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Langa scrolls back through the last messages he exchanged with Reki earlier in the morning before he headed to the airport. For the past two months, he’s been in Tokyo training as part of the Japanese Skateboarding National Team, but now they have a two-week break to go home and rest before returning to resume their preparations for the Olympics. Langa was looking forward to this break more than he admitted.
It wasn’t that Langa disliked skating or spending his days on the board Reki made for him, training with the other top skateboarders in the country—he really did love the sport, it was just that he missed Reki terribly.
“Are you serious?” Miya asks from the seat next to him, scoffing. Langa turns to look at the younger boy, who has both eyebrows raised, a hand off his Switch, and is pulling one side of his headphones away from his ear.
“What?” Langa furrows his brows.
“Are you really sitting there reading the messages you sent to that slime earlier?” Miya makes a face of disgust as he speaks.
“Yes,” Langa replies without hesitation.
Miya rolls his eyes. “You’re going to see him in, like, two hours.”
“I just miss him,” Langa defends himself, but Miya already has the headphones covering both ears again as he sits back in his seat.
“Shut up, I know. We all know,” Miya grumbles, and his eyes are back on the game in his hand.
It’s true. The two of them are currently on a flight back to Okinawa together for the break, as the only two members of the National Team based out of the city. Langa also already knows that Reki will be waiting for him at the airport to pick him up with his mom. Reki originally said that he would come by the Hasegawa home later in the day, but then Langa’s mom had insisted that Reki join her in picking up Langa. The way Reki had blushed when he told Langa this over video chat had been particularly delightful.
This brings Langa to his main quandary right now. While scrolling through the messages on LINE, Langa notices a clear trend: whenever Langa pays any compliment, from the tiniest mention of saying how Reki’s new organization system in his workshop looks good to something more significant regarding how perfect the board Reki made for Langa is and how well it’s been performing for him at practice, Reki completely shuts down. Well, he doesn’t really shut down exactly, but he insists on the conversation stopping right there and moving on to something else, anything else.
As far as Langa is aware, people like receiving compliments. Even Langa can’t help but bask every once in a while when the National Team coach tells him he’s performed well during practice. It’s simply natural. But whenever Langa tries to offer anything in the form of a compliment for Reki, his boyfriend essentially reaches through the phone and pushes his face away, and to be fair, he’s actually done that when they’ve been physically next to each other and Langa dared to tell Reki he looked good in the new orange hoodie he was wearing.
So, yes, Langa is confused because all he wants to do is tell Reki how amazing he is, and Reki keeps denying him this simple desire. Langa tries to find one example in their messages of the past two months where maybe Reki didn’t have a negative reaction, but it appears to be a pipe dream.
One Month Ago
Reki: [1 image attached]
Langa: you and sketchy look cute here :)
Reki: SKETCHY SURE DOES
Langa: And you!
Reki: No I don’t please stop
Langa: Reki :(((
Reki: Stop
Two Weeks Ago
Langa: Reki I miss the bentos you make for me
Reki: don’t they feed Olympic athletes well?
Langa: but it’s not YOUR cooking
Reki: it has to be better than mine
Langa: noooo you make such good bentos reki you’re a good cook!
Reki: stop it, they’re all my mom’s recipes she’s the good cook
Langa: REKI YOU ARE A GOOD COOK!!
Reki: stop it
Reki: I’m going to work now
One Day Ago
Reki: [1 image attached]
Reki: how does it look? ;)
Langa: is that for Joe?
Reki: yeah! he asked me to make a new board for him
Langa: it looks amazing!!
Langa: you’re so talented Reki, you’re a good skater and a good skateboard maker!
Reki: I said to compliment the board not me!
Langa: but I want to compliment you!
Reki: please no
Every single time he tries. Reki shuts him down. Langa wonders if he’s doing something wrong, so he does the logical thing and turns and pokes Miya’s shoulder. He’s going to talk to a friend.
“What?” Miya asks, pausing his game and pulling his headphones down.
“Can I ask you something?” Langa shifts in his seat and glances down at his phone.
“Sounds like you just did,” Miya deadpans, but Langa continues on anyway, electing to ignore Miya talking back.
“It’s about Reki,” Langa expands.
“Okay, what is it?” Miya tilts his head and narrows his eyes warily.
“Whenever I try to compliment him, he doesn’t let me,” Langa explains. “He always tells me to stop.”
For some reason, this makes Miya laugh. “He doesn’t let you? Does the slime know he’s a slime not worthy of compliments or something?”
“He’s not a slime,” Langa frowns. “He’s just, I don’t know,” Langa explains uselessly with a shrug. “He’s just Reki.”
“Amazing,” Miya replies flatly, but then he properly places his Switch on his lap, taking both hands off it, and fully lowers his headphones. “Okay, fine, tell me the whole thing.”
Langa perks up, sitting up straighter in his seat now that Miya seems to be inclined to listen. “I noticed it first when Reki and I made up after our fight. I was telling him that he's such a great skater, and he got so embarrassed and turned red, covering his face. I didn't know if it was just because we were getting over being, um, not okay, but then any time after that I've ever complimented him about anything, Reki doesn't like it. He tells me to stop."
He's about to keep going when Miya raises a hand to signal Langa to stop talking. Langa snaps his mouth shut and waits for Miya to speak, eagerly waiting for the insight his friend will provide him with. "Hey, Langa, are you feeling okay?" Miya finally asks, eyes narrowing as he leans forward into Langa's space to examine his face.
"Um, I feel fine," Langa thinks if anything feels off in his body. He doesn't feel sick, and he puts a hand to his forehead to make sure there's no fever. "No, I'm fine. Why?"
"Oh, because you're asking someone younger than you for relationship advice," Miya snaps back, voice teasing with mischief. A smile that would look innocent on anyone else appears across his lips. "It just seemed like something someone who wasn't well would do."
Langa's shoulders slump. "I was just asking a friend," Langa mumbles softly.
Miya sighs. "Yes, we are, but you have to know which friends to ask what. I can talk to you about skating and video games and which thing on Joe's menu is the best. I don't know what to tell you about relationship issues, blech." Miya sticks his tongue out in disgust.
