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Langa has a problem.
A loud, distracting, and messy redhead problem.
He's been told his whole life that he is not much of a people person, and Langa tends to agree. He dislikes big crowds and being the center of attention. He is not a patient soul and loses interest in conversations faster than the average person. He doesn't have a taste for social events or small talk, and he prefers to keep his business to his own. There've been brave soldiers who tried to break through Langa's ice-cold surface, but half of them give up after a few tries, and the rest simply lost interest after realizing how awkward he actually is. People approach him with the expectation that he is a completely different person than his true self, so their disappointment is immediate when they, after exchanging a few words with him, realize he is nothing like the false persona they created for him.
He guesses that's the reason why Kojiro seemed so different.
It's been five years since he first interviewed Langa to work at his bakery in Azabu-jūban. Twenty-one-year-old Langa was fresh out of bakery school and the possibility to be hired at a bakery with such a big name as Sia la luce was a little bit of a long shot, he won't deny that; but Kojiro gave him the chance to prove himself nonetheless, and ended up blowing everyone's minds with his own version of a raspberry and blueberry lime drizzle cake. Langa will never forget the way that Kojiro's business partner (And life partner too, but no one is allowed to acknowledge that out loud), Kaoru, raised his eyebrows in shock when he took a bite out of Langa's desert.
His time in Sia la luce has been more than satisfactory from that moment. Having the chance to learn from one of the highest-valued pastry chefs in Japan certainly did amazing for his curriculum, but it also gave him immense personal satisfaction as well. Because Langa might not understand people very well but he does understand baking, and ever since his father passed away, creating delicious cakes and pastries has been the motor of his existence.
Baking it's not complicated. Most of the time you have a recipe to follow, clear instructions on what to do. The more you practice, the better you will eventually become. There's no magic secret, no one is born with the gift of being a genius at baking; you just have to give it a try and aim to get better the next time you get your hands in the dough. That's why Langa loves it so much: baking has no gray areas. Your creation either tastes good or tastes bad, and if it happens to be the latter you just have to throw the thing away and start over. Baking is quiet and personal, it's you and your cake, and Langa's favorite part about having a job that entails on doing it all day is that people tend to leave him alone whenever he is cooking.
Or at least that's how it was until he arrived.
Sia la luce was a tranquil place before Reki Kyan arrived. It's not that Kojiro demanded all his employees to be serious all of the time or anything but, before the Okinawan joined, the kitchen had at least an aura of professionalism going that kept everyone on their best behavior during work hours.
That hasn't been the case since the redhead appeared.
You see, Reki Kyan is a bit of a rockstar in the baking world. He's been in many television shows forecasting his incredible ability at decorating all sorts of cakes. He is also very present on every social media there is and has decorated cakes for a few celebrities' weddings. He has the charisma and easy talking that anyone with that resume would need, and since he was put in charge of the decorating area in the Sia la luce by Kojiro he brought all that chaotic energy with him to make Langa's life a mess.
He is so… loud. He loves talking and wasting time, always finding a way to distract everyone on his team and on Langa's team. Sometimes the blue-haired has to go into the decorating area to fetch his fellow bakers and be that guy that informs everyone that if they don't go back to work, they won't be able to meet the deadline of the day. He hates it because he already has the reputation of being the party pooper and, now that Reki Kyan's innate charisma makes everyone gravitate toward him, it pushes Langa to ultimately come out of his bubble only to be the bad guy, making everything even worse.
But by far what Langa hates the most about Reki Kyan's distracting presence, is that it's starting to affect him too.
Despite Langa wanting to hate the redhead with all his might, the reality is that he simply can't do it. It's strange because on paper Kyan checks every requirement for Langa to be incredibly jealous of him. He is everything the blue-haired could only dream of being: Good with people, talkative, has the patience and the delicacy to be able to teach people his decorating tricks, is loud and proud of his team and their work, is a natural leader, is not afraid to take space and to make his presence noticeable… he doesn't feel the need to hide in the shadows as Langa does. Reki Kyan is everything Langa wishes he could be, and yet it doesn't affect him in a negative way.
On the contrary, it only seems to pull Langa in harder.
The blue-haired has caught himself ear-dropping way more than he used to when Reki is around. He can't mute the world around him when he is baking anymore, he always needs to know what the redhead is saying. Even worse: He found out he enjoys listening to Reki talk, and the fact that once or twice he almost came out of his shell to add to a conversation that wasn't even with him it's alarming enough on its own.
