’t keep being your assistant.  There are rules in place for a reason.  Considering your role, it would really be best if he left the company entirely.”

“No.  I promised him a position after Namtan returns.  I’m not going to let him be punished because of me,” Prapai shook his head.  He’d made a promise and he intended to keep it. 

“Fine.  But he’ll need to transfer out of your department at the very least,” His father amended.  

“He’ll be transferring when Namtan returns.” 

“And you plan to do nothing until then?” 

“I— yes?  I don’t want to put him in that position.  He’s smart and talented and is building a career for himself, I don’t want to do anything to make people question that, question him.”  Prapai hated the very thought of anyone gossiping or looking down on Sky for who he was dating.  Prapai knew he wouldn’t get any blowback because of his position, it would all fall on Sky.  Prapai would do everything he could to minimize that, even if that meant doing nothing and putting any possibility of a relationship on hold until Sky no longer worked under him.   

“And publicly dating his boss would make people question that,” His father said in agreement. 

“I just want to let him get settled in whatever position he chooses to move to and then we can talk about what happens next.”  Prapai just had to hold out until then.  

“Okay.”

“That’s it?  Okay?” Prapai asked.  It was unlike his father to allow him to flirt with the rules like this.  He should have gone to HR already and they both knew it.  

“That’s it,” His father agreed.  

“Why?”  

“Maybe I’m just growing soft in my old age but being in love is a good look for you,” His father said with a rare smile.  "I trust that you will prioritize what is best for Sky, which seems to be what is also best for the company.  So for now, that's it." 

Chapter Text

Prapai looked at his closet and the growing row of colorful silk shirts that had migrated their way into his work wear section and sighed, reaching for a white cotton button down to go with his rather muted navy pinstripe suit for the day.  

Dressing for Sky’s attention fell under the ‘bad behavior’ category.  He’d known that all along, it had just felt so harmless and fun before.  But it turned out, it hadn’t bothered Sky in the least.  It had, however, made Prapai sink all the deeper into his own inappropriate feelings.  It had contributed to the slow chipping away at his self control, blurring what should have been stark boundaries between them.  

So no more silk shirts.  No more open collars.  No more flashy peacock colors or slim cut suits tailored to perfection to make his ass look great.  He’d punish himself and dress like Phayu, like a boring stuffy lawyer who was just going to work because that’s what he was. 

The muted color palette at least made the dark circles under his eyes less obvious.  

Prapai had always been good at living a carefree lifestyle.  He’d never let anyone, anything, close enough to wound him.  And suddenly here he was, his soft underbelly exposed and vulnerable.  It was unsettling to realize how defenseless he’d allowed himself to be to Sky, how far he’d sunk into his feelings.  And it hurt.  In ways he’d never allowed himself to be hurt before.

He didn’t even have words for it because they hadn’t been anything yet.  He hadn’t been dumped because they weren’t dating.  He hadn’t been rejected because he’d never asked.  And yet it felt the same.  Sky’s coldness was a fist around his heart, squeezing tighter each day. 

It was all the worse that he couldn’t even blame Sky.  Prapai had been acting insane this whole time.  Coming on too strong, practically throwing himself at Sky at every opportunity, only to freak out as soon as that invisible line was crossed.  An invisible line he’d never bothered to communicate to Sky.  He hadn’t talked to Sky about any of it.  He had just wanted to do things right, do things above board and in the right order, but now he’d waited too long, he’d missed his chance and Sky would barely look at him anymore because of it.  

All he could do was hurt.  All he could do was accept the sharp sting of rejection as Sky closed himself off, drawing boundaries around their relationship like Prapai should have done from the beginning.  

So Prapai put on his boring pinstripe suit, the tie around his neck feeling like it would strangle him as he steeled himself for yet another day of stiff, polite professionalism, another day of Sky treating him like just a boss, another day of superficial conversation and unspoken words sucking all the air out of the room.  

Because even if his heart felt like it was dying inside of his chest, he still had to pretend like everything was fine. 

~~~

“Gun’s lawyers have sent over a settlement offer,” His father said in lue of a greeting, dropping a file in front of him.  Prapai opened it up, his eyebrow raising the more he read.  

“Medical bills? Pain and suffering?  Oh come on!”  The sum Gun was asking for was astronomical considering all he had was a broken nose and a bruised ego.  

“He’s offering to drop all charges,” His father pointed out.  

“I’d rather go in front of a judge,” Prapai muttered.  He’d rather go to prison than back down to fucking Gun.  

“I think we can negotiate it down to just medical,” His father replied.  “And as your legal counsel, I'd advise you take it.  I know this is personal, but it’s simply not worth the cost to fight it.” 

“I don’t care about the cost.  Are you really going to accept a shitty settlement offer from Rattakul and Sons?” Prapai asked, a challenge in his tone.  Gun’s law firm wasn’t even good enough to do paralegal work for their office, the idea that he would back down against them was laughable.  “We both know you’d win this if it went to court.” 

“Pai, it’s not always about winning, it’s about making the smart decision.  We have other, far more important cases to be working on.  This is siphoning resources that could be better used elsewhere.  You can swallow your pride and pay the 5000 baht for his nose and end this tomorrow.” 

“Not this time.  That bastard doesn’t get a single baht,” Prapai said firmly.   

His father just shook his head, “They say lawyers make the worst clients for a reason.” 

Prapai ignored the jab.  “What about the countersuit?” 

“Since the countersuit is through the business, it is separate from this discussion,” His father answered.  “He stalked and then attacked an employee, we have no reason to drop charges against him.” 

“Good.  I want him to have a record,” Prapai said, venom in his tone.

“I can’t promise that, it appears to be his first offense.”  His father pointed out, the voice of reason that Prapai really did not need today.   

“It’s definitely not his first time doing something like this.  I’m tired of the slimy bastard getting away with it,” Prapai grumbled.  He knew how the legal system worked and he hated it today more than usual.   

“Well he will very likely have a record when Phayu is done with him anyway.” 

“How is their case going?” Prapai asked.

His father gave him a very pointed look.  “If Sky won’t talk to you about it, what makes you think I will?” 

Prapai pouted, he hadn’t expected anything different and it was still annoying to hear.  “No one will tell me anything.” 

“Probably because it’s none of your business,” His father said blandly. 

“But I want it to be my business?”  It wasn't an argument and they both knew it.  

“I take it things aren’t going well with Sky?” His father asked.  

“What makes you say that?” 

“Well perhaps the aircon is simply running too high, but it feels notably colder by your office now,” His father responded, a quirk of his eyebrow an obvious question.  

“Hilarious,” Prapai deadpanned. 

“Is whatever happened between you two going to impact this case?” His father asked.

“No.”

“Okay.  Is it going to impact the business?” 

Prapai didn’t respond.  He genuinely had no idea what the ramifications would be.  He wanted to say no, wanted to reassure his father, and himself, that everything was fine.  But it wasn’t. 

His father sighed, “You still won’t talk to HR?” 

“Sky doesn’t want to,” Prapai answered.

“At some point it’s not really Sky’s decision,” His father pointed out.  “If this is going to be a problem for the company, you have an obligation to loop them in.” 

“It’s not,” Prapai said firmly.  “Sky and I discussed job openings, he’s going to choose one soon.  Things aren’t… great, but they aren’t at a level that HR needs to be involved.” 

His father raised an eyebrow, clearly doubting Prapai’s words.  “Alright.  So you’re officially rejecting the settlement offer?” 

“Obviously.”  

“Fine.  I hope you know, I’m going to charge you the full rate for this.  Your mother wants to redo the upstairs bathroom again.”

Prapai snorted with laughter, “See if I bail you out when you punch someone then.” 

“I’ll risk it,” His father replied, a rare smile pulling at his lips. 

“I’ll take the legal department out to dinner, I know the first years have put in a lot of hours on this,” Prapai promised.

~~~

Given the international nature of their business, it was common for Prapai to work late, long past when everyone else had gone home.  He tried not to ask others to adhere to the same schedule that he did, but sometimes it was unavoidable.  The meeting with Singapore wasn’t supposed to go over time like this to begin with, but he had to have a summary out to the C-suite by the morning and that meant he needed Sky beside him taking notes.  However, as the minutes ticked by and the hallways outside the glass walls of the conference room cleared out, Prapai felt more and more guilty about asking Sky to join him.  

Prapai muted the video call as the team prattled on.  “Sky you can leave if you need to.  I can finish from here.” 

Sky glanced up at him.  “It’s fine.” 

Prapai couldn’t very well argue with him in the middle of a meeting, so he just nodded, turning his attention back to the presentation and tried not to think about the last time he and Sky were alone in the office, tried not to remember how nice it had been or how much he ached for it once again.  

Prapai let out a sigh of relief as the video cut off, the meeting finally ending an hour after it was supposed to.  “Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean for you to stay late.” 

“It’s fine, P’Pai.  I don’t have class tonight, so it’s not a big deal,” Sky replied, continuing to scribble down notes without even looking up at Prapai. 

“Are you sure?”   

“Yes.  I’ll clean these notes up and email them to you tonight,” Sky assured him. 

“Thanks, you’re the best,” Prapai answered.  The words were true, but as always, they felt wrong somehow.  

Sky didn’t respond, just began shuffling through his notes and gathering his things.  

“So… how is your case going?” Prapai asked, genuinely curious but also just desperate to keep a thread of conversation going between them.  

“Fine,” Sky replied.  Dismissal and answer in one.   

“That’s it?  Fine?” 

“Yes, P’Pai.  It’s fine.  It’s nothing for you to worry about,” His answer slightly more pointed this time.   

Prapai sighed, “Alright.  Can I drive you home?” 

“That’s okay,” Sky replied.  “I’ll just take the bus.” 

“It’s late, please let me drive you?”  Prapai tried again.  He could be good, he could keep his lips to himself.  Even if they weren’t on the best of terms right now, Prapai wanted to get Sky home safe, for his own peace of mind as well as wanting to make Sky’s life just a little easier.  

“No, thank you.  It would look a little inappropriate, don’t you think?  I’ll see you tomorrow.”  His words hit harder than a fist. 

