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With painful slowness, Reki soundlessly shut the door of his sisters' bedroom.
Once he heard a successful click, a breath of relief escaped his lips. "Finally!" he grumbled quietly and grinned up at his friend. Langa offered a small, tired smile of his own as the two quietly rushed off to the kitchen.
"I'm so glad I don't have siblings," the bluenette heaved a long sigh and sagged against the counter dramatically. Reki snorted. "Yeah, they're a lot. Sorry for dragging you into babysitting. Again..." he added a little cheekily. "No, it's fun, really. I just wish it was easier to get them to sleep."
He rolled his eyes. "You and me both!" he huffed and turned to the pantry, yanking it open and scanning its contents. "So? What did you want to eat?" Langa perked up noticeably at the promise of food. "How'd you know I was hungry?" he asked, joined him to look around as well. The redhead snickered and elbowed his side lightly. "You're hungry no matter the ungodly amount of snacks you eat with the twins."
The other clicked his tongue and shoved his shoulder. "Well, I'm fine with anything you want." Reki hummed thoughtfully and kept looking around. "I kinda wanna actually cook something, you know?"
"You can cook?" Langa asked, leaning over his shoulder to look at his face. "Uh, yeah? Who can't?" he squinted at him incredulously. "Me. All I can manage is an omelet, and even that goes south more often than not," his voice deflated shamefully, joined with a frown. "I've actually tried to get Joe to help me a couple of times so I can help my mom more, but he's not the best instructor..."
"Ah, right," Reki stifled a laugh at the idea of Joe trying to teach Langa of all people how to cook some fancy Italian dish. "Well, why don't I teach you?"
His eyes let up with excitement, and he bundled his fists up by his chest with a look of determination. "You will? Thank you, Reki!" He could feel warmth spreading across his face at the genuine appreciation in his voice, so he looked away. "Of course man! Why don't we go with something simple, like another breakfast food?"
Langa tapped his chin with concentration as he pondered the idea. "What about pancakes? I know she likes sweet things." Reki grinned and nodded vigorously. "A woman of culture, I see! Dude, your mom is like the coolest lady ever," he laughed and stretched onto his tiptoes to grab a half-empty box of premade pancake mix.
"I don't trust you to make them from scratch, so we're half-assing today." He glared at him. "Glad to know my teacher has faith in me," he deadpanned, looking away with a slight pout. Reki giggled and began quickly gathering up their tools and ingredients while Langa quietly read over the directions.
Once everything was set up neatly on the counter and hands had been washed, they were ready to begin.
"Alright, Langa, what's our first step?" Reki prompted, giving him an expectant smile. "Uh... put the mix in the bowl?" "Aww, little genius in the making," he purred, ruffling up his fine hair. The other scowled but said nothing. "One batch calls for one cup of the base mix."
The redhead nodded and scooped up the proper proportion, plopping it in the bowl. "Next?" Langa fumbled with the box for a moment. "One large egg," he read off monotonously. "Ah, that's what I forgot! Could you grab one for me, they should be in the fridge on the left," he nodded in its general direction. Langa quickly stepped away, asking as he went, "How do you know you have large eggs and not small ones?" He scoffed. "Because it says so on the carto-"
He was cut off by a startled cry, a crash, and the thud of something soft and heavy landing behind him.
"Langa! What the-" he turned around in a panic to find his friend on the floor covered in fluffy white powder, and his little sisters staring up at him with wide, oblivious eyes. "Wha- You're supposed to be asleep! Christ, Langa are you okay??" he hurried to his side, helping him to his feet. A now empty bag of flour sat beside him in the doors of the pantry.
"I'm fine, they startled me is all. I'm not used to being around so many people at home," he mumbled, voice thick with embarrassment and a bright flush shining through the flour on his cheeks. "Nanaka! Chihiro! Say you're sorry and go back to bed!" Reki scolded, looking down at the pair sternly. "Sorry Langa!" they giggled in unison and disappeared back around the corner.
"Jeez, sorry about them. They get extra restless when we have guests," he sighed and gently patted away some of the powder dusting his friend's shirt. "It's really fine. Lucky I wore a white shirt today, huh?" he cracked a small smile. He snorted, "Too bad your hair doesn't blend in!" he rose his hands and ruffled his hair again, sending up a flurry of flour all over again.
Langa huffed and swatted his hands away. "Where did all this even come from? Why was the bag already open?" he asked. Reki grumbled and began picking up the mess. "Koyomi had a class bakesale last week and I swear she never actually puts the ingredients away! Once, she put the milk in the pantry! Do you know how long that smelled?!" he hissed in frustration. Langa tried to stifle his laugh, but it had already made all his anger melt away.