"But who can I ask, then?" Langa whines. "I can't ask Reki."
"Langa, this isn't that hard," Miya rolls his eyes and picks up his Switch. "How many people do we know in Okinawa? You can ask any of them. Joe would probably help. Shadow might, too. Hell, maybe even Adam. Just don't ask me, okay?"
"Okay," Langa accepts with defeat.
Miya removes one hand from his Switch to reach over and pat Langa lightly on his shoulder. "There, there, Langa, it's okay. I'm sure your boyfriend likes you very much."
"He loves me."
"Gross."
And with that, Miya pulls his headphones back over his ears and resumes playing his game. Reki looks out the window and sees clouds stretching as far as he can see. Below him somewhere under all those clouds is Japan, the sea, and soon, it'll be Okinawa so he can return to Reki. While it would have been nice if Miya could have helped Langa out a little bit, Langa gets it. He probably wouldn't have known what to say if someone asked him the same thing when he was younger. And honestly, Langa doesn't even know what to do now. But Miya has a point, there's a whole group of people he can go to for Reki Relationship Advice in Okinawa.
---
Even though Langa and Miya are on a break from practicing with the National Team, they still had one obligation for it while back in Okinawa. The gymnasium facility where Miya had previously been practicing went through a renovation funded by Diet Member Shindo Ainosuke—a man Langa later learned to be the one and only Adam of S fame. Now that the facility was complete, Miya and Langa were performing an exhibition in honor of its reopening.
The two of them are simply skating around in the closed-off space made for them to practice basic tricks when Adam appears followed by his secretary, who was also surprisingly Snake. Langa wondered how the two had enough time to run the government and also Crazy Rock. Maybe that was a question for another day.
"Miya-kun, Langa-kun, how is your practice for today's event going? The new facility is beautiful, is it not?" Adam flashes a smile while holding his arms out at his sides in a grand gesture. The new flooring and seats gleam behind him.
"It's nice," Langa nods.
"Yeah, I guess," Miya skates over and comes to a stop beside Langa, agreeing with a shrug.
"Really, just nice, that's all you have to say," Adam pouts. "I put so much hard work into this project."
"It's...very nice?" Langa tries to see if that will placate Adam, who simply drops his arms with a dramatic sigh.
"Fine, I see it takes much more to impress you both," Adam uses a hand to smooth down the sides of his hair before addressing the two skaters again. "Well, is there anything you need?"
Langa is about to say no, but then out of the corner of his eye, he sees Reki sneak in through a side door onto the floor of the gym and stand over to the side with a little wave over at Langa. Distracted by his boyfriend, Langa's face breaks into a smile without a thought and he gives an enthusiastic wave back, which draws everyone's attention as they look to see who Langa is greeting excitedly. Much like when Langa offers Reki a compliment, Reki now immediately blushes and tries to cover his face while slinking back against the wall.
"Ah, the little redhead, how is he doing?" Adam had been one of the people to turn to see who the target of Langa's joy had been.
"Reki is good," Langa replies simply, but his eyes remain on the other boy, his head tilting in question.
"Well, if that's all, I'll be off," Adam offers another one of his dramatic sighs. "Come on, Tadashi."
"Wait," Langa blurts suddenly.
Adam pauses as he was already turned halfway to walk away from Langa and Miya. "Yes?"
"Can I ask you a question," Langa diverts his eyes to Adam. He's an adult. He has life experience. Langa has even heard that Adam and Snake are a couple, so maybe he can be a good source of information on the one matter that keeps nagging him.
"Of course, Langa-kun," Adam offers his sweet smile and looks down at Langa again. "What do you need?"
"I have a question."
"Yes, I believe we established that."
"It's about Reki," Langa explains. "I think you can help."
"Oh?" Adam raises an eyebrow with interest. "And why do you think I can help you with matters related to your little boyfriend."
"Because you're an adult," Langa gives his reasoning. "And you have a boyfriend, too." Langa tilts his head to look around Adam to Snake standing behind him. Snake's face stays passive while Adam raises a fist to his mouth to cough several times.
"You are correct, I suppose," Adam agrees. "So, what is the question?"
"Whenever I compliment Reki, he always blushes and tells me to stop. He seems embarrassed but never wants to talk about it. Why?" Langa tells Adam his conundrum and watches as the man's sharp eyebrows rise.
"I'm leaving," Miya groans and doesn't wait for anyone before shoving his hands back into the pocket of his hoodie and pushing away, rolling off to the opposite side of the practice area.
"So he blushes when you compliment him?" Adam speaks slowly, as though contemplating each word as he says it. "And he seems...embarrassed?"
"Kind of," Langa scrunches his face in thought.
"What are you complimenting him on?" Adam's voice almost seems hesitant as he asks the question.
"It's nothing big, just telling him he's doing a good job," Langa answers.
Much to both the surprise of Langa and Adam, there's a small, rough sound like a laugh caught between the teeth, denied the opportunity to be let free. The two of them turn to Snake who has covered his mouth with a hand and twisted his head to the side.
"Tadashi," Adam says his secretary's name in a scolding manner, but at the same time his eyebrows have gone up while the corner of his mouth twitches.
Snake lowers his hand and straightens back up. He offers a bow. "I apologize Ainosuke-sama, Langa-kun."
Adam doesn't say anything to Snake, but Langa doesn't understand why he even had to apologize.
"So, Langa-kun, you are telling me that if Reki, oh, I don't know, say, repairs your board well, you tell him he did a good job, but he gets upset with the praise?" Adam searches for further explanation.
"Yes," Langa nods. "And if I compliment his skating, too, he reacts the same way."
Adam hums. "I see, how interesting."
"Do you know why? I want to tell him he's such a good skater, he taught me everything I know, and he's so talented with making boards, but I don't want to make him uncomfortable," Langa frowns, upset just thinking about the fact he runs the risk of making Reki uneasy about anything.
"Langa-kun, let me tell you something," Adam starts, and Langa perks up, hoping to be given wisdom. "People like being complimented, I promise you this fact. For example, I love being told how wonderful a job I'm doing in my position as a Diet member, don't I, Tadashi?"
"Yes, Ainosuke-sama," Snake replies in his typical monotone voice.