But then, to fuel all his nightmares, he also found out that he likes seeing Reki around the kitchen.
He is not sure when this started but one day, out of nowhere, he caught himself staring at the redhead as he decorated a tray of vanilla cupcakes that Langa had baked that morning. That day Langa discovered that Reki seems to bite the inside of his right cheek whenever he is deeply concentrated, and that information has lived rent-free in Langa's head ever since. The blue-haired is also aware, somehow, that near the end of the day, when the ovens are no longer used, Reki likes to roll up the sleeves of his jacket up to his elbows; a piece of information apparently highly crucial to Langa's brain, given that nowadays whenever they are about to close it likes to remind the blue-haired to check for Reki's uncovered forearms.
Langa knows perfectly that this sudden infatuation with his new coworker could only mean one thing, but he is not ready to admit to that yet for several reasons, so he simply does his best to ignore the obvious issue that is brewing within his heart. He hopes that soon or later this strange feeling will eventually fade away because Langa has never liked changes, and he is way too used to his loner life to start thinking about changing any aspect of it.
Besides… Reki Kyan… even in the remote possibility that he is not straight, would Langa really want to have that around him all day? Someone who talks and talks like there is no tomorrow? Someone that would probably nag him to bake together while he jokes around, puts on his loud music, and dances as they create together? Someone that would encourage Langa to get out of his comfort zone and maybe shine a new light on life itself? Someone that would wrap those arms around Langa's waist from behind and whisper sweet nothings into…
Langa shakes his head to shoo the thoughts away, causing him to spill a little of the white chocolate ganache he was whipping over the bowl. He really needs to stop himself, he has been imagining this perfect life with the redhead for a while now, which would be funny or even slightly charming if it wasn't for the fact that they haven't even had a real conversation yet. He is starting to feel like a creep, but Reki simply being around him makes his heart flutter and his mind race to the nearest scenario of them being together. Blame it on Langa's permanent loneliness or his outright refusal to create real human connections, but now that he has recognized what is happening to him with the redhead, his whole body seems to be eager to respond to this new and exciting emotion.
Unfortunately, he won't act upon it any time soon.
He is finishing with the ganache when he hears a loud conversation coming from the decorating area of the kitchen. It seems like Kojiro is scolding someone, so he gives a quick taste test to his ganache, covers the bowl with plastic wrap, and then is about to start cleaning his station to be done for the day when he hears that familiar warm voice taking part of the conversation as well. He immediately gets interested in what's going on in the decorating area so, with light steps, he approaches the door that divides one area to the other to see what got Kojiro so angry.
"Reki, you knew this client was important, you were supposed to supervise every step of the process!" Kojiro says once Langa has him on view. He is standing tall and intimidating in front of the redhead, but Reki doesn't seem to be that bothered by the giant's presence at all. Even if Langa's first instinct is to find it hard to believe that the "amazing" Reki could do anything wrong, judging by the situation in front of him it seems like he did, in fact, make some sort of mistake.
"I told you, I can fix it," the redhead says, his voice quivering just a bit under that unmistakable confidence. "The client won't even know there was an issue tomorrow, I promise, I can do it."
"It will take you all night to do the cakes by yourself and I can't ask anyone to stay here during Christmas Eve, Reki!"
"I don't need anyone else, and I don't care if it takes me all night… It was my mistake, I can handle it," the redhead reassures once more, but Kojiro does not look convinced at all by his arguments.
"No, I can't allow you to stay here all night and handle the ovens sleep deprived, you could get hurt. I'm gonna inform the client that the orders are canceled."
"But I won't! Please, Kojiro, let me fix this," he begs. "I can do it, I promise."
"I don't want to hear it, Reki, I won't leave you here alone," the older man decides, putting a clear end to the argument as he raises his hand the next time Reki looks like he wants to speak. It's at that moment when Langa's brain and mouth conspire against him to utter the following words:
"I can stay with him," he says, surprising not only himself but Kojiro, Reki, and the audience around them too.
"Langa?" Kojiro asks, raising a brow at him. "You can stay? Don't you have plans for tonight?"
Feeling slightly exposed under all those eyes (and specifically one pair of amber eyes), Langa shifts his weight uncomfortably and shakes his head slightly. Kojiro doesn't seem very convinced by his answer but doesn't pressure him either, choosing instead to shrug as he turns to face Reki once again.
