Chapter Text
"You don't need to be perfect to inspire someone, you can inspire people by showing them how you deal with your imperfections. And— THAT'S what it's all about."
...
"Thanks guys."
"I uh— I appreciate that."
"Hold up— WRITE THAT DOWN WRITE THAT DOWN—"
After the events that took place in the... uh.
Y'know. Bedroom. Panic attack. Existential Crisis. Cuddling shit.
Your favorite trio went camping!
Despite the unresolved awkward tension after what happened in Ze's room—with all the angst and fluff you fuckers love—they somehow managed to stick together. Camping was nice. The fresh air, the poorly made campfire, the lack of campfire horror stories... since ReGect forgot the main point of a camping trip was telling scary stories. It's also worth mentioning that Moe almost set the tents on fire. What a bunch of goobers.
Things were back to normal.
...
Or so we thought.
Ze couldn't stop thinking about the stupid fucking chud of the hour, ReGect.
His stench. His clawed hands. His ugly split-ended fur. His stupid tail that kept getting in the way.
The way drool dribbled down the corner of his mouth whenever he was dead asleep, snoring loud enough to scare wildlife from across the world. Seriously, how the hell did something that loud manage to sleep so peacefully? Ze was honestly surprised he'd gotten any sleep that night with that asshole invading his personal space in HIS bed.
...Well.
Guess it wasn't really invading if Ze practically begged him to stay.
The whole scene stayed stuck at the back of his mind, refusing to let up. Replaying over and over, like his brain decided this was the memory it wanted to obsess over now.
ReGect wrapping both arms around him.
Running those stupid claws up and down his back.
Resting his chin against Ze's head like it was the most natural thing in the world.
The warmth of ReGect's weight resting against him.
The smell of pine lingering in that thick black fur.
The steady, slow rise and fall of his breathing.
Ze physically shuddered.
"...Fuck."
It made him furious—why did he even let that happen? Was he high or some shit? Sleep deprived? Hallucinating? Drunk?
There was no way things were just supposed to go back to normal after pulling some romance-anime bullshit like that.
Right?
His grip tightened around the wooden spoon in his hand.
The worst part is that it wasn't even embarrassment anymore. Not really, anyway. If he was being completely honest, he missed it.
No.
He missed him.
The comforting words.
The way ReGect had somehow made one of the worst nights of his life feel... safe.
He was so unbelievably fucked.
"YOOOOOO ZE!!"
Ze nearly launched the pot across the kitchen.
"Holy—"
He whipped around so fast he almost smacked himself with the wooden spoon.
The smell hit him first.
"Ah, shit!"
The ramen.
Smoke lazily curled up from the pot hanging over the stove.
He'd completely forgotten about it. Oops.
ReGect noticed the smoke before Ze did and started being the annoying prick he usually is.
"AWWWW DUDE!" ReGect pointed dramatically toward the stove. "You messed up the ramen!!"
"I— What???" Ze whipped around so fast he nearly dropped the wooden spoon. "ME? You're the one who distracted the cook at work! That's like—the first law NOT to break when someone's cooking, dumbass!"
"Ohhh, so it's my fault now?" ReGect scoffed, crossing his arms. "Didn't know thinking about taxes made people burn noodles."
"I wasn't thinking about taxes??"
Moe silently wandered over while the two continued arguing, carefully reaching around them to turn the stove off before either of them managed to burn the entire kitchen down. Neither of them noticed.
"Yeah, whatever." ReGect waved a dismissive hand. "What are we gonna eat now? God, I knew we shouldn't have let this idiot cook, right Moe?"
Moe slowly looked between the two of them. Then the burnt pot. Then back to the two of them.
She sighed through her nose and rolled her eyes so dramatically it almost deserved an award. Ze immediately pointed the wooden spoon at ReGect.
"Fuck you. Your cooking is shit anyway."
"Yeah? At least I can actually catch a turkey, slowpoke."
"Slowpoke? Seriously?"
"Yeah!"
"...That's the best you've got? Grow up!"
"Please, you still sound like a pubescent teen in your grown age. Besides, it clearly worked."
"It didn't—"
"You've been malding for like thirty seconds."
"I am NOT malding."
"You literally burned dinner."
