Archive of Our Own

It's when Reki and Langa stop talking. That's when it starts. When everything fractures.

It's been a week. They won't even be in the same room together. Reki won't talk to any of them and has even stopped coming to S. Miya just wants his friends back. Is that too much to ask? He corners Reki at his house one day.
"Come back to S, slime,"
"Go away, Miya," he says tiredly.
"No!" Miya stamps his foot angrily. "You promised!"
Reki closes the door.

Langa isn't himself. He's withdrawn, emotionless. He still comes to S, still skates, but there's nothing in it. Less than nothing, if that's possible.

It's been three weeks.
Cherry and Joe are starting to get worried. Miya stays late at Sia la Luce almost every night now. They tell him that he needs to get some sleep, but he doesn't want to leave them. Then he worries that they think he's annoying (What if they don't want him there? What if they hate him? What if they leave too?). He stops coming and stifles his tears under his covers.

It's been a month. Reki returns to S. He doesn't talk to any of them. He doesn't even look at them.
"Does he hate us?" he asks Cherry but immediately regrets the question. Cherry sighs sadly.
"No, Miya, I don't think he hates us," Cherry says slowly. "I think he's just feeling upset right now and distancing himself to deal with it."
Langa goes over to talk to him.
"It might not be a good idea right now," Cherry warns.
The next time they're at S, Langa isn't.

It's been a month and a half. Reki starts talking to them again. He apologizes. Miya is just happy to have Reki back, he doesn't care about anything else.

It's been two months. Miya asks about Langa.
"What about him." Reki's voice is cold and Miya doesn't ask again.

It's been two and a half months. Miya is back at Sia la Luce. He's trying, he really is, but he needs the comfort of this place, of Cherry and Joe.
"Is Langa okay?" he asks, his voice small.
Cherry and Joe look at him and then exchange a quick glance.
"I'm sure he's fine," Cherry says.
"He'll come back to S when he's ready," Joe adds. It isn’t a real answer, but he accepts it anyway and goes back to playing his game.

It's been two months and three weeks.
Miya goes to Langa's apartment. Langa's mom answers the door.
"Who are you?" she asks.
"One of Langa's friends," he replies, but there's an uncertain lilt to his voice, as if he doesn't quite believe it.
"Langa, your friend is here," she calls into the apartment. Langa comes to the door, and, seeing Miya, steps outside and shuts the door behind him.
"What do you want, Miya," his voice is tired.
"Come back to S, slime," Miya says, but his voice is more pleading than anything.
Langa sighs. He opens the door to go back inside.
"No— wait—"
Langa closes the door anyway.
Miya doesn't cry at Sia la Luce that night when he tells Cherry and Joe what happened. He manages to sound flippant, like he doesn't care. Cherry and Joe share a concerned glance, but he can't tell if it's about Langa or him.

It's been two months and three and a half weeks. Langa is back at S now, but he stays far away from them. He hasn't talked to any of them. Miya watches him skate. Langa used to be a good skater, full of passion and winning through sheer skill, but his vibrancy is dulled. He's still brilliant and skilled, but the tone of his skating has changed. It's different, harsher somehow. Miya can't pinpoint what's changed, but he knows something's different.

It's been three months. Langa is still undefeated. But all his beefs end in pain, injury. Few people challenge him now. He's a legend, but the threat of severe injury (mostly hospital bills) deters all but the most reckless (or rich) skaters. Miya needs to talk to him, because he made a promise.

