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If asked, Reki couldn’t have described how he felt at that moment. The events of the previous few hours still haven’t left his mind. Brain heavy of memories of the beef he’d almost won against Adam, replaying every flash over and over again. His limbs ached from physical exhaustion and he could feel multiple bruises already forming on various parts of his body. He was forced to carry his broken board in hand. But the beaming smile never left his face. What else was he supposed to do, when he was with a certain someone?
They were stumbling on the rainy-wet streets, laughing because they couldn’t believe what had just happened, and also because the slowly decreasing adrenaline was replaced by sake in their veins — a gift of Joe’s for the almost-win, that he made them swear they kept as a secret from Cherry. Not much by any means, just a few face-twisting sips behind Shadow’s car, from the flask Joe apparently kept in the inner pocket of his jacket — also undisclosed information from Cherry. The amount was enough to make the pouring rain, the pain and the long way home bearable.
It however did not help with Langa’s closeness, if anything, it became harder to handle. Langa was everywhere. Their clothes were drenched, but Langa’s skin was flaming, burning through the layers as he was pressed to Reki’s side, with his arm around the redhead’s neck. He smelled like rain, bergamot and sandalwood. Reki felt dizzy, he blamed it on the booze.
“Your place or mine?” Spending the night together wasn’t even a question. They had to make up for the time spent apart. Langa and him acted like nothing happened, they just went back to their old ways, which was relieving. On the other hand, both boys knew that eventually they would have to talk about it. That, he was afraid of.
Since Reki realised another thing along with his newfound motivation for skateboarding. He was in love with Langa. It wasn’t a crashing discovery. His brain just simply connected the dots that were already there. How seeing the blue haired boy smile made his heart flutter, the way he was so happy to learn every piece of information about Langa, as he let him in little by little. And of course the empty pang in his chest when he felt like he wasn’t needed anymore. Reki loved watching Langa grow, the light in his eyes getting brighter and brighter as he did so. The only problem was that the other boy had appeared to ascend into new highs alone. The pain felt a lot like heartbreak, so it wasn’t a hard guess. Reki was a simple guy, he loved skateboarding and that now involved Langa. It was only natural if he started having deeper feelings for him, right? Right?
“Yours. Koyomi’s having a sleepover with her friends. They will be squeaking all night,” Reki answered, shuddering at the thought of being an earwitness.
“Cool, I have something for us, anyway. My mom isn’t home.” There was a sly grin on Langa’s face, one the redhead has never seen before, with a glint of mischief in his eyes.
“What...? Is there new proof for the Matchablossom folder? I swear after the pics of them at the hospital, they have nothing against us.” They started collecting evidence of the two dating a month or so ago, along with Miya and Shadow. This consisted of photographs, voice memos, late night receipts from Sia La Luce and written testimonies of the palpable sexual tension. Joe doing Cherry’s hair after his incident was the latest and biggest sensation.
“No,” Langa answered simply, clearly not intending to elaborate.
“You never talk, when you’d have to,” mumbled Reki, but he didn’t pry further. He had learnt that pushing Langa led nowhere, waiting for him to reveal things in his own time was much easier and less exhausting.
They spent the rest of the way with light chatter about Reki’s board reparations, a new trick Langa wanted to learn and how dumb Adam looked in his ridiculous costume when he fell face first in the mud — they agreed on asking Miya for the footage.
Once the boys got to Langa’s house they were quick to take off their shoes in the genkan and safely put their boards away, before going upstairs in hope of a hot shower.
Reki’s side was freezing without the other, as if all the warmth was sucked out of his body all of a sudden. He must have been visibly shivering.
“Go shower first, I’ll find you something to wear until then. Towels are—“
“In the cupboard next to the sink, I know.” Reki felt a sense of domesticity when it was only the two of them. He knew Langa’s house just as much as his own. Knew which stair step to avoid because it was creaking, knew that the bathroom door was stubborn and had to be shut with a bit more force. And that Mrs. Hasegawa always left two servings of food in the fridge, even if she didn’t know Reki was coming over (he certainly hoped she did the same that day). This brought him content for some reason.
