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I.
reki doesn’t know when he notices.
he can’t even remember thinking it strange, having accepted the fact that langa — for as shy as he could be — was never one to be bashful when it came to the topic of sharing meals. ever since that first day on the school rooftop, when he had caught a glimpse of the contents inside reki's bento and had practically begged for a piece of his lunch, reki never thought it was weird.
friends share with each other, right? that’s just to be expected in any friendship. and langa liked to eat. so common sense would dictate that obviously he’s going to want to have some of whatever reki is having.
who cares if they ordered the same thing? maybe one was prepared a little better than the other.
reki said he doesn’t know when he first notices — but that’s a lie. he notices after a particularly tiring skate session with miya and langa at the skatepark, when the water bottle in his hands was thrown over to where langa laid sprawled against the concrete. he only notices because of the weird look miya was giving him. he almost wishes he had never noticed.
“ what? did you want water too? you’re gonna have to buy your own ; when langa gets like that, he pretty much finishes the whole bottle. “
“ are you two sharing that water? “
reki isn’t exactly sure why that made him pause. maybe something in his tone, almost accusatory in nature / as if miya had just discovered them both with their hands in the cookie jar. “ yeah? we normally do. saves money on us both having to buy water bottles. besides, i don’t usually tend to finish so it’s easier to just pass it to lan— “
“ wait— pause. “ and reki can’t say he’s a fan of being so rudely interrupted. especially when miya had that look on his face, the look he wore whenever he was about to cause some problems on purpose. “ you two have been sharing your water? you’ve both been drinking water out of the same bottle? “
“ yeah? why are you making it sound like a big deal? it’s just water. it’s not like either one of us has some crazy contagious cold or anything. “ although reki had taken a bite out of langa’s burger once when he had been nursing the last stages of a fever, only for reki to end up sick a few days later... no, that wouldn’t help prove his point. he keeps that to himself.
“ it’s no big deal, you’re right. “ miya says nonchalantly, with a shrug of his shoulders and a turn of his body that told reki he definitely wasn’t right. “ you two have just been indirectly kissing this entire time but i’m glad to hear you don’t mind. “
and honestly, miya just knew what to say to ruin a good thing. or well — not ruin. nothing was ruined, per say. except the realization had left a bucket of what felt like rocks sitting in the pit of reki's stomach and had his face turning at least four different shades of red in the span of seconds. because while nothing had been ruined, reki has now started to become incredibly aware of langa every time a drink was shared or the same chopsticks were used to offer pieces of lunch to each other. eyes would immediately follow the trail down his arm only to inevitably end on langa’s face, focusing on his eyes first before subconsciously trailing down his cheeks / past his nose / to where his mouth was / to where his lips were and ——
but it wasn’t weird. langa was handsome, literally everyone knew that. reki knew that. langa was ridiculously handsome so it’s not weird that sometimes reki would catch himself gazing at him, completely lost in thoughts.
but friends stared at each other all the time. friends admired each other’s good looks. friends shared drinks and meals and maybe sometimes indirectly kissed and none of that was weird.
right?
II.
reki doesn’t know why he said it.
the words just sort of leave him before he can really stop them, eyes locked on and refusing to leave the my melody bandaid he had wrapped around langa’s finger. he’ll blame it on the force of habit / too used to saying the exact same things to nanaka and chihiro whenever they ended up tripping and scraping their palms against the ground. except it wasn’t weird when he said it to them, because those were his sisters.
not that it was weird with langa.
it wasn’t.
it was super not weird.
reki wouldn’t make it weird.
so maybe after wrapping the cute pink bandaid around his finger, he had offered to kiss it better. that wasn’t weird. it was just instinct for him to say it at this point, a natural response to his big brother mode activating. his mother had done the same for him countless times growing up, pressing a healing kiss to every cut and bruise received which would magically cause the injury to disperse in a few days time. she had transferred the magic onto him and now he was the resident healer of the kyan household, the one the girls went to when there was a bruise on the elbow / a cut to the cheek / a scrape on the knee.
it had been nothing but habit, he reasons. it wasn’t weird to offer some of that magic to langa.
and when langa agrees, it still wasn’t weird. because langa was so langa that of course he’d agree, he probably didn’t think anything of it and was just humoring reki, having seen the protective way reki can be with his sisters. langa probably thought this was just another instance of reki acting like a mother hen.
