rekd | OVERFLOW / OPEN

[ it's only his second time, but qi fang wonders if he'll ever get used to it. he's at least a lot more awake this time around, and definitely a lot more prepared. the energy is palpable and damn near infectious, especially the closer they get towards the gates. there crowd is thicker there too, all abuzz with excitement. even if qi fang is a stranger to all this, even he can tell that tonight's a pretty big deal. cheers have already started to erupt, the crowd just getting more and more hype. ]

Hopefully not whoever we're here for. Looks like we're late.

Don't think so.

[ despite the utter rush that is being a part of such a big, wild crowd, more people means more people reki doesn't know. he spares a hand to slide it over qi fang's thigh, squeezing gently. ]

Stay close, all right?

[ that's all he's really got time to say before the man at the gate is asking for their badges and waving them through. then he's gotta drag that hand away to fish around in his pocket for his phone, frowning at the screen. ]

[ qi fang slides a hand across reki's tummy, giving it a reassuring pat that he isn't planning on going anywhere. especially not once they're past the gate, the point of no return, and they stand idle a little out of the way while reki fiddles with his phone. with nothing better to do, qi fang lets his eyes wander, but does his best not to make any meaningful eye contact. he doesn't know the rules of s, after all; for all he knows, staring at someone long enough is a quick invitation to a beef. ain't neither of 'em need that kinda drama right now.

yawning, qi fang pulls back just so he can stretch out his spine, lift his arms over his head. perhaps too curious for his own good, he decides to bring the bag out front, peeking in to see the deck they'd brought along.

he lets out a low whistle. ]

Wow, this one's gorgeous.

Right? Your man's a genius.

[ reki tips back his head to soak up all the love and adoration he deserves. word's still out on whether or not the actual client will like it, but he's working on that, kicking off the engine and removing that godawful helmet qi fang picked out for him. thanks but no thanks. he leaves it slung across the bar and offers qi fang a hand to help him off the bike. ]

You got it? I can take over.

[ there's just enough time to roll his eyes and drop a wet kiss onto reki's cheek before it's time for business. he hands the bag over to reki with a shake of his head and a dismissive hand up in the air. ]

A genius should reap his rewards.

[ but he's sticking close, slipping off the bike and taking his place by reki's side. he's not sure who they're looking but, but he figures whoever it is will likely spot them first. ]

Good idea. Back to being arm candy for you.

[ reki looks up from his phone long enough to shoot him a smirk as he links their arms. and then it's tough looking anywhere but all around them; a race has already begun, so there's nothing but action up on all the big screens, the betting pool is getting heated, judging by the meat grinder of a crowd, and the rest of the night's prospective racers are commandeering the gallery with flashy tricks and eye-catching swag. it takes a lot more focus than he has to place a crowd that's a bit removed from the rest, gathered around the open bed of a pickup truck, nursing red solo cups and blasting music from one of the open doors in the cab. he steers them in that direction, but his eye's still on one of the skaters dominating the half-pipe overhead. ]

No wonder everyone's here tonight. Look, you see that shit?

It's tough being so beautiful...

[ his lamenting sigh is, of course, easily swallowed up by the crowd raging all around them. he's actually surprised reki's managed to make sense of the throng of bodies, but then again reki's had much, much more experience with this than him. to qi fang, it's just chaos incarnate, all blaring noise and flashing lights and the occasional brush against an overly sweaty body too caught up to even seek out an apology.

he doesn't actually know what reki's referring to until he follows the other boy's line of vision, squinting up at one of the big tv screens to try and make out one of the blurring bodies zipping past. ]

How come you don't skate in a costume?

[ yeah, that's the most insight he can offer after seeing what looks like a matador pirouette over an exploding firecracker and land gracefully back on his board with ease. ]

[ for a second, reki's way too amped to even process the question. it's like a dream come true, seeing this in real time, and he's squeezing qi fang's arm absently in his excitement, eyes wide.

until his nose wrinkles and he slips qi fang a nauseous look. ]

Nobody wants to see me in spandex.