“Sky… are we— are we okay?” Prapai asked, kicking himself as soon as the words slipped out.  He was pushing on a bruise for both of them, he was flirting with the line that separated professional behavior with something more personal, more real.  It was the exact sort of behavior that had gotten him into this mess to begin with.  

“I’m just your temporary assistant, P’Pai.  Why wouldn’t we be okay?” Sky answered, the indifference in his tone did not match the look in his eyes but the words would have cut either way.    

The silence in the hallway was deafening as he watched Sky walk away, his chest tight like his heart was being squeezed in the worst kind of way.  He kept trying to convince himself that this could be fixed.  That they could come back from this, find even footing again.  For the first time it felt insurmountable. 

He’d been so stupid thinking he could keep Sky close while maintaining professional boundaries.  Instead he’d pushed Sky away, drove a wedge between them and suddenly they were standing on opposite sides of the universe.  He didn’t even understand how they ended up here and he felt completely lost on how to bridge the chasm that had opened up between them.

And he hated it.  

He hated it so much.   

That horrid feeling in his chest only worsened until he felt like he would suffocate from the weight pressing on his lungs.  With a gasp, he realized he was crying, silent tears slipping down his cheeks, the only way to relieve the pressure that had built inside of him. 

His father was right.

He was in love.  

And he’d managed to ruin it before they'd even begun.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Prapai realized rather belatedly that the vodka soda in his hand still contained vodka.

It was an unhelpful realization as he downed his fourth glass at a staff dinner, his head feeling light and floaty as the room swam around him.  Namtan would have cut him off two drinks ago without even having to be asked.  Namtan knew the drill, but he hadn’t thought to tell Sky.  It was Sky’s fault really, he was such a good assistant already, it made Prapai slip into his old patterns, expecting Sky to read his mind the way Namtan could.  

It was also Sky’s fault because he was the reason Prapai felt like he was dying inside and pouring vodka down his throat eased the pain, if only temporarily.  Ever since that day, ever since the kiss, every single moment between them had been wrong.  Like they were out of sync with each other.  And it hurt in ways he didn’t even know how to articulate because on the surface, nothing had changed.  They still worked together, they still saw each other every day, their relationship didn’t change because it had always only ever been a boss/employee relationship.  And yet everything had changed.  And now everything between them was broken in ways Prapai didn’t understand or know how to fix.

So he drank instead.  

“P’Pai, are you okay?” Sky asked, all soft and breathy against his ear.  And wow, he was way too drunk for that.

Prapai shook his head, the room going wobbly as he did so.  “I’m drunk.”

“Okay?” 

“It’s your fault.” 

“My fault?” 

“Your fault.  Everything is your fault.”  Prapai grumbled.  Sky was just so pretty and smart and perfect.  And now Sky hated him, was only tolerating him because it was his job.  Prapai’s whole life was in shambles and it was all Sky’s fault.  

“P’Pai, what on earth are you talking about?”

“Home.  Need to… leave.”

“You can’t just leave?  It’s a team dinner, everyone is here—” 

“Give this to Natsu,” Prapai said, fumbling with his wallet before pulling out his black card and sliding it across the table.  “It’s me.  On me.  My treat.  Everyone should stay; I’m going home.” 

“Okay, but stay here, I’ll be right back.”  Sky was giving him a concerned look, a crease forming between his eyebrows that was so damn cute it made Prapai want to kiss it away.

But kissing was bad. 

Kissing got him in trouble. 

Kissing made Sky not like him anymore.      

It wasn’t fair that Sky was allowed to be so cute and there all the time.  Not when Prapai wasn’t allowed to do anything about it.  He’d already slipped up once and ruined everything, he couldn’t let it happen again.  

“P’Pai?” Sky was in front of him once again, Prapai hadn’t even noticed him walk up.  Perhaps he was more drunk than he realized, time turning a little soupy in his brain.  “Come on, let me help you.”   

Prapai allowed himself to be guided towards the door, the pair of them getting stopped by various people trying to chat or talk Prapai into another drink before Sky finally dragged him away.   

It felt odd, sitting in the passenger seat of his own car.  He didn’t even know Sky knew how to drive.  But the window felt cool against his cheek and the thrum of the engine was soothing.  

Sky took Prapai’s phone, grabbing at his hand and Prapai’s brain was too scrambled to question it, just offering it up without question.  

All Sky did was force Prapai’s thumb on the screen of his phone, unlocking it.

Sky paused, looking at his phone for a long moment, “P’Pai?”

“Hmm?” 

“Did you really keep this?” Sky asked, holding up the phone screen, the ridiculous diploma Sky had made for him the background picture. 

“Yeah, it’s funny; makes me think of you.”  He didn’t admit that he’d considered stealing Sky’s photo off the employee directory to use instead, but even he knew that was inappropriate.  So he’d done the next best thing.  The real diploma, now professionally framed, hung on the wall in his office at home, making him smile every time he caught sight of the bright primary colors that were so out of place in a stuffy business office.  

Sky just stared at him before sighing.  He opened up the navigation app, using the ‘home’ option to get the directions to Prapai’s apartment.  In all the time they’d known each other, all their dancing around each other, Sky didn’t even know where he lived.  It stuck like knives in his chest to know he had Sky so close and yet he was still a million miles away in every way that mattered.  

He really was an idiot.  

He should have just asked Sky out like a normal person all those months ago.  Should have just shot his shot rather than all but forcing Sky into an employment contract.  Now he was stuck in this tortuous loop of being around Sky all the time and yet being forced to keep his distance, forced to be good and professional when all he wanted was to slam Sky against the nearest wall and kiss him senseless.  It made it worse that he already knew what Sky’s lips tasted like, knew how soft and perfect Sky felt pressed up against him.  

“P’Pai?  Are you okay?” 

Prapai hummed in response, not moving from his comfortable slump against the window, his eyes closed and the world spinning in a pleasant, effervescent sort of way.  It was nice, just existing together, the quiet hum of the car and Sky’s even breathing syncing up with his own.  It reminded him of the day Sky fainted, the easy comfortable way they existed together in his tiny little apartment. 

He missed that. 

He wished it didn’t take him accidentally getting shitfaced to experience a taste of it again though.

“Why did you drink so much if you’re this much of a lightweight?” Sky asked, perhaps it was a rhetorical question but Prapai felt compelled to answer anyway.

“I didn’t mean to.  Should have— should have just been soda…” 

“You can’t taste the difference?” Sky asked, amusement clear in his voice.

“I was distracted.”

“By what?”

“You.” 

“What did I do?”

“Standing there, looking all perfect.  It’s distracting,” Prapai mumbled. 

“P’Pai…” 

“I know, I know.  ‘M not supposed to say that.  Dad keeps reminding me.  I’ve been good.  Haven’t I been so good?” 

“Sure, you’ve been good.” 

“Not Namtan though.  She said I should just talk to you.  She’s so smart.  Namtan is always right about everything.” 

“Of course she is.” 

“I’ve been so good, except for the kiss.  Shouldn’t have done that.  I’ve been trying so hard, like we talked about, to pretend like it was nothing.  It wasn’t though.  It wasn’t nothing,” He mumbled, his voice trailing off.  He wasn’t supposed to say that, was he?  They’d agreed to forget about it so he shouldn’t admit that it was all he could think about, should he?

“It’s okay, P’Pai.”

“No it’s not!  I shouldn’t have done that.  I’m as bad as him,” Prapai said darkly. 

“As who?” 

“Gun.  Don’t wanna be like him.  Don’t wanna take advantage.” 

“Take advantage?” Sky laughed.  

“It’s not funny,” Prapai frowned.  

“P’Pai, I don’t think you’d know how to take advantage if you tried.” 

Prapai shook his head, pouting rather childishly.  “I’m your boss and I kissed you.  I didn’t even ask first.  That’s taking advantage.”

“No it’s not, P’Pai.”  

“Kissing you made everything worse.” 

“Did it?” 

“You hate me now.  You don’t look at me like you used to.  I just— I like you so much, and I ruined everything.  And I still want to kiss you all the time,” Prapai whined.  “But I can’t.  I’m not allowed.” 

“Who said you’re not allowed?” 

“Dad.  HR.  Ethics.  The bar association, probably,” Prapai mumbled, the shape of the words getting away from him.  What were they even talking about again?  

“Is this why you were so weird about the kiss?” 

“I’m not being weird.  I’m being professional.  Professional means no touching.” 

“No. You were definitely being weird,” Sky responded with a laugh.  It felt like ages since Prapai had heard him laugh.    

Prapai made a grumpy noise of opposition.  Everyday was a battle of keeping himself in check and Sky was not making it easy.

“So is that why you tried to make me transfer departments?  Because you thought you were acting like P’Gun?” 

“Yeah.  I don’t want you to leave though.  I just… don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Prapai answered, the cool glass against his cheek was making him sleepy.

“Idiot,” Sky said, the affection laced through his words made Prapai ache.  “Do you regret it?  Asking me to work for you?” Sky asked, his tone softening into something vulnerable and real.

“No.” Prapai shook his head a bit too enthusiastically, making his vision swim.  “I like working with you, seeing you everyday. Like talking to you.  My job is so boring, seeing you makes the day so much better.”

“But you refuse to just ask me out because you think that would make you like P’Gun?” Sky clarified.  

“I’m your boss.  I can’t— ‘s not appropriate.  I don’t wanna pressure you.  Don't wanna make things harder for you.  I want— want you to feel safe at work.  You only came to work here because of fucking Gun, because of sexual harassment.  I can’t— I won’t let it happen again.” 

“It’s only sexual harassment if it is unwelcome attention,” Sky pointed out. 

 Prapai frowned at his words, “Don’t tease me, I’m drunk and emotionally fragile.” 

Sky laughed, “It’s hard not to tease you when you’re being ridiculous.” 

“So mean,” Prapai whined.  “I still like you, even though you’re mean to me.  Maybe because you’re mean to me?  I don't know.  I wish I’d just… ask you.  Back when we met.”

“Asked me what?” 

“Asked you out.  I wanted to, but then everything happened with— with Gun, and it just wasn’t as important as making sure you were okay.”  Silence fell over them for a long moment, Prapai simply enjoyed the cool glass against his skin and trusted Sky to get him home safely.  

