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- The Puffed Cheeks
Rain was mad.
Not quietly irritated mad.
Not mildly annoyed mad.
He was arms-crossed, cheeks-puffed, eyebrows-knitted-together mad.
Phayu knew this the moment he stepped into the house and felt the air shift. The living room lights were on even though Rain hated bright lights at night. The TV was off. Rain sat on the couch like he was guarding it, posture stiff, jaw tight.
Phayu slipped off his shoes slowly.
“Hey,” he said carefully.
No answer.
Rain didn’t even look at him.
Phayu tried again, softer. “Rain?”
Rain inhaled sharply through his nose and turned his head just enough to glare at Phayu from the corner of his eyes. His cheeks puffed out even more, like he was holding back an entire lecture with sheer willpower.
Phayu froze.
Oh.
That face.
He bit the inside of his cheek, fighting a smile. Bad idea. Smiling never helped when Rain was like this.
“What did I do,” Phayu asked gently, already knowing the answer.
Rain uncrossed his arms just to point dramatically at the wall clock.
Phayu followed his finger.
8:42 p.m.
“…I said I’d be home at eight,” Phayu said slowly.
Rain’s eye twitched.
“You said,” Rain repeated, voice tight, “ten minutes late. Not forty-two.”
Phayu opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. “Traffic was bad. Then the client-”
“You always say that,” Rain snapped. His voice cracked just a little at the end, which made it worse. “You said we’d eat together.”
Phayu’s chest softened immediately.
Rain hated eating alone. He never complained about it directly, but Phayu had learned - Rain waited. Even when he said he wouldn’t. Even when the food went cold.
Rain stood up abruptly. “I already ate.”
Phayu glanced at the untouched container on the table. Still sealed.
“…You didn’t,” Phayu said gently.
Rain puffed his cheeks again, like the truth personally offended him.
“I’m mad,” Rain declared.
Phayu stared at him.
Really stared.
Messy hair. Slight frown. Cheeks round and flushed. Arms crossed again like he was trying to physically contain his emotions.
Phayu lost the battle.
“You’re cute,” he said without thinking.
Rain’s eyes widened. “What?”
“When you’re mad,” Phayu continued, smiling now, doomed, “you look like an angry kitten.”
Rain made a strangled noise. “I am NOT-”
Phayu stepped closer. “Your cheeks do this thing.”
Rain’s face went red. “Stop looking at my cheeks!”
Phayu reached out instinctively.
Bad move.
Rain slapped his hand away. “Don’t touch me! I’m still angry!”
Phayu immediately lifted his hands in surrender, but he was smiling way too fondly. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry. Really.”
Rain hesitated.
His shoulders drooped just a fraction.
“…You’re not supposed to find this cute,” Rain muttered.
Phayu softened completely and stepped closer anyway, careful this time. “I know. I’m sorry I’m late. I should’ve texted. I should’ve come home earlier.”
Rain looked up at him, lips pressed into a stubborn line. His eyes searched Phayu’s face like he was checking if the apology was real.
Phayu passed the test.
Rain huffed and leaned forward, forehead pressing lightly into Phayu’s chest. “I waited.”
Phayu’s arms wrapped around him instantly. “I know.”
Rain stayed stiff for exactly five seconds before relaxing into the hug.
“…Still mad,” Rain said into his shirt.
Phayu kissed the top of his head. “Still cute.”
Rain sighed, defeated. “I hate you.”
Phayu smiled against his hair. “You love me.”
Rain didn’t deny it.
He just puffed his cheeks one last time.
- The Silent Treatment (That Absolutely Failed)
Rain was mad.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Not expressive.
Quiet mad.
Which, honestly, was worse - because quiet mad Rain meant emotional violence in slow motion.
It happened at a café near Phayu’s office.
They were standing in line, Rain leaning slightly into Phayu’s side, phone in hand, half-distracted, half-listening to Phayu talk about his day - until a girl behind the counter smiled a little too brightly.
“Your order?” she asked Phayu.
Phayu answered politely. Normal tone. Normal smile.
Then she tilted her head.
“You work nearby?”
Phayu nodded. “Yeah.”
“That’s cool,” she said, eyes flicking to his face. “You come here often?”
Rain looked up.
Phayu, clueless as ever, answered honestly. “Sometimes.”
She smiled wider. “Maybe I’ll see you again then.”
Rain’s hand tightened around his phone.
Phayu still didn’t notice.
Rain did.
Very clearly.
Very vividly.
Very personally.
They got their drinks and walked to a table.
Rain sat down.
Did not speak.
Did not look at Phayu.
Did not respond to anything.
Phayu talked for a full minute before realizing he was in a one-sided conversation.
“…Rain?”
Silence.
“Rain.”
Nothing.