Following the defrosting process of himself with scalding hot water, he washed his hair, trying very hard not to think about how good Langa’s products smelled and that now he smelled just like the other boy. After some hesitation he fastened the soft brown towel on his chest instead of his hips in a sudden wave of insecurity and returned to Langa’s room. His friend has laid out a sweatshirt and some sweatpants for him. Both were a few sizes too big, but Reki wore oversized clothing on the daily anyway.
“Why do you have your towel like that?” Langa deadpanned. Reki didn’t know if he was making fun or just was genuinely curious, it was always a hard guess with him.
“I’m trying to keep the warm in,” he chose to go with, mentally slapping himself in the face.
“Yeah, sure.” Langa’s voice didn’t give him away at first, being level as always. However Reki saw the corner of his eyes crinkle and when the boy turned towards the bathroom, Reki would have sworn he could hear a cackle.
“Don’t laugh at me!”
“I’m not laughing at you,” attempted Langa, but Reki saw him take a glance above his shoulder, which allowed him to see the hunched over, flushed from face to neck boy, still in his towel-dress. That must have been the reason for the deep laugh that bubbled out of his chest, he didn’t even try to hide it. Reki had no other choice but to chase him to the bathroom.
He left as soon as he heard the shower turn on, the last thing he needed was the imagery of Langa’s long, pale limbs covered in a shiny layer of soap and water. No, definitely not thinking about that.
In Langa’s room, where the sizzle of the shower couldn’t flood his brain with sinful visions, he put on his assigned outfit and comfortably sprawled out on the bed, waiting for Langa. He wondered what his friend had in mind for the night. A movie? A new game? That canadian peanut butter chocolate Langa wouldn’t shut up about missing in Japan? Reki couldn’t help but get excited.
Putting on and switching through the playlist they made together helped to ease his restlessness. It was a mix of Langa’s alternative western music and Reki’s japanese, korean and russian hip-hop and RnB. The end product was surprisingly pleasant, while so undoubtedly them. Reki would never admit, but when he’d missed Langa, he would listen to his favourite songs to forget about their troubles. Even now, if he closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, air heavy with the fragrance of familiar shampoo and laundry detergent, and concentrated hard, it was as if he could sense Langa’s presence—
“Leave this one on, I like it,” spoke a voice from behind Reki’s back, so terribly startling him, he almost dropped his phone.
“Langa! You scared the shit out of me, dude. Don’t go all sneaky behind my back!”
“I’ve literally been here for at least five minutes. Look, I’ve even set up your futon,” Langa pointed at the very much made futon on the floor. “Are you still drunk?”
“No!” He told the truth, the fuzzy feeling left somewhere between getting home and his shower. “I was just thinking.”
“You better, my gift is only available, if you’re sober,” said Langa squinting, as if he was able to calculate Reki’s blood alcohol level by eye.
“I told you, I am. Now show me, you got me all riled up!” Reki sat up on Langa’s bed cross-legged, squirming in his seat like an over excited child.
Langa just sighed and opened the window, stopping at his dresser on the way back and taking out a suspicious looking something from one of the drawers. Then sat down next to the redhead, presenting the gift on his palm.
“Is that a joint?” Voiced Reki the first thing that came to his mind.
“Yes,” replied Langa, clearly satisfied with the other’s shocked expression.
“Since when do you smoke? Where did you get it? Does your mom know about it?” The questions spilled out from Reki’s mouth, no matter how hard he wanted to play it cool.
Langa explained that he started smoking with his canadian friends when he was sixteen. After moving to Japan, he asked Joe if he knew where he could get some and since then Joe’s been buying it for him from ‘his connections’ — Reki supposed that was a direct quote from the man. He wondered if Cherry knew about any of this. And no, Mrs. Hasegawa did not know about his son’s habit.