“Okay, I give in,” Sky finally said, his words barely above a whisper, as if he were talking to himself rather than Prapai.  

“Hmm?” 

“Nothing, P’Pai.  Come on, we’re here,” Sky said, backing smoothly into an empty parking spot in the garage.  He hadn’t even realized they’d reached his condo.  He stumbled out of the car, watching in slight confusion when Sky slipped the car keys into Prapai’s pocket, trying not to get distracted by how close he was standing, how the soft brush of fingers felt, how close he hands were to… nope.  Tipsy and horny was not the combo he needed to be when he was alone with Sky. 

He let Sky drag him along, following like the lovesick puppy he was as Sky pulled him into the elevator and paused for the first time.  

“What floor?” 

“Top floor; penthouse,” He answered.

“Of course,” Sky rolled his eyes.  "You’re a rich asshole, I should have known.”

“You really think I’m an asshole?” 

Sky rolled his eyes, “I think you’re rich and handsome and therefore unaccustomed to hearing the word no.” 

Prapai pouted, “You tell me no all the time— wait, did you just call me handsome?” 

Sky just chuckled in response and Prapai’s brain was still fuzzy around the edges, not able to hold onto a thought, even one as important as Sky calling him handsome.

The elevator dinged, opening up to the entryway in front of Prapai’s door.  Prapai patted at his pockets for his keycard, apparently taking too long because Sky scoffed, unceremoniously digging into Prapai’s back pocket and sliding out his wallet.  And that was simply too close, too much touching, for Prapai to handle in his current state.

“Sky!” Prapai exclaimed in a rather embarrassing, scandalized tone.

Sky ignored him, getting the door open and pulling Prapai into his own apartment.  The door clicked closed behind them and the air seemed to shift between them as the silence settled.  Prapai realized rather belatedly how much he’d said in the car, putting voice to things they both already knew but now it was out there, spoken and acknowledged in a way that he was far too drunk to deal with.  

“Uhhh,” Prapai said rather stupidly.   “I said a lot of words, didn’t I?”  The tension between them was thick, the air shifting into something dangerous and seductive.  He didn’t know if he was strong enough to keep resisting.  

“Yes, you did,” Sky answered, his gaze steady and firm, like he was waiting for Prapai to make the next move.  

“We can pretend like that conversation never happened?” Prapai offered.  That’s what they did, right?  Prapai crossed boundaries and Sky pretended like it didn’t happen and they both spiraled because of it.

“Is that what you want?” Sky asked, his usual teasing edge completely void. 

“I— is that what you want?” Prapai was in no position to be making decisions, but he knew that he didn't want to be on the path they were on anymore.  He was so tired of pretending like everything was fine, so tired of hurting.  

“I asked first.” 

“You know that's not what I want,” Prapai answered, the raw honesty felt good, cleansing almost, after weeks of unspoken words and ignoring the truth.   

Sky looked at him for a long moment before Prapai found himself backed up against the wall, Sky’s grip on his shirt collar tight and forceful as he pressed into Prapai’s space.  Their eyes caught, Sky pausing for a long moment waiting for Prapai’s response.  Prapai’s lips parted with a soft sigh, want coursing through him so strong his knees felt weak.  It must have read clearly on his face.  Sky closed the distance between them, kissing Prapai with a desire that was familiar because it mirrored his own, and intoxicating because it was Sky.  Prapai’s palm flew to Sky’s cheek, his other hand fisting in the back of Sky’s shirt, pulling him closer, plastering Sky against him until there was no space left between them, until he could feel Sky’s heart beating against his chest, could feel his belly pressed against Prapai’s with each breath.  It was deep immediately, a slick slide of tongues and Sky’s teeth pressing just the right side of too hard into his bottom lip.  It was the kind of kiss that sent tingles coursing through his whole body and made all the blood rush south so fast he felt light headed.

Their first kiss had been brief, a chaste press of lips before Prapai had gotten himself under control.  This was… anything but.  

Sky pressed against him, hungry and indulgent and there was no indication that he had any plans of stopping, his fingers sliding through Prapai’s hair, tightening into a fist only to pull him impossibly closer. The moan that slipped past Prapai’s lips should have been embarrassing considering all they were doing was kissing but the man he was in love with was kissing him and euphoric didn’t even begin to cover it.  Sky pulled away slowly despite his eyes dark with want and his lips red from abuse.  

“I don’t want to,” Sky said and Prapai blinked at him in confusion.  “I don’t want to pretend,” He clarified.  “So you need to decide what you want because I’m not going to pretend anymore.” 

“Okay?” 

“Get some sleep.  Goodnight, P’Pai,” Sky said, slipping out the door before Prapai’s brain could even comprehend what had happened, what he’d said and what it all meant.  The silence of his apartment was only interrupted by his breathing, harsh and fast.  His head still felt all floaty and weird, making it almost feel like a dream, a figment of his imagination produced through sheer want.  Until he looked in the mirror, his cheeks flushed and his lips puffy and red, his usually perfectly coiffed hair standing straight up, the memory of Sky’s hands running through it and the bite of pain as he’d tugged at the strands made a shiver run down his spine.  

That had all really happened.  

Sky had kissed him.  

Holy shit.

Chapter Text

Prapai watched the three dots of ‘typing’ vanish and reappear for several minutes before the phone in his hand began to vibrate with an incoming call. 

“Tell me everything,” She demanded, and even though her tone was barely above a whisper, she still managed to shout the words.

Chapter Text

Prapai woke the next morning feeling a little like death.  His head pounded and his muscles ached; he was too damn old to be drinking so much on a work night.  The wash of memories from the prior night practically assaulted him.  His embarrassment at the word vomit in the car was only overshadowed by the memory of Sky pressing him against the wall of his condo.  

Sky had kissed him.  

Sky had kissed him.  

Sky wanted him.  

Euphoria and dread warred inside of him. 

It wasn’t even their first kiss and yet it felt so monumental because it wasn’t Prapai’s self control slipping, it was Sky making a conscious choice because Sky liked him back.  

Nothing had changed, not really.  Prapai was still Sky’s boss.  Prapai had to think about the business and his position, had to think about propriety and image and what HR or his father would say.  But also everything had changed.  Sky had kissed him.  There was no way Prapai could go to work and act normal, act professional and distant with the taste of Sky still on his lips, impossibly sweeter without the tinge of bitter guilt he’d tasted before.  

He considered calling in sick.

The thought of facing Sky, of acknowledging what had happened between them felt like too much.  The entire time they’d known each other, they’d been doing a complicated dance, testing the footing between them and maneuvering around shaky ground.  But Prapai had known the steps, understood the dance.  

Now?  

Now he was lost.  He had no idea what happened from here and that terrified him.  

Prapai was so wrapped up in his own head, his entire morning routine was thrown off.  He tried to brush his teeth with moisturizer and nearly poured juice in his coffee.  All of his mental capacity was taken up by Sky, by the kiss, by the memories of the prior night.

Prapai was a ball of anxiety by the time he reached the office.  He couldn’t even make sense of his own emotions.  Ever since he’d met Sky, he’d been nothing but excited at the prospect of seeing him.  Now, after their kiss, he felt conflicted for the first time.  Not because he wasn’t excited, he felt like he was going to vibrate out of his own skin he was so excited.  But there was a vein of dread as well.  Because the careful balancing act they’d been doing had been disrupted and Prapai didn’t know what happened next.  He’d never been in this position before and the uncertainty was suffocating him.  

However, when he stepped out of the elevator and saw Sky seated at his desk as usual, the familiar wave of happiness seemed to wash out his anxiety, if only momentarily.  No matter how messy the situation became, Prapai couldn’t help the flutter of butterflies that were set off in his stomach at the very sight of Sky.

He was in love.

And Sky liked him back. 

Despite everything, despite the missteps he'd made over the past few weeks, Sky liked him back.  

Nothing else would ever be as important as that. 

“Your meeting starts in seven minutes,” Sky said in lieu of a greeting. 

“Good morning to you too,” Prapai responded, falling into the easy and comfortable banter he was used to.  Maybe this would be fine?  

“Conference room.  Now.  Communications is waiting for you,” Sky said, forcing a to-go cup of coffee into his hands.  

“Yes, yes.  I’m going.” 

“Oh and P’Pai?”  Sky said, his tone deceptively innocent. 

“Hmm?” Prapai glanced up. 

“I like your suit today.”  Sky reached up, smoothing out a wrinkle in his collar, a syrupy sweet smile pulling at his lips.  “This is a good color on you.”

Prapai blinked at him, his head suddenly filled with cotton fluff as the words, as the compliment, stripped of any sarcasm or teasing, rattled through his brain.  

This was not the pattern.  

This was not the easy comfortable banter Prapai was used to.  

Suddenly Sky’s words from the prior night came back to him.  You need to decide what you want, because I’m not going to pretend anymore. 

Oh fuck.  

If this was Sky no longer pretending, Prapai wasn’t going to survive the day.

Sky just looked bemused as Prapai gaped at him, incapable of forming words.  “P’Pai?  Your meeting?” 

“Meeting.  Right,” Prapai breathed, moving on autopilot towards the conference room.  He looked down at his silvery grey suit and sapphire blue shirt and realized, in his stress that morning, he’d forgotten to wear a tie, the top few buttons of his shirt left open. 

Sky liked that.  

Prapai already knew Sky liked that.  