"That sounds like quite a mess," he commented, an amused smirk hiding behind delicate fingertips. "Yes. Yes, it was," he sighed.
They were able to clean up decently quickly between the two of them, though plenty of flour remained trapped in Langa's pale blue locks.
"Alright," Reki croaked, finding his position at the counter again. He swiftly cracked the long-awaited egg on the side of the bowl, prying it open flawlessly with one hand. "How'd you do that?" Langa gaped at him as if amazed by the one-handed egg crack. "You crack the egg, hold it like this, and twist your wrist like that," he repeated the motion once more, slowly this time.
"Oh, okay. I'll try that next time," he decided with a proud little nod. "So, what's next?" he inquired. "Three-fourths a cup of milk," he read off. Without a second's hesitation, the right measurements were added to the mix. "And a tablespoon of oil," Langa finished without provocation.
"All ready!" Reki grinned and slid to bowl over to him and held out a whisk. "Time for the fun part!" The other happily accepted the items and hesitantly prodded the ingredients together. "The batter isn't gonna jump out at you, you can actually stir it," he snorted.
He frowned, looking unsure as he added some strength to his whisk. Immediately, a good handful of powder flashed into the air and right into Reki's face. He coughed, stumbling back a bit in surprise.
"Shoot- See? I'm so sorry," Langa lamented, softly wiping at his forehead. He broke out into hearty laughter, patting his shoulder in consolation. "You're good, don't worry! But your grip is all wrong, and- whahahat?? Who even taught you that?" he jeered, tearing up a little.
His friend joined into his laughter, hands falling away. "I've really never cooked in my life, I don't think anyone did," he chucked sheepishly. "Well, I guess we both look ridiculous now," he crowed breathlessly. "Pft- you look adorable," he murmured as if he'd only meant himself to hear.
Reki immediately went red in the face, a shaky smile tugging his lips way too far upwards. "Uh- Thanks, man! Ha ha!" he cursed himself for the horribly awkward laugh, hardly registering the startled look his response earned. "H-here! Lemme show you how to do it."
He returned to the bowl, furiously trying to shove the warmth back down into his stomach. He grabbed the whisk and made room for Langa to see. "You hold it sorta like you would a pencil. When you apply pressure, make sure it's straight down, and rotate your wrist like this," he demonstrated the correct way to stir the ingredients together, all the colors melding together in a satisfying swirl. Before he could finish, he handed it over to the other.
He took it carefully and fiddled with the whisk until he felt confident in his grip. Then, with hesitant motions, he stirred the remainder of the chunks into a consistent, thick batter. "Nice! Looks edible to me!" he grinned, clapping Langa on the back before hustling to the stove. He greased a pan and set the heat, and-
"Whatcha makin'?"
He jumped a little and groaned loudly. "Nanaka. Chihiro. Why are you out here?" he sighed, crouched down to face them sternly. "We still wanna play with Langa!" Nanaka whined. "Yeah, why do you get him all the time?" Chihiro whimpered. Reki blushed and scowled at his sisters. "Because we're older and don't need breaks like you little monsters," he announced in an uppity tone.
"Not fair!" She shrieked and shot past him, clinging to Langa's leg. "He's not just yours!" The other chimed in. "Nanaka- guys quit it!" He fumed and tugged at the back of their pajamas. "Ours too!" they yapped together.
"Nope! Just mine!" He asserted, prying the two off of him and holding them by the scruff of their shirts. "And I'm not gonna share him at all if you brats keep messing around!" The twins wailed, struggling against his grip. "We'll tell mom!" "Yeah, we'll tell!" He scoffed. "Oh yeah? Then I guess I'll tell her you two were the ones who got into her makeup yesterday."
That effectively shut them up. So with an exhausted sigh, he set them down and let them scurry off, throwing sour kid-insults over their shoulders.
"Anyway," he muttered with annoyance still thick in his tone. "Um, you okay?" Langa was slumped against the counter, brow furrowed and a hand covering his lips. He looked a little pink... "Yeah, don't worry," he cleared his throat, straightening up. "Can I pour the first one?" Reki grinned, "Yeah, go for it!"
They huddled over the pan as he delicately scooped some batter into the center of it. Once it was bubbling, he looked around. "Do you have a spatula?" he asked in confusion. Reki quipped, "Please, spatulas are cheating! Flip it properly!"
He looked at him like he was out of his mind. "You want me to toss it in the air?" "Hell yeah, man! That's how it's done!" Langa grimaced, staring down at the runny batter. Not wanting it to burn, he took a deep breath and jerked the pan upward. But he must've moved forward too much, because the cooked side landed right on his arm and dropped to the floor with a pathetic splat.
Reki positively cackled.
