Rain leaned back in his most comfortable chair as he glared at Sky, who cowered under his look. "Explain yourself. In. Detail!" he said. Sky cleared his throat and cowered a bit under that look. He knew exactly what it meant. It meant that Rain was pissed and if there was something Sky hated, it was a pissed Rain. Rain hated being sneaky, and somehow, Sky knew that what he had done was sneaky enough to warrant Rain's furiousness. But he also knew that he had made a mistake, and owning up would probably make the punishment easier. So he told Rain everything about how he had done his whole last cooking session as a live, and how P'Pai had asked him to work in Phirun's at the request of its owner and head chef, the Phayu Chaichana.

Rain sat silent and still, slowly trying to digest everything that Sky had thrown at him. He had never wanted anything from his life except become a chef and cook like his Yayi, a childhood promise to himself and to his beloved Phi, who had been his true North, until he had disappeared. Not a single day had gone by when he had not thought of that promise made. But his parents, his family's expectations had put an end to his dreams and that long lost promise. He had taken up business management like had been asked to. But then he had met Sky, who had been just as lonely and pressured as he had been. That had been the beginning of a rebellion even he didn't think he had in him. Sky had been the catalyst in his life that he hadn't known he had needed. Two lost souls, who had healed those parts of each other that they hadn't even known was hurt in the first place.

Both of them had quietly quit the courses that they had been forced to take up, and joining the Culinary Arts and the Film Studies departments respectively. They had managed to finish more than 2 years of the course when shit had hit the fan. Their families had realised what the two boys had done, and there would have been hell to pay if Rain and Sky had not taken that into consideration already and found smaller jobs and started posting small content which gave them enough money to finish their course on their own merit. Apart from that, thanks to their exceptional skills over the years of practice, they had done some great work for the university, earning them a scholarship that covered the most important thing; their tuition. The rest they had been managing on their own since a pretty long time, so they had found all too easy to break away from the worst shackles that had bound them.

Rain sighed and Sky took that as a great sign. In the past six years, from the day they had met each other, Sky had learnt every nuance that his friend had, just like Rain had learnt all of his. The sigh meant that Rain was upset, but not angry anymore. Now all he had to figure out what Rain was upset about. But before he could say anything Rain spoke up. "Sky, tell them yes," he said, as Sky stared at him in shock. Of all the things he had expected Rain to say, this was the last. Rain must have understood that look, because he leaned forward and took Sky's hand in his. "They are not wrong baby and even you know that. And once those patents are in my name, with their help, I can always leave and fulfil our dreams. This is a risk we might have to take Ai'Sky," he said. Sky looked at Rain pensively. "That means we will have read the fine print on any contract that they give us," he said. "Of course! Call P'Chai over. He can handle it," Rain said. Sky nodded, pulling out his phone.

"Rain will not be signing this contract even if it is the last one on the planet unless the following clauses are either modified or completely struck off," P'Chai said, pushing the contract back towards Pai, who immediately handed it over to his legal team. The man in front of him was extremely intimidating, his soft dulcet tone and calm demeanour a direct contrast to Sky's visible passion and outspoken nature. But he understood clearly that whether a roaring tiger or a fire breathing dragon, both were true guardians of the treasure called Rain. And to say that he was not surprised would be an understatement. "Khun, they want to cut the waiting period," one of lawyers bent down and said in his ear. Pai looked up. He hadn't seen the changes mentioned and had probably assumed it would be something simple, but the clause that Rain had changed was the one Phayu had insisted on. He had been adamant that Rain work for him for at least 3 months, but here was that clause being refuted. Rain's stand, according to his lawyer, was clear. His probationary period would only 1 month and he would continue only if the registration process for the patents would be initiated in that time.

"This.. um.. this clause was added by the head chef. I need to confer with him on this one before I make these changes," Pai said. "It's quite alright. We are in no hurry. After all, we are not desperate for this," Chai said calmly. Pai understood exactly what Chai was saying. This was their need, not Rain's and Chai was letting them know in no uncertain terms that he was completely aware of that. Pai finally looked at Rain, whose soft smirk was a clear indicator that he was right there in the plan, most likely the one behind it. Pai was impressed. Finally, there was someone who was coming who would put Phayu in his place and Pai was looking forward to these clashes.

"What?" Phayu asked, as he stared at Pai. "Yup! The lawyer Rain and Sky came with was clear. In fact, both of them didn't even utter a word, only Khun Chai spoke," Pai said. "Khun Chai? Chai Anusorn? The corporate lawyer?" Fah asked. "You know him?" Phayu asked, frowning slightly. "Yeah. He is a shark. The corporate world is shit scared of him. He is very well known for being very connected with his clients and ensures he gets them the best deals," Fah said. "How do you think those two know him?" Fah asked. "No idea, but they seemed very comfortable around each other," Pai said. Both of them looked up at the pained sound that emanated from Phayu. "Are you okay Yu?" Fah asked. "Mine!" he growled and stalked out of the room. The two of them looked at each other. "What the hell is wrong with him now? And he left without answering. I need to make the chan..," Pai trailed off when Phayu stormed back in. "30 days is okay," he growled again and stormed right back out. The two of them shook their heads, hoping Phayu would get back to normal as possible!