Phayu leaned forward. “Baby?”
Rain picked up his drink and took a dramatic sip. Still no eye contact.
Oh.
Oh no.
Phayu blinked. “…What happened?”
Rain stood up.
Moved to the other chair.
Sat further away.
Crossed his arms.
Phayu stared at him. “Are you - are you seriously mad?”
Rain didn’t answer.
He just sighed loudly.
Then louder.
Then looked out the window like he was in a tragic drama.
Phayu processed the timeline.
The café.
The barista.
The smile.
The tone.
Realization hit.
“…Oh.”
Rain immediately snapped his head toward him. “Oh?”
Phayu nodded slowly. “Oh.”
Rain leaned forward. “So you DID notice.”
“I noticed now,” Phayu said honestly.
Rain scoffed. “Of course.”
They sat in silence for exactly twenty-seven seconds.
Then Rain cracked.
“You didn’t even move closer to me,” Rain muttered.
Phayu blinked. “What?”
“She was literally flirting with you,” Rain said, voice rising. “In front of me.”
Phayu frowned. “Rain, I didn’t flirt back.”
“You smiled,” Rain shot back.
“I always smile.”
“That’s worse!”
Phayu stared at him.
Then laughed.
Not loudly.
Not mockingly.
Softly.
Fondly.
Because Rain looked ridiculous - sulky, jealous, offended, dramatic, beautiful.
“Are you jealous?” Phayu asked gently.
“No,” Rain lied immediately.
Phayu reached across the table and took Rain’s hand.
Rain tried to pull it back.
Failed.
“You’re cute when you’re jealous,” Phayu said.
Rain glared at him. “Stop calling me cute when I’m mad.”
Phayu leaned in closer. “She could flirt with me all she wants.”
Rain’s jaw tightened. “Oh really?”
Phayu smiled softly. “I only see you.”
Rain’s glare faltered.
“…Liar.”
Phayu lifted Rain’s hand and kissed his knuckles.
Rain’s ears turned red.
People were around.
Rain yanked his hand back. “We’re in public!”
“So?” Phayu said calmly. “You’re mine.”
Rain looked away, trying to stay mad.
Failed again.
“…Still mad,” he muttered.
Phayu stood up, moved to Rain’s side, and sat right next to him instead of across the table. He wrapped an arm around Rain’s waist.
Rain resisted for exactly two seconds.
Then leaned in.
“You’re annoying,” Rain said.
“You love me,” Phayu replied.
Rain didn’t answer.
But he stayed.
- The Rant (That Phayu Secretly Fell in Love With Again)
Rain was pacing.
That was the first warning sign.
The second was the fact that he kicked his shoes off so hard one of them hit the wall.
Phayu, who had been sitting on the couch scrolling through his phone, looked up immediately. “Bad day?”
Rain stopped pacing just long enough to glare at him. “You remember that guy from my class? The one who never does his part in group work?”
Phayu nodded. “The one you complain about every week?”
“Yes. Him.”
Rain resumed pacing, hands flying as he talked. “We had a presentation today, right? And I specifically told him to prepare the slides. Slides. That’s all. Not the speaking part. Not the design. Just. Slides.”
Phayu hummed. Dangerous. Encouraging.
“And do you know what he did?” Rain demanded.
Phayu shook his head, already smiling.
“He copied. From. The. Internet,” Rain said, enunciating every word like it personally hurt him. “Different fonts. Different colours. One slide was literally Comic Sans.”
Phayu choked on a laugh.
“I almost passed away,” Rain continued. “I asked him, ‘Did you even check this?’ and he said-” Rain’s voice went up an octave, mimicking, “‘It’s okay, the lecturer won’t notice.’”
Rain stopped pacing so abruptly Phayu nearly applauded.
“I noticed,” Rain said flatly. “I noticed everything.”
Phayu watched him with open admiration.
Messy hair. Flushed cheeks. Eyes bright with righteous fury. Hands gesturing like he was presenting a TED Talk titled Why This One Classmate Should Never Touch PowerPoint Again.
“And then,” Rain went on, pointing dramatically at the air, “he had the audacity to ask me for my notes after class.”
Phayu laughed outright now. “No.”
“Yes,” Rain said, horrified. “He said, ‘You’re good at explaining, can you send me yours?’”
Rain grabbed a cushion and hugged it to his chest like emotional support. “The NERVE.”
Phayu leaned back, smiling like he was watching the best show of his life.
Rain finally noticed.
“Why are you smiling like that?” Rain demanded.
Phayu shrugged. “You’re passionate.”
Rain narrowed his eyes. “I’m angry.”
“I know.”
Rain huffed. “You’re supposed to agree with me.”
“I do,” Phayu said easily. “He sounds terrible.”
“Then why are you smiling?”