It's been three months and a day. They stand in the warehouse. Miya feels the tears pricking his eyes and tries to force it down, desperate not to cry.
"Langa—" he starts again. His voice is pleading now, breaking as he struggles not to cry. "Langa you promised—"
Langa stares at him, expressionless.
"Langa, please, you and Reki—" his breath is hitching now, "you said we would always be friends. No matter what— you said— you promised—"
"You're so annoying." Langa's voice is cold, emotionless.
Miya's head jerks up in surprise.
"It's no wonder you have no friends." Langa is staring at him with the same expressionless look on his face. "Go away. I can't stand the sight of you." His face twists in disgust as he says the last sentence.
Miya stands there, shocked. It takes a moment for the words to sink in, and when they do, he can't stop himself, he's sobbing and he can't stop he can't see he can't—
"Breathe," a hand takes Miya's and leads him away to a secluded corner. "Breathe, Miya," the voice says again, and this time he recognizes it, it's Cherry's voice and he buries his face in Cherry's stomach, sobbing harder. Cherry hesitates, and then wraps their arms around Miya, running a hand through the child's hair comfortingly. Miya is still crying when Joe appears and whispers something into Cherry's ear. Miya immediately lets go of Cherry to hug Joe because he gives the best hugs and Miya needs a warm hug right now.
"Oh, Miya" Joe says softly, sadly. Cherry continues to card their fingers through Miya's hair.
"He's not right," Cherry says suddenly.
"hm?" Joe looks at him.
"He's not right, Miya." Cherry says it slowly and firmly.
"But . . . they all left and—"
"No." Cherry responds. "You are not annoying. You don't drive people away. Langa was being an asshole."
Miya looks up at this. He's mostly stopped crying by now, but is still hiccupping a little, trying to get his breathing back to normal. He doesn't think he's ever heard Cherry curse or sound this mad. Joe looks slightly surprised too.
"I am going to—" Cherry starts, preparing to storm off.
"No!" Miya blurts. Cherry looks down at him in surprise. "Please— don't go," he continues, softer. "Stay?" The last word comes out as a question, with the soft resignation of someone who is used to being left behind.
Cherry hears it, the abandonment in his voice, and softens immediately.
"Of course. Of course, Miya," they repeat.
"Hey," Joe speaks up, "we're here for you, you know that?"
Miya takes a slow, shuddering, breath.
"Yeah," he says, pulling them closer, "yeah I know. He doesn't go home that night, just stays at Sia la Luce with Cherry and Joe, who let him stay at their apartment above the restaurant.

It's been three and a half months. Miya finally returns to S. He goes over to say hi to Reki, it's been a while since he's seen her.
"That's a pretty dress," he comments. It is nice, with a little pattern of strawberries on it. Miya thinks that he would want one like it.
"Fuck off Miya," she says.
He's blindsided, lost for words for a moment.
"I didn't . . ." he trails off. Joe, Cherry and Shadow have joined them by now. Joe steps in.
"That was uncalled for, Reki," he says. "Miya didn't—"
"Who are you? My mom?" Joe flinches a little at that and Cherry puts a comforting hand on his shoulder. Reki's glare is filled with fierce hatred, and Miya is frightened. She stalks away, muttering under her breath.
Miya doesn't see her again for the rest of the night.

It's been three months and three weeks. Miya approaches Reki again, hesitantly.
"Why are you being so mean?" he asks.
"What do you mean?" asks Reki. "Everyone likes me." Someone walks by and he fist bumps them as they pass.
Miya scoffs and walks away.

It's been four months. Reki and Langa have a beef. It's bad. Langa is much worse on this one. But then again so is Reki. She evades Langa's attacks and hits back with her own. It's a battle of who slips up first. In the end, it's both of them. They end up in the hospital, and Miya thinks that he should visit them, he wants to see them, but he doesn't think he can take it. He does, eventually with Cherry and Joe, but can't bring himself to go inside. They don't force him. He sits outside their hospital room, listening to the conversation.
Cherry and Joe lecture Reki and Langa ("That was extremely dangerous!" "Both of you could have died."). They don't seem to care ("Well we didn't." - Langa "You don't even fucking wear a helmet Cherry. Don't fucking lecture us about safety." - Reki.)

