Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

He’s a fucking genius. Thor used to go out of his way when he heard there was a new Rumi tag, wanted to see it as soon as he could, before assholes who didn’t understand artistic integrity tagged over it, tried to ride the coattails of someone more popular. Meeting him was a fucking trip.

But if meeting him was a trip, this was something entirely different.

Rumi was curled up on the ratty mattress in Thor’s room, snoring. His shirt was discarded and tangled in between his legs, and a small puddle of drool stuck his face to the pillow. Thor thought he was beautiful.

He nuzzled his nose into Rumi’s ‘fro, sighing happily. He smelled like sweat and Krylon and some fruity-scented hair product Thor couldn’t place. He groaned when Thor pulled him closer, squirming in his arms.

“Hey, you.” Rumi reached back and palmed at Thor’s face, blinking blearily up at him. “Hey. Look at you. Holy shit.” Thor knew he probably looked a mess. The lipstick Rumi had stolen from his sister was no longer on his lips, but there also wasn’t a trace on the pillow, which Thor took to mean that it had gotten smeared all over him. He could live with that. He kind of liked the idea. Like he was a living canvas. It was a nice thought.

“Hey yourself.” Thor smiled at him, kissing his cheek. “Sleep well?”

“Better than I have since, like, ever.” Rumi yawned, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. “You got fucking glitter all over your face.”

“I think it suits me, personally.” Thor traced a couple fingers down his own cheek, and they came away with glittery lipstick traces, small white sparkles set in black-purple hue. “Looked better on you, though.”

Rumi grins, curls into Thor’s chest. “You just want me to kiss you again.”

“Are you gonna?”

“Yeah, duh.” Rumi presses a gentle series of kisses along his collarbone and shoulder. “Why wouldn’t I kiss you? You’re beautiful.”

Thor chuckled, tipping his head back. He had shit to do today. But he didn’t really care. There was no rush, not with Rumi. He made everything feel kind of slow and easy, not like Thor’s last boyfriend.

Was Rumi his boyfriend?

He decided to ask. “Are you my boyfriend?”

He had expected Rumi to… he didn’t know. Freak out, probably. But he didn’t. Instead he rolled over onto his back and stared at the ceiling, biting his lip.

“I don’t know,” Rumi answered honestly. “Have we been on any dates?”

“Well, kind of. There was the club.”

Rumi nodded, his nose scrunching up cutely. “And we like to kiss each other.”

Thor laughed, gesturing to his makeup covered face and throat. “We definitely like to kiss.”

“And we are both boys,” Rumi finished grandly, spreading his arms as if he was displaying a piece. “So yes. We are boyfriends.”

Thor sat up, running a hand through his hair. “I’m gonna go wash my face.”

Rumi stood in the bathroom doorway while Thor scrubbed the lipstick off. He was sad to see it go, but he was Dead With A Capital D if anyone saw it. His neighbors knew he liked boys. Mostly they were tolerant of it. But it they saw him walking another young boy out, his face covered in lipstick… well. They might call the cops, and the two of them didn’t need all that nonsense.

“I wanna take you somewhere,” Rumi blurted. “But I don’t know if I can.”

Thor looked over to him. He was still shirtless, but his jacket was over one shoulder like he was getting ready to leave. Maybe he was. Walking out in a jacket and no shirt would not be the weirdest thing Rumi had ever done even in the short time Thor had known him. “Where do you wanna take me?”

“It’s somewhere real special. I gotta ask first though, you know, I…” Rumi bit his lip, looked away. “It ain’t mine. Ain’t all the way mine, I mean. It belongs to my brothers too. And they don’t…”

“They don’t know about you,” Thor finished.

Rumi sighed, pushing himself up out of the doorway. “Holy shit, how do I tell them? I’m the oldest. I’m like, a role model, I can’t…”

“Hey, hey, calm down, dude.” Thor grabbed his arm, cupping his cheek. “You don’t gotta tell them nothing. You can just introduce me as, like, a friend. Someone you tag with. Just cause we’re dating doesn’t mean we aren’t still friends, right?”

