Chapter Text
An eyebrow raised, Reki leaned forward to face Langa. “Dude, I’d totally win,” Reki said flatly.
“No chance,” Langa simply replied.
“Come on, I grew up in a family with three sisters! I’ve seen my fair share of princess movies,” Reki exclaimed.
“Sure, but you have no actual experience. I’ve done it before,” Langa replied.
“Yeah, but-,” Reki paused. “Wait. You’ve done it before? When?!” Reki said, jaw dropped in surprise.
“A couple times, actually. Weddings, once at a birthday party, school da-”
“Yeah, yeah I get it,” Reki interrupted carelessly as he waved his hand in front of him. He looked dejected momentarily before a wide grin spread across his face. The same grin Langa saw at least once a day, when Reki has come up with another one of his “brilliant” ideas. “Show me then, Prince Langa.”
Like any other day, Reki and Langa were at the skatepark, always skating until the sun went down or until whoever’s stomach growled first— which was usually Langa’s. Once sunset hit, the two of them typically chose to sit on the bench and watch while talking about whatever came to mind.
While skating with Reki was something Langa would forever love to do, this was always his favorite time of day. Listening to Reki speak so passionately and enthusiastically, Langa couldn’t help but soak in every word. He knows Reki thinks he isn’t actually listening but he is. He always is. However, he also had other reasons he loved this time— reasons he could never possibly admit out loud. But his mind was a safe place right?
The orange glow of the sunset, it made Reki’s pretty face even prettier, if that was possible. It was as if that glow was illuminated just for him, and only him. So cheesy. But he can’t deny what was the truth. The way that warm light touched Reki’s face, it softened all his features and made his amber eyes seem even more gentle. If Langa could somehow make those few minutes of that sunset radiance last forever, he would do anything, because that Reki— the Reki post-skating, where his front strands of hair would be stuck to his forehead from sweat, his cheeks slightly pink from exertion, and the way he would lick his lips more frequently because they would get slightly chapped from skating… Langa would never complain again in his life if that was something he could see all the time.
But, obviously, any Reki is still Reki. That’s actually all he ever wants forever. Reki.
Today, however, it was Langa’s turn to turn pink.
“W-what?” Langa stutters.
“You heard me,” Reki said with a teasing smile. “Teach me.”
Langa gulped, his heart was racing too fast— so fast he thinks he could have a heart attack right there.
“You… you want me to teach you… how to dance?” Langa questioned carefully.
“Slow dance, don’t forget that little detail because I’m a great dancer otherwise. Much better than you, at least,” Reki corrected with a proud grin. “Come on! I want to learn and apparently Prince Langa over here—”
“Stop calling me that.”
“— has all the experience in the world!” Reki continued while flailing his arms up in the air. “Who knows? This might come in handy in the future! Just show me a few moves and I promise, no more. Please,” Reki pleaded, purposely batting his eyes to show how eager he was.
Langa stared blankly at Reki, he needed a moment to process this whole conversation. Reki wanted him to teach him how to slow dance? Truly he wasn’t asking much at all. If this were anybody else, Langa would not have questioned it at all.
But this isn’t just anybody else. It’s Reki. His best friend. His best friend who he hopelessly had feelings for.
If he said yes, that means Reki would probably practice with Langa as his dancing partner, right? That means they would hold hands and Langa… he would have a hand on Reki’s waist. Their faces would be so close that Langa could probably count those little light freckles on Reki’s cheeks that no one else has noticed or bothered to. So close that they would be sharing the same air almost. So close that Langa would just barely have to lean in to—
Oh no. No, no, no he can’t do this. There is no way he would be able to control himself! He’ll just say no to Reki, simple as that. Simple… as that. Simple as that?
“Earth to Langa,” Reki said as he waved his hand in front of Langa’s face. “Anyone there?”
Langa blinked and quickly composed himself from his internal panicking. “Ah, um, sorry.” Beside him, Reki chuckles and turns away towards the sun, which is nearly out of sight now.
“So, what do you think?” Reki says, turning his head to face Langa again. “It’s just dancing. Plus, it’ll be fun! And we can both get practice! And if I’m really that bad— which I won’t be!” Reki quickly added. “Then you say the word and I’ll drop it. Deal?” With that same bright smile of his, he waited for Langa’s answer. He had that same look on his face, the one full of hope with his excitement glistening in his eyes; the one Langa loved so much.
“Deal,” Langa said with a sigh, shoulders slumping in defeat.
