rekd | knock me down like a heavyweight

knock me down like a heavyweight

[ by the time reki's gotten to his seat in homeroom, it feels like the night before was all just some sort of hazy, surreal dream. a lot's happened since then; for one, his arm is bandaged all the way up to the elbow, compliments of a gnarly gash he got bailing straight into a cluster of jagged rocks, he's probably killed off half the brain cells he's got left skidding on his face, and the unfathomable weight of last night's loss is heavy on his mind. kinda hard to think about anything else when he can still hear his skateboard crackling beneath the flames. fuckin' sucks, man.

it takes awhile for him to zone back into reality. really, it's less of a zone and more of a jolt, when the gaggle of jeering students crowding around him start to dissipate and he notices qi fang with a start. fuck, he forgot all about those english notes. even worse, qi fang looks so good, fresh-faced and distractingly handsome. reki, on the other hand, looks like he stayed up til the early hours of the morning getting stitched up in the ER and barely slid into class in time for the bell in yesterday's wrinkled clothes. embarrassing.

whatever. he has until lunch to think up a good excuse for why he can't return those notes yet. instead, of course, he sleeps straight through all of his classes and sleep-walks up the stairs to the roof, flopping into his usual spot against the fence, debating whether or not he even wants to be awake to eat. a nap in the sun sounds a lot better, so he pulls his hoodie up and leans his head back against the chain links, letting his eyes drift shut slowly. ]

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Nah, I'm just gonna throw everything in the same pan. That's the secret.

[ to a fat ass, anyway. not like qi fang couldn't use a little more meat on his bones. whatever leftovers he finds hanging around are diced up and thrown in just like he says, where they're doused in butter, mixed into a crackling medley, and folded into the gigantic omelette he's building. smells just like heaven and oh fuck is he starving. ]

You can grab me the ketchup, though. Please.

[ not that it's not right there behind him, but it seems like qi fang wants to make himself useful and it's just habit to assign menial tasks to people sharing space with him whenever he cooks. they're usually far smaller and can't reach any of the shelves, but hey, it is what it is. ]

Well since you asked so nicely...

[ not that it's a difficult task or anything, plus this gives him the added benefit of sidling up close enough to reki to reach down and give that fat ass a good squeeze. just, you know. in case it was lonely.

he sets the ketchup down and leans over reki's shoulder to take a generous whiff of the pan, sighing out his breath in a soft sound of satisfaction. ]

Shit, you really can cook. Is it too late to trade one of those nuggets meals for more of this?

[ it was on the verge of a terrible loneliness, true, but with qi fang around, reki's ass never really has a chance to get there. as thrilled as he is with the attention, he still gives qi fang a playful bump before he's grabbed what he needs. ]

I get by.

[ rule #1 of cooking breakfast is go hard as fuck on the ketchup and reki isn't about to wuss out now. all of that sweet tomato-y goodness is mixed right into the omelette and seared together with the corner of his spatula, then slapped atop a plate to make room for the next one. ]

And I'm pretty sure this's what I offered you in the first place, but nah. You wanted nuggets.

[ which he still hasn't gotten even once. oops. ]

[ qi fang's eyes follow the flow from pan to plate, lips parting slightly. his mouth is literally watering, but look at what a good boy he's being, waiting for reki to finish!

he forces his attention back to the pan, watching reki work with more focus than he had before. it smells so good he's seriously wondering if he can replicate it on his own somehow... ]

Yeah and that was clearly temporary insanity so we should just ignore it and move on.

[ he's such a good boy that when reki catches his eye between tasks, he smiles. not wry or coy or sarcastic—just like a normal smile that people exchange when they're happy. probably the strangest thing that's happened to him all year. ]

I think we can make a deal.

[ he is, however, going to draw a ketchup dick on qi fang's omelette once it's plated too. the toast is a quick affair after that, just more butter and an egg to top it off, and then both plates are full of steaming food and reki's jerking his head toward the den. ]

Wanna watch cartoons?

[ it's hard not to smile right back whenever their eyes meet. it feels damn near instinctual, as does the light fluttering in his chest and, well. well. things to mull over later, he thinks. shit's going real good right now, why not ride it out and see how it goes, right? ]

Yeah? You're not worried about getting caught?

