Chapter Text
The weather is warm. Comfortably warm. Well, comfortably warm for anyone used to it. For Langa Hasegawa, however, the warmth was stifling. His clothes stuck to his arms as if he'd taken a shower with them on. It made him fidgety. Uncomfortable. Classes dragged on, as each lesson became more and more warm. Maths became hardest of all, as each glace to his left made his whole body flush with an indescribable warmth. There sat Reki Kyan, Langa's classmate and skating buddy. Reki's bright red hair, along side his amber eyes, were hard to miss, but Langa never really ever missed them, considering he ends up finding himself unconsciously staring. Then again, it is extremely easy to end up staring at the glowing honey eyes of the ambitious redhead. The ever so slight ticking of the second hand of the clock sliced through the melting silence of the classroom. Langa shuffled in his class seat as, while each second passed, the heat became more and more on his nerves. The scratching of pencils and shifting of fabric amidst the silence made the class feel awkward to no end. The normally level headed and cool boy began to count down the seconds before the lesson finally ended.
'Five. Four. Three. Two. One.'
Langa counted until the bell slaughtered the once-looming silence that stood dominantly over the class. Instead of packing up his books, he looked over to Reki, sat by the window, the golden light of the sun complimenting his face. Reki began to pack his things as quickly as he could to escape the uncomfortable classroom, until he turned to face his friend to the right. His eyes completely locked on to Langa's without him realising. Not a second had passed and they had both awkwardly broken away to pack the rest of their belongings.
Packed and itching to leave, Reki and Langa made their way out the doors as fast as they could. Running down the corridor, their steps loud and rushed, the boys raced eachother to the lockers to recieve their trainers and boards. Each kid fumbled at their locks as they quickly pulled off their school shoes and slipped on their skating trainers. Langa stared at the back of his locker, wondering why, every time he took even the smallest glance at Reki, his whole interior just melts. He became eager to see Reki's hair flow in the wind as he speeds down the pavement. To see Reki's face, smiling as he felt what his true happiness is. To see Reki.
"Langa? Laaangaaa?" Reki called into the boys ear as he spaced out, thinking about watching the redhead skate freely. As Reki waved his hand in front of the icy haired boy's face, in a very comical fashion mind you, Langa quickly snapped his head towards Reki's direction, once again meeting his eyes of pure amber.
"Yes, Reki?" Langa responded, suddenly aware of his surroundings.
"You ready to go?" Reki asked, kicking his board up into his hand.
"Oh, uh... Yeah, I'm ready!" Langa returned back to reality after his ever so saccharine daydream.
The subtle rumble of the board wheels flowed through the air as the boys flew through their surroundings. Thank goodness for gravel roads, as they are acquainted with these tropes, the instability of the terrain did not bode well with the wheels well. Langa, being the beginning that he is, knowing he JUST nailed his first ollie, was still finding his balance. Just his luck the road wasn't the smoothest, because just as he began to catch up to Reki, Langa's wheels miraculously gave way. The aggressive roll of board roared through the air as Langa lost his once-balanced footing and fell, knocking Reki down with him. The boards rolled in unison and crashed into the nearest wall, meanwhile Reki and Langa fell in unison and crashed into eachother.
Collapsed onto eachother, Reki and Langa laid for a bit, trying to stop their heads from spinning. Not realising that Langa, you know, fell ON TOP OF HIM, Reki tried to sit up. This only made Langa's dizzy head slide down to Reki's stomach. Reki's hand slowly lifted up and pressed his finger on the crown of Langa's icy blue hair. This made Langa slowly lift his head up to meet his eyes with Reki's. This time, they kept their contact, unwavering, unbreaking, uninterrupted. Langa slowly, and still slightly dizzily, made his way up until he was eye level with the redheaded boy, keeping eye contact the whole time. Once again, Langa felt that strange melting feeling as he kept his eyes fixated on those of the boy in front of him. His mind began racing with thoughts, thoughts of appreciation, thoughts of friendship, thoughts of... romance. 'No, I can't do that,' Langa thought to himself, wondering if he should get any closer. 'What if he doesn't-'. The boy was cut of by Reki, breaking the eye contact and embracing him for a hug. Langa was startled by this act of kindness, but soon let his chin rest on the other's shoulder, wrapping his arms around Reki's chest and placing his hands on his back.
