rekd | OVERFLOW / OPEN

[ don't worry, qi fang is very easily distracted when suddenly presented with food. he opens his gob without any hesitation, inhaling what's offered to him in less than a second. a few moments to chew, to consider, and then a dramatic swoon wherein he clutches his heart and then flashes reki a thumbs up — a now-familiar scene for a now-familiar task. ]

A+, 10/10, would definitely eat again and again.

[ he plucks the chopsticks out of reki's hand to start poking around the pot for another helping, mood considerably lifted. he's damn near forgotten why he came in the first place... ]

Are you making extra?

Yeah, just... help yourself.

[ despite his flat tone and dripping sarcasm, this is exactly why qi fang's here. like, okay, his man wanted to talk, but isn't this a way more comforting resolution to whatever the fuck happened? qi fang looks perfectly content picking at dinner and they can just do this forever as far as reki is concerned. it doesn't take long at all for the expression on his face to transition from exasperation to something far more affectionate.

he hides his smile behind another hit off that brandy and lifts nanaka up to his shoulder, peeking out the threshold of the kitchen. everything looks copasetic—considering—so. might as well slide in closer to qi fang and give him a little bump. ]

All right, all right, save some room for actual dinner. Freaking glutton.

[ look, look. you can't just offer a thirsty man an oasis and not expect him to completely gorge himself on what's put in front of him. qi fang went from having a homecooked meal maybe once a month if he's lucky to one almost weekly, sometimes more if he acts really pathetically at reki. this is what happens when he gets spoiled so, really, the one at fault here is reki. just saying. ]

There'll be room, [ he says, or meant to say, but it's hard to make much sense of the sounds coming out of his vegetable-stuffed mouth. still, he'll be good, reluctantly setting the chopsticks aside as he chews and swallows down one last mouthful.

turning back to reki, he watches as nanaka's head begins to get heavier and heavier on his shoulder. ]

Should we put her down for a nap soon?

[ he's probably gonna die, watching qi fang stuff up his cheeks like the world's tallest hamster. it's so cute that it's lethal. but that's fine, too, reki accepted this fate for himself a long time ago. ]

Yeah, we'll get 'em both napping... Send the girls off to Koko's room...

[ this is how you manage a household. reki's sure he doesn't have to spell out much more than that for him, not when he's leaning in nice and close, eyes on qi fang's lips. he was promised a big kiss, after all, and he's right on the verge of taking one for himself—and then nanaka belches loudly against his shoulder and reki's giggling helplessly as she proudly pets his face. ]

Oh shit! You freakin' rockstar. That was a solid 9, kiddo.

[ reki's draw is as potent as it was the first time they got together, qi fang unconsciously leaning forward right as reki rocks towards him. but before lips could connect even for the quickest of pecks, nanako effectively reminds them both of her presence and like, honestly? qi fang ain't even mad. he grins wide, half because of her antics and half because the sound of reki's giggles just does that to him, and he straightens back up like a good boy to give the little girl a few pats and rubs on her back. ]

I'll take her. You can wrestle the other one off of Koyomi.

Yeah?

[ all right, well. an offer like that deserves appreciation, even if it's just a quick peck on the cheek while he passes nanaka over. maybe he makes this whole thing look effortless, but even reki kyan only has so much energy and the twins beat him every time. even a little help is enough to make his whole day.

besides, the image of qi fang cradling one of his baby sisters still fills him with those warm feelings—and now he gets to enjoy them. for a second, anyway, before he has to grab bowls and peek his head into the den, whisper-yelling for his sister: ]

Yo, bring the coven in here to get some grub. And pass me Chihiro while you're at it?

[ dutifully, he helps qi fang find a place to stand that's outside of the sudden rush of traffic. koyomi's last to shuffle in, passing off chihiro as she goes, stopping to fix qi fang with a sour look that reki misses while he's patting down his sister's diaper. ]

C'mon, we'll go lay 'em down in front of the tv.

[ qi fang's experience with children is pretty minimal, but luckily the kyan twins seem indifferent to the smell of fresh blood — or maybe he just keeps catching them at a good time. either way, holding the sleeping child isn't nearly as difficult as herding all those young teens into one area and actually getting them to behave, so he's more than happy to relegate himself to the first task than the second. the novelty of his arrival seems to have already passed, standing by pretty fairly unnoticed as the young girls pass—

at least until koyomi comes along, pinning him down with a look he can't help but feel was meant to be personal. his lips twitch into a placating, if not nervous, smile, but he's all too eager to follow reki back into the other room. it's not a feeling he manages to shake off even after he's carefully set nanaka down on some blankets. ]

Hey, has uh... Koyomi ever said anything about me?

