Chapter Text
Zanka groans as he opens his eyes and adjusts to the blinding light coming from the curtains.
He turned his head slightly toward his desk; 6:30 A.M., his clock read.
He sighed as he sat up from his bed and stretched.
Once he was fully awake, he headed to the bathroom to get ready for the day ahead.
When he was done, he headed downstairs to the main living quarters; maids and servants rushed around, preparing breakfast and attending to his family as usual.
“Kyouka, what is the status on your current case?” Their father asked, sitting at the head of the table, drinking his cup of coffee that the maid had freshly poured.
“Very well, Father, we’re currently wrapping up our final arguments.” His sister answered.
He nodded in acknowledgment. “Very good, my dear.”
Then he turned his focus to his older brother. “Goka, I have heard you have made quite a name for yourself in the military. What exactly is your current position?”
“I have been promoted to Colonel, Father. I’m currently planning a military operation overseas.”
Their father Hums, “Very well, keep it up.”
Zanka slowly approached the table; he always hated breakfast or dinner time. It was always the same routine: their father asking questions, both his siblings giving extraordinary answers, and Zanka being the one left in the dust, as always.
But today might be different…after all, he did have an accomplishment up his sleeve that might even impress his unenthusiastic father for once.
“Glad to see you joined us, Zanka. You're late.”
Zanka slightly bowed his head. “Sorry, Father; it won’t happen again.”
His father scoffed, “Of course it won’t.”
A servant put down his plate of food, and he whispered a quiet ‘thank you’ in appreciation.
“Your siblings have reached quite the accomplishments today; you mind sharing your Zanka?”
Zanka fidgeted with his fork nervously as he tried his best to sound somewhat confident while speaking to his father, “I got my test result back from my chemistry exam-“
“And what is the score?” His father said, cutting him off.
“96%, half of the class had a score lower than 70%.”
His father narrowed his eyes, “…and what about yer friend, the one you always hang out with?”
“Jabber?”
“Yes. What was his score?”
Zanka sank down in his seat; he already knew what was coming. “102%.”
Jabber had always been naturally gifted at many things, especially academics. Sometimes Zanka felt ashamed, but he couldn’t help but envy his friend. How can he work so effortlessly and get rewarded by doing nothing? Yet he’s here slaving away, trying to have half the accomplishments Jabber seems to get handed off over and over again.
Zanka's father hums and but his mug down on the table.
“What a shame, again, Zanka, you have disappointed this family. I pray that you’ll be able to be half as successful as yer siblings-“
“But-“
Zanka's father raises his hand. “I wasn’t done speaking; shut yer mouth.”
Zanka bit the inside of his cheek and looked down at his plate in shame. “I don’t know what is going on with you. But you better get it sorted out. Yer name carries weight only others can dream of; it opens doors others can't even see. Don’t embarrass yerself and us by failing to even take a step through them. Yer a Nijiku; it's high time you act like it. Do you understand me?”
Zanka balls up his fist from underneath the table, while trying to fight back the sob in his throat.
“Zanka.”
He forces himself to look up and swallow back down the sob, “…I understand.”
His father stared at him for a second. Then back down at his food.
“Now, Kyouka, tell me, what final argument are you planning for your case?”
As the conversation continued, Zanka forced himself to detach from the environment.
It’s the same talk, over and over again: his sister listing her accomplishments as a lawyer, Goka listing the medals he got in the army. And Zanka was still trying his best to figure out what to do with his life, and more importantly, what to do with his name.
He wants to yell, scream, cry. Just ask his father for once, “Why can’t you be pleased!” But he knows better than that. He knows especially how it would end. He just focused on eating his food in front of him; the sooner he ate, the sooner he could get out of here.
Like always.
Once Zanka finished his food, he got up and excused himself; no one even graced him with a glance.
The servers carried off his plates into the kitchen as he headed to the living quarters and quickly picked up his home phone and dialed a number.
*RING*
Zanka taps his feet unconsciously as he nervously waits for the person to pick up.
*RING*
He glances back behind him, making sure his father or his siblings couldn’t see him. Look like they were still talking at the dining table.
*RING*
‘Come on…come on… '
*RING-Yo?”
“Jabber, it’s me,” Zanka said quietly.
“Zan-Zan! What’s up, my man? What ya doing up so early?”
“Father wanted us to have breakfast.”
“Couldn’t he do that at 12:00 PM?”
“Breakfast, Jabs, not brunch.”
“Whatever, it's still too early for all that anyways.”
Zanka snorts, “Listen, are ya doin’ anything today?”
“Nah, why? Oh! You feining to see me that bad, Zan-Zan?”
“I ain’t feining shit! Just answer da question, dummy.”
