Chapter Text
“I’m hungry!”
“Yes, Big Brother, I know!”
Yoichi sadly smiled as he continued his non-stop vigilance over the wok. He had finally gotten used to the advanced kitchen central to their expensive apartment. Perhaps it could have been even grander (as his brother often told him) if he was more inclined to indulge in his twin’s desire for power.
And his brother has quite a power. Unlike Yoichi.
The apartment was a considerable upgrade compared to their first humble flat in one of the few areas that had been rebuilt after the initial onset of the paranormal. Zen had a relatively new job and his work was done at home. It wasn’t often that his brother left the house, which resulted in Yoichi being at his beck and call for most of the day. As annoying as it could be for Yoichi, it also was almost an addiction. There was a reason for that…
“Well, when is it going to be ready?!”
“I’m working on it now! I told you that, like, a minute ago!”
Metahumans had been persecuted for as long as Yoichi could remember. He and his brother were born and then they were on the streets. If there were kind people who had sheltered them for even a tiny blip of time before survival instincts took over, well, he surely couldn't recall. All he could remember was the tumultuous happenings and the strange attraction to dark alleys. The smell of trash and the chittering of rats. A robe of black wrapping him and keeping him warm as they walked together.
A hand gripping his right wrist.
People he didn’t even know, meta or not, singled him out, as weak as he was, and Big Brother came to the rescue.
The smell of something like copper enveloped his senses. A dull, faded memory of begging. Something terrifying and abhorrent blurred and faded.
Then he remembered books. They were everywhere! Brother floated not too far away, testing out his newest acquisition. It was maybe only a tad before Zen’s arrival that he had found them: three issues of a comic book called ‘Captain Hero’.
He had wanted to share it with him. Tell him about the hero who fought the Demon King. But instead, he coveted those flimsy pages. Maybe it was because they were the very first things that were his and his alone. Something he could enjoy without his brother. He wasn’t sure. Only that he never showed him.
Instead, he showed him regular books. Those he couldn’t quite read entirely, but that he claimed he was trying so hard to understand. He could take some solace because it was he who helped his brother learn how to read. But his brother wasn’t stupid. They were twins after all, so, just as he, his brother took to trying to read the books.
“Little brother,” he said. His large, terrifying white eyes, devoid of the irises Yoichi knew normal people had, were surprisingly small. Something akin to thoughtfulness.
“Uh, yes, Big Brother?” He had been hiding his comics behind an enormous cover of a book he honestly couldn't have ever read himself, at least, not yet.
“We…don’t have names, do we?”
What a question, though right as it was.
“Um…no. No, we don’t?”
“I’ve come up with some,” his brother answered. There was something strange in the air. A whirling. Something both natural and cosmic. He couldn’t help but look up into those usual soulless eyes and for once see the humanity there he had been searching for. The humanity he vaguely recalled when looking at his right wrist during the chilly nights sleeping on the streets. Just the two of them. His brother’s large hand upon his skin.
“Really?”
“Yes. I was looking through a book like you do all the time—without me.”
“Mhmm.” Best not to answer with anything more.
"I found a word. It means “death tree” or at least, something like that. Some of the people were talking about a monster that ate a woman. Funny, right? Shigaraki. I think that’s a good last name for us. Our birth mother must be lost or dead. Or something. I don’t care.”
He readily nodded. He was used to nodding.
“But otherwise…”
This left a long, contemplative gap. He twitched a bit. It wasn’t normal that Big Brother spoke like this.
“I found a name. For you.”
A name? Just for him? He couldn’t help but feel a swelling of emotion he had never felt before. A name. Names have meaning. He learned that much from what he could understand between the weak pages of a comic to the magical adventures in sturdier bound books.
“I want to call you Yoichi. It can mean a few different things. But one is ‘First Gift’.”
He didn’t even question it. He was too elated. To be named?! To have something that is his?!
He was a gift?!
“Um, I. Big Brother, that’s amazing! I love my name!”
He jumped up and down, clapping and twirling about. He could recall his Big Brother’s face. A slight grin lifted the corners of his usually straight-lipped mouth. A twinkle in his eye. This name made Big Brother happy, so it made him happy. No, it made Yoichi happy.
