Chapter Text
"That's not the rules."
"Says who," Aha leans back in their chair, it creaks and tips backwards as they balance themselves by sticking a socked foot against the tabletop.
Lans left eye twitches.
"The literal rules that come with the cards telling you how to play."
Aha pulls a disinterested face.
"No idea whatchu talkin bout," they say, watching for any reaction from the other.
Lan is balling their fists, ready to engage in a full argument when from their left Xipe chimes in; "Lan is right, the rules are definite. Stop fooling around."
Both Lan and Aha perk up and say:
"Thank you!"
"Boring!"
Respectively.
There came a collective sigh from the other side of the table, consisting of Fuli, Nanook and Qlipoth who arguably wanted to get this over with as fast as possible. Nous had already left to go play something else, somewhere else, alone. While IX had gone into hiding on the couch across the room.
The only other people that remained seated and willing to entertain Ahas hijinks were Yaoshi and Akivili. Akivili chuckled as Ena, Xipe's twin and seated to their left, supportively pet their sibling's shoulder while Lan bristled and Aha grinned, challenging Lan to do something about it.
After what felt like far too much silent staring, Yaoshi grabs the card stack from Lans hand and says: "When two can't compromise, the third one wins the prize."
They start shuffling the cards and as they start dealing they continue: "Everyone gets seven cards, no showing, no trading, no pool or knocking. +2 can be stacked for however long there are +2 in the round to stack, +4 are off limit, you heathens," they look at Aha who scoffs, "If you only have one card left, call uno or draw a card. The first with no cards left wins. Simple as that." They punctuate their last words with a card put down each.
Aha whines while Lan grumbles under their breath.
"What was that," Yaoshi asks with a bat of their lashes.
"That's still not the rules," they answer only a tat louder.
For a moment Yaoshi starts to look around themselves.
"What," Lan says irritatedly.
"Oh, I'm simply searching for the one who asked, nothing else, but I just can't seem to find them."
Aha bursts out laughing while Lan pulls a disgruntled face.
"I hate you."
Akivili claps their hands together; "let's just play, shall we," they say. Nanook is quick to follow and take hold of their cards and even Qlipoth starttls out of their short nap.
The game started normal enough; Aha had yielded to Yaoshis rule suggestion only really after a good hearty threat to their general well-being by Yaoshi who was slowly losing their patience as well. Akivili and Nanook inevitably ended up playing as a team, which caused Lan to throw another short fit over how that's not allowed, God damn it but eventually just gave up trying to argue. With every minute spent playing the rules fell apart further and further. Fuli was the first to finish, getting up immediately and saying their goodbyes while Qlipoth sent them a longing stare – they wanted to go home too. Akivili had migrated from their chair over to Nanooks lap to have a better view of their cards, their own forgotten about at the side and both Xipe and Ena had left the game after the third spontaneous rule change and now sat on the couch poking at the blanket pile that housed IX.
Aha had begun to sneak cards under the table when IX emerged from their spot on the couch, slipping away from the twins and wordlessly taking Akivili's discarded cards and joining the game as if they had been there the whole time.
Aha grinned, "Look who's still alive."
They didn't get a reaction, instead IX played a green +2. Akivili jumped up and down pulling a matching +2 from Nanooks cards, flicking it onto the pile. Qlipoth sighs and starts drawing cards, Aha giggles about it and once they finish drawing they pull another +2 from their own cards. Aha looks over at Yaoshi with a grin splitting their barmy face.
“Lovely,” they say and pull a +2 of their own from their cards and Ahas gaze wanders to Lan without breaking the grin. Lan straightens in their seat and with as much flourish as they allow themselves to add they too play a +2 onto the pile. IX adds to it as well.
Aha gasps, grin waning, “Dude, how many of those do you have,” they squeak.
IX looks up from their cards for a second, a wicked kind of gleam in their otherwise motionless face. Qlipoth grumbles and plays a +2.
When Nanook began to chuckle quietly Aha began to get a bit skittish. Akivili looks between the cards they are holding onto and Nanook who started to whisper into Akivilis ear.
“No secrets,” Lan yells.
Akivili looks up again, a tight frown on their face, ignoring Lan and whispering back at Nanook.
“Feels mean,” they say.
“What are you two mumbling about,” Aha says while picking at their nails, laughing nervously. Somehow they could feel what's coming.
“Nah, fuck it, they deserve it,” Nanook says and Akivili looks at their cards again before finally pulling one from the left and slowly revealing it to be another +2.
