Pain in Your Eyes

When Pai's Mind is Cloudy

Prapai half-listened to his secretary when she was giving him the information he has asked for on Saturday.

Payu had messaged him back that he was unsure if he knew the person, because half the people who came to the car meets owned a car similar to this. Without knowing the exact year, or even a brief glimpse at the license plate, there was nothing Payu could do to help him.

"Why do you want this information anyway? Who is this guy you're looking for?"

"Someone who owes me something," Prapai had answered bitterly, ending the call with a thanks toward his best friend.

"Khun Prapai, are you even listening to me?"

Prapai apologized to  his secretary, rubbing his eyes with one hand. "I think I'm overworked."

"Overworked?" his secretary raised her eyebrow in disbelief, "You have had less work this month than you have in years."

Prapai groaned. "Some dipshit is giving me problems."

The secretary huffed, but shrugged it off. "Like I was saying, he went to LM High School, a middle-ranked school with an average student population of 2,500. Your boyfriend graduated with honors, but during his last year, he was cited twice with the school for disciplinary problems, and three times for coming to school improperly."

"What...what does that even mean?" Prapai questioned, completely lost, "'coming to school improperly' sounds like everyone Sky isn't."

The secretary shrugged.

"The only other information I have is for the disciplinary problems, relating between him and one other guy whose name is expunged from Nong Sky's record."

"What bullshit is that?"

"Nong Sky's name is more than likely expunged from the other person's records as well."

Prapai clicked his tongue in annoyance, leaning back in his seat. "Fine. What were these problems?"

"Apparently, Nong Sky fought once with his classmate on school grounds. There was no one in Bangkok for the school to contact, so Nong Sky and the other classmate were given after school detention for three weeks. The last week they were in detention, Nong Sky and this classmate fought again, only this time, Nong Sky was sent to the hospital to be treated."

"Hospital?" Prapai questioned, "How badly?"

"A broken arm, it says," the secretary replied, "But the doctor's notes include an injury from the past ten days where Nong Sky's nipples were scabbed over and in the process of healing."

Prapai stood up quickly.

"Give me the record."

The secretary quickly handed it over, her lips pushed tightly together.

"I'll take care of the rest of this. Forget that you saw any of this and I'll pay you time and a half and a half for the next two weeks."

"Done," she replied, turning on her heel and disappearing out the door.

Prapai sat down, slapping the file on the desk in front of him and reading every word very carefully.

Sky has very few problems in classes, as he doesn't talk much to others, but his association with some of the other boys outside of his class year is worrying. The school has had three instances of Sky coming to school improperly, and needed discipline. 

On a few occasions, the school has attempted to call the parents of Sky only to find the mother unreachable, the father in another city, and his uncle unwilling to return our calls despite mutliple chances. It appears Sky has been living on his own since his enrollment here, and the school has found it necessary to discipline him ourselves through community service.

Previous instances with ________ have been numerous, but his involvement with Sky is worrying toward his grade and performance. _______ has had several problems with his physical violence toward himself and his friends, and as Sky has started to associate with him, Sky's grades have suffered. His performance resulted in a fight with ______ and both were given three weeks detention and community service.

In the last week of their discipline, Sky and ______ fought a second time, to which Sky claimed was started by _______. Considering the injuries suffered by Sky from the attack, the school is inclined to take Sky's side, however disciplined him again, and the school made the decision to expel _____. The doctor's report from the hospital is included within.

Prapai glanced through the doctor's notes, seeing exactly what his secretary had told him previously.

He brushed his fingers over the words pertaining to Sky's scabbed and healing nipples, and suddenly felt a rush of guilt flush his cheeks. He felt bad about his constant questioning relating to his chest.

He would have to buy his Sky some of his favorite food...if he could ever figure out what that was.

-----------------------------------------

Prapai couldn't help but watch Sky when he slept.

The young male's nightmares were worrying, but lately, he'd been able to sleep properly. Prapai refused to fall asleep these days before Sky, if he could manage to stay up later than him.

Sky seemed troubled more often, more than usual, even though he tried as much as he could to hide it from Prapai. He could see the creases in Sky's forehead, the worry behind his tired, worn-out eyes.

Prapai couldn't stop thinking about that dipshit, and he felt confident that whoever he was, he was doing something behind the curtain.

Something that Prapai couldn't see but Sky could. Something that Prapai couldn't defend him from.

There was a play happening on stage, where Sky was being chased by shadows, shadows of the past, shadows of the present, and Sky could see everything that was happening, but Prapai could only sit there was watch.

The plot confused him, the pieces didn't quite fit together and there were gaps.

He couldn't see his Sky getting into a fight, not his beautiful, stubborn sky. He couldn't see him sitting in a hospital with a broken arm, with a doctor questioning him about his scabbed injuries.

Lying here on his arm, Prapai felt like he was holding the most precious thing in his life, in the world.

Sky whimpered silently in his dreams, and Prapai pulled him close, kissing his head and caressing his shoulders and his hair.

Sky's phone pinged silently in the darkness, and Prapai reached over to turn off the ringer when the message caught his eye.

It was by an unknown number.

Prapai frowned.

The only unknown number on Sky's phone had only ever been Prapai's multiple SIM cards. Prapai unlocked Sky's phone and noticed there had been a conversation between the two for at least two weeks, three weeks after the event of the crushed box in the garage.

Unknown:
You owe me. Don't think you will get away with refusing me.

Sky:
I don't. But I will not do what I did in the past.

Unknown:
It doesn't work that way Sky. I've heard who you've been around, why you contacted me asking about the races.

Sky:
You know nothing.

Unknown:
I know more than you could possibly dream, little Sky. We wouldn't want anything to happen to that rich CEO of yours.

Sky:
Stay away from him. He's got nothing to do with what I owe you.

Unknown:
Then Sky, you know what I want.

Prapai scowled, copying the number into his own phone, and promising to deal with the man tomorrow. Tonight, as he turned off the ringer of his boyfriend's phone and muted the unknown contact for the time to come.