Not too long after…brother had named himself.
Zen.
It meant ‘all’.
Far too fitting—
The sizzling from the wok brought him back to his senses. He quickly removed its contents into a large bowl and then repeated the process.
Every day, he felt the portions increase.
He would sometimes be up late, reading cookbooks. His brother used to tease him over his extensive collection, but he no longer did so. He must have finally realized that the food he so enjoyed came from those very pages. Well, before Yoichi had taken to combining and coming up with his own recipes. It brought him a lot of joy. Even when he knew he should sleep, something compelled him to stay up far too late coming up with new recipes. A need deep, deep inside himself called for him to create anything to give. Food was a simple thing to give. Most meals didn’t take more than a few ingredients to prepare.
Creating the best food helped fill a need he very much wanted to quell. However, that was only a part of it. The culmination of what he created and meeting the expectations of his brother completed the circle. He gave.
And his Big Brother’s happiness over it was like a finish line he just barely passed. His twin would ruffle his hair and then grip the top of his head. His hold tight and feverish whispers between their bond of mine, mine, MINE. And that was Yoichi’s cheering from the stands as he won the gold medal.
MINE
All of this because of a rare compromise.
It was a couple of years back when his brother’s greed for more metapowers was becoming unmanageable. Every day, he’d return to show off his newest toy to his bookworm little brother. He had even figured out that he could give others power, not just take them. However, it had become clear to Yoichi that his brother enjoyed how those he imbued with power would prostrate at his feet. It wasn’t giving like Yoichi does, rather, another means to gain something else. People who would readily return favors, servitude, or simply want to bask in Zen’s presence.
There didn’t seem to be a logical goal in mind. Just an enjoyment of the fact he could. Yoichi had to put a stop to it, lest his brother spiral into an unstoppable monster that consumes powers.
It didn’t help matters that, even though some of the upheaval of society was settling, anti-meta movements still easily claimed the hearts and minds of those terrified of the new reality. Zen could easily handle them and has before, but if he continued to make himself a target, then all of Japan would come down on him…and Yoichi.
As frail as he was, Yoichi wouldn’t stand a chance against even one anti-meta member. With an army pushing down against them, his brother would end up distracted in trying to protect his weaker twin. Then they’d both perish.
“Big Brother?”
The elder floated on their balcony. The two had acquired a modest apartment with Zen’s money, cultivated from asking for payment when rewarding someone with a metapower. Yoichi didn’t like it, but he disliked living on the streets or taking shelter in smashed stores even more.
His brother lazily glanced up at him before refocusing on his palms, different metapowers flickering into existence before another took its place.
“Hmm?”
“I-we, uh, need to talk about the whole-,” Yoichi nervously twirled his hand around at his brother, “-taking of powers.”
“No. We do not.” Zen didn’t even look at him.
Yoichi knew there was only one ace up his sleeve he could ever use to have his brother consider anything he had to say.
“We do because this could mean…I’ll be taken away from you.”
In an instant, Yoichi was raised into the air by his brother’s hands on his arms. He winced as he felt his grip tightening in unbridled possessiveness. Zen’s eyes were huge and feral like they had been for so long when surviving was all they could focus on.
“HOW?” He all but roared.
“The anti-meta movement! If you continue going about taking and sometimes giving metapowers then they’ll find us—.”
“And I’ll destroy them!”
“Maybe, but not all of them! You’ll just keep creating more of them through the fear and they’ll just keep coming! You have to quell that urge of yours!” Yoichi yelled. He had to get through to him. “If you don’t then somehow, someway, they will take me to get to you! No matter how much you think you can protect me!”
His brother’s eyes finally flashed with rationale. He slowly lowered Yoichi to his feet, but his grip didn’t dissipate.
“I need to take, Yoichi. I need to consume. Though I don’t know the ins and outs of it, it is my metapower. I just can’t stop!”
“We’ll figure that out together. There has to be another way. I’m not asking you to give up on using your power entirely. That’d be living up to what you always say, wouldn’t it? That I’m ‘foolish’? I hate to admit it, but we need the money you can get from giving people powers. But you can’t keep going about it the way you have been. We finally know the joy of not having to move from place to place. This area, the people, they are rebuilding. I…I want to stay here.”