"Listen, I'm upset by this and we will discuss more this after the holidays, but I won't force you or Langa to stay here working on those cakes on Christmas Eve-"
"We will," Reki cuts him before he can finish, throwing a determined stare accompanied by a nod in Langa's direction. This is the first time that Langa can recall that they've looked at each other directly in the eyes, and the sudden awakening of the butterflies in Langa's stomach reminds him of his feelings for the redhead once again. Maybe this was a bad idea… Being completely alone with Reki for as long as finishing the order might take them, but Langa can't avoid feeling slightly eager to have all of the redhead's attention to himself despite it all. It will be hard, for sure, he'll have only himself to not make things awkward (something that Langa is a specialist in). But if things do happen to go positively… well, he doesn't want to jump too far ahead.
"Fine," Kojiro sighs. "But don't stay longer than midnight, if you finish the order then great, but if you don't… then don't push yourselves. Alright? I don't wanna find out that my kitchen burned down tomorrow…"
Both Reki and he nod in acknowledgment.
"Alright, everyone back to work, the day isn't finished yet!" Kojiro announces after two loud claps, and the crowd around them begins to disperse rapidly.
In the sudden rush of people coming and going, Langa catches a glimpse of a red mane approaching him among the others. He stands taller instinctively, preparing himself for the inevitable interaction with the man that clouded his rational a second ago, but when Reki is finally in front of him, the redhead simply gives him an awkward smile and a nod before walking around him to go towards the baking area.
Langa can't avoid feeling disappointed, and maybe a little stupid standing there like a hopeful idiot, because if this is how it's going to be for the rest of the evening then it's going be a long, long night. He is already starting to doubt his decision of offering to help… maybe the reason he and Reki haven't exchanged words in the two weeks that the redhead has been working there is that Reki doesn't like him. Maybe the rumors of how awkward Langa is have already reached the redhead's ears and now he is lamenting that he has to spend the night talking uncomfortably to each other.
His commonsense returns in a heroic moment to remind Langa to not panic out of nothing and to command him to go back to the things he does know: how to bake. Unfortunately, he is a little too good at his job, so he finishes everything he had to do way earlier than all his coworkers and way, way earlier than Reki. After cleaning his station he debates with himself if he should go ask Reki what he can start doing for the messed up order or if he should just wait for the redhead to finish. In the end, his shyness wins over, forcing him to stay put as he watches the rest of the people in the kitchen completing their work.
After an hour and a half, the place is completely empty, even Kojiro has left the place after giving Langa a sympathetic smile. He hears Reki messing with trays and other stuff over in the decorating area, but now that they are actually the only two people in the building, he suddenly feels really anxious to approach him. He figures that Reki will come to find him here if he needs him… or maybe he already forgot about Langa offering to stay with him. Maybe he doesn't care, maybe he is choosing to forget that Langa is here so he won't have to interact with him, maybe…
"Langa?"
The voice of the redhead pulls him out of his depressive spiral, and he lifts his head a little too quickly at the call of his name.
"It is Langa, right? I'm sorry I'm horrible with names," Reki says, a warm smile on his face as he scratches the back of his neck. It takes Langa a moment to process that Reki is talking to him. To him , Langa, not another person in the kitchen more fortunate than him. This is Reki. Talking. To h im . "I mean that's how I hear that everyone calls you, but if you want me to call you otherwise I will," the redhead continues, a little stunned by Langa's lack of response, and that serves to bring Langa right back to reality.
"Yeah," he says.
"Okay… how do you want me to call you?" Reki asks, raising an eyebrow but with a content smile on his face. Langa is a little lost by this before he remembers what Reki just said, so he shakes his head as he goes to hug himself.
"I meant yeah, my name is Langa," he clarifies, and it catches him off guard how different his voice sounds. Maybe holding his breath did something to his vocal cords.
"Oh, geez, thank God, I thought I screwed it up already," Reki smiles brightly and the blue-haired can't stop himself from giving a small smile back. "So, Langa , are you ready to start this nightmare?" He says, gesturing to the tables a little further away from Langa's station.
"It can't be that bad," Langa says, walking over to where Reki has pointed out and waiting for him there.
"Well… it kinda is. We gotta make three sponge cakes, frosted with whipped cream."
"Christmas cakes?" The blue-haired asks, surprised by the simplicity of the order.