His friend must have noticed the growing worry on the redhead’s face. “Do you want to try it out? You don’t have to, it’s okay. I just thought it would be nice—“
“No! I want to! It’s just...” Reki trailed off. “The guys I used to skate with offered me a cigarette once and I really didn’t like the feeling of it, I nearly choked.” The crimson that had crept up his cheeks got darker and darker with every word, his face was burning from embarrassment. “But I know that this is different and I’d really like to do it with you, I’m just still scared, I guess.” Reki had never felt so uncool in his life.
“You know, there’s a way I think you’d like it, until you loosen up a bit. Although it’s—“ Langa tried carefully, but it seemed like Reki was commanded to cut him off every time he was about to ramble.
“Let’s do it! I trust you.” Again, that beaming smile, Reki only caught spreading on his face when he was in the blue haired boy’s company.
Langa appeared to be convinced. He expertly lit the blunt, then put a makeshift ashtray on the comforter. He burnt down the sticking out tip, then kept the lighter on the end. Reki had no idea what the other was doing, but he was mesmerized by the delicate workings of long, white fingers. If hands could be pretty, Langa’s sure were.
Reki could only describe the smell that slowly filled the room, as green. The burnt scent was still there, but less prominent. He was calm, there in the dimly lit room, surrounded with twirls of smoke, with his best friend, who made his heart do somersaults and didn’t even know about it. Langa took a few hits first, Reki assumed to get the thing going.
“Close your eyes, and.... open your mouth a little.” he said. So Reki did. “You’ll know when to inhale.”
He heard Langa drawing in once again, but next he felt a soft brush of hair on his cheeks. Then there were lips lingering painfully close to his, a barely there touch of a thumb nudging him to part his mouth further. His eyes snapped open in surprise, before he could get lost in the contact.
Langa had his eyes shut, long lashes grazing his milky cheeks. Were those... freckles? The light dots spread across the boy’s nose and face were a new revelation for Reki. Langa looked younger with them, innocent even. Only he could manage to look cute, while blowing smoke into someone else’s mouth. Because that was exactly what he did. And Reki inhaled, like it was the only thing able to end his recently discovered thirst.
Green was now also a taste, not just a colour and smell.
Amber met aqua as they looked into each other’s eyes. Langa’s gaze was inquiring, Reki felt it taking apart his expression, searching for unease or revulsion. There were none.
“Are you okay?” He asked anyway.
Reki knew how important voiced affirmation was for the boy, but he could only choke out a “Yes. Can you— do that again?” Fingers crossed, it didn’t come out as desperate as he was inside.
Langa did do it again. And again. And again. Honestly, Reki lost count. But now, the redhead’s eyes stayed open, ogling the other’s every move in not so secret adoration. The distance between them got shorter inch by inch with every shaky exhale. What at first was knees grazing each other lightly, turned into thighs pressing together, hands gripping everything they could reach — well, maybe not everything.
Reki had learnt that green could also be a state of being.
Around halfway, Reki got brave enough to steal the joint from in-between Langa’s fingers. He took his first hits by himself, initial insecurity nowhere in sight. He hoped Langa was watching him with the same yearning he felt burning in his own chest, threatening to pour out. He hoped the other’s big palms burning his thighs like a brand, were not just looking for a hold in the hazy whirlwind the room has become. He hoped those hands were looking for him.
His smoke-based bravery gave him an idea. And it was a good one. Or it most certainly felt like one.
He handed the joint back and let Langa take a few draws, before he leaned in close, eyes switching between blue eyes and pink lips.
“Let’s do it again,” he whispered. Langa understood and must have seen the determination in his eyes, hence he didn’t ask why, when Reki was now fully capable of doing it alone. He didn’t resist either, when Reki quite literally climbed into his lap, even resting one of his hands on the redhead’s hip.
