windowlessatmosphere

[windowlessatmosphere]

authors! go to your ao3 dashboard, click on statistics, look at your totals and tell me how many hits you have?

[windowlessatmosphere]

If a history-based work is good and inaccurate it’s because it’s a piece of art that sacrificed some points of accuracy for the sake of storytelling and conveying themes deeper and more important than a straightforward recounting of facts. If it’s bad and inaccurate then that’s just another reason why it sucks

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Something Real

Summary: Sky is thrilled to have his very first internship, earned entirely on his own. This is dampened slightly by the fact that he keeps getting hit on by the boss' son. When he eventually decides to drop in the fact that he has a boyfriend, his entire workplace decides that he must be making the whole thing up. Sky's not really sure whether he should be more amused or offended. Prapai has chosen offended.

It was a good feeling, to have done it on his own.

Prapai had offered to connect him with multiple architecture firms, and Payu had all but straight up told him he could come work with him.

He’d done it on his own, though.

His grades, his interview, and his letters of reference had been enough, and he had finally started his first internship. Rain had secured one, too, though not at the same firm. Not at Payu’s firm, either, much to Payu’s disappointment and Rain’s insistence.

So, they wouldn’t be working together. That was fine. Sky had already made a few friends, mostly the other interns, as well as a few of the assistants.

It had been a great experience, overall, and he was learning a lot. His resume wouldn’t suffer either, what with the company’s reputation in the industry. There was only one problem, really.

“He’s so annoying,” Sky complained, stuffing his mouth with noodles.

“Just tell him you have a boyfriend,” Rain suggested, rolling his eyes.

“He hasn't actually done anything yet,” Sky replied moodily. “He just keeps making these weird comments.”

“Just bring it up in passing, then,” Rain pivoted. “Maybe he’ll drop it.”

Sky shrugged, considering it. It was a fair point, after all, just one he hadn’t gotten the chance to try. Win had been a slight annoyance since the beginning of his internship, but he’d never really stuck around long enough to have an actual conversation.

Eventually, though, there’d be an opportunity for Sky to mention it, and then things would resolve themselves.

-----

“You look nice today.” Win flashed him a smile as he walked by, passing him before Sky could open his mouth to reply.

He glanced down at his outfit, trying to gauge whether he looked different enough today to elicit a genuine compliment, or if it was definitely flirting.

“You don’t look that nice,” Jem deadpanned, not even sparing a glance at him.

He rolled his eyes. He was wearing a new shirt today. Maybe that was it.

-----

“How about Sky?” Win suggested, fixing him with a beaming look. “He’s done so well on all his current projects.”

Sky’s boss, Sakda, fixed him with an evaluating look before agreeing with a slight nod. The initial rush of pride faded quickly. While Win was technically just a junior architect, the fact remained that his father owned the company, and Sakda was likely just agreeing with him out of deference.

Of course, there was the possibility that he was impressed with Sky’s work, but that was nearly impossible to tell. With the amount of praise Win heaped on Sky, the lines were far too blurred.

-----

“We should have coffee sometime,” Win suggested, leaning against the counter in the kitchen.

“We’re having coffee right now,” Sky pointed out, raising his own mug with a lifted brow.

Win let out a short laugh, giving him a fond smile.

“Really, though,” he continued. “Maybe on Saturday?”

Sky blinked, trying to figure out if that constituted a date or just a friendly hang-out.

“I can’t this Saturday,” he decided. “I’m going to the beach with my boyfriend.”

Win was silent for a moment. “Oh,” he said, sounding caught off guard. “Yeah. Maybe another time.”

Sky nodded, and they made light chitchat for a bit until Win made an excuse and dashed off somewhere. Sky let out a breath, the tension in his chest easing a bit now that the awkwardness had dissipated. He shot off a text to Rain with an update and immediately got back a bunch of thumbs-up emojis.

-----

“Excuse me,” he heard a voice call as he walked through the front doors. “You tell me nothing,” Jem informed him, pulling on his arm.

“Good morning to you,” he responded, a light tone of amusement clear in his words.

“Since when do you have a boyfriend?” she asked accusatorily.

“For like…two years?” he replied, furrowing his brow. “We’ve talked about him,” Sky said. They must have talked about him. “P’Pai,” he prompted her, tilting his head.

“He’s your boyfriend?” Jem asked, sounding surprised. Sky nodded, and she continued, “I thought he was just a friend.”

“Why?” Sky asked, laughing a little as they got on the elevator.

“You complain about him a lot,” she pointed out.

“He deserves it,” Sky defended himself. “Besides, he’s used to it.” The elevator doors opened, and they got out, heading to their desks.

“Show me a picture,” she said, just as they were passing Ying’s desk.

“A picture of what?” Ying interjected. “Sky’s boyfriend?”

“Why does everybody know about this?” Sky wanted to know.

“You turned Win down,” Ying pointed out.

“Finally,” Jem butted in.

“And nobody even knew you had a boyfriend.”

“Exactly,” Jem agreed. “So. Picture.”

Sky sighed, sliding his phone out of his pocket and pulling up his photos. He scrolled through a couple recent ones of the two of them before landing on one of Prapai at the park. Sky had taken it when they’d gone for a picnic, and Pai was smiling widely at the camera. It was a nice picture.

“He’s cute!” Ying said approvingly, while Jem raised a suggestive eyebrow in lieu of a comment.

“What does he do?” Jem asked, nodding towards Sky’s phone.

“He’s in business,” Sky said vaguely, continuing when Jem and Ying both stared him down. “He works for his dad’s company.”

“Who does?” Alpha’s voice came from behind him, and Sky groaned internally. 

There was really very little actual competition in the internship program. Axis Architecture encouraged a collaborative atmosphere of teamwork and communication–according to the website, anyway. Alpha, however, had made it her mission to compete with Sky at every opportunity, despite his complete and total lack of interest in reciprocating.

“Sky’s boyfriend,” Ying chimed in, ignoring both Jem and Sky’s fervent looks to say nothing.

“I heard about that,” Alpha gave him a tight smile. “Odd we hadn’t heard about him before,” she commented with a slight shrug. Sky resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Sue him for not bringing his personal life into work.

“We should probably get going,” Jem interjected, not bothering to give Alpha a fake smile. “I need to go over some things with Sky before the morning meeting.”

Sky confirmed the half-truth, figuring she probably did want to go over some things. They were just likely to be completely unrelated to work. They walked off, waiting until they were completely out of earshot before either of them spoke.

“She’s the worst,” Jem informed him, as though he was unaware. “And so are you.”

“Hey,” Sky protested.

“You tell me nothing,” she reminded him.

“I tell you things,” he defended himself. “You just assume other things.”

“Fine, fine.” She waved him off. “So tell me things, then.”

“Like…?”

“Like, what’s he like?” She rolled her eyes at him.

“He’s great,” Sky answered automatically. “He’s sweet, thoughtful, supportive, he’s got a great relationship with his family—”

“He’s hot,” Jem interjected.

“Sure,” Sky allowed. “We communicate well, and he’s in touch with his emotions and—”

“Rich,” Jem added, causing Sky to furrow his brow.

“Yes?” It came out as somewhat of a question.

“Hobbies?” she questioned, squinting her eyes as she studied Sky.

“I mean…” Sky thought about it for a moment. “He rides motorcycles? And he likes working out.”

Jem sighed.

“I support you,” she said, completely unprompted.

“Thank you?”

“And I totally get it,” she continued. “You don’t like Win, but he’s still the boss’ son. It’s cool.”

“Okay?” he replied.

“But maybe dial it back a little with the whole ‘boyfriend’ thing,” she suggested. “It’s a good idea,” she hurried to explain. “But you don’t need to make him hot and rich and into motorcycles and emotionally available.”

Sky blinked.

“I’m not—” he started.

“It’s fine,” she reassured him, giving him a hard pat on the back. “I get it.”

She walked off, leaving Sky utterly confused and standing by himself. Win rounded the corner and spotted him, giving him an awkward nod before passing him without making eye contact.

So. At least that was happening.

Jem had some weird idea that Prapai…didn’t exist? Wasn’t actually dating him? Wasn’t actually that great? At this point, he wasn’t too sure. Regardless, it would be fine. He would clear things up with her later, if she was still confused, and Win would leave him alone, and everything would be fine.

-----

His workplace had not gotten the memo.

For the rest of the day, despite the hushed voices, he heard far too many people whispering when he walked by. Speculating over whether he had a boyfriend or not, whether he’d grabbed some guy’s picture off Instagram and made the whole thing up, whether Win had been harassing him so much that it had warranted that.

Alpha was the worst of them all, of course, not bothering to make her comments to anyone other than Sky. She didn’t come right out and say it, but it was clear she thought Sky was full of shit and wanted everyone else to think so, too.

It was infuriating, especially so because no one—excluding Jem—had actually accused him of lying about anything. He couldn’t exactly start brandishing pictures of him with Prapai at people when they were just talking amongst themselves.

I mean, he could. It just probably wouldn’t go that well.

“So, Sky,” an incredibly annoying voice interrupted his musing. He sighed, bracing himself before turning to face Alpha.

“Yes?” he asked, raising an eyebrow and trying to keep his exasperation from bleeding into his tone.