A flash of hope crosses Rumi’s face. Very briefly, and then it’s gone. “No. If I’m a do this, I gotta be honest. You know? They family, Thor. And I want you to be their family too.”

“I-” Thor’s voice cracks. “I love you.”

Rumi kisses him. “I love you too.”

Chapter Text

Dizzee was gonna puke.

The library was a sacred place. He can’t just up and bring a stranger. Shao was gonna kill him with his bare hands. Or, holy shit, maybe that fucking cane sword. He was definitely gonna vomit. He shakes his head and his arms like he was trying to shake out the negativity. “Fuck,” he says out loud, staring up at the walls of the temple.

“Is everything okay?” Thor grabs his hand. “You don’t have to do this. I can go, if you aren’t ready for this.”

Dizzee pauses, breathes deeply. “Transparency,” he murmurs, trying to calm himself. “These are my brothers. Transparency.” He didn’t wanna lie, even about this. Shit, the guys would lynch him if they thought he was hiding a girlfriend, but this? They had to know.

“Transparency,” Thor repeats, and kisses him. It isn’t long or sensual like their other kisses. It was soft, almost chaste. Dizzee grins when he realizes it wasn’t a kiss for them , the two of them. It was for Dizzee, so he wouldn’t panic.

He loved Thor. Surely his brothers would understand.

The library-cum-temple was almost silent, and for a moment Dizzee thought they were alone. Then he heard the faint scratch and hum of records from deep in the temple.

“Shaolin,” he murmured, dropping Thor’s hand. “You wanted to meet him, anyhow, right?”

“Yeah.” Thor stuffed his hands in his pockets and Dizzee felt bad for hurting him.

Shao about threw his headphones off when Dizzee came in, face twisted up in anger and frustration when he saw Thor. He must have been having trouble with the beat if he was this upset.

This might have not been the best day to introduce Thor.

“Who the fuck is this white kid?” Shao snarled glaring at Thor. Dizzee held his hands up like a surrender. He supposed this wasn’t entirely unlike a surrender.

“This is Thor. He writes with me. I thought… I thought it would be okay to bring him.”

Shao relaxed a bit, and Dizzee thanked whoever was looking down on him for Shaolin Fantastic and his mercurial moods. “Oh yeah, I know you. I seen your shit, you pretty good.”

“Uh, thanks.” Shao fist bumped Thor, which was weird. Dizzee didn’t know what was so weird about it.

“Shao, Thor is.” Dizzee swallowed, gesturing widely with his hands. “Thor, he’s, um. He and I. He and me?” Why the fuck was he second guessing his grammar?

“The fuck you doing?” Shao shoved him, not very hard, just a tap to his shoulder. “Spit it out. Don’t be a faggot.”

Dizzee started crying.

“Shit!” Thor was at his side in a second, grabbing his shoulders, wiping his eyes. “Fuck, are you okay?”

Dizzee shook his head, sobbing. Shao looked frozen, dumbfounded.

“Hey, I’m sorry…” Shao reached out like he wanted to touch Dizzee, but he stopped. Diz had never seen Shaolin apologize to anyone before, except for the Grandmaster. Still, the word bounced around his head.

Faggot .

He and Thor were not free people being free. They were not birds doing bird things.

They were faggots.

How stupid did he have to be to think his brothers would accept something like this? Holy fucking shit, and his parents. Yolanda wouldn’t care. Yolanda was up in clubs, she saw shit like this. But what about his parents? He buried his face in Thor’s chest, and he sobbed.

Dizzee didn’t know how long he stood, face buried against his boyfriend while Shaolin awkwardly touched his shoulder with the tips of his fingers and mumbled soft questions and apologies. It might have been two seconds. It might have been two days. He lost track of time, when he cried. He had since he was a little kid. However long he’d been crying, he was interrupted by loud talking, laughing. Fuck. He didn’t want this to be a big deal. Why was the universe conspiring to make this a big deal?

“What the fuck?” It was Boo, and he sounded angry. “Shao, what the fuck you do to our brother that he’s crying?”

“I-It’s not his fault, Boo.” Dizzee pulled away from Thor, wiping his eyes. There was Boo, ready to take up arms for him, if need be. Ra and Zeke were staring kind of wide eyed and questioning. “I’m, um. I got something to tell all y’all.”