Really, how could he ever say no to that face.
“Woo!” Reki cheered, throwing his arms up into the air, his grin so wide and bright it could replace the stars that are just beginning to appear in the sky.
Reki threw an arm over Langa’s shoulder and leaned in right next to Langa, attaching their arms together. Instantly going stiff, Langa swallowed hardly, the air around them suddenly too thick for comfort. Usually Reki’s touchiness didn’t get to him. However, his previous thoughts and their conversation had sort of left him, a hopeless romantic, a mess. Thank god it was dark out, because how red he was right now was downright humiliating.
“How about we start now, Prince Langa,” Reki said cheerfully.
Langa grunted and visibility displayed his disgust. “If you call me that one more time the deal is off.”
Reki scrunched his nose and disappointedly groaned. “Fine,” he said, dramatically dragging the word out.
He looked so cute just then. Now I feel bad. I wanna kiss his nose.
Suddenly, Reki stood up and he exaggeratedly stretched his body, twisting his back left and right before standing upright once again. He then turned around to face Langa again with his arm outstretched to him. “Come on,” he says with a smile.
Langa couldn’t help but stare in awe. The sun was out of sight now. Meaning, he was about to dance with Reki, the boy he secretly had feelings for, under the stars. How cliché. But he didn’t care. This was his reality. This was all really happening.
He needed to calm down before doing anything stupid, because embarrassing himself was the last thing he wanted to do. He audibly gulped to calm his nerves— God, I hope Reki didn’t hear that. Telling himself he was capable enough to at least move now, Langa finally placed his palm in Reki’s and stood in front of him.
He’s still holding my hand.
Clearing his throat, with his free hand, Langa reached into the pocket of his jeans, pulling out his phone and scrolling through his music. Finding nothing suitable for the kind of dancing they were going for, he opted for a simple jazz song he for some reason had downloaded who knows when and why. He placed his phone on the bench beside them and slowly the song faded in, and the soft sounds of the saxophone and piano played in the background.
Adjusting himself back in front of Reki, one hand still in his, he awkwardly chuckled. “Sorry, this is all I got for music.”
Reki smiled. “I like it. I think it’s very… us,” he says a bit quieter.
Langa sharply inhaled at an attempt to calm his flipping heart. If he kept taking forever to do something next, Reki would definitely get suspicious, even for how oblivious he can be.
“Yeah, um,” Langa quickly said before the silence stretched too long. “Let’s start now.”
Perking up, Reki quickly adjusted his feet and arms. “Okay!” Reki said giddily. “What’s the first step?”
“Um, first step… put your hand on my shoulder and I’ll um…” Langa faltered. He had to put his hand on Reki’s waist now. Oh my god, it’s all happening right now. “...I’ll uh, put my h-hand on your waist.”
Reki bobbed his head confidently and did as told, placing his free hand on Langa’s shoulder. He glanced back at Langa with that same look of determination he always has when trying something new; like with skateboarding.
Langa quickly moved his own hands now, anything to not make this awkward and ruin the moment. He gripped Reki’s hand a little tighter as he lifted their arms up together and then he— finally, but hesitantly— placed his other hand on Reki’s waist. The light touch nearly caused his brain to short-circuit, but he needed to relax because this is for Reki. He’s teaching Reki. None of this is actually happening.
“Okay now, just… follow me I guess?” Langa said uncertainly. “You’ll get the hang of it eventually. When I step back, you step forward. We just keep doing that while swaying. Yeah?”
“O-Okay,” Reki said a little less confidently now. “But don’t get mad if I step on your feet, okay,” he said with a laugh. Despite all the nervousness that was running through his veins, Reki’s smile could make him forget everything and anything. It made him feel like everything would be okay. Almost as if it’s contagious, Langa couldn’t help but give a smile of his own.
“I would never get mad at you,” he said simply, like it was a fact— because it was. That smile of the boy in front of him suddenly putting him much more at ease, Langa took the first step forward causing an unexpecting Reki to suddenly move himself backwards clumsily. Reki laughed shyly in front of him.
Langa took a moment to listen to the rhythm of the song and as he began to grasp it, he moved his feet again, this time swaying the both of them a little as well. Reki kept his eyes glued to his feet, hyperfocused on not stepping on Langa’s feet.
“Look at me, Reki,” Langa says gently.
