OVERFLOW / OPEN

[rekd]

TFLN / OPEN RP / THREADTRACKER

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[tongxue]

[ bzzbzzbzz... ]

Must be important.

[ ...but alright. qi fang will be the first to break, half-turning away to slip his phone out of his pocket and peer at the name showing up for a missed message, call, voicemail. looks like li qiang's feeling particularly persistent today...

he scans the text but all it's asking was if he was busy. listening to the voicemail next, he slides his gaze over to reki, keeping half an ear out for him too. ]

[rekd]

[ what a front. there's literally only one person in the world who ever calls this number, and reki answers appropriately: ]

Dude, what the fuck? I told you I'm busy tonight.

[ and then: ]

... What?

[ and then again, this time with anxiety: ]

... What!? What fire!? Ohhhh my f— Are you laughing? That's not fucking funny, man.

[ reki shoots qi fang a look that means, universally, can you believe this asshole? ]

[tongxue]

[ qi fang is still on the tail end of the voicemail message, mind split between the two voices he hears on either side of him. though, between the two, one is definitely more urgent, and so he files away the bomb li qiang's just dropped on him to hopefully tackle properly the next day. once he's done, he's stuffing his phone back into his pocket, turning his full attention on reki instead.

what's up? he mouths, feeling equal parts curiosity and dread. ]

[rekd]

[ reki elects to respond aloud, no subtlety even remotely attempted. ]

My manager's a fucking dickhead. ... Wait, what? Wait, hold—

[ reki holds the phone up to his face, narrowing his eyes at it in disbelief. ]

He hung up on me.

[ slowly, he slips back into qi fang's space. ]

All good? Was it your parents?

[tongxue]

[ qi fang's arms open up reflexively, welcoming reki back in without question. ]

Yeah, [ he says distractedly, defaulting on a lie for the moment because it requires less explanation. he frowns a little. ] Wait, your manager? What's on fire — the shop?

[rekd]

Nothing's on fucking fire. He's just a dickhead.

[ he sounds as bitter as the look on his face, but he smooths that out quickly. instead, it's gentle strokes over qi fang's hand, a soft voice, an imploring gaze: ]

I do need to make a quick delivery tonight, though.

[tongxue]

Oh.

[ he pauses, letting that settle in, and then realizes maybe that's a little too long of a pause. he puts on a smile, turning their hands over so that he's patting reki's instead. ]

Sure, yeah. Work's work, right? I can cover for you.

[rekd]

[ now it's reki's turn to pause, eyeing that smile on qi fang's face critically. ]

Nah. Come with me. It'll be quick and we can go fuck around in the park or something after.

[tongxue]

[ the smile doesn't waver, which is probably the first red flag. ]

Wouldn't I just get in the way?

[rekd]

[ red flags on the outside, screaming klaxons on the inside. ]

... of... a delivery?

[tongxue]

[ he glances away, embarrassed. ]

Look, I dunno what you do...

[rekd]

Pretty sure you do.

[ reki gets up on his knees, slowly reaching out for qi fang's jaw to tip it back his way. ]

Hey... what's up?

[tongxue]

[ qi fang is yielding, but unconsciously so. he blinks when he's suddenly meeting reki's eyes, like he hadn't intended to and doesn't know what to do now that he has. ]

Aren't these deliveries dangerous sometimes?

[rekd]

... No?

[ why would he think that? oh, right. reki never did get around to telling him the story of what happened that night. ]

It's literally just a drop-off.

[ his fingers don't stay idle, tentatively stroking over qi fang's jaw. ]

Promise, it's simple as that.

[tongxue]

[ finally, qi fang's expression softens, finally warming his eyes. he lets out a breath, forcing the tension out of his shoulders. li qiang's voice is still in his head, affecting him more than he'd like. ]

Yeah, okay. I had my heart sent on being with you all night anyway, so this works out.

[rekd]

Okay.

[ you'd think that'd make him happy. instead, reki finally looks as upset as he is, raising his other hand to join the first in framing qi fang's face. ]

Kiss me?

[tongxue]

[ another blink. like his vision suddenly clears, qi fang can notice now the worry furrowing reki's brow. immediately he's reaching for the other, tugging him close till he's got him situated right on his lap. ]

C'mere.