"Yeah," he says, and after analyzing Langa's face for a moment he goes on explaining. "I know, I know… how you mess up sponge cakes am I right?" Reki asks and Langa rushes to shake his head. The last thing he wants is to offend Reki in any way, and he knows firsthand how unpredictable baking can be. Sometimes you just make mistakes.
Reki seems to find Langa's expression funny or something, because he lets out a short laugh after watching him deny his statement so blatantly.
"Well, the issue wasn't the cakes… Someone on my team decided to use strawberries for the toppings, and the order explicitly said no strawberries on it due to someone in the family being allergic to them. And, you know, you can't mess with allergens, so all the cakes had to be discarded."
"Makes sense," it's all Langa can think of saying.
"How about you start making the butter for the sponges and I start working on the whipped cream before I help you out with those?"
Langa nods. It makes sense, even though Langa knows Reki can bake (and more than well, might he add), the redhead is the one that spends more time in the decorating area, while Langa is the one doing the baking all day. He appreciates that they have to do something that Langa can do with his eyes closed if he wanted to, so as soon as Reki proposed that Langa starts with the butter, he immediately gets into motion to take out all the utensils he will need.
"Woah, no wonder why you finish your work before everyone," Reki remarks with a smile, and Langa's brain jumps unprovoked to the conclusion that that means Reki has been aware of his movements in the kitchen as much as Langa has been of his. "I'll put some music on and then I'll get to work!"
And that's why you always finish your work last, Reki , Langa thinks, wishing they had enough confidence between them for him to be able to throw that little nag at the redhead. For now, he just keeps it in his head where it won't risk getting Reki offended.
Langa focuses on the recipe he knows from memory for a cotton sponge cake: First, he needs to heat up 50 ml of vegetable oil, multiplied by three would make 150 ml of it for the three cakes. As he takes out a pan to do just that, he hears the music start playing from the decorating area. Right when he is about to feel lonely cooking there, thinking that maybe Reki will prefer to work in his own area, the redhead proves him wrong, appearing with a mixer and several bowls balanced on top of his arms. He sets everything on top of the table with as much delicacy as he can muster, but it still makes a bunch of noise and leaves their station looking too crowded with all the utensils laying around.
But then Langa's brain dances around the words ' their workstation', and suddenly he is no longer upset by the mess anymore.
"Oh, you are making cotton sponge cake?" Reki asks with a smile once he notices what Langa is doing. He gives him a nod in response and Reki's smile just grows larger. "That's actually better, I like the texture more… It's like you are eating a fluffy cloud," he continues talking as he goes to grab two large containers of heavy cream from the fridges. "My grandma was the one who taught me how to make cotton sponge cake, she used to make it in this huuuuge traditional oven that she had in her old house. I've never had a cake that good in my entire life and I've tried to replicate her recipe but it's never quite the same… I think the secret of it was the slow cooking and stuff but, oh … I'm talking too much again, am I?" He asks, biting his lower lip and sending Langa's heart into an immediate cardiac arrest. "I'm sorry, I know you like your peace and quiet and I'm here messing everything up," he apologizes.
"N-no," Langa rushes to say, surprising even the redhead with his urgency. "It's fine," he clarifies, and the smile that Reki gives him in return will be stuck in his brain for a long time.
"Okay," he says, that soft smile still present on his lips. "I think your oil is ready," he says next, pointing with his chin to the pan in Langa's grip.
His oil is indeed ready, almost going over the temperature needed for his recipe. Langa turns off the fire, pours the liquid into a mixing bowl and, when he is about to leave the table to go grab the next ingredient he needs, Reki surprises him by handing him the container with the low-gluten flour.
"Thought you might need it," he says, and Langa debates with himself if his heart will make it through the night if the redhead keeps giving him those warm smiles.
As he sifts the flour into the bowl with the oil, the conversation dies down a little. Reki is focused on measuring the cream and the powdered sugar, mumbling to the words of the song in the background that Langa unsurprisingly doesn't know. He wants Reki to keep talking to him, but it is true that he can't rely on Reki to carry the entire conversation the whole night. He thinks and thinks of an appropriate question to ask, something that won't be answered by a simple yes or no, and the answer to his problems arrives when he catches a glimpse of the Christmas tree hanging out in one corner of the kitchen.
