Style : Latin American music, beats to be set for Tango

Rain and Phayu pretty much settled into their relationship after their return from their vacation. They did try to spend as much time together as possible, but two weeks after they came back, the teaser for the new song, the first one that Phayu had made Rain hear on the day he had confessed, had been released by the company, and had been received very well. Phayu was now busy recording the fourth song of the album. It was something he been planning for a while, but he hadn't found the perfect lyrics that he could fit the music that had been playing in his head since a very long time. He had wanted something that he would be able to perform that would be totally different from his other performances, something he had never done before. And now, because he had Rain, he was pretty sure he could carry it off.

He was also occupied with recording the MV for the first song, which meant that Rain was with him on the sets, but they couldn't really do anything, and while Phayu really didn't care, he knew Rain did, which is why he refrained from doing something that would make his boy uncomfortable or uneasy. He owed Rain the freedom to choose when he wanted to come out. The fact that Rain had no qualms about introducing Phayu as his boyfriend in front of his parents, and that his parents had pretty much adopted Phayu, Fah and Pai, it went a long way in putting Phayu's mind at ease about where he stood in Rain's list of priorities. And that was enough for him. Who cared about others when there was complete acceptance from family!

Ryan watched as Rain guided Phayu into a series of complicated steps. "He seems to have gotten his mojo back. I realise how much that had been missing until I see him dancing now. And the song is fantastic! I am glad I decided to assign Rain to him," he enthused to Saifah and Prapai, as if it had been his idea all the while. They nodded wordlessly, looking at each other. If only Ryan knew the truth, he would blow his top. So they kept quiet. "Phayu seems close to Rain," Ryan said suddenly, startling both of them. "Well, of course Phi. Rain is his choreographer. They practice a lot every day. It's obvious they will be close," Pai said. Ryan didn't speak for a few minutes and the two of them were grateful that the crisis seemed averted. "He has worked with several choreographers in the past, he never seemed close to anyone," Ryan spoke up again. Fah and Pai had no idea how to respond. "Is there something you are not telling me? Something I should know?" Ryan asked. "There is nothing Phi. I am sure Phayu would let you know," Pai said, trying to divert Ryan's attention away from Phayu and Rain.

"Look, I know you don't want to tell anyone about Rain until he decides he is okay, but I think you should tell P'Ryan. The man already suspects something, and if he gets to know from outside sources, it might be hard to convince him later," Fah said, as he and Pai got Phayu home after the shoot. "Yu, talk to Rain na? Both of you decide together, but tell him the necessity and the importance of ensuring that Phi knows the truth," Pai said. "And the advantages too," Fah said, as Pai nodded. "Okay, I will discuss with him," Phayu said, knowing that it was important to communicate with Rain, especially since this involved both of them.

"I am not so sure of that Phi," Rain said, looking worried at Phayu. "I am not going to force you Rain. But please do consider the benefits of letting P'Ryan know about us," Phayu said. "And what are they Phi?" Rain asked, not at all sounding convinced. "Think of it this way Rain. If Phi knows about it, we will have a better support system. He will be able to handle any negative impact if that ever happens," Phayu said. "What if he refuses to let us continue with each other Phi?" Rain asked. Phayu wanted to laugh. But he knew that Rain would not take that well, and he didn't want to stress him out further than he already was. "Rain, Phi is in a relationship with a man too. He is hardly going to judge us. His partner runs one of the biggest production companies in Thailand. In fact, a lot of the MVs that we make and the publicity for our artists that is done, is done by them. Most of the products we endorse belong to firms that work closely with RJ Productions. So please put that worry out of your head," he said. "And what if he thinks you wanted me to work with me because of this reason? Because we were dating?" Rain asked. "Nope, just trust me okay? I will go talk to P'Ryan right away. You come when Saifah messages you. Cool?" Phayu asked. Rain nodded. Although he wanted to cling to his man, he let him go, apprehension and fear sitting on top of his head, making him feel slightly sick.

"Hmm," Ryan said, as he leaned back in chair, fingers steepling under his chin, silent for a few moments. "Phayu, honestly? I am not against your relationship with Rain, okay? But it cannot be kept under wraps for too long. As you know, we are in talks for your casting in a BL drama. Once you are paired with someone, you may have to keep it a secret forever. If you will announce it later, it may cause backlash towards Rain. While genuine fans will stay happy, there is no dearth of haters, who will be waiting to drag you down. I am sure you don't want that for Rain. What do you think?" he asked. Phayu didn't say anything but the look on his face was clear that he was considering something. "Phi, the track that you heard yesterday? After its release, I want to do a cover with Rain dancing with me; a sort of soft launch. As to what people think of us as a couple. I honestly don't want to push Rain into feeling he has to do something, if you know what I mean," he said. Ryan nodded. "I understand where you are coming from. And I see that you have already thought this out?" he asked. "I have been thinking about this since the day I decided to ask him to give me a chance," Phayu said, surprising everyone present there.