He hears Jabber laugh over the line, “No, I’m not doing anything.”
“Okay, great. I'm coming over later, alright.”
“Kay-Kay, I’ll see ya soon, birthday boy!”
Zanka smiled; he is at least happy someone in his life has the courtesy to remember his birthday.
“See ya, bye,” Zanka said as he hung up the phone.
He turned around to check behind him; luckily, nobody was there.
He left the living area and headed back to the staircase, and unfortunately, he caught his sister's attention.
“Zanka.”
He stopped his movement completely and reluctantly turned to her.
“I know what Father says can be unnecessarily harsh…”
Zanka's heart stopped for a second at her words.
‘Is she…’
“…So, do ya agree with me?”
“No.”
‘Of course.’
He felt embarrassed for a second, thinking that maybe this time she’ll understand. He should have seen and known the disappointment about to strike.
“However, I do believe that you are capable of better. We truly only want the best for you. It’s time you start wearing your name with pride. You're thirteen now; your choice from now on will define your future. We’re only here to guide you to the right one.”
“I…I know…”
She looks at him for a second, studying her little brother figure. Then she turns and walks away.
Zanka sighs and heads up to his room to study; he can’t wait till later.
…
After 5 hours of studying, Zanka finally felt like he had had enough; he wanted to stop by Jabber place now.
He grabbed his coat from his closet and headed down the stairs.
He looked around the house as he headed to the door; no sign of Father or Kyouka. They’re probably in their study session or out of the house.
‘Thank God,’ Zanka thinks to himself as he races to the door.
But just as he was about to reach it, he hears a voice behind him.
“Running away again.”
Goka.
Zanka sighs and turns around to face his brother, who gave us his usual disapproving look.
“I’m headin’ over ta Jabber’s.”
“You can’t always cry back ta ya friends when your feelings get hurt, Zanka.”
“I wasn’t-“
“You were.”
Silence loomed over the two for a minute, Goka's fierce gaze pressing into Zanka, as Zanka fought himself not to look away. If he did, his brother would call him a coward.
“It's about time you grow up, Zanka. Kyouka can’t keep babying you forever; do something with yourself.”
“I’m trying… but Father doesn’t respect me as much as respect you two. You know that.”
Goka's eyebrows furrowed slightly. “So then find a reason for him to respect you, Zanka.”
And with that last remark, Goka walked away; Zanka watched him as he fought back the tears in his eyes. Then he turned to the door, opened it, and headed away over to Jabbers place.
Lucky Jabber house wasn’t too far from Zanka, only a couple of blocks away, like around a 15-minute walk.
He met the boy when he was as young as 5. When Zanka's mom was still alive, she used to take Zanka out to the park's playground.
There he met his future best friend and the biggest pain in the ass, Jabber Wonger.
Baby Jabber had basically stolen Zanka's toy truck and refused to give it back. In defiance, Zanka started crying and throwing his little hands at Jabber.
Any other kid would tell on him or at least run away, but for some reason Jabber got excited and fought back.
And even crazier, somehow, after the scuffle they became friends. Zanka remembered holding Jabber hand and running up to his mom, declaring that a random boy he fought in the park would be his first and only best friend.
He even let Jabber keep the truck.
From there, the two were inseparable: they went to the park every weekend to play together, ended up in the same kindergarten, and now were in junior high together as best friends.
Jabber was there for Zanka through almost every major step of his life; sure, he could be annoying and overly cocky, but to Zanka, he was the realest person he had in his life.
Plus, he was a natural talent like his siblings, so his family would often be more than ecstatic to have him in Zanka's life to push him further.
Once Zanka reaches on Jabber porch, he does their ‘special knock,’ as his best friend likes to call it. Some stupid rhythm Jabber always loves to do when he visits Zanka, and eventually Zanka picked it up too.
Not even a minute later, the door burst open; bright magenta eyes were the first thing Zanka saw before he got pulled into a tight hug.
“J-Jesus, Jabber! Ya wanna puncture ma lung!” Zanka laughs, hugging Jabber back.
Jabber giggles as he loosens his grip. “Sorry, I forgot how fragile you are.” He jokes.
“Shut up, I ain’t fragile, ya Doofus,” Zanka says, throwing a punch at Jabber arm.
“Aye, ain’t I the one who's supposed to be giving you punches? It's your birthday, after all.” He teases, wiggling his eyebrows.
“Touch me, and you’ll lose ya arm.”
“I’ll take my chances.” Jabber shrugs off.
“Hush up and let me inside.”
“Not with that attitude.”
“Jabber.”
Jabber laughs and moves aside. “Only ' cause it's your birthday.”