"I burned ONE pot!"
"You burned ramen."
"..."
"...That's actually impressive."
"Oh my GOD."
Before Ze could come up with another comeback, ReGect casually reached over, plucked a dry noodle from the counter, and ate it raw.
"...Why did you do that?"
"I dunno. I got hungry."
"You are unbelievable."
"I've actually been told I'm extremely talented, thank you very mu—"
Moe suddenly started honking like an absolute maniac, repeatedly pointing toward her stomach before dramatically pretending to faint against the kitchen counter.
Both boys froze.
"...Sorry, Moe." They both apologized in perfect unison. Moe buried her face in her hands.
She started repeatedly honking and gesturing toward the mess, pointing between the burnt ramen, the ingredients still scattered across the counter, and then the two idiots standing in front of her. Her motions became more exaggerated with every passing second until she finally crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently.
"I— what!"
"Yeah Moe, you expect me to cook with this guy?"
Moe slowly turned her head toward the both of them.
The death stare she gave could've killed a Cave Dweller on sight.
"...On it."
"Yeah, right away, Moe."
Neither of them dared argue after that... For roughly twelve seconds.
ReGect immediately reached into the grocery bag sitting on the counter, pulling out a slice of cheese and stuffing the entire thing into his mouth before anyone could stop him.
"...Really?" Ze deadpanned.
"What?" ReGect mumbled through a mouthful of cheese. "Quality control."
"You don't quality control cheese."
"Says who?"
"...Common sense."
"I don't own any."
"...Clearly."
Moe sighed, snatching the bag away from ReGect before he could steal anything else. There still seemed to be some leftover ingredients they could use to make a new ramen. She carefully laid every ingredient out across the counter in neat little rows, taking the time to organize everything like she was preparing food for a magazine photoshoot.
Ten seconds later and the counter looked like it'd been hit by a tornado.
ReGect somehow managed to knock over half the seasoning containers while reaching for pepper. Ze accidentally spilled flour across the countertop trying to save them. Moe stood frozen for a second, staring at the disaster she'd spent her valued time organizing.
Very slowly, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then started reorganizing everything again without saying a word.
"...I think she's judging us," ReGect whispered.
"Oh she's absolutely judging us."
"I don't blame her."
Ze grabbed a bowl from the cabinet, carefully measuring out ingredients like he was determined to prove he was the only competent person in the house.
"...See?" he muttered. "This is called following a recipe."
ReGect leaned over his shoulder to peek inside the bowl.
"...Looks wrong."
"You've looked wrong since I met you."
"Fuck you."
Before Ze could move away, ReGect reached past him to grab a bottle sitting on the counter. Their shoulders bumped together.
It barely lasted a second.
Still...
Ze's entire train of thought derailed...Did he always stand this close?
His grip tightened around the whisk. Don't make it weird. This isn't like the other night. Snap out of it. He's just—grabbing the oil. People grab things. Normal people grab things all the time.
"...Ze?"
"Hm?"
"You've been whisking an empty bowl for like thirty seconds."
"Oh— I— Shut up."
ReGect laughed.
Just a quick snort through his invisible nose before turning back to the ingredients.
ReGect shook his head, still grinning to himself as he reached for another ingredient. His hand almost rested against Ze's back out of habit before he caught himself halfway there. The movement paused for the briefest second before he awkwardly redirected it toward the countertop instead, pretending he'd meant to grab the salt all along.
Across the room, Moe noticed. Of course she did.
Her eyes quietly flicked between the two before the tiniest smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. She said nothing. Instead, while handing Ze another bowl, she just so happened to step to the side at exactly the wrong moment, forcing him to shuffle closer to ReGect so neither of them dropped it.
Both of them froze. Moe innocently continued stirring the pot as if she'd done absolutely nothing. Neither Ze nor ReGect seemed brave enough to call her out on it.
They simply went back to cooking, together. Lovely.
After what felt like ages, the trio finally managed to throw together a meal using whatever leftovers were hiding in the pantry and the groceries they'd picked up earlier that week.
Cheesy Pan-Fried Ramen.
It was the kind of college student meal that somehow tasted way better than it had any right to. Crispy around the edges, overly seasoned, and absolutely drowning in cheese. It was filling, cheap, and, frankly, the best they could manage until ReGect stopped blowing half the house funds feeding his crippling gambling addiction.