so reki doesn’t let himself think too much on it ( because there wasn’t anything to think about, this wasn’t weird so stop overthinking and making things weird ) even when he's taking langa's hand in his / raising the injured finger to press a quick kiss to the cloth.
he tries not to think about it too much, tries to mark it down as just a stupid request because he opened his dumb mouth and oblivious langa just wasn’t aware of it having a deeper meaning. not that it did have a deeper meaning, because it didn’t. there isn’t anything more to this is what he repeats to himself, is what he says to swallow down the blush that’s starting to form because he knew there wasn’t.
instead, all he does is offer a laugh ; sprinkled with embarrassment and a little forced around the edges. anything to be able to move forward from this and go back to skating / to bailing against the concrete and laughing.
to things that weren't weird.
he springs onto his feet, already skating off with a challenge thrown over his shoulder and refuses to meet langa’s eyes for the rest of the evening.
III.
it still wasn’t weird.
there was nothing strange or suspicious about dreaming about your best friend. friends were allowed to dream about each other and have it mean absolutely nothing — and it wasn’t even the first time reki has ever dreamt of anyone. too many times has he seen those in his daily life appear in dreams he never quite manages to remember the next day / something so common that it definitely couldn’t be labeled as a weird occurrence.
dreaming about langa wasn’t weird. it wasn’t even the first time he’s ever dreamt about langa before ( which isn’t weird because langa was so important to him as his best friend / it’s only natural that someone with such influence in his life would appear randomly in his subconsciousness as well ) and reki knew it probably wasn’t going to be the last.
what was a little weird was what had happened during the dream. because while dreaming about langa wasn’t strange, dreaming about kissing him was.
even now, as he stared up at his ceiling with wide eyes and his sleepshirt uncomfortably stuck to the sweat on his back, he couldn’t even believe it. couldn’t believe he had dreamt something so.. embarrassing. something so weird.
the fact that reki was more annoyed at having woken up in the first place rather than anything else was what he really couldn’t believe —— because it hadn’t been a bad dream. it was actually a really good dream. one of the best reki has had in a long time, coming only second to the one time he dreamt he was the red super sentai ranger ( which was no offense to langa but was there anything cooler than being the red ranger? reki didn’t think so! )
but even thoughts of cool blasters and giant robots wasn’t enough to wipe away the residue of the dream from his mind as reki thought back to it ; to the smile langa had on when he placed his hand against reki's cheek, the one that was usually only reserved for when he was so engrossed in the thrills of skating / to the way he was so confident ( and still a little unsure of himself ) in guiding reki along, putting any and all anxiety at ease / to the way he had been illuminated by some unknown light, looking almost ethereal ( cherry had taught him the meaning of the word, but langa was the one who helped give it meaning ) in the glow that reki wondered how had he managed to become so lucky / to the way reki had let out such a sigh in the middle of it all, as if saying finally, finally, you’re finally here and i can finally breathe.
but it still wasn’t weird. it wasn’t weird because it wasn’t like reki was the one actively thinking about this — it was miya who put all of this in his head with that indirect kissing comment. he was the one responsible for the intrusive thoughts that plagued reki daily and for the way he'd fumble with words more often than usual and for the way his hands would just immediately start getting sweaty whenever langa looked his way.
yeah. this was all miya's fault.
so it’s not weird because it wasn’t reki’s fault for thinking about kissing his best friend. none of this was weird.
it wasn’t weird but it was annoying —— because now he was wide awake with sleep being the farthest thing on his mind. he tries to sleep, though. to be well rested for tomorrow.
so what if when he meets with langa the next day on their way to school, his eyes naturally drift down to stare at his smile? that wasn’t weird. and if he skates just a little tiny bit closer? that still wasn’t weird.
there was nothing weird about this.
IV.
okay, maybe there was something weird about this.
there was something weird but reki couldn’t really place his finger on what, because it’s not like there was anything weird about what they were doing. he had been excited to show langa a new video uploaded by their favorite youtube channel, had dragged him back to his room once arriving home. a quick shout of greeting was given to his mom ( and a shout of langa will play with you later! to his sisters ) and then the door was closed behind him, phone already out to quickly search things up.
bag was thrown ceremoniously to the corner of his room ( langa was at least careful to put his down gently ) and then both flopped onto the bed, quick to shuffle into their usual Watching Videos™ position.
