Chapter 1
She didn't recognize him at first. One moment she was walking down the aisle of the grocery store and the next she was sprawled on the floor with most of the food that had been in her shopping basket. She cursed, brushing off her skirt and thanking whatever higher power that she'd decided to wear something below the knee so she hadn't accidentally flashed the stranger. Hastily starting to apologize, she pulled herself onto her knees and scrabbled to retrieve various cans and vegetables before they rolled away and were crushed underfoot. Her hasty apology was cut short by a brown hand being thrust in front of her face. The confused noise that escaped her lips only made the hand shake insistently. Finally realizing its purpose, she grasped the unfamiliar hand and was pulled into a standing position. Turning to face the stranger she ran into, she started to apologize again only to be cut short by the sight of a very familiar face. "Hey! Aren't you that dude on Instagram that makes memes about all those skaters?" The stranger, Phichit Chulanont, looked surprised, "I've never been complimented on my memes before. Most people only acknowledge my skating." She smiled, "Not that your skating isn't awesome. I just first discovered you through your memes. They give me life." Phichit laughed, "Finally! Someone who understands my passion!" She laughed as well. Phichit slung an arm around the girl's shoulders. "Well, since you've admitted that you follow me mostly for the memes I guess we'll have to be best friends. So let's go pay for your groceries, new bestie!"
"Jux."
"Huh?"
"Jux," the girl said, still smiling, "my name is Jux."
...
Jux set opened her apartment door and set down the bags she was carrying. "Thanks so much for helping me carry all my stuff! You really didn't have to," she exclaimed, turning around to grab the other bags from Phichit's hands. He looked around, "So this is where you live."
"It's small but it's home."
"It's fine, I've got a similar setup with a friend of mine."
"Do you mean Yuuri Katsuki? I'm kind of surprised. I would've assumed he would've moved in with Viktor Nikiforov by now."
"I don't know why he still lives with me either. Yuuri hasn't actually spent the night in our apartment in weeks."
"So he practically already lives at Nikiforov's house already. Do Yuri Plitesky and that other skater Minami live with them too? I mean, Katsuki and Nikiforov are coaching them."
"No. They are over pretty often though since Viktor and Yuuri are also training them to join The Blades." Jux's flinch was minuscule but Phichit caught it anyways. His eyes narrowed in concern. Even though he hadn't known the Jux long, during their conversation on the way to her apartment he had really clicked with her. If she was in trouble Phichit wanted to help, "what's wrong?" Jux tried to deflect his question with a dismissive hand wave and an airy "nothing," but faltered when she saw Phichit's disbelieving look. "Phichit, when I was younger, my family, we didn't have a lot of money. So I grew up in a pretty shitty neighbourhood. In there, The Blades were viewed as more of a death sentence than the saviours they were supposed to be." Phichit's brow furrowed in confusion, "but all The Blades do when they catch someone committing a crime is hand them over to the police."
"Phichit, you know that the minimum sentence for drug dealing is one year, right?"
"So?" Phichit still didn't get it. Jux grabbed Phichit's shoulders and looked him strait in the eye. "Imagine, you got laid off your job last month and the government has just denied your unemployment claim. You're trying to feed your two kids. You've never gotten involved in anything illegal before but somehow you get the offer to be a dealer. Nothing huge, but the job still pays twice as much as your last one and you can pick up part time work on top of it. Suddenly, a Blade catches you dealing.
"You're dropped off at the police station and because they have concrete evidence they charge you with possession with intent to distribute. Even if you get a sympathetic judge you still have to spend at least one year in prison. One year where your children are left to fend for themselves either in or out of the foster system. After a year you get out of prison, but jobs are ten times harder to come by. You try to reclaim your children from the state only to find that without a steady source of income and proof that you can provide for them you'll never gain custody. You might never see your children again."
"Oh."
The heavy, serious silence is broken by a loud growl from Phichit's stomach. "Phichit, have you eaten yet," Jux asked confusedly. Phichit blushed, "no." Jux smiled and rolled her eyes, "well come in and help me put away these groceries and I'll make you something to eat." Startled, Phichit raised his hands and started to back out the door, "I don't want to be any trouble."