But it was something wholly different for Sky to tell Prapai that he liked it.  

~~~

Prapai’s nerves were completely frazzled by the end of the day.  Between work, his lawsuit and Sky he felt like he was being pulled in a million directions and his emotions were on a rollercoaster.  The kind that did corkscrews and loop de loops and pulled you backwards before hanging you upside down for no reason. 

Prapai didn't like rollercoasters.  He wasn’t built for these levels of extremes.  

For the entire day, no matter where Prapai turned, Sky seemed to be there.  There to take notes or offer a pen right when Prapai needed one or even to just bring him a coffee and walk with him from one conference room to the next.  And he kept smiling and looking at Prapai with that look, the one that wasn’t teasing or annoyed, it was… honest.  It was laced with desire.  It was the kind of look that sent shivers down his spine.  

It was driving him insane.  

He felt brittle by the end of the day.  Like his brain had been working overtime; like he'd spent the whole day consciously controlling every muscle in his body so he didn't give into the temptation that was Sky's very existence.  

It made for a very long and exhausting day to say the least.  

He gathered his things, leaving his office for the day only to find Sky still diligently working away at his desk.  

“Sky?  Why are you still here?” Prapai asked, glancing at his watch.  “Don’t you have class tonight?” 

Sky looked up at him, his eyes so open and warm and Prapai didn’t know what to do with himself.  It felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest.  “Cancelled tonight.”

“Oh,” Prapai said rather stupidly.  

“Would you drive me home?  It’s raining.” 

Prapai blinked in confusion.  He’d offered Sky a ride home more days than not since Sky had started here.  Sky had never once accepted.  Not willingly at least.  He’d never asked.  Was this all part of Sky’s new ‘no pretending’ agenda?  

“Of course,” Prapai answered but there was a thread of trepidation running through him.    

Sky just smiled sweetly at him, a look that made his insides turn all gooey and his knees wobble underneath him.  He’d thought wistfully many times about what it would be like to be on the receiving end of Sky’s smile, of Sky being nice.  He hadn’t considered that he wasn’t strong enough to withstand such a thing.  He hadn’t considered that Sky’s snark was for Prapai's own benefit and self preservation all this time.  

Sky grabbed his bag and fell in step beside Prapai as they made their way to the elevators.  

“Didn’t you have a meeting with Phayu today?  Where do you stand with your case against Gun?” Prapai asked, in part because he of course wanted to know, and in part because it was a safe topic.

Sky raised an eyebrow, an amused quirk to his lips.  “It would be against my lawyer’s advice to talk to you about my case.”

Prapai pouted, “Your lawyer is an asshole.” 

“Yes, I believe that’s why you hired him.”  Sky climbed into the passenger’s seat like he belonged there.  “What about your case?” 

“As a business we’re suing for stalking, harassment and trespassing.  Apparently he’d tried to come into the building but the receptionist wouldn’t let him past the lobby, so he spent most of the morning hovering around outside.”

“What?” Sky froze, turning pale at the information.  

“No one told you that?” Prapai frowned.  This is why he should be involved in Sky’s case!  Apparently no one bothered to keep Sky informed on how things were proceeding.  

Sky shook his head.  

“Well, we have security cameras everywhere.  Don’t worry, we’ve already sent copies to Phayu.  He and my father are collaborating.  Gun isn’t going to get away with any of this.”

“What about your case with P’Gun?” 

“We’re sticking with disrupting an assault in progress.  My father may call you upstairs soon for a statement and some questions.  Based on the footage we have, Gun does not look very sympathetic, even with his banged up nose,” Prapai assured him. 

“So you aren’t going to get in trouble?” 

Prapai smiled, “Legally?  Professionally?  Unlikely.”

“That’s good.”

“I told you not to worry about me.  Your case is far more important.”  

“You keep telling me it’s an open and shut case,” Sky rolled his eyes.  

“It is.  But going up against the bank as well as Gun is still a big deal.” 

“Whatever.  I’m not talking about my case with you,” Sky huffed, his annoyance feeling familiar and comfortable.  Only for Sky to flip the script on Prapai as soon as he’d relaxed.  “Do we need to talk about last night?  Or are you done being weird and jumpy around me?” 

Prapai felt like he was choking on air.  They had spent so long dancing around each other, avoiding anything that felt too real, it was unsettling for Sky to address it directly.  “I’m not being weird,” Prapai mumbled, sounding ridiculous even to his own ears.

“Yes, you are.”  

“Okay, maybe I am.  But so are you.  You’re the one who said you wanted to pretend like it didn’t happen and then you—” 

“Then I kissed you?” Sky supplied.

Prapai whined low in his throat.  He was not strong enough for this conversation.  “But we can’t Sky.  Not yet.  We work together; I’m your boss!  HR would have to get involved and there’s so much paperwork and rules and you’d have to transfer departments and you shouldn’t have to!  I’m the one who started this, I should have to move departments.”

“You’re the CEO?  I don’t think there is another department for you to move to,” Sky said, stating the obvious flaw in Prapai's logic.  

“Exactly!  You’re going to be the one who is punished because of my position.  I’m the reason you got fired from the bank and now I’m going to be the reason you’re forced to transfer departments.  And that’s not fair!”  

“It’s not a punishment?  And I'm going to transfer departments anyway?” Sky frowned at him.  

“Yeah, but now it’s going to be a thing and HR will watch us like hawks and everyone will gossip about it.”

“You do realize they already gossip about us, right?”

“What?  No!” Prapai gasped.  Sky just had a smile on his lips, like what he said wasn't concerning at all and Prapai's reaction was simply amusing.

“P’Pai, you sent me flowers on my first day?  And by all accounts act very different around me than what everyone considers ‘normal’.  Of course we’ve been a hot topic on the gossip channels,” Prapai could hear the exasperation in his tone.  Like Sky thought Prapai was being dense right now.   

“Fuck.” 

“Did you really not know that?” Sky laughed.  

“How would I know that?”  Prapai grumbled.  He was too high up on the corporate food chain, no one told him anything.  

“Where do you think Namtan gets all of her intel?” 

“Ugh, that makes it worse!  I don’t want your career, your reputation to be tainted by me!”  Prapai said.  He hadn't wanted their relationship to impact Sky in any way and apparently it already was?   

“My career?  P’Pai, I’m studying to be an architect?  Working as your assistant is not a career move.” 

“But— but you’re so smart and capable and I hate that anyone will think you don’t deserve the position you’re in.  People are awful and they’re going to be awful to you and it’s my fault,”  Prapai felt like he was arguing with himself at this point.  He could so clearly see all the reasons why this was a bad idea, why they should at least wait until Sky transferred, and yet Sky didn't seem to be taking it seriously at all.  

“P’Pai, that’s stupid.  I don’t care what they think,” Sky said as if it was all really that simple. 

“But I care what people think about you!  And I'm not allowed to fire them just for being jerks,” He grumbled.  

“No, you’re not.  But even with people gossiping, no one has been mean to me.  A temporary personal assistant is not exactly an eyebrow raising position you seem to think it is, and your employees like you.  No one thinks this is some nefarious plot.  You’re overthinking this.” 

“But Sky—”

“Do you not want to do this?” Sky cut him off, his question cutting through whatever argument Prapai was going to make.  

“Of course I do!”

“Do you not want me to kiss you again?” 

“That is not what I said,” Prapai backpedaled immediately.  

“Then what are you saying?” 

“I don’t know,” Prapai whined.  “I just— I think dating will be less messy if we wait until after you’ve transferred to make it official with HR.  We need a few layers of management between us and no more valid work reasons to be alone in the office so it looks less questionable from the outside.”

“That’s what you want?” Sky asked, a disbelieving smirk on his face.    

“It isn’t about what I want.  It’s about keeping this above board so you don’t get in any trouble.  And if anyone is even slightly rude to you, I want you to tell me immediately.  I mean it.  One unsavory joke or even the hint of stink eye and I want names.”

“You’re serious?  You really want to wait until after my transfer to even go on a date?”  Sky asked, incredulous.   

“Want to?  No.  Should we?  Probably.” 

“P’Pai, you are a very smart and competent lawyer.  You have whole volumes of law textbooks memorized and you always seem to know exactly what to do when it comes to business.  But my god, you are an idiot sometimes,” Sky said, shaking his head.

Prapai gasped, “That is both the nicest and rudest thing you’ve ever said to me.” 

“You’ve made all these decisions about what needs to happen between us but you’ve never once asked me what I want.  You never once thought to just talk to me so we could be on the same page.  You haven’t even asked me out yet and you’re over here talking about HR paperwork.  That’s stupid,” Sky crossed his arms over his chest, giving Prapai that unimpressed look he was becoming overly familiar with. 

“I— you’re right.  Of course you’re right.  I should have just talked to you.  Ages ago.  I just—,” Prapai cut himself off, unsure what to even say in his own defense.  

“You’re just an idiot,” Sky supplied.  

Prapai sighed, “Yeah, okay.  I’m an idiot.” 

“You know, you only confessed because you were drunk, so it barely even counts.  How do I know you are even serious about this?” Sky asked, a playful lit to his words.  Prapai didn’t have a subtle bone in his body, there was never a question of his feelings towards Sky and they both knew it.  Sky probably knew Prapai was in love with him before Prapai realized it himself.    

Prapai put on the most exaggerated pout he could muster.  “Sky!  How can you doubt me?  You know I’ve liked you for ages.  Since the moment we met.  I want to ask you out; I will ask you out.  I just— I want to do this right?  Even if working for the company isn’t a career for you, it’s where you are right now and I don’t want to do anything that is going to make it harder for you.”     

“You know, after you kissed me at my apartment that day, I had no idea what you were thinking.  You literally ran away,” Sky chuckled, a fondness to it that never failed to make Prapai weak.  “Which was ridiculous by the way.”

“You don’t have to remind me,” Prapai sighed. 

“And you were such a mess the next day,” Sky continued like Prapai hadn’t spoken.  “I figured you were worried about your position, about optics, maybe worried about the fact that I literally had an open lawsuit against my prior employer, and here we were, doing the same thing.  Maybe you thought I was a lawsuit chaser or something.”

“What?!  Of course not!”  Prapai couldn’t stand that Sky would even for a moment think he would believe that.  After all he’d witnessed and all they'd been through?

“It didn’t really cross my mind that you were being weird as some misguided chivalry of making me feel safe at work,” Sky chuckled, a fond amused sort of sound.  “I didn’t realize you were worried about my reputation at the office or how it would impact me.  I just thought you regretted it.  Like genuinely.  Which would have been really shitty of you by the way since you are the one who came onto me.” 

“Sky, that’s not— I— ugh, the only thing I regret is messing everything up between us.  You’re right, I’m an idiot.  I should have talked to you.  I was so worried I’d fucked things up by kissing you that I somehow made everything worse.  I just kept thinking we should wait, that I could hold off until you had transferred and then we could talk about it without so much—,” Prapai waved his hand around as if it expressed what words couldn’t, “stuff in the way.” 

“Well P’Pai,” Sky turned to look at him, “I don’t consider everything messed up.” 

“Oh… okay.  That’s good,” Prapai said.  It was a response he wasn't expecting and he was unsure how to even respond.   

“I never got a chance to thank you, you know?  About Gun?  I’ve never had anyone beat someone up for me before,” Sky chuckled. 

“I thought you were mad at me about that?” Prapai frowned. 

“Oh, I am.  Livid.  It was very irresponsible and stupid of you.  But it was also very hot,” Sky replied.

“Sky!”

Sky just chuckled.  They’d been parked outside of his apartment for ages but only now did he unclip his seat belt.  Prapai wasn’t prepared for Sky to lean across the console until he was a hairsbreadth away, his eyes so warm and clear.  “Thank you; for coming when I called.”  Sky pressed a slow, lingering kiss against Prapai’s cheek, a sparkle in his eye as he pulled back, taking in Prapai’s starstruck expression. 

“If you want to wait until I’ve transferred, I guess that’s okay.  But I’m not going to wait.”  And with that, Sky was hopping out of the car and strolling into his apartment like he hadn’t just tipped Prapai’s entire world off its axis.  

Chapter Text

Prapai whined low in his throat.  Sky was so hot he thought he would combust.  It didn’t help that Sky was doing this on purpose just to torture him.  It didn’t matter though, he just downloaded the picture and immediately set it as his background image so he could spend the rest of the night staring at it.  

He was pretty sure that was Sky’s intention to begin with. 

Chapter Text

Prapai looked through his closet and chose his stuffiest suit.  Three piece, very dull, lots of buttons.  He was not going to repeat what happened yesterday.  As much as he loved Sky paying attention to him, fussing over him, he also needed to survive the workday.  He knew his limitations and Sky smiling and giving him compliments were far beyond what he could reasonably tolerate.  So he dressed with intention, going for boring and stuffy and not at all attractive.

It was a last ditch effort at survival and he was pretty sure it showed.  

As seemed to always be true with Sky however, Prapai had miscalculated.  

As soon as he walked into the office, Sky was there, ready to meet him with a coffee and a deceptively warm smile.  Sky immediately smoothed out wrinkles that didn’t exist as an excuse to run his palms down Prapai’s chest.  His touch was slow and lingering and Prapai was just not strong enough for this reality.  There was no amount of mental preparation that would be sufficient.  Sky was going to give him a stroke at the ripe age of 34.  

“There’s no board meeting today, why are you so dressed up?” 

“I’m not?” Prapai answered, a croaked sort of sound coming out of his throat.  It wasn’t fair that Sky could just touch him so casually when Prapai wasn’t allowed to do anything about it.  It was some sick twisted karma that Prapai was having to endure the full force of Sky’s affection while he had to pretend to be professional.

“You’re wearing a vest?” Sky pointed out, his fingers plucking at the buttons.  

“I wear vests all the time,” Prapai argued.  

“You don’t.  You wear silk shirts with open collars all the time,” Sky said with a knowing smirk.  

“I— only sometimes.” 

“And you usually wear some ridiculous color like salmon or periwinkle.  Not brown.” 

“It’s called desert tan actually, and it is a perfectly acceptable neutral— why are you grilling me about my suit anyway?” Prapai asked.  He could feel the corner he was being backed into and desperately tried to turn the tables.  

“Oh, no reason, I just like seeing you flustered.”  Prapai could see the humor dancing in Sky’s eyes as he adjusted Prapai’s collar, his fingers dragging along his nape.  The pads of his fingers pressed into the soft sensitive skin of Prapai’s neck, just under his collar before drawing a careful path up his jaw.  “You’re going to be late for your meeting,” Sky said, syrupy sweet.

“I don’t like this.  I want to go on record and say I don’t like this,” Prapai said, sounding far too affected for his words to hold any weight.  He loved this, he just didn’t love the context in which it was happening.  He didn’t love that they were at work, that he had responsibilities and shackles from his position that meant he couldn’t reciprocate like he wanted to.  He didn’t love that he was forced to stand here and suffer when every instinct was screaming at him to pull Sky closer. 

“Alright, P’Pai,” Sky replied, his smile only widening.  