"It's simply that some people are more humble than others at taking those compliments," Adam continues on. "There are people who thrive under praise like that, but there are some who turn bashful. Some people just respond to compliments differently."
"And Reki is the humble type," Langa frowns.
Adam sighs. "Yes and no."
"Yes and no?" Langa's frown grows deeper. "How can he be both?"
"I have a feeling your little redhead-kun does enjoy the compliments, but he doesn't know how to react to them, or, does not understand how and why he's reacting to them in the way that he does."
Langa still doesn't fully understand what Adam means, but he's already taken up so much of the man's time that he just goes ahead and nods as though the explanation has made total sense to him. "Okay, he's both."
"So you get it, Langa-kun?" Adam asks with an arched eyebrow.
"Yes, I think I'll keep complimenting him," Langa nods.
"A good choice," Adam smiles wide, his teeth gleaming from between his lips. "I'm glad to have been a help."
"Does Snake like being complimented?" Langa decides he can go ahead and pose the question since Adam has seemed chill so far, but as soon as the words are out of his mouth, Adam's lips part in surprise while Snake's eyes go wide.
Adam regains his composure quickly. "Oh, you want to know if Tadashi likes being told he's doing a good job?" he takes a step back and turns to look at Snake. "I make sure to tell him how good he is at what he does," Adam purrs, and it sounds like the content sounds the cat Reki and Langa found in a box sounded when they snuck it into the Kyan home to clean and feed one time. "Don't you, Tadashi?"
Snake clears his throat before replying. "Yes, Ainosuke-sama."
"Good," Adam beams at Snake and brushes a hand across his shoulder.
"We have to get to your next appointment, Ainosuke-sama," Snake then says.
"Oh," Adam looks down at the watch on his wrist. "Well, look at that. We must be going. I hope the exhibition goes well, my apologies for not being able to stay. Give my regards to Reki-kun, and best of luck to you and Miya-kun."
"Thank you," Langa replies, and then he watches Adam and Snake leave the gym floor and go out the doors.
As soon as they're out of sight, Reki hustles over to Langa in a fast walk. "Langa!" he cries when he's close enough.
"Hi, Reki," Langa beams at his boyfriend. "I'm happy you're here."
Reki bristles. "Of course I am. Why were you talking to Adam for so long? Did he need something?"
"No," Langa shakes his head. "I just had some questions for him."
"Oh, okay," Reki gives a one-shouldered shrug. "Is he going to be at S tonight?"
"I didn't ask."
"Then what did you talk about?"
Langa pauses. "Hey, Reki, you look really good in yellow, have I told you that before?"
As expected, Reki's cheeks start to turn pink, and he turns his head to look down at his feet. "Y-yes, you have, a few times." Reki stammers. It's very cute.
"Okay, I just wanted to make sure. Hey, want to see this new trick I learned at training?" Langa changes the conversation.
Reki's head snaps back up and looks at Langa expectedly. "Only if you teach it to me later!"
"Of course, Reki!" Langa beams as he skates back to show Reki the pivot to fakie that he finally nailed. But in the back of his mind, Langa continues to think about what Adam told him--that some people respond to compliments differently.
---
Langa wanders around the skate park, doing lazy laps and gliding up the ramps. He even practices his new lineup of tricks, but it wasn't the same. Reki wasn't at his side, so what was the point? His boyfriend had family obligations today and had to go with the rest of the Kyans to Naha for his aunt's birthday. It was important, and Reki said he really adored this aunt and hoped Langa would get to meet her one day, but it was still absolutely abysmal to be without his Reki for one whole day especially when he had limited time at home.
Sighing, Langa kicks up his board and decides to take it in his hand as he starts walking through the streets of Okinawa. Initially, he had no destination in mind, but then he finds himself taking all the necessary turns that land him in front of Sia la Luce.
"Oh," Langa quietly says to himself when he reaches the doors. He knew the restaurant wasn't open right now since it was the short close between lunch and dinner service, but Joe never seemed to mind when any of the guys from S stopped by. Deciding he might as well see if Joe also felt generous and would make him some pasta, Langa pushes the door open and lets the chiming bell signal his entrance.
When Langa makes it into the restaurant, it is empty as expected, save for Joe and Cherry who are standing behind the counter. Joe has one arm slung over Cherry's shoulder while Cherry has his arms crossed as he stares at the taller man over the rim of his glasses. Langa doesn’t think that Cherry looked too pleased with Joe.
Without turning to look at the door, Joe speaks. "I'm sorry, we aren't open right now."
Cherry however does glance over and sees Langa standing still at the entrance, skateboard wrapped in his arms. His eyes shift as though he was searching for something, or someone, behind Langa, but then he looks back at him. "Where's Reki?" he asks.
"With family for the day," Langa tells him, hugging the skateboard to himself tighter.
Cherry sighs. "Okay, come in."
Now Joe finally diverts his attention to the door to see Langa. "Hey, wait," he scrambles as Langa strides into the restaurant and takes one of the seats in front of the counter. Cherry pulls himself away from Joe but doesn’t put any distance between them. "It's my restaurant, you can't just let people in. You always do this!"
Cherry ignores him. "Did you go to the skate park?" he chooses to address Langa instead.
Joe nods eagerly. "Yeah, do you have any tricks you need to work on?"
"Yeah, I already went," Langa sighs. "It's not the same without Reki."
Joe and Cherry give each other a look but don't exchange any words. Langa has heard of people being so close that they no longer need to speak in order to hold a full conversation, just share a single glance. Langa's parents had been able to do this, and he supposed that's what's happening in front of him right now as well. Sometimes Reki and Langa do the same, too, but it's usually about something related to skating. He wonders if one day they'll be able to do it about everything. That would surely be a big help, especially with his current dilemma, which makes Langa realize he has more people he can talk to about the problem in front of him.
"You're a couple, right?" Langa asks Joe and Cherry, and the two turn their heads back to them.
"Yeah we are," Joe replies with a smirk, and then he turns to look at Cherry again and rests his head on a hand, leaning against the counter. "We've been together for years, haven't we?" he says in a very sweet voice that Langa hasn't heard Joe use before.
Cherry rolls his eyes. "Yes, he's correct."