[ qi fang tears his eyes away from the screen and winds up spending more time watching reki watch the match than the match itself. there's no denying how enthralled he is, how his very body screams excitement, like he's barely able to contain his own energy from ripping right out of his flesh and jumping right onto the track itself.

and qi fang's supposed to believe that he's just okay with giving this up? riiight. ]

Agree to disagree.

[ reki's spared from further elaboration when qi fang glances up, noticing someone approaching them. a young woman with neon green hair and a shirt two sizes too small for her body giggles and hands him one of those solo cups and, well, he's not driving... ]

Gross, [ reki groans, eyes back on the screen. for a second, at least. then he's watching that girl hand qi fang a cup and his smile brightens. uncannily. ]

You come from over there? [ he asks, gesturing toward the pickup truck and their contact. the girl nods and reki promptly drops the smile, dropping a fist over the cup in qi fang's hand to send it spilling to the floor. he'll push up his sleeves as he storms toward the crowd, red-faced and shuddering with rage. ]

[ the girl shrieks, hopping away from the splatter, and qi fang's left to just watch the liquid pool and spread around his feet. when he looks up, reki's already halfway to the truck, and his pulse spikes in panic. ]

Reki—

[ he shoots forward, reaching for reki's arm to try and pull him back. ]

[ reki's due very little credit, sure, but his destination isn't anyone in particular this time. rather it's that cooler those solo cups are set on top of. not that it matters so much; by the time he's kicked it across the dirt, scattering cups and splashing drinks everywhere, their contact is darting right toward him, fists clenched all the same. he feels qi fang's fingers lock around his arm, but c'mon— ]

We don't do business with fucking creeps, [ he snarls, hard-eyed and ready to snap as the guy rocks right up to his face to stare him down. ] Disgusting piece of shit— I can't stand people like you.

[ just like most everyone else, the guy towers right over him, same as the rest of the crowd circling around them. he coos right in reki's face, asking what he's gonna do about it, and reki's at least got enough presence of mind to stand his ground and not instigate a fight immediately. ]

[ honestly, when it comes to physical fights, qi fang's instinct is to avoid them as much as possible. maybe it's a side effect of being around people who are a lot more hot-headed than him (sun jing, reki...); sometimes he just as easily enabled, other times he can't help but become their foil. most of the time, it's because someone has to have some self-preservation instinct...

he admittedly isn't entirely sure what's going on, but he can piece enough together to know that reki probably won't be backing down any time soon. ]

Alright alright alright.

[ he comes right up to reki's side, situating himself right where he and the client are inches away, squaring off. he's acutely aware of the crowd gathering around them; specifically, just how many of them seem to be on the other guy's side. ]

Let's all just cut our losses, huh? We keep the deck, and you get to keep the rest of your night.

[ "yeah? and who's gonna pay for my drinks, you?" the guy asks, but reki's moving between them in an instant, right back in his face the second he averts his eyes. ]

Touch him and I'll break your fucking face.

[ they share a tense moment, one that's broken by the sound of footsteps and loud shouts. turns out a very small fraction of the crowd wants to be present when the mountain guard comes running in, reki himself not included, and he takes that as a sign, grabbing qi fang right back.

"this ain't over!" he hears as he whirls on his heels, but by then it's time to run. ]

[ it all happens in seconds. one moment he thinks some hands are definitely going to be thrown, and then the next he's being whipped around and pulled out of the general vicinity. his steps pick up speed when the shouts from the guard finally reach his ears, but it's tough to say whether or not they're being followed.

just in case, qi fang spots a shadowed area hidden behind a crowd of people sharing joints, wrapped in a thick cloud of pungent smoke. ]

Here—!