“I’ve been hearing so much about your boyfriend lately.” The amount of false brightness in her tone was insufferable. “I can’t wait to meet him.”

Sky resisted the urge to laugh. Like that was happening. His disbelief must have been evident on his face, though, as she clarified, “You’ll be bringing him to the gala, right? Everybody gets a plus one.”

He racked his brain, finally pulling up a vague memory of a quickly-skimmed email from a while ago.

“Right,” he said. “The gala.”

“Everyone’s so excited to meet him,” she emphasized, raising a challenging eyebrow.

“Well,” he replied. “He’ll be there.”

-----

“I can’t be there.”

“P’Pai!”

“I’m sorry,” Prapai said, looking contrite. “If you had mentioned something sooner…” Sky shot him a withering glare. “I am sorry,” he reiterated. “But I’ll be in London that whole week for work. It’s unavoidable.”

Sky groaned, ignoring Pai’s raised eyebrows when he slid off the couch onto the floor, defeated.

“You don’t usually want me at these things,” Prapai reminded him. That was true. It wasn’t that Sky didn’t enjoy his presence, it was just that he liked to keep his work and his personal life separate. Until now, apparently.

“There’s this guy…” he trailed off, shaking his head. It was fine. Pai couldn’t come, anyway.

“What guy?” Prapai wanted to know immediately, eyes narrowing.

“The boss’ son,” Sky explained. “He was kind of…hitting on me.” 

Prapai grumbled under his breath.

“So I told him I had a boyfriend,” Sky continued, rolling his eyes at the way Pai immediately brightened. “And now everyone thinks I made you up.”

“I’m not made up,” Prapai said, clearly offended at the idea. “I’m real! I’m right here.”

“Yes, I’m aware,” Sky said, half-laughing as he shook his head. “It’s fine. I promise.”

-----

“It’s fine,” Sky told Jem through gritted teeth. She gave him a doubtful look before her eyes flicked over to a group in the corner, which, of course, included Alpha.

“Apparently, he can’t come,” Alpha said in a faux-whisper, more than loud enough for Sky to hear. “Convenient.”

Jem rolled her eyes and dragged him away by his arm.

“Look,” she said, once they were alone. “Just say that you broke up. It’ll all blow over.”

“What?” Sky blinked at her, confused.

“I can start the rumor,” she offered, tilting her head at him.

“What?” he said again.

“And if Win starts bothering you, just say you’re still getting over it and you’re not ready to date. People will stop talking, and you won’t have to make excuses when he doesn’t show up for the next event. Or the one after that. Or the one after that.”

“Jem!” he protested, genuinely frustrated that she, of all people, didn’t believe him either. “He’ll come to the next thing,” he told her. “He’s just out of town.”

“In London, you mean?” raising an eyebrow skeptically. “You could’ve come up with something a little more believable,” she insisted, shaking her head before she turned to leave.

Sky opened his mouth to explain himself further, then stopped. Whatever. It wasn’t worth it. With his luck, Pai would be busy next time, and then he’d look even stranger.

On the bright side, now he had to go to the gala by himself, with everyone whispering about him. Including his friends, apparently. He could barely stand the excitement.

-----

“I hate this,” Sky hissed to Jem, trying to keep his expression neutral as Alpha strode over confidently.

“Do you want me to kick her in the shins?” she whispered back, and he couldn’t hold back a smile.

“Maybe,” he muttered, just before Alpha reached them, several of the other interns clustered around her.

“Sky!” She gave him a wide smile. “How nice to see you.”

He did his best to return the smile, but couldn’t bring himself to echo her sentiment. It really wasn’t that nice.

“It’s really a shame,” she continued, undeterred. “We were all looking forward to meeting this boyfriend of yours, weren’t we?” The other interns looked slightly uncomfortable at being directly invited into the conflict and just murmured something incomprehensible in response.

“I’m sure we’ll meet him next time,” she continued. Sky refrained from rolling his eyes. “You know, unless he’s out of town again?”

Sky opened his mouth to reply, not entirely sure what he was about to say, when he was interrupted.

“Sky!” A familiar voice came from behind him, and he turned around to see Prapai. Prapai, who was in London. Though, apparently not.

“P’Pai?” he asked, obvious confusion seeping into his words. Pai was smiling widely as he came over.

“Maybe,” he answered, eyes sparkling. Sky rolled his eyes.

“You’re supposed to be in London,” he reminded him.

“I worked hard,” Pai defended himself. “Pa let me duck out early so I could make it here in time. Aren’t you supposed to be happy to see me?” he pouted.

Sky rolled his eyes.

“Sure,” he allowed, unable to fully suppress his smile as Prapai leaned in to kiss him quickly.

Jem made a sound in her throat, reminding Sky of the fact that he was surrounded by coworkers.

“Sorry, sorry,” he said hastily. He turned around, blinking when he realized that the crowd had grown, all of the other interns now peering curiously at Prapai.

“This is P’Pai,” he directed his words mostly at Jem and Ying, who had also appeared out of nowhere. “P’Pai, this is Jem and Ying,” he gestured, “and my coworkers,” he landed on, nodding to the crowd as a whole.

“Nice to meet you all,” Prapai grinned widely, pretending to be wildly oblivious to the fact that he had been such a topic of conversation.

Alpha was gaping a bit, clearly lost for words in a way that Sky couldn’t deny was satisfying. Win was a ways behind her, with a similar expression on his face. Sky decided immediately not to introduce him to Prapai.

“Can I get you a drink?” Pai asked, nodding at the empty glass Sky was holding.

“Sure,” Sky said, blushing a bit when Pai kissed him on the cheek before heading off.

“He seems great,” Ying said, not even waiting for Prapai to be out of earshot.

“So great,” Jem agreed. “I never doubted you for a second.”

Sky stared at her for a second, incredulously. A moment of silence passed between them.

“Does he really ride motorcycles, though, or was that…?”

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Could you maybe write one about people talking badly about Sky and Pai relationship and don't believe its real? Then Pai shows up all fancy and prove everyone wrong. And maybe Sky also playing the part and loving how Pai is and showing everyone that they are truly made for each other.

is this a million years late? perhaps. hope you like it regardless lol

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Just finished rereading some of your fanfiction, and I just want to say I love your writing 🩵🩵

thank you! that’s so nice, i really appreciate that! 💙💙

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Hi. I don't know if you are still writing. I read your fiction of kimchay, mistery boyfriend one. If you can, will you continue that story. It is a refreshing arc and I would like to read more of it.

i will definitely continue it at some point! i haven't been writing as much lately and was planning to catch up on some other prompts first, but it's on my list for sure <3 glad you've liked it so far!

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That's My Man

Summary: Sky is very aware of how many people at the racetrack are into Prapai. It doesn’t exactly bother him, but he’s well within his rights to make it clear that Prapai is taken. Pai is very on board with this.

“Who is that?”

Sky couldn’t help a smile when the not-so-hushed exclamation was followed by insistent shushing. He pretended not to notice, given that he really couldn’t blame them. If it were him, he would have been gushing over Prapai too. Well, given a strict guarantee that Prapai would never find out.

“What?” came the voice again, way too loud and immediately met by more shushing.

“He has a boyfriend!” a hushed voice said.

“I can’t look?” the first voice wanted to know, quickly followed by a disappointed, “oh,” when Prapai made a beeline for Sky.

There may have been a tiny part of him that reveled in it, that wanted everyone to know exactly who Prapai was there with. Tiny, though. Miniscule. Besides, they weren’t wrong. Who wouldn’t want to look at Prapai?

Given that thought, Sky pulled him in for a kiss, slightly unusual for him at the racetrack but not out of the realm of possibility. Of course, based on Pai’s expression, it seemed like it had never happened before. He pulled Sky back in a moment after they separated, hands traveling down to his lower back and holding him firmly in place.

“Awww,” he heard from behind them, in a softer tone. “They’re so cute.”

Well, Sky didn’t particularly mind that one.

Pai took a step closer, nuzzling his nose into Sky’s cheek and trying to hide a smile when it was met with more whispering.

“Lucky,” someone muttered, a slight hint of reproach in their tone.

“You can keep that one,” someone else piped up. “I’d prefer his boyfriend.”

Pai’s half-hidden smile instantly turned into a scowl, pulling Sky in further and tucking his chin over his shoulder to glare at the gaggle nearby. They disbanded quickly, leaving Sky to be the one stifling his laughter. He shook his head at Prapai, tugging on his jacket to get his attention.

“Mmm?” Prapai asked, head swiveling back around immediately.

“They were just having fun,” Sky pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s fun to steal my boyfriend?” Prapai wanted to know, pouting ridiculously.

“Apparently.” Sky grinned at him, poking Prapai’s cheek incessantly until he started smiling again.

“That’s illegal,” Prapai decided, informing Sky sternly of his decision. 

Sky snorted.

His eyes moved past Prapai for a second, and he realized the group that had been commenting earlier was still watching them, just from farther away. An idea formed in his mind, and he started blushing before he could even carry it out, prompting Prapai to raise an eyebrow.

“Is everything o–�� He was cut off quickly, Sky pulling him in by his jacket and kissing him firmly, despite their audience. He was still blushing when they broke apart but had decided not to acknowledge it. Maybe Prapai wouldn’t notice.