Zen’s large hands tightened. “You’re mine.”
“I know.” A tear fell down his cheek. His brother released his left arm to bring his hand up and scoop the tear onto his finger. His left hand moved down to Yoichi’s wrist.
Then his twin gingerly lapped up that tear, closing his eyes in ecstasy.
“You know not to tell me what to do,” he whispered.
“Yes, that’s why I’m not. I’m giving you the final say,” Yoichi whispered back.
“Mmm, then I say I’ll give this little whiny plan of your’s a try. Just know, that if I don’t like it, if I can’t compensate for not taking, then it’s over. We go back to doing it my way. Understand, dear little brother?”
“Yes.” Yoichi pointedly gazed down at his brother’s hand wrapped around his wrist. A favorable memory of that same hand pulling him out of cold water. “I understand.”
"Then let’s figure it out, shall we?
—“YOICHI!”
He blinked and was happy to find his muscle memory had finished his cooking. He still couldn’t help the irritated twitching of his eyebrow from his brother’s impatience.
“I’m literally plating and bringing it to you now, Big Brother! Calm down!”
“Don’t tell me what to do!”
“Fine!”
Yoichi released a long sigh to ease his annoyance. It wouldn’t do him any good to allow his exasperation to take control, especially once he brought his brother dinner. He preferred their meals to be as pleasant as possible. Zen did too.
He picked up the enormous platter and smiled down at the pile of steaming noodles and meat. Yoichi brought it close to his chest and closed his eyes, a euphoria pulsing deep within. When this all initially started, he could have never guessed that his propensity to give and give and give was integral to his very soul.
Learning that he too has a metapower, though not as powerful as his brother’s, was both a shock and a much-needed validation. Now, he wasn’t so confused why he felt a compulsion to provide. It was because of his metapower and that’s why he found himself incapable of telling his brother ‘no’. Yes, that was the only reason.
The only reason.
Doctor Garaki had been the one to figure it out. He had made waves by presenting theories about metapowers most pundits wanted to squash. However, he was one of the few doctors in this new era willing to meet with metahumans to better understand their powers. Otherwise, people like them would be thrown into the cogwheels of the government’s subpar and xenophobic healthcare system for metas.
He and Zen would spend most nights sitting on the couch and watching the news. One day, Yoichi couldn’t help but bring up the possibility of meeting with the mustached man. The impotence of it tied to his brother’s growth.
Not long after their talk on that balcony and Zen’s minimizing of taking metapowers, Yoichi had come home from a grocery run to find their kitchen torn apart. His brother stood in the middle, eating a full lump of canned bread that slipped from the can raised above his head and fell into his open maw. The younger one was aghast. What was happening?
“Big Brother…um…what are you doing?”
“Take,” his brother said through his chewing like he was in some sort of trance. “Consume.” The bread flakes fell from the sides of his mouth.
After that, Yoichi cooked for them in earnest. Large portions and ritual meals were brought before his brother. He wasn’t sure why he was doing it. Perhaps he should have fought his brother more. They certainly disagreed often enough, but those fights always deferred into a strange acceptance: Yoichi hugged his brother, that large hand holding his right wrist. And that was that.
Nothing more.
But his brother’s calorie intake was becoming too much. So, he presented him with the idea of meeting Doctor Garaki. At first, his brother shrugged it off. His pride was too strong to consider meeting with someone he viewed as less than him, but Yoichi knew how to manipulate his brother just enough to convince him to take the trip. Making it all about Zen’s desire to understand his metapower. If they met Doctor Garaki, then maybe his brother would understand himself more. Plus, there was that little push from Yoichi about how powerful his brother’s meta ability is.
“Oh, how amazed he’ll be at the chance to study your power, Brother!” and “Oh, maybe he can figure out a more efficient way for you to take and give powers. Could probably make more money that way, aye?”
Zen would scoff and go back to snacking on whatever was within reach, but Yoichi could practically see the gears turning in his brother’s head.
