Why Us??

I wonder if .....

Next Morning - Rain & Payu

Morning light crept into the room in thin gold lines, cutting across the bed and the scattered papers from last night.

Rain was already awake.

Not because he wanted to be-
but because his brain refused to shut up.

He lay on his stomach, staring at the ceiling, replaying fragments of yesterday like an annoying reel: the garden, the koi pond, Payu's voice while explaining cuts and heat, the way his hands had hovered instead of grabbing.

And then-

Movement beside him.

Payu sat up quietly.

No grumbling.
No sharp sigh.
No annoyed commentary about mornings.

That alone made Rain squint.

Payu swung his legs off the bed and glanced back.
"Didn't you say you had to finish the project today?"

Rain blinked. "...Yeah?"

Payu nodded once. "Bring it here."

Rain pushed himself up slowly, suspicious.
"You're... helping?"

Payu didn't look at him as he stretched.
"I already ruined your sleep schedule. Might as well ruin my own."

Rain stared.

Then snorted.
"I can't believe this. You didn't even scream yet."

Payu paused.

Looked at him.

"...I haven't started."

Rain laughed, genuinely this time.
"Wow. Growth."

They sat on the floor together, backs against the bed.
The project materials were spread between them-wooden sticks, chart paper, glue, clay.

Rain started explaining, animated despite himself.

"So the teacher wants a comparison model. One traditional, one modern. I was thinking-"

Payu reached for the ruler automatically.
"Scale matters. If one's smaller, it'll look lazy."

Rain stopped mid-sentence.

"...You're taking this seriously."

Payu shrugged. "You are."

That shut Rain up for a moment.

They worked in silence after that. Not awkward. Just... calm.

Payu handed him things before Rain asked.
Held pieces steady.
Adjusted angles instead of criticizing.

At one point Rain knocked over the glue.

He froze.

Waiting.

Payu simply grabbed a tissue and wiped it up.

Rain stared at him.
"You didn't yell."

Payu didn't even look up.
"Do you want me to?"

Rain scoffed. "No. I just-never mind."

But the surprise lingered on his face.

---

Later, when they were getting ready-

Rain stood in front of the mirror struggling with his collar.

Payu noticed.

Didn't comment.

Just stepped closer and fixed it for him.

His fingers brushed Rain's neck-brief, careful.