"Can I ask you a question?" Langa asks, fidgeting in his chair and looking down at the skateboard resting against his chair.
"Is it about Reki?" Joe asks. "You two okay?"
Langa nods fervently. "Yes, we're great, but there's something I don't get and don't know how to ask him."
"Communication is key," Joe tells Langa in a singsong voice. "Just ask Cherry over here."
"Please don't," Cherry immediately replies.
"So, what's going on?" Joe prompts Langa to keep going.
Langa pauses for a moment, thinking about how he explained the situation to Adam and if he should say anything differently here, but he decides against it.
"Well, whenever I compliment Reki, he always blushes a lot and then tries to hide and tells me to stop," Langa explains. "And he does it for everything—skating, his designs, and anything else. He just won't let me tell him he's doing good. I asked Adam about this—"
"Wait, you asked Adam?" Cherry cuts Langa off.
"Yes, he was at the renovated training facility for the exhibition event that Miya and I did," Langa tells him. "I thought he might be helpful."
"Was he?" Joe asks, one eyebrow raised, already skeptical before Langa has said anything.
Langa scrunches his face up in thought. "Maybe? He said that people react to being complimented in different ways."
"And how does Reki react? You said blushing, but, is there more?" Cherry almost sounds scared to ask.
"He gets nervous. Flustered, maybe is the right word? Reki turns really red and starts stuttering and messing up his words, and he won't look at me," Langa tries to properly tell the two about Reki's reaction, but he finds it hard to accurately explain the way Reki becomes overwhelmed so quickly.
Cherry once again looks fearful as he speaks. "Is there a time he's been more, ah, flustered than the others when you've given him a compliment?"
Langa nods slowly but doesn't say anything.
"And...what was it?" Now Joe shares the trepidation that Cherry had.
"Well, um, uh..." Langa trails off and then chooses to look down and admire the incredibly nice countertop. Joe has really good taste if he designed the restaurant. "We were, um, kissing, and I told him he was—"
"Nope," Cherry snaps the word like a whip. Langa looks up in time to see him push away from the counter and walk to the corner of the restaurant where he always charges Carla. "This has been nice, but I must return to my shop. Have a good day."
"Hey, hold on, Kaoru—"
"I said no," Cherry cuts him off and continues to gather his things before making his way out the door. "I'll see you both later!" he gives a final little wave.
"We live together," Joe mutters under his breath as he watches Cherry with narrowed eyes. "Insufferable," but Langa doesn't think Joe sounds annoyed when he speaks.
Once the door closes, Joe looks back down at Langa. "So, you were saying that, uh, you and Reki were..."
"Kissing."
"Yeah, that, and you...complimented him, and he got really, I guess, flustered, huh?" Joe speaks as though this is his first time with words.
"Yes," Langa nods. "I complimented him on his, um, kissing, and he got upset, and told me to stop."
"To stop kissing..."
"No, to stop complimenting him."
Joe closes his eyes and tilts his head up to the ceiling. "Please don't let me regret asking this," he whispers to the sky, and then he looks back at Langa. "And what did you compliment him about?"
Langa feels his face heat. "I just said that he was really good."
"Yeah, nope, Kaoru was right, nope, not touching this," Joe throws his hands up in the air. He walks away from the counter with his hands on his hips and walks in a few short circles talking to himself in a low voice that Langa cannot hear before he comes back to the counter. "I'll say this, Adam was right. People do react to compliments, especially like that, in different ways depending on the situation. I think this is something you'll want to talk to Reki about whenever he comes back to Okinawa, okay?"
"Okay," Langa nods, even though he's still confused why everyone refuses to say anything else about this when he asks them so far.
"Sorry, Langa, but you and Reki have to work this one out. And like I've said, when it's you two, you'll be okay, yeah?" Joe gives a reassuring smile.
Langa nods again at Joe. "Yeah," he replies, and it's true. Reki and Langa always work out anything that happens between them. "We'll be fine. We'll talk."
"Great," Joe claps his hands together. "Hungry? Actually, of course, you are. I'll make you something."
With that, Joe disappears back into the kitchen and Langa starts to try and feel a little lighter. Yes, he'll talk to Reki when he gets back tomorrow.
---
Langa does not ask Reki the next day. Or the day after. Or the one after that when he finds himself in Dope Sketch. Reki is still working at the shop part-time while taking classes at the university, and Langa is always welcome by, so he thought he would surprise his boyfriend at work and maybe treat him to lunch. Except when he gets there he sees Reki is very much not present but Shadow is there, leaning over the counter to talk to Manager Oka.
The two spring apart immediately when they see Langa. Huh, weird.
"Where's Reki?" Langa asks.
"Out on a delivery," Oka replies. "Nice to see you, Langa."
"Oh," Langa fumbles, embarrassed that he sees Oka for the first time in months and the first thing he does is ask about Reki instead of greeting his former manager properly. "Hi, Manager Oka. I hope you've been well. Hi, Shadow."
"Hi, Langa," Shadow gives a small, half-hearted wave.
"Is it okay if I wait here until Reki gets back? I want to surprise him for lunch," Langa asks.
"Of course," Oka replies, waving his hand out at the store. “You’re always welcome here.”
Langa mutters his thanks as he walks further into the store.
"So, how are things going, Langa?" Oka asks, leaning over the counter while Langa sits down on one of the stools.
"Fine," Langa replies.
Oka glances towards Shadow and then back to Langa. "Everything with the National Team is good? How's being with Miya?"
"Yeah!" Langa perks up to talk about skating. "We're having a lot of fun practicing with the other members of the team, and I'm getting to learn a lot. I'm always telling Reki all the new tricks I've learned so we can work on them together. Miya is really talented. I knew that from S, but he's one of the best at practice."
"That's good, you're having fun!" Oka smiles wide. He had always been incredibly encouraging to both Langa and Reki about following their passions, for which Langa is grateful.
Langa nods. "I just wish Reki could be there. Then it would be even more fun."
"Of course," Oka agrees softly. "He's going to come to visit you in Tokyo later in the year, though, right?"
"Mhm," Langa replies. "When he has a break from school."
Shadow, who has been listening and staying quiet, speaks up. "You and Reki are doing good long-distance, then?"