“ you have to see the powerslide this guy does! it’s insane, and then when he leads it into a kickflip? sheeesh! man, and don’t even get me started on the skateboard he’s using— “ he’s begun rambling as he tends to do, already too focused on retelling descriptions rather than actually looking up the video for langa to see. but there weren’t any voice of complaints from langa as reki rambled, and it’s only when reki stops to breathe does he notice that langa has been just staring at him for the past couple minutes, smiling a weird sort of smile that reki can’t remember if he’s ever seen before.
“ ah— sorry. i was rambling again, wasn’t i? “
“ you were. “ it’s weird, the way langa’s smile grows. “ but it was nice. i like hearing you speak. “
“ c’mon, dude.. “ compliments from langa ( from anyone , his brain tries to reason, not specifically from langa ) always leave him with a splash of color across the face, embarrassment at a full time high. “ if you see i start rambling, you should tell me to stop! so i can get back on track. “
“ why? you get really happy when you start rambling. your eyes light up and you get this smile on your face. sometimes, if you’re really into what you’re talking about, you start bouncing. like you’re excited to talk. “
and okay, maybe that wasn’t weird. maybe langa was just really observant ( which wouldn’t be surprising, considering how he’s usually so quiet! if he's not talking, maybe he's just watching? ) and he’d just picked up on those things. with how close they are — close like friends, since they’re best friends — it wouldn’t be weird that he knew him that well. it wouldn’t be weird how much of reki he’s discovered.
and so, it wasn’t weird that reki found himself touched at the sentiment. that he had found a safe place here, to ramble on without end because langa wouldn’t get frustrated at the lack of destination to his words or wouldn’t get irritated at hearing his voice drone on and on and on. reki knew more than anyone that he couldn’t stop / that he was a faucet that just gushed when given the slightest opportunity to run and run and run and the breaks only came when his breath ran out and he needed to refill his lungs with air — and then he was right back to talking.
it was an annoying habit of his and reki knew that.
it was an annoying habit of his and yet, langa let him speak.
“ you.. “ it’s a directionless conversation starter, because reki didn’t know where to go from here. he didn’t know what to say in response, rendered speechless —— rendered completely embarrassed. so he lets his gaze drop and tries his best to make it look like he was pouting / like he was upset at being complimented at such a point blank range. but weird langa must’ve infected him somehow, because he felt like he had a weird smile of his own in place / a smile that didn't feel all that used and yet familiar all the same.
“ thanks, langa.. “ and there it was again, that weird feeling that’s been hanging between them all day / except this time it was uncomfortably more noticeable, sitting heavy with that bucket of rocks reki has had in his stomach ever since those days ago. but reki didn’t work well in uncomfortable spaces, he didn’t want things to be weird. not here, not between them. so he reaches over to playfully shove at langa’s shoulder, pushing him with a laugh. “ but now when i end up talking your ears off? know you have nobody but yourself to blame! “
“ i won’t blame myself. “ and langa says it with such complete confidence that reki almost believes him right there and then. “ and you don’t have to thank me for anything. i already told you i like hearing you talk. “ and now langa returns that playful shove, smile still swimming around in that weird territory.
but reki chooses to focus instead on the shoving part, finding it easier to focus on a challenge rather than what langa’s words are doing to his heart. so he pushes him back with another laugh, this time with the intention to fully push langa off his bed. it’s only fair, for the embarrassment he’s gone through.
but langa was taller by a few centimeters, thanks to some cruel universal joke, and so it takes more energy and strength for reki to even get close to pushing him off the bed.
which he never actually ends up doing it.
instead, the shoving elicited the wrath of langa — which was how they both found themselves in a weird sort of wrestling struggle, the youtube video now long forgotten. though it wasn’t too long before langa had reki completely pinned, something that reki would definitely normally categorize as weird any other day if not for the fact that he was too engrossed in laughing and catching his breath from the sudden physical activity.
but once he’s down from that high, then he finally notices. and boy — does the realization hit like a train. or well, would a better comparison be like a car? since he’s never been hit by a train before but — well, whatever.
