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Dabney was spending the night at Malcolm's. They had a huge project to work on due the next day and they had barely done any of it. They sat at the dining room table. Dabney had been spending every moment he could at the Wilkersons ever since his mother had pushed too far.
Malcolm was trying to solve equations frantiсally like he had somewhere to be. That’s when Reese came into the living room.
As soon as Dabney made eye contact he froze.
Reese was holding a small metal safe. He went behind the tv and picked up an inconspicuous hammer hiding behind it. He was about to hit it when the phone rang.
Malcom shot up, flinging his pen back onto the table. Grasping the phone he listened intently. Dabney shook his head silently. He already knew where this was leading. Malcolm listened for a few moments, Reese and Dabney stared.
“I’ll be right over” he said before hanging up the phone.
“Malcom!” Dabney said exasperated.
“Sorry Dabney, Nikki needs me”
“It’s alright but this is due—” he was interrupted by the slamming of the front door. He sighed, deciding that he would have to finish the project by himself.
His eyes darted back up when he heard a slam. Reese was on the floor hitting the safe with the hammer he had gotten.
“I can help you with that—”
Reese gave him a look,
“—But it looks like you have everything under control! My mother always says that it's better to try again!” He nervously rambled, adding an awkward laugh.
He cringed at himself, what an idiot! He should have kept quiet. His fingers picked at each other, nervous.
He didn’t look up at Reese, didn’t even attempt to make eye contact. It was reckless.
“Shut up, I'm working here!” Reese muttered suddenly, angry.
Dabney's thoughts traveled back to his mother and his breakdown. This breakdown was different.
This time Dabney wasn’t okay afterward.
Their relationship had been rocky since then. He had felt bad for putting her through so much, she was starting to look more worn down.
When he had first started to linger in Malcolm’s house and inviting himself over shamelessly he could tell Malcolm could tell something was up.
He was grateful he never asked questions.
Everyone had heard about his breakdown. He had only been gone a week out of school but now he was even more of a freak than before.
At least he felt more normal at Malcolm’s house.
He watched Reese hit it again. Dabney looked at him now, noticing the tense look on his face.
He stood up and got closer. Reese’s eyes flung up defensive.
“It’s mine! Hands off butt-wipe”
“All you have to do is—”
Reese ignored him. Standing up and throwing the box down onto the wooden flooring. There was a scuff left behind but the safe was still intact.
All the Krelboynes Reese had beat up in his school career flashed through his mind. He has even gotten close to hitting Dabney once.
“Fine,” Reese muttered,
“But if you take my money you're dead!” Reese pointed at him for dramatics. Dabney's brows furrowed, he bit his cheek. Nerves now eating at him.
He held the safe while he was on the couch, taking a look at the way it was made. His fingers twisted the dial while simultaneously pulling. He kept spinning until the tension eased at a specific number.
He wanted to be focused but he could feel Reese’s gaze. The door clicked open.
Reese was on him then.
Taking the safe out of his hands and digging through what was inside. Reese hadn’t seemed to notice their position.
His legs overtop of dabneys.
Clumsily and not focused on anything other than what was in the safe.
“Damn!” Reese groaned, pulling out monopoly money.
“You didn't know what was in it?” Dabney was off put by his reaction.
“It’s Dewey's. That little twirp swapped out his money”
Dabney wasn't necessarily surprised by Reece's actions but he was hit with a wave of anxiety now that he was an accomplice. Dabney must have been giving him a strange look because Reese said.
“Cmon don’t look at me like that! He put a snake in my drawer last week.” Dabney could imagine it but chose to stay silent. Reese spoke first.
“You're a Krelboyn,” Dabney wasn't sure how to feel,
“Do you know how to make booby traps?”
“Uh— I— Yea?” His voice got squeaky.
Dabney had to admit it felt good to be needed. And not for brushing hair, actually be needed. Reese took him to his room.