[ by then, reki's got them all tucked in and he's fiddling with his phone. qi fang's question is going to have to wait until he gets lullabies and slow-moving, ethereal-looking belugas cast up on the tv screen, as is tradition. the last thing he wants is for one of the twins to wake up in ten minutes and dash whatever chance he gets at a break.

and then it takes him another second after that to answer, because he doesn't understand the question. ]

Has... Koyomi? Like my sister, Koyomi?

[ and it takes qi fang a second to realize how weird that sounded. he balks, leaning back to wave a hand in the air. ]

Not like — I mean I don't — never mind, forget it.

[ he slides a glance back towards the kitchen, rubbing a hand at the back of his neck to try and get the weird feeling off of him. ]

Just got some weird vibes, that's all. It's probably nothing.

[ it's very likely she's still just taking her disappointment about their dad out on everybody, and qi fang just happened to be collateral at the time. ]

[ reki lifts his eyes off the phone in his hand and his gaze softens. honestly, qi fang's been a total G when it comes to dealing with his family. the least reki can offer him is a comforting smile. ]

She likes you, man. Everyone here loves you. She's just pissy right now, don't take it personal.

[ he reaches out to squeeze qi fang's shoulder. ]

C'mon, let's go eat.

[ well, at least qi fang can feel silly about being narcissistic as opposed to the guilt in actually having offended a kyan. ever since he and reki have decided to make this thing a thing, it's been both a huge weight off and on his shoulders. everything is easier, but also the stakes are so much higher. it's a wonder shit hasn't hit the fan yet, all things considering.

—oh. now he remembers why he went there. ]

Yeah, I'm starving.

[ but. not exactly a talk they can have juggling sleeping toddlers and chaotic pre-teens. he casts the twins a cursory glance before rising to his feet, reaching out to twirl a lock of reki's hair in an absent gesture of seeking comfort before letting his fingers slip down the length of reki's back. ]

[ reki's smile turns impossibly brighter. he's not about to let a little tween angst keep him from counting this as going much smoother than he could have anticipated. after all, the twins are actually napping, no one's broken anything yet, he's got a fairly decent buzz going, and all these little touches are doing wonders to ease all that indecision he felt before. there's no doubt in his mind now; he likes this best of all. ]

Yeah, you must be, after you ate half the hotpot.

[ it's impossible to mistake his gentle laughter as anything but solid affection as he leads them back into the warzone, immediately conscripted with the task of helping teenage girls put food in bowls like it's some ancient, guarded skillset. the ones that managed all on their very own surround qi fang to start pestering him for his instagram, which prompts koyomi to start glaring again. reki does what he can: ]

C'mon, girls, give him room to breathe at least. Guys don't like being surrounded like that.

[ with his nerves eased, it's easier for qi fang to switch the charm back on, smiling patiently as the girls try passing them their phone. he holds his hands up, palms out, feigning a bashful laugh as he tells them in a quiet tone, like it's some kind of secret, that most of the stuff on his 'gram is just candids of his boyfriend anyway. that does enough to dissuade some of them, but on some others it just piques their interest more, prompting another little laugh that seems to both humor and tease them. ]

Sorry, sorry, I should get in there before all the bowls are gone...

[ he manages to side-step his way back to the stove, scooping up a wayward bowl along the way which he promptly hands over to reki. apparently he, too, had not been made privy of this scooping skill. ]

I get extra servings because I'm still a growing boy, right?

[ reki shoots him a look that's trying to be far more threatening that it really is. ]

You'd better not be serious.

[ he mumbles under his breath, but he's still digging into the bottom of the pot for all the most robust pieces of veggies. once qi fang's bowl is piled high, he holds it out, but doesn't relinquish it yet. too busy narrowing his eyes at qi fang to catch him in his bluff. ]

[ qi fang's hand is on it in an instant, but the little tug he gives doesn't do much to dislodge the bowl from reki's grasp, and there's just enough in it that any more force would threaten some major spillage. ]

What? Guys can keep growing till they're in their 20s.

[ he smiles as if to say without saying: so there's still hope for you, don't worry.

...teasing his height and playing dumb about the candids? yeah, he's never gonna get this bowl, huh. ]

[ not likely. reki's stare turns just a little bit more genuinely threatening. ]

Too bad you're not gonna live that long.

[ ugh, fine, he can have the bowl, but he's not getting away without a chastising flick to the forehead. at least the girls are enjoying the scene, giggling away as reki huffs and gives the pot a few irritable stirs. ]

[ what a merciful boyfriend. qi fang really lucked out here. 😢 he should just count his blessings and move on, but he can't help the sudden desire to kiss that grumpy little face. thankfully he manages a quick compromise, leaning down to press a chaste peck to the side of reki's head, right on his headband's little wrench-face. ]

Don't forget to eat too.

