Chapter Text
Langa was a fan of smoothies. He liked the idea that you could put basically anything in it and it would turn out tasting good. Smoothies were basically his only source of vitamins at this point.
So yeah, Langa would go to this sketchy smoothie shop a couple of times a week.
It was on a random street a 10-minute walk away from the main town square. It was a little out of the way, and dingy. Covered in graffiti, stickers, and numbers with ‘call me for a good time’ written above it. It seemed a bit seedy for a smoothie shop but Langa told himself it gave it character. Forget the Booster Juice a block away from his apartment.
He was happy to walk the extra distance just to support a local business.
It seemed every single time he went, it was the same boy working. This boy with obnoxiously spikey hair, a stupid headband, and horribly clashing clothes under his bright purple apron. It featured a large sparkling smoothie emblazoned on the front, often covered with splashes and stains of wet and drying fruit muck.
He was always smiling wide and laughing. It made Langa wanna curl up in a ball and roll back out the door and down the cracked pavement he originally traveled down to get here.
“Snow!” The boy with spiked-up hair shouted when Langa walked in. He froze in place, one hand still pushing open the door. Could he attempt to duck down until he was just a pebble on the cracked linoleum? He supposed he was too late with stupid-headband-boy looking at him with squinty eyes that made him resemble a content cat. He wondered if he would purr from a pat to the belly.
Langa’s eyes widened and looked away blushing. God, he was so weird.
Langa wondered if it was rude to have so many mentally noted nicknames for the boy, but after all, stupid-headband-boy had one of his own. Snow. It came from his light blue hair and matching greenish-blue eyes he assumed, or the fact he came from a town in Canada awkwardly placed between Vancouver and Whistler. The redhead seemed endlessly fascinated with the idea of Langa being a foreigner as someone who had never left the small island prefecture, Okinawa.
“So you’ve returned,” stupid-headband-boy said slyly, practically crawling over the counter with the way his body leaned towards the taller boy.
“So it seems.” Langa stood stiffly, finally walking further into the small shop and hearing the small tinny bell above the door ring when he let go of it. “Mom says I need my vitamins.”
“Well you came to the right place,” the shorter boy winked, “I can get you a high dose of some vitamin D,” stupid-headband-boy instantly turned a shade close to his hair, “I-I mean. We-we um,” he stuttered over his words, ”manager Oka got in new fortified soy milk.” He rushed out, almost too quick to hear. His face was burning and he wanted to smash his head against the counter.
“Oh,” Langa simply stated, face like stone. He shrugged, “sure, make whatever.”
The shorter boy seemed to cut his eyes down like he was upset and Langa frowns, he doesn’t know why he looks so torn up but it doesn’t look right on him.
Stupid-headband-boy- Reki - he tries to tell himself, (that’s what his name tag said at least on the dirty apron) walked away from the cash counter. Langa quickly whipped his head away and mentally slapped himself when he found his eyes trail down the boy’s lithe frame hidden in baggy clothes to his sizeable ass. Why was he like this?
“So um...” the redhead started a few seconds after placing a bunch of frozen and fresh berries on the counter next to a large industrial blending machine. Langa’s eyes widened and hoped and prayed the smaller boy didn’t feel his eyes on his backside, “are you... Are you up to anything this weekend?” Reki turned around, making eye contact with Langa before quickly turning back around to slice up an apple and slowly place the individual slices in the blender.
Langa’s feet shifted side to side awkwardly. Was Reki blushing?
Langa wet his lips looking down. Why was Reki asking him what he was doing on the weekend? His eyebrows furrowed and looked up at where Reki’s back was facing him. He looked tense. Langa wanted to grab his shoulders and massage them. Woah, Woah back up. Why was he thinking like this?!
“I’m- um. I’m not really up to much,” God, now he was gonna think he was a no-good loser with no friends. “-I mean y’know I’ll probably um... talk to some friends and see what’s... going on.”
“Oh! Well um if you want...” Reki started, sounding excited but his tone slowly grew in hesitation. He was throwing all the frozen fruits in the blender now and pouring what looked like milk on top, “My um... my friend Joe is throwing a big party at his house. He told me to invite some people if I wanted to...” Reki trailed off, putting the cap back on the milk, and turned towards Langa. He looked up at him with large eyes that were lined in kohl.
Langa just blinked at him. Why was Reki talking about his friend Joe’s party?
“Um, so if you wanted to come... it would be cool if you did,” Reki looked up at him with sparkling Disney princess eyes and Langa’s mouth went dry for some reason. He must’ve been getting really thirsty after watching Reki make his drink. “-I mean you can bring your friends with you.”
Langa instantly cursed himself for making up friends. He really didn’t have many. Or any. But he gave himself the excuse that he was new here... maybe this party could be the key to new friends? Maybe Reki could be his friend. Langa felt himself blush at the thought.
“Sure. Yes. I would like to go to this party.” Langa agreed. It sounded almost robotic. God, he was a freak.
Reki’s face positively beamed. Him standing in a grimy, beat-down smoothie shack reminded Langa of the sun taking over a gloomy day.
“Great! That’s awesome!” Reki’s face looked like it would crack in half and Langa was practically on fire.
The redhead turned around back towards the blender and a loud buzzing filled the shop when Reki turned it on.
Langa stared down at his beat-up converse until the noise stopped and the other boy turned around, smoothie in hand.
“Here you go! It was made with love!” He handed over the smoothie, his free hand behind his neck, scratching at his hairline.
Reki’s face looked kind of red, the taller boy pondered as he grabbed the smoothie from his hands. His fingernails were painted a pretty shade of light blue Langa noted.
“Thank you,” he replied tersely as he pulled out his wallet to pay.
The cash register made little ping noises as it slid open and Reki ripped off the receipt and jotted something on it.
The shorter boy slammed the bill into Langa’s hands, making him fumble for it so it didn’t flutter to the ground.
“Bye Snow!!” Reki shouted before turning around and practically running to the large walk-in freezer behind the blender.
Langa lifted an eyebrow curiously. Reki was kind of weird.
He quickly cursed himself when he realized he didn’t get the address to the party. He really would have liked friends.
The fair-skinned boy turned out the shop, leaving a little bell noise in his absence. He sucked at his straw and practically moaned at the taste. Reki was really good at the whole making smoothies thing.
As he walked along the cracked cement sidewalk, he glanced down at the receipt noticing something scribbled on the bottom.
Text me for the party details!!!
With a number and a little sketch of a yeti.
Langa quickly placed the receipt safely in his pocket, putting his hand in after so it couldn't flutter out to the floor.
His stomach felt like there were maggots crawling around in it and his cheeks felt like he was sitting next to a bonfire.
Weird.