Lo-and-behold, he found his larger twin trying to fit into a nice suit the next morning. His brother had become infatuated with dressing well when they were teenagers. He was already taller than the average person their age (and Yoichi much smaller) so when he found an upscale clothing store with its facade blasted in; he started collecting. It began with dress shirts and nice slacks then he moved on to suits and fancy shoes. He never took to wearing a tie, especially since there was no one to teach him how to properly put one on. Though he learned once they had access to the internet, he still preferred to only wear one for “special occasions” as he called it.
Yoichi preferred the comfort of loose clothing, especially now that they were adults. He still remembered his brother placing him on a dented raised platform in front of cracked mirrors in the store, dressing him in stiff formal clothing, often matching his own. His brother only gave up when he found Yoichi’s griping annoying.
Once Zen finally had his suit buttoned, he emerged from their bedroom with his arms outstretched and looked at Yoichi expectantly.
“Looking good, Big Brother!” He gave him a thumbs up. “Buuuuuut, maybe we will look into getting your suits fitted better.” That earned Yoichi a deep scowl and his brother pushed him aside as he walked past him in the hallway. The smaller twin couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Well, let's get this over with.” Zen drawled and Yoichi cocked his head in confusion.
“I think we need an appointment Big—”
“No, I don’t. You said he’ll be amazed at my metapower, right? So either he sees me when I arrive or this won’t be happening again.”
Yoichi sighed. “Of course, Big Brother.”
Luckily, Yoichi was right. His brother’s incredible power captivated Dr Garaki. But it wasn’t just that, the twins themselves intrigued him and he was quick to draw blood from both of them.
“You say you don’t have any power, hmmm?” He asked Yoichi, his face only inches away and his bushy mustache close to tickling Yoichi’s nose.
“Uh, yeah. I don’t. Even Big Brother has tried to see if he could find one and there isn’t anything there…”
The doctor pulled away from Yoichi and grabbed a pad and pen. “Most fascinating! And do you know if you’re fraternal? Identical? At first glance, I’d assume fraternal, but your size.” He grabbed Yoichi and had him standing against a measurement pole before either brother could react (though Yoichi could hear a growl emanating from Zen), “Makes it seem there may have been some Twin-Twin Transfusion Syndrome. Hmm, I’d like to look at these numbers and the samples I’ve taken from both of you. My, my, isn’t this fortuitous! I haven’t studied twins and their meta abilities before!”
“You mean meta ability. As we told you, my little brother doesn’t have one. I’ve checked!” Zen gave the doctor an irritated look, but Yoichi noticed a flicker of interest behind those pupilless eyes. “And what syndrome?”
“Ah, Twin-Twin Transfusion Syndrome, to put it in layperson terms, is when one identical twin steals more nutrients from the other during gestation. Honestly, I’m surprised Yoichi even survived his birth.” The doctor’s eyes peered at Yoichi from above the rim of his glasses. “Otherwise, I’m sure the data I’ll be able to present next time will let us know exactly what’s going on here. And with what you’ve told me in terms of your power, instincts, and urges as well as your twin’s…mannerisms, I have a hunch that I’m most curious to have proven as fact! Until next time!” And he was gone out the door before Zen could argue with the doctor further.
“Steals more nutrients?” Yoichi said under his breath, more to himself than his brother, but of course, Zen would assume he was.
“Hmm, it doesn’t matter now, does it? As he said, you’re lucky you survived, though, most of that was due to me, wasn’t it?” His brother patted him on the head and hauled himself to his feet then, with no more preamble, strode out the exam room.
It took Yoichi a minute or two to dutifully follow like he normally would. He looked down at his open hands, palms up, and wondered if he had some sort of power buried deep within. He tried not to let the possibility of this transfusion syndrome dampen his spirit. His brother was right: it doesn’t matter now. Plus, his brother didn’t do it on purpose. Regardless of whether it happened because of terrible circumstances or because of his brother’s power awakening in the womb, there was no sense in wallowing in it.
A week later, and after having to hear his brother complain about the initial visit every day, the brothers were back in an exam room with a giddy Dr Garaki.
“My, my, my! These results are most illuminating! I think you both will like this!”