"You… didn't have any plans for tonight?" He asks, his voice sounding quieter than how he would have wanted. Reki raises his head at the sudden question, clearly surprised by Langa's attempt at making conversation. It strings a little to know that Reki has this obvious image of him formed already, but the pain goes away quickly when the redhead's surprise changes into the most unapologetic content smile Langa has ever seen.
"Nah, my family is in Okinawa and I couldn't go there for the holidays… I have an important promotional event tomorrow that I can't miss so," he answers, a hint of sadness hidden under his usual happy disposition.
"You don't have anyone here in Tokyo?"
"Well, I had my ex-boyfriend here, he was the whole reason why I moved to Tokyo in the first place, but I can't spend Christmas with him because, you know, the whole 'ex' part thingy," he laughs, and Langa would have died at the sound of that if it weren't for the fact that his brain got stuck in the word boyfriend, boyfriend , boy friend . "What about you?"
"No, I don't have a boyfriend," Langa answers in auto-mode, only waking up from his trance when he hears Reki try and fail to hold a laugh.
"I meant if you don't have any plans either but that's good to know too."
"Oh," oh . Langa shakes his head to try to reset his brain and stop making a fool of himself, deciding to fall back to what he knows for at least a minute to relax: the butter in front of him. He finished stiffing the flour minutes ago, so he now retrieves a silicone spatula to gently fold both ingredients together. He goes to the fridge to grab the milk and pours it directly into the mixture of flour and oil, continuing to fold it again and again until he has a unified thick paste of sorts.
Reki doesn't seem to be bothered by the lack of response on Langa's part, distracted enough with his own task to really pay attention to Langa's misstep a moment before. But now that he is calmer, and his face doesn't feel like it's burning anymore, he decides that he is ready to continue with their conversation, appreciating that Reki allowed him the space to cool off for a few minutes.
"My mom is in Okinawa too," he finally says, and to his pleasure, Reki doesn't look as shocked by Langa's attempts to talk to him this time around.
"Really? That's a weird coincidence," the redhead says, tuning on the mixer and filling the kitchen with its loud rumble. "I guess you can't go to visit her either?" He asks, shouting over the noise. Langa shakes his head and decides to wait for Reki to be over with the mixer before talking again.
In the meantime, he starts separating the egg whites from the yolks. He will need a whooping amount of fifteen yolks and three whole eggs added to the bowl before he can mix it all together, and by the time he is done with that Reki has also finished with the mixer, so Langa takes the opportunity to resume their conversation as he whisks the eggs and the paste together.
"I have to work the day after Christmas, so I can't go visit her this year," he says, and Reki gives him a sympathetic smile.
"That sucks, you guys are close?"
Langa nods, the image of his mom striking him with sudden homesickness.
"I'm sorry, I know how hard it can be," the redhead says and the sincerity of his words makes Langa shiver. He feels so good around him, Reki's presence doesn't annoy him like with the rest of people. He finds him incredibly easy to talk to, and even Langa's few missteps during the conversation don't make him want to back down from it. He wonders if it's his obvious crush on the redhead that compels Langa to tolerate his company more than usual… or if it's just the first time that someone looks actually interested in what Langa has to say.
Reki goes on about family stuff, telling Langa about his sisters and the stories they have together. From what Langa can decipher they seem very close, and he is more than happy to listen to Reki talk about his childhood in Okinawa as he beats the whites until they are airy and fluffy. After that, he starts folding the whites into the other mixture, gently, so their fluffiness doesn't decrease by rough movements. The redhead has moved to other topics, mainly music and life in Tokyo, and he doesn't seem bothered by Langa's few-words responses.
He is truly comfortable right now, mainly because Reki looks comfortable. People usually get weirded out by Langa's minuscular engagements in the conversation, but the redhead seems to be pleased to have someone who is listening to him with so much attention. He wonders if this is how Reki feels with everyone or is something unique that he discovered he has with Langa, and the thought of the last one makes his heart flutter with happiness.
"Hey, Langa, try this!" He hears Reki say, and when the blue-haired raises his head up to look at him, he gets surprised by a spoon full of whipped cream meeting his lips without any other warning. He opens his mouth in response to the sudden surprise, and the sweet, creamy texture hits him instantly. Reki pulls the spoon away and looks at Langa with shiny eyes, clearly expecting some sort of verdict on the whipped cream he has created. Langa has to swallow the urge to simply say that it tastes like regular whipped cream, and fortunately he does because after letting the cream dissolve in his mouth for a moment he tastes a hint of something else there. Something fruity… citric maybe, and the more he chases the unknown flavor the more confused he gets. It definitely improves it, but he has no idea what Reki could have added to it to make it taste like that.