Phayu lifted his phone. “Because you’re cute.”
Rain froze. “What.”
“When you rant,” Phayu continued, completely sincere. “You do this thing with your eyebrows.”
Rain’s ears turned red. “Stop analyzing my face!”
Phayu laughed. “You should’ve seen yourself just now. Very scary. Very powerful.”
Rain puffed his cheeks. “I am powerful.”
“Yes,” Phayu agreed. “And adorable.”
Rain threw the cushion at him.
Phayu caught it effortlessly.
Rain groaned and flopped onto the couch beside him, collapsing dramatically. “I hate group work.”
Phayu pulled him closer, Rain’s head landing against his shoulder. “You did well. You always do.”
Rain’s anger slowly deflated.
“…He still sucks,” Rain muttered.
Phayu kissed his temple. “He does.”
Rain relaxed completely, still grumbling under his breath - while Phayu, once again, quietly fell in love with him mid-rant.
- The Burrito of Doom
This one was entirely Phayu’s fault.
Rain had told him to stop.
Once.
Twice.
Five times.
Phayu did not stop.
It started harmlessly - a little comment here, a smirk there. Phayu leaned over Rain’s shoulder while he was doing his assignment and murmured, “You’re very cute when you’re focused.”
Rain had swatted him away. “Go do something else.”
Phayu, instead of listening, sat closer.
Then closer.
Then too close.
“You’re blushing,” Phayu said cheerfully.
“I am not,” Rain snapped.
“Yes, you are.”
“No.”
Phayu laughed. “Your ears are red.”
Rain slammed his laptop shut. “I’m going to our room.”
Phayu watched him go with a smile that absolutely did not help his case.
Ten minutes passed.
Rain did not come back out.
Phayu, finally feeling a little guilty, knocked on the bedroom door. “Rain?”
No answer.
He knocked again. “Hey. I was just teasing.”
Still nothing.
Phayu opened the door slowly.
Rain was on the bed.
Wrapped entirely in a blanket.
Like a burrito.
Only his hair and a very visible frown were sticking out.
Phayu had to physically bite his lip.
“Oh my god,” he whispered.
Rain’s eyes snapped open. “Don’t.”
Phayu walked closer. “Don’t what?”
“Don’t laugh,” Rain said sharply. “I’m mad.”
“I can tell.”
Rain huffed and turned his face away, blanket rustling dramatically. “You never stop teasing me.”
Phayu sat at the edge of the bed. “I stopped.”
“After I got mad.”
“…True.”
Rain stayed silent, back turned, frown deep enough to be seen from space.
Phayu gently poked the blanket. “Are you comfortable in there?”
Rain ignored him.
Phayu poked again.
Rain growled. Actually growled.
Phayu froze. Then smiled wider.
“You look like an angry burrito,” Phayu said softly.
Rain whipped his head around. “I am not cute right now.”
Phayu nodded seriously. “You’re very cute right now.”
Rain let out a frustrated sound and pulled the blanket tighter around himself. “You’re impossible.”
Phayu leaned down and kissed the blanket right where Rain’s forehead would be.
Rain stiffened.
“…Don’t do that,” Rain muttered, voice weaker.
Phayu smiled. “I’m sorry. I won’t tease you anymore.”
Rain peeked out just a little more. “You promise?”
“I promise,” Phayu said sincerely. “For today.”
Rain glared at him.
Phayu laughed. “Okay. Okay. For real.”
Rain relaxed a fraction, still burritoed, still frowning.
Phayu reached out and gently brushed Rain’s hair back. “You know I don’t tease anyone else like this.”
Rain sighed. “…That’s not helping.”
Phayu leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Rain’s temple this time.
Rain didn’t pull away.
“…I’m still mad,” Rain said quietly.
“I know,” Phayu replied, wrapping an arm around the burrito. “Take your time.”
Rain stayed wrapped up.
But he leaned into Phayu’s side anyway.
- The Blanket War (a.k.a. Phayu’s Fault, Again)
Phayu woke up to pain.
Not emotional pain.
Physical pain.
A pillow smacked directly into his face.
“-What-”
Another hit.
Phayu groaned and rolled onto his back, eyes half-open, brain still asleep. “Rain…?”
Rain sat up on the bed, gripping the pillow like a weapon. His hair was messy, eyes sharp with offense, lips pushed out into the deepest pout known to mankind.
“You took the blanket,” Rain said.
Phayu blinked slowly.
The blanket was, indeed, completely wrapped around him like a cocoon.
“Oh,” Phayu murmured. “Did I?”
“Yes,” Rain snapped. “All of it.”
Phayu glanced at Rain.
Rain was cold.
Blanketless.
Fuming.
Phayu smiled.
Sleepy Phayu was a menace.
“You’re small,” Phayu said lazily. “You don’t need much.”