The process was the same. The blue haired boy taking a deep inhale, the thumb on Reki’s chin, his own slightly parted lips, air sizzling with anticipation. Except this time, Reki let the smoke escape and before the other could say anything, he closed the distance between their lips.
His courage left him the second of contact, resulting in him pulling away, flushed from probably head to toe. Reki stared wide-eyed at Langa, who mirrored his expression at first, then eased into sly smirk, which resulted in a quite interesting look with his own reddened cheeks. Countless questions were asked and answered without words. Seconds, minutes or hours could have passed, before they collided again, with a new sense of hunger.
If the previous soft brushes ignited lighting in him, this was an entire thunderstorm thrumming in his veins. Langa pulled him closer, placing a hand on the back of his neck, while also setting a new, more comfortable angle. Reki finally tangled his fingers in the silky-smooth blue strands. Just the two of them in the warm plush-realm of innocent touches, deaf, blind, only capable of caressing and feeling.
Reki was eager to let in the tongue that gently brushed against his lower lip. The kiss wasn’t perfect, neither of them having much practice beforehand. Teeth were clanking, spit was spilling but it was so real. Although it still felt like Langa could evaporate from his grasp at any given moment. Reki grabbed Langa’s forearm and squeezed it hard, as if he could anchor him.
“Relax, I’m not going anywhere,” Langa murmured against his lips, somehow reading Reki’s mind. It was enough to ground him, to crash all his doubts.
“I love you,” Reki didn’t know if he’d said it out loud, but seeing Langa’s face made it quite clear. And worth it. It was true, he’d known it for a long time. Telling Langa felt just as natural as breathing, or kissing him for that matter. “And I don’t expect you to love me back, b-but I thought since we kissed... I mean you don’t go around kissing everybody after you blow smoke into their mouths. That was hot as fuck, dude.”
“Not fair,” heard Reki the response, he was least expecting. It was barely audible, if he couldn’t feel the soft lips moving against his cheek, he might have convinced himself he’d just imagined it.
“What?” Was the only thing he was able to let out.
“I said it’s not fair, that you said it before me. I loved you first.” He said, like it was some kind of competition, with a dissatisfied frown.
“Since when?” Reki tried very hard not to laugh at the boy in front of him. Hair disheveled from desperate fingers, cheeks dusted pink, lips red and shiny wearing a pout. He wanted to kiss the sulking off his face and now he was actually allowed to.
“Remember when you did an ollie above me the first time we talked? Well, yeah,” rubbed the back of his neck Langa.
“Oh my—“
“And I even had this very very very embarrassing talk with my mom about it, because I accidentally blurted it out. She thought I was talking about a girl at first,” Langa buried his face in his palms, making his next words muffled. “I had an entire confession planned out. Then you just waltz in, kiss me, tell me you love me like it’s nothing and call me dude... but I wouldn’t have it any other way, I guess,” he looked up at Reki, then smiled at him. As if he was the Sun, like the whole world turned around him.
“Because you love me?” teased the redhead.
Langa placed a chaste kiss on his lips, then said, “Yeah, I do. Will you be my boyfriend?”
"I thought that was clear."
"Still wanted to ask, people do that," ran a hand through his hair Langa
“You know, I would still like to hear that confession.”
“No, I have to make changes now, because someone fucked up the whole thing. Next time.”
Reki wanted to mope, he really did, but the promise of a next time made him realise that this was his life now. He could kiss Langa whenever he wanted to, hold his hand, tell him even his smallest, most meaningless thoughts. Okay, the last one he was already doing.
“Sure, I'll be your boyfriend, even without a proper confession, because I'm nice like that."
"Would you call your own confession proper?" humoured Langa. Reki knew he was joking, but it still made sim blush.
"Can we get back to what we were doing before?” was the genius way he changed the subject. Very much not suspicious.
Langa still went with it, although he loved seeing Reki blush. “The weed or the kissing?”