“It got anything to do with blanquito over here?” Zeke pointed to Thor, and Dizzee nodded, taking a gulping breath.

“Guys, this is my boyfriend, Thor.”

Chapter Text

Oh shit.

Diz was a sensitive guy. But not the same kind of sensitive as Zeke. He wasn’t a crier. More of the kind of dude who talked about the meaning of the universe at length with no provocation. So to see him reduced to tears was pretty jarring.

“Hey, I’m sorry…” Shao tried to grab Diz to comfort him, but the white boy, Thor, gave him a death glare. The fuck did he say?

Shao stood uselessly while Dizzee cried into his friend’s chest. He didn’t even defend himself when Boo busted in yelling. He felt inordinately horrible for making Dizzee cry - he was family. That wasn’t right. He deserved to get his ass whooped by a fourteen year old, so he didn’t even flinch when Boo started towards him.

But Boo wasn’t moving no more. No one was.

Dizzee’s fucking boyfriend?

“The fuck?” Shao said, his brow furrowing. “Dizzee, what the fuck ?”

“Hey, back up offa him,” Boo Boo barked.

Dizzee shrunk back and clutched Thor’s shoulder. He was shrinking back from Shao . Shit. “I… I…” He sniffled, wiping his eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell y’all sooner. I knew we a crew, we ain’t supposed to keep secrets…”

“You ain’t gotta apologize for nothing,” Boo says hastily, running to his brother’s side and grabbing his hand. He was strangely on board with this. Or maybe Shao was strangely off board.

“I know this is hard for you guys to hear,” Thor began, tightening his protective arm around Dizzee. “When I told my family, they tossed me out. Didn’t want a damn thing to do with me. Life was real hard for a long time. I’m asking you not to let it be like that for your brother. He needs you guys.”

“We would never kick Dizzee out!” Ra, speaking for the first time, looks horrified at the very idea. “Our parents never would either. He, Diz, Dad plays jazz, he knows lots of homos. Not, um, not that you’re, uh. Are you?”

Zeke shoved him. “Obviously he is, Ra. You ain’t gotta say it like a swear. He ain’t a criminal or nothing, right? He still Dizzee.” Shao didn’t point out that Dizzee was, in fact, a criminal. That painting graffiti was illegal. That it was illegal to be queer.

Dizzee smiled weakly, turning to Shao. “You don’t hate me, do you?”

Shao thought. Hell, Dizzee was still Dizzee. He thought for a moment about Zeke.

Yeah, he had no place to judge.

“This ain’t even the weirdest shit you done, man.” Shao clapped him on the shoulder. “You still my wings, Diz.”

Dizzee wrapped him in a tight hug and holy shit, he was strong for such a skinny motherfucker. “Thank you so much. I love you. I love all of you.”

Shao patted his back. Dizzee seemed to have entirely forgotten his insult. Forgiving kid. Shao envied that. Boo was taking the white kid out, practically dragging him to the door. Thor was about twice his size, woulda been real easy for him to break away from the earful he was gonna get. But Thor seemed to realize immediately what it had taken Shao weeks to figure out: it was best to just let Boo do his thing so everyone could move on. He laughed to himself, squeezing Dizzee a little.

“We love you too, you crazy motherfucker.”

Chapter Text

Boo had known about Dizzee for a long time. He was more observant than anyone gave him credit for. He hadn’t known about Dizzee’s boyfriend, though. Dizzee had been acting funny, kinda distracted. But lots of shit was happening. Dizzee had shut down under stress as long as Boo Boo could remember.

“You ain’t planning nothing with my brother, are you?” He drew up to his full height (short) and glared at Thor. Thor held his hands up like a surrender, looking appaled.

“Hey, I’d never hurt him. We love each other.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about.” Boo sighed, kicking at the loose gravel on the library steps. “He’s in love ith you. He wouldn’t bring you here if he wasn’t. He took a real risk on you. Don’t fuck it up. Or I’m a fuck you up. You get me?” Boo jabbed his finger into Thor’s sternum. “Shao is teaching me how to use a knife,” he lied.