the point is that the realization hits.
and with langa leaning over him, hair falling down and framing his face in such a way.. maybe it was a little weird, the reaction seeing him like this / having him like this brought out of reki. cheeks flushed to match the color of his hair and somewhere in the middle of his throat, he felt his beating heart get stuck. because being pinned under langa this way meant there was nowhere to look but at him ; at his eyes / at his hair / at his lips —— and reki had been trying so hard to keep the attention away from there, ever since his dream.
but there was no escaping now, nowhere else to look now, and maybe it was a little weird how not weird this whole thing felt to him despite how close langa was, despite how close langa was getting because he was getting closer ( or was that wishful thinking on reki’s part? ) and it should be weird, this should be weird but it wasn’t / it wasn’t / it was never weird / it’s never been weird ——
and then the door swings open before any more space between them could be lost and suddenly there was nothing but space between them. reki stays staring up at the spot where langa used to be / where he had been before jolting back out of surprise as koyomi, chihiro, and nanaka all run into the room, declaring that he’s played with langa long enough and that it was their turn now. reki can’t even offer any sort of retort back, can't bring himself to glance over to them, can't do anything but lay on his bed and stare at the lights and digest what they had been mere seconds away from doing.
( had he looked, he would've noticed the gleam in koyomi's eyes / looking as if she had just learned a very interesting secret )
he lets langa get dragged away and it takes reki forty minutes before he can will himself to get out of bed and go save him from his sister's clutches.
if things are weird between them, then reki pretends like he doesn’t notice. because maybe things aren’t weird between them. maybe things were completely normal between them, since they were just a couple of best friends.
or maybe langa was the one who was a little weird. maybe it was reki. maybe it was both.
( maybe it was okay that things between them were a little weird. )
V.
reki doesn't know why it takes him so long to notice.
it makes so much sense now, like how everything always does once you get the chance to examine it afterwards. that weird way he had reacted to indirectly kissing langa / the weird way he had acted at kissing langa’s finger / the weird dreams of langa / the weird feelings of how not weird the actual idea of kissing langa was ——
and it wasn’t that reki was an idiot, despite how much he loved to act a fool. he wasn’t as oblivious as langa ( who wasn’t as oblivious as people liked to think ) and he was quick to notice shifts in the emotional stability of another / could tell when there was something just a tiny bit off. he had passing grades in all his classes ( if you just ignored english ) and the amount of street smarts he had rolled off him in waves! so the issue hadn’t been that reki was too stupid to realize.
the issue was that he had actually realized incredibly early on and decided that denial was the only logical road to take.
reki had been in complete and total denial about his feelings for langa / had been internally rationalizing and diminishing everything felt in poor attempts at returning to normality. but even that was like saving a sinking ship, already too far gone to even bother.
but still, he had bothered.
because reki wasn’t an idiot, he knew that langa was just so incredibly out of his league. and that’s not even said in a sort of self pitying sort of manner — that was just the reality of the situation. where reki was obnoxiously loud, langa remained cool and composed. where reki was adequately decent in the skating world, langa had flourished with unmatched skill and potential. where reki was… okay in the looks department, langa looked as if plucked from a dream.
and it wasn’t as if reki wasn’t aware / as if he didn’t know how incredibly lucky he was that someone like langa had decided on someone like reki for a best friend. not a day goes by where reki isn’t thankful for the friendship built between them.
and that was probably another factor to push forward his denial of feelings agenda ; the fear of losing this. of tasting the bitterness of solitude, of seeing everything fall apart until it would just be reki all alone, again.
so the smartest option was to just deny it all. hope the feelings went away all on their own and then skate off into the platonic friendship with langa.
except of course they didn’t go away.
of course things just continued to grow and grow with every passing day, reaching a boiling point that nearly spilled over that day in reki's room.
reki doesn’t know why it took him so long to realize that there was no way these feelings would just pack their bags one day and move on to the next skater boy who was hopelessly in love with his best friend. he has fallen way too hard to think that just walking away would be a feasible option.
which just left him the question of ; what was he going to do about these feelings?
well — nothing! or at least, that’s his gut reaction. but reki knew that nothing was what he’s been doing already and it hasn’t done him any good. not one single good thing has come out of just ignoring these feelings.
but if stubbornly ignoring the way looking at langa made him want to swallow his own tongue was no longer an option, what else was there for reki to do?
well — confess!
which sounded like an absolutely terrible and horrifying idea and yet here reki was, contemplating it all the same. why? because he loved bad ideas. he makes sure to follow through with at least one bad idea a day!
so the bad idea for today would be —— confessing to langa.
yeah, okay. easy. no problem. he won’t even break a sweat.