Pai ran a thumb over one cheek, smiling, and pressed a kiss to the other one. No such luck, then.

“What was that for?” he asked, not sounding like he minded in the slightest.

“Luck,” Sky decided, nodding towards where Payu was standing over by the bikes.

“If I win the next race,” Pai started, tilting his head towards Sky’s ear, “will you kiss me like that every time?”

“No,” Sky told him immediately, flicking his cheek.

“You don’t want me to have good luck?” Prapai pouted.

Sky’s gaze drifted back over to the group from before, noticing how many of them were still eyeing Prapai.

“Okay,” he said. “Fine.”

[windowlessatmosphere]

Hihi can you write one whereby Sky shows how possessive he is of Pai at the race track and vice versa? Not a toxic or jealous one, just one where everyone sees them as the "it" couple and everyone wanna be like them. Something sweet and sexy. Thank you!!!

this turned out v short, but i hope you like it! :)

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Not Supposed To

Summary: Payu makes it clear, in no uncertain terms, that Prapai is not to talk to Sky. He’s not to hang out with him, he’s not to flirt with him, and he’s definitely not to sleep with him. Despite this, he finds himself falling faster and faster before he even realizes it. Now he just has to tell Sky.

“Absolutely not.”

“I’m just saying,” Prapai laughed, shaking his head at the look on Payu’s face.

“Leave him alone,” Payu stressed, giving him a stern look.

“What, I can’t even talk to him?” Pai asked, raising an eyebrow incredulously.

“Correct,” Payu fired back, not missing a beat. Prapai rolled his eyes, and Payu continued, “I don’t think Rain would be too happy with me if you slept with his friend and then never called him back.”

“I would call him back,” Prapai replied absentmindedly, watching Rain and his friend laughing together.

“Leave him alone,” Payu repeated himself. “Literally talk to anyone else,” he called over his shoulder, heading to join Rain and his friend.

Prapai grumbled under his breath before deciding to follow Payu’s advice and introduce himself to the girl in the corner who kept looking his way.

Thirty minutes later, he was sitting on a couch alone, moodily staring off into space. The girl–Mae?—had made an excuse and ran off after a couple minutes of half-hearted conversation.

His gaze caught on Rain’s friend, who was wandering towards the kitchen alone, and he stood up before he could think it over.

“Hey,” Pai greeted him with a wide smile.

“You’re P’Payu’s friend, right?” he asked, tilting his head slightly.

“Prapai,” Pai confirmed, taking a step closer. “I didn’t catch your name.”

“Sky.”

“That’s a nice name,” Prapai replied automatically. It was a nice name, but he would have said it anyway.

“Thank you.” The corner of Sky’s mouth was quirked up in a smile, and Pai couldn’t tell if he was enjoying the flirting or just laughing at him. Possibly both.

“Can I get you a drink?” Pai asked, glancing down at Sky’s empty cup. 

Sky hesitated for a moment before answering, “Sure.” Prapai did his best to appear casual. Sky snorted, so he may not have been doing the best job.

“Pai,” Payu’s voice came from behind him, a note of warning so slight Prapai was pretty sure no one else could pick up on it. He turned around to see Rain and Payu standing there, wearing wildly different expressions.

“Payu,” he greeted, attempting the same tone. It didn’t seem as effective.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Payu asked, giving him a forced smile.

“Yeah, okay,” he sighed, nodding to Sky as Payu practically pulled him away.

“I asked you to do one thing!” Payu hissed, the second they were out of sight.

“It’s not a big deal!” Prapai insisted, rolling his eyes. “He’s cute. I can’t flirt with him?”

“No, you cannot flirt with him!” Payu huffed, scowling at him. “He’s Rain’s best friend. I like Rain. Could you please try and help me out here?”

Prapai blinked at him.

“You like Rain?” he asked dubiously.

“I told you that,” Payu said thunderously, his brow still furrowed in anger.

“Like, you actually like him?” Prapai asked. “I thought you wanted to hook up with him!”

Payu went silent for a moment. His expression shifted from anger to something Pai couldn’t quite place.

“Yes,” he eventually answered. “I like him, and…I don’t know,” he finished lamely. Prapai’s eyebrows shot up.

“Okay,” he said, surprising himself. “I won't hit on Sky.”

Now Payu’s eyebrows shot up.

“Seriously?” he asked, looking skeptical.

“Yeah.” Prapai nodded. “If you like Rain, then I don’t want to fuck it up for you,” he said sincerely.

“Thanks, man.” Payu gave him a smile and Pai clapped him on the back.

“You got this,” he said. “It’s gonna be great.”

-----

In hindsight, Prapai had been incredibly stupid.

He should have said something along the lines of “I won’t hit on Sky right now,” but, well…he hadn’t. He’d just given Payu his word to leave Sky alone, which, unfortunately, Payu was holding him to.

“You’re already dating Rain,” Prapai pointed out. “You’ve won. It’s my turn.”

“No,” Payu said simply, throwing a piece of popcorn at him. “You do not get to have a one-night stand with Rain’s best friend.”

“It could be two nights!” Prapai defended himself.

Payu threw another piece of popcorn at him.

It wouldn’t have been that bad, really, except for the fact that he had to see Sky constantly now. Rain and Payu were pretty much inseparable, and Sky seemed to be part of the package deal every time Pai hung out with Payu.

He was funny, too, which didn’t help things. Rain and Payu would get caught up in each other, and Sky would be there, laughing and talking and looking gorgeous and asking Prapai a million questions. And off-limits.

It was a bit rude, actually.

It got to the point where they were basically going on dates anyway.

“You and Rain are way too busy talking to each other,” Prapai pointed out. “Why do we need to be at the same restaurant?”

“You need to be supervised,” Payu replied without hesitation, not even looking up from his laptop. “Do not ask him out.”

Prapai kicked the leg of his chair, but Payu ignored him.

-----

Apparently, Sky was not being kept on as tight of a leash, Prapai thought, staring down at his phone a few days later.

Sky Want to grab lunch tomorrow? 

Prapai hesitated for a moment before thinking carefully on Payu’s words. He’d only said he couldn’t ask Sky out, not that he couldn’t accept an invitation, technically. The Payu in the back of his mind started yelling at him as he typed out a response.

Prapai Sounds good! I know just the place. 😁

-----

“It’s not a date,” he insisted. “It’s just lunch.”

“With the guy you’ve been talking about for months,” Phan pointed out, raising an eyebrow. “P’Payu’s gonna kill you.”

“Not if he doesn’t know!” Prapai called over his shoulder, choosing to ignore the snort she let out.

-----

It was, perhaps, a date.

“I told you,” Phan told him. She was looking far too pleased with herself.

“Stop pacing,” Plerng said.

“I’m not pacing,” Prapai defended himself, pacing.

“Stop freaking out.” Phan rolled her eyes.

“I’m not freaking out.”

Phan and Plerng exchanged a glance. Prapai stopped pacing.

“Payu’s gonna kill me,” he bemoaned, sinking down onto the bed.

“Not if he doesn’t know?” Phan offered, giving a half-hearted shrug. Prapai groaned, covering his face with his hands.

“Well, Sky’s definitely telling Rain,” Plerng butted in.

“And Rain’s definitely telling Payu,” Phan finished.

Prapai groaned again.

“You probably have a few days before, y’know—” Plerng started.

“My imminent demise?” Prapai finished for him, uncovering an eye to peek at his little brother.

“Sure.” Plerng shrugged, moving to fix his hair.

Prapai’s phone dinged, and he dug it out of his pocket, hoping it was Sky.

It was not Sky.

Phan leaned over his shoulder, sucking air in through her teeth when she saw Payu’s name.

“Maybe he won’t be mad,” she said, rubbing his shoulder.

He opened the text.

It was a screenshot of a text from Rain, followed by a single question mark.

Rain is there something going on with sky and p’pai ??? apparently they had lunch together ?? 👀👀👀

He texted Payu back immediately, a pit building in his stomach.

Prapai It wasn’t a date or anything, we just got lunch.

An ellipsis appeared for a moment, then disappeared, and Prapai’s shoulders slumped. Plerng stole his phone out of his hand, giving him a weak smile. It dinged a second later, and Prapai practically lunged to grab it back. Plerng squealed, offering it up immediately and pushing Prapai off of him.

Payu Okay. Sorry I jumped to conclusions.

Prapai just sent a thumbs-up emoji in reply, not sure of how to respond given that Payu hadn’t actually overreacted. He did like Sky, and it had seemed like a date. Of course, they hadn’t said it outright, so it wasn’t technically lying, but still.

He let out a deep sigh. He seriously needed to get it together.

-----

“You need to get it together,” Payu informed him bluntly, arms crossed.

Prapai raised an eyebrow.

“Meaning…?”

“Meaning, you don’t need to jerk Sky around.”

“I’m not jerking Sky around!” Pai defended himself, completely dumbfounded by the accusation.

“Rain thinks you have a thing,” Payu pointed out. “Which probably means Sky thinks you have a thing.”

Prapai spluttered, unsure of how to defend himself when he did, in fact, have a thing.

“I wouldn’t jerk him around,” Prapai reiterated, deciding to avoid the accusation altogether.