Garaki plopped himself into an oversized rolling chair and shuffled through a stack of papers. “So, you are indeed identical twins!”
Zen hummed, but Yoichi said, “So, the, uh, syndrome thing? That happened, right?”
“Yes, yes, it did! But! That makes this far more interesting. You see, it’s quite possible that, if the syndrome had not occurred, you both would have the same metapower OR balanced powers. Almost like a yin and yang sort of thing. Oh, there are so many possibilities, yet I’m inclined to believe the latter. Due to what you’ve told me, of course!”
“Huh? What I told you?” Yoichi blinked in confusion and gave his brother a sideways glance. Zen perked an eyebrow but stayed silent.
“Yes, yes! You said you enjoy cooking and creating and giving, right? Notably, when you present something you’ve produced to your brother, correct?” Dr Garaki eyed his brother’s heavy form while Yoichi blushed.
“Um, yeah, kinda. It’s sort of…an impulse? Uh, it makes me feel, well, warm and fuzzy inside?” He grinned sheepishly.
“Exactly! And your brother! What a powerful meta ability! But!” Garaki pointed at Zen. “You’ve said that you have a powerful urge to take even though you can both give and take. This brings me to my hypothesis: if there was never any transfusion syndrome, it is quite possible that, besides you two looking alike, your powers would be a dichotomy that fit perfectly together!”
The twins blinked and raised opposing eyebrows in unison.
“In other words, you!” He looked at Zen. “Were originally meant to be the one that takes metapowers which would explain your propensity to want to consume. However, you!” He looked at Yoichi now. “Was going to be the one that gave metapowers. Although it’s obvious that the syndrome seems to have caused your brother to gain the giving ability, deep within you is a tiny bit of what would have been your full metapower! I already supposed that you have a meta factor, but my tests don’t lie: there’s an inert ability within you which…”
“Would explain my instinct to give…” Yoichi looked down at his palms like he had a week ago and instead of feeling betrayed by his brother taking most of his gift, he felt elated at finally understanding why he couldn’t help himself but to give.
“Exactly! See, I’m thinking that you both were going to work together: one hand to give or take and the other used to create a bridge between your powers! It would have been truly magnificent!”
Yoichi watched his brother contemplate the holes in his hands until their eyes met, and a strange feeling of acceptance and understanding flowed between them.
“Now, I am a doctor, so it would be prudent of me to at least offer you my colleague’s card. She’s been quite successful in providing therapy for metahumans, especially those with such strong instincts and urges as yourselves…”
Yoichi and his brother just kept staring into each other’s eyes. The ramblings of therapy and mental health were drowned out by the discovery of just how intertwined they were supposed to be. No, how intertwined they are.
—They never called the number on the card.
Doctor Garaki, however, called often.
Follow-up visits with the doctor consisted of more tests and his raucous excitement over the results. Soon, Garaki asked Zen to show him how his metapower works more thoroughly. The problem was that his brother had regained his voice after those first two initial visits, having preferred to carefully analyze the doctor and situation, yet now both questioned and intrigued the doctor. Yoichi felt like a third wheel: there wasn’t too much he could impart when it came to his brother’s ability unless Garaki specifically asked about his thoughts from witnessing it outside of a sterile setting.
But then Garaki decided to finally acknowledge the elephant in the room: his brother’s weight.
They all sat in the usual exam room after another analysis of Zen’s power. This time, it had something to do with amalgamations. Yoichi had tuned most of the discussion out after a certain point and was more concerned with the book he was reading, especially now that he had finally found a comfortable spot on the hard plastic chair.
Honestly, not listening to these conversations was easier than acknowledging what was really going on: this Doctor was using them as guinea pigs. Yoichi had brought up his concerns to his brother on multiple occasions over the past few months. Zen would normally argue something that had to do with his ego and somehow it would end up turned around on Yoichi.
“This was your idea, Yoichi. Have you forgotten already?”