After the never ending, yet comfortable silence, Reki broke it with a caring and gentle
"You alright there?". Langa felt his whole body turn red as he broke the embrace and stuttered back a response of
"I, uh, I'm fine" while awkwardly laughing it off. He then followed on with
"How about you, Reki? Are you okay? I mean, I fell on top of you and all..."
"Dude, I've had way worse. You could never truly hurt me, so don't worry" Reki responded, rubbing the back of his neck, feeling slightly embarrassed.
"But... Reki! Your elbows! You're bleeding!" Langa exclaimed as he discovered the scraping on Reki's arms.
"Let me patch it up for you okay?" Langa offered as he got his bag off of his back to look for medical supplies. Reki laughed it off with a
"I just fell and scraped it on the concrete. Whaddya gonna do? Kiss it better?".
The sheer concept of that made Langa stop in his tracks to consider it a possibility.
"What? Do you want me to or something?" Langa replied, half joking, half not so much. Much like what Reki had done, Langa had shocked the boy into a bit of a stuttering mess.
"I- uh, I mean- You-" Reki attempted to form words, but nothing came out of his mouth.
Langa had finally found a bandage to wrap around Reki's elbow, as a bandage would look so much more badass than a plaster, so he leaned over to the boy's arm and began to patch him up. After multiple layers of bandage and a little bit of cotton later, Langa ripped the end of the bandage away from the rest of the wheel and placed it back in his bag. He kept staring at the white fabric on Reki's arm, thinking, wondering, debating. He decided to gently hold Reki's arm in his hands and leaned in to subtly peck at the boy's elbow. 'I shouldn't have done that. I should NOT have done that' Langa kept telling himself as he slowly pulled away and zipped up his bag. He daren't look back at Reki, in fear of rejection. Once again, Langa left Reki a complete verbal mess.
"I- You- I thought-" He stumbed on his words until Langa cut in with a gentle voice
"I'm sorry. That was uncalled for...", only to be followed by the sound of slight laughter.
"I didn't think you'd do that...". This made Langa's heart sink. He felt sick to his stomach. His best friend, who he had the blessing of getting close to, was about to leave him forever, never to be seen again. " Like I said, I'm sor-" Langa was very quickly interrupted by Reki swiftly moving in and crashed his face into the unexpecting boy's. Langa's cold eyes suddenly flew open and glowed with a new kind of undiscovered warmth. A warmth he longed to find. A warmth only Reki could give. It wasn't passionate. It was quite on the contrary. It was soft, gentle, caring. Langa closed his eyes and gave back, but not in a rough way. With the gentleness of a feather, Langa gave back, arms wrapped around Reki's sides. After what felt like hours, but was probably only a minute, Reki carefully came away and opened his eyes to meet Langa's.
"So, you uh-" Reki started, but was interrupted by the surprise of Langa silently getting up to retrieve their boards.
'What the hell happened there?' Reki thought to himself as he waited for Langa to return. 'Has he felt like this the whole time? Has he felt like how I feel this whole time?' Questions circled Reki's mind until Langa came running back, both boards in hand. He set his to the floor and firmly placed his foot on top of it's surface. He outstretched his free arm to help Reki up, and the boy happily accepted the offer. Langa helped pull Reki up and handed him his board back.
"You probably want this back" Langa said, quietly.
"Oh, uh, thanks! It would be useful to have it after all, haha. No use just carrying the old thing!" Reki laughed as he set his board down. Langa wiped the sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his school jacket, realised it was WAY too hot to keep it on, tied it around his waist and got ready to go once again. Thinking back to what had just happened, Langa had to ask. He had to.