( he’s so screwed. )
the bright side of it all was that there really wasn’t any room for second thoughts or doubts or common sense to catch up with reki because he had langa just a few feet away from him, waiting for reki to return with the ( singular ) bottle of water he had just bought them.
all he had to do was focus on the bright side of things / focus on all the good that could come from baring his heart and not on the horrible, terrible, absolutely awful negatives.
on the positive!
and oh , how good the good could be. to reach out and touch whenever the urge arised without restraint / to have the space to openly stare and appreciate for hours on end / to finally justify these weird feelings, to give them a name worth their weight. because what if by some miracle, langa felt the same? what if he wanted to hold reki's hand just as badly as reki wanted to hold his? did he want to spend lunch break sitting just a little closer, the same way reki did? did he want to stay for the night but leave the spare futon in the hallway closet, opting instead to share reki's rinky dink bed, which was definitely not big enough for the two of them?
he didn’t know. he didn’t know and that helped reki take that first step. because he so desperately wanted to know.
he lets the sweet ideals push him forward, ignores the dread that weighs his feet down. and when langa glances up from whatever he had been looking at on his phone and gives reki that weird smile again, his heart stills / his breath falters / his insecurities rush and there’s no helping the dread of what if he doesn’t feel the same? what if i ruin something good between us? what if?
like the bracing of your body before colliding against the concrete / like the anticipation on a rollercoaster before hitting that first drop / like the steeling of nerves before ripping off a bandage, reki feels himself tense — pulled taut like a wire mere seconds before snapping.
what if he doesn’t like me?
what if he does?
oh, but what if he does?
reki snaps.
“ i like you. “
and in that moment? reki didn’t mind passing away on the spot. he’d actually welcome it. if a hole just tore open in the ground under his feet? that would be ideal. because despite all the lamenting and all the yearning and the self discovery journey —— reki never considered how to really go about with the whole... confessing part. he had no gameplan, no sauve set up to really sweep langa off his feet.
and because there was no plan, what had he done instead? panic. panic and open his dumb mouth and just blurt out the first thing that came to mind which just had to be those three words.
damn — where’s that guy with his car to run him over now that he needs it?
“ what? “ and when langa responds with a confused gleam to his eyes and a tilt of the head, reki was ready to call up shadow and have him use his car instead.
in his state of panic, there’s no helping the stream of words that leave him.
“ like a friend! and also not like a friend. i mean, i like you as my friend obviously since you’re my best friend but lately i’ve been having these weird feelings? and i tried not to think about them because it’s weird, you’re my best friend and we have such a good thing between us already and i don’t want to ruin us but i’ve been feeling those weird feelings so much lately, i can’t go a day without thinking about the way your eyes crinkle when you laugh or the wrinkle you get between your eyebrows when you’re really concentrated on something ( usually the math homework ) or how— “ reki has to pause here because he’s used up all the air in his lungs but there was still so much more to say / so much that he wants to say now that he’s finally begun speaking but the words become jumbled together in his mind / on his tongue, that now he’s begun to stutter, has started tripping over in the rush.
but it works out in the end because throughout the entirety of that nonsensical rambling, reki had failed to notice that langa was no longer standing where he used to be standing. nope, now he was actually standing a lot closer. like —— right in front of reki closer. how did reki not notice langa get this close? how long has he been standing right here? eyes widen, cheeks burn hotter than the sun, and the realization that there wasn’t as much space as originally thought had the buzzing in reki's mind go dead silent / mind completely blank of any and all thoughts except for ; langa’s so close, langa is so close and he’s so handsome when he’s this close.