"You-" he broke off with the intensity of his laughing fit. "You got it on the floor- the floor!" he guffawed, smacking a hand to his forehead. Langa sputtered indignantly. "You act like you can do any better!" he hissed, glaring at him from the ground as he scooped up his pitiful pancake. Reki scoffed, "Because I can!" He snatched the pan from him, pouring his own portion of batter in.
Once it was ready, he stepped back with the handle tight in his palm. With one quick motion, the pancake was up in the air and back in the pan on its opposite side.
"Show off," Langa muttered, flicking a piece of his floor cake at him. He sneered at him, tapping his hand back so his own weapon smacked him in the face. "You're just a dumbass!" He huffed and flung another piece at him.
Soon enough, their first pancake was done and set aside to wait for the rest. Langa poured his second attempt with hilarious concentration. When it was time to flip it, Reki was kind enough to offer a little help. "Here, you have to move like this," he instructed, pressing their sides together and overlapping the hands without even thinking. He guided the pan back and forth a few times, then jerked it back and forth with force enough to flip it.
"Like that!" He smiled and looked up at him. He had to swallow a startled cry when he realized just how close he'd been. Langa's face was barely an inch away from his own and deep in color. He immediately began to back away, but the other piped up.
"I don't think I got it," he blurted quickly, sounding unnaturally tense. "Show me one more time," he requested, keeping his eyes trained forward and voice low. "..Alright," he laughed nervously and replaced the cooked pancake with fresh batter. Not once did either of them move away.
They just sat and watched the food cook, squished together, hands touching, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. And it almost felt like it was. "Now," he hummed needlessly and tightened his grip on Langa's hand, ever so slightly, as he pulled the pan away from the heat. He flipped the pancake as flawlessly as the first, but lingered before returning it to the stove.
"Thanks," Langa mumbled. "I think I got it." He swallowed the lump in his throat and finally let go, face so hot they might as well cook the next one on it. "Try it yourself now," he prompted, trying to revive a normal, friendly, and totally-not-gay conversation.
Just as the fifth and final batch of batter had been poured, a hushed pair of giggles drifted into the kitchen. Reki's smile dropped at he barked into the hall, "Chihiro! Nanaka! If you come in here one more time I swear I'll send the flippin boogie man after you little rats!"
Langa snorted, keeling over at the sudden bout of laughter. Much to soon, the joyful sound was snuffed out and replaced by a stifled yelp of pain. "Langa!" he whipped around urgently, noticing the way he clutched his left hand. "Did you burn yourself?" He fretted, cupping his hands in his own and guiding him to the sink. "Yeah- just a little, I got too distracted."
He ran their joined hands under cool water, frowning at the patch of pink with concern. "You just keep getting hurt today," he lilted, glancing at his expression guiltily. "We skateboard, Reki. I think I'll live," Langa chucked, flicking water into his face. "Quit that!" he protested, swiping at the stream and splashing him back.
He snickered and cupped his hand so he could fling more water his way. Reki gasped as it hit him, a retaliated. Soon enough the boys were splashing back and forth like kids the age of the ones they babysat. But their chests were bursting with laughter and every time skin brushed skin it felt like something lit up, so they didn't care.
Suddenly, his howling hitched in his throat and he shouted in shock and mingled fear as he slipped on the water pooling at their feet.
All at once, Langa caught his hand and stopped his fall, balancing both of their weights on the other hand against the wall behind Reki. His back collided with the wall but his knees bent and found their balance again.
He opened his eyes again, opening his mouth to thank him for catching him, but the words died when he took note of the rather incriminating position they were left in. How... how did this even happen??!?
Reki was hunch up against the wall, one hand limp at his side, the other held stiffly outward by Langa, who stood curled over him, free hand pinning him to the wall. And they were oh, oh so close.
Obviously they should pull away. Clear their throats and laugh and move on, but they remained frozen together, unable to tear their gazes apart. Langa's eyes flicked down to his lips and his heart stuttered in his chest. Somehow their fingers ended up intertwined and their faces were getting closer and-
"Let him go!"
The two sprung apart, blushing madly and looked around wildly for the source of the squeal. Then a force hit Langa's leg and he had to catch himself on the wall. "What are you trying to do to our brother?!" Nanaka screamed, beating her chubby little fists into his jeans.
"I- wha?!" Langa stammered, eyes wide with mortified confusion. "Reki! Are you okay? I have band-aids!" Chihiro tugged at his sweatshirt eagerly. "What on earth are you two doing!?" he snapped, belly turning over and over at this emotional rollercoaster. Seriously what the FUCK was going on?
"You screamed! Langa was gonna get you!" Nanaka accused, hopping away from him and standing with her arms splayed at either side of her, like she was guarding her brother. "No no no! I wasn't- I didn't hurt him or anything!" Langa claimed, waving his hands sporadically.