"It's nice," he says, and the redhead gives him a bright smile in response. "What is it?" He dares to ask, figuring Reki is not the type to make him feel less of a baker just because he couldn't identify a specific flavor.
"It's blue raspberry!" It immediately makes sense in Langa's head. "Can't you tell? Maybe I need to add more..."
"No, I could taste it alright but, why?" He decides to ask. It's an unusual flavor for whipped cream, you would normally use plain vanilla extract if you felt like adding something, but Reki clearly is in the mood to experiment a bit.
"Because of you," he says, so nonchalantly despite making Langa's heart jump into action once again. His face must have shown his surprise given that Reki let out a breathy laugh before elaborating. "This is kind of embarrassing but… a month or so ago I was having a really rough time, I was uninspired and sort of not wanting to bake anymore. One afternoon I was walking down this street and saw in the window of the shop that they were serving something called blue raspberry cheesecake. I remember thinking who in their right mind would think about putting such an artificial flavor as blue raspberry on a cheesecake, like, that has to taste horrible. So, I entered Sia la luce and ordered one slice of that monstrosity, sat on the table next to the window, and ate it expecting the most horrible experience of my life. But then… it wasn't. It was actually delicious!" He explains, that dreamy smile never leaving his face as he tells the story.
"Okay…" Langa says, still not understanding what this has to do with him.
"So, I asked the girl on the counter who made the cheesecake and she told me it was one of their bakers named Langa."
Oh.
"I asked if I could talk to you because I needed to know how you managed to make it taste so… natural. She said she would ask, but when she returned, she told me you said you were busy and couldn't talk at the moment."
Oh.
"So I went home, googled Sia la luce, and found your name listed as one of the bakers. I might have checked your profiles a bit… but just because I wanted to know who you were! I wanted to know which mad lad would think about putting blue raspberry flavor on a cheesecake. I remember I found it so funny because once I saw your pic it seemed so… you. I can't explain it, but even without knowing you, I was like yeah, that's something Langa would do and make it taste amazing in the process. You kinda healed my baking block too… After trying your cheesecake I was frantically experimenting to see what could I put the blue raspberry flavor in and make it taste good."
Oh. Oh. Oh.
Langa's lack of words after Reki's story clearly makes the redhead a little nervous. He can even spot a hint of color rising from the redhead's neck to his cheeks. It would be profoundly endearing if it wasn't so distracting, forcing Langa to focus on that instead of thinking of a good answer.
"I- uh-," he stutters and the panic in Reki's eyes makes him regret opening his mouth before he had something prepared to say.
"I- I mean! Sorry, I know how it sounds- but I swear it's not like I'm… stalking you or something. Well- maybe a little? But I didn't want to work here just so I could talk to you! I've been a huge fan of Kojiro for a long time, and working for him was my dream. But maybe I was a little excited that I would finally get to meet you? Geez, what am I saying- I'm not helping myself, am I? I'm sorry, I'm just- When I am nervous, I tend to talk a lot and I forget to measure my words… That's why it took me so long to finally speak to you, I guess? I've been wanting to do it since my first day but-"
"Reki," Langa interrupts him, not because he feels strange about what he is saying, but because if the redhead keeps talking, Langa's heart might explode. Those amber eyes look at him with a mixture of embarrassment and overflowing anticipation, so Langa better thinks of something good. He looks down to his feet as the shame of what he is about to speak starts reaching his cheeks, but he won't back down after all that Reki said, he owes him to be able to at least say this. "I've wanted to speak to you for a long time too," he says and, despite being so nervous about it, his voice comes out as determined and strong. As if he's been waiting to say that for most of his life.
The redhead's notorious relief manifests itself in the way his tense shoulders relax. He gives Langa one of those gentle smiles that he is growing more and more familiar with as time passes, and then the blue-haired catches a glimpse of something else in Reki's eyes, but it's gone before he can figure out what it is exactly.
"Really? I thought you hated me or something… you always seemed to be trying your best to completely ignore my presence," Reki laughs.
Well, he is technically not wrong. Langa has been trying to avoid thinking about Reki at all times, and that sometimes meant doing his best to disregard the redhead's existence completely. But, of course, he is not ready to confess to that yet, so he simply shakes his head and gives Reki a tiny smile in response.