“ reki. “ langa starts and that weird smile on his face has yet to falter / has only gotten a fraction wider ( reki can tell ) and it leaves reki with sweaty palms. gross. “ you’re rambling. “ it didn’t sound like langa minded.
still, best to be safe than sorry. “ ah.. i was rambling. my bad. “ the words sounded far away, as if reki was speaking through layers of cotton in his mouth. “ but i warned you. told you i would talk your ears off. “
and when langa laughs at that, reki felt his heart jump up to his throat. “ i never said it bothered me. i like it when you ramble. i like hearing you speak, remember? “
oh, reki was going to be sick. everything about this — the little distance between them, the way langa was looking at him with that smile and that look in his eyes, the way reki couldn’t even tell if he was breathing — had his stomach in knots / hands clammy, and head swimming like when you stand up too fast from your seat. why was confessing and speaking honestly about your emotions scarier than any stunt ever pulled at s? reki would almost prefer to be skating down a cliff blindfolded.
“ i like a lot of things about you. “ langa says and reki fizzles out on the spot. he couldn’t handle a repeat of what had happened that night in the skate park. before langa can continue singing his praises for him, reki throws a hand up between them.
“ don’t! don’t start complimenting me or turning this around to me, this isn’t about me! or well— it is about me but it’s not about you gushing about me! “
langa has to frown at that. “ that’s not fair, reki. you got to talk about me, why can’t i talk about you? “
“ because i’m confessing my feelings to you! if you start praising me, i’m going to lose my nerve and this is already embarrassing enough as it is! “ and reki has come too far to back down now!
“ well, what if i want to confess my feelings too? “
eh?
pause.
huh?
What?
HUH?!
now hold on. wait — wait a damn minute.
what?
oh, this had to be a prank. this couldn’t be real. what?
“ you— you want to— huuuh!? “
reki needed to sit down. he lost the feeling in his legs.
so he plops himself down, takes a seat in the middle of his board, and lets everything sort of sink in while langa follows him down. or he tries to let it sink in as best as he could, with his mind simultaneously racing and also frozen on what langa had just said.
reki doesn’t even know where to begin, can’t find a proper starting point to sort this whole mess out. all he can offer is a glance at langa, as if pleading for him to miraculously understand everything reki wanted to say in that single look.
when langa shifts to speak, the surprise that maybe telepathy was real was almost enough to momentarily distract him. almost.
“ i like you, too. as a best friend but also as something more. “ reki has never been more jealous of langa than in this instance, for the way he had made those words sound so easy to say. like it was something as obvious and common as discussing the weather. like langa didn’t even have to stop and wonder if that was something he should even be saying — and reki was so jealous. so jealous that langa didn’t overthink things, that he never hesitated to speak what was on his mind. he just spoke, regardless of the trouble it could bring.
and boy, did he bring trouble at times.
“ you... don’t you think it’s weird? “ because for as elated as reki wanted to be, the weird feelings just didn’t seem to leave him be.
“ not really. and even if it was— “ damn his smile / that stupid, weird, stunning smile, “ —we’re pretty weird, aren’t we? “
ah.
he could cry.
he won’t but — he could.
the realization that it was mutual ( that it’s always been mutual ) hits reki now and he’s preparing himself / an excited tremble hitting him hard / body bracing for the jump that he’s about to do when common sense knocks on his door and he asks, “ can i kiss you? is that too soon? because i really want to kiss you right. i’ve been wanting to kiss you for a while actually but i’m not sure when it becomes okay to not ask and just kiss because i’ve never done this stuff bef— “ but langa’s laugh cuts him off, but reki can’t bring himself to care.
“ reki. it’s okay. you don’t have to ask. i’ve been wanting to kiss you, too. “
and that’s really all it took for reki to leap from his seat on the board / jumping out as if touched by a live wire and springing straight into langa. the collision had them both tumbling to the ground in a bundle of laughter / knees scraping against concrete and hands scrambling to find some sort of support, though reki had it easier since he was the one to land on top of langa.
“ i’m going to kiss you now. “ reki repeats once the laughter winds down, the hold he hand on langa’s shirt tightening with his resolve.