~~~

Prapai had just sat down, there was a small break in his schedule between meetings and he had planned to use it to get caught up on emails.  He was definitely not at all hiding from Sky. 

Not that he could. 

Sky made his schedule and knew better than Prapai where he was at any given moment. 

But it didn’t matter because he wasn’t. 

Which was good because it wasn’t working anyway.  

Sky strolled into his office, coming around to Prapai’s side of the desk and half sat, half leaned on the corner, crossing one leg over the other.  “So, are you going to take me out to lunch today?” 

“Sky, we talked about this.  We can’t, not yet,” Prapai’s reply came a beat too late, his brain still fogged up from the incredibly hot way Sky carried his confidence, how casual and at home Sky looked with his hands in his pockets, leaning on Prapai’s desk.  It wasn’t fair.  None of this was fair.  Prapai had stupidly spent weeks hoping for a scenario dangerously close to this one to play out and now that it was his reality, he was useless.  It took everything he could not to pull Sky into his lap, not to kiss his perfect lips, not to snake his hand under Sky’s shirt.  It was so much worse to know that Sky would let him, Sky was encouraging him.     

“Well I didn’t agree to that,” Sky pointed out, leaning forward, closing the space between them.   

Prapai held out a hand to stop him.  “Just— stay over there.”

“Is that an order?  Kinky,” Sky quipped, his smile giving away just how much fun he was having at Prapai’s expense.   

“Sky!” 

“This seems a little unfair.  You used to flirt with me all the time, why is it so bad if I do it back?” Sky asked, the picture of innocence except for that smile.

“I— that was different!” Prapai replied.  He hadn’t really planned any formal argument as to why it was different, it just was.  It was different because Sky hadn’t liked him back, at least not that Prapai had known about.  It was different because Sky was clearly more professional than him.  It was different because Sky could be trusted to not let things go too far.  But if Sky was the one initiating with Prapai?  They both knew Prapai could not be trusted!  He’d proven his lack of self control time and time again.  Sky was playing with fire right now and they both knew it. 

“Why does it matter, P’Pai?  I’m transferring in like two weeks?” Sky asked, clearly amused. 

“You may be transferring, but we both still work here!  My father is literally upstairs!  We shouldn’t even be in here alone right now.  We can’t have rumors flying around that I bent you over the desk or something.”

“Well, we could get the rumor started that you got bent over the desk instead if you’d rather?  I’m good either way,” Sky offered, his eyes sparkling with mischief. 

Prapai groaned, he really did not need that mental image in his head, and as usual, it was entirely his own fault for setting Sky up like that.  “Stop it.  I have a meeting in like 20 minutes, you can’t just say things like that.” 

“We could get a lot accomplished in 20 minutes, P’Pai,” Sky said with a wink and Prapai was pretty sure he was going to combust right here in the office.  This was cruel and unusual punishment.     

“Oh my god, I can’t do this,” Prapai whined.  “I’m scheduling a meeting with HR in the morning.”  It turned out they definitely needed to talk to HR as soon as possible but to protect Prapai rather than Sky.  

Sky chuckled, “Whatever for?”

“Because you’re torturing me!” 

“I don’t think you have enough evidence to support that,” Sky replied, the amusement clear in his eyes.   

“You’re evil,” Prapai said, but his tone was tinged with too much cavernous want for his words to be believable.   

“Hey, P’Pai,” Sky said, a wicked smirk pulling at his lips that promised danger for Prapai.  “Remember when I first started?” 

“Yes?” Prapai answered, bracing himself for whatever Sky was about to say or do.  He could tell from Sky’s tone alone it was going to wreck him.  

“And you told me that story about the prior temp, the phone sex one?”

“What about it?” Prapai asked, hesitation coursing through him. 

“Do you remember what you said to me?” 

Prapai had no idea where this line of questioning was going but he knew he didn’t like it.  “I— no?” 

Sky smirked.  “You said I was welcome to use my phone sex voice on you, just not on clients.” 

“I— I really shouldn’t have said that,” Prapai replied.  He shouldn’t have, it was definitely unprofessional.  But right now, he was pretty sure he shouldn’t have said that because Sky was going to be viciously mean to him because of it.   

“No, probably not,” Sky agreed, leaning forward, bracing his hands on the armrest, crowded Prapai into the chair so he could speak directly into Prapai’s ear.  He dropped his tone into something breathy, sultry, a sound reminiscent of sweat and body heat and fingerprint bruises on delicate skin.  “If we’re going to talk to HR, can we at least do something worthy of talking to HR about?” 

Prapai knew Sky was just fucking with him. 

Prapai knew Sky wasn’t being serious. 

But he couldn’t hide the shiver that ran down his spine at Sky’s words or the tone, dripping with sin.  All Prapai could do was glare at him, trying and failing to hide just how affected he felt. 

Sky threw back his head and laughed, delight blooming across his face.  “Oh, this is fun!” 

“Evil!” Prapai accused again, falling into a pout that he knew was ridiculous.  

Sky didn’t look the least bit sorry, instead just pressing forward and brushing a feather light kiss against Prapai’s pouty bottom lip.  “Schedule your HR meeting if you must, because I have no plans on stopping.” 