“Thank ya soooo much for that,” Zanka says sarcastically.
Jabber grins wider. “You're welcome!”
Zanka takes off his jacket and looks around. “Where's Cthoni?”
“She's out, doing something, probably on a date, I think.”
“Ya think?”
“She left mad early; I wasn’t paying attention.”
“Of course you weren’t.” Zanka laughed as he rolled his eyes.
For someone who can solve chemical formulas in their head in less than 2 minutes, Jabber could be so stupid sometimes.
Hell, everything about him was stupid.
But that’s what made him so special to Zanka: his stupid antics and jokes, how they could make Zanka forget about dinner, about his family, about his responsibility.
With Jabber, Zanka didn’t have to act like or live up to Nijiku's name.
But just live up to the person he is.
The person whom Jabber sees as his best Friend.
As himself, as Zanka.
Jabber smiled and grabbed Zanka's hand. “Alright, come on, birthday boy, let’s celebrate!” He exclaimed, pulling him to the kitchen.
“Jabber, you're fourteen, and I’m thirteen; even with my allowance, what da hell can we do to celebrate?”
“See, Zan, that's your problem. You're not thinking big enough. Look around you, Zan-Zan.” Jabber said, pulling ingredients out of the fridge.
Zanka glanced around the kitchen, puzzled. “…Ya wanna have a party in da kitchen?” He guessed
Jabber blinked.
“Dude…come on.”
An embarrassed blush grew on the teen's face. “S-SHUT UP, YA SAID TO LOOK AROUND!”
“Yeah, figuratively, not literally-“
“How was I supposed ta know! You and yer damn riddles!”
Jabber giggles, “You want a hint?”
“No, I don’t-“
“This time it's literal, I promise- Boy Scout honor.”
“You ain’t no Boy Scout.”
“I could still be one though.”
Zanka snorts, “Not in this lifetime.”
“Ouch, no need for a burn that hard~.”
“Hush.” Zanka looks at the counter where ingredients like eggs, butter, flour, sugar, salt, and many more are laid out.
“We’re baking?”
“Yeah, but what are we baking?”
“I-I don’t know, like cookies or something?”
“Zanka…”
“I SAID I DON’T KNOW, BLOCKHEAD,” Zanka said, throwing a rag at Jabber as he laughed.
“My man, when do you ever use buttermilk to make cookies-“
“I don’t bake, ya know that.”
“For good reason, it’s a cake, Zanny.”
“We’re…making a cake?”
“Yeah, dude, it won’t be a birthday without a cake, so you gonna help or not?”
Zanka snorted, coming to stand next to Jabber, as he readied all the equipment.
“Look who got an attitude now.” Zanka teases
“Learned it from the best.”
Finally, it was starting to feel like a real birthday.
…
After baking the cake, which somehow didn’t turn out to be as much of a disaster as it seemed. They ended up watching MTV for a little while; during it, Jabber dragged Zanka to dance and sing to music videos. Both boys went to the backyard and Jabber’s tree house.
“Thank God you didn’t mix up the sugar and salt this time, Zan-Zan.”
“Are you gonna keep on making fun of me of ma baking skills all day or what?”
“Mhmm, maybe. I just like your face when you get all angry. You pout like a puppy.”
“I do not pout,” Zanka said, pouting.
Jabber laughs and lies down on the floor. “Sure, Zan, sure.”
Zanka sucks his teeth but follows after Jabber, lying down next to him.
For a while, both boys were wrapped in a comfortable silence, staring at the neon starlight dancing across the ceiling.
Then, suddenly, Zanka felt Jabber's hands wrap around his shoulder. He didn’t pull away, leaning down on Jabber's shoulder.
Zanka's eyes grew heavy; he felt comfortable here. After all that had transpired today, a quiet moment like this felt like the relaxation he was longing for. But as he was just about to fall into temptation, Jabber spoke up.
“So, what did your dad say about the test?”
Zanka's mind shifts back to this morning, and his once-relaxed state evaporates into thin air.
“…he wasn’t impressed.”
“Really? Did you tell him half of the class failed?”
“Yeah, but he still expected better out of me… It's like no matter what I do. I could never please the man.”
“What about your siblings? Did they say anything?”
“Kyouka told me to be wary of my choices, and Goka told me to grow up.”
Jabber sucks his teeth. “They're doing way too much, especially that early in the morning…”
Zanka chuckles. “To them, that's nothing. Maybe that's why they're so hard on me…”
Jabber doesn’t say anything at first; Zanka turns his attention back to the ceiling. “Sometimes I just wish that I’m older, that when I’m 30, I've accomplished everything Father expected of me. So I can just shove it in his, Kyouka, and Goka's face.”
