rekd | OVERFLOW / OPEN

[ 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. ]

[ 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. ]

[ 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? ]

[ 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. ]

[ 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.

[ reki levels the longest, dirtiest look at him as he slumps into his seat, but that doesn't last long. keeping up with kyan family dinner talk is like trying to stop a river with your bare hands; there's forty topics vollied back and forth across the table at once, no time to feel any particular kind of way.

eventually, they settle upon koyomi's impassioned speech on why qi fang should do a tiktok with her, ma and grandma exchanging confused looks, koyomi leaning forward with slow purpose and flashing a very familiar set of wide eyes at him. ]

Weren't you just saying you wanted to do one of those?

[ it's reki's turn to be the traitor now, though you wouldn't know it by the perfectly innocent way he spears a piece of tofu through the heart and lifts it to his curling lips. ]

[ now, qi fang was feeling pretty confident that he was keeping track of the general flow of conversation, but then suddenly koyomi's looking at him with Purpose and he's left wondering where went the sullen young girl with the barbed tongue from earlier. what happened between then and now that she suddenly looked at him like that, and not the barely concealed vitriol? kids these days. ]

...Right. Yeah. That was definitely what we were talking about. [ ... ] In your bedroom.

[ he slides his customer service smile from one kyan to the other, eventually heaving a sigh as he turns to koyomi imploringly: ]

It's not gonna be one of the dances, is it?

[ reki almost chokes on that tofu slice and ah, there's that karmatic retribution he was expecting. still doesn't stop him from pinching qi fang's thigh under the table, made harsher by the knowing look grandma shoots him and the very abrupt way his mother has fifty questions about what a tiktok even is. ]

You know those corny Facebook videos you always send me? That's where they come from.

[ "please," koyomi is saying. "ooh, or we could do a pov—" ]

Anything but that, [ is reki's warning to him, gesturing sagely with his chopsticks. ]

[ qi fang isn't even sure he knows what a pov is on tiktok so he's already nodding along apprehensively. he absently rubs at the area on his thigh that got pinched, brushing against reki's hand a few times in the process. ]

I guess it couldn't hurt, [ he winds up sighing, though it's not like anyone here thought he actually had to give his permission. it was pretty much a done deal from the get-go. ]

When? After dinner?

[ "you'll be around tomorrow, won't you?" koyomi says smugly. again, it immediately prompts ma to start busying herself with plates and bowls, cheerily asking if anyone needs more tea before she dashes off to the kitchen. "i wanna film outside and this rain is probably gonna go all night."

the sound of grandma's shows is blaring loud, so reki has to listen extra hard for it. but there it is, the sound of raindrops pattering on the roof. he levels a stare at koyomi, who immediately throws up her hands and says, "reki, no."

too bad for her. reki darts out of his seat and ignores her loud scream, throwing her over his shoulder. she kicks and hollers all the way through the door while ma watches from the threshold of the kitchen, smiling and shaking her head. ]

[ qi fang watches with a wan smile, the chorus of the twins' shrieking and giggling now drowning out the shows instead. it's a scene you just have to smile at, and one that seems almost bittersweet to qi fang, whose thoughts can't help but trail back to that voicemail, the weight of his phone suddenly burdensome his pocket.

soon, other shrieks fill the air, and qi fang takes that as his cue to get up and offer to help mama kyan clear up the table. he offers to do the dishes, too, but she wanted none of it and instead shoos him off so it's not long till he's meandering towards the door. he is going to do his best to stay out of it, of course, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed. he peers up at the sky, wondering if the rain will be a bother for their delivery later... ]

[ that is, unfortunately, not going to be an option for him for long. the two of them are distracted as can be for a moment, jumping and splashing in a pooling ditch just beyond the lawn. reki grabs koyomi's hand and gives her a twirl, and she's laughing, then pointing, and then both of them are slowly advancing on qi fang with the same troubling look on their faces. ]

Hey, man...

[ in retrospect, he should have seen this coming. to his credit, he steps back into the threshold proper, making the gamble that they probably won't try to bring that mess in inside, right? right?? ]

Let's think about this, guys — I'm stronger than both of you.

[ the two exchange glances, and then reki's eyes are back on qi fang, darkened by the storm and the challenge. ]

We just wanna talk— [ he says, and koyomi darts off as he advances. they pin qi fang between reki's grasping hands and koyomi's tickling fingers, bullying him in synchrony toward the rain. qi fang's gamble was unfortunately very wrong. ]

Bullshi—

[ he never thought he was that ticklish, but koyomi proves that to be a big fat lie when he suddenly cuts himself off with a pretty embarrassing half-shriek, half-laugh. after that he's an easy mark, dragged out into the rain as if he weighed nothing at all. he's pitifully at their mercy for a good handful of minutes before he decides enough is enough! it's time for the turns to table — first thing's first, for for the weakest one.

koyomi is smaller and easier to grab onto. she goes over his shoulder in a sharp shriek and taken quickly to the ditch where she will be unceremoniously dropped (gently! he does still need brownie points after all). once that's done, he turns to the elder kyan, lips split into a wild grin. he runs his hand over his face, shoves his hair back and out of the way but droplets still fall all over. ]

You, [ he announces through the rain. ] Any last words??

[ loyalty is hard to come by on the battlefield. koyomi shrieks for her brother's aid, but is met only with hysterical laughter. and then qi fang's turning on him and it's not so funny anymore, is it?

his eyes narrow. ]

Yeah.

