Chapter Text
"Langa, thanks for agreeing to meet me here."
She was blushing. Bright pink across the bridge of her nose and creeping down her neck. They always did. Was she in their class? He wasn't entirely sure, and that made him feel slightly guilty. Langa wished there was a way to speed this along; not because he was insensitive to the emotions the girl in front of him was feeling, but because he knew how it would end, and the longer this went on, the more awkward it would be.
"I know you and I haven't talked before, but… I think you're really cool! Please go on a date with me!" She said it in a rush, her eyes squeezed tight and her hands balled up into fists at her side.
Langa wasn't cruel. He wasn't heartless. Sure, he didn't understand why he was constantly bombarded with situations similar to this on a regular basis, but he could appreciate the courage it took.
"Thank you," he said awkwardly, and her eyes shot open, hope unfurling on her face, and he quickly continued, "But I'm not interested. I'm sorry."
This was the worst part. The way their faces crumpled. Sometimes they cried. Or worse, got angry. How often had this happened that he had categories for how girls responded to his rejection?
The girl (Ichigo?), however, didn't look particularly sad or angry, instead wearing something more speculative as the flush of adrenaline began to leave her face. She looked him up and down critically, before she gave a wistful sigh.
"Whoever she is, she's one lucky girl," she said, pursing her lips. Langa startled at that, squinting his eyes and opening his mouth to ask what in the world she was talking about, but she was already turning away sharply, adjusting her bag and marching away.
For a few moments, Langa stood where he had been left, confused by the ending of their interaction. What girl? Langa didn't hang out with any girls, as much as they liked to try. He couldn't help but feel a fizzle of irritation; why were people so cryptic sometimes?
A buzzing in his pocket shook him loose from his consternation, and he quickly fished his phone out, rolling his eyes at the messages there.
reki: whats taking so long
reki: did she eat you alive?
reki: let me know if you need me to rescue you
Langa huffed out a scoff (it was a confession, not a shake down) but he couldn't help the tiny swell of warmth that budded underneath his heart at the concern. He knew Reki was joking, but he also knew if he had asked, the other would've been there in a heartbeat. It was just part of who he was. Loyal to a fault.
The skater in question was leaning against the school gates as he finally made his way around the building, and Reki perked up at the sound of his footsteps, seeming to already know it was him.
"Finally!" he groaned, throwing an arm around Langa's shoulder and leaning into him dramatically. "I think I started to go gray waiting for you," he moaned, running his fingers through his hair. Langa rolled his eyes, but he found himself smiling despite himself, the confusion and frustration melting away in the face of Reki's antics.
"It was shorter than most," Langa countered, and Reki snorted.
"You don't even know how you sound," he said, shaking his head and laughing, though there was something there Langa couldn't read. It made him frown.
"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked, and Reki blinked at him before he grinned fondly and ruffled his hair.
"It means not everyone is being chased by a gaggle of girls like you are," he said, looking amused. "We should start adding 'let Langa's admirers confess' to our schedule," he teased, and Langa huffed, not bothering to fix his hair.
"It's not like I asked for this," Langa complained, but it only made Reki's shit eating grin grow wider.
"Oh, you poor, poor thing. It must be so awful hearing how awesome you are all the time," he teased.
"It is," Langa said flatly, and Reki chuckled, shaking his head.
"Well, unless you tone down your boyish charm or get cuffed, it looks like you're out of luck," Reki said with a shrug, and Langa blinked at him. Getting cuffed? Would that really stop all of these awkward one-sided conversations?
Langa took too long to respond, and Reki seemed to lose interest in the conversation as he hopped on his board and gestured for Langa to follow.
"Hey, let's go to the skatepark before our shift! I want to show you this trick I'm working on," Reki said, his eyes shining bright with excitement, and Langa found himself smiling softly against his will, following Reki without really thinking about it, thoughts of relationships and lack there of melting away under the gentle thrum of the wheels beneath him gliding against the concrete.
Langa didn't think much of it while he skated with Reki. He didn't think much of anything besides Reki when they were skating. What was there to think about? Skating was fun! And with Reki? Infinitely more so.
And even outside of skating, it was just Reki, Reki, Reki. On loop in his head. What would Reki think of this? Am I hanging out with Reki later? Reiki would know what to say. Was that normal? Langa hadn’t had a friend like Reki before, which is to say he hadn’t really had friends in the first place.
Well, he thought as he watched Reki twist with his board in the air, it doesn’t really matter, as long as we’re together, right?
Later, once they were manning the shop, Reki slapped a magazine down in front of them while Langa hogged the fan, sweat dripping down the back of his neck. The heat was making him lethargic, and he tilted his head slowly towards Reki.
"I really want to try these kind of wheels for Miya's board-" Reki began, and off he went, chattering away about Miya's build and the way he distributed his weight and how it would change as he grew, and 'wow, don't they grow up so fast?'