Prapai whimpered, a small, pathetic sound that only made Sky’s smirk deepen, before he was breezing out of the room like he wasn’t the embodiment of temptation, as if he wasn't a succubus designed to torment Prapai specifically. 

 ~~~

Prapai was in the conference room bright and early the next morning with Som from HR, looking over the paperwork and a rather invasive questionnaire about their relationship when Sky entered the room.  Prapai was trying very hard to tamp down his stress and anxiety while Sky looked the epitome of calm.  He looked happy even.  

It somehow made some of Prapai’s own stress ease.  This was going to be fine.  They both wanted this.  Now it was just paperwork standing in their way.  They’d get through this, they’d make a plan that everyone could live with and then he’d take Sky out to dinner.  Somewhere nice with candles and expensive wine and they’d have a proper date.  

“Good morning, Khun Sky,” Som said.  “Please have a seat.  Khun Prapai has informed us that the two of you are beginning a relationship and needed to disclose--”

“Actually,” Sky cut in, taking a seat beside Prapai.  “There’s been a change of plans.”

“What?” Prapai jerked away from the paperwork in front of him.  What the hell was Sky talking about?  They’d literally just talked about this yesterday.  Had Sky changed his mind?  Was this retaliation for all of Prapai’s stupidity over the past few weeks?  What could have possibly changed in the twelve hours since they’d last spoken?  

“I’ve made a decision,” Sky said, turning his gaze over to Prapai, confidence and resolution painted on his face.  “On where I want to transfer to.” 

“Okay?” Prapai frowned.  

Sky slid an envelope across the table to Som.  “Here’s my letter of resignation.” 

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

“Your letter of resignation?” Prapai repeated slowly.  He understood the words individually, but was having trouble grasping the concept of them as a whole.  Prapai had tried so hard to ensure that their relationship, the one they were barely even in yet, wouldn’t impact Sky’s job, wouldn’t fall back on Sky in any way, and yet here Sky was, letting their relationship impact his job.   

“Rain offered me a position at his firm and I've decided to take it,” Sky explained. 

The words pelted Prapai like a hail storm.  Everything Sky was saying made perfect sense.  He was studying architecture.  Of course a foot in the door at an architecture firm was a step in the right direction for his career.  It all made sense, and yet something in Prapai’s chest was screaming because this was not what they’d discussed, this was not how any of this was supposed to go.  

“P’Pai?” 

“I— That sounds like a wonderful opportunity for your career,” Prapai said, his tone flat as he forced the words past his lips.  They tasted like ash on his tongue.  He was being selfish, this was a good opportunity for Sky.  He just hadn’t been given a chance to process the absolute devastation he was feeling now that the man he was in love with was voluntarily leaving, walking away from this job and what Prapai had thought they were working towards together.  And it didn’t make any sense.  No one was forcing him out.  Prapai knew that Rain’s firm didn’t pay as well as they did.  They were literally in front of HR in order to push aside the last barrier in their relationship, and Sky was just… leaving?  Without saying a word to Prapai about it beforehand? 

“I see,” Som said, accepting the letter without further comment.  

“I’m happy to finish out these two weeks so my departure can coincide with Namtan’s return from leave.  However, I understand this situation is all a bit… unorthodox.  So if it would be better for me to leave now, that can be arranged too,” Sky offered, his words polite and to the point.   

“Did Khun Prapai ask you to leave because of your relationship?” Som asked, pointedly.  It was a reasonable question considering the circumstances and yet it filled Prapai with indignation.   

“I did not!” Prapai snapped at him.  As if Prapai would do such a thing.  He didn’t even want Sky to leave.  Sure, HR paperwork and stark rules about when and how they were allowed to interact was not his idea of a good start to a relationship, but it still meant he’d get to see Sky every day.  They’d still work together, they’d still be able to go on coffee runs and lunch dates and steal kisses between meetings.  He liked working with Sky and the thought of having to go a full workday without being able to see him, in any context, was horrid.

Sky smiled, “No.  No one is forcing me to do anything.  P’Pai was actually very adamant that our relationship shouldn’t have any negative repercussions on my career.  It is entirely my decision and this is simply a coincidence of timing.  Working here has been a great experience but it is pretty far outside of my career plans, so I’d been considering a change for awhile.  I was still in discussions with my new company up until yesterday, but obviously couldn’t say anything until it was official.  I’m sorry to cause trouble.”

"Have you been offered any incentives to leave?" Som pressed.  

Prapai wanted to growl and snap at him like a dog but Sky just smiled, polite and bland.  "No.  Like I said, it was my decision." 

“Alright, we have two options,” Som said.  “We can proceed with the paperwork disclosing your relationship and sort out a plan for Khun Sky to finish out his two weeks.  The main concern regarding your relationship would be the reporting structure as your position reports to Khun Prapai.   Obviously if you’re in a relationship, Khun Prapai can no longer be your direct supervisor.  And given the nature of your position, it’s unlikely we will find a workable solution that allows you to retain your duties as Khun Prapai’s assistant.  Or… I can forget we talked about this and we can simply proceed with Khun Sky’s termination today.”

“That’s it?” Prapai frowned.  “Sky has to move positions immediately or leave the company?” 

“No one is forcing him to leave the company.  Khun Sky is voluntarily resigning,” Som reminded him, which Prapai found rather infuriating.  "These policies are in place to protect the company from liability, so either Khun Sky no longer reports to you or he no longer works here." 

“Sky, why are you doing this?” Prapai turned to him, ignoring Som entirely.  “We talked about this?”

“P’Pai, I told you I was thinking about what I wanted and considering my options,” Sky reminded him.

“You didn’t tell me one of the options you were considering was leaving,” Prapai said, the sting of reality piercing through his tone.  

“I’ve already made my decision,” Sky said firmly.  “We can discuss this later.”  He turned to Som with a smile.  “I think it is best if I resign as of today.  I’ll come down to your office so we can get everything settled.”  

“Alright,” Som said simply, watching their interaction with obvious fascination.  It wasn’t every day that the other employees got to see Prapai looking so out of sorts.  He was always so put together and in charge, and yet with only a few simple words, Sky was able to shut him down entirely.  

“P’Pai, I’ll call the temp agency and see what they can arrange until Namtan returns,” Sky told him before getting up and walking out of the room like he hadn’t just uprooted Prapai’s entire plan in the span of four minutes.  

~~~

Prapai felt a little pathetic and petulant all day.  He was forced to go to his meetings and sign documents and carry on as usual despite knowing it was his very last day working with Sky.  Every time he walked past Sky’s desk, he was forced to face the reality that Sky was leaving.  It was just monumentally unfair.  

Sky was away from his desk all day, Prapai not even catching a glimpse of him.  So there was no opportunity to talk, no chance to clear the air about what was going on.  So Prapai was left to simply fester in his disappointment.  He couldn't understand why Sky would do this.  Prapai had ensured that this job was perfect for Sky, from the pay to the hours to the flexibility for his schooling.  It didn't make sense to walk away from that.  Sure, the job was about to change because of Namtan's return, and sure working at a architecture firm was obviously a better fit for Sky's future and sure things were about to get more complicated with HR now that they were going to date opening... okay maybe Sky's decision wasn't completely crazy.  But Prapai still hated it on principal.  

Prapai didn't want to come into work tomorrow to see Sky's empty desk.  He didn't want to let go of the little moments throughout the day they had claimed as their own.  He couldn't stop thinking about all of Sky's teasing little quips that were reserved solely for Prapai or the way Sky's lips would curl into the barest of smiles when he would return with their afternoon coffees.  It was mundane and simple and it was all going to end because Sky was no longer going to be there.  

Which was a selfish and stupid reason to be upset but Prapai couldn't seem to get past it.  

It was late into the afternoon when Sky knocked on his office door, his bag slung over his shoulder and firm resolution in his eyes.  “P’Pai?  I left my keycard with HR and there’s instructions on my desk for the temp next week.  I know you hate dealing with temps but please be nice?  It’s only for a few days.  I also left a note for Namtan in the top drawer.”

“So that’s it then?” Prapai asked, feeling defeated and a little miserable.  He’d been planning on how they’d coexist at work while dating and suddenly he was forced to grapple with the idea of no longer working together at all.  And he was not coping well.  

Logically he knew this wasn’t the end of everything.  But he’d spent weeks stressing about this, about how everything would work in the long term, and he felt like the floor had fallen out from under him.  None of this was what they’d talked about, none of this was the plan.

“Yeah, that’s it.  Walk me out?” Sky asked and Prapai couldn’t deny him anything even if he wanted to.

The elevator ride was quiet, Prapai couldn't even seem to enjoy these last few moments together.  He was supposed to have two more weeks with Sky as his assistant.  He was supposed to have their entire future with Sky somewhere else in the building, further away but still accessible.  In one fell swoop, Sky had snatched it all away. 

It wasn't the end of the world.

It would be fine.

Maybe even better. 

He knew that.  

Sky was making a career choice, of course he should take it.  Prapai would never stand in the way of that.  It didn’t mean that the change of plans didn’t suck however.   

When they stepped out onto the sidewalk, Sky immediately pulled him towards the side of the building, away from the bustle of the street before turning to face him.  

“I no longer work for you,” Sky announced.

“Yeah,” Prapai sighed.   

“You’re no longer my boss,” Sky said pointedly.   

“I know.”  Prapai was deflating with every word, too lost in his own head. 

Sky looked bemused more than anything.  “P’Pai… are you dense?  I no longer work for you.”

Prapai frowned, “That’s rude.” 

Sky just rolled his eyes, that fond, exasperated look on his face as he grabbed Prapai's tie, tugging none too gently, yanking Prapai forward and crashing their lips together in a hard, desperate kiss.  Prapai’s pretty sure his brain short circuited at the action, the swing between the extreme highs and lows of the day were making him lightheaded.  Despite his brain not working, his body seemed to be reacting a bit quicker, his hand making a slow slide down Sky’s back to settle at the gentle curve of his ass only to pull him in tighter.  They were in public, right in front of Prapai’s workplace, where his father worked for fucks sake.  And Prapai couldn’t care less.  

Sky pulled back slightly, breathless and so obviously happy as he pressed their foreheads together.  “So are you busy tomorrow night?” 

“Hmm?” Prapai’s brain was still too full of cotton candy for words.  His stomach was doing that swoopy thing again and he felt drunk off of Sky's smile, the taste of his lips, the effortless way Sky was clinging to him.   

“Friday. Are you busy?”

“No?”

“Great, pick me up at 7.”

“What?  What is happening right now?”  Prapai felt like he was missing something obvious but his brain had simply been pulled in too many different directions that day.  All of his plans had collapsed in on themselves like a dying star and he couldn’t seem to see past the rubble.  And Sky had just done a hard reset on his brain with that kiss.  It really wasn't Prapai's fault that he couldn't comprehend words anymore.    

“You really are slow sometimes,” Sky muttered but there was soft affection laced through his words.  “I am asking you out on a date.” 

