[ maybe it's a little foreboding to note that when reki does cast that last longing look back, qi fang has already turned around to pace into the house, hands clenched and jaw set tight...
it's a little over 6pm, and qi fang still hasn't called. not a text or a peep from him the whole day, except for one innocuous picture secretly sent during lunch of a melting piece of honeycomb on a charcuterie board with the caption "🐝 mine." but then it's radio silence after that, the long hours of the afternoon stretching on and on into the evening proper. ]
[ koyomi jerks at the handful of his hair that she's got, making him hiss in pain until she threads a band around it and relents. "uh, no?? you're already way too obsessive." she starts to roughly comb through his loose hair again. "and sit still. you're moving too much." ]
I am not... [ reki mumbles, squinting in pain and displeasure. a whole two seconds elapses, and then he casts a look over his shoulder. ] Am I?
[ koyomi sighs and throws her hands up in defeat. "i can't with you when you're like this. the rule is you always let the guy call you or else you look way too lame. now give me my scrunchie back." she fishes out her palm expectantly, and reki sullenly places the scrunchie inside it. ]
I'm not obsessive, [ he tells her retreating form as it storms into the next room. ] ... And we're both guys, what the fuck.
[ so... not lame if he checks his phone for the 900th time since he got home and shoots off a perfectly casual u ok? text. right? right. ]
[ it'll be a couple of minutes before reki gets a response — a fire of texts that, from the start, are definitely not from qi fang. ]
yea hes fine just being a dumbass the usual
hi reki it's sj btw
[ what reki will receive next is a haphazard selfie wherein sun jing is posing in front of qi fang, sprawled out on some grassy area with a hand over his face and the other flashing her the middle finger. they're clearly outside, somewhere, and (if the crumpled paper bag leaning against qi fang's hip is of any indication) likely intoxicated to some extent. ]
he doesnt want u 2 see him like this but he also talked about ur pretty eyes for ten whole mins so wanna come mop him up? i can give u the deets
o shit whats good dude im getting my shit together rn just hit me w a pin
[ first thing's first, he's gotta tear all of these braids out of his hair. then, he's grabbing the keys and speeding out to the bike, texting along the way. ]
[ she gives him the address before expounding on that piece of eloquence, and also sends reki another picture of a close-up of qi fang's profile — rather, the sour look on his face as she shoves his own phone right up in there. ]
just u know family stuff idk how much hes already told u so ill leave it to him to be a fucking man about it and talk to u :p
also we should double date sometime!!!1 my gf is rly cute u will like her
lmao ok enuff!! i see that grumpy face too much already & ive been tellin him ugh just hmu whenever u wanna do smthn & ill drag him along b there in 20 ok?
[ it's not that far away, but... stops need to be made. ]
[ the location she sends him should be familiar to him: proudly showcased on qi fang's wall, noticed by reki himself the first time he brought him there. the graffiti isn't shown in any of sun jing's selfies, but the grassy hill they're laying on should look familiar enough. ]
ugh ig u can bring him idk hes kinda a downer cant believe this is the first time were talking wtf
[ sun jing, for better or for worse, happens to be a much faster texter. (typos notwithstanding...) ]
ya cuz hes a fucjing dunbass!! he neverr tels any1 anything i had 2 find out from my mom cuz our talk im not here bc he chose me over u im just here bc i knew 2 look hes hurting u care about himrite?
[ qi fang, meanwhile, takes a lot longer to ponder over his words. ]
I want to see you But I'm kinda a mess right now Are you ok to meet up later?
[ this is why qi fang gets left on read while reki and sun jing savage their keyboards at each other ]
ofc i care but i don't wanna be like THAT boyfriend u kno if he needs space i should give him space & i still dont know what's goin on like it's not even any of my business i should just wait til he's ready or w/e right??
nvm ill be there in a sec
[ eventually, he'll get back to qi fang on that: ]
thatta boy dont let this jackass get his way he doesnt jnow what he wants ir needs! ur his bf and u care so ofc its ur bzns
[ more delays on qi fang's end, an internal battle between what he's used to doing and what he wants in that moment. in retrospect, stealing his dad's whiskey wasn't the smartest choice. ]
u rite u rite or he'll end up resenting me forever but w/e ok im comin up now
[ qi fang doesn't get a text back; reki elects instead to just show up, killing the motor at the edge of the hill. he slings his backpack over one shoulder and makes the trek up, waving as sun jing comes into view. she's his first stop, offering some dap and a bright smile. ]
Damn, the drip is flawless today. You're always lookin' fresh as hell.