Payu leveled an evaluating look at him for a few long seconds before breaking eye contact.

“Good,” he said. “Then don’t.”

-----

He didn’t go out with Sky again. Or, he meant not to go out with Sky again. It wasn’t like they were dates, anyway, so it didn’t really matter. Payu probably wouldn’t even mind. He didn’t know about the not-dates, clearly, since he hadn’t sent any more accusatory texts, which led Pai to wonder whether or not Sky had been telling Rain.

He brought it up casually over dinner at Sky’s favorite restaurant. As it turned out, Sky was telling Rain. That meant that Rain wasn’t telling Payu, which sent Prapai sinking down into a deeper level of guilt. Great. Now he’d made his best friend’s boyfriend lie to him because he couldn’t keep his promise to said best friend and stay away from his best friend’s boyfriend’s best friend. He thought, anyway. It was getting hard to keep track.

He felt horrible. He definitely needed to stop hanging out with Sky before something romantic happened.

-----

“Where are you going?” Phan asked, not looking up from her book.

“I’m taking Sky to the botanical gardens,” he called back, already halfway out the front door.

-----

“That’s a date,” Plerng informed him.

“We’re just hanging out!” Prapai insisted.

“It’s a date,” Plerng countered. “You can’t have a platonic picnic.”

“It’s a friend picnic!”

“That’s not a thing!”

-----

“You’re doing what?”

“You make pottery and then you paint it,” Prapai explained again. “It’s fun.”

His mother raised an eyebrow and took a sip of her tea.

“When am I going to meet this Sky?” she asked, a clear note of interest in her tone.

“We’re just friends,” he clarified, cutting off any hope she might have had. Along with any that he had.

She tilted her head at him for a moment.

“Making pottery,” she grumbled under her breath, taking another sip of tea. “Friends.”

-----

He really needed to talk to Payu. 

Sky was smiling brightly at him, having made an extremely decent-looking pot for his first attempt, and Prapai was hopelessly staring at a haphazard ball of clay in the middle of his wheel.

They were, perhaps, on a date. Sky wasn’t aware of that, but Prapai was slowly coming to that realization. Very slowly.

It was, essentially, hopeless. He liked Sky. He couldn’t not like Sky. Payu would understand, Prapai decided, given that he had felt the same way about Rain. Besides, they had been dating for months now, surely their relationship could withstand him having feelings for Sky. Hopefully.

Sky leaned over and painted a small heart on Prapai’s terrible pot.

He really needed to talk to Payu. 

-----

“I really need to talk to you!” he blurted out, moments before Payu could take his first bite.

Payu blinked.

“Okay…?” he hedged, giving Prapai a suspicious look. “What’s wrong? Did you do something to Sky?” he accused.

“No!” Prapai defended himself. “Maybe.” He deflated.

“What did you do?” Payu narrowed his eyes.

“Nothing yet,” Prapai mumbled, shaking his head when Payu raised an eyebrow. “I…like him,” he admitted. “I really like him. I don’t think I can do this anymore.”

Payu looked completely dumbfounded, which was ridiculous. Sure, Pai hadn’t admitted to his feelings, necessarily, but Payu knew he was into Sky.

“What are you talking about?” Payu wanted to know.

“I want to ask Sky out.”

Payu blinked again.

“I thought you were already going out?” Payu asked.

“On a date,” Prapai clarified.

“I thought you were already dating,” Payu said.

Prapai blinked.

He was quiet for a moment before a thought occurred to him.

“And you were cool with that?” he checked. “That means I can ask him out,” he said immediately.

Payu rolled his eyes.

“Obviously,” he said. “What have you been doing? You weren’t dating him?”

“I might have been,” Prapai admitted. “I just have to tell him about it.”

-----

They were on a bench together, looking out over the water, when Prapai finally brought it up. Sky had been telling him about his day, and he had been enjoying it so much that he had almost forgotten what he was supposed to be doing. Then, he’d switched topics, telling Prapai about a new cafe that had just opened up down the street from him, and Prapai had to say something.

“That sounds nice,” he started, hating the way his voice was trembling. “Maybe we could go…together?”

“Sure.” Sky shrugged, pulling out his phone. “Tuesday?” he suggested, glancing up at Prapai.

Okay. So he wasn’t getting it.

“I meant we could go together,” he emphasized, steeling himself a little in the face of potential rejection.

“Okay…?” Sky trailed off, raising an eyebrow.

Still nothing.

“Like a date,” Prapai explained.

“Okay?” Sky said again, looking incredibly confused.

“With me,” Prapai clarified.

Sky laughed at him. “Who else would it be with?” he wanted to know, somehow not understanding.

“I like you,” Prapai told him.

“I like you too,” Sky returned simply, tilting his head to one side.

“Romantically.”

“I know that,” Sky said, narrowing his eyes.

Prapai blinked. “And you didn’t want to tell me?”

Sky raised an eyebrow. “We’ve been going on dates,” he pointed out. “I’ve been asking you on dates. You’ve been saying yes. I assumed you knew.”

Prapai blinked again.

“Well, this is what happens when you assume,” he grumbled, half put-out and half trying to wrap his head around the fact that Sky liked him.

Sky just laughed again, shaking his head at Prapai before leaning forward and kissing him on the cheek. Prapai was momentarily speechless before recovering.

“What was that for?”

“Proof,” Sky explained. “So you don’t have to just assume that I like you.”

“I need more proof,” he said immediately, inching closer to Sky. Sky rolled his eyes fondly but leaned in to kiss him softly, so he was obviously doing a fantastic job. His mind went blank for another few seconds as Sky pulled away, only brought back to reality when he spoke.

“So…” Sky dragged out the word questioningly. Prapai gave him a confused look, and he shook his head. “Tuesday?” he reminded Prapai.

“Tuesday,” Prapai confirmed.

[windowlessatmosphere]

Not sure if you're keen on writing about this, but can you write one about Sky trying to get Pai to be interested in him instead of the other way round? As in Pai is interested but doesn't make a move, but Sky tries harder to date him and does not push him away.

this turned out slightly different than requested, but i hope you like it!

[windowlessatmosphere]

Green-Eyed Monster

Summary: Sky’s pretty used to Prapai getting jealous, even when it’s over nothing. When an old friend comes back into town, though, the tables have turned. The worst part is, Sky’s not even sure if Pai’s noticed.

“I can’t wait for you to meet him,” Prapai said excitedly, looking around like an overeager puppy.

Sky suppressed a laugh, finding it endearing despite himself.

“P’Force!” Pai called, clearly spotting his former mentor before pulling Sky along. It was sweet, really.

“Pai!” Force replied cheerfully, clapping him on the back and pulling him into a tight hug. And…okay. Force wasn’t exactly how Sky might have pictured him. He was tall and muscular, with a wide grin and a leather jacket. The hug was going on for a while, Sky noticed, only a moment before they pulled apart.

“This is Sky,” Prapai introduced him, practically dragging him forward.

“Nice to meet you, P’Force,” he managed to get out before he was enveloped in a tight squeeze. He blinked for a moment before returning it awkwardly, hoping Force didn’t notice his hesitation.

“It’s great to meet you, too,” Force said, once they’d separated, smiling widely. “Pai talks about you a lot. A lot.”

“A normal amount!” Pai defended himself, the tips of his ears turning red.

“A lot,” Force insisted.

“A lot is a normal amount when it comes to Sky,” Pai asserted, pulling Sky in by the waist. Sky stifled a laugh, but Force burst out laughing, shaking his head.

“I’ve never seen you like this,” he said. “It’s a good look on you.”

Sky raised an eyebrow at that, but Pai didn’t seem to notice, just taking it in stride.

C’mon,” Force said, shaking Pai’s shoulder. “Let’s see if you’ve improved any.”

Pai swore at him in response, and they headed over to the racetrack, Pai pulling Sky along by the arm.

“Wish me luck,” he requested once he was seated on his bike, looking up at Sky.

“Good luck,” Sky obliged, giving him a soft smile.

“Skyyyy,” Pai whined, tilting his chin up for a kiss. “Don’t you want me to win?” he added, batting his eyelashes unfairly.

Sky took a quick glance at Force, who seemed entirely preoccupied with his own motorcycle, before he leaned in to give Pai a kiss. He jerked away when he heard a loud whistle, turning to see Force grinning widely at them.

Pai flipped him off with a fond eye roll, and a nagging feeling crept into the back of Sky’s mind. He wasn’t used to seeing Pai so comfortable around anyone else. Payu, sure, but they had been close forever and nothing had ever happened between them. Force, though…Sky recalled when Pai had first started talking about him. He’d mentioned that they used to go out, and despite a plethora of follow-up questions, Sky could not, for the life of him, figure out what that meant. Had they dated? Had it been serious? Or had they just gone out to bars together?

“He just meant they were friends,” Rain had told him, rolling his eyes. “P’Pai wouldn’t introduce you to his ex.”

“He might,” Sky had said glumly. “If they were still friends.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Rain had dismissed him.

That had been the end of that. They were just friends, Rain had said so. And called him stupid, which was a worrying sign.

Now, however, watching how comfortable they seemed with each other, he couldn’t help but spiral a bit. After all, Prapai had never mentioned him before, not until he’d come back into town. By this point, Sky was acquainted with the vast majority of Pai’s friends, even if only through stories. Force had never been mentioned.