"We adapted," Langa tells him. "Reki said it was like when he changed the wheels on his board for the beef with Adam. We looked at what the conditions would be like with us in different cities and then what would need to change if anything, and we adapted."
"That's...surprisingly smart for you two," Shadow frowns. "You're sure Reki came up with that and didn't read it online or something?"
"Yeah, it was Reki," Langa furrows his eyebrows together. "He's really thoughtful. Like he pointed out that I need to be better about replying to my LINE messages, so I have been." Oka and Shadow share another look, which now makes Langa think about all the people in his life who share looks before it suddenly dawns on him. "Are you two dating?" Langa asks flatly.
"No."
"Yes."
The two respond with their opposite answers before pausing to turn to each other and then speaking again.
"Yes."
"No."
"How is it both?" Langa asks, confusion making his eyebrows rise.
"We are," Shadow replies, exasperated.
"Then why didn't you say yes the first time?" Langa frowns.
"Because it's still new," Oka cuts in to explain. "And so we're still in the beginning phase of saying, yes, we are in a relationship."
"But why wouldn't you want to tell people?" Langa asks, still not sure about anything he's experienced in his short time with Oka and Shadow so far. "I told everyone when Reki and I started dating."
"We know," Shadow says wryly. "You literally told everyone while Reki would stand blushing behind you."
"Come on, don't fault Langa for that," Oka chides. "It was young love."
"They're still young love," Shadow sighs. "I can't imagine what the honeymoon phase will be like for the two of you."
"Honeymoon?" Langa's eyes go wide and his mind spirals thinking about the fact that inevitably one day he will marry Reki and they'll go on a honeymoon somewhere together.
"Look what you did, you made little Langa's head explode realizing he gets to have a honeymoon with Reki one day," Oka gives a snorting laugh that rocks Langa back down to Earth from his thoughts. "Don't get ahead of yourself."
"I want to propose to Reki after I get a gold medal," Langa declares.
"Too late, he's so far ahead he's at the Olympics," Shadow sighs.
"That's not that far ahead, honestly," Oka points out, and somehow that makes Shadow gain an expression of shock. Langa's not sure why he's surprised. Everyone knows the Olympics are soon. "Anyway," Oka starts again. "So, you and Reki are really going well with the distance and everything?"
"We are," Langa nods, happily in love with his boyfriend even if they're in different parts of the country now and rely on LINE, phone calls, video chats, and brief visits in Okinawa. "There is one thing I've been asking for help with about Reki though."
"I don't know his ring size," Oka shakes his head while starting to move around the store again, getting back to work.
"Huh?" Langa frowns. "I already know that."
"What?" Shadow turns to Langa in shock.
"How?" Oka almost drops the boxes he had picked up.
"I used a piece of paper when he was sleeping one day," Langa shares the devious method he had read about online.
"Of course you did," Shadow sighs.
Oka cuts in. "Anyway, what is it about Reki that you wanted to talk about?"
Langa shifts from foot to foot and clasps his hands together in front of him. He's received such a variety of mixed responses to this question that he's now nervous about what Oka and Shadow might tell him, but he's also learned from Reki to be brave. He takes a breath. "Reki won't let me compliment him anymore because he gets embarrassed. Like, really embarrassed. He turns red and can't speak. But I feel bad not giving him compliments. He deserves them."
When he's done talking, he looks up at Oka and Shadow, not even realizing his eyes slowly slid to the floor and his own wringing hands as he spoke. Shadow's mouth is slightly open while Oka has a small, knowing smirk on his face, which gives Langa some hope.
"Ah, that's our Reki, isn't it?" Oka leans forward and places both elbows on the counter to prop himself up, once again abandoning his work. "He's always so quick to put himself down even though he's talented as hell."
"Right," Langa lights up, ecstatic that Oka seems to be on the same wavelength as him. "He deserves to be told how good he is!"
For some reason, this statement makes Shadow mutter a low "oh my god" to himself.
"What's wrong?" Oka twists his head to look over at where Shadow leans against the wall, arms crossed.
"Langa, when have you told Reki that...he's, um, when have you said that," Shadow asks about as eloquently as Langa feels.
Langa frowns. "Lots of times. When we hang out, when we skate together, when we are on the phone, and lots of other times."
"What other times?" Shadow presses and this now reminds Langa of how the conversation with Joe and Cherry went.
"Um, when we do, um, stuff," Langa coughs and looks back down at his feet.
"Oh my god, we can't help him," Shadow's voice sounds pleading as he addresses Oka. "We cannot."
"Why not?" Oka argues. "He asked for our help, and we can give it."
"It cannot be us, Oka, it cannot," Shadow continues to implore Oka to not help Langa in front of Langa, which he finds kind of rude honestly.
"But it feels so mean to not."
"And it feels so weird to."
Langa almost feels bad for making them fight like this until Shadow speaks up again. "We cannot have our first argument as a couple be over helping out Langa and Reki's relationship."
"This isn't a fight, we're just discussing something very civilly, actually, the fact you see this as a fight seems troublesome, Hiromi-kun," Oka rests his head on a hand and stares up at Shadow a little deviously.
"You can't just do that," Shadow sputters.
"Do what?" Oka blinks slowly, and it seems to make Shadow become flustered. He's acting like Reki, Langa thinks vaguely. Maybe he should be taking notes about this whole fluttering of your eyelashes at your partner thing.
No one gets to argue more because the sound of the door opening chimes, and all three heads turn to look at who has entered the store.
"Reki!" Langa cries out and barrels to his boyfriend, enveloping him into a hug that has the boy in his arms letting out a small oof sound. "Sorry," Langa lies because he is not sorry at all.
"What are you doing here?" Reki wheezes as Langa pulls back.
"Surprise!" Langa throws his hands up. "You've been working so hard, and I thought you could use a break. You deserve it, Reki. Let's go to lunch, my treat." As Langa spoke, a small blush creeps on Reki's cheeks. Even something so small as being told he deserves something nice manages to work Reki up to be a bit overwhelmed.
"You didn't have to do that," Reki turns his head away from Langa and lands a soft punch to his chest and leaves his hand there. Langa reaches to hold Reki's hand and twines their fingers together easily, which makes the red of Reki's face go up a few shades.
