12 Days of Ramenzo

split for the season

As far as anyone could tell, it had started out as a normal day.

Not a trace of animosity in the air over breakfast. Ramen cooking eggs, Kaizo sipping from a cup of tea while scrolling through his phone. Casual conversation.

Then Ramen mentioned a friend of his was having a Christmas party. Kaizo paid it little mind - didn't lift his eyes from his screen - told Ramen to have fun. Ramen insisted that Kaizo should come, too, and Kaizo expressed passive disinterest, avoiding the topic.

The next thing he knew, Ramen was shouting.

"I swear, you are the worst person anyone could have for a boyfriend."

And Kaizo was shouting back, tuning out Ramen's words in favor of his own comebacks, which only served to make the blond angrier than he already was. Which was strikingly uncharacteristic for Ramen, to begin with. Any surprise Kaizo may have expressed at Ramen lashing out at him immediately evaporated, leaving only spite and vexation.

"You know what, that's it," Kaizo said finally. "I'm going to my brother's house."

"You go do that," Ramen replied coldly. "It'll be good to not have to deal with you for once."

Kaizo ignored the way his words felt like an icy slap to the face and silently grabbed his jacket, leaving without another word. Ramen said nothing as the door slammed closed, and Kaizo didn't look back.

-

And now he's here, standing in front of the narrow townhouse, pressing the glowing doorbell. His mind is amazingly blank as the door takes an age to open, revealing someone who is not his brother.

"Kaizo?" Boboiboy's jaw drops in surprise.

Kaizo attempts to peek behind him.

"Is Pang home?"

Boboiboy shakes his head.

"He's out with Gopal right now, but they'll be back soon." He steps aside. "Come in."

Kaizo hesitates a moment before following him in and closing the door behind him to keep out the cold. He lingers around the entrance awkwardly, till Boboiboy reaches to take his jacket, and he quickly sheds it. It ends up shoved in the closet, and Boboiboy retires to the dining table, which is presently spread with piles of sheets surrounding an open laptop.

Kaizo, now lacking his jacket, shakes off his shoes and slips out of them, avoiding the puddles of melted snow that have formed on the floor. Almost immediately, something soft rubs against his ankles, and he looks down to see a tabby cat rubbing itself against his leg.

He stands still and stares down at it till it passes, disappearing back into a bedroom, and relaxes, shuffling over to the living room. Boboiboy, engrossed in his laptop screen, doesn't glance his way as he settles himself down onto a sofa.

It still feels awkward and out of place, but he relaxes his back and slouches into the soft upholstery. The room looks messier than he remembers it, though his memories are faded. Judging by the pile of work on the table, Boboiboy, at least, hasn't had the time to keep the place clean. As for his housemates, Kaizo can only wonder how much his brother and his friend contribute to the housekeeping.

Kaizo closes his eyes and his mind immediately rushes back to replay the events of this morning. He has a headache. The cold dregs of his tea are probably still on the counter. He wonders if Ramen bothered to put the cup in the sink. Or if he ditched the house soon after Kaizo, heading to a friend's place to relax.

Kaizo doesn't know, nor does he care very much. He's here, now, and when Pang finally gets home, he'll be with his own family.

He cringes very slightly at that thought because it's such an unfamiliar concept to cross his mind. He supposes that bad experiences with other people only serve to tighten the ties of blood. Still, though, he rarely thinks of Pang in that familial sense.