[ he scoops one bare foot through the pooling water to give qi fang a big splash and then he's off like a bullet. ]

Eat dust, fuckface!

[ first of all: there ain't no dust here. second of all: oh he's gonna get it. reki might be scrappy, but his legs are still shorter, and qi fang has the benefit of being forced to do laps every day after school so as far as speed goes? he's got reki beat

the water to the face gets a sharp hey! but it doesn't stall qi fang for too long. fortunately he'd been anticipating such a dirty move, throwing his arms up just in time to catch most of the spray. then he's off, charging after reki like the man on a mission that he is.

as soon as he catches up he's throwing his arms around reki's waist, using the full strength of his core to lift the other boy off of his feet. he swings them around but the momentum and the water makes his footing slip, and down they both go into a nearby puddle, kicking up a whole wave of muddy rain water in their wake. ]

[ reki has a few choice words to say about qi fang and his stupid long legs, but all that comes loose is one disgruntled yelp. he tries desperately to pry his arms off of him, but by then it's too late, he's up in the air and has no choice but to cling, terrified of falling.

which is exactly what happens. it's good, though, now he can wrestle back the upper hand, surely. that's what he thinks, but before he can make his move, a shadow falls across them and reki realizes with a sting of fear that they've forgotten something.

all he can do is throw up his hands in surrender as koyomi hollers and pounces them both, her thin arms wrapping around him too. now they're all laying in a muddy puddle, but reki really can't complain when koyomi's laughing like the sweet little kid he remembers again, proudly proclaiming, "gotcha!" ]

Yeah, you did. Punk.

[ he puts up a meager struggle. ]

You guys can let me go now.

[ he definitely swallowed a good couple of gulps worth of mud water but that's cool, that's fine. above the clamor of laughs and squeals and rain he can hear their mom shouting for them not to drown each other but more importantly please, please try not to track in that much mud. without even knowing what they look like qi fang knows that plea is a lost cause.

glancing over reki's shoulder, he and koyomi catch eyes. all at once, the two of them grin, and qi fang holds reki's arms back while koyomi cackles madly and runs her tickling fingers all up and down the other's torso. ]

Suffer, fuckface!!

Stop, no!!!

[ it doesn't help that he taught koyomi to be ruthless. add to it the fact that reki's embarrassingly ticklish and he's got no choice but to writhe and kick and screech. the one small comfort he has is that all his struggling is making great big splashes, not that they're not already all soaked already. ]

Mercy... [ he pleads, shooting a vulnerable look at his sister, who's hovering over him with her hands curled like a velociraptor. she pretends to consider it, and then she's back at it again, wriggling her fingers under reki's chin until he's choking himself on his own laughter. ]

[ at some point, they all need to take a breath in. between the laughter and the accidental swallowing of water, it just becomes even more of a necessity. by then, qi fang is willing to relent, considering this a win thanks to his and koyomi's combined effort. mama kyan is already beckoning them to come on inside before they bring the whole storm in, and considering qi fang feels like he weighs about ten pounds heavier in water alone, he's apt to agree.

he loosens his hold on reki, allowing the boy to roll off him if he has the energy too, and spends just a few more moments sucking in some air before pushing himself up to a seat. yeah, they're fully soaked and stained in mud and man, he liked these shoes too. but honestly? 1000% worth it.

he dips his hand in the water, sparing one last half-hearted splash towards reki's face. ]

Let that be a lesson to you.

[ qi fang's not the only one who plays dirty; reki's doing the same fucking thing, except his hand is cupped and he's not above spiking a handful of water at his better half's face. ]

Get fucked.

[ "language!" reki's mom sings from the doorway, holding out a towel to wrap koyomi up in. next is qi fang; she flicks reki roughly in the forehead when he steps forward out of turn, reminding him cheerily that guests come first. reki sulks darkly as his mother insists on wrapping qi fang like a burrito, but she wipes that look off his face when it's his turn to be snuggled up, her soft, warm arms squeezing him tightly. it's so nice and he's so happy and he's smiling at qi fang so hard.

at least until she tousels up his hair and asks, "don't i just have the cutest boy in the world? shame he's such a grump," and gives him a big wet kiss on the cheek. ]

Stop.

I dunno, he's kinds cute when he's grumpy too.

[ and this is qi fang, taking full advantage of the fact reki's still burritoed up to reach over and lightly pinch one of his cheeks. ]

Stop!!

[ why does this keep happening? of course then koyomi is in on it too, and he's pinched and kissed until he can't stand it anymore and storms into the house, bitching harmlessly beneath his breath. ma calls out that there's hot tea on the table, so that's where he's going, pausing only to narrow his eyes at koyomi jealously as she darts into the bathroom first. ]

Hurryyyyy, I'm freezing my ass off.

[ surely one day reki will learn that the more he fusses, the more he's a target for these kind of things. surely one day, but that day is not today. qi fang just laughs along behind him, his own pace leisurely as he's sort of resigned himself to the fact he'll be last in the bathroom and thus determined to be as comfortable as he can soaked right down to the bone. ]

Is this a good time to remind you this was all your idea?

[ just, you know, in case reki thinks he's going to get off scott-free here. qi fang gratefully takes a seat at the table to pour himself and reki a cup of tea each. ]

TFLN / OPEN RP / THREADTRACKER

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