Speak of the devil...
Before either of them could warn him, ReGect shoved an entire forkful into his mouth.
His golden eye widened.
"HOT— HOT HOT HOT!"
He immediately started fanning his mouth with both hands while violently inhaling through his teeth, looking like he'd just swallowed lava itself.
Ze blinked.
"...You absolute dumbass—"
Ze couldn't stop himself, a laugh escaped before he had the chance to swallow it back down. It wasn't loud—more like a single snort through his nose—but it was enough.
With his smile still spread across his face, Ze quietly reached across the table, grabbed the nearest cup, filled it with water, and slid it toward ReGect.
ReGect looked down at the glass, then back up at Ze.
"...Thanks."
Across the table, Moe let out a string of quiet giggles, her shoulders bouncing as she watched ReGect recover from the greatest battle of his life. Honestly... How did the thing even eat? He didn't even have a visible mouth half the time.
ReGect finally stopped coughing after a few dramatic gulps of water and set the cup back down with an exaggerated sigh.
"Nah," he waved a hand dismissively, clearing his throat. "No need for that. It's part of the experience."
"The experience?" Ze raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah."
"You practically died."
"Yeah right— I survived."
"Barely."
"I looked cool doing it."
"HAH! You wish!"
Moe honked loudly, nearly doubling over laughing at the exchange.
ReGect pointed at Ze with his fork.
"Whatever. At least I know a thing or two about sleeping peacefully."
...
The words slipped out so casually, like any other joke.
Ze's hand froze halfway to his bowl.
For just a second.
The memory flashed through his mind before he could stop it.
Warm fur.
Steady breathing.
Arms wrapped around him.
The quiet feeling of finally being able to rest.
His ears burned.
"..."
Was that really a funny joke?
Or was ReGect thinking about that night, too?
Ze quietly stared down into his bowl, slowly pushing the noodles around with his fork without actually taking another bite. His appetite had mysteriously disappeared. Every now and then he'd glance toward ReGect, only to immediately look away whenever the entity happened to move.
Across the table, Moe glanced between the two. Her brows furrowed ever so slightly. There was absolutely zero context for whatever the hell had just happened. As far as she knew, Ze had suffered a panic attack a few nights ago. ReGect stayed with him. Ze woke up the next morning looking... better. Not perfect, but better.
That was all she knew.
So why were they suddenly acting like two middle schoolers who accidentally held hands?
Moe rested her chin in her palm. Something definitely happened. She just didn't know what.
Still...
She'd spent enough time around the two of them to recognize when something was off. The awkward glances. The accidental shoulder bumps around the kitchen. The way Ze kept looking at ReGect when he thought nobody was watching. The way ReGect smiled without realizing it whenever Ze laughed.
Hmmm.....
If this were some cheesy Saturday morning cartoon, a lightbulb would've appeared over Moe's head right about now, practically glowing brighter than the sun.
A mischievous grin slowly crept across her face.
Before either of the boys could process what she was doing, Moe stood from her chair, gathered her empty bowl, and casually carried it over to the sink. She didn't even bother washing it, that sounded like Tomorrow Moe's problem.
She stretched dramatically, letting out an exaggerated yawn before wandering over toward the staircase.
"Honk!"
She rubbed one eye.
"Honk, honk!"
Then pointed upstairs before pointing toward the two of them, then back upstairs again.
ReGect blinked.
"Oh— uh, going to bed? Good—goodnight, I guess."
Ze nodded.
"...Yeah. Goodnight, Moe—"
"HONK!"
She made little shooing motions with both hands before giving the two of them one final look that somehow managed to say, figure your shit out already, without speaking a single word.
Then she disappeared upstairs.
The house grew quiet.
Only the faint ticking of the kitchen clock and the occasional clink of a fork against a bowl filled the silence.
ReGect slowly looked down at his half-finished ramen.
Ze did the same.
Just the two of them.
Neither seemed particularly hungry anymore. The noodles had long since stopped being the thing occupying their minds. The other night lingered between them instead.
Someone had to say something eventually.
The question was...
Who was going to be the first idiot brave enough to bring it up?