“I don’t care if it was my idea! What this guy is doing can’t be okay! Look past your big ego and see it!” Yoichi yelled. He stood his ground even when his brother got up and practically shook the apartment to stand in front of him. “I know you’re enjoying all this attention from Doctor Garaki, but it isn’t fair to us, dammit, to you!” Yoichi left his brother’s intense gaze to stare at the floor. “It’s like we’re in one of those early experiments done on metahumans. Remember? Have you heard about those? This is just that in a pretty dress and make-up.”
Yoichi looked back up to find his brother’s white eyes boring into him, but he gave no comeback. It caught Yoichi off guard so much, that he sputtered, “Plus, you haven’t been making as much money because you’re so distracted by this! It’s already hard enough to buy groceries, but now I’m having to change my recipes because of this asshole!”
Zen raised an eyebrow and Yoichi huffed as he caught a slight grin forming. “Ah, so you’re upset you can’t make your precious recipes? That’s hilarious, Yoichi!”
Yoichi’s face went red, and he threw his hands up in exasperation. “FINE! I’m done with this! I’m…I’m going to go make dinner! Leave me alone!” He turned on his heel and stomped away, disappearing into the kitchen. He rightfully muffled his brother’s laughter with the banging of pots and pans.
“—and that’s why I think it’s important to discuss this, Yoichi,” Garaki said, breaking Yoichi out of his thoughts. He dramatically shut his book and sat up straight. He had no clue where Garaki was coming from after spending half an hour ignoring the chatter.
“Uh…yes?”
“Mmmhmm.” Garaki peered at him over his lenses, as he loved to do, and Yoichi felt irritation bubbling in his belly. He looked over at his brother only to find him looking straight ahead, his head upturned in arrogance, but he gave Yoichi a sideways glance.
“I was just discussing with your brother, though brief as it has been, about his…mass?” The doctor cautioned a fearful glance at Zen. Yoichi easily noticed his brother’s awareness of the doctor’s weakness. Uh, oh.
“It’s quite interesting and begs more questions about your brother’s meta ability. He’s already quite a big guy, height and such, but the added weight would normally be quite concerning. However, it appears it does not affect his health. Yet, without knowing that, you’ve continued to ‘gift’ your brother your meals. Am I right?”
Yoichi only nodded hastily, his hair swishing back and forth. An undercurrent of anxiety and embarrassment was overflowing and he could feel his cheeks burning. Since Garaki had become obsessed with his brother’s power, Yoichi hadn’t had to deal with more questions concerning his urges related to the tiny shred of power within him. It was already incredibly mortifying when Garaki used to quiz him about it, but now he was making a direct correlation with his brother’s size. It was too much.
He quickly found himself slowly turtling in, his feet just barely hitting the ground to push himself as far back on the uncomfortable chair as possible.
The doctor continued, either not noticing Yoichi’s discomfort or not caring.
“I’m quite aware that you two never sought my colleague’s expertise. How? Well, it may not be entirely appropriate for me to say! Yet, it seems you’ve left me as the one to analyze your home life to—” Garaki spun himself around once in the chair then clapped his hands together when he re-faced the twins. “Understand what’s going on! To examine how your metapowers control your lives! I’m eternally grateful! I never thought I’d have the chance!” The man laughed maniacally and Yoichi had to use all his self-taught social skills to not flog this obnoxious man over the head.
“Controlling our lives?” Yoichi finally said. He wanted to sound strong, but his voice hit a higher octave.
Doctor Garaki chuckled.
“Yes! Your instincts seem to be completely overshadowing your reason! Why else would you continue to bring food to your already bigger brother? It’s quite astounding, really!”
Yoichi wrapped his arms around himself and turned away, focusing on a trash can in the corner. He was preparing for a more awkward conversation, but his brother interrupted.
“Doctor…a word?”
Garaki slowly turned towards Zen, and after a glance back at Yoichi, nodded. The older twin cocked his head towards the door and Yoichi readily left the room. He stood outside trying to contain the frustrated tears that threatened to fall but was shaken out of his thoughts by his brother’s loud voice.
“You made him feel uncomfortable.”
Yoichi closed his eyes and somehow, someway, he could hear his brother’s voice more clearly. At first, he could make out only shapes, but then his vision became clearer. Right now, Garaki was backing up, fear clear in his eyes.