Two weeks later, on a Monday morning, Rain walked into Phirun's, not knowing what to expect. All he knew was that he had to somehow stick around for one month, so that the recipes could be patented in his name. After the contract had been signed, Sky had gone on an intensive search about the head chef, Phayu Chaichana and the stories that had rolled out had been nothing less than a nightmare. At first, Rain was extremely regretful, but then P'Chai had talked to him, telling him that the contract allowed for termination if Phayu behaved in anything except a proprietary manner. That had put Rain's mind somewhat at ease, but even then, something troubled him, not letting him feel completely comfortable with what was happening. But he would suck it up and get to work, because ensuring that he got the recipes patented was his first priority. It belonged to his Yayi and it belonged to another special person who meant the world to him. Even if his Phi had never come back to meet him, Rain had kept him in his heart for nearly 23 years now. He had been only 3, and might have forgotten, but his Yayi and his Phi's Yayi had kept those memories alive and going in his mind, memories that had been etched into his very soul. Then his Yayi had passed away, leaving him bereft. His parents had taken him away, not even bothering to console a young seven year old, not caring that they had left him alone for six years. And his chances of meeting his Phi ever again had come to a complete standstill.

He had been asked to use the staff entrance, where he stood for nearly 10 minutes in the sweltering heat before the doors opened. "You are late," the voice barked out, as Rain's eyes travelled upwards. The man was a fucking giant, if there was one. Rain prided himself on being quite tall, standing at a comfortable 5"11. But this man? He was a definite 6"2 or 6"3, and Rain felt like a puny human in front of him, more so because he was, apart from being tall, equally broad as well. He had the big shoulders and arms that definitely came from a routine workout. He had a chiselled face, almond shaped piercing eyes, a jawline to die for, a straight nose and perfect lips. His beauty was phenomenal, and that mole on his left upper lip, and the two near his eyes? The perfect geometrical shape that in no way deterred from his looks. "Are you done?" the deep voice came again, this time with a distinct smirk in it. Rain flinched internally, finally looking up, finding one eyebrow raised in scrutiny. He could feel his blush covering his face and if there was any way the earth would open up, he would have loved to be swallowed by it. But there was going to be no such rift, so he gathered his courage and waiied politely and carefully.

"Swasdi Khap Khun. I am Rain, the new apprentice chef," he said, keeping his eyes lowered. There was no need for the man to know that Rain was in turn petrified and drooling inside. He tried to keep his expression as careful and neutral as possible, not knowing that Phayu could see every thought in Rain's head passing through on his face. Phayu wanted to laugh out loud. His Rainbow Bunny was the most transparent soul on the planet and he was really enjoying this flustered look on him. He was going to have so much fun with his Rain. Rain waited for Phayu to respond, blissfully unaware of the thoughts that ran through the head chef. "Swasdi Khap. Please come in. As I said, you are late. Through that door is the uniform you need to change into. No entering the kitchen without head gear. I will not have my guests complaining about anything dirty in their food. No working without gloves, that will be changed after each prep. No using hands during plating and never rush into a preparation or its presentation. Wash hands before touching anything, anything at all," Phayu said, each sentence a growl, almost as if having Rain was a huge burden on him. But Rain didn't utter a word, just smiled pleasantly and followed Phayu's instructions to a 'T'.

Phayu was enamoured despite himself. Yes, the little boy had become a man. But he was a man beyond Phayu's wildest dreams. He was polite and courteous, two of Phayu's biggest weaknesses, two things he adored in his partner. Rain was impeccably dressed, meaning he took care with his appearance and was neat and clean, a prerequisite every chef needed to have. From the very little they had interacted, Phayu was sure that Rain got easily flustered, which meant it would be so easy to tease him, something that was very important to Phayu, who loved teasing his partners. Most of them hated this habit of his, coupled with his overcontrolling nature, often put people off of him completely. But somehow, with Rain, Phayu had not felt any discomfort. Rain had taken his instructions and teasing quite well, and that made Phayu rather elated. Was his Rainbow Bunny going to be the perfect person for him after all?

The moment Rain entered the kitchen after changing, he waiied sweetly and politely to everyone, and Phayu watched with growing alarm as each and every member of his team smiled and crowded around his bunny. "Aww! You are so cute Rain! I am Praew." "We are so glad to have you on the team! I am Mhok." "We are looking forward to working with you! I am Pam." "You are such a bunny! I am Amy." "I just want to squish your cheeks together! I am Yihwa." "Okay, okay! He will find out soon enough who you are! Get back to your stations and start prepping!" Phayu said, as he glowered at his teammates. They all snickered and then went back, while Phayu turned to Rain. "You will be working with me at my station. The special menu of the day is usually prepared by me, so you will be helping me prep the ingredients for it. If you have any questions, ask. No point messing up," he said. Rain simply nodded again. "Words!" Phayu barked out, wanting to see Rain's reaction. "Yes Chef," Rain said, staying unbothered at Phayu's show of temper.