[ isn't his grandma still home? and surely his mom will come back soon enough...

but also shut up qi fang why the fuck is he stalling his omelette is getting cold!! ]

[ reki shrugs and leads the way toward the table, turning one of the zaisu chairs out from under it with a nudge of his toe. such a gentleman, this one. ]

Ma'll probably be home soon, but you're gonna tell her there was a gas leak and they let us out early.

[ he sets both plates down and messes around with the tv remote until there's something loud and colorful enough on the screen to zone out to. perfect breakfast ambiance. ]

Yeah, and the fact I'm wearing your clothes and smelling like your soap?

[ whatever, it's reki's funeral. the worst thing she can do is kick him out, but at least he's clean and dressed.

he plops himself down and helps himself to a good heaping forkful before even looking up at the tv. it's loud enough that whoever's still home is bound to hear them, but he's got homecooked omelette in his mouth now so how can anything in the world be bad? legs crossed, his knee is resting against reki's thigh, and he doesn't seem concerned about this at all. ]

Fuck — how's this so good?

Oh, she won't even ask.

[ that's way too complicated a question for anyone in his family. maybe they'll rib on reki for it a little, but anything that feels like it's too close to an uncomfortable truth is always swept under the table. it's his favorite household rule. (the one exception being grandma, of course, who's allowed to say whatever the fuck she wants whenever she likes.)

reki takes an experimental bite of his own, pausing to take in the flavor. ]

I think you're just starving, dude. I've been a shitty host.

[ around a mouthful of toast, he snorts. ]

I dunno I mean I had the best nuts of my life in your place so I wouldn't call you shitty...

[ belatedly, he thinks to glance around to make sure none of that fell on ears it wasn't meant to. oops. ]

[ reki's brows rise up real high. (not because he's afraid of grandma overhearing—no way she knows what the fuck that even means.) ]

The best?

[ like, ever? ]

[ ah, yeah he said that didn't he? qi fang smiles a little bashfully, which must look extra stupid with a huge bite of omelette still stuffed in his cheek. ]

Oh... yeah. Didn't I say? Haha...

[ just. best to pass it off like it's no big deal, right? ]

Dunno, I guess you were really doing it for me, man.

[ well, fuck. now he's blushing. he hadn't planned for this at all. oh well, he's still starving, so he takes another bite while he mulls over whether to add to that or not.

as if this day hasn't been an entire mess already. who cares. ]

I've never come like that, like, ever.

[ nbd nbd ]

Pretty dope because I've always wanted to. You're not so bad, man.

[ these shoulder bumps are quickly turning into an excuse for reki to lean into qi fang and then never do the leaving part. whatever, he's still tired, he forgot. ]

[ does it feel good to know he's managed to make reki feel as good as he made him? hell yeah. it's a similar but also different kind of warmth to taking that first bite of homecooked omelette (an omelette made especially for him) and it's a feeling he's gonna probably revisit next time he's alone and thinking too much. he hides a wide smile around another bite of food, but at the rate they're going he's gonna run out of omelette before too long. ]

Well, you ever want it again, you know where to find me. I don't know what I did but I'd be dedicated enough to spend time figuring it out.

[ reki's feeling it too, just glowing with warmth at how good it is to snuggle against qi fang's shoulder and listen to him promise vague amounts of his time away to him. it's right up there with the really satisfying feeling of watching qi fang enjoy this food he whipped up for him; now he gets it, why his ma is always shoving delicious treats down their throats. ]

I know exactly what you did. Don't think I'll ever forget that.

C'mon, you trying to make me blush? Cuz it's working, you asshole.

[ alright, he can't really hide the big grin he gets from that. but maybe reki's close enough that he won't notice, or too preoccupied with morning cartoons to rib him for it. by now they're both leaning into each other, like they're using the other one for support, heads bowed together like they're sharing a little secret. honestly it's sick, but no one's around to judge them and he definitely isn't going to say anything about it. ]

Only fair.