[ "Thanks, but I'm taken," comes sun jing's easy response, flipping her low ponytail over a shoulder. "Speaking of... I promised I'd meet her for dinner and I'm already late. Do something about this mophead, huh?" her tone is crass, but the hand she puts on reki's shoulder as she passes by him is gentle, as is the brief, grateful smile she gives him.
she spares a glance over her shoulder towards qi fang, and while reki won't be able to see the look she gives him, he can safely assume it isn't a kind one from the way qi fang scrunches up his nose at her. then she's gone, disappearing past his bike and leaving the two of them together.
qi fang hangs back, hands in his pockets, hair mussed up and shirt stained from the grass. ]
[ there's some tension slipping away as reki crosses over to him, but he still keeps his hands to himself like he's not entirely sure if he's allowed to reach out or not. there's a sheepish twist to his lips, not quite a smile, but not quite a grimace either. ]
Yeah. [ his voice cracks, rough like he'd just spent the last few hours yelling at the top of his lungs. ] I could use a drink.
[ he takes a breath like he means to say something else, but seems to decide against it at the last second, defaulting to just chewing on the inside of his cheek instead. ]
[ that's a start. reki slips his bag off his shoulder and finds a spot beside qi fang to curl up and start digging. there's a still chilly bottle of gatorade in there, but instead of passing it over, reki tugs at his shirt for him to sit beside him. then he can have it. ]
We can hang out here awhile longer. Unless there's somewhere else you'd rather go?
[ it kind of guts him that reki doesn't finish closing the distance, but even in his addled state he realizes he's just as much at fault (if not more so) since it isn't like he made any moves either. the tug on his shirt is a little reassuring, and he lets himself slump down till he's sitting on the grass right beside the other.
he puts a hand on the ground behind reki, using it as a post so he can lean over and press his forehead against the other's shoulder. he's just going to. rest there for a bit, don't mind him. ]
[ slowly but surely, he's working his way up to it. the anxiety about getting rebuked is steep, but at least with qi fang's head on his shoulder, he's not too terrified to wrap an arm around him and pull him in a little closer.
just, y'know. he still feels bad. ]
Sorry. I know you wanted to be alone, but I couldn't...
[ well, obviously qi fang knows how that story ends. he squeezes a little tighter. ]
Don't worry, though. I'm just here to be here, y'know?
[ at the first touch of a hand around his shoulder he's scooting closer, pressing right up against reki's side. it occurs to him now how much he'd wanted this, how badly he's tried to deny it from himself hours earlier. ]
Nah, don't be... I was stupid.
[ still am, in many ways. ]
Shoulda called you. I wanted to, I just...
[ a shrug, a sigh. sometimes some habits are hard to shake. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
uhhhHhHhHhh lemme get back to you on that—
it's a little over 6pm, and qi fang still hasn't called. not a text or a peep from him the whole day, except for one innocuous picture secretly sent during lunch of a melting piece of honeycomb on a charcuterie board with the caption "🐝 mine." but then it's radio silence after that, the long hours of the afternoon stretching on and on into the evening proper. ]
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
[ koyomi jerks at the handful of his hair that she's got, making him hiss in pain until she threads a band around it and relents. "uh, no?? you're already way too obsessive." she starts to roughly comb through his loose hair again. "and sit still. you're moving too much." ]
I am not... [ reki mumbles, squinting in pain and displeasure. a whole two seconds elapses, and then he casts a look over his shoulder. ] Am I?
[ koyomi sighs and throws her hands up in defeat. "i can't with you when you're like this. the rule is you always let the guy call you or else you look way too lame. now give me my scrunchie back." she fishes out her palm expectantly, and reki sullenly places the scrunchie inside it. ]
I'm not obsessive, [ he tells her retreating form as it storms into the next room. ] ... And we're both guys, what the fuck.
[ so... not lame if he checks his phone for the 900th time since he got home and shoots off a perfectly casual u ok? text. right? right. ]
RIP...
yea
hes fine
just being a dumbass
the usual
hi reki it's sj btw
[ what reki will receive next is a haphazard selfie wherein sun jing is posing in front of qi fang, sprawled out on some grassy area with a hand over his face and the other flashing her the middle finger. they're clearly outside, somewhere, and (if the crumpled paper bag leaning against qi fang's hip is of any indication) likely intoxicated to some extent. ]
he doesnt want u 2 see him like this
but
he also talked about ur pretty eyes for ten whole mins
so
wanna come mop him up?
i can give u the deets
no subject
im getting my shit together rn just hit me w a pin
[ first thing's first, he's gotta tear all of these braids out of his hair. then, he's grabbing the keys and speeding out to the bike, texting along the way. ]
can u like
tell me whats goin on
no subject
[ she gives him the address before expounding on that piece of eloquence, and also sends reki another picture of a close-up of qi fang's profile — rather, the sour look on his face as she shoves his own phone right up in there. ]
just u know
family stuff
idk how much hes already told u
so ill leave it to him
to be a fucking man about it and talk to u :p
also we should double date sometime!!!1 my gf is rly cute u will like her
no subject
lmao ok enuff!! i see that grumpy face too much already
& ive been tellin him ugh
just hmu whenever u wanna do smthn & ill drag him along
b there in 20 ok?