"Oh, this is bad," Shadow mutters behind them.
Reki perks up at the sound of the quiet words and leans around Langa to gaze over at where Shadow stands. "What did you say?"
Before Shadow can reply, Oka speaks up quickly. "He didn't say anything at all. You two go enjoy lunch, and, hey, Reki, why don't you go ahead and take the rest of the day off?"
"Really?" Reki's eyes widen in surprise. "Okay! Thanks, Oka!"
"Of course, now get out of here, both of you," Oka makes shooing motions to get them out of the store, and Langa doesn't waste any time pulling Langa out of there immediately.
As the door closes behind them, Langa swears he hears the discussion between Oka and Shadow start up again.
"Hey, did you know that Oka and Shadow are dating?" Langa asks.
"Oh, yeah," Reki suddenly stops walking and snaps his fingers. "I had meant to tell you and forgot, sorry."
Langa shrugs. "It's okay, let's go eat."
Today was a full bust on his operation to try and find answers on his Why Reki No Longer Accepts Compliments Mission with Shadow and Oka not being helpful for once, but that's okay, because Reki is holding Langa's hand while telling him about the board he just delivered to a customer. He pouts a little at the fact he didn't get a chance to show it to Langa but bounces right back when he realizes that there's a photo on his phone. Through all of it, Reki never lets go of Langa's hand.
---
Langa and his mom sit in a pleasant silence together as they eat dinner. They had worked together on it with Langa making the eggs and his mom making the stir fry. The two of them fell into cooking together in the kitchen easily and it reminded Langa of the early days when they had just moved to Japan. Sometimes he missed that simple time, but Langa feels even more thankful for finding Reki and skating shortly after.
"Are you going to the Kyans' house after we eat?" his mom asks after taking a sip of water.
"Yes," Langa manages to speak in between mouthfuls of rice. He's still always hungry.
"I'll drop you off, then, I have some cookbooks I borrowed from Masae-san that I would like to return," she tells him, and Langa simply hums in acknowledgment. He had been planning on riding his bike over, but he won't fight his mom. He knows she's also probably trying to squeeze in a few more minutes together while he's here. "How has been seeing Reki after being in Tokyo for the past few months?"
Langa swallows his food before speaking. "It's nice," he can't help but smile slightly while replying. "We had video chatted, but it's not the same, you know?"
"Of course," Langa's mom rests her head on a hand and leans to the side. "Being physically with someone is hard to compare to just seeing them on the screen."
"Did you ever have to be apart from dad like this?" Langa asks because as long as he remembers there was rarely a time when the three of them weren't together.
"Yes," his mom replies. "Before you were born, there were two times I came back to Japan to see my family for a few weeks. Back then we only had the phone really because video chat was still a little shaky, and your dad kind of scoffed at technology." She says the last part with the barest hint of a smile. "The time difference was so bad and the cost for international calls, too, was just so bad we only snuck in a few minutes to check in with each other. So, we managed."
Langa doesn't know what he would do if there were thousands of kilometers and multiple time zones separating him from Reki. "I don't know if I would be able to do that," Langa muses out loud, voice soft as he contemplates only getting to talk to Reki for 10 minutes when he was getting ready for bed and Reki was waking up in the morning. "That sounds too hard."
"Well," his mom tilts her head, and her smile widens. "If it's you and Reki, I think you'd find a way. You always do."
Langa can't help but also share in his mother's smile over his relationship with Reki. "Yeah, we would."
"So everything is going alright with the two of you?" she asks. "I'm not trying to be nosy, I just want to make sure you're both fine. I mean, you are, I think, but just trying to be a mom," a nervous laugh ends the question.
"We're good," Langa nods, but then wonders if it's worth also asking his mom the one thing he's been asking everyone else. "Actually, I have a question."
"Okay," she says the word slowly as though concerned about what will happen as soon as she's done.
"Reki doesn't let me compliment him," Langa tells her.
"What do you mean?" his mom's smile slips from her face and she lifts her head.
"Whenever I tell him any type of compliment he starts to blush a lot and tell me to stop," Langa explains. "But I don't want to stop."
"Did he tell you why he doesn't want you to compliment him?" his mom asks, concern starting to show on her face.
"No, he just says that he doesn't want me to compliment him like that. It's too overwhelming or something?" Langa tells her, trying to think of anything else Reki might have said that would be useful information.
"He is very humble, so I can understand if he finds it hard to accept compliments," his mom drums her fingers across the table as she thinks. Their food between them has been forgotten while the Hasegawas dive in together to find the resolution for the Reki Doesn't Like Compliments problem.
"That's what other people said," Langa tells her. "That he just doesn't know how to handle them."
"You've asked other people about this?" she asks sitting up straight, but then relaxes her posture. "Not that you can't or you have to always come to me with your problems, but, just, you asked others and what did they say?"
Langa reflects back on everything he's been told by his friends and tries to find a way to sum it up. "Uh, they've said what you did, that he's too humble, or that people react to compliments in different ways. But then someone else said I should just ask Reki about it."
His mom nods at everything Langa says. "That all makes sense, but I do agree that it would be best to just ask Reki about it, especially since he hasn't given you a clear answer about it yet. You're both really good at telling each other everything now, as far as I can tell. Maybe this is something embarrassing for him so it will take some time for him to open up."
"But why?" Langa feels like a child again, asking why something is the way it is. Why can't things just be easy? "He should feel comfortable with me. I hope I didn't do anything to make him upset." Langa hangs his head slightly, his hair falling into his vision as he barely entertains the idea of having hurt Reki in any way.
"Langa, look at me," his mom speaks gently, and from the edge of his vision, he sees her extend her hand across the table. Langa complies and looks up and takes her hand on the table. She squeezes lightly before continuing on. "Relationships aren't easy, first off. Second, sometimes there are things that people are embarrassed to talk about even if it is with someone they trust until the end of the earth. It's just part of being human."
"But what could it be?" Langa hasn't felt this distressed over the issue until now. He's been letting it pass, just accepting that if he offers any small praise in Reki's direction it'll earn him a fiery blush and a mumbled request to stop.
