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REKI’S POV
It was winter, or as close as it would get to winter in Okinawa. Langa was buzzing with excitement, the colder it got in Okinawa the more it would remind him of home. There was no snow, but they could get snow cones without them melting on the spot and that seemed to be enough for Reki’s blue haired partner.
The cold was damn today, the one that seeped into your bones, it hadn’t been this cold on a winter’s day in years. Reki was the opposite of excited right now, he knew it would only be so long until his arm and back started to act up. He wanted to tell Langa, but he couldn’t, he didn’t want to be a burden. He didn’t want Langa to know about those ugly scars.
“It hasn’t been this cold in Okinawa for years.” Reki decided to comment, starting a conversation. Langa looked up from his snowcone, or what was left of it. The pink syrup that was on the snow cone stained his lips because he devoured it without hesitation. Reki tried not to laugh, to let Langa talk. “My mom said it usually doesn’t get this cold, are you alright?”
‘Shoot! Does he know?!’ Reki waved his hand. “Of course I’m fine, the cold never bothered me anyway.” Langa did not seem impressed with the Frozen reference. “Reki, you guys aren’t really used to this sort of weather, you’re only wearing a thin sweater.” He chastised, taking off his coat and going to put it on Reki.
“Woah woah woah, what are you doing? Don’t you need that.” Reki said, leaning back away from it. Langa shook his head, “I brought the extra coat because I knew you would think you were too invincible to need one. Put it on, chahuteur, I don’t want you getting sick.”
Reki folded and slid into the jacket, pretending to be annoyed but being really thankful. Langa somehow always managed to be exactly what he needed, even without knowing how much he would do just by doing the little things.
Langa slid over so they’re hips were touching, and he pulled Reki into an embrace, rubbing his arms over Reki’s arms and back in order to warm him up. ‘Oh no’. Langa’s hand ran over one of the scars and Reki tensed up. He immediately stopped, Reki was thankful but he had but at the same time he was dreading it.
“I can’t really feel my toes anymore.” Langa commented. ‘Huh, so he didn’t notice. Good’. “Let’s go back to my place.” Langa added on afterwards. Reki resisted the urge to jump up and run back, “Yeah, that would be a great idea. Also, you got pink syrup all over your face.” He finally told Langa, beginning to laugh.
Langa brought his hand up and touched his face. Frowning when he saw the pink syrup on his fingers. “Oh.” ‘pfft’ He shrugged. “Alright.” He grabbed Reki’s hand and pulled him up. Langa seemed to consider something. He grabbed his board and slapped it on the ground. “Last person there makes the hot chocolate!” He called out, skating back to his place.
Reki was just as quick, skating after Langa. “Don’t get cocky, sweetie.” He soon called out. What was he thinking? Langa had all the right to be cocky, the distance he was putting in between himself and Reki so casually while Reki was struggling to keep up. It wasn’t fair, not to Langa. He deserved a partner that could keep up with him, a partner that didn’t ruin romantic moments because of his scars. It was moments like these he wanted to rip his skin off.
Reki finally saw Langa’s place in the distance, relaxing a lot more. Don’t get him wrong, he liked his place, it was always loud and chaotic, perfect for him. But moments like these he welcomed the quiet.
LANGA’S POV
He didn’t call out that he won the race, nor did he expect Reki to make the hot chocolate. He was more worried about what happened early. ‘Why did Reki tense up like that, did I do something wrong?’. A million thoughts swirled through his head as he walked into the apartment. “My mom’s at work, it’s just the two of us.” he said, turning to Reki.
Reki went to go to the kitchen to get started but Langa walked over and took the kettle from him. “Ah ah ah, you go sit down.” Reki casually shrugged his shoulders and hoisted himself up, sitting on the counter. “One of these days-” Langa started. “-You outta hit me with a spoon for my terrible kitchen manners.” Reki finished. “I know if anybody else sat on your counter you’d tear them a new one.”
Langa shook his head fondly and began boiling the water for the instant hot chocolate. He had no idea how to make the authentic stuff but he wanted to learn. He’d probably watch a Youtube video or bug Joe. Back on topic. “What was that about, back there?”
He saw Reki scratch the back of his neck and give him an innocent smile, “What was what about?”
He continued what he was doing, pulling some hot pockets out of the fridge and tossing them into the microwave. “You know what I’m talking about.”
“I got some back issues, that’s all.” Reki said, this seemed to be a touchy subject, and Langa wasn’t sure if this was something Reki should get off of his chest now or later. He didn’t know what to do. If he didn’t talk about it now the situation might never be brought up again but he doesn’t want to make Reki too uncomfortable and cause him to resent him. ‘Dude, stop. You sound like your mom.’ He calmed down with a breath.
He leaned on the fridge, thinking about what to say and uncomfortable silence filled the kitchen. Which Reki of course, had to fill. “Nobody knows about them, but they bug me sometimes. You couldn’t have known.” He says, looking up at Langa with a forced smile.
Langa started thinking carefully about what he should say. “And what is it, specifically?”