Prapai felt a little slow, his brain overheating as it tried to make sense of the words.  He was pretty sure he was dreaming, the amount of times he’d choked back those same words, catching them in his teeth before he could compromise their fragile relationship all for Sky to barrel right through them.  

“Are you broken or is that a no?” Sky asked, quirking an eyebrow at him.  

“Broken,” Prapai answered.  “Sorry, you’ve just made me feel the full range of human emotion in the past ten minutes, I’m a little overwhelmed.  Why didn’t you tell me you were planning this?”  Prapai asked, trying not to whine.  

Sky gave him a very unimpressed look.  “Honestly?  I thought you were a little smarter than this and would have figured it out on your own.  But why don’t we just call it payback?  You spent an awfully long time making plans for the both of us and not telling me any of it.  I figured it was my turn,” Sky replied, looking far too pleased with himself.   

Prapai groaned, “That’s just mean.  I didn’t do it on purpose.” 

“No.  But you still deserved to sweat a little bit,” Sky answered, not the least bit sorry about the stress he'd caused Prapai that day.  

“Fine.  I deserve it.” 

“How about we both promise to talk to each other instead of making unilateral decisions about our relationship next time?” Sky suggested, his hands sliding around Prapai's waist under his suit jacket.

“Our relationship,” Prapai repeated, testing out the words.  The words were new but felt at home on his lips.  They were in a relationship.  After everything, after all the bumps and complications, they were finally in a relationship.    

“P’Pai, focus.  I want us to be on the same page, no more lying or hiding stuff or deciding what's best for the other without talking about it first.  It's annoying and I don't want to do it."  Sky had that little wrinkle between his brow, not quite a frown but working it's way there, and it was so cute Prapai wanted to squish something.  Instead, he just kissed it away.

“I promise,” Prapai replied.  He knew he’d probably continue to screw things up, he didn’t have a lot of practice at this whole long term relationship idea.  But he was pretty sure as long as they kept talking,  it would be fine.

“Will you stop moping about me leaving now?” Sky asked.  “Even if I’d moved to another department, you’re still the CEO.  You’re always going to be the boss to some degree so things were always going to be complicated.  And you were already being so weird about us, I just… I think there’s something here,” He pointed between them.  “And I don’t want to risk not exploring that for a job I don’t even care about.  So you're not my boss anymore.”  

“Yeah but… I really liked working with you.  I’m going to miss seeing you every day,” Prapai responded.  Of course everything Sky was saying was logical and rational and correct but the thought of not seeing Sky every single day anymore was still weighing heavily on him.  He hadn’t had any time to just sit with this information, to process it and make sense of his whirlwind of emotions.  

“Well, I think you’re really going to like dating me even more,” Sky assured him.  "It comes with a lot more perks than being my boss does." 

Prapai chuckled, “Yeah, I think you're right.”  Prapai felt affection blooming in his chest.  He was so in love with this man it was stupid.  “You really quit just so we can date?” 

“Maybe I just didn’t like working for you.  You’ve got a bit of a reputation after all,” Sky quipped.  “The callous CEO who just burns through temps, gone through six already, I hear.  Poor Namtan is the only one who can handle you.”

“And you leaving like this is only going to reinforce that,” Prapai whined playfully.

“Yep,” Sky smiled.  “Pretty sure this means you lose the betting pool too.” 

Prapai sighed, “Oh no, what will I do without my 200 baht?” 

“You’re a rich asshole, I think you’ll figure it out.”   

“Why do I like someone who’s so mean to me?” Prapai asked but he couldn’t keep the smile off of his face.  

“Sounds like the kind of thing you should be talking to your shrink about, not me,” Sky responded, a twinkle in his eye.

Prapai felt like he was overflowing with happiness so he just pulled Sky into another kiss.  

Because he was allowed to do that now.  

Sky had made sure of it. 

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

“We’re going to be late,” Sky warned him, checking his watch for the millionth time.  The anxiety coursing through him was tangible.  Prapai knew that today, he couldn’t really do anything to stop it, all he could do was help mitigate it and he was trying his best.  

“No we aren’t,” Prapai replied, taking his hand and giving him a reassuring squeeze.  “Everything is going to be fine.” 

“You’re the same person who assured me this case would never even go to trial,” Sky reminded him.  "So your assurance that everything is fine doesn't mean shit to me right now."  

Prapai distinctly remembered saying ‘unlikely’, but now was not the time to argue the semantics of his past language.  “I’m sorry, baby.”

Sky huffed, “Can we please just go?” 

“Okay,” Prapai agreed easily.  “Let’s go.  We can get some coffee before the trial.” 

“I’m already all jittery, I don’t need coffee,” Sky replied, following Prapai out of the apartment and into the elevator.  

“Maybe a nice cup of tea then?” 

“Stop trying to fix everything and just let me be nervous,” Sky grumbled, fussing with his jacket, smoothing out wrinkles that didn't exist and tugging at his cuffs to make them lay just so.

Prapai smiled, “You’re allowed to be nervous but I’m allowed to fuss over you.” 

“So annoying,” Sky replied but he looked like he was fighting a smile. 

“Hey,” Prapai pulled him up short as they stepped out of the elevator and into the parking garage of Prapai’s condo.  Sky looked sharp in the suit Prapai had bought him, the crisp white shirt against the dark navy made him look serious, almost severe.  The illusion ruined as soon as Sky started worrying his lip between his teeth.  Prapai smiled, reaching out to brush his thumb across Sky’s jaw.  “It really is going to be okay.” Prapai assured him, pulling Sky against his chest and wrapping him up in a hug.  Sky sagged against him, winding his arms around Prapai’s back and allowing himself to be held.  Sky’s softness was a gift given to Prapai that he did not take for granted.  Prapai just tried to pour every bit of reassurance and comfort he could muster into that hug, it was all he could really do to help.  Everything else was out of his hands.  

Sky slowly peeled himself off a Prapai, his fingers dancing down Prapai’s arm until their fingers intertwined instead.  Something about the gesture felt very much like being sucker punched in the chest but like, in a good way.  Even after making their relationship official, even after weeks of dates and late night texts and sleepovers, it sometimes still felt surreal.  Sky had chosen him.  This was real and he was allowed to love this gorgeous perfect man openly and with abandon.  He must have saved a whole village in a past life.  

“I’m going to be right behind you the whole time,” Prapai reminded him.  “And If you want me to jump the barrier and sock him again, just give me the signal.” 

Sky finally cracked at that, a smile slipping through despite his best efforts to hide it.  “What exactly is the signal?”

“I don’t know?  Looking in my general direction?” Prapai replied, fighting a smile himself. 

“You’re such an idiot,” Sky muttered.  The words were a common refrain at this point in their relationship, but they were wrapped in too much affection to hold any sting. 

“I’d do it, you know?  If you asked me to,” Prapai said, giving his hand a squeeze.  

“Sadly, I do believe that.  Please don’t punch P’Gun in court.  In front of a judge.  And a bailiff.  And witnesses.  I will be very annoyed with you if you do,” Sky answered.  

“How annoyed?  Glare at me and call me an idiot, annoyed?  Or like stop staying at my place kind of annoyed?” Prapai asked.   

“Call your mother on you kind of annoyed,” Sky replied, grinning at the crestfallen look on Prapai’s face.  

“Yikes.  Okay.  No punching Gun today.” 

“Don’t even joke about it,” Sky demanded as he climbed into the car beside Prapai.  “I’m only allowing you to come because I don’t want to have to recap everything for you later.  Once this is over I never want to hear the name Gun ever again.” 

“I think one of the doormen in my apartment is named Gun, want me to get him fired?” 

Sky rolled his eyes.

“Okay, okay.  I understand, I'm here for moral support only.  I will not jump the barrier and physically assault Gun, I will not slip Phayu any notes during the hearing, I will not call out objections in my Phayu voice when the judge isn’t looking.  I will not throw peanuts at the back of Gun’s head.  I will not slip a whoopee cushion in his chair during a recess session…” 

“P’Pai be serious, please,” Sky sighed but Prapai could see some of the tension in his face easing.  

Prapai let his playful tone drop away.  “I will be sitting behind you the entire time ready and waiting to give you a hug when you win this thing and it’s finally all over.  If it gets to be too much, all you gotta do is look over your shoulder.  I’ll be right there and I'll shoot you a finger heart or something.” 

Sky’s lip twitched in the briefest of smiles.  “I thought looking at you was the signal though?” 

“I’ll think of a better ‘attack Gun’ signal then.  Please look at me if you need to.”

“It’s no fair, why did my case have to go in front of a judge when yours fizzled into nothing?” Sky asked, a bit petulant.  

Prapai tried not to smile, “Gun dropped his case against me because I had video proof of what happened.  He probably couldn’t get a lawyer to represent him after they looked at the evidence.  Your case is going before a judge because it’s a much bigger deal and the bank and Gun were hoping to scare you off before it got this far.  Now they are going to pay for it.” 

“How are you always so confident?” Sky asked, a hint of a whine in the back of his throat.

“I’m confident because you’re going to win,” Prapai answered simply.  It was kind of nice, just being the supportive boyfriend instead of the lawyer who wasn’t allowed to make definitive statements like this.  They were going to win, but as a lawyer it was best to hedge his bets until it was over.  But Prapai could say whatever he wanted because if things went badly, it was Phayu’s fault.  

It wouldn’t though.  

Because they were going to win. 

Prapai wouldn’t have hired Phayu if he wasn’t confident in that fact.   

“Rain said he was coming too,” Prapai informed him as he pulled into the parking garage by the court house.  

“Really?  I thought he was working on a big project?” 

“He is.  But he wanted to come support you,” Prapai reminded him.  He truly didn’t understand how Sky couldn’t see how loved he was sometimes.  Even though they’d only met recently, Rain referred to Sky as his best friend already.  It didn’t matter how busy he was, he would always come and support Sky.  “He also said, and I quote, ‘P’Phayu is so hot when he’s in court’,” Prapai made sure to put on his best Rain impression to get the words out.

Sky chuckled, “That sounds about right.”

“Are you saying you find Phayu hot?” Prapai pouted at him.  “Right in front of me?” 