Interesting.

The roar of Pai’s motorcycle shook him out of his daze, and he took a few steps back to watch the race. They were fairly evenly matched at first, which Sky wasn’t actually sure if he’d seen before. In the end, though, Pai managed to overtake him, finishing with a solid lead. He hopped off his bike, pulling his helmet off before kissing Sky on the cheek.

Force pulled up a moment later, half-laughing as he removed his helmet.

“You’ve gotten better,” he said approvingly.

“Or you’ve gotten worse,” Pai joked, turning to look at Force. Sky stayed silent, feeling slightly forgotten in their back-and-forth. Stupid, he told himself, considering Pai still had an arm around his waist, holding him in close.

Force’s phone went off, and he answered it, taking a few steps away.

“Isn’t he great?” Pai half-whispered into Sky’s ear, grinning widely. Sky hummed a hopefully positive-sounding acknowledgement in return, but Pai didn’t seem to notice any uncertainty.

“I’ve got to go,” Force said apologetically, coming back over a moment later. Sky tried not to perk up. Prapai wilted beside him, and he did his best not to take it personally. “We should get dinner,” Force suggested, tilting his head in a question.

Sky’s eyebrows jumped up, and he had to force them back down. Was Force seriously asking Pai out right in front of him? Fine, so dinner didn’t necessarily mean a date, but it was the principle of the thing.

“We’d love to!” Pai immediately responded.

Oh. Right. Definitely not a date, then.

“See you tonight,” Force said, clapping Pai on the shoulder and winking before heading out.

The winking was a bit much.

It was fine. Everything was fine. Dinner would be fine.

-----

Dinner was not fine.

Dinner involved a lot of inside jokes going over Sky’s head, a lot of half-told stories that he hadn’t been there for, and a lot of touching.

A lot of touching.

Seriously, was there a need for this much touching?

It didn’t seem necessary to grab Pai by the shoulder every time he was telling Sky some old story. Or to steal food off his plate. Or to ruffle his hair so frequently. In Sky’s opinion, anyway. Force clearly begged to differ.

“We were at this party,” Force started, shaking his head with a slight laugh. “And there was this girl—”

“Nope,” Pai interrupted, after nearly choking on his food. “Next.”

“You can’t veto all my stories,” Force complained, pouting at Pai.

“So tell different stories!” Prapai responded, taking another bite. “Ones that Sky wants to hear.”

Force snorted at that. “I don’t think I have any of those,” he admitted. “You weren’t exactly restrained,” he pointed out. “But I’m pretty sure Sky already knows what I mean.” He winked in Sky’s direction, and he did his best not to grimace.

Okay, so. Confirmation. Wonderful.

It was no big deal, really. Sky was well aware of how many people Pai had slept with, he had been very forthcoming about his past. Sitting at a dinner table with one of them, though, was another thing. Especially given that Pai hadn’t even warned him. 

Hadn’t he, though?

He thought back to that conversation with Rain and cursed himself for actually listening. Clearly, he had been right the first time.

Whatever.

He would get through this dinner, maybe the next few days or so while Force was in town, and that would be that. He wouldn’t have to bring it up, wouldn't have to be the unreasonable boyfriend, wouldn't have to tell Pai how jealous he was.

It would be fine. Pai wouldn’t even have to know that he was upset.

-----

“It seems like you’re upset.”

Sky froze, caught between the urge to lie and the urge to definitely not lie to his boyfriend. Who he loved. Despite recent events.

“I mean, you’re not saying anything, so…” Pai trailed off, giving him an expectant look.

He let out a long sigh before resigning himself to the conversation. Be reasonable, he told himself. Be calm, be rational.

“Why didn’t you tell me I was meeting your ex?” he burst out, unable to control himself.

Pai blinked at him.

“My…ex?” he asked.

“P’Force!” Sky hissed at him. “You could have said something.”

“P’Force?” Prapai asked, his brow furrowed.

“Yes!” Sky cried, throwing a hand up in frustration.

Prapai stared at him for a long moment, a look of understanding slowly creeping across his face.

“Are you…jealous?” he eventually asked.

“No,” Sky responded immediately, scowling even harder.

“You are!” Pai said, obvious glee in his tone. Sky shot him a warning look and he sobered a bit. “It’s fine,” he insisted, sinking into a kitchen chair. “That’s just usually my thing,” he pointed out.

“I’m not jealous,” Sky gritted out. “I just would have appreciated some warning, that’s all.”

“Interesting,” Pai pondered, a thoughtful look on his face. Sky wanted to kick him. “Considering…”

“Considering?” Sky asked, his tone scathing.

“Considering he’s not my ex,” Pai explained, unable to hold back a smirk as he watched understanding dawn on Sky.

“I’m going to kill you,” Sky informed him.

“You can’t! You love me,” Pai insisted, standing up and wrapping him in a hug.

“Regardless.”

Pai picked him up, squeezing him even tighter for a moment before setting him back down.

“You thought he was my ex?” he laughed, shaking his head.

“He was acting like it!” Sky defended himself. “So were you!”

“I was not,” Pai said incredulously. 

“And you never even mentioned him!” Sky added.

“Well…” Prapai hesitated, and Sky raised an eyebrow. “Nope,” Pai said, cutting off his train of thought before it could leave the station. “We just used to wingman for each other. A lot. Not exactly the stories I like to tell you,” he pointed out.

Sky rolled his eyes, extremely used to Prapai acting like he couldn’t handle hearing about his past. Well. Maybe he wasn’t as above it as he thought.

“Plus he kept touching you,” Sky added.

“And you!” Prapai said, letting out a half-laugh. “That’s just how he is.”

Sky glowered at him for a moment longer before giving up and hiding his face in Pai’s neck.

“I can’t believe you didn’t date,” he groaned. “I can’t believe Rain was right.”

“Rain was right?” Pai asked, a note of surprise in his tone.

“Yes,” Sky emphasized, finally coming up for air. “I’m an idiot,” he groused. “And I’m sorry,” he added, doing his best to convey his emotions through his words.

“Don’t be.” Prapai gave him a cheeky smile. “I’m not totally against it. It’s kinda hot.”

Sky rolled his eyes, swatting him lightly on the shoulder. “C’mon,” he said. “Let’s go to bed.”

“One second,” Pai said, pulling out his phone.

“What are you doing?” Sky asked.

“I need to call one of my exes.”

“P’Pai!”

[windowlessatmosphere]

Hello I've been dying for one where Sky gets jealous! He rarely does and its nice to see him being possesive over Prapai.

thanks for the prompt, hope you like it! :)

[windowlessatmosphere]

Reach Out and Touch

Summary: Despite asking him a million times, Prapai will never actually admit that he wishes Sky were more affectionate in public. Until he gets drunk one night and accidentally lets it slip. It’s fine, though. Sky has a plan.

“P’Payu,” Rain whined, disproportionately distraught at the fact that Payu’s gaze had left him for nearly a minute.

“Sorry, sorry,” Payu apologized, pecking him on the cheek in apology. He turned back around, scanning for their waiter in the crowded bar. Rain went back to pouting, and Sky rolled his eyes. Rain leaned into Payu’s side, brightening immediately when Payu put an arm around his shoulders.

The waiter appeared with Payu’s drink, apologizing for the delay and enduring Rain’s mistrustful gaze from over Payu’s shoulder. A moment later, Rain was practically climbing into Payu’s lap, his face buried in Payu’s neck.

Sky snorted, unable to help himself, and heard Prapai do the same. Rain always seemed to get like this when he was drunk, needy and whining if Payu diverted even a speck of his attention elsewhere.

“You never do this with me,” Prapai said in a low, teasing voice, leaning in close enough that Rain wouldn’t overhear. Sky rolled his eyes, aiming a light kick at Pai under the table and giving him a withering look. Prapai just beamed at him, swooping in to plant a kiss on Sky’s cheek and ignoring his offended squawk.

“P’Payu,” Rain whined, tilting his chin up for a kiss. Payu obliged him easily, and Sky wished, not for the first time, that he hadn’t volunteered to be the designated driver. Rain and Payu were really much more bearable when he was drunk.

“Skyyyy,” Prapai said in a perfect imitation of Rain, leaning into Sky’s space with a pout. Sky snorted at that, flicking Pai’s nose but pressing their legs together under the table anyway.

They ordered a few more drinks, Sky continuing to opt for water while wondering why he had agreed to do so. Prapai began scooting closer to him at some point, clearly aiming for subtlety and missing the mark spectacularly. Lucky for him, Sky could only find it endearing. When he had finally closed the distance between them, he snuck an arm around Sky’s waist, pulling it back hesitantly when Sky automatically tensed up.

It wasn’t intentional, just a leftover reflex from being with Gun, when getting pulled in by the waist had never meant anything good. Even so, it was obvious that Prapai was feeling wounded, his emotions all the more obvious given how much he’d had to drink. Sky felt a little stab of guilt and leaned into Prapai’s side, hoping he wasn’t feeling unwanted.

Of course, this meant that Pai took it as an invitation and immediately went in for a kiss. Sky turned his face instinctively, leaving Pai’s lips to land on his cheek instead. Prapai drew back, looking uncertain and hurt, and shifted in his seat.