“ okay. “ langa responds and reki gives a silent thanks for langa’s endless ocean of patience with him.
he gives a silent thanks for an endless number of things before finally ( finally ) leaning down.
it wasn't the picture perfect kiss everyone imagines their first kiss would be. the sky didn't open to bring down a choir of angels / there wasn't an immediate explosion of flames and fireworks. noses were smooshed together, stray pebbles digging into the skin of their palms and knees through the protection of clothing, lips were chapped and backs were sweaty.
it was the farthest thing from the ideal and reki wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
there was an overwhelming feeling of satisfaction the moment contact was made, as if he had just perfectly landed a trick for the first time in weeks / a rush of euphoria so powerful that it had reki practically trembling. a heavy weight rolls off of him and reki could feel the sigh that leaves his body / could feel those weird feelings melt into something so warm, he swears it’ll burn a langa shaped hole in the center of his chest. for the first time in days, reki breathes easy.
and speaking of breathing — he was so lost in the bliss of finally ( finally! ) kissing langa that reki had completely forgotten about breathing. maybe that was the warmth he felt in his chest.
wide eyed and out of breath is how reki is left when he pulls away, light - headed and feeling like he wasn’t physically in his body / as if he had just left the mortal plane and was flying among the clouds.
although, judging by the glazed over look to langa’s eyes, reki wasn’t the only one completely zoned out at the moment. that was comforting to know — that he wasn’t alone in thinking that that had been the best kiss he’s ever had ( and yes, okay, technically that had been the only kiss reki has ever had but the point still stands! it’s still the best because nothing can compare to it! )
“ reki.. “ langa mutters his name and reki is drawn back down to earth, lead back to him like a moth to a flame. “ can you move a bit? there’s a rock that’s digging into my hand and it’s starting to hurt. “
that’s right — they were at the skatepark.
reki blinks himself back into reality / stares down at the pout on langa’s face as the discomfort grows more and more obvious now that the adrenaline had worn off, and lets himself fall back onto his board with a laugh. because despite everything that literally just happened, here they were, back as if everything was as it always was.
and, well —— why wouldn’t they? why had reki assumed that things would be so different between them? what had he been so worried for?
the concerns now felt so ridiculous that reki had to laugh.
“ c’mon, “ and when he reaches a hand for langa to take / for langa to use to hoist himself back onto his feet, reki doesn’t pull his hand away. and when langa laces their fingers together, reki doesn’t think twice about holding on to him just a little tighter. “ i think the lunch rush at joe’s is probably over by now. let’s go see if we can sweet talk him into giving us a discount. “
langa hums his approval and it takes them roughly fifteen minutes to learn that skating hand in hand wasn’t as easy as videos online made it out to be. but out of stubbornness from both their parts, they manage to figure things out.
“ actually, now that we’re... you know.. “ reki uses his free hand to make a back and forth motion between them, “ dating? actually— wait, we never talked about that! are we dating? can i call you my bo.. boyfriend ? i mean, we kissed and we said we liked each other and it's mutual but i don’t know where.. we stand on the whole thing.. “ reki lets the rambles trail off, staring at the cracks in the cement as he pretends like he didn’t just turn a bright pink hue at the word boyfriend .
langa swings their hand a bit. “ we’re dating, if you want to be dating? because i want to be dating. i want to call you my boyfriend. “
reki makes a mental note to ask him where he learned to just speak without caring about the consequences of his words.
“ then, haha! it’s official! we’re dating. “ he liked the way that tasted on his tongue. “ but what i wanted to ask — now that we’re dating, we don’t have to spend so much money on buying a plate for each of us. we can just share it. “
langa nods in agreement. “ i don’t mind. but are you going to be okay with it, reki? “
“ huh? why wouldn’t i be? “
“ because for the past couple days, you’ve been acting weird when it came to sharing meals. every time i asked for a piece of your lunch in school, you start stuttering and get really red. “
“ wha?! i do not— i haven’t been stutter— you’re weird! don’t point that stuff out! “
and langa now can only laugh / laugh at the way reki puffs up at the callout, at how red his blush has unknowingly gotten, at how despite the stream of whines and faux agitation, reki has yet to let go of their hands.
it was a little weird / and it would be a little weird —— but that was okay. because this was new, uncharted territory for them both so it's only natural things would feel a little weird. because it wouldn't stay weird, would slowly integrate into parts of their daily lives until it was just another normality between the two. so it's okay if things were a little weird.
a little weird was okay.
things were a little weird but so were they.