“Ey, you don't have to do that- Akivili-” the card moves closer to the pile, “HEY!”
"Comeuppance,” Lan says, smiles and leans back in their chair while Yaoshi giggles into the back of their hand.
“I didn't start this,” Aha cries.
“Get it, clown man,” IX whispers into the collar of their hoody. Aha gasps and jumps in their chair.
“Cruelty,” they scream and point at IX across the table. The noise made IX hunch over more and grumble quietly.
“No tact whatsoever,” Lan says and crosses their arms.
Aha started drawing cards, making a show of every single one pulled from the stack and slowly sorting them away, never once looking away from IX who had grown bored and napped with their chin resting on their hand.
The game continued from there, IX turned out to be quite the formidable opponent but in the end, Akivili and Nanook ended the game in second place. It was Yaoshis turn again when suddenly their phone began to ring.
“Who is it,” Akivili asks while sipping from a glass of cheap wine they had found in a cupboard.
Yaoshi looks over at the phone screen, first with a hint of annoyance tying their brows together then wide-eyed shock: “Shit,” they gasped and ran off, phone in hand. Lan looked after them, a weird kind of hesitance written over their face, their hands were shaking slightly.
It was Qlipoth who burst through the silence that took over the table first: “Should we check on them,” they ask.
“They only get like this when it's about their cousin,” Lan says, never looking away from where Yaoshi has locked themselves into the bathroom, “they worry a lot.”
“Long never calls though, do they,” Akivili says.
“Rarely,” Lan sighs, “maybe something went wrong in the hospital, sometimes they react badly to a new treatment. I went to visit them once with Yaoshi, back in the day, they looked terribly tired then.”
“Long,” Aha asks, putting down their cards, “The same Long everyone thought died last semester? They are still alive?”
Lan frowns, “Yes, that Long, and what do you mean everyone thought they died?”
Aha chuckles and waves with their hand, “Well, Yaoshi seemed stressed after they went to visit them in the hospital that one time and somehow the rumor spread that Long must have finally kicked the bucket. There was even talk about a funeral.”
“Excuse me, what,” Lan yells
“Ya missed that,” Aha gasps.
“Somehow,” Lan fell back into their chair, heaving a sigh.
“Well, I didn't,” Akivili chimes in, “it was horrible, every other hour, for a solid week, some other well meaning idiot came knocking on our door trying to tell Yaoshi their condolences, it nearly broke them.”
It went quiet after that, no one really having anything substantial to add.
Lan was the first to notice when Yaoshi unlocked the bathroom door. Yaoshi stepped out looking red in the face and if Lan looked closely they could swear they saw some tears still escaping their well painted eyes.
“I'm gonna go home now,” they said, voice hoarse, “Akivili, I forgot my keys, can I have yours?”
“Sure,” they perked up, stumbling off from where they had been sitting. “Just tell the babysitter I'll pay them extra if they keep the twins occupied in their room,” Akivili said while cramming through their pockets for the keys.
“Will do,” they say and offer a lopsided smile, “I don't think I'll be able to sleep today anyway."
Before they could fully comprehend the thought as it formed Lan already voiced it aloud; “I can drive you home if you want.”
Yaoshi looked at them for a moment, not sure what to think or say. Lan realized that offer was stupid coming from them far too late, but they are anything if not a man of their word.
“You dont look like public transit would do you any favors right now,” they stammered, “I just thought, since I have a car and you, I don't know, just say no already so I can stop making a fool of myself-”
Yaoshi chuckled a little before falling into a watery sob, they said: “Actually, I'd be very thankful for a ride home, if you're still offering, genuinely.”
“Of course,” Lan says, quietly.
“Ew, get a room,” Aha laughs.
Yaoshis shoulders stiffen, “Aha, I swear to everything alive or dead, do you ever shut up?!” they yell, new tears forming at the corner of their eyes and Akivili was up and at their side immediately. Nous enters the room then as if summoned by a greater power, their dark brown and red hair held back by a pair of headphones.
“Aha,” they say, “we're going home.”
“Wha-”
“Shut up, we're leaving.”
“But-”
"Shut. Up."
The door fell shut behind them and Akivili and Lan blink confusedly at each other from across the room.
“Always efficient above all else, I suppose,” Nanook says.
“Can we please leave now,” Yaoshi had hugged their own chest.
Lan jumps a little, then says: “Right, lets go.”