“I told you. I won’t hurt him. I don’t even touch him unless he says I can.” Thor didn’t look like he was lying. Boo could imagine Diz being frightened, Thor having to calm him down.

Then he stopped, because ew, ew, he so did not want to imagine his brother having sex.

“So you know the deal, right? I ain’t gotta put the hurt on you.”

Thor looked vaguely amused by someone Boo Boo’s size beating him up, but he knew better than to say some shit. “Deal.” He stuck his hand out to shake.

Boo shook his hand, patting his bicep with his free hand. “I’m glad we could come to an agreement. Now let’s go back in so you can continue not hurting my brother.”

Dizzee was still crying when they got inside but Boo could tell they were happy tears. Thor went to him and hugged him, and Boo smiled. Thor was good for his brother, he thought. They looked happy. Boo could care less who his brother slept with. Diz was still his brother, no matter what. He sat down on the couch in between Shao and Zeke. “You look like you still shell-shocked.” He waved his hand in front of Shao’s face.

Shao swatted his hand away, shrugging. “Man, I dunno. It’s kinda weird that Dizzee is a, you know.”

“A homo,” Dizzee provided from his position on Thor’s lap in the floor.

“A faggot,” Thor added.

“I ain’t never said-” Shao began, frustrated. Dizzee laughed.

“Sure you ain’t, Shao. Called that shit the second I came in the damn place.”

“It’s okay, though.” Thor kissed Dizzee’s cheek, smiling like Diz was the goddamn sun and moon. It made Boo a little nauseous, all that lovey stuff. He just didn’t get it. But he was glad his brother was happy, not chasing some pipe dream like Zeke or trying to hide it like Shao.

Oh yeah, he knew about Shao too. Boy had eyes in the back of his head.

Chapter Text

The fire escape creaked, shaking a little underneath Ra. Damn thing was gonna collapse with one of the Kiplings on it one day, send them tumbling to an early death, spattered on the sidewalk behind the salon. Ra turned his head, seeing his big brother squeezing through the window. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Dizzee replied, sitting down and dangling his feet off the fire escape. “What you up to?”

“I dunno.” Ra shrugged, picking at the rust on the ladder. “Thinking about stuff. Bullshit deep stuff. Your job.” That madde Dizzee laugh, so Ra kept going, since he didn’t seem tense. “I been thinking bout you and Thor, though. I guess I just never thought…”

Diz frowned, looking down at his lap. His hands were folded on top of his thighs, his fingernails painted bright red. Yolanda was all too eager to share her cosmetics with Diz, and he seemed to like being free in the house now that their parents knew. Ra had been so worried he’d actually puked twice, and he wasn’t even the one who might get kicked out. “You ain’t upset or nothing, though, right? Cause I love him. A lot. And it’s not just him. I just really like boys. Girls too. Boys a little more, I think, but definitely girls too.”

That was news to Ra. “I thought you were a homo.”

“It’s not that simple, though.” Dizzee bit his lip, motioning vaguely with his hands. “It’s like the club ladies. The vouging ladies.”

“I have no idea what that means.”

“I’m getting there. They ain’t really ladies. Well, some of them is. They ladies even though no one thinks they is. Some of them is just boys that like to dress like ladies because it makes them feel pretty.”

Ra nodded even though that still didn’t make sense. What the hell was his brother talking about? He’d never understood half the shit Dizzee said.

“Right? So some of them is ladies and some of them isn’t even though they all look like ladies. So you can’t always just tell so easy like people like to think that you can.” Dizzee sighed, leaning over the edge of the railing. “I don’t think it has to be girls or boys. I think it can be girls and boys and that’s okay.”

“So you like girls and boys. Shit, you coulda just said that.”

“I did just say that, Ra.”

Ra Ra laughed, shaking his head. “You outta your mind.”

“Come on.” Dizzee nudged him. “You gotta think at least some boys are pretty.”

Ra ducked away, stuttering. “What? No!”

“Come on.” Dizzee tapped his painted nails against his lips, clearing thinking. “Han Solo. He’s handsome.”

“Dizzee.”

“Luke Skywalker.”

“ Dizzee !” Ra sighed, covering his face. “What is it with you and white boys?”