Phayu felt mesmerised as Rain twirled around in his arms. In heels. He had not quite realised how he would feel when he saw his lover dressed in something that sexy. Or if he had, he had grossly underestimated his body's response to it. All he wanted was to simply strip Rain, completely bare, except for the shoes, and devour him alive. But he refrained, knowing that Pai and Fah, and Sky, to say nothing of Ryan, his partner Jane, and some other members of the crew who were going to film them. So he concentrated on making sure that he didn't falter. The moment Phayu had laid out his plan, Ryan had gone into complete action mode. He realised there was no time to waste, so he decided to move up the dates of the releases. What had been planned over a period of 6 months, was now moved up to 4 months instead. Which meant that the song which Rain and he were covering right now would release on their 9 month anniversary. Which was perfect, because that meant it could be the best gift he could give Rain.

Or it could all backfire, and Rain would end up breaking up with him, because this whole thing would become a major debacle. But he was not going to think negatively. He was going to ensure that the endgame would be him and Rain, and although he hadn't said anything to anyone, he was pretty sure if this didn't work out, he was ready to leave everything behind, because his baby was worth it, worth everything in the world. However, he knew very well that Rain would never look at it that way, so he had to make sure that everything just worked out for them. Once they finished shooting, everyone crowded around, wanting to see how it had turned out. All of them watched in complete silence. Rain looked around the room, wanting to see everyone's reactions, but no one said a word. Suddenly loud applause broke out!

"That was amazing guys! Amazing!" Jane said, clapping his hands, as mostly everyone freaked out. "You guys are going to be a phenomenal success. We will release the actual MV on Saturday, and leave a teaser for this. And then drop this on Sunday," Ryan said. "Are you going to show Rain's face Phi?" Fah asked, sounding a bit worried. All three of them were stressed about it, and it was a valid concern. "No. Only his back. We will show his face only in the actual video," Jane spoke up. "My friend Tae, who works for P'Jane, he will be doing the editing, and I have complete faith in his abilities. He will ensure that we present everyone in the best light," Ryan said. Everyone nodded and Rain looked at Phayu, who immediately cupped his face. "It will be okay baby, I promise," he said, sounding completely confident, whatever he felt inside.

The following Sunday, Phayu went live half an hour before the release of the video. He told his fans that he was trying something new for the first time, and he hoped they would support him in this venture, just like they always did. He also asked them to support his dance partner Rain, who was also his choreographer. Fans were already talking about the change in style of the song, so they were looking forward to this. And they said as much in the comments. Then the video dropped. Suddenly, the platform was literally bombarded with more and more people talking about it. The hashtag PhayusRain started trending madly, and within half an hour, it had reached the number one position in Thailand!

@phayu'sbabe:Omg! Omg! What was that? Who was that? #PhayusRain

@stormyskies:I am melting! I am goo! #PhayusRain

@peacemaker:Is this the start of something new? #PhayusRain

@newmusicgirl:This guy is an incredible dancer! Is he the reason we have been seeing such amazing moves from P'Phayu? #PhayusRain

@ilovestorm:I think I am Rain's fan now! #PhayusRain

@blkpoplover:Dude, I can't even stand in high heels, and this man makes it look like child's play! Can I have my own Rain? #PhayusRain

@blueandpinkgirl:I am completely mesmerised. And I can't stop watching these two! #PhayusRain

@dancingqueen:Their chemistry is insane! Please cast Rain as Phayu's partner in a BL! They will kill it! #PhayusRain

@dramaqueen:What's so great about them? I don't see it! This guy doesn't fit Phayu's profile at all! #NotPhayusRain

@blkpoplover:@dramaqueen, please stop trying to make trouble for P'Phayu. He is a wonderful idol, and if he is asking us to like his work, we should! If you don't like, you don't have to! But this is definitely going to be in my playlist on a loop! #PhayusRain

@unseentempest:@blkpoplover, I agree with you. I loved this performance! Loop play for sure! And requesting for a live performance please! #PhayusRain

The comments kept coming. Apart from a couple of people who always had something negative to say, almost all the comments were completely positive and Phayu could feel his eyes fill with tears. His fans had not let him down. He desperately wanted to pull Rain to him and hug him tight, but he was still on live. But he could see Rain's happy expression and that made him smile as well. "Guys! Thank you so much for all your love. I am glad you all liked both the song and the cover. Magika will soon announce some exciting stuff, so stay tuned to our handles on X and Instagram. Swasdi Khap everyone! Phayu signing off!!" he said, disconnecting and then immediately opening his arms wide for Rain, who jumped into them with a flying leap.