“So who exactly do you plan to trap?” He turned from a desk in the room to face Reese only to find him pulling something out from under his bed. A large box covered in foil emerged.
“This is my shiny box. Don’t ask 'cause you're not looking inside.”
Dabney was reminded of all the times Reese had stolen his lunch or gave him a horrible wedgie.
If he weren’t himself then maybe he would be able to make fun of him. In a weird way Reese had been protecting him from other bullies for years. Of course it was mostly because Reese wanted dominance to be the worst bully, but they had never gotten in a real physical altercation.
“I know someone’s been going through and taking stuff.”
“You think it’s Malcolm?” Reese shrugged before clarifying.
“You tell him about my plan and I'll kill you!”
Dabney came up with a quick idea. He didn't want anything too dangerous since the target could have been Malcolm. They went for a walk to the junkyard and found supplies in various places.
Soon enough Dabney had built a mini slingshot. It was sideways so it would fit under the bed but as soon as anyone attempted to open the top of the box they would get hit with whipped cream.
Well at least that was the plan, Reese on the other hand wanted something more lethal, hot sauce. He let him do what he wanted.
He showed Reese later how to stop the trap from setting off if he needed to get into the box. While the trap was being set up Dabney got a good look at the items in the box.
Most of it looked like it had been picked up off the street but Dabney couldn't lie and say that any of it wasn't shiny.
It had its own charm, he supposed. It was weird.
After a while Reese had stopped threatening him. He wondered if he was trusted now.
They sat back on the couch listening to some random show.
Dabney and Malcolm’s work was left forgotten at the table. There was a weight in his pocket.
A silver pin that his mother had gotten him the year before his breakdown. He had always kept it with him, he used to wear it proudly but now it just sat in his pockets useless all day.
It wasn't anything really special, it was mostly the thought. Rounded and shiny with a design of test tubes on it.
She had gotten it for him after he won a prize in a camp competition. He pulled it out. One last look before he turned.
“H-hey, um do you want this?” The pin lay in his palm.
He caught Reese’s attention quickly. Eyes furrowed down to his hand.
“Why?” Reese was suspicious.
“For your shiny box it would fit in—”
He stopped abruptly embarrassed at his own actions.
That was until he saw the look on Reese's eyes. There was surprise, happiness and something else underneath.
Dabney's breath caught. He had never seen him so genuine before.
“Really?” He questioned.
“O-of course.” Reese took it quickly before rushing to his room seemingly going to put it in the box.
Dabney should have said something. He knew he would forget.
It wasn't until Reese screamed that Dabney got up.
Reese came running out the door. Hot sauce on his face, eyes squeezed shut as he blindly tried to find his way. Dabney was screaming with him not knowing what to do.
He brought him to the sink and turned on the faucet. Putting his head under the running water.
The positioning was awkward, Dabney flushed at how close he had to get in order to make sure his eyes reached the water. Reese was groaning in pain.
After the water, Dabney reached for the paper towels.
When he turned back to Reese he found that he had slid to the floor. Curled in a ball and face hidden in his arms.
He didn’t make a sound but Dabney could tell he was still hurting.
Whenever Dabney got hurt he remembered his mother holding him close. Just a touch would pull him back to reality.
With a thudding heartbeat and fear filling his thoughts he slid from next to him.
He wondered how he hadn’t seen it. It had been years but Reese wasn't just the bully he always made himself out to be.
He gently slid and arm around him.
Awaiting the punch that would surely come his way. His face scrunched in preparation for the pain.
One thing he didn't expect was Reese slightly leaning closer.
They sat in the kitchen for a few minutes before Reese stood up abruptly.
Completely ignoring what they were just doing.
The rest of the night they spent back on the couch making fun of the guy on the television.
Dabney had attempted to make a few jokes, they came out too nerdy and Reece hadn’t understood. Dabney got embarrassed.
Reese's eyes were red and irritated but he was munching on popcorn now, normal like nothing had happened.