“Well, I apologize, but it’s still intriguing and I want to understand—”
“You don’t need to understand anything,” his brother boomed and Yoichi could somehow feel it in his chest. “I’d say you’re the reason we didn’t reach out to your colleague. We’re intrinsic to each other as you proposed. We’ve accepted that and are quite happy the way we are. However…”
Yoichi saw in his mind’s eye his brother stomping towards the doctor, who soon hit the wall behind him. The man brought his hands up in submission once Zen had him pinned by his corpulence.
“Mr. Shigaraki, I think it’s important to discuss these things. It isn’t healthy—”
“No. No, it isn’t important. Instead, I’d like to talk about our new relationship.”
The doctor’s eyes widened and sweat fell from his brow. “Our relationship?”
“Yes! See, my dearest twin brought up quite a good point!” Yoichi couldn’t help but inwardly smile as his brother finally acknowledged his opinion. “You’ve been using us to understand metas better, right? Well, if you want more studies, if you want to understand metapowers more, and even have any sort of communication with us, well, you’ll have to pay me.”
“Pah-pay you?” Garaki stuttered.
“Yes! See, all these appointments have dug into my bottom line with my off-the-books business. So, either we come to an understanding, especially because you’ve made Yoichi upset, or…?”
Garaki gulped and went to retort, but was pulled off his feet by Zen’s grasp on his collar.
“Or?” Brother asked again. The doctor nodded, practically as hard as Yoichi had earlier, then was released.
“Yes, yes, yes! An understanding we have come to! Let’s, uh, let’s talk numbers! Salary! Commissions! Wh-whatever you want!”
Yoichi could almost see the enormous smile on his brother’s face; feel his happiness as if it was his own. He released a heavy sigh. Money was going to be okay now. They’d be okay. No streets, no garbage, no torn-up stores.
They’ll be okay.
“Finally!”
Yoichi rolled his eyes as he entered the spacious family room with the large platter of fried noodles. He looked over at the adjacent dining room, the ornate table half covered by papers and a new MacBook.
“Sooooo, not eating at the table…again?” Yoichi jeered as he passed the platter to his brother, who was eagerly reaching towards it with his hands grasping. Yoichi shook his head and looked back towards the table.“Or do you just not want to eat at your new work desk?”
He turned back to find his brother glaring at him…with a mouthful of noodles…using the cooking chopsticks to shovel it into his mouth.
“Big Brother, come on! I was just about to go get our bowls and chopsticks!”
”I use the table for work,” he stated after finishing his bite.
Of course, he’d change the subject.
“No, you use the table so you can be closer to the kitchen.”
”When I’m not meeting with people in my office, then I’m at the table.”
”You’re closer to the kitchen.”
”I like to watch TV when I’m working. We have this massive television. I’m going to use it.”
”You’re. Closer. To. The. Kitchen!”
Zen made a frustrated sound behind another mouthful (with the cooking chopsticks!) and Yoichi clenched his fists at his sides to keep himself from snatching the platter from him. He wouldn’t have had the strength, but it was the principle that mattered!
He huffed and went to say something else, but was caught in a torrid coughing fit. He doubled over, hearing his brother set the platter on the expensive glass coffee table—hard.
“Yoichi?”
Zen’s feet appeared in his vision then Yoichi was pulled upright. His brother’s face a mix of worry and anger.
“Did you not take your medicine today?”
”I think I…forgot since I started cooking a while ago…” Yoichi responded with a sad smile.
“Dammit, Yoichi! A good bit of the money I bring in goes towards that expensive medication! The least you can do is remember to take it!” Zen’s worry finally gave out to his anger. “I will not have you die on me because you can’t be bothered to take it! You’re mine!”
He tightened his grip at that last remark but released his hold when Yoichi made a small noise of discomfort. Then he whispered, “Not even death can have you.”
Yoichi, a bit flustered now and not wanting to mull over his brother’s intense possessiveness, looked from his brother’s imposing form to the large platter behind him. Zen sighed and lightly pushed Yoichi back towards the kitchen.
“Go get the dishes and what-nots. We’ll eat the way you want us to.”
