As promised, Khánh drives Kai to his first post-op appointment. After they park the car, the two of them head inside. Then they continue to follow Kai.

It takes Kai a while to notice. When he does, his brows draw together. “Like I said, you really don’t have to come inside with me—”

“Alright, I won’t go—” Khánh feels a stab in their heart at the piteous look on Kai’s face but forges ahead “—provided you can physically stop me.” They cross their arms in triumph as Kai attempts to lift a shoulder and has to give up immediately and glares at them in betrayal. “As I thought.”

“But…”

“We talked about this, remember? It’s a privilege that you trust me enough to care for you when you’re unwell.”

Kai hesitates.

“Now come, we can’t leave the doctor waiting.” Khánh unfolds their arms and touches (!) Kai to nudge him forward. Kai follows their instructions, looking partly bewildered.

The surgeon smiles at Kai and greets him. “Good to see you well. Now who is this?”

“This is Khánh, my friend--”

“—Best friend,” Khánh corrects, smiling pleasantly. “I’m helping Kai recover.”

She looks at Kai. “Are you willing to have your friend watch all proceedings?”

Kai’s cheeks are a little red, but he nods. “Yeah. It’s nothing they haven’t seen…”

So Khánh ends up watching as the doctor takes out the drains from Kai’s chest. They take the initiative to help Kai put their clothes back on. They listen carefully, leaning forward in their chair to better catch the words as the doctor prescribes medication and gives directions on how to proceed for the next three weeks until the one month appointment. They don’t even laugh when the doctor covers the risks during the recovery period and Kai squawks, “My nipples might fall off?!”

After she’s run through all her instructions, just to be safe, Khánh asks the doctor to repeat the highlights again, noting down the specifics in a little black notebook with neat, precise handwriting. All the while, they have a very serious expression on their face. Kai will not have substandard care on Khánh’s watch!

As Khánh helps Kai back into the car and drives them back to the house, Kai is quiet and contemplative. Only when he has been positioned back on the couch and Khánh is heading into the kitchen does he finally speak. “Is there, uh, anything I can do?”

Khánh looks over the counter separating the stove from the living room and sees Kai fidgeting anxiously on the couch. Their heart squeezes a little at the miserable expression on his face, obviously feeling guilty at his supposed imposition on Khánh’s life. They ponder for a moment, then reply, “Can you pick out a new show for me to watch? I finished Our Planet and I need recommendations.”

“I’ll get started right away!” Kai dives as fast as he is able for his phone and starts typing. As Khánh takes out ingredients for their planned snack, Kai calls out suggestions.

Khánh gives their opinion on each while busily whisking eggs and sugar with a long pair of wooden chopsticks. They add coconut milk, melted butter, and pandan extract that makes the mixture bloom into a beautifully refreshing light green color. Then they sift in wheat flour, rice flour, tapioca starch, and baking powder (which they have to excavate from the back of the cabinet) and fold until everything is combined evenly and the mixture is smooth.

When the first ladleful of batter sizzles on the waffle iron, Kai finally looks up. “What are you making?” He inhales deeply. “I can’t smell it yet.”

“Do you know what pandan is?”

“No,” Kai confesses.

“Okay, wait two minutes and I’ll come over and show you.”

As the waffle cooks, Khánh also slices up a mango. After the timer goes off, Khánh pries the waffle out of the iron. They carry over the steaming plate as well as the mango and plop down into the armchair just diagonal to what they now think of as Kai’s sofa. “Here you are!” they beam, presenting the dish to Kai.

“It’s so green,” Kai comments, turning the plate this way and that. “Is there green tea in this?”

“No, this is pandan, or lá dứa. It’s a classic flavor of southeast Asian desserts. Personally, I think the color is even more beautiful than matcha.”

Kai takes a deep sniff of the fragrant steam. “It smells delicious!” He tears off a quarter of the waffle and takes a bite. “And it is delicious.” He quickly scarfs down the rest of his slice and tears another quarter off and holds it out, raising his eyebrows. He can’t lift his arm very high, but Khánh recognizes the gesture and gently takes the slice from him.