It wasn't until the door opened again that Dabney was sent back into a world where he and Reese weren’t friends. Lois and Hal had come back home with Dewey in tow.
They gave them a confused suspicious look as soon as they noticed the specific pair watching tv together.
Dabney couldn't believe it either to be honest.
Malcolm came back soon after getting an earful from Lois that he was almost late for dinner.
Malcolm didn't hear her though.
All he could focus on was his brother and one of his best friends sitting together on the couch actually laughing.
Malcolm felt a sharp sting.
******
It wasn’t exactly a shocker to anyone that Reese had no friends. That’s why he sticks to insults and speaks with his fists. But for some reason on a random day something had changed.
It seemed like Dabney was coming over to his house for him.
Not Malcolm but him.
It was almost like they were friends.
Reese wondered if this was what it felt like to have one.
He dug into his shiny box and dug out the pin. Looking at it for a moment, like it would disappear if he looked away.
Reese had never had someone contribute to his shiny box before.
He didn't really let the pin stay out for too long. Something about it felt wrong.
One time Malcolm had caught him kneeling by his bed. Pin in hand.
“What is that?”
Reese threw it back in the box before slamming it shut.
“None of your business!”
“Oh now you gotta tell me”
“Get out of here idiot!”
“Is it from a girl? Who?”
Reese felt uncomfortable for some reason. He didn't answer but instead gave a kick to Malcolm leading to a fight.
Dabney was a good influence but there was only so much that he could stop Reese from doing. Even though he still got into fights and stole people's lunch, suddenly Reese was cooking too.
It was a random wednesday when it started, Dabney had gone to their house like he usually did and was surprised to find Reese in the kitchen.
“Here, eat this now.” Is all Reese said, roughly shoving a plate with a slice of pot pie into Dabney's hands.
“Reese you made this?”
“Yeah, I gotta avoid that restaurant three streets over for a while though.”
Dabney looked at the food while Reese was turned away, suspicious.
“Is there meat in this?”
“No,” Reese replied.
There was no way this had anything to do with Dabney complaining about accessibility to vegetarian food, right? Malcolm came out of nowhere.
“Reese! When did you start cooking again?”
“Since now”
“No seriously, I thought you said you were done with it.”
“Shut up butt-wipe im trying to do something here.”
Malcolm, took note that Reese had only made one thing. And it just so happened to be vegetarian.
Malcolm fumed before leaving the room.
After some inspection Dabney found nothing wrong with it and took a bite. Reese really did have a gift for cooking.
That’s when the experiments started.
“Make sure you heat up the oven to 400 or else the butter won't melt right.” Reese followed the directions eagerly as they tried to make a perfect batch of sheet pan gnocchi.
The more compliments he got from Dabney the more confidence he got. This led to Reese getting the inspiration to cook for the whole family.
Lois had no problem with Dabney staying over forever with how he was getting Reese to act.
******
Malcom was actually pissed. Not only was Dabney spending all his time without him but he was spending it at his house with his brother.
It didn't make any sense.
Dabney was a Krelboyne and Reese was an idiot, he was barely passing any of his classes.
He had left them alone for an hour at most. If anything Malcolm was expecting for Dabney to be a little more kicked up when he got back.
It was just to his surprise that they were having fun.
Without him.
Reese was the tormentor of the Krelboynes.
Malcolm spent days trying to try his head around it the more he saw them interacting. They were complete opposites.
It wasn't just at the house but at school too.
Reese was sitting with them at lunch. Like Malcolm needed another reason to hate school.
Even when some guy tried to threaten Dabney into giving him his lunch Reese put him in his place a little too fast.
Everything was getting weird.
That’s why Malcolm decided to say something to Reese. He caught him alone in their room.
“What the hell are you doing with Dabney?”
“Huh?”
“I know what you're doing. You're planning something so it will blow up in my face. Well, it's not happening!”
“I seriously don’t know what you're talking about.”