"I guess I'm just… shy," he excuses and, thankfully, Reki doesn't press him on the matter any further.
"Geez it's almost nine, we should really get these sponges going, don't you think?" The redhead asks and Langa nods in response, thankful to be able to go back to baking after that slightly emotional conversation.
Reki goes to pre-heat the ovens while Langa fills two large baking trays with water and then pours the mixture into six eight inches cake pans. With incredible delicacy, he sets the cake pans into the baking trays with the water, and then he and Reki do their best to transport them into the ovens where they'll cook in low heat for an hour.
Once the sponges are on the way, they focus on the decoration part. The whipping cream is ready, but they still need a theme. After scrolling through Reki's Pinterest for inspiration, they settle into a snow theme for the cakes, given that Reki already used the blue raspberry flavor in the whipped cream and that gave the entire thing a light bluish color.
"It will also match your hair," the redhead kindly points out with an entertained smile, as he handles a bag of white fondant to him to roll it out.
They end up passing the time the sponges are in the oven cutting snowflakes of all sizes out of fondant and drying them to stiff them out. Reki also disappears for a good ten minutes in search of different types of sprinkles that would fit their theme, ten minutes in which Langa entertains himself by doing three little snowmen out of the extra fondant. When the redhead comes back to their station, he is so marveled by Langa's tiny creations that he takes out his phone to take a picture of them.
"They are so cute," he laughs once the photo is taken, and all Langa hears in his brain is you're cute, you're cute, you're cute. He wishes he could say those words out loud, he wishes he could take Reki's pink cheeks in his hands and cover them with kisses. He wonders how he could have possibly thought that his crush would go away. It's even worse now that he had a taste of what being close to Reki feels like, he never wants the sensation to go away.
And then… why would he let the feelings go? With everything that he knows from tonight, is there any shame in at least trying to see where this new friendship might take them? Reki seems to like him, more than Langa would have ever imagined; and he is sure that he likes Reki way, way more than the redhead thinks he does. Still, Reki knowing who Langa was even before coming into the kitchen, and the redhead not being at least completely straight does not mean that Langa has any chances, but that can't stop him from dreaming… right? Truth is, the blue-haired won't do anything until he is certain that his crush is reciprocated. First, because he would hate it to make their working situation uncomfortable if there's a rejection, and second, well… because he genuinely likes Reki, and if they can't be together romantically then Langa, for once in his life, would like to have him as a friend.
"Hey, come take a look at them, I think they might be ready!"
They are, and Langa realizes that his alone time with the redhead is running out incredibly fast. They spend a few minutes while the sponges are in the cooler exchanging pie secrets, and when Reki deems that the spongers are cold enough to not melt the whipped cream away, they get to work immediately. The redhead leads their way as he shows Langa what to do with the other cakes and how to bring their vision to life. The blue-haired has to pay extra attention, given that he loses focus over and over as he watches the redhead frost the cake with ease. Makes sense, this is Reki's specialty, but why does he have to look so damn good doing it?
Once the frosting is done, they move into placing all the snowflakes in a specific order under Reki's guidance once again. Langa insists they don't have to use the snowman he did, but the redhead says it'll fit the theme perfectly, so he quickly dyes green some fondant and whipping cream to create little pine trees and some straws of grass to tie it all together. Lastly, with the use of a pastry bag filled with dark chocolate, the redhead writes 'Merry Christmas' in beautiful kanji to top it all off.
It's beautiful, but the thought that they created these cakes together is even more endearing in Langa's mind.
"I can't believe we finished ten minutes before midnight, Kojiro will be proud of us," Reki says after a laugh. Langa gives him a nod and a soft smile in response as he finishes packing the cakes into their boxes, leaving them ready for delivery tomorrow. "I'm done with cleaning, should we get out of here? My back is killing me," the redhead says, stretching as he lets out a satisfied groan.
Langa has mixed feelings about going home. On one hand, he is really tired: he's been standing for more than twelve hours with just short periods of rest sitting down, he can't stand the sweet smell of sugar and vanilla extract all over his body, and his feet are killing him. But, on the other hand, going home also means not having Reki around anymore. He is worried about how addictive the redhead's presence is, they are not even apart yet and just the thought of no longer being by his side is causing the blue-haired to suffer from withdrawals. It's undeniable at this point how utterly charmed he's been by the redhead, and the hours they spent together only served to solidify that fact even clearer in Langa's mind.