"You're going to have to ask him yourself, Langa," she squeezes his hand again. "The two of you are good at communicating. Look how well you've been doing in different cities! You can have this talk while you're both together here. You could even ask him tonight. What's something you've complimented him on that made Reki blush?"
"When I've told him he looks nice or he's skating well," Langa tells her. "And other things."
"Other things?"
The two Hasegawas stare at each other across the table while Langa's face remains passive and he watches his mother go through a myriad of emotions before uttering an emphatic "Oh."
"I'll ask him tonight, then," Langa declares with a new determination.
"Perfect, that sounds like a good plan!" she smiles at him. "Now, don't back out, and, um, be safe, and make sure you tell him how you feel, not just about Reki but that you want to be there for him and help him through anything, and part of that is understanding how he's feeling. He doesn't need to open up about it right away, but just a little bit will be good."
"Okay," Langa tries to file everything his mom is telling him away to remember later tonight when he can finally be alone with Reki and ask him. He's sure Reki's sisters will eat up the first few hours of his time at the house, most likely with learning idol dances with him.
"You’ve got this," his mom assures. "You're a Hasegawa, and I think we're a pretty strong group, don't you think?"
"Yeah," Langa turns to look at the picture of his dad. "I think so."
His mom squeezes his hand again. "Good."
---
Langa had a plan, he really did, but then he saw Reki and it all fell apart.
After dinner, Langa and his mom went over to the Kyan house where everything appeared to be the usual controlled chaos while his mom spoke with Kyan-san about recipes. Nanaka and Chihiro were watching the music video for one of their favorite idol groups. Langa knew this fact because not two days ago he was over at the house holding their hands and learning the moves with them while Reki finished up homework. Koyomi was lounging on a floor cushion with a Switch in her hand, eyes occasionally darting over to the television. Reki’s dad was home early and dozing on the couch with a copy of the day’s newspaper looking close to falling out of his hand.
“He’s in his room, go on,” Reki’s mom addressed Langa, but she was looking over the scene in the living room fondly. Langa offered his thanks as he easily navigated through the halls he knew well to push open the door into the room he had also spent ample time in.
And then Langa was supposed to talk to Reki, sit him down and ask him why he became so bashful when Langa tried to give him compliments, but that didn't happen. Reki had looked up at Langa with those round, wide with joy eyes at the sight of Langa showing up that Langa forgot everything he meant to say in favor of barreling into Reki and making them land on the bed in a heap.
"Langa!" Reki cries, partially muffled from under Langa. "Calm down."
"I haven't seen you at all today," Langa complains, sounding every bit childish as he feels, like a kid denied their favorite candy for months.
"But you saw me yesterday," Reki struggles out of the koala-grip Langa has on him, and by that, he only accomplishes getting slightly loosened from Langa's arms, which is because Langa barely allows him to get away.
"But I haven't seen you today," Langa continues to pout.
"You're such a baby," Reki sighs as they resituate so Reki lies on his back and Langa hovers over him. Reki places his hands on both sides of Langa's face and pushes his hair back. "You're lucky you're cute," Reki adds with narrowed eyes.
"You're cute," Langa shoots back, and then the pink that starts to tint Reki's cheeks reminds Langa about the main reason he came over to the house today. Well, he came to see his boyfriend, but he also had questions that needed answering.
"Why do you always get embarrassed when I compliment you?" Langa doesn't bother to beat around the bush and gets right to the point finally.
"What?" Reki squeaks and turns his head, his hands dropping away from Langa's face as he pretends to be interested in one of the skating posters on his wall.
"You don't like me complimenting you. Why?" Langa prods, and before Reki can use his hands to hide his face, he grabs one of them and entwines their fingers. Somehow the innocent gesture makes Reki's face heat up even more.
Reki gives a particularly unenthused shrug. "I told you, I just don't like them," Reki mumbles.
"I talked to Adam about this, and he said that some people react to compliments differently," Langa starts to explain, but then Reki's head whips around so he can stare up at Langa with his jaw dropped.
"You talked to Adam about our relationship? About me?" Reki gasps.
"Well, yes, I tried to ask Miya as well," Langa starts to explain. "But he got mad at me."
"Miya, you asked the child for relationship advice," Reki deadpans, his fingers twitching where Langa is holding onto them.
"Yeah, and since he wasn't helping, I saw Adam and Snake at the exhibition event—"
"Oh, good, Snake knows, too," Reki rolls his eyes.
"I think they're dating."
"Did you not see Adam with his arms all over Snake the other night at S? Yes, they are," Reki stares at Langa as though he's grown an extra head on his shoulder.
"How come you didn’t tell me about them? Like with Oka and Shadow?" Langa asks.
"I just forgot," Reki starts to squirm below Langa, which just makes him settle more weight down to keep Reki in his place. Reki gives up with a sigh. "What, did you ask them about this as well?"
"Yes," Langa replies simply. "But they weren't helpful."
Reki's jaw drops open again. "Who else did you ask?"
"Joe and Cherry," Langa tells him. "And then I asked my mom."
"Your mom?" Reki nearly screeches, and Langa nods in response. Reki closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "So you just went around telling everyone you know that I don't like compliments and asked them why."
"I did," Langa confirms.
"So," Reki opens his eyes back up and pulls his hand away from Langa to cross his arms over his chest. He doesn't look imposing like this—he's lying down on the bed, but Langa also doesn't think Reki ever looks that threatening. Langa also doesn't have the heart to tell Reki this fact. "What did everyone say?"
Langa hums to himself as he thinks over all the conversations he's had during the last few days. "They all said different things, but I think the main conclusion was that I need to talk to you about it. So, here I am, asking you, and you can't get away and avoid this conversation." Langa emphasizes the point by wiggling hips to show he's got Reki pinned.
Reki's breath hitches and that pink that had just started to fade makes a reappearance on his face. It gives Langa an idea that will either go very well or make Reki grab one of his pillows and hit Langa upside the head until he rolls off Reki and falls onto the floor, but this is a mission with a risk that Langa is willing to take.
Closing the distance between them, Langa lowers himself fully and gets his mouth on Reki's with a soft kiss. It's barely a press of lips against lips before Langa pulls back a few centimeters. The shock of the sudden kiss has Reki's lips parting the slightest amount, but that's all Langa needs as an invitation to jump right back in, this time licking teasingly into Reki's mouth.