“You remember my race against Adam?” Langa could feel his face fall. “How could I forget it?”
“When I hit the ground, I got some roadrash and some cuts from the rocks across my back.” Reki said, getting off of the counter and taking his sweater off. That’s when Langa saw it, the deep scars and cuts from the race. His stomach started doing flips. He thought the scars would’ve faded by now.
He quickly walked across the kitchen, pulling Reki into a hug, careful not to rest his hands where it was the most prominent while still holding him tightly, it was a little awkward. Truth is, Langa had known about them for a while now. He saw them at the beach, everyone did. He remembered how he went to ask Reki about it but Joe stopped him before he could. But as much as the truth was truthing, Langa didn’t say it out loud.
“So what if you got a few speed bumps? It doesn’t change anything about you that I love.” Langa said softly, he felt Reki relax a little. ‘Good, things are going okay.’
Reki began to shake, ‘Oh no, is he crying?’.
“How could it not? They make me even worse of a burden. It’s bad enough that I can’t keep up with you when we’re skating, but I can’t even keep up with you properly if it’s raining or cold because my back or arm is killing me? You don’t deserve that Langa, you deserve more than that.”
Langa felt like he could throw up, is that how Reki really felt, how could he not notice before. “Oh Mon Ange, is that how you really feel? You could never be a burden. You’re the reason I wake up in the morning, you’re the reason I go out to S to skate, it’s all you. You might not have some of the skills I do yet, and you might be sore some days, but that still doesn’t change how I feel about you.”
“But-” “How could you ever slow me down when you’re the reason I’m going in the first place?”
Reki began to calm down. “I don’t deserve you.”
“Well then we don’t deserve each other then, so it evens out.”
Reki began to laugh and cry at the same time. “That’s not how that works.”
“In my world that’s how it works.” The two were cut off by the microwave beeping and the kettle going off, which was odd how they both went off at the same time. “You should take care of that.” He heard Reki comment, slowly letting go of Langa. ‘Not on my watch.’
He grabbed Reki and without much effort, tossed him over his shoulder. One of the perks of being an athlete was that he could throw his boyfriend around like a sack of potatoes if he wanted to. “Hey, put me down!” Reki began to try squirming away. “I can’t hear you over the kettle!” Langa called out, pouring it over the powder in the bottom of the cups.
“You have stuff to do.” Reki tried again.
Langa hummed as he pulled out a spoon to stir the drinks with his free hand. “And who says I can’t multitask?”
“I do! It would be much more efficient if you put me down.” Reki eventually stopped moving.
“And you’re one to talk. Mr. “I forget to take the tags off of shirts before I wear them”.” He countered, grabbing one of the mugs with his freehand and carrying Reki over to the couch.
He bent over and flung Reki onto the couch. On his back. Shit. ‘GOD LANGA HOW COULD YOU BE SO CARELESS?’. He put the hot chocolate mug down on the table and immediately went to check on Reki. Reki turned around and he was laughing, okay. Langa let out a sigh of relief. “Dude, calm down, I’m not made of glass.”
Just because Langa felt like lightening the mood a little more, he decided to make a comment about the nickname. “Dude, I thought I graduated from dude to babe.” He said, grabbing his own hot chocolate and the plate of hot pockets he made for the both of them, he headed over to the couch and placed them next to Reki’s mug.
Reki got up and maneuvered himself so he could snuggle, Langa thought it’d be more casual but nope, he draped himself over Langa’s lap like he usually did. “What would you prefer, prince?”
Langa scoffed. “No, anything but prince.”
“Prince it is.” Reki said adamantly and Langa doubted he could even change his mind.
“Reki!”
“Prince.”
“Freaking chahuteur.” Langa said, shoving a hot pocket in Reki’s mouth.
Reki took the ‘hint’ and began to eat, Langa drank his hot chocolate and started looking for a show to watch.
By the time he found one, he looked down at Reki and saw that he had passed out, which was quick, but given the range of emotions that just happened, Langa kind of saw it coming. His legs and feet would have pins and needles when he woke up but he barely thought about that.
He began to stroke his lover’s hair as he slept, looking so peaceful, like the events that just happened didn’t go down. So he spoke to Reki, finally figuring out what to say even though he couldn’t hear him. “You have battle wounds, but that doesn’t mean you’re any less than the rest of us.”
He cupped Reki’s cheek, “Deep down we all have scars, physically and mentally. Who’d have thought such a casual hobby could turn into such a nightmare?”
He leaned down, kissing his forehead. “Your scars prove that you fought, you lost but you were still brave enough to do what so many wouldn’t. We both were, we got the scars to prove it.” He chuckled.
“As for Adam-” He felt something bubble up in his chest, a nasty feeling that made him want to throw up. “For Adam-” He never felt this much resentment towards anybody before, all the feelings that Langa had buried about Adam had just begun boiling up and he felt tears run down the side of his face.
Reki shifted and Langa was brought back to reality, to the TV buzzing softly in front of him, to the lukewarm drinks on the table, and his beloved red head in his lap. “I’ll kill him.”
END