As if on cue, they both looked at Langa’s hand, which was supposed to hold the blunt. However in the heat of making out, the boy had dropped it, and now it was lying near him, almost finished, burning a sad hole in the comforter.
“Well, fuck. How do I explain that?”
“Just say we were burning candles,” advised Reki. In his hazy mind it made total sense.
“I don’t have candles,” Langa gestured towards his indeed candle-less room.
“Duh, we’d burnt them.”
Langa shrugged, accepting the make-do solution. He would think of something better in the morning. “We only have one thing left to do, then.”
They started deeply into each other’s eyes, the moment expanding for what it felt like forever. It was obviously the redhead, who broke the silence. “I hope you’re talking about eating, ‘cause I’m starving.”
“I am.”
So they went and rummaged through the kitchen, where Reki found out that milk bread tasted amazing with apple jam, mayo and ham.
“I’m not kissing you after that,” said Langa with a frown, munching on some chocolate — not the peanut butter one, sadly.
“Yes, you will.”
He did.
In the kitchen, on the stairs and back in Langa’s room. The boys got used to each other, mapping out skin like it was unknown land, discovering sweet spots. Touches leading from innocent to borderline-sensual, kisses trailing down on jawlines, taking their time on necks, nipping at collarbones, but never going lower. It was a frantic haste that Reki got wholly lost in.
The rising sun found two boys in a tangled mess of sheets and limbs upon gleaming though the left-open window. The red haired one holding onto the other, as if in fear of drifting away. His head was on the blue haired boy’s chest, who pulled him in a protective hug. They stayed like that for a few more hours, much needed rest after a long night, cuddling.
Eventually, they descended into the kitchen, where Langa tried making some eggs and rice for breakfast and Reki was lazily scrolling on his phone. Both tried to steal glances of the other, while thinking they would go unnoticed, but always ending up making eye contact. Reki felt that sense of domesticity again.
Then something much more important happened.
“Miya sent a link to the Matchablossom groupchat... What the actual—?” Reki threw his phone on the counter, then taking it in his hand again, utter disbelief written on his face. Turning his head towards his clueless boyfriend, “Langa, Langa, look!” he shoved the screen in the other’s face.
Langa went through the same exact stages the redhead did. On the screen was a short, sixty second video from Joe’s Tiktok account they had found a few weeks ago. He usually posted cooking videos, or about going to the gym. The scandal-causing clip started as usual, with Joe preparing some meal, but the caption read ‘Making his favourite for our anniversary’ and in the end that was definitely a pink strand of hair in the shot and Cherry’s glasses on the table.
Miya started a video call. Shadow joined almost immediately, so did Reki, whilst Langa focused on not messing up their breakfast.
“This is undeniable evidence—,” the little boy began, but came to a halt as he squinted at the screen, leaning closer. “Is that a hickey, Slime?”
“I told you to stop with that nickname! Wait, what?” Reki’s eyes snapped to the blue haired boy in horror, face once again flushing — was this even healthy at this point? Langa just shrugged, but Reki didn’t miss the proud grin on his face. “You dipshi—“
“Shadow, could you give me my money next time we meet?” asked Miya coolly from the previously sulking, now whining man. Everyone completely forgot about the original reason of the call.
“I don’t have ten thousand yen, just lying around right now. I've just got out of the hospital, have some mercy.”
“A bet is a bet, my clownish looking friend. You better bring it to S, or there will be consequences. I have to go now, gotta tell the others too.” And with that, Miya cheerfully disconnected, leaving the two confused boys with Shadow.
“You two bet on... us?”
“Miya and I? There’s a whole betting pool, guys. That kid is making bank.”
“Who’s in it?” asked Langa, still occupied with the suspicious looking eggs, more curious than anything.
“Joe and Cherry, your boss from work, that Snake dude, a few random people from S, who saw you together”, the man listed and Reki’s mouth hung agape. “Y’all were obvious.”
As it turned out, everyone knew before Reki.