He obliged and quickly returned with a tray laden with a large plate for his brother, a smaller one for him, their chopsticks, and a portion of miso soup for each of them. The tv was on and a thriller played on the screen.
He handed out his twin’s items and then finally sat down himself, his bowl of soup nestled between both hands. His thoughts drowned out his brother’s murmurs and praises over the cooking (god he loved those praises) as he watched the movement of the small cubes of tofu spiraling around his spoon.
“Big Brother?” He asked without looking up from his attentiveness towards the steaming soup.
”Mmm?” He felt his brother’s eyes shift from the chase on the screen to him. He could vaguely hear the dialogue between the two characters: a woman pleading with her controlling husband to let her go and the response “I’ve done everything for you! You can’t leave me!”
“So, um, your work with the doctor? It’s going well?”
His brother swallowed and cocked his head. “Yes. Yes, it is.”
”You're using your power more, right?”
”I am.”
Now that he sat next to him, Yoichi was all too aware of his brother’s increased size. His girth pushed into Yoichi’s side, the culmination of all the gifts Yoichi had given him.
”Then…does that mean…” Yoichi finally turned his head to look at his brother. “You don’t need me to cook for you anymore? Or at least less? How am I going to…going to quell my urges even when you get to quell yours?”
He hadn’t realized tears were waiting to fall from his lashes until he felt them slide down his cheeks. It was a foolish question. Of course, his brother wouldn’t need him to give him the usual anymore. The whole deal was to stop his brother from causing unwarranted attention and his hunger resulted from his urges not being met through his power alone. Now he used that power more often, almost to the extent as it was back on those wretched streets, so what purpose did Yoichi hold any longer?
“That’s a stupid question.”
Yoichi blinked the tears out of his eyes and looked at his brother with curiosity. Zen slurped up some noodles and chewed thoughtfully.
“Working with the doctor has certainly helped with my desires, yes, but we made a deal, didn’t we? If I don’t like it or my needs aren’t met, then it’s over.”
”Yes, th-then it is over, isn’t it? Your needs are being met by transferring powers with the doctor. I’m…I’m not needed anymore myself.” He hung his head. The pulsing light of his urges stuttered within him.
“I never said I no longer liked it.”
Yoichi perked up at that statement.
”Do you remember why I named you Yoichi?” Zen asked.
”Yes, of course I do. It’s…a very special memory.”
”Hmm, then why would I ever want my gift to stop giving me gifts?”
Yoichi’s eyes widened, and he smiled. “Really?”
”This has been us for years now, Yoichi. I’ve grown quite…comfortable with our arrangement. It’s as the doctor said: we are intimately connected. Give and take. And what’s more symbolic than that applied to food, hm?”
Zen brought his bowl close to Yoichi, the contents completely gone, the bowl practically licked clean. “Plus, I definitely enjoy everything you give me.”
Yoichi laughed at that and took the bowl from his brother’s large hand. He quickly grabbed the cooking chopsticks and put more of the fried noodles in the dish, handing it back to his brother. “Yeah, yeah you really do!”
”Then stop worrying over something so foolish.” His brother pulled him close with one arm and Yoichi yelped in his attempt to keep the broth from his soup spilling. “You’re mine forever, Yoichi. Never forget that. You are my most precious possession. I love you.”
Yoichi pointedly ignored the deeper meaning of that one word: possession. He knew what his brother meant. He loved him more than anyone or anything else. That’s all.
“I love you too.”
They ate in comfortable silence as they watched the movie. Now the wife had returned to her obsessive husband, her pleas of needing him to take care of her harsh and sad. Yoichi sat his plate down and snuggled in closer to his brother as he continued to eat. He felt safe here. The immense body of his brother encased him, protecting him from anyone who would want to take him away. Tear them apart. Ruin their connection.
He closed his eyes as he laid his head on Zen’s stomach, listening to him digest his gift. For a moment, he thought back on the memory of that bookstore. The finding of the comics and his choice to keep them to himself. Something felt so decisive about that moment. Everything could be different if he had shown his brother the story of the hero and the demon king.
But it didn’t matter. Because Yoichi couldn’t imagine a world different from this. Whatever could have been would have undoubtedly been way worse.
It would have been worse.
Right?