Sky did his best to keep his expression neutral, noting sardonically that Rain and Payu had been far too wrapped up in each other to even notice. They were definitely going to have to talk about this when they got home.

He’d brought it up before, curious due to how affectionate Prapai was in private. Pai knew how Sky felt about PDA, and he usually didn’t push. Sure, he’d sneak in a peck or grab Sky’s hand every so often, but it had never become an issue. It still left him feeling uneasy, a prickling feeling in the back of his mind that Prapai wanted things to be different. That he wanted a boyfriend he could kiss anywhere.

He’d asked, of course, but that had gone nowhere.

“I love you just the way you are,” was the usual response, followed by a forehead kiss and a loving smile.

Sky didn’t doubt that, but he was also very much aware that Prapai was dodging the question.

So. They needed to talk.

“We need to talk,” Sky told Prapai, about twelve seconds after they entered Sky’s apartment.

Prapai’s expression instantly shifted from bleary-eyed and out of it to utter panic.

“Not like that,” Sky clarified immediately, and Pai relaxed.

“Okay,” he agreed, flopping down on the couch and making grabby hands at Sky. He followed Pai over to the couch, letting himself be pulled down and cuddled.

“I feel like I upset you earlier,” Sky began, choosing his words carefully. Prapai’s hands, which had been carding through his hair, froze for a moment before resuming their movement.

“Earlier?” Pai asked, trying and failing for an even tone. He wasn’t the best actor on a good day, let alone after a few drinks.

“You know what I mean,” Sky pressed, turning in Pai’s hold so they were facing each other. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” he added quietly.

Prapai’s expression shifted before he answered. “I know,” he reassured Sky, rubbing a soothing hand up and down his back. “It’s not a big deal.”

There was a moment of silence, and Sky wondered if he should leave it at that.

“Does it bother you?” he eventually asked, prepping himself for Prapai to dodge the question, as per usual.

“You never bother me,” Prapai informed him sternly before giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Sky signed.

“You wouldn’t want that?” Sky questioned, holding Pai’s gaze. “For us to be affectionate around other people?”

“Of course I would.” Prapai shrugged, half-mumbling. Sky’s heart sank a little. “Who wouldn’t want that with you?” he added, his eyes closed at this point.

“Okay.” Sky let out a long breath. He glanced down at Pai, who looked to be minutes away from dropping off, and shook him by the shoulder. “Bed,” he instructed, trying to sound stern. It must have at least partially worked, as he managed to rouse Prapai from the couch and get him through most of his nighttime routine before they crawled into bed.

It took about thirty seconds before Prapai was breathing evenly, totally dead to the world around him. Sky wasn’t able to drift off so easily. He couldn’t stop thinking about Gun, as much as he wished otherwise. Memories kept coming back up, every time Gun had used him as a display, without caring at all about Sky’s comfort. Every time he had grabbed Sky in public, or let his friends do the same.

Early on, he’d had to remind himself constantly that Prapai wasn’t Gun. That he wasn’t anything like Gun. Those days were long gone, with Prapai’s presence and touch bringing nothing but comfort. Except when they were in public, apparently.

He rolled to one side, staring at Prapai’s sleeping face and making a deal with himself. He was going to try. Whatever that meant. Were they going to turn into Rain and Payu? Hopefully not. But he could at least see, at least find out if there was a way for him to stop flinching every time Pai touched him in public. He definitely deserved that much. And, fuck, Sky deserved it too, he decided.

He leaned over and pressed a kiss to Pai’s cheek before rolling over to go to sleep, a warm feeling in his chest from his decision.

The next morning, he woke up knowing it was a bad idea. Not in general, of course, but all he could do was imagine himself failing. Telling Prapai that he would be better, getting his hopes up, and then having them come crashing down again.

“So don't tell him,” Rain suggested, through a mouthful of eggs.

Sky blinked at him. “Don’t tell him?”

“Duh.” Rain rolled his eyes. “Just do it. If you succeed, he’ll be thrilled. If you fail, he won’t even know, and you can try again in a few months.”

Sky blinked at him again.

“What?” Rain asked, when it became clear that he wasn’t going to say anything.

“Is that…allowed?” Sky said, unable to come up with a better word.

Rain blinked at him.

“Allowed?” he finally asked, sounding incredulous.

“I mean, I can’t just be grabbing him in public unannounced,” Sky hissed, his cheeks flushing red at the thought.

“I’m pretty sure he would be cool with that,” Rain countered, snorting into his coffee.

Sky kicked him under the table and considered it. It would keep Pai from getting his hopes up. Plus, it had been clear from his demeanor that morning that he hadn’t remembered telling Sky anything. He didn’t really want to see Pai’s face when he realized he had insinuated that Sky should change something about himself. He was never particularly pleased whenever anyone else did so.

“Fine,” he decided. “I’ll try.”

“You could fuck him at his office again,” Rain suggested.

Sky kicked him under the table.

-----

“Hey!” Pai called, half-running over before pulling him into a tight hug.

“Hey,” he echoed, his voice muffled from where his face was pressed into Pai’s neck. He pulled back an inch, meeting Prapai’s eyes for a split second before pecking him on the cheek. Pai looked pleasantly surprised, pulling him in even closer. Sky did his best not to blush, feeling a strange mix of uncertainty and pride.

For a moment, anyway. A second later, he glanced over at Payu, who had lifted Rain bodily off the ground and was kissing him soundly. Definitely not something he was comfortable with in front of other people, but especially at the race track.

He looked back at Prapai, giving him a distracted smile and straightening his jacket. He spared another glance at Rain and Payu, who looked like they were about two seconds away from absorbing into one another.

Whatever. Next time.

-----

Prapai was waving enthusiastically, as though Sky wouldn’t have noticed him otherwise. He was on his bike, waiting to drive Sky home after his classes.

“See you later,” Ple told him, nodding in Pai’s direction.

“Bye!” Sig called as Sky left, waving over his shoulder.

“Hey,” Sky greeted his boyfriend, snorting when Pai pulled him in by his hand. He went easily, hesitating for a moment before he leaned in for a quick kiss. Pai looked surprised when he pulled back, and Sky hid a smile, ignoring his friends whistling at them in the background.

“Are we going?” he asked, climbing on the back of Pai’s motorcycle. “P’Pai?” he asked, after a moment of silence.

“Yep, we're going. We’re going!”

-----

Holding hands was not stressful, Sky observed. Shocking.

No one had seemed to notice, either, which made him feel slightly odd for having been so trepidatious about going for it. Prapai hadn’t even reacted much, just taking his hand easily and running his thumb over the back of Sky's hand, the way he always did.

“What a cute couple!” the stall vendor, an older lady, gushed at them, a wide smile on her face.

“Thank you,” Prapai returned easily, beaming at Sky. “He’s the cute one,” he whispered conspiratorially, leaning in slightly. Sky did his best not to flush at that, and the woman laughed brightly.

Look at that. No big deal.

-----

Some things were still a big deal, Sky realized a few days later. They were at a picnic with most of their classmates, Prapai and Payu having tagged along as usual. Rain was laying down with his head in Payu’s lap, eyes closed blissfully as Payu played with his hair. Sky, on the other hand, was leaning against Pai, his back pressed up against Pai’s chest, and doing his best to deal with it.

It would have been fine just the two of them, he thought, desperately trying to relax into the hold. Even if it had just been Rain and Payu, he might’ve been okay. He glanced over to see that Rain was now in Payu’s lap, their noses pressed up against each other. They barely counted as an audience, he decided, given how infrequently their attention was on anyone but each other.

He pushed back into Prapai’s arms, taking a deep breath and ordering himself to relax. Always an effective tactic. Pai leaned forward a little, pressing a soft kiss to his neck, and he did his best to ignore a shiver. That, along with the fact that he could practically feel everyone’s eyes on him had him pulling away. He grabbed a piece of fruit for plausible deniability, offering one to Pai as well. He took it happily, seemingly unaware of the miniature crisis Sky was having. That he’d been having for a couple weeks now.

It was fine, Sky reminded himself.

He was making progress.

-----

He had made absolutely no progress.

That was all that was going through his mind as he watched Payu press Rain up against the bar, essentially devouring his face. Sky let out a small sigh, grabbing their drinks from the bartender and weaving his way back to their booth.

“Hey,” he said to Pai, trying to keep his tone bright as he slid him his drink.

“Hey,” Pai returned, pulling him into the booth by his waist. Sky pecked him on the cheek before taking a sip of his drink. He glanced back over at the bar to see that Rain and Payu showed absolutely no signs of moving anytime soon.

“You okay?” Pai asked, pulling him in closer so that Sky’s head was leaning on his shoulder. Sky just hummed an affirmative, closing his eyes and nuzzling further into Pai’s shoulder.

“I’m fine,” he added, when Pai didn’t say anything. He pulled back an inch, seeing the look of worry on Pai’s face and shook his head, laughing under his breath. “I’m fine,” he reiterated, more firmly this time, pressing a thumb to Prapai’s forehead to smooth out his worry lines.

“I’m allowed to ask,” Pai defended himself gamely, stealing a sip of Sky’s drink. Sky just rolled his eyes, actually relaxing into the moment and taking a swig of Pai’s drink.