Rain’s jaw dropped. “I do NOT-”
Pillow.
Smack.
Phayu laughed weakly, lifting an arm to shield himself. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry.”
Rain turned away dramatically and crossed his arms, back straight, shoulders tense. He looked like the physical embodiment of deeply wronged.
Phayu watched him for a moment, fully awake now.
God.
He was cute.
Phayu scooted closer. “Baby.”
Rain ignored him.
Phayu leaned in anyway. “I didn’t mean to steal the blanket.”
Rain sniffed. “You always say that.”
“I mean it this time.”
Rain stayed quiet.
Phayu reached out and gently hooked a finger under Rain’s chin, tilting his face back toward him.
Rain tried to resist.
Failed.
His pout was right there. Soft. Perfect.
Phayu didn’t hesitate.
He kissed it.
Rain froze.
“…Hey,” Rain protested weakly.
Phayu kissed it again. “Sorry.”
Rain’s ears turned red. “You can’t just-”
Another kiss.
Rain sighed, anger draining out of him despite his best efforts.
Phayu pulled the blanket off himself and wrapped it around Rain completely, tucking it around his shoulders. Then he pulled Rain into his chest, arms strong and warm.
Rain relaxed instantly.
“…I was cold,” Rain muttered.
“I know,” Phayu whispered, pressing his lips to Rain’s hair. “My fault.”
Rain shifted closer, fitting perfectly against him.
Phayu smiled, eyes closing. “You’re cute when you’re mad.”
Rain huffed. “I hate that you say that.”
Phayu tightened his arms around him just a little. “Sleep.”
Rain grumbled once more - then curled into Phayu, finally warm, finally comfortable.
They fell asleep like that.
Pillow forgotten.
War over.
+1 When Phayu truly found Rain scary.
Rain’s phone slid across the table.
Face up.
Phayu glanced at it casually at first - then froze.
It was a picture.
His picture.
Him in his office, jacket off, sleeves rolled up, laughing. Sitting at his desk. Too relaxed. Too comfortable. Next to a woman. Close enough that their shoulders touched.
Her hand was on his arm.
Phayu felt his stomach drop.
Rain stood on the other side of the table.
Quiet.
Too quiet.
No crossed arms.
No pout.
No raised voice.
Just Rain, looking at the phone.
Then looking at Phayu.
“Explain,” Rain said.
One word.
Flat. Calm. Controlled.
Phayu swallowed hard.
This was worse than yelling. Worse than sulking. Worse than being hit with a pillow.
Rain’s voice didn’t shake. His hands didn’t tremble. His face was completely unreadable.
Phayu straightened instinctively. “Rain, I-”
He stopped.
Tried again.
“I can explain,” Phayu said, slower this time. Calm. Careful. “She’s - she’s my friend.”
Rain didn’t move.
Didn’t blink.
“Why is she touching you?” Rain asked.
Still calm.
Still quiet.
Phayu’s throat went dry. “She - um - she does that sometimes. She’s - she’s not-”
Rain tilted his head slightly.
Phayu felt his soul leave his body.
“She’s a lesbian,” Phayu blurted out.
Silence.
Phayu rushed on, words tumbling over each other despite his efforts to stay composed. “She’s my senior from work. She’s married. To a woman. She treats me like her younger brother. I swear. I didn’t even realize how it looked.”
Rain’s eyes flicked back to the phone.
“Her name,” Rain said.
“P’Min,” Phayu answered immediately. “She’s - she’s important to me. But not like that.”
Rain finally looked back up.
“And why,” Rain said softly, “were you laughing like that?”
Phayu exhaled shakily. “Because she was scolding me.”
Rain frowned - just a little.
“Scolding you?”
Phayu nodded quickly. “About you.”
Rain stilled.
Phayu took a careful step forward. “She said I work too much. That I forgot to communicate. That I should listen more. She told me if I ever hurt you, she’d be the first one to yell at me.”
Rain searched his face, silent.
Phayu met his gaze fully. No teasing. No jokes. Just honesty.
“She was giving me advice,” Phayu said quietly. “On how to treat you better.”
The tension in the room slowly shifted.
Rain looked away first.
“…You should’ve told me,” he said.
“I know,” Phayu replied immediately. “That’s on me.”
Rain nodded once.
Then he picked up his phone.
Phayu waited.
Rain stepped forward and rested his forehead briefly against Phayu’s chest. Not a hug. Not yet.
“I trust you,” Rain said. “But don’t make me ask like that again.”
Phayu wrapped his arms around him instantly. “You won’t have to. Ever.”
Rain relaxed against him at last.
Later that night, Phayu admitted quietly, half-laughing, half-serious,
“When you get that calm… it’s terrifying.”
Rain smiled faintly.
“Good.”