[ he settles a hand deep in reki's thick hair, just behind his head, guiding him closer till their lips can meet in a slow, tender kiss. he takes his time, working those lips loose to slip a tongue right through them, letting the passion build. his other arm keeps wrapped firm around reki, holding him close, reassuring. ]

[rekd]

[ there's nothing soft or tender on reki's end of things. he falls into qi fang and squeezes him tightly. he kisses him the same way he does when they've been apart, like he misses him. at the first hint of tongue, reki's is darting out to curl around it like he means to keep it for himself—

and then there's a knock on the door, a sulky voice demanding, "are you two coming to dinner or what?" ]

Yeah. Just a sec.

[tongxue]

[ qi fang can sense the urgency in reki's movements, and he can't help but feel a pang of guilt. he did this, being stupid and caught up in his own head. with luck, he'll be able to undo it before it gets too bad.

when they're forced apart, qi fang doesn't let him get too far. he holds him close, just like reki had, a hand on either side of his face. ]

Hey. We're good.

[ a kiss to his brow, his nose, his lips. then finally one tiny bite on that lower lip, a promise of more when they're alone again. ]

Better than good, remember?

[rekd]

[ reki spends that time searching his eyes—obvious as hell, because he still doesn't understand subtlety at all. ]

Yeah.

[ it was worth the abject mortification that was saying something before, because hearing those words now puts a smile on his face, eases the cataclysmic tempo of his heart. he slides his palm over qi fang's chest, over his heart, rubbing through the fabric for a second while he takes a deep breath. ]

Hungry?

[tongxue]

[ seeing the ease start to return in reki's expression calms the worry beginning to thunder in his own heart. he smiles much easier now, reaching his eyes, and a second later he's full blown grinning. ]

Always, babe.

[ he'll nudge reki's bottom to coax him to stand first so he can slide out and work on making himself presentable again. he looks reki over and tugs on his collar, attempting to hide the fresh hickey he'd left on him. ]

[rekd]

[ it takes reki a second to get what he's doing, and then—oh, right. that. he rolls his eyes and reaches out to ruffle qi fang's hair. (yes he's gotta hop on his toes to do it, fuck off.) ]

Fuckin' vampire.

[ wasn't that one of those corny jokes they made way back in the day? it's nice to think about now as he opens up the door and makes sure to lead qi fang out in a way that includes a lot of leaning against his arm. ]

[tongxue]

[ way back in the day, when it was just chicken nuggets and english notes and quickies in semi-public. now it's... well it's still pretty much the same, but with less chicken nuggets and more home-cooked meals.

speaking of, qi fang takes a deep whiff of it as they make their way back towards the kitchen. he flashes reki an eager grin and a not-so-subtle rub of their arms where they meet before turning something far more pleasant and cordial towards the family already gathered around the table to greet them. before they take their respective seats, qi fang will quickly catch two of reki's fingers and give them another reassuring squeeze. little bumps like they had... they're terrifying, but they're normal, right? ]

[rekd]

[ literally there were never any nuggets not even a single fucking one reki's been a filthy liar from the start.

but either way, shit happens. reki knows enough about mechanics to know that taking anything out on the road causes all kinds of minute disruptions: tiny vibrations sliding gears off their axis, alignments falling out of tune, the invisible cost of wear and tear patiently draining the longevity of every working part. you make adjustments where you can and repairs when it's needed and you move on. it's normal.

what isn't normal is pretending like qi fang doesn't mean everything to him. it's the worst kept secret in this house and reki's not sure anymore why he's still so desperately trying to shove it back into the shadows. he feels those fingers squeezing his own and what feels normal is to grasp them, pulling qi fang over to the table by them, holding on as he takes his place among his family. ]

... Man, we just ate curry.

[ "i knew i smelled curry," koyomi accuses.

"then don't eat it. more for my favorite son," ma chirps, heaping qi fang's bowl high.

"some, some!" the twins holler, gesturing to their shiny little mouths. ]

[tongxue]

[ qi fang, the traitor, only perks up at mama kyan's bold praise. he cheekily points at himself before happily taking the bowl from her and claiming a seat.

don't worry, though, he's still kind of on your side, reki! ]

I ate most of it earlier, [ he reminds, patting the seat beside him dismissively. ] You'll like it, c'mon.