“He’s a Krelboyne Reese! Don’t you think he’s a little too out of your range of brain cells?”
“What I know is that you're about to get pummeled!” Malcolm gave up talking to him after that.
******
Reese couldn’t get Malcolm's words out of his head.
It was true. Dabney was smart.
He asked himself the same question when they first started to talk.
Why would Dabney want to be friends with someone like him?
He was floating in the clouds for the rest of the afternoon.
The next day was Saturday, he was stuck in the house with his own thoughts.
He shouldn’t even be allowed to have friends.
He always knew there was a reason why he’s never had one before. He just ended up messing it up like he always did. Even though he never knew why.
Dabney was nice and really nervous. Reese was the complete opposite. They didn't really have anything in common except for Malcolm.
“What’s the matter with you Reese! Open the curtains”
He didn't look at her but he heard the curtains open. “Oh Reese, you really need to take a shower” Lois berated him.
She got closer, maybe because he didn’t reply like he usually did.
“What’s wrong?” He just let out a groan.
“Cmon” he sat up from under the covers. She just looked at him for a bit as he tried to find the words.
“Am I too stupid to have friends?”
“Oh honey what brought this on?” Reese didn't reply.
“You can’t let things like this weigh you down, you’ll drive yourself bonkers”
She continued,
“Dabneys a nice boy. I don't think he'd do that.” He said nothing.
“Get up! No more moping."
******
Malcolm was in the kitchen making himself a sandwich when he heard them again.
Dabney was trying to teach Reese how to do some of his math homework.
Reese had been confused about something he said, asking a ridiculous question.
Dabney found it funny and laughed.
Except there was no fear in Dabney that Malcolm had usually seen. They were acting like it was normal.
He let out a groan.
He hadn’t talked to Dabney in days.
He spent time at his house constantly but even then he still barely interacts with him.
Reese and Dabney left for his bedroom. That's when Lois questioned.
“What’s with the groaning?” He jumped,
“You scared me” it came out accusingly.
She just raised a brow before pouring herself more coffee.
“It’s just” he tried to find the words.
“It’s weird right?”
“What is?” Lois asked.
“The two of them together”
“It was a shocker but it turned out well”
“So you're just fine with it?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because— I—”
He couldn’t say what he meant.
“Malcolm get over yourself Reese finally has a friend” He clenches his jaw but couldn’t come up with something to say.
“Try to hang out with them, maybe you’ll like the change” he nodded glumly before deciding to rip the bandaid off and go to their room.
What he found did not encourage him to go inside.
They sat on Reese's bed side by side.
Closer than friendly but not doing anything that said otherwise. Dabney spoke quietly.
“You know you could pursue cooking as your main field. It suits you and you're great at it.”
Reese's breath came out more ragged than usual.
“I don’t know..”
They let it be silent for a moment.
“I don’t have much confidence in myself but trust me when I say you will succeed.”
“You—you—stop messing with me!”
Dabney shook his head,
“I-I’m not! It’s true”
Dabney was embarrassed that he admitted that about himself.
Reese clearly had a hard time believing that Dabney meant it.
Dabney moved his hand almost without noticing, it landed on top of Reese's.
Dabney felt the air leave him.
Reese froze.
His hand twitched underneath the weight.
He slid his hand away, not understanding why he hadn’t done so when it had first happened.
Dabney shot up from the bed flustered.
“Sorry! I have to go and fly my pet tucan!”
His voice cracked as he pushed his glasses further up.
It was even worse when Dabney made eye contact with someone peering through the crack in the door.
No one moved.
Reese followed Dabney's gaze.
Reese’s eyes widened in realization.
Malcolm watched Reese's expression change from slightly lost to completely pissed. He knew that face. It was the one that said he was dead.
Reese let out a scream as he charged out of the room after Malcolm. Dabney left the house afterwards, embarrassed. When he got home he decided to research some recipes for them to try for the next day.