"Oh it's no trouble at all! Besides, I'll feel terribly guilty if I let you leave without feeding you anything! I was going to give you some cookies I made earlier as a thank you anyways." Phichit shrugged and slipped his shoes off, walking into the small apartment. He was hungry. And really, what kind of person refuses cookies?
…
Picking up a couple of bags, Phichit heads to the tiny kitchen and sets them on the counter. Jux follows behind him with the rest of the groceries and starts giving directions as soon as she enters the room, "bottom drawer underneath the microwave. Go and take out two large pots and put them on the stove for me please," Jux started unloading the groceries, "after that you can go into the pantry and get out the bag of rice." Phichit smiled and got the required pots and rice. When he turned around for more orders something went flying towards his chest.
He caught it on reflex and looked down to see that it was a can of evaporated milk. "What do you need canned evaporated milk for?" Jux glanced up, "I was going to make tom yum, any problem with that?" Phichit froze, even though he'd left Thailand very young to train with Celestino he still missed home terribly. It's not that Celestino was a bad coach or mentor. In fact, Celesetino had become somewhat of a second father to him. It was more that Detroit was filled with reminders of home that weren't quite right. Most of the "authentic" Thai restaurants he had tried disappointed him. Phichit wondered what Jux's tom yum would taste like. Somehow, Phichit was sure that it wouldn't disappoint.
He was shaken from his thoughts by Jux's worried voice, "Phichit? Phi? Are you ok? Do you not want tom yum?" Thoroughly shocked he nodded frantically. Like hell he was going to pass this chance up! Jux looked confused, "If you want tom yum then why - oh! Wait! You're Thai, right?" Phichit nodded again, mutely. "Well I hope my cooking measures up! Now, go open those can and then sit down! I'll do the rest!" Phichit did as he was told and was soon immersed in the sight of Jux cooking.
She twirled around the kitchen boiling, slicing, dicing, grating and peeling. Her moves were timed to a beat only she could hear. After a thirty minute performance, their meal was finally ready. Phichit's first bite was heaven, it tasted like home. "Where did you learn to make this," he demanded. Jux's smile was tinged with a sad nostalgia, "a friend's mom taught me when I was younger." Phichit grinned eagerly, "well I'd really like to meet them!" The sadness in Jux's smile increased, "They're not around anymore."
"Oh. I'm so sorry." Thankfully, Phichit hadn't yet lost anyone close to him, but he imagined it must hurt a lot. Jux flicked his worries away, "it's ok. It was a long time ago. She was a nice woman, though. She always made sure I had enough to eat and extra to bring home."
"What happened?"
"She died in a hit and run and my friend was sent into foster care. I never saw my friend again." They ate in silence for a few minutes before their conversation about more lighthearted topics. After the meal, Phichit had to leave. He insisted on a selfie before he left, though. The picture had Jux with her arm around a smiling Phichit. Her hand was propped up behind his head, giving him "bunny ears", and her tongue was sticking out. She had even added in a cheeky wink for good measure. Phichit had posted the picture captioned: Found a new buff today! #besties #soulmate #squad #easilybribedwithfood.
~Elsewhere in Detroit~
A silver haired man was scrolling through his Instagram feed when he happened upon a selfie. The guy was grinning widely while the girl with short, bright green, hair was winking and sticking her tongue out. The long half-bang framing the right side of her face was brushing against the guy's cheek. Quickly, the silver haired man typed out a comment phichit+chu Who is she?! I want to meet her! The man's shout as he hit the Post button could be heard from a two block radius. "YUUUUUUUUUUUURIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"
~Elsewhere~
A skinny blonde teen scrolled through his Instagram feed. Blowing his long bangs out of his eyes and huffing angrily when they fell back into place. He came across a selfie of a dark haired man being given bunny ears by a green haired woman. Lazily, he thumbed out a comment phichit+chu Good on you for finally getting rid of the katsudon.
~Back with Jux~
Sometime after Phichit left, Jux shivered violently. "Goose must have walked over my grave," she muttered to herself. A while later, she shivered again. "Damn goose!"