[ he pulls them through the smog and tucks them into the shadows, one side caged by a tall fence of chickenwire. he takes advantage of the brief moment of quiet to look reki over, lifting a hand to his face. ]

You okay?

[ thank the stars for qi fang's quick thinking. under all this smoke, it's impossible to tell who's who—not the most comforting thought considering how jumpy he is right now, but it is what it is. the guards run right past them, not eager to disrupt a far more amicable crowd, and that's that. he guesses. ]

I'm fine, [ he growls, but his tone and his expression soften immediately. ] Are you okay? You didn't drink any of that shit, did you?

Yeah, I'm good.

[ of anything, he's just ashamed he even considered drinking it in the first place. it's pathetically naive of him, but more than that he feels guilty for getting them here. for making reki so upset, and now painting a target on his back from someone who is clearly trouble to begin with. good fucking job, dumbass. ]

Sorry. I should've known better.

[ the apology is a shock. reki's the one who promised he wouldn't fight anymore, and as stuck as he is on the idea that this circumstance is a different story, he still figured an apology was owed.

but hearing it the other way around just makes him angrier. promise or not, he should have decked that motherfucker when he had the chance. ]

Don't you fucking apologize. They're the scumbags. You didn't know.

[ he shakes his head, putting both hands up now to cup those cheeks in an attempt to soothe, placate. ]

What kinda idiot takes a free drink, huh? And then I fucked up your sale.

[ no no, the blame here's on him. reki wouldn't have had the opportunity to fight if it hadn't been for qi fang's stupidity.

he leans down, pressing a brief kiss to reki's brow, then his lips. ]

We're good though, okay? No real harm done.

Fuck that! You think I want their money? You think I want some fucking creep out there repping our shop!? Don't you fucking dare blame yourself for this.

[ this really is the wrong crowd for this conversation. mellows are being harshed all over and one by one, slow-blinking, drowsy stares are being fixed on the pair of them.

but who cares; this is important. he grasps qi fang's wrists, willing himself to calm down so he can convey how serious this is. it doesn't work, but maybe the effort will speak for itself. ]

It's not your fault. Okay? Fuck him.

[ qi fang, for his part, is just as surprised by the outburst. he hadn't been expecting reki to feel so passionate about this, but then again knowing who reki is, it makes sense. now he feels even more foolish for ever doubting him. ]

Alright alright, I won't.

[ like. tbh he'll still feel a little stupid and guilty for it, but that's not really as important as calming reki down right now. ]

You're right, he's an asshole. But now he's an asshole who'll remember you. [ that is still his fault. ] That's more my main concern now, you know?

Good.

[ he's sure whatever is going on internally with qi fang is complicated, but there's only so much he can do. at least he knows now that reki's resolutely on his side, no matter the consequences. fuck that, he'll celebrate the consequences. ]

Hope he spends the rest of his pathetic fucking life looking over his shoulder for me too.

[ internally? well right now qi fang is sighing, but it's a resigned, exasperated sort of sigh. as obstinate as reki is being right now, he can't help but still be so enamored with him not even in spite of it, but because of it. hopeless, really. ]

My hero.

[ he's not even being sarcastic about it too. reki really stepped up for him just now. he'd fucking swoon if the situation were a little different. ]

Wanna head out? Or do you wanna keep watching the race?

Stop.

[ reki sighs and loops his arms around qi fang's waist. it's a tempting offer; the skaters onscreen are seconds away from the final stretch and there's nothing he'd like more than to come down from all this righteous rage with one of those joints they're passing around him, but he has more to think about now than just himself. ]

You're gonna be bored in like four seconds and it'll take us forever to get outta here once this race wraps. Might as well split now.

I won't get bored. I like watching you get lost in this stuff. That's all the high I need.

[ ...and. yeah, maybe a hit or two of one of those joints, but. priorities. ]

But it was pretty hot seeing you stand up for me like that. I could definitely suck your dick right now.

TFLN / OPEN RP / THREADTRACKER

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