"So, Reki, do you want to-"
"Yes."
"You didn't let me finish..."
"I know. I just already knew what you were going to ask and I already knew my answer."
"Oh, okay..."
'Crap...' Reki thought, 'I should have let him ask...'
"Uh, Langa?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you... Want to ask me again? I shouldn't have cut you off..."
"Ah, thanks" Langa cleared his throat and prepared to ask Reki. For the second time.
"Uh, Reki, so do you want to, perhaps, maybe, by chance... Would you like to..." Langa struggled to form his words. He inhaled sharply and looked straight into those eyes that he loved so very dearly.
"Do you want to... go out... with me?".
Langa took a sigh of relief and looked away, but then his filter switched off and immediately began to say in a very rushed speed
"It's okay if you say no. I respect that. I'd still like to be friends though, I hope this doesn't ruin anything between us. I just-" The boy was cut off by the calming words of
"Hey. It's okay, don't worry! I'd love to!"
"Wanted to let you kn- wait... Really?"
"Yes, you idiot. I'd love to. I mean, I've known for a while, dude. You aren't subtle" Reki verbally jabbed at Langa.
"Wh- what do you mean 'you aren't subtle'?" Langa questioned, trying to hide his ever-reddening face behind his hands.
"I can see out the corners of my eyes. Everyone can. I see you catching glimpses and straight up staring in class" Langa, at a loss for words, felt like he was on fire. Was it really that obvious?
"Was I really that obvious?" He asked, feeling like he could melt into a puddle of embarrassment at any given moment.
"Yeah, but no one else really picked up on it except for me, thank goodness. It's cute, honestly. When I catch you staring and you get all flustered, I can't help but laugh to myself. It's adorable really," The redhead confessed.
"So, yes, I'd love to go out with you, you damn idiot. What else would I have said? Wait- don't answer that" Reki continued.
"So, as our 'first date'," Reki said, kind of jokingly,
"Where do you want to go?"
"I mean, going for coffee is conventional but it is waaaay too hot for that..." Langa piped up as they sped down the slope of the road.
"Oh, if you want to do drinks, I know this area well! There's a great tea place just around... Here!" Reki took a sharp left turn, and Langa followed suit.
"I'm happy with whatever you like, Reki!" Langa shouted from slightly behind, the wind in his hair cooling his still blushing face.
"Great! Keep following me then!" Reki smiled and beckoned Langa to skate closer to him. All nervousness seemed to fade away within the Canadian boy as he skated across the street, just short of Reki. He felt calm. He felt at ease. He felt happy. A slight chime from the bell above the door to the cafe rang out as Reki walked in, Langa not far behind. The warm lights and light wooden decor, mixed with fake foliage and ironwood furniture made Langa feel at ease. The whole atmosphere had a very soft and warm vibe to it. Reki, confidently, made his way up to the counter and looked behind his shoulder to see Langa standing a few steps away.
"Hey, it's alright. Come join me" He reassured the boy, so Langa took a few steps closer.
"You ever had this before?" Reki asked, wondering if this whole experience was foreign to Langa. Evidently, the blue-haired boy shook his head and responded with a quiet
"No, I haven't..."
"That's okay! Don't worry about it at all! I promise you'll like this!" Reki, once again, reassured him. Langa moved ever so slightly closer to Reki, so they stood side by side. Slightly nervous, Langa moved his hand ever so closely to Reki's, but he slightly held back. 'Should I do this out here? In public? In front of people??' He began to overthink. Reki gave Langa a soft look and glanced downwards, then back up at the boy, and smiled. "We'll start small, okay?" Reki offered, making sure Langa was as comfortable as possible. Reki went and linked his smallest finger with Langa's, enjoying every moment.
A couple minutes passed and the server reached the two at the counter.