They savor the warmth of the waffle beneath their fingertips. Kai gave this to them! Yes, it was food they made, but the sentiment is still there. Slowly, they take a small bite. Light, almost-floral sweetness spreads across their tongue, the headier flavor of coconut supporting the delicate pandan flavor. The waffle is just the right texture, soft with a thin crunch on the exterior. Khánh eats the entire piece and smiles at Kai, who smiles back.

“More?”

“Please.”

After their afternoon snack and some light tea to help with the sweets, Khánh heads to their computer. After a half hour or so, Kai comes in and stands by their shoulder, leaning slightly on the desk.

Khánh whips around to face him. “Do you need something?” Their eyes snap quickly around, searching Kai’s body language for signs of pain or distress.

Kai starts to raise both hands placatingly, winces, and settles his arms back by his sides. “No, I’m fine, just a little bored. What are you doing?”

Khánh relaxes. They gesture broadly at the screens before them. “A little bit of work.”

“That doesn’t look like Minecraft.” Kai squints at the dual monitors, clearly trying to make sense of the dizzying amount of words and complex diagrams.

Khánh frowns. “No, of course not, I would have put up a sign or something to let you know if I were streaming. This is my other work.”

“Other work?” A suspicious expression snaps onto Kai’s face. “So you lied to me about not having to take off work?”

“What? I don’t...oh! I must have forgotten to mention.” Khánh gestures at the screen on the right which is filled with Vietnamese words. “I also freelance as a technical translator from time to time. It’s very irregular, like all freelancing, so I don’t as such consider it my job.”

“...You have two things you do for money, playing Minecraft and translating—” Kai leans closer, squinting to make out the English words better “—fluorescence modulation of polymer nanoparticles? And of the two, the one you consider your job is…”

“The Minecraft, yes.” They take in Kai’s incredulous look and defensively squawk, “It is very important to maintain a regular streaming schedule! My followers would be disappointed otherwise! The translating is whenever I feel like it.” They flap their hand several times at the monitor to show how little regard they show for the material.

“I’m going to take a wild guess that the translation job pays better though?”

“Yes, well, the pay is hardly important compared to regular hours.” Khánh closes the documents in defiance. “Anyway, it’s getting near dinnertime. Do you have any particular cravings?”

“We just ate half an hour ago,” Kai protests.

“Oh, right. Well, how about a shower then?”

Kai’s face turns as red as the chili peppers in Khánh’s garden. “Um, I…” he trails off, brows furrowed and clearly conflicted. Eventually, he continues, “A shower would be nice. I feel disgusting. I even shaved my head so my hair wouldn’t get greasy while I can’t wash it, but it hasn’t helped as much as I hoped.”

“Let’s go then, and I’ll help you wash.” Khánh leads Kai into the master bathroom because that shower has nicer settings and more luxurious outfittings. They take a moment to change into a tank top and shorts as Kai gets into the shower stall. Only after the water starts and the door slides closed does Khánh enter the room, keeping their eyes resolutely to the side of the frosted glass. When they first had to help Kai wash, they were worried their feelings would make things complicated. Fortunately, his obvious weakness and fatigue erased any trace of untoward feelings from Khánh’s brain.

They are surprised at how comfortable it is to sit just outside the shower as Kai scrubs carefully and slowly. It should be awkward, but it isn’t. Kai keeps up a steady stream of conversation, asking about Khánh’s translating job (boring) and their Minecraft ideas (exhilarating). When he needs their help, Khánh keeps their eyes respectfully on Kai’s head and chest, washing carefully and thoroughly. Afterwards, they help him dry off as well.

As the two exit the bathroom in a cloud of steam, Khánh turns to Kai with shining eyes and asks, “Now is it time to start dinner?”

Kai laughs and settles gingerly onto his couch. “Okay, let’s have dinner.”

*

Bonus scene:

Coworker: Hey Kai, this is [Coworker]

Kai: ?? How did you get my number

Coworker: You gave it to me? When we first started working together?

Kai: Oh, okay. What’s up?

Coworker: I miss you dude, that’s all

Kai: Aww

Kai: wait.

Kai: Are the teenagers bullying you again?

Coworker: ...yes.

Kai, cracking his knuckles: Let me log on real quick