Nonetheless, he nods with his first forced smile of the night at the suggestion of leaving Sia la luce and, after leaving the cakes in a safe place and putting their coats on, they exit the bakery with Reki locking the door behind them. Langa stands there awkwardly, waiting for the redhead to finish with the door before attempting a goodbye. While he is there, he notices one little snowflake falling from the sky to land directly on his nose, and the cold sensation makes him shiver and chuckle at the same time.
"It's snowing," he informs the redhead when he finally stands next to him.
"Oh, and it's midnight too, perfect timing!" He says, looking at his watch. Then, those amber eyes turn impossibly soft as they travel from Reki's wrist to meet Langa's gaze. "Merry Christmas, Langa… I'm very glad you offer to stay with me, despite the extra work, I had a really nice time with you," he says, hiding half of his face with his scarf, but not even that manages to obscure Langa from seeing that hint of pink on Reki's cheeks.
"Me too," Langa says, fighting against the urge to simply pull the redhead in for a kiss. It's too soon, it's too abrupt, and despite some signs, Langa still can't really tell if Reki is interested in him in that way or not. So he sighs as he tries to convey all the feelings he truly has but can't say yet into one phrase: "Merry Christmas, Reki."
They stand there looking into each other's eyes for who knows how long, the snow falling slowly around them. It looks like they both have something else to say, and despite Langa knowing perfectly what he would like to express to the redhead at this moment, he can't know for sure what Reki might be holding back either. It's almost as if time froze for a second, and even though the silence stretches for a while, it doesn't feel uncomfortable. Langa wonder if this is truly how it feels to be at peace.
"I… I better get going," Reki says, his voice almost a whisper.
"Okay," it's all Langa can say in return.
"See you on Monday?"
"Yeah."
"Okay."
Another pause.
Neither wants to be the first one to turn around. Langa hesitates, the urge to suddenly tell him everything he is feeling bubbling up once again. But he is scared, everything is so new, so sudden, so strong, so fast. What if he screws it up? What if making the wrong move only pushes the redhead away from him?
"Langa, this might look like it comes out of nowhere but- I mean if I'm crossing a line or something please tell me! But uh- I uh- Maybe we can meet for coffee or something today? I just- I don't wanna wait until Monday to see you again," Reki says, that last part almost inaudible.
Langa blinks once, twice, three times. Is Reki… Is Reki…
"Like… on a date?" It might be too direct to ask in this way, but Langa does not care anymore. He needs to know. He has to know. The redhead's face transforms to show utter horror, and he mumbles unintelligible explanations as the color raises from his neck to all corners of his face. Langa waits patiently though, hyper-focused on the way Reki's eyes look everywhere except at him. At last, the redhead closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. When he opens them up again, they fall into Langa's gaze, looking at him with a determination that sends shivers down Langa's spine.
"Y-yeah… like on a date," he says.
"I'd love that, Reki," Langa rushes to answer, feeling his own face getting warmer at the thought of them meeting again, but this time… on a date.
Not even in his wildest dreams Langa would have imagined that his night would end up like this. There are no words to express the euphoria his heart is feeling right now… Reki is asking him to go on a date with him, on a date! There is no denying that this means the redhead is at least a little bit interested in him and, if everything goes as perfectly as tonight did, then there is no other way to go in their relationship than up.
Langa takes a moment to simply look at him, at his warm eyes and beautiful smile. It's difficult to grasp why someone so unique and amazing as Reki would want someone as dull and boring as Langa by his side, but he does. He does. Langa doesn't have to suppress or hide his interest anymore, why would he? Reki wants to take him on a date. Reki doesn't want to wait even a day to see and talk to him again, Reki wants Langa close.
"G-great," the redhead says, letting out a puff of air as he relaxes. "Meet me here in about… sixteen hours?" He chuckles, and Langa can't stop himself from doing the same.
"Okay," he smiles, his cheeks feeling warm. His body feels tingly, comfortable, full of life.
"Okay," Reki smiles back. "Goodbye, Langa."
Goodbye. The word that scared him, the word that Langa feared would mean their time would be over forever. He realizes now, looking at the redhead smiling gently at him, looking at his eyes filled with excitement and anticipation; that there is nothing to be afraid of anymore. Reki wants him by his side and goodbyes… goodbyes will only be temporary from now on.
"See you, Reki."