It's been six months. Reki and Langa are out of the hospital now. They haven't changed, they're still just as reckless and dangerous, but they're friends now, Miya thinks. He's all but given up on trying to get them to see reason. Seeing them on the track is both exhilarating and frightening. He stops watching their beefs after Langa does the full swing kiss on someone. It reminds him too much of ████.

It's been seven months. After Langa used the full swing kiss, he and Reki have only gotten more violent. He isn't surprised by the violence anymore. This kind of violence has become normalized, almost routine for him. No one has died, though. Yet.

It's been seven and a half months. Cherry and Joe decide that their interventions so far haven't been enough. The violence has escalated too far. They go to talk to Reki and Langa. Miya doesn't come with them, but he listens nearby.
"This has gone too far." Joe starts. Cherry cuts straight to the point.
"Stop the violence. If you can't, stop going to S. And get therapy. Definitely get therapy."
"Or what, Mom?" Reki says.
Cherry takes a deep breath, and then continues, resigned.
"Or we'll tell your parents."
"You'll what???" Reki almost yells, incensed.
"You can't tell them about S," Langa says, unperturbed.
"We can tell them you've been sneaking out every night to skateboard, and that you've broken onto private property. I don't think your mother would be too happy to hear that, Reki."
Reki punches Cherry in the face. It's quick, almost like a reflex, but the burning anger in his eyes makes his motivations clear. In an instant, Joe has Reki and Langa pinned to the rock behind them, their wrists held firmly in each of his.
"Don't. touch. them." Joe growls.
"Or what?" Reki says, but Joe just glares at them and increases the pressure on their wrists.
"Fine. We'll stop coming to S," Langa acquiesces.
"And therapy?" Cherry asks. "I'm willing to pay if you need it."
"Therapy?" Reki scoffs. "Therapy is for losers."
"Therapy is for people who need help," Joe corrects. He looks at them and his face softens. "And needing help isn’t a bad thing. But you two haven't had a beef in months where your competitor isn't seriously injured." They're dancing around it, Miya can tell. None of them want to say it. He decides that he has to.
"Adam," he says, stepping out of his hiding place. "You're turning into Adam. Is that what you want?"
Everyone whips their heads in Miya's direction.
"Miya," Cherry says with a note of warning.
"No. They need to hear this," he replies. He turns to Reki and Langa. "You broke us—no you know what? You broke me. You made a promise to me, do you remember? That you'd never leave. Fuck you, assholes." There are tears welling up, but his voice stays strong. "Did it not matter to you? The promise? You didn't care enough to even try? Or were you just liars?" Tears are streaming down his face now. "And what? You decided that since you were in pain everyone else had to suffer too? Do you not see it? The violence, the destruction, the perversion of skateboarding into something vicious? The malice that exists behind every beef you skate in? Do you realize how fucked up it is that you're happy to win after putting someone in a hospital and possibly causing them permanent damage? That's evil."
"Miya—" Reki starts.
"Go fuck yourself," Miya snarls and storms off.

It's been a year. Langa and Reki have been in therapy for three and a half months now. They're getting better. They're learning how to deal with their emotions and issues and how to communicate, above all, because miscommunication is what led to this mess in the first place. Today is their first day back at S. Well, they've been back at S a few times before, but just as spectators. This is their first back as skaters. Reki's challenged Langa to a beef, and Miya's apprehensive, because it's been peaceful at S the last few months and he doesn't want a reoccurrence of the violence. His fears are unfounded, though, and the race is fine. Reki wins and demands his prize (a kiss. eww weird.) and Miya contemplates the point of having a kiss as a prize. Aren't they literally dating? He's happy to have them back though, no matter how disgusting the slimes get. He lets out a quiet "oof" as Reki and Langa pull him into a hug. Their banter is familiar, and he smiles despite himself. He can see Cherry, Joe, and Shadow smiling proudly behind them, not quite part of the hug but Miya pulls them in with a grin.
He's happy to be here, to be part of this family, he thinks, as laughter and contentment surround him.