"Hi, welcome to- oh! Hey Reki! Long time no see! Good to see you again! Who's this you brought with you?" The server asked, gesturing to Langa. Realising Langa might not be comfortable with other people knowing just yet, Reki responded with
"Oh, this is my good friend from school, Langa!". Reki turned to him and smiled.
"Well, it's nice to meet you!" The server admitted and smiled at Langa too.
"So, do you two know what you'd like?"
"Reki, there's so much to choose from..." Langa whispered to Reki, not wanting to cause a fuss.
"Yeah, there is a lot, haha" Reki laughed
"Just choose what you think sounds best to you okay? I already know what I'd like so I'll give you some time to decide" He carried on.
"Ah, thank you" Langa thanked Reki, then turned to stare at all of the options available.
"Yeah, uh, I'll have strawberry milk tea with strawberry pearls, less ice and extra sugar please?" Reki requested over the counter.
"Sure can do! And what about you there, my friend?" The server asked Langa as he stood tense next to Reki. Noticing his tension, Reki placed a hand on his shoulder and reassured him
"Just take your time, it is okay".
"I, uh-" Langa started, "Can I just have milk tea with tapioca, please? Oh, with, um, less... sugar and more ice?" The boy requested, taking a sigh of relief when he finished. "Great, I'll be back with your drinks in a moment!" The server said with a smile as they stepped away from the counter.
The couple stood for 3 minutes or so until the server called them over for their drinks.
"One strawberry milk tea, strawberry pearls, half ice, more sugar and one milk tea, tapioca, half sugar, more ice" The server announced as the two made their way to collect their drinks.
"Hey. This was my idea, I'm paying ok?" Reki explained to Langa, their hands only just still holding. Langa daren't fight back with him, as the last thing he wanted was an argument.
"Alright then, your total is ¥1270" The server said as Reki went up to pay. He shot Langa a sad look as he had to let go of his hand for a moment. Langa was okay with it though, he understood. He wasn't a child. Reki paid and collected their drinks and thanked the server. He made his way to the door and held it open for Langa, trying to be a gentleman for him. Once they stepped back outside, they were hit with the warmth of the early evening sun.
"Here, lemme show you how to do it" Reki demonstrated as he aggressively pierced the film lid of his tea with his straw. Langa followed suit, not spilling a drop.
"Oh, hey! You did it! Well done!" Reki congratulated him and patted him on the back for his effort.
"Want to head to the skate park? We don't have to use it" The redheaded boy offered before he went to drink.
"Sure, it'll be nice to watch the sun go down there" Langa agreed with Reki, so they set back off to the skate park, wheels rolling against the now smooth roads of the town.
They both eventually reached their destination, with the park being surprisingly empty. With their boards in one hand and drinks in the other, the two sat down onto the bench and looked out into the horizon. The boards now laid upon the ground, Reki and Langa sat in a comfortable silence as they drank and watched the sun go down. After a while, Langa eventually piped up to say
"Your eyes. They match the light of the sun this time of day".
"They do?" Reki asked, which was followed by Langa nodding.
"I've always thought this time of day is the most beautiful..." Langa confessed, completely realising what he had said.
"Does that mean you think my eyes-"
"Not just your eyes. Everything, really. I know that comes across as corny, but I really mean it..."
"Well, if my eyes are like the sun, I want to be a sun which never melts your ice" Reki didn't even let Langa get a single word in before he decided to go back in once again. He shuffled along the bench some and got closer, slowly. He stopped for a moment.
"You're okay with this, right?" Reki asked, wanting to make sure his significant other was comfortable. He nodded and Reki, with all the confidence in the world, went back in to kiss his now boyfriend.
Once again, it was gentle. Comfortable. Understanding. This time with a slight hint of strawberry. What remained of the sun's golden light highlighted the young pair's faces as they both found their combined place in the world. And at once, all was perfect.
The weather was warm. Comfortably warm. Even for Langa Hasegawa. As that warmth reminds him of what he loves most.