As much as Reki tries to roll his eyes and be oblivious to all the ways that Langa wants him, when Langa does have Reki exactly where he wants him, warm and soft under his hands, he just melts and allows Langa to do whatever he desires because Reki wants that too. Langa lets them indulge like this for a while with slow dragging kisses that deepen until Reki is gripping onto the back of Langa's shirt making it ride up and Langa his hands below Reki's hoodie, pushing it up enough to expose his smooth stomach.
Langa starts to trail his mouth down Reki's cheek and jaw until he's at the space below Reki's ear, nibbling the skin lightly while Reki starts to pant under him. He swipes his tongue along the shell of Reki's ear, making the other boy shake, and then he whispers.
"See, Reki, you're being so good for me, why won't you let me tell you that?" Langa speaks quietly and punctuates the question with another kiss behind Reki's ear into the soft hair there.
Reki sucks in a deep breath, and his hips just barely twitch. Langa thinks it's Reki trying to get away from him again, so he starts to pull back, avoiding making him uncomfortable. But when Reki senses that Langa is moving away, he strengthens his hold on Langa's shirt and keeps him close.
"No," Reki says the single word so quietly that Langa almost thinks it's a trick his brain is playing.
"Reki, I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, so you can let me go," Langa tells him. He can't see Reki because the position they're now stuck in with Reki also wrapping his legs around Langa's waist doesn't allow for Langa to move away until Reki relinquishes some of his hold.
"No," Reki repeats, louder this time.
"No?" Langa's face scrunches in confusion.
"Don't...don't stop," Reki's voice is quiet again. Langa doesn't need to see his face to know it must be as red as his hair.
"With what part?" Langa asks, hoping the answer is what he wants it to be.
"All of it," Reki replies, and the cheer that goes through Langa's head is embarrassing but Langa feels like it's deserved right now.
And so Langa does. He resumes leaving kisses on all of Reki's skin that he can reach while softly telling Reki all the ways he loves him—Reki's skills with skateboarding, his mechanic abilities, the way he can draw almost anything and design easily, his courage and tenacity, the way he lets Langa kiss him breathless and fuck him to exhaustion. Langa compliments Reki on how good he looked in that suit he wore to a formal dinner for the National Team they attended together several months ago and how wonderful it was to strip him out of it, and Langa also makes sure to let Reki know how good it felt to have his boyfriend at his side at that event who not only supported him by being with him at the dinner but also next to him on his skateboard.
"Reki, you do all of that and more for me," Langa murmurs, and Reki lets go of him enough so that Langa can finally hover over him again and look down at Reki's face. "You're amazing."
Langa isn't ready for the sight below him. Reiki’s face is flaming with a blush, and his eyes are screwed shut. One hand drops to cover his face, but his chest moves fast with panting breaths. Langa shifts and presses a leg down to feel how turned on Reki is, and it makes him suck in a breath.
Oh.
Maybe this is what Adam meant by people reacting to compliments differently. This is different.
"Reki," Langa whispers, and rather than moving the hand covering Reki's face aside, Langa loosely links his fingers with it. "You like being complimented. You like being praised and told you're good, don't you?"
The revelation spoken aloud into the rapidly warming air between them makes it too real, the greatest discovery of all time and Langa thinks he will never feel a higher euphoria than Reki's response to the statement when he bucks his hips up.
"You do," Langa whispers as though he's talking about a miracle.
"Shut up," Reki's voice cracks, and there's no heat behind it. "Don't use this against me." Reki moves his hand enough to peek one eye through, and Langa can easily tell that there's a pout on his face.
"I would never," Langa shakes his head. "I promise. I only want to do it to make you feel good."
Reki swallows, and Langa watches the way his throat bobs. "You better."
"Of course," Langa continues to reassure Reki, and he kisses his cheek for good measure. "Everything I do is for you."
"Idiot, do some things for yourself, too," Reki huffs, and he finally moves his hand away from his face completely.
"Who said this isn't something for me?" Langa smirks and nods down to the space between them and to where their hips are still pressed together.
"Oh my god," Reki mutters more to himself than to Langa, but it makes Langa laugh out loud nonetheless.
"Reki, you're so cute!" he exclaims.
"I said to not use this against me!" Reki exclaims, and Langa barely has a moment to throw his arms up before there's a pillow hitting him. Thankfully, it's not at full force.
"I didn't do anything!" Langa argues, now it's his turn to pout.
"You didn't yet," Reki puts the pillow back down and scowls up at Reki. His hair has managed to become even more disheveled and the headband is slowly slipping down his head.
"Do you want me to?" Langa not only presses the issue but also presses his hips down.
Reki gasps, mouth falling open in such an inviting way that Langa can't help but immediately drop a kiss down onto it, tongue snaking inside and running along the roof of Reki's mouth just so he can feel the way Reki shudders in his arms at the move.
"Not fair," Reki pants when Langa pulls back.
"Reki, you should have told me you liked this," Langa rolls over to his side, fighting his body's screams to do more to Reki, get those clothes off, get his hands on all that skin, but he wants to talk to his boyfriend first.
"How?" Reki squeaks. "Hey, Langa, I really, really, really like it when you compliment me. It makes me feel good. No way."
"You just said it," Langa points out.
"It doesn't count," Reki argues.
"Whatever, the point is, Reki, you can tell me everything and anything, yeah?" Langa brushes some of Reki's hair away from his face and plants a kiss on his forehead. "Okay?" he murmurs against his skin, not quite wanting to pull away yet.
Reki lets out a long sigh. "Okay."
"Good," Langa smiles brightly as he moves back. "And I'll tell you anything, too, okay?"
"Okay," Reki nods and repeats again.
"Great, we can start now, I have something to tell you," Langa slides a hand down to Reki's hip. The way his pants have ridden down and his hoodie was pushed up leaves the skin bare.
"What?" Reki raises an eyebrow.
“I have a lot more to compliment you on,” Langa informs him. “And you deserve to hear every single thing.” And then Langa proceeds to do just that—that night and with the promise of forever.