Dizzee shrugged, grabbing Ra’s hands and moving them. “Ain’t just white boys. I like black boys too.”

“Name one.”

“Promise not to tell?” Dizzee stuck his pinkie out, and Ra hooked little fingers with him.

“I promise not to tell.”

Dizzee laughs shyly. “I used to have the biggest crush on Zeke.”

Ra gasped, laughing. “No!”

“Yes!” Dizzee was laughing too, shaking his head. Ra patted him on the back.

“You and Zeke. That’d be a fucking mess. Y’all both trying to be all sappy and sweet. Be a jumble of poetic bullshit and too much crying.”

“Yeah, I know.” Dizzee stood, starting to climb back through the window. “Don’t tell him, yeah? I don’t wanna weird him out or anything.”

“Dizzee, you already weird everyone out.”

Dizzee laughed, pulling Ra through the window into the living room. “Don’t be an ass.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Ra hugged him, and Dizzee made a surprised squeak but hugged back.

Fuckin Zeke Figuero.

Chapter Text

“So. Dizzee.”

“What about Dizzee?” Zeke passed the joint back to Shao, who took a long drag before answering.

“Him and that white boy. Wild, right?”

Zeke shrugged, staring at the popcorn ceiling. “I dunno. It is kinda weird. I guess I’m not surprised. He used to stare at me all the time, you know that?”

“For fucking real?” Shao’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s creepy as shit.”

Zeke scoffed, taking another drag. “Like you ain’t done creepy shit, motherfucker. Ra used to tell me that was just how Diz was. He wasn’t wrong, I guess.”

“You think maybe he had the hots for you?” Shao moved so he was lying across the whole couch, his head on the armrest and his torso over Zeke’s lap.

“It’s weird to think about. Dizzee is like… I dunno. He’s Dizzee , you know?”

Shao laughed, a high pitched giggle that came mostly through his nose. “Yeah, I know.”

“I think if some dude liked me, you know, like, wanted to date me or some shit, I’d be cool with it. What do you think?” Zeke passed Shao the joint, and Shao dangled it from his fingers, tapping the ash into the rug.

“I think if you tryna be subtle I ain’t gonna know what you saying.” He poked Zeke in the ribs. “You got a thing for dudes?”

“I dunno. Maybe.” Zeke was blushing. Shit. “Just this one dude, really.”

“Shit, fucking everybody a faggot all of a sudden.” Shao propped himself up. “What’s his name?”

In lieu of a verbal reply, Zeke kissed him.

Shao kind of flailed uselessly, falling on the floor. “Bitch, what the fuck?”

Zeke was crying. Why everyone fucking crying today? “I’m sorry, I thought you would like it! I’m so sorry, Shao.”

“Why the fuck would I like you getting your hands all up on me without my permission?” Shao scrambled to his feet, looking fucking terrified. Shit. Zeke had never seen him look scared like this unless he was talking about Fat Annie.  

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Everybody fucking doing this shit. What the fuck?” Zeke wondered what ‘this shit’ was. Might be liking boys. Might be kissing Shao without permission.

“Shao, I’ll… I’ll leave, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Don’t leave.” Shao’s voice sounded so broken, and it was Zeke’s fault. Fuck. He sat back down dumbly. “I mean… shit, Books, warn a dude.” Shao slumped next to him. Zeke had kinda been expecting a bigger outburst. “That’s all you had to do. Some corny shit like ‘his name is Shaolin Fantastic’ or something. You good at that shit.”

“Yeah.” He was good at that shit. He took Shao’s hand, looking away. “You beautiful, Shao. I think I’m in love with you.”

“You shouldn’t be. Easier for you if you isn’t. Mylene, she better for you.” Shao sounded like he was going to cry and Zeke absolutely couldn’t deal with that.

“Hey, Shao.” Zeke squeezed his hand. “This ain’t about easy. This about love. This about family. You know?”

“How would I know? I don’t know nothing about love, remember?” Zeke winced to hear his own words thrown back at him. “Don’t know nothing about family.”

Zeke leaned forward, wiping Shao’s eyes.

“Well, looks like you gonna fucking learn.”