[ nah, he doesn't notice. not because he's too close or staring at the tv, but because he's completely fucking wiped and this is the coziest he's ever felt in his life. fuck literally everything else, he just wants to close his eyes and feel qi fang's voice rumble beneath his ear. which means qi fang's safe to grin however he wants—for now. ]

[ yeah, honestly, a nap or two wouldn't be so bad right about now... and he definitely got more sleep than reki, so je can't even imagine how reki himself must be feeling. he can sense the weight on his shoulder getting a little heavier, but that's fine. it's not like he's at any risk of tipping over. carefully, he reaches over to lower the volume on the tv some, humming softly in affirmation as if to give the other permission to drift off. if reki doesn't seem to worried about being caught like this by his own family then... it should be okay, right? ]

[ it's whatever, not like they're indecent. qi fang's already been debriefed on the story he's supposed to tell; it's in his hands now. reki's fucking gone to the world for the rest of the cartoon and two commercial breaks, sleeping even through his mother's return and the chaos of two toddlers bursting into the den. mrs. kyan doesn't even ask any questions beyond whether or not qi fang wants more food, a drink, or maybe a fresh slice of cake from the box in her hands, and reki manages to stay unconscious through both his sisters clamoring on to his lap and falling asleep too.

it's only when his mother starts on lunch in the kitchen that something startles him awake. the problem is 'awake' isn't something he's ready to be yet, and he mumbles grumpily about it right into qi fang's shoulder. ]

Shit. What time is it?

[ for all the chaos that happens on the seemingly regular for the kyan household, qi fang figures it only makes sense that the matron of it would have grown to be pretty desensitized to... everything. she hardly even blinks at the scene she walks into upon returning home, instead making qi fang flush in bashfulness over her fussing. he does, in fact, help himself to a slice of cake (upon her insistence!) but does it all as quietly as possible so as not to disturb the other boy still snoozing away on his shoulder.

he's taken to looking through his phone after several attempts at dozing off himself doesn't pan out, so when reki finally stirs he's all too ready to answer. ]

11:40. The year's 2134 and AIs rule over us now.

[ he stops his game of bejeweled and sets his phone back down, glancing over at the other. ]

Sleep well?

Dope. They don't need me then.

[ reki's about to go right back to his spot and drift again, but he gets caught up in glancing at qi fang too. it feels like there's a Rule that should apply here; if he tells the truth and admits that this is the most divine nap he's ever taken, it's a little much, right?

luckily, he's saved by the soft sounds of conversation from the kitchen. or, his mother's end is soft; he hears his grandma loudly proclaim, "i don't know, but if he doesn't jump that boy's bones, i will!" and immediately reaches for one of his sisters. ]

Heyyy, look at that, time to go. Didn't you wanna hit up your place? Help me out, take Chihiro.

[ qi fang moves accordingly, but it's mainly instinct that's got him reaching out for one of the snoozing toddlers. ]

Whaaat, but your mom's making lunch.

[ qi fang isn't whining, you're whining. ok so he's whining but who can blame him! the smells from the kitchen have been wafting in since reki's second rem cycle, and qi fang's been such a good patient boy this whole time... maybe if they ask nicely, she'll pack some up for them?? ]

[ reki listens to the harpyesque cackling in the kitchen and is suddenly confronted with the most terrifying prospect of all: lunch with his whole family. he can see it now, ma pulling out the photo albums, grandma interjecting with lewd and off-color jokes—no thank you. ]

I can make you lunch. Watch her head.

[ he's got no idea if qi fang knows how to perform a three-point toddler pass, but he demonstrates anyway, cradling nanaka's little head and slowing slipping his fingers out from under her once she's in place. ]

[ how quickly qi fang's tune changes upon being given the prospect of reki's cooking. would it be any better than his mom's? in taste, who can say. but the fact that reki would be making him food already makes it ten times better in every other way. he sits up a little straighter, cradles the snoozing young girl closer to his chest. ]

Got it. Let's scram.

[ sure, it was amusing hearing the grandmother check him out, but he can see how that'd get old pretty fast for reki.

he climbs up to his feet, adjusting his arms gently. then he jerks his head towards the rooms. ]

Put 'em down and then your window again, or..?

Ma! We're outta here.

[ he'd rather deal with the scene shouting that across the house causes than the fluttery bullshit that happens in his heart when he sees qi fang cradling chihiro like that. like magic, reki goes from soft eyes and glowing cheeks to growling that no, they're not staying for lunch, NO they don't want to bring it with them, NO they're not lugging an entire fucking box of cake halfway across town.

neither of the twins stir no matter how loud it gets, and reki quickly helps qi fang unload his little bundle of feral joy, snuggling the pair together and shrugging off his hoodie to cover them both. ]

Come with me. I gotta grab another hoodie and if I leave you out here alone, they're gonna chain you to the freaking table.

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