"You were! You trapped him!" she growled, maintaining her stance. "He wasn't!" Reki gushed, crouching down to calm his siblings down. "I wanted hi- I mean- shit, just-" Chihiro gasped, "Bad word! Bad word! I'm telling mom!" "Wha-" The twins shrieked with laughter, apparently deciding Langa wasn't a threat after all. "Mom's gonna be so mad!" Nanaka screeched, yanking at his hoodie's strings.
"You little-" he began, absolutely furious. "That's it! You two are done for the day!" he raged, scooping the two up roughly. "Hey! Stop it!" They cried, hitting at his shoulders. "You two better stay in your room until mom gets back or I'm taking all my hair stuff back!"
"You can't do that!" Nanako huffed. "Yes the hell I can!" Reki yapped, "Who bought the bows? The brushes? Oh, that's right! Your brother! Now shut your mouths or you can kiss your beautician dreams goodbye!" he shouted with such finality that neither tried to argue, only glaring feebly at him as he slammed the door of their room shut once more.
He collapsed against it, covering his face and heaving out all of his frustration. "I'm really sorry," Langa muttered, picking anxiously at his nails. "No, no, don't be sorry," Reki sighed, gently taking his hands. "They're just oblivious kids, they always find some way to cause problems."
The bluenette nodded silently, staring down at their overlapping hands. "So..." he whispered, fear evident in his quiet voice.
"..Can I still kiss you or.?"
Reki's chest seized with a hurricane of butterflies, stomach bursting with joy, panic, embarrassment, and every other emotion it takes to be utterly in love with your best friend. "Yeah," he murmured, a trembling smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Not even a second later, their lips collided and bliss took over his mind, completely smothering every doubt that he'd read things wrong in his mind. Langa's palms cupped his cheek and his hands clutched the loose fabric of his shirt. They pressed into each other desperately, wanting more and more of the other's love translated in just one kiss. Somewhere within their paradise, an odd aroma assaulted his senses.
Was something... burning?
His eyes shot open and he shoved Langa away by the shoulders. The poor boy looked stunned before he shouted. "The pancakes!" The other grimaced. "Shit-"
They raced back to the kitchen, hurrying to switch off the stove and staring dejectedly down at the charcoal they'd 'cooked'.
He hesitantly poked at it with the clean end of the measurement cup they had used, stomach dropped when it didn't move an inch. "My mom's gonna kill me," he grieved, running a hand harshly across his face. Langa tapped his shoulder, offering him their plate of edible pancakes. "Care for a last meal, then?" he offered sympathetically.
Reki snorted and accepted. He hopped up onto the counter, dangling his legs over the edge with Langa standing next to him with the plate in front of him. They smeared butter on each layer and thoroughly doused the stack in syrup before digging in.
"For an amateur chef, I rate these five stars!" he purred happily through a mouthful. "I'd like to take that credit but you did pretty much everything," Langa chuckled, taking another bite of the delectable treat. "Yeah, you're totally right. I make some damn good pancakes. Joe hasn't got shit on me," he snickered.
He rolled his eyes, waving a dismissive hand in his face. "Says the one eating like a toddler." Reki huffed, glaring at him playfully. "At least I don't eat as much as an army of grown men." "At least I don't have butter all over my face."
"What, really? Do I?" He laughed, wipping at his mouth sheepishly. "Here," Langa volunteered, stepping to the side so he was right in front of him. He slipped a hand up to his jaw, guiding his face down so his lips could reach the corner of his mouth, and he could kiss the butter off his face. Reki tried to stifle his giggles as he peppered sweet little kisses over his chin, cheeks, nose, jaw, and finally, on his lips.
He melted into the kiss, slinging his arms lazily over his shoulder and savoring the way Langa held him firmly at the waist. They took their time learning how the other moved against him, nothing there to break them apart anymore. They kissed once, then twice, then three times... and soon they lost count.
Their kisses deepened until Reki could taste the syrup on his tongue and their lips were connected with sugary saliva every time they gasped for air. He had no clue how long they'd been making out when he finally drew back, pressing a fingertip to Langa's lips so he couldn't chase his own.
"Maybe you guessed already, but I really fucking like you," he murmured breathlessly, carding his hands through soft, powdery hair. "I like you too. So much," he replied, words heavy with unbridled affection. Reki giggled, knocking their foreheads together. "Why don't we make our plans after this into our first official date?"
Langa gave him a smile so loving his heart cried out in euphoric pain. "I'd like that a lot. But only if you'll be my boyfriend," he whispered, lifting his chin so their breaths mingled together.
"Yeah, I think I'd like that too," he mumbled against his mouth and kissed him again. And with a taste that sweet, he was sure he was addicted.