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Reki’s shivering as he and Langa duck under a bus stop for shelter in the rainstorm. He can hear thunder rolling in the distance. His clothes are soaked through and sticking to his skin - he can’t wait until they get to his house and can change into something warm and dry.
“Ready?” Reki looks to Langa, who’s still catching his breath.
“Ready,” Langa nods and offers his hand to Reki.
Reki holds onto Langas’ hand, still warm despite the cold, and they make a run for it. Rain continues to pelt down onto them, but Reki doesn’t feel nearly as frozen as he did before. Langas’ hand is an anchor of warmth, it makes Reki want to curl up and lay his head on Langas’ chest.
Reki’s thoughts of cuddling a warm Langa are interrupted when Langa looks back at him and laughs. His laughter is always radiant and golden, even when they’re stuck in the middle of a storm. Reki laughs back.
They finally make it down Reki’s street and they sprint the last few feet into Reki’s front yard, still hand in hand. Reki hates that he has to let go of Langas’ hand as he digs into his pocket to get his house key out to unlock the front door. The heat from the home makes Reki sigh happily as he and Langa quickly get inside.
“We’re gonna get rain everywhere,” Langa says, frowning as water drips from their clothes.
“Koyomi!” Reki calls, hoping his younger sister will actually come to their aid.
A head pokes out into the hallway, “Yes?”
“Can you get us some towels?” Reki asks.
“Please!” Langa adds for good measure.
“Fine,” Koyomi answers before disappearing down the hallway.
“It hasn’t rained this hard in so long,” Reki muses, staring out the window as the storm rages on.
“It was fun though,” Langa grins.
Before becoming friends with Langa, Reki would’ve hated getting stuck in the rain. Now he can’t help but think it was fun, too. Langa has a way of brightening up Reki’s world in ways that he never even thought was possible before. Everything seems so much more meaningful and lighthearted when Langas’ around. Reki yearns to spend as much time as he can with Langa and it doesn’t seem like Langa disagrees. They do everything together and Reki loves it. Even when they do nothing, Reki still finds pleasure in Langas’ presence.
“It was,” Reki agrees, easily returning Langas’ smile.
Koyomi returns with the towels and as she goes back down the hallway a chorus of “thank you’s!” follow her. Reki and Langa dry off the best they can and head to Reki’s room.
“Here, let me grab some clothes for you to change into,” Reki says as they enter the room.
“Oh, thanks!” Langa almost seems to be blushing, but Reki can’t tell with his hair covering half his face.
Langa - maybe - blushing makes Reki blush, so he quickly turns to his closet and digs out some comfy clothes for him and Langa to change into.
“I’ll go make us some tea while you change,” Reki says and turns out the door in his still damp clothes before Langa can say anything else.
Once the tea is ready, Reki adds honey to Langas’ cup - he knows he prefers his tea sweet. He grabs some snacks and precariously balances it all as he slowly walks back to his room. Langas’ sitting cross-legged on the floor leaning against his bed, scrolling through his phone, in Reki’s clothes. The sight of him in Reki’s t-shirt and sweats shouldn’t make Reki’s heart pound as much as it does. He knew Langa would be wearing them after all, but Reki still almost melts on the spot.
“Here! Tea and snacks,” Reki says, his voice an octave too high and his cheeks suspiciously red.
“Thanks, Reki,” Langa says as he scrambles up to help him, “You should change, you’re still in wet clothes.”
“Oh, yeah,” Reki says and he knows he’s definitely blushing now.
He and Langa have changed in the same room a hundred times, but it’s usually in a locker room, surrounded by dozens of other yelling boys. It feels strangely more intimate like this. Reki clambers out of his wet clothes as quickly as he can and into dry ones, but Langas’ busy eating a slice of cake and sipping on his tea. Reki can’t help but smile as he realizes how long Langas’ hair has gotten. He doesn’t think Langas’ gotten a haircut in weeks, his hair is past his chin now.
“Let me braid your hair for you,” the words are out of Reki’s mouth before he even realizes what he’s saying.
“You know how to braid?” Langa asks, looking up, his head tilted.
Does this mean Langa might actually want Reki to braid his hair? Reki had expected a flat out no. His fingers already itch to touch Langas’ hair.
“Yeah, I have three little sisters,” Reki laughs.
“Ok, where should I sit?” Langa says.
“There is fine,” Reki replies as he sits on his bed behind Langa.
His fingers almost shake as he reaches out to grab the strands that always frame Langas’ face. Langas’ hair is still a bit wet, but his hair is soft and silky when Reki grabs the first pieces. Langa hums appreciatively and settles in more. Reki thinks he might pass out at any moment.
Although his heart is drumming in his chest, Reki’s fingers are practiced and sure as he braids Langas’ hair back. He wishes it could never end, the feeling of Langas’ hair is nice and even Reki feels relaxed.
“There,” Reki grabs a hair tie he pulls off his nightstand, securing the braid.
Langas’ hand comes up to touch the braid and his fingers brush against Reki’s just for a moment. Even that split second makes Reki’s fingers feel electric, as if they’ve been lit on fire. Every touch with Langa is like that and Reki doesn’t know how he could ever handle even another slight touch like this, yet he craves it more than anything.
“Thanks, Reki!” Langa leans his head backwards and beams up at Reki.
Langa looks so beautiful with his hair back, Reki thinks. He knows he’s definitely blushing, but now with Langa's hair out of his face he can tell Langa's cheeks are a bit pink, too.
“No problem!” Reki smiles back effortlessly.
Later that night when they’re under the covers, warm and comfortable, Reki’s almost half asleep when he hears Langa say something.
“Oh, Reki,” Langa sighs.
Reki almost replies, thinking Langa was going to ask him something, until Langa continues speaking in English.
“You’re so amazing - I don’t know what to do anymore. I like you so much it’s driving me crazy,” Langa continues softly in English, Reki not understanding a word of it.
He doesn’t know if he should somehow signal that he’s awake - to call Langas’ name or to turn over to face him. But Langas’ sighing again and dropping an arm across Reki’s side. Reki always seems to wake up with them cuddling, legs tangled up and arms draped across one another. It’s comforting every single time - Langas’ warmth never ceases to make Reki feel like he’s burning up on the inside.
Reki tries to remember the words Langa said to him, but they’re all scrambled in his sleep-addled mind. Maybe he’ll ask Langa tomorrow morning, Reki thinks as he falls back asleep. Langa is warm and his arm around Reki is a pleasant reminder of his presence. It doesn’t take Reki long to drift off into dreams - dreams that are always about Langa.