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"Why'd you bring me here dude?" Reki's voice isn't accusing, just curious.
"It's nice, isn't it?" Langa asks by way of reply.
"Yeah, it's pretty." And it is, the spring? lake?—Langa called it a spring, but the only thing Reki thinks of when he hears spring is the metal kind—that Langa is leading him to looks pretty, picturesque, like something out of a Studio Ghibli movie. The water is blue, so blue it looks fake, like someone dyed it.
Langa lays out the picnic blanket by the lake and sets the picnic basket down on top. He sits down, and gestures for Reki to do the same.
"Okay... so ... um... I brought you here because I wanted to talk to you," Langa is fidgeting with his hands, and Reki desperately wants to lace his hands through Langa's and gently rub his hands to calm him down. Reki looks at him intently, waiting for him to continue. A slight blush tinges his cheeks and he glances to the side before continuing.
"... um well ..." he continues, "ever since I came to Okinawa, you've been there for me. You've been my friend, and um, really nice ..." He trails off, and then starts again, more confidently this time.
"You're really good at skating, Reki. and you took the time to teach me how to skate and you were patient and kind and you introduced me to S ..."
Reki has been turning redder and redder as Langa continues to compliment him, and he is blushing furiously at this point.
"... and you're really pretty Reki, and when I'm skating with you it feels like the world falls away and it's just the two of us and—"
"I love you," Reki bursts out.
"What?" Langa says. He sounds surprised but Reki's already said it so he keeps going.
"I'm in love with you, Langa. I love the way you remember things that I say when I'm just talking, like that time you bought me a spanner because I mentioned mine was broken and your hair is so soft and you're so freaking cute—" Now that Reki's started talking he can't stop and he barrels on. " even though you probably don't like me back because—"
"Reki—"
"I know I can be annoying sometimes and I probably made it weird because we're friends, right? And you were cool when I told you I was bi but then later we like cuddled and stuff and does it make it weird if I was in love with you? If I made you uncomfortable or—"
"Reki, I brought you here to confess,"
"What?"
"I love you too," Langa says softly.
"Oh," Reki says. Really? Your best friend who you're desperately in love with confesses his love for you and your response is "oh"?
"I love the way you take care of your little sisters and the way you notice things about people and—" Langa's started talking again while Reki was stuck in his head and as he processes what Langa is saying his face begins to flush red again.
"Stop it dude"
"Why? It's true," Langa says and jeez, how can he just say that? Reki buries his bright red face in his hands and groans.
Langa reaches forward and pulls Reki's hands away from his face, replacing them with his own, framing Reki's face.
"mmmph dude" Reki's words are muffled as he turns his face and presses it slightly into Langa's hand. Langa is bright red now.
"canikissyou?" he blurts out.
"What?" Reki says, it takes him a moment to process the question.
"sorry, you just look so—" and it hits Reki that Langa just asked to kiss him.
"yes yes yeah dude," Reki says quickly, as if Langa will take it back if he doesn't respond quickly enough. He leans closer to Langa and closes the gap between them. Reki's never kissed anyone before (what if he's horrible at it and Langa never wants to kiss him again and—) but then Langa's hands on his face tighten and pull him closer. And oh, right, Reki has hands and oh no where does he put his hands where even are his hands right now?? He settles for wrapping his arms around Langa's waist and Langa gives a small hum of happiness against Reki's mouth and Reki melts because oh Langa is so lovely and he wants to give them the world and then Langa pulls away suddenly with an "oh!"
"What, dude?" Reki says, worried and immediately hates himself. Dude? to the guy he's in love with? the guy he just kissed? Langa doesn't seem to notice though; he looks at Reki with wide eyes. "the food!"
"oh!" Reki remembers the original reason they came here. "the picnic! What'd you bring dude?" Langa pulls away from Reki when he reaches for the food and Reki misses the contact; he reaches forward and captures Langa's right hand in his left, twining their fingers together. Langa looks back, a blush appearing on his cheeks as he looks at their joined hands and a smile creeps across his face, almost involuntarily.
Reki thinks he squeezes Langa's hand a little, because—just—Langa. He continues taking things out of the picnic basket with one hand. Reki is too focused on Langa's hand in his to really notice what he's taking out of the picnic basket.
He startles out of his reverie when Langa says "okay, so I made a bunch of different things"
He looks at the spread and he can't help it "but why?"
Langa looks at him, hurt, and Reki tries to reassure him.
"No dude I love that you did this" Jeez dude again? "I just—what is that supposed to be?"
He points to a sort of mashed up discolored thing that might be a cupcake or maybe a quiche, he doesn't really know.
"That's a cannoli"
"Oh my god Langa babe" he laughs and then freezes. babe??? But Langa just blushes and laughs.
They eat the food Langa's brought; it tastes pretty good despite its appearance. The lake just looks so picturesque, and maybe he has a vision of them splashing together in the water but then Langa interrupts his thoughts.
"Wanna dip our toes in?"
"Can we?"
"Ummm I don't know the internet might have said something about flesh eating bacteria..."
"Ewww dude why'd you suggest it then?"
"I didn't think you'd say yes" he says and pouts. "Also I thought it would be cute."
Langa's so cute when he pouts he thinks and he doesn't realize he's said it out loud ("shizzlesticks you're so cute") until he sees Langa's blush and Langa says "you think I'm cute?"
And Reki blushes too and says "yeah dude," nudging him slightly and then Langa nudges him back and then somehow they end up lying down together on the blanket, facing each other.
"jeez I can't believe you're in love with me" Reki says, a little bit in awe.
"Come here"
Reki does, and Langa wraps his arms around him, Reki's face pressed to Langa's chest.
And yeah they've held each other like this before, falling asleep in each other's beds after a long night at S. But this is the first time they've cuddled as a couple and Reki is acutely aware of Langa's arms around him and Langa's heartbeat as he says
"Reki of course how could I not be?" and begins to list the things he loves about Reki.
"ok," Reki says with a quiet exhale. And although there is a voice in the back of his head he ignores it, because here he is, soft and warm and safe in Langa's arms. Here he can let himself be loved.