Rain and Payu tumbled back over ten minutes later, popping Sky’s temporary bubble of optimism. He didn’t usually mind their PDA so much, but it was different when he was actively trying to be more affectionate with Prapai.

He probably hadn’t even noticed anything different, Sky thought glumly, watching Rain bully his way into Payu’s lap.

-----

“Something’s different,” Prapai informed him. Sky blinked. “Is everything okay?” Prapai continued, when he didn’t get a response. “You seemed kinda upset at the bar.”

Sky opened his mouth, completely ready to respond that he was fine, before he closed it again.

“I’m…” he trailed off. Was he fine? Mostly.

“Sky?” Pai prompted, raising an eyebrow.

“I was a little upset earlier,” Sky allowed. Prapai waited for him to finish, and he went on, “I was trying to…you remember last time we were there?”

“Sure,” Prapai agreed, brow furrowing in slight confusion.

“We talked after,” Sky said. “You were drunk.”

A look of panic appeared on Pai’s face, and Sky hurried to explain. “Not like that! You just…said something.”

The look of panic reappeared.

“Not like that,” Sky insisted, pulling Prapai down onto the couch with him. The look of panic was gone, but it had been replaced by a look of worry, which wasn’t much better. “I’m not great with PDA,” he said bluntly. “You know that. And…you just said you wished things were different.”

“What?” Prapai asked, looking crestfallen.

“You just said…it wasn’t…” Sky sighed in frustration. “I asked,” he told Prapai sternly, “if you would want us to be affectionate around other people. And you said ‘who wouldn’t want that?’, that’s all,” he explained.

“I don’t want anything about you to be different,” Prapai doubled down, looking vaguely pissed at his past, drunken self.

“I want it too,” Sky said quietly. Prapai’s expression changed instantly, cycling through a few different emotions before ending on chagrined.

“And you should have everything you want,” Pai agreed, quickly changing direction. Sky let out a snort, leaning against Pai’s side.

“Well, I tried,” Sky said bitterly, thinking back on his somewhat pathetic efforts.

“And you succeeded,” Prapai pointed out, eyes narrowing at Sky’s tone of voice.

“I did not,” Sky argued, shaking his head with a half-laugh. “Did you see Rain and Payu tonight?”

“Do you want to be Rain and Payu?” Prapai returned immediately, raising an eyebrow.

“...okay, no,” Sky admitted. “But I still—”

“Still what?” Pai interrupted. “Still made an effort? Still made a lot of progress? Still were the best boyfriend in existence?”

Sky swatted him on the arm, appreciating the sentiment despite himself.

“I’m happy with anything,” Pai told him. “I’m happy with you, even if it means we can only hold hands in secret.”

“I held hands with you at a farmers’ market!” Sky defended himself. “And I am making progress.”

“And you’re doing a great job,” Prapai reassured him, kissing him quickly.

“Thank you,” Sky said.

“I could probably help out more,” Prapai pointed out.

“What do you mean?” Sky asked.

“I’m just saying,” Pai shrugged. “If you need me to grab your ass in public, I can. For you. If you think it would help.”

Sky threw a pillow at him and went to bed.

[windowlessatmosphere]

I love all your fanfics! Btw, can you write one regarding Pai being sad that Sky rarely shows their love when they are out together eg at the race track or at school? Maybe Sky being touchy and intimate for once hehe thank you

thanks for the prompt, i appreciate it! hope you enjoy!

[windowlessatmosphere]

The Boy Is Mine

Summary: Prapai gets hit on sometimes, but he always shuts it down quickly. A few comments about his boyfriend are usually all that’s required. In this case, however, nothing seems to be working. And Sky hasn’t even noticed. Allegedly.

Prapai swung a leg over his bike, handing off his helmet to one of the guys working the race. He looked around expectantly, not yet seeing Sky. Just a moment later, there was a tap on the back of his shoulder, and he turned around with a wide grin.

“Hey…” he said, trailing off when he realized it wasn’t Sky.

“Hey,” the guy said back, giving him a soft smile. 

He racked his brain, trying to put a name to the face that was, admittedly, vaguely familiar. Prapai was pretty sure he was dating one of the racers.

“You were great,” the guy said, stepping closer and looking up at him through his lashes.

“Thank you,” he said, somewhat awkwardly, shuffling back slightly. He studied the face a little longer, eventually just giving up altogether. “I’m sorry,” he said, “what’s your name again?”

There was a beat of silence before he got an answer. “Mint,” he said, leaning back slightly.

Good, then. Maybe that would be that.

“I guess we need to get to know each other better,” Mint suggested, raising an eyebrow and giving him a onceover.

Okay, so maybe that wouldn’t be that.

“Oh, that’s—Sky!” He cut himself off as soon as he caught sight of Sky, who was hovering by the gate, looking uncertain. Prapai waved him over enthusiastically, his face stretching into a wide grin when Sky obliged.

“How’d I do?” he asked as soon as Sky was in earshot, holding his arms out and waggling his eyebrows a little. Sky allowed him to wrap his arms around him, blushing slightly as he did so.

“You were great,” Sky said, his tone proud and genuine, contrasting how Mint had said it.

Pai caught a glimpse of Mint’s expression, which had soured somewhat.

“Oh, sorry,” he apologized. “Mint, this is my boyfriend, Sky. Sky, this is Mint.”

“Nice to meet you,” Sky said with a smile. 

“You, too,” Mint replied, seemingly-fake brightness in his tone. “I have to get going. I’ll see you at the next race,” he said. The words were directed at both of them, but he only eyed Prapai before he walked off.

“I was great?” Prapai checked, pulling Sky in closer and nuzzling the side of his face.

“You were,” Sky confirmed, squirming in his hold until Pai let him go. “C’mon, let’s go find Rain and Payu.”

Prapai groaned dramatically, following him anyway, and Sky laughed at him, clearly remorseless. A moment later, he caught up to Sky, who let him hold his hand, and he forgot all about Mint.

-----

He had forgotten all about Mint.

They’d spoken briefly at the races a few times, but it had been a month since that first exchange.

“P’Pai!” Mint greeted him excitedly, sliding into the seat directly next to him on the couch.

“Hey!” Prapai replied with equal enthusiasm, a little looser than usual with a few drinks in him. Sky was no better, currently off with Rain taking far too many tequila shots.

“No boyfriend tonight?” Mint asked, scooting a little closer to him.

Drunk as he was, Prapai was still aware enough to recognize an obvious move. He sat up, putting a little more distance between them.

“He’s just getting a drink,” Pai explained, hoping to give the impression that he’d be back any minute.

“I can keep you company while you wait,” Mint offered, leaning in further.

‘No, thanks,’ was on the tip of his tongue, but what actually came out was a very awkward, “Oh, you don't have to do that.”

“I don’t mind,” Mint responded, cocking an eyebrow with a slight smile. “It’s my pleasure.”

“Thanks,” Prapai said shortly. He started scanning through a list of possible excuses, eventually settling on faking a phone call. If Mint asked, he could just say it was Payu, who wasn’t here to betray the illusion. “I think I’m—”

“P’Pai!” Sky cut him off, appearing out of nowhere and falling half on top of him as he landed on the couch.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he said fondly, smoothly grabbing the drink out of Sky’s hand and setting it on the table before it inevitably ended up all over both of them. A thought occurred to him. “Where’s Rain?” he asked. Payu would not be happy if they left a drunk Rain unattended and surrounded by a bunch of racers.

“He got an Uber,” Sky explained, his eyes slightly unfocused. He was clinging on to Prapai by now, far looser and more comfortable with public affection when drunk than any other time. 

Pai attempted to suppress a smile, pulling him in closer and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Sky went easily, resting his head in the crook of Prapai’s neck.

“Hey,” he said, a moment later. “You’re Mint, right?”

“Right,” Mint confirmed with a tight smile. He took a sip of his drink, his eyes staying fixed on Sky. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and glanced at it. “I should probably get going,” he said apologetically, shifting his gaze to Prapai.

“Okay.” He shrugged. “See you later.”

“That sounds nice,” Mint replied smoothly, his gaze turning a little more heated before he stood up to leave.

Prapai shifted uncomfortably, his eyes flicking to Sky to see how he was reacting.

He appeared to be sound asleep.

Prapai sighed, putting his other arm around Sky as well to support him more fully, and began contemplating the logistics of getting Sky to the car without waking him up. He formed a game plan, moving slowly so as not to disturb Sky, carefully pulling them both to standing without jolting him.

He let out a breath once they were both standing, mentally congratulating himself on not waking Sky up.

“P’Pai?” Sky mumbled, his face buried in Prapai’s neck.

Oh.

-----

“I was thinking about learning to ride,” Mint informed him, leaning over the bike between them.

“That’s nice.”

“Maybe you could give me a private lesson?” he asked, looking up at Prapai with wide eyes.

“You should get someone else,” Pai suggested. “I tried teaching Sky once, but it didn’t go that well.”

“Maybe you had the wrong student,” Mint shot back.

Prapai took a deep breath and reminded himself that violence was not acceptable in this scenario.

“I don’t think so.”

-----

“I think there’s something wrong with my car.”

“That sucks.”