Jabber slides his hand under Zanka's chin and looks up at him.
His blue eyes meet fiery magenta.
“Hey, you don’t always gotta listen to what they say, you know. You're perfect just the way you are.”
Zanka looks away. “Yer only saying that cause yer my friend.”
Jabber follows his gaze, not yet wanting Zanka to look away. “You know that's not true. I don’t, or never will, say shit to make you or anyone else feel better. I’m saying it ' cause it’s true.”
Zanka turns his gaze back to Jabber.
“Sure, you’re not as accomplished as your siblings yet, but who’s to say you won’t be. You literally just turned thirteen today; you still have a long way to go before you really make any real choices. Plus, 96% on a test isn’t going to determine your lifetime goals for real.”
Zanka smiles, “Yeah, I guess You're right…”
“I’m always right.”
“So not.”
“So too.”
“So NOT.”
“So TOO, you just admitted I was right.”
“I said I guess.”
“Nope, you admit it; no take-backies.”
Zanka snorts, “Yer literally not real.”
“That's what she said.”
“Ew-Jabber.”
Bot boys break out in laughter. Then suddenly Jabber stopped, his face changing quickly from his stupid grin to something more serious. Zanka noticed the sudden shift instantly, but before he could ask. Jabber quickly sat up and headed outside of the tree house.
“Stay here, I gotta get something!” He yelled as he descended the stairs and rushed inside the house.
“Okay?” Zanka said, confused, as he watched Jabber run inside the house.
He looked back inside the tree house; a little alarm clock sat on one of the makeshift desks.
7:30 PM
In another hour he’ll probably be expected back home.
*CREEK*
The sound captures Zanka's attention back outside. “Jabber?” He asks, taking one step closer to the entrance
“Don’t look, cover ya eyes!” Jabber shouts as he climbs the ladder back up.
Zanka stops his movement completely. “Wha-“
“Just do it, bad attitude!”
Zanka sighs but complies, covering his eyes. He hears Jabber coming back up and taking a few steps closer.
“Jabber, what are ya doin’?”
“You’ll see.”
He hears Jabber place something down on the desk. And then he feels his hand wrap around his shoulder from behind, turning him around in a different direction.
“You ready, Zan?”
“Please don’t tell me you kidnapped another scorpion…”
“I did not kidnap Kira; she just found her way to me.”
Zanka chuckled, “Whatever ya say, so can I open my eyes.”
“Let me count down first.”
“Count down-“
“3”
“Wait, what is it, Jabber?”
“2”
“Cause if it was a scorpion, I was jus’ jokin’”
“1-OPEN THEM UP!”
Zanka hesitantly opened his eyes to find no other than….
An ant farm..?
It looked self-made, with a makeshift cover and a plastic container filled with dirt, dry leaves, twigs, tiny tunnels, and a couple of ants running around.
“Ta-da!” Jabber exclaimed with his jazz hands.
Zanka blinked.
“…you made an ant farm?”
“Hell yeah.”
He turned away from the ant farm back to Jabber. “Now what in tarnation made ya do that?”
“Number 1: ants are hella cool, Number 2: they remind me of you, small but powerful, and Number 3: it's your birthday.”
“Wait, ya did all of this fer my birthday?”
“Were you listening, Zan-Zan, or did you hit your head too hard with the wooden spoon?”
“Jabber, I’m being for real.”
Jabber giggles, “Yeah, I did...” He glances to the ant farm and then back to Zanka. “Do ya like it?“Nervousness and excitement mixed in his tone.
Zanka looked back at the makeshift ant farm; he couldn’t help but smile.
“Yeah, I do… thanks, Jabber.”
Jabber smiled; he pushed a strand of hair away from Zanka's face.
“No problem, Zan.”
…
By 8:20 PM, the sunset started to fade. Cthoni would be home any minute, and Zanka's father would expect him to be getting ready for bed now.
He said his goodbyes to Jabber, gave him one last hug, thanked him for the gift, and then made his way back home.
When he arrived, the house seemed empty.
Maybe his father and siblings were working late; it wasn’t a matter to him.
He just headed upstairs to his room; once inside, he placed the ant farm on his desk.
Then he went to the bathroom to get ready for bed. Once done with his night routine, he turned off the lights and snuggled up in bed.
Zanka looks to the anthill one last time.
He closes his eyes and makes a wish. Even though a part of him found birthday wishes silly, just this once and last time he’ll indulge in a little silliness before he truly grows up.
‘I wish…that I’ll get everything I want in the future…respect...power… success...pride of my name…everything no matter what…’
And maybe then Zanka could finally be happy…
And with those wishes, Zanka finally falls asleep.
End of Chapter 1