Reki quickly snapped his head up to look at him and he had a cheesy grin on his face. “Heh, my bad.” Reki managed to keep his eyes up for about two seconds, but maybe Langa shouldn’t have said that because Reki did in fact end up stepping on his foot a second later.
“Oh, sorry! Sorry!” Reki yelped as he quickly pulled his foot back. Reki pouted in embarrassment. So cute. But then he once again fixed his gaze on his feet, determined to not make the same mistake again.
I want to look at his face.
“Reki, relax. Just look at me,” Langa said again. Who was he to talk? Oh well.
Reki slowly lifted his head this time, carefully like if he looked too long he’ll mess up again. Langa smiled gently and rubbed his thumb over Reki’s hand encouragingly.
“Don’t worry about anything else right now, okay? Just follow me,” Langa reassures.
Reki swallowed and closed his eyes before finally nodding. He opened his eyes again, now with that same fierce determination painted across his face from before. Taking that as his queue, Langa moved more confidently now. At first, Reki was still a little clumsy and too cautious of his feet, occasionally still stepping on Langa’s toes. However, just like he always did, he got the hang of this quickly as well.
The moment Langa realized this, Reki had too, as he looked at Langa with the biggest, all teeth, smile of the night.
“Hey, I think I got it!” Reki exclaimed. “What do you think?”
Langa was of course happy, he always wanted to see Reki be able to achieve whatever he ever wanted. However, he can’t help but feel a little disappointed that Reki was able to pick up so quickly. As selfish as it may sound, he was hoping Reki would take time to learn to slow dance so that he can have an excuse to do this another night, or even several more. But he can’t tell Reki that, never.
“Definitely. Nice job, Reki,” Langa said with a smile.
Reki laughed softly in contentment. “Thank you very much, sensei.”
Langa had to roll his eyes for that one as he let out a small scoff. Reki laughed in front of him and Langa felt him grip his hand a little tighter. The butterflies in his stomach were fluttering so hard now it’s almost as if they’re threatening to come out of his throat at any moment. They continued dancing in comfortable silence; in the middle of the skatepark, one random night, there they were swaying back and forth to the rhythm of an unknown jazz tune. Just them, the music and the stars.
Now that Reki was a bit more confident, Langa could actually focus on his face now rather than the top of his head. He could see his eyes up close now— those soft, amber eyes. They literally do sparkle in the moonlight. It made the stars now in the sky seem dull in comparison. I’m so cheesy, I swear. And those eyes… they were looking right into Langa’s right now and he could feel his heart pounding in his chest harder by each passing second. He can’t be the only one to notice the current atmosphere, right? They continued to hold their gazes as they swang side to side and Langa could feel his cheeks getting warm. No, they were burning. If he continued to stare he might just—
That possibility alone caused Langa to unintentionally drop his gaze to Reki’s lips. He still held that gentle smile from before. Reki’s smile, he loved it so much. He really did. And it’s so beautiful. He’s so beautiful.
If this were a movie, this is when they would kiss, right? Under the moon and stars, just the two of them dancing to a song neither of them knew the name of. But unlike a movie, life goes on. There’s no script to tell you what comes next and Langa… he’s not ready to face what could happen if he kissed Reki right now.
Almost like a blessing, or a curse, the music in the background got quieter and quieter until it was just the sound of their feet sliding across the pavement. Slowly coming to a stop, Reki and Langa stood there, still in their dancing position until Reki slowly dropped his hands to his side, forcing Langa to do so as well.
The pleasant silence vanished and it was too quiet now. Langa was still stuck in the moment, not bothering to think of what to say or do next. He was too flustered and honestly too happy to focus on anything else. It’s like the dull realm of his mind had been cleared up and a large rainbow spread across just from one small three minute dance with best friend. The rainbow is ironic, isn’t it?
However, Reki did end up filling the silence.
“Well, I think I did a good job for a first timer, huh?” Reki cheerfully asked, his eyes practically sparkling as he wiggled his eyebrows.
Langa didn’t care enough anymore to act nonchalant or like he was upset Reki proved him wrong. He was too lost in his happiness to bother. He was grinning mindlessly as he sighed and patted Reki’s upper arm.
“You did great, Reki,” he says.
Reki gave him one of his signature smiles, the one so big his eyes were squeezed shut, as he let out a small giggle.
Langa couldn’t help it. Sure he was slightly disappointed that he would probably never dance like this for real with Reki and he would never get to hold him so close in such a matter again. But, this… seeing Reki so ecstatic and happy… This was Langa’s favorite sight and it gave him the best feeling in the world.