“Yes, P’Pai.  That’s exactly what I'm saying,” Sky rolled his eyes but leaned across the console to press a fleeting kiss to Prapai’s lips.  “You caught me, it was never about you, I actually just have a thing for lawyers.” 

Prapai pretended to grumble and whine as they walked up the steps to the courthouse, trying to keep Sky distracted and in the present moment for as long as possible.  Phayu was already waiting for them by the front door despite how early they all were.  Phayu was in a dark grey suit with a black undershirt and tie, the color making his perpetual frown look severe and his eyes terrifying for anyone sitting opposed to him in court.  

“How are you holding up?” Phayu asked Sky, softening his entire look with a gentle smile. 

“Nervous.  Scared.  Ready for this to be over,” Sky answered.   

“Phayu nodded, “That’s normal.  We have a strong case, there’s nothing to be nervous about.”

“Easy for you to say,” Sky mumbled, making Prapai smile.  Sky’s sass was usually reserved for him alone, it was always comical to see Phayu thrown off balance by one of Sky’s jabs.   

“We’ll meet you inside,” Prapai said to Phayu, grabbing Sky’s hand to stop him from entering the court house.  

Sky still looked nervous and grumpy and a little miserable.  Prapai knew he couldn’t magically fix it, but he wanted to.  He wanted to soothe away the stress, to smooth out the wrinkle in Sky’s brow with his fingers and pluck Sky’s lip out from between his teeth.  Prapai wanted to fix everything and he hated that it was all outside of his control.  He would just have to be the supportive boyfriend and nothing more, just like he’d promised.   

“Hey,” Prapai said softly, pulling Sky into a hug.  “I’m proud of you for doing this.” 

Sky just grumbled incoherently in his chest.  Prapai ran a finger along Sky’s jaw, using it to tip Sky’s head up to meet his eyes.  Sky’s eyes were always so expressive, so open and full of trust.  It reminded Prapai of that fateful day when he’d punched Gun, the day that changed everything between them.  He was so glad that Sky had trusted him then and that somehow, despite everything they'd been through, Sky still trusted him.  “I love you.  No matter what happens, it’s going to be okay.” 

Sky nodded, his eyes slipping closed as he let out a heavy sigh like he was purging some of the nerves that were still coursing through him, as if Prapai’s words were having their intended effect.  

“Are you ready to go in?” Prapai asked.

“Yeah,” Sky replied.  “And P’Pai?  I love you too.” 

~~~

Walking out of the courthouse, Prapai felt a tangible weight had lifted from all of them.  Sky was walking with a spring in his step and a smile on his lips that couldn’t be shaken.  It wasn’t often that the justice system worked like it was supposed to, but it helped to have lawyers like Prapai and Phayu working to make the cogs move as they were supposed to.  

“So drinks are on Sky, right?” Rain asked.  “Since you’re like, rich now.” 

“Rich feels like a stretch.  It’s not even that much money,” Sky replied but the smile on his face was permanent.  He’d won a sizable chunk of money in damages when it was all said and done, but it wasn’t exactly yacht money.  He wasn’t going to be retiring anytime soon.  But it was something.  A judge had said ‘what the bank did, what Gun did, was wrong.  That reassurance felt more important than the money.  But money certainly helped.  Sky had money in his bank account for his trouble, enough money to make life a little easier and more comfortable.  Not that Prapai would let him live in anything but comfort, regardless of the outcome, but perhaps maybe Sky would be more willing to discuss moving in together now that he had a safety net of his own, now that he had funds to finish school and a nest egg to fall back on.  

Once things settled down, Prapai would have to revisit that conversation.  Sky's apartment was much too far away from Prapai's condo.

“Drinks are on me tonight,” Prapai cut in.  He’d be damned if anyone else tried to pay for their celebration tonight.  It was Sky’s case, Sky’s fight and therefore Sky’s win.  Prapai wasn’t even really involved except for connecting Sky with Phayu.  And yet, he felt so much pride as he watched Sky stand up there, watched Sky defend himself against bullies.  That was his boyfriend.  That was the man he loved.  And he wanted to celebrate.  He wanted to celebrate Sky, wanted to celebrate winning the case and wanted to celebrate the end of Gun impacting their lives.    

Rain and Sky skipped ahead on the sidewalk, chatting and giggling.  There was a lightness to Sky that Prapai had never seen before but swore to himself would be the new normal from here on out.  Prapai let them go on ahead, falling in step beside Phayu.

“So it’s finally over,” Phayu said, a rare smile on his lips.  Prapai knew how it felt to win a case he was passionate about, even if Phayu maintained his professional facade, Prapai knew different.  This one mattered.  To all of them.    

“Yeah, it is,” Prapai smiled, an easy carefree smile.  It really was over.  “Thank you.  For doing this,” Prapai said, the words feeling inadequate.  Phayu had gone above and beyond in the friendship category and a simple thank you didn’t even scratch the surface of how much it meant to Prapai.  

“You’re welcome.” 

“Send the bill to my office, I'll take care of it.” 

“There’s no bill, Prapai,” Phayu replied, something gentle and warm in his tone that Prapai had never heard before.

“What?  No I didn’t mean for you to—” 

“I figure,” Phayu cut him off.  “That it’s a matter of time before Rain gets in trouble.  He’s such a hothead sometimes.  And it would be unethical for me to be his lawyer when that happens, so I'll need someone to step in.” 

Prapai smiled, softening at the implication.  Prapai knew if the tables were turned, he wouldn’t accept money from Phayu either.  So he relented, accepting this gift from his best friend with as much grace as he could.  “Yeah you’re probably right.” 

“You’ll have to do some heavy duty studying though.  Whatever trouble he lands in won’t be tax or contract related,” Phayu reminded him.   

Prapai chuckled, “I think I can handle it.”  Prapai reached out, pulling them up short before they reached the restaurant doors.  “I mean it, thank you.”  Prapai pulled him into a strong hug.  Phayu was never much for physical affection, not from anyone except Rain that is, but he allowed it.  Another testament to the real depth of their friendship.

“Of course.  I’m glad you and Sky worked your shit out,” Phayu said, peeling Prapai off of him and pulling the conversation towards something lighter. 

“Me too,” Prapai chuckled.  

“He’s good for you,” Phayu said.  “And I’m not just saying that because Rain adores him.” 

Prapai smiled, “I got lucky.” 

“You’re lucky he puts up with your bullshit,” Phayu quipped but there was a softness to his smile.

“That too.” 

“You don’t get to skip drinks anymore though.  Rain would kill you if you showed up without Sky anyway.” 

“I’ll let Sky now,” Prapai assured him.  He didn't think Sky would have any issue with that either, he seemed to get along like a house on fire with Rain and Phayu, the three of them always finding something to tease Prapai about, it was apparently quite the bonding experience.

Right at that moment, Sky’s head popped out through the restaurant door.  “What are you two doing?” 

“Nothing, we’re coming,” Prapai assured him.  

Sky reached out, taking his hand and pulling him forward.  “Rain is going to order the whole menu if you aren’t quick.” 

Prapai pressed a quick kiss to Sky’s temple.  “Rain can order whatever he wants tonight, we’re celebrating.” 

“No he can’t,” Phayu said.  “He’ll start challenging everyone at the bar in a drinking contest and I’ll have to carry him home.” 

“Oh, now I want to see that!” Prapai laughed. 

“Come on, let's get a few drinks into you,” Sky said as they all slid into the booth.  

“Me?  Why?” Prapai frowned at him.  

“Because you’re adorable when you’re drunk.  Like a tired little puppy,” Sky booped his nose for good measure.   

Rain giggled, already halfway into his first drink.  

“I am not—” Prapai protested. 

“You know that’s the only reason he confessed to me,” Sky told Rain and Phayu, ignoring Prapai’s protests entirely.   

“What, really?” Phayu laughed.

“P’Pai, you didn’t!” Rain gasped.  “You confessed while drunk?” 

Prapai pouted, “It wasn’t exactly planned.” 

“It was very cute.  Ridiculous.  But cute,” Sky said, that soft affectionate smile on his lips.  God, he was so pretty, Prapai didn’t know what to do with himself sometimes.  What had he done to deserve someone so perfect looking at him like that?  He had no idea but he knew that he’d do anything to keep it.  Even if that meant enduring relentless teasing at his expense.

“Can I at least have a drink before you roast me in front of my friends?” Prapai pouted but he was far too happy to make it convincing.    

“Of course, baby,” Sky replied, pressing a kiss to his cheek. 

“Ugh, you two are disgusting,” Rain whined.  “Don’t screw this up, P’Pai.” 

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Prapai answered, his smile just a little too hopelessly in love to be anything but honest.  

“He won’t screw it up.  I won’t let him,” Sky assured Rain.

“I can’t believe you fell for your assistant, Prapai.  How cliche,” Phayu quipped. 

“No, I didn’t.  I fell for him before he even became my assistant,” Prapai answered as if that made it better.  “And he’s not my assistant anymore because Rain stole him!” 

“I did not!” Rain frowned at him, offended at the accusation. 

“Remember, I didn’t even want to give you Sky’s number because I knew you’d steal him,” Prapai whined.  ‘And look!  You stole him!’

‘You’re literally dating?” Rain said, exasperated.  

“Yeah but I don’t get to see him at work everyday now and it’s all your fault,” Prapai replied.  Even though it had been weeks now since Sky had taken the job with Rain, a job Sky seemed to love, Prapai made it a point to bring it up every time they got together.  Prapai really did miss getting to work with Sky.  Not that he'd trade it for what they had now, but that was irrelevant when it came to teasing Rain.   

“P’Pai?” Sky cut in, his voice syrupy sweet, grabbing Prapai’s tie and pulling him in close. 

“Hmm?” Prapai tried not to whimper.  Sky was just so hot when he did shit like that.  And even worse, Sky knew it.  He knew it made Prapai weak and it was playing dirty to do it in public like this.  

“Shut up.”  Prapai could hear the chortles of laughter from Rain and Phayu but he didn’t care, not even a little bit because Sky was pulling him in closer, pressing a searing kiss to his lips.  

And really, lucky didn't even begin to cover it.  

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