“Isn’t your friend a mechanic?” Mint asked innocently. “P’Payu?”

“Yep,” Prapai said shortly. For a moment, he entertained the idea that Mint had moved on to Payu, and he contemplated exactly how that would go. Payu would probably just be confused, and Rain would probably break his nose.

“Can you send me his information?” Mint asked, in what seemed to confirm the theory.

“Sure.” Pai shrugged, already picturing Payu’s face. A thought occurred to him. “I don’t have your number, though.”

“Let me fix that,” Mint returned easily, giving him a smile.

Okay. So that wasn’t what was happening. Damn.

-----

“The food’s supposed to be great,” Mint explained, chattering on. “And it’s right downtown, and I heard the atmosphere’s amazing.”

Huh. That did sound great.

“What’s it called?” he asked, mentally going through his calendar for the week. Tuesday would work.

“House of Thyme,” Mint replied eagerly, straightening up a little.

“Awesome, thanks,” he said with a grin, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “I have to take Sky there.”

Mint deflated.

-----

“P’Pai!” Mint called. “C’mere,” he requested, waving him over.

Prapai hesitated. Normally, he would have made an excuse and kept walking, but there was a larger guy standing next to Mint and scowling, and there was a note of fear in his tone. Prapai walked over.

“Hey,” he greeted them both cautiously. Up close, he could see that the other guy was one of the racers. Bank, who wasn’t exactly known for his friendly demeanor.

“Prapai,” Bank replied coolly, giving him a smile that had absolutely no warmth in it. It probably didn’t help that Pai had obliterated him in their race the week prior.

“I needed to talk to you,” Mint interrupted their staring contest, giving Prapai a meaningful look.

“Right.” Prapai gave a quick nod, adopting what was hopefully a convincing expression.

“No Sky today?” Bank asked, taking a step closer to Prapai. His tone was casual, but his face was clearly asking a different question.

“He had an assignment to finish up. He’s coming by later,” Prapai explained. “He doesn’t like to miss a race,” Prapai added, irked at Bank’s implication.

“We should talk,” Mint reminded him, nudging him slightly. 

Prapai nodded at Bank before turning and walking away with Mint, heading over to where Payu was looking over the bikes.

“That guy is such a dick,” he groused.

“Tell me about it,” Mint commiserated, glancing quickly back over at Bank. “Thank you,” he added, looking up at Prapai. “If there’s anything I can do for you…” he offered, trailing off.

Prapai waved him off instinctively, before reconsidering.

“Actually,” he hedged, debating briefly with himself over whether it was appropriate. Mint brightened, giving him an expectant look. “Where did you get your bag?” he asked, deciding it was fine.

“My bag?” Mint echoed, clearly confused. Prapai nodded, gesturing to his shoulder bag.

“It’s cute.” Prapai shrugged. “I think Sky would like it.”

Mint sighed.

-----

“Maybe you should just tell him you’re not interested,” Sky suggested mildly, popping a chip into his mouth.

“I have,” Prapai insisted. “Multiple times!”

“You tend to beat around the bush,” Sky pushed back, “and you never want to hurt anyone's feelings.”

“I’ve been very clear,” Prapai doubled down. “Every time he flirts with me, I just start talking about you.”

Sky snorted. “You do that anyway,” he pointed out, half-laughing.

Prapai pouted at that until Sky leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

“He hasn’t actually done anything,” Pai said, thinking it over. Sky raised an eyebrow, and he continued, “I mean, he’s been flirting, but nothing so direct that I could call him out on it.”

“You call that indirect?” Sky grumbled, eating another chip. 

Prapai perked up at that, instantly pulling Sky in closer with a wide grin. “Are you jealous?” he asked, his tone hopeful rather than judgemental.

“No,” Sky told him.

“Are you?”

“No.”

“But are you?”

“...Maybe.”

-----

“Why is he always here?” Sky hissed, glaring in Mint’s direction.

Prapai shrugged, too preoccupied with watching Sky finish his drink. He was well on his way to being drunk himself, easily content with sitting next to Sky and occasionally pouting his way into holding hands.

Sky turned further to look at Mint, and Prapai whined, no longer able to see his face. Sky turned back to him with an exasperated look on his face, letting a small smile bleed through when Pai scooted closer and put his head on Sky’s shoulder.

“You’re a koala,” Sky informed him.

“I’m your koala,” Prapai said, his words coming out slightly muffled.

Sky snorted at that and put a hand in Pai’s hair, playing with the strands.

They stayed like that for a while, and thankfully, Mint didn’t come over. It was probably just a coincidence, Prapai decided. Besides, he couldn’t really be bothered to think much about it, especially when Sky was being halfway cuddly in public.

Rain and Payu came and went, returning whenever Rain wanted a drink and leaving whenever he wanted to dance. Payu didn’t seem to mind either way, perfectly content to be dragged to and from their booth at Rain’s insistence.

“I love this song!” Rain exclaimed, scooting closer to Sky and tugging on his arm. “Come dance with me.”

Prapai grunted his displeasure, making Sky laugh and Rain huff.

“Where’s Payu?” Sky wanted to know, eyes scanning the dance floor.

“He had to take a call.” Rain pouted, eyes wide as he waited for Sky to respond.

He let out a long sigh. “Fine. One song.”

“Yay!” Rain was instantly chipper, springing up and pulling at Sky’s arm.

Prapai pouted, giving Sky his own wide-eyed look and hoping it could compete with Rain.

“One song,” Sky repeated. “You can come too,” he said.

Prapai considered standing up, but quickly came to the conclusion that it didn’t seem that worthwhile after all.

“It’s fine,” he insisted, waving them off. “I’ll be here.”

He quickly contented himself with watching Sky, unable to help a smile at how carefree he looked, spinning around with Rain on the dance floor.

“All by yourself?” Mint’s voice came from behind him, and he tensed up. He turned to make eye contact, giving a casual shrug in response to the question. “Need some company?”

“Sky’ll be back in a minute,” Pai answered shortly.

Mint threw a quick glance to the dance floor, raising an eyebrow. “Looks like he’s…preoccupied,” Mint said, arching an eyebrow.

Prapai couldn’t help but snort at that. Sure, he could be a little bit jealous sometimes, but over Rain? Yeah, that wasn’t happening.

“He seems pretty busy,” Mint repeated, frowning slightly as he watched Prapai’s expression.

“He’ll be back in a minute,” Prapai repeated, gritting his teeth.

“You don’t have to be here when he gets back.” Mint took a step forward, tilting his head flirtatiously.

“I’m not—” Mint held a finger up to his lips, cutting him off. He leaned forward further, brushing a strand of hair out of Prapai’s face. “Interested,” he finished. “I’m not interested.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Mint murmured, letting a hand fall to Prapai’s chest.

“He said he wasn’t interested.” Prapai turned, relieved to see Sky standing behind him, arms crossed with a furious expression on his face. Mint pulled his hand away, taking an automatic step back.

“I was just—” he started, before Sky cut him off.

“Hitting on him?” Sky asked. “Again? Even though he keeps telling you he has a boyfriend?”

“Seriously?” Mint scoffed. “You don’t even act like a couple. You don’t even kiss him when he wins a race.”

“Hey—” Prapai started, furious on Sky’s behalf. Public displays of affection were not Sky’s thing, especially so at the racetrack, where there were a million people around, some of whom reminded Sky of his past with racing. There was absolutely no reason for anyone to judge him for that, when he was only—

Sky was kissing him.

That was the only thought in his head for the next few moments. Or at least, until Sky stopped kissing him.

“He told you he wasn’t interested,” Sky was saying. “Leave him alone.”

Mint left in a huff. Presumably. Prapai was a bit distracted.

“What an asshole,” Sky fumed, turning to face Prapai again. He glanced at Prapai and frowned. “Why are you smiling?”

“You kissed me,” Prapai answered automatically. He thought for a second. “And you were jealous. So…”

“I was not,” Sky insisted, folding his arms. “He just wouldn’t take a hint.”

“You so were,” Rain chimed in. Prapai blinked. He honestly hadn’t realized Rain was there. “Right, P’Payu?” Prapai blinked again. Payu was also there.

“Sorry, Sky,” Payu shrugged, clearly in agreement with Rain.

Sky huffed at them both, and Prapai pulled him in tightly, nuzzling Sky’s cheek with his nose.

“It was sweet,” Pai reassured him.

Sky was silent for a beat.

“Thank you,” he said eventually.

“No problem,” Pai responded. “You’re cute when you’re jealous.”

“I am not!”

“Which?” Prapai questioned. “Cute, or jealous?”

“P’Pai!”

[windowlessatmosphere]

Hello! Can you write one about Sky getting jealous when someone tries multiple times to flirt with Prapai. Sky finally steps up and shows everyone that he is Prapai's boyfriend, even making Rain and Phayu shocked as he rarely shows his claim. Prapai being super happy afterwards will be great! Thank you so much!

hopefully this is along the right lines! thx for prompting :)

[windowlessatmosphere]

I’ll Run (Run to You)

Summary: After Rain has a fight with Payu over a simple misunderstanding, he finds himself in a completely different world, one where they’ve already broken up. When he tries to escape, he ends up in yet another world and is left wondering if he’ll ever make it back.