He was already so lucky to have Reki in his life whichever way it is. That’s more than enough.
Snapping him out of his fuzzy thoughts, Reki threw his arm around Langa’s shoulders once again. “Thanks for teaching me, dude. I’m not perfect, but thanks to you, now I at least got an idea,” Reki said.
“No problem,” Langa replied casually.
He heard Reki hum in acknowledgment beside him and then turn his head upward towards the stars. Langa wanted to follow Reki’s eyes, see where his mind would be at. But his gaze couldn’t be pulled away from Reki— it never could be.
Under that pale moonlight, Reki truly, truly, was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He had said the same about sunset Reki as well. But really,
All of Reki, every Reki, is beautiful in its own way. But always just as beautiful as the others.
“Today was a good day. Right, Langa?” Reki softly asked after a moment.
Not giving it a second thought, Langa easily answered. “Yeah… it was a good day.”
The two of them stood there quietly for a minute, just gazing at the stars, before Reki pulled his arm back to his side and pointed to the bench where they had left their skateboards.
“I’m beat, you ready to go?” Reki asked.
While Langa was upset the night had already ended so quickly, wanting to live in it forever, he couldn’t deny that he was actually tired.
They had gone to school, then skated for hours, and then… danced. But at the same time, even though he was physically tired, he knew there was no way he could sleep tonight. Not with the perfect night he just had with Reki. Still, he nodded his head.
They grabbed their skateboards and the two of them skated their way out of the skatepark, swerving through the empty streets of Okinawa until they reached the point of their routes where they parted ways.
Hopping off their skateboards, they did their handshake, as always spending an extra few seconds at the end on the infinity sign.
“9am by the pole tomorrow?” Reki confirmed.
Langa nodded. “Of course, 9am by the pole.”
To that Reki smiled and hopped onto his skateboard.
“See you tomorrow, Reki,” Langa said, waving him goodbye.
“See ya!” Reki said with a grin as he rolled off down the street.
—
Leaning back into his chair, one corner of Langa’s lips turn upward and he lets out a quiet huff through his nose.
“That was a good day. Right, Reki?” Langa says with his eyes trained to the ceiling.
No response.
“Tell me, Reki. It was a good day, right?” Langa repeats.
Silence, once again. Except for the beeping in the back— that damn beeping.
His gaze still fixated on the ceiling above him, Langa clenches his jaw as he grips the sides of his chair. Eyes squeezed shut, he forces himself to think of something, anything, to calm him. Skating? His parents? His friends? Reki?...
Langa’s eyes snap open but now everything… Everything seemed to be brighter— the white lights, the white walls, the white blanket, the white coat the man outside was wearing.
Langa leans forward, placing his elbows on his legs and burying his head in his hands.
“Wake up and tell me, Reki.” Langa said through gritted teeth. “Tell me it was a good day.”
Silence. Except now he can hear pounding in his ears.
“Wake up. Wake up. Wake up…”
Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up.
“Wake up, Reki!” Langa yelled as he sprung from his seat.
He stood at the edge of the bed, fists clenched and body shaking. Everything around him was suddenly blurred, the only thing in his sight being him.
His head ached painfully and his chest rose and sank heavily as if he were underwater and had finally come up for air. He was breathing too hard, he knew.
Was I even breathing before this?
“Sir…”
Now I can’t breathe. How do you breathe again?
“Sir...”
My nails… they’re digging into my skin. It hurts.
“Sir, please,” a stern, but small voice says. A hand is gently placed on Langa’s shoulder causing him to snap his head up and turn to face the person.
The white clothing again. No coat.
“Sweetie,” she begins again warily. “Visiting hours will be over in ten minutes. But, we also think it would be best if you left now. Yelling…” she pauses. “...may not be good for the patient.”
With her free hand she motions to the door in front of them and very softly pushes at Langa’s shoulder to get him moving.
Langa blinks hard at an attempt to recollect himself.
He didn’t exactly process what she had just said but by the way she was slightly nudging at his shoulder and with his mom standing outside the doorway, he supposed he had to leave.
He grabs his backpack and skateboard, which were leaning on the wall to the side in its usual spot, and he starts to make his way out before pausing in his movement.
He thickly swallows as he allows his shoulders to drop. With a sigh, he forces himself to plaster the smallest smile he possibly could on his face and turns his head back ever so slightly— just to catch a glimpse.
“See you tomorrow, Reki.”
Silence, again.