[ it's not that far away, but... stops need to be made. ]
no subject
ugh ig u can bring him
idk hes kinda a downer
cant believe this is the first time were talking wtf
no subject
and yeah, he's texting and driving. it's been one day, he's pro enough now. ]
ikr
he lured me into all this w promises wed all eat lunch together but that never happened
steal my # well get up to some shit
no subject
greedy asshole tbh
keeping u all to himself
im saving ur num now!!
hell probs steal his phone back soon
no subject
fr he's been holdin out on us!!
text me anytime like
we gotta chill & im fiending for tea on ur new boo~♡
no subject
o shit YEAH
her names qiu tong shes the most beautiful girl u ever saw
[ and then — radio silence again. at least eight minutes this time, wherein reki can probably get a lot of yelling and wrestling is happening. ]
Don't encourage her she'll never shut up
You don't have to come all the way here btw
She's being dramatic
no subject
[ like, he's already practically there, but still. it's not like qi fang actually called him. ]
no subject
Shit
We were supposed to go on a date tonight
[ practically a second after qi fang's text, reki will receive one from a new number. ]
whatever hes saying dont listen 2 him
hes being dumb rn
he needs u
no subject
just lmk what u want
[ and to sun jing, now that she's on her own phone: ]
u sure??
what if he just wants to be w u
he didn't even tell me about any of this stuff til this morning
there's prob a reason
no subject
ya cuz hes a fucjing dunbass!!
he neverr tels any1 anything i had 2 find out from my mom cuz our talk
im not here bc he chose me over u im just here bc i knew 2 look
hes hurting
u care about himrite?
[ qi fang, meanwhile, takes a lot longer to ponder over his words. ]
I want to see you
But I'm kinda a mess right now
Are you ok to meet up later?
no subject
ofc i care
but i don't wanna be like THAT boyfriend u kno
if he needs space i should give him space
& i still dont know what's goin on like it's not even any of my business
i should just wait til he's ready or w/e
right??
nvm ill be there in a sec
[ eventually, he'll get back to qi fang on that: ]
whats that matter
we've been messy ill brt
no subject
dont let this jackass get his way
he doesnt jnow what he wants ir needs!
ur his bf and u care so ofc its ur bzns
[ more delays on qi fang's end, an internal battle between what he's used to doing and what he wants in that moment. in retrospect, stealing his dad's whiskey wasn't the smartest choice. ]
Yeah ok
See you soon
no subject
or he'll end up resenting me forever but w/e
ok im comin up now
[ qi fang doesn't get a text back; reki elects instead to just show up, killing the motor at the edge of the hill. he slings his backpack over one shoulder and makes the trek up, waving as sun jing comes into view. she's his first stop, offering some dap and a bright smile. ]
Damn, the drip is flawless today. You're always lookin' fresh as hell.
no subject
she spares a glance over her shoulder towards qi fang, and while reki won't be able to see the look she gives him, he can safely assume it isn't a kind one from the way qi fang scrunches up his nose at her. then she's gone, disappearing past his bike and leaving the two of them together.
qi fang hangs back, hands in his pockets, hair mussed up and shirt stained from the grass. ]
...Hey.
no subject
and then, yeah, they're alone. reki glances over his shoulder and then closes the distance between them, gazing up at qi fang searchingly. ]
Thirsty?
[ he sniffs. ]
... For somethin' that's not 80 proof, I mean.
no subject
Yeah. [ his voice cracks, rough like he'd just spent the last few hours yelling at the top of his lungs. ] I could use a drink.
[ he takes a breath like he means to say something else, but seems to decide against it at the last second, defaulting to just chewing on the inside of his cheek instead. ]
no subject
We can hang out here awhile longer. Unless there's somewhere else you'd rather go?
no subject
he puts a hand on the ground behind reki, using it as a post so he can lean over and press his forehead against the other's shoulder. he's just going to. rest there for a bit, don't mind him. ]
Nah. S'nice here.
[ a beat. ]
Thanks for coming.
no subject
just, y'know. he still feels bad. ]
Sorry. I know you wanted to be alone, but I couldn't...
[ well, obviously qi fang knows how that story ends. he squeezes a little tighter. ]
Don't worry, though. I'm just here to be here, y'know?
no subject
Nah, don't be... I was stupid.
[ still am, in many ways. ]
Shoulda called you. I wanted to, I just...
[ a shrug, a sigh. sometimes some habits are hard to shake. ]
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