Chapter Text
Tadashi grabbed Adam by the elbow, steering the man away from what could become a hostile situation. Reki had done something to Adam with that race and he wasn’t sure how to undo it, or even if it was a bad thing yet. Had it been Langa he was racing, if Langa had lost then that would have been the end of Adam’s infatuation. Another false Eve he would have gotten his hopes up about but he would have gone back to work for a while till the next interesting person appeared. That was the way of things, and Tadashi was almost entirely positive that Langa would have lost. Just a gut feeling he had. This however, was unprecedented and he didn’t have a plan. He just knew it was best they leave, so he managed to man handle Adam into the car and the blue haired man collapsed with a dreamy sigh across the backseat.
“Tadashiii~” He crooned “I’m in love, love, love! Reki is amazing, isn’t he? Look how far he’s come since our first beef! Did you see how he smiled? He understands me!”
Tadashi was positive that wasn’t the case either but he said nothing, keeping his eyes on the road. “All this time Langa was the apple...the temptation. Reki...Reki is truly my Eve. Flowers!” Adam sat up quickly, head popping between the seats. “Send him a hundred roses! Send him all my love!”
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Cherry had offered them a ride home, in Joe’s car naturally. A car because he couldn’t cart Cherry and his wheelchair around on his bike. Gingerly helping Reki into the back seat, Langa felt his cheeks warm when the teen spread out, laying back in the seat, his head in Langa’s lap.
“Damn, my whole body hurts...” He whined and Langa brushed the hair from his face for a moment. “Mom’s going to kill me.” He continued.
“Can I stay the night?” Langa asked, making Reki suddenly shift his attention to the boy whose lap he was in. Scrambling to sit back up and buckle up, he blushed darkly, struggling to click the belt into the buckle. After a second of struggle, Langa reached over and placed his hand on Reki’s guiding it where it needed to be and the audible click felt louder then normal.
“Can I--” Langa started but at the same time Reki was already answering “Ok.” Smiling to himself, Langa pulled out his phone so he could show Reki some of the amazing things he had done on the run. It distracted them both enough from what had happened at the end. Langa did want to talk about that, but not in front of Joe and Cherry.
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Joe watched the two in the rear-view mirror for a minute before glancing at Cherry and smiling. Things had gone much different than either of them had assumed. These kids were full of surprises. The only thing that hadn’t been a surprise, was the kiss. Joe had known that’s where the two of them would end up.
Their friendship was easy, and their connection solid. He hadn’t been sure about Reki being able to return Langa’s feelings but now, well...it was hard to deny his response. They were both in for trouble though, if Adam still had his eyes on them. Glancing at Cherry now, he wondered what was going through the pink haired man's head. They were nothing like the two in the back.
From the beginning their relationship had been a battleground. Every time Joe thought he was gaining ground though, something would sweep the rug out from under him, or Cherry away from him. A hand moved to rest on top of his, and he felt his shoulders relax, once more looking at Cherry who was staring out the window still. They needed to step up and make sure these kids didn’t have to suffer Adam the way so many had. He felt like it was part of the responsibility as the founders of S. He wasn’t sure if Cherry felt the same but, they would talk more once it was just the two of them, probably after he made Cherry his favorite meal too, just so he was extra agreeable.
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Helping Reki to his room, he was right about his mom freaking out. Not just his mom though, even his sisters were upset with just how beat up he looked. There was brief mention of a trip to the hospital but Reki managed to convince her to just wait till tomorrow, that he was fine and Langa would be there to keep an eye on him. That seemed to pacify her enough to hand over the first aid box to Langa.
Reki took a seat on his bed and Langa knelt down in front of him, not sure where to start. Neither could meet the others eye and when Langa started to speak, Reki did as well. They both blushed and looked away again, then Langa swallowed and reached out to cup Reki’s cheek and turn him back so they were facing one another. “Reki...I...like you...as more then...a friend...” He said slowly as if he was afraid at any point Reki would push him away. The red head bit his lip a moment, and Langa’s eyes fell to the lips he had kissed earlier till Reki finally spoke up. “I guessed as much...at S. I...like you to Langa...I want to-” He was cut off by Langa pushing forward and pressing their lips together again, the kiss as tentative as it could be between the two teenage boys. When he pulled away Reki’s eyes were bright and he was smiling. “Is that going to be our new thing?” He asked cheekily and Langa smiled and picked up Reki’s hand. “We should get you cleaned up...but Reki, about Adam...” Reki pulled his hand away from Langa just long enough to wave it dismissively. “He’s clearly nuts. Besides, if he wants to race again, I’ll be ready!” Reki said grinning but Langa wasn’t smiling. “He’s dangerous.”
That had Reki pausing. “Well...yeah. Remember when I made you promise not to skate against him, but you couldn’t help yourself? I already know that. I’m not going to hide though. Besides, you’ll always be with me, right?” Langa did finally smile at that and nodded, opening up the first aid kit. His fears about Adam felt more real now. It was one thing when it was just him who might get hurt, but now it was Reki...and he couldn’t let that happen.