"Well! That went great!" Fah said, sounding excited. Ryan was about to speak up when his phone rang. "Swasdi Khap?" he said. He listened for a few minutes, nodding and agreeing to something from time to time. After the call, he looked towards Phayu and Rain. "It was from the producer of the series they were considering you for," he said, his expression tight. Everyone felt their mood dip. "He said he wants Rain to audition along with you for the drama," he said, his mouth quirking and then he burst out into laughter. "P'Ryan!" Phayu said, pouting. "Me?" Rain squeaked out. "Try it out baby. Please? I will come with..," Phayu trailed off as Ryan shook his head. "Nope, you will not go with. You have to let him do this on his own. We don't want biases coming in before we have taken even the first step, okay?" he said. "P'Ryan is right Phi. But don't worry. I will go with Rain, okay?" Sky said. Phayu nodded. "What is the drama about?" Rain asked, tentatively. "It's about Jirayu, the heir to a Mafia empire who falls in love with Hiran, a hardworking dancer in drag and how they overcome their struggles with the help of their family," Ryan said, and Rain sighed, already imagining Phayu as a Mafia king. There was something quite wonderful about that!

Six months later

@phayu'sbabe:Did you guys start watching #Draggedbymyheartstrings? P'Phayu looks so totally Mafia! #AyuRan #PhayusRain

@stormyskies:Rain makes such a pretty Mafia wifey! #Draggedbymyheartstrings #AyuRan #PhayusRain

@peacemaker:My most favourite BL couple! I can't wait for the fanmeets! I am definitely travelling to Thailand for them! #Draggedbymyheartstrings #AyuRan #PhayusRain

@newmusicgirl:@peacemaker I am totally meeting you there babe!! #Draggedbymyheartstrings #AyuRan #PhayusRain

@ilovestorm:The best Mafia couple after #KinnPorsche and #VegasPete! #Draggedbymyheartstrings #AyuRan #PhayusRain

@blkpoplover:I have a strong feeling this is going to become my most favourite series of this year! #Draggedbymyheartstrings #AyuRan #PhayusRain

@blueandpinkgirl:I have no words! Please announce the FMs quickly! #Draggedbymyheartstrings #AyuRan #PhayusRain

@dancingqueen:Jirayu and Hiran are the hottest new couple in town and you CANNOT convince me otherwise! #Draggedbymyheartstrings #AyuRan #PhayusRain

Epilogue, 2 years later

"THAI KING SIGNS LAW ALLOWING SAME SEX MARRIAGES!"

"FAMOUS REAL LIFE COUPLES #PORSCHARM #BOTHNEWYEAR #MEWTUL #PHAYURAIN ANNOUNCE MARRIAGE PLANS!"

@phayu'sbabe:I TOTALLY called it you guys! Finally! #PhayusRain

@stormyskies:I knew they were real! There was no way those looks were fan service! #PhayusRain

@peacemaker:Now I think another Thailand trip is due! #PhayusRain

@newmusicgirl:Lets all goooooooooo! #PhayusRain

@ilovestorm:The best news of this year! That too coming so close after Pride Month! Feels like a dream come true! #PhayusRain

@blkpoplover:I haven't stopped crying since the news came out! My most favourite irl couple #PhayusRain

@blueandpinkgirl:Speechless! Speechless! #PhayusRain

@dancingqueen:My therapist doesn't know who they are, but she is happy I am happy! #PhayusRain

A glance ignites the room tonight,
A spark we never dared.
Two shadows drawn to firelight,
A rhythm only we have shared.
Your hand in mine, a fleeting touch,
A silent promise—never too much.

The world dissolves, it's only us,
Moving closer with every thrust.
Each step a secret, sharp and true,
The dance of fire—me and you.

We sway like flames on the edge of control,
Your heartbeat echoes deep in my soul.
The room is ours, no need to hide,
Two men as one, on this fiery ride.
Oh, every twist, every turn we do,
I'm lost, in step with you.

Your gaze locks mine, no space to fall,
A tether pulling tight.
The tension crackles, a siren's call,
We glide through shadow, carving light.
The world may watch, but they don't know,
This fire burns where love will go.

Each pivot speaks of trust and need,
A pulse of passion, the tango leads.
The air electric, it's nothing new,
This dance belongs to me and you.

We sway like flames on the edge of control,
Your heartbeat echoes deep in my soul.
The room is ours, no need to hide,
Two men as one, on this fiery ride.
Oh, every twist, every turn we do,
I'm lost, in step with you.

There's no need for words—our bodies speak,
Each movement bold, each moment unique.
The world can watch or turn away,
But here we are, we've found our way.

We sway like flames on the edge of control,
Your heartbeat echoes deep in my soul.
The crowd disappears, it's only us two,
Caught in the rhythm, in step with you.
Oh, every twist, every turn we do,
I'm alive, in step with you.

The music fades, but the fire remains,
Two hearts entwined, breaking the chains.
In step with you... it's where I'll stay,
Forever caught in this endless sway.