[ he moves a little further down the counter, giving enough space for any stragglers to get their bowls filled, but he does make sure to keep an eye out to ensure reki dishes himself one too. ]

[ ugh, fuck off with all that. reki's not ready to smile, but here he is, grinning like an idiot at the pot as he fills up the last few bowls. luckily, koyomi's last in line and in such a palpably foul mood that all that mirth is immediately sapped from him just as quick as it came.

he can feel a storm coming, and he's right. koyomi gets right up in his face immediately. "you two are so obvious. dad's gonna yell at you again. and you know what else?" she says, casting a smug, this-is-my-moment smirk at qi fang. "i liked haru way better."

she lets her empty bowl drop for reki to scramble after, waving for her friends to follow her. by some blessing of shock giving way to reflex, he manages to catch it before it hits the ground, growling as she disappears into the hall. ]

Koyomi, what the fuck?

[ he hears the door slam and the lock click into place, which is his cue to reach for that bottle and take a furious swig. after a breath, he quietly says: ]

Sorry. Told you she's in a freakin' mood.

[ it's a testament to how little qi fang and his own sibling ever really interacted when he remains blissfully unaware of the drama about to erupt, plugging away at his bowl like he'd been given explicit direction to finish it all in one breath. he's caught so unawares that by the time he's glancing up to meet koyomi's eyes, the friendly expression he takes pains to keep on has slipped, face clouding over with someone a little more shuttered, cold. he doesn't blink at her words, foreign to him as they are, though he can figure out enough to know that they're meant to hurt. still, he remains motionless save for following her exit with his eyes. by the time he and reki are left alone again, he's working on softening his features once more. the bowl is set aside and he moves to close the gap between them, reaching out to flick a lock of hair out of reki's eyes. ]

That's some mood. [ they're not that much older that he can't remember how volatile emotions can be at that age. how very easily they can tear down anyone unfortunate enough to be in the vicinity. ] You okay?

Yeah. I'm fine.

[ honestly, reki looks more sorry than angry now. especially since he should have known everything was working out far too perfectly for there to not be at least one meltdown in the works.

oh well. now that his nerves are shot, there's no resisting a second sip, only replacing it on the counter to reach out for qi fang. koyomi will live through her little pity party; he's more concerned about how awkward this might be for someone unaccustomed to constant bickering—playful or otherwise. gently, he loops his arms around qi fang's waist, fixing him with a soft gaze. ]

You get enough food?

[ reki's touch is grounding, which is silly because he's not really the one affected here. or maybe he is? he's lucky in the sense he's never really had explosive blowouts with his brother before. but at the same time, it's left him with little knowledge of what to do about these kind of things. ]

Oh yeah, plenty. You didn't even get a bite though, and you're the one running around like crazy here.

[ who's haru? the back of his mind keeps repeating, but he continues to try and shove that part away. ]

Want me to feed you? We can be real gross then.

[ qi fang really doesn't get how adorable it is when he worries over reki like this. especially since reki's immediate reaction is to roll his eyes and huff. ]

You couldn't even make your own bowl and now you wanna feed me?

[ of course that's happening. but first he has to put together some curry he's been stowing away from the ravenous masses and plate some of that too. then they can wander over to the table and be disgusting as sin, where he'll draw first blood by offering up some rice. ]

Dude, try this.

Man, you were holding out on me?

[ he's not whining, you're whining. shut up. he definitely follows reki around like a puppy, though, just barely resisting the urge to lean his chin on top of the boy's shoulder in an effort to get a better whiff of the curry. as soon as they're seated, he drags his chair as it can be to reki's, knees bumping, and helps himself up to the spoonful. he's already nodding the second the taste hits his tongue, grabbing up his own spoon to help himself to another bite.

but then he's picking up food to offer up to reki, because he's thoughtful like that. ]

I made it for us, fuck off.

[ he goes from growling to humming happily with a bite off qi fang's spoon. nothing here is super fancy, but reki's not afraid to spice shit the fuck up and all that flavor's nice on an empty stomach. the best, though, are those canned shrooms, cheap, low-brow, and not something he can take credit for, but they're the tastiest in the world and reki's got a spoonful gathered up and lifted to qi fang's lips. ]

You said you wanted mushrooms, so I had to go hard.

[ qi fang's already got a mouth full of vegetables, having alternated between spoon and chopsticks, but the second he sees reki offering him another spoonful he immediately chews up and swallows down whatever had been in his mouth. like he's going to miss having his boyfriend feed him, no way. it's cheesy as all hell, but he's happy so everyone and their mother and even himself who's ever had something shitty to say about stuff like this can eat his ass. ]

Babe...

[ he puts a hand to his heart, flashing reki an overly dramatic look of affection before chomping right around that spoon. yes, mushrooms, 10/10 1000%. he slips his hand under the table to give reki's thigh a squeeze of appreciation. ]

You're spoiling me. Keep doing it.

TFLN / OPEN RP / THREADTRACKER

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