Normally, Langa tried his hardest to keep up with Reki, but at the moment, between the heat and his own propensity to obsess over insolvable problems, his mind kept drifting back to their previous conversation, before skating had cleared his head, being stationary had brought the thoughts back.
Langa didn't really know what charm Reki was talking about, so he wasn't sure how to "tone it down" as the other had so eloquently put it.
And well, being off the market, that just… wasn't happening. The whole issue was that Langa really wasn't interested in anyone. Maybe he could lie? But then there would be prying, and he wasn't sure if he wanted people scrutinizing him more than they already did, scrambling to get a look at the only person he didn't turn away.
Langa only realized he was staring blankly at Reki when the other suddenly waved a hand in front of his face. Reki looked mildly flushed and uncomfortable, and Langa suddenly felt a little guilty for pointing the fan at himself and only himself. He tilted it towards Reki as the other rolled his eyes.
"Maybe you should be a professional astronaut with how often you're off in space," Reki said, and Langa scoffed.
"You aren't much better," he replied, and Reki made an affronted noise, but didn't push it as he flipped another page in his magazine.
"At least pretend like you're listening," he complained, and Langa felt a twinge of guilt.
"Sorry. I… was just thinking," he murmured softly. Reki grinned.
"Careful. Might hurt yourself."
Langa glared, before huffing out a sigh and slouching against the counter. Reki seemed to pick up on his misery and shifted where he was leaning to face Langa, looking a little concerned.
"Is it about the girl at school? Did she say something messed up?" He asked, and Langa shook his head.
"No. I'm just… tired of thinking about confessions. I wish people would leave me alone. I just want to spend time with you," he said honestly, and Reki made a choking noise that Langa didn't really hear because the best idea ever suddenly popped into his mind.
He abruptly stood, facing Reki with an intense expression on his face.
"What!? What?!" Reki squawked as Langa grabbed his upper arms.
"We should date," he said firmly. The silence that followed was interrupted only by the soft whirring of the fan as it oscillated back and forth, the wind tossing Reki's hair about.
"What the shit-" Reki suddenly stammered, his face beginning to match his hair, and Langa quickly shook his head, shaking Reki.
"Not really! Like, pretend. So people will leave me alone," Langa said confidently, as if it was the smartest idea in the world.
Reki continued to stare at him like he was nuts.
"Langa, what- is that- that's really your plan?!" Reki asked, his voice shrill, and Langa nodded firmly.
"It makes the most sense! We're always together anyways, and that way I won't have to make up some girl that everyone will try and see me with," Langa rationalized, but Reki just kept looking at him with a lost expression.
"Dude… no offense, but that's kinda…" Reki rubbed the back of his neck, and Langa found himself frowning.
"Is it a gay thing?" Langa asked, and Reki rolled his eyes, the first Reki-esque thing he had done since Langa had announced his (brilliant) plan.
"No, of course not," he said impatiently, worrying his lip with his teeth.
"Then-" Langa prompted, not seeing the problem. Reki sighed heavily.
"Dating is more than just hanging around someone. People are going to expect… more," Reki said hesitantly, and Langa blinked at him. What did Reki mean? Like, holding hands? Hugging? They had done those things before.
But maybe Reki didn't want to be off the market like Langa wanted to be. He did talk about girls sometimes… Langa hummed, letting him go as he deflated slightly.
"I see… you'd be uncomfortable. I didn't think about that. I'm sorry," he said, finding himself back at square one. He had thought it was such a fool proof plan. But Reki's feelings were important too of course, so he'd just-
"Now wait, that wasn't a no," Reki said, and Langa's head shot back up, his eyes wide. Reki's face had cooled some, and he was looking off into the distance with a pensive expression on his face, before locking eyes with Langa again.
"This is just… a pretty big… lie. Are you okay with that?" Reki asked slowly. Langa felt understanding blossom inside of him, and he softened. Reki wasn't worried about himself; he was worried about Langa.
Langa shrugged. "I wouldn't have suggested it if I wasn't," he said plainly, and Reki snorted fondly, before rubbing his face with two hands. Langa watched him quietly as the other seemed to compose himself, before he put his hands on his hips and nodded.
"Alright. I'm in. Operation 'Save Langa From His Own Popularity' is a go," Reki said, and Langa grinned, reaching forwards and pulling Reki into a hug. The other let out a grunt, but immediately hugged back, patting his shoulder.
"Thank you, Reki," Langa said softly, and he felt Reki punch his shoulder lightly as he pulled away.
“I’ve got your back, dude. Now we just need a plan of attack,” Reki said, turning towards his backpack and fishing out one of his notebooks. He pushed it so they could both see as he opened it up to a new page and clicked his pen. It made Langa grin.
Yeah. This was a great idea.