Work Text:
Langa feels the relief that comes over him when the plane finally lands back in Okinawa. It’s not too busy either during this late Monday afternoon. His teammates chatter endlessly as they breeze through customs and he trails behind them with Reki’s old skateboard securely strapped to his backpack. It’s quite a common sight for the Japanese team. Langa has a reputation that precedes him in the professional world - spacey but talented. He carries around an old beaten up board that looks nothing like his usual specifications and it’s special .
It started the first time Langa was competing at the national level, just a year after winning that S match against Adam. School was easier after that - Langa had the skills to go pro and Reki was a genius with designs. They leaned into their strengths and into each other, and it spiraled from there. So, when Langa had stood at the doorway of their newly rented place and Reki caught a glimpse of the skateboard, his best friend glared, “Are you stealing my board?”
Reki’s old board was Langa’s favorite. Sure, Reki had built himself a new one to match Langa’s professional board and that was his new favorite, but the old one reminded Langa of Reki’s dedication to what he loves. The board was theirs, just like Langa’s old board was hung over Reki’s bed. Reki claimed that it was the first board of a future Olympic champion.
“It’s my good luck charm.” Langa had said in reply but the underlying sentiment was clear: You’re my good luck charm . “And Coach has our boards checked in with the rest of the equipment.”
Reki blushed about it and pushed him out the door. He was somehow more embarrassed about Langa bringing his old board to a competition than he was of Langa actually bringing him. Since then, Reki tagged along for all of the competitions but he still let Langa take the board to the smaller events - like this retreat. They don't really talk about what it means.
Coach lets them split up after the airport, forcing them to promise they’ll show up for practice the next day. Langa bobs his head as he always does and he just wants to get home to Reki.
“Hasegawa, tell Reki hello for us!” One of his teammates calls out and the rest of the team jeers in union. They’re louder than he would like, but they’re good people. Reki thinks highly of them and they let Reki come along to their drinking parties, making him feel included. So, Langa likes them just fine. He rolls his eyes and waves.
Fortunately, home isn’t too far from the airport and Langa has a trustworthy board. He doesn’t usually ride the rickety thing since it’s not what he’s used to - it’s a little shorter and thinner than Langa likes but it gets him home. He will need to ask Reki to tighten the frame again.
He is a little worried though. Reki’s texts were a little more scattered throughout the day than usual, so Langa figured something was up. Maybe too many orders at the shop this week or a proposal that was coming up for a new skate product. He received less texts Saturday morning and almost nothing yesterday, but at least Reki did text him today to ask when to expect him.
The first thing Langa sees is the CLOSED sign on the shop shutters that were still down. He frowns, kicking up the board and turning the corner towards the stairs leading to their loft. The backdoor leading to the garage area behind the shop is also closed and that usually means Reki is either upstairs or not home.
Langa stumbles into the apartment, dropping his luggage at the entry hall, and peers into the living room. He tries to remember if Reki had any event to attend but nothing comes to mind. Not that it would be the first time Langa has forgotten - he barely remembers practice.
“Reki? I saw the shop was closed.” Langa calls out. A groan sounds from Reki’s bedroom and he hurries towards the noise. “Reki! Is everything okay?”
The bedroom is in disarray with cold medicines on the nightstand and clothes scattered carelessly about. The bed was also a mess with a pile of blankets stacked tightly over their comforter. A hand wearing a familiar red wristband pops out to wave at Langa.
“I’m here, I’m just dying,” Reki mutters from under the blankets. His voice is hoarse and his hand wiggles for Langa to grab. Langa is in love with this strange boy so he grabs his hand, obviously. Reki’s head pops out at touch and grins, “Welcome home.”
“I’m home,” Langa says softly and then frowns. “Why didn’t you text me?”
“Mmmm,” Reki groans again, covering his face. “You were at a retreat and I didn’t want you to worry. It’s not a big deal, it’s just a cold. I texted Kojiro though, like the responsible adult I am. But he hates me, so he told Kaoru and you know how he is. They stopped by yesterday morning with a ton of soup - and oh yeah, there’s still some more soup left if you’re hungry.”
“And what about your customers? I could’ve called them for you.”
“I know.” Reki lowers his hands and shrugs, “But I called them. My throat isn’t too bad. That’s why I texted Kaoru, I had his bike in the shop this weekend to replace the tension belt and check the battery. I was going to do it today, along with a few other small fixes.”
Langa hums, walking away to grab the trash bin from Reki’s desk and sweeping in some of the tissues laying around. Reki sits up and squints, “You’re not really mad, are you?”
“Of course not,” Langa says dryly as he places the bin back down under the desk. He gazes at the blueprints Reki must have been working on the night before.
“Sounds like you're a little mad.”
“No, it’s just - I want you to count on me too." Langa says as he turns back around towards the bed. “I would have come home earlier if I knew.”
Reki frowns and lifts his arms, holding them open for a hug. Langa goes, like he always does and always will. And when Reki wraps his arms around his waist, looking up at him, Langa’s heart clenches.
“I know, bud. But you’ve got a competition coming up soon and Miya scolds me every time, as if I’m the reason why you’re late all the time.” His eyes twinkle, “You’re just a little bit of an airhead so I can’t interrupt you when you’re in the zone.”
Langa would let Reki interrupt him a thousand times if it meant he got to see him smile. He can’t say that though, so he flicks Reki’s forehead and says the next best thing, “The zone doesn’t matter when you’re around.”
Reki rubs the reddening spot and pushes Langa away, “Jeez, you still have such a bad habit of just saying things. Do you even listen to yourself? What am I going to do with you?”
Anything , Langa holds back. He may not be talkative in the same way that Reki can ramble about the things he loves but Langa can talk about Reki for hours. If he’s honest, Langa’s entire team knows more about Reki than they do about Langa. His internal stream of consciousness screams a constant dialogue: I’m in love with you. Reki, skate with me forever. You’re the reason why I’m here. God, I love you.
So, excuse Langa if it seeps out occasionally. He ignores the question with a shrug, “Did you get anything done?”
“I finished the new prototype for Cherry on Friday. Now that Kaoru trusts me enough with the board, Carla and I are like this.” Reki crosses his fingers and continues as Langa sits comfortably at the edge of the bed. “I sped up the transformation sequence by reducing the weight of the bars and now, Carla detects optimal turning degrees automatically. Oh and I reinforced Joe’s front truck bolts because he really is just a muscle gorilla. I’m constantly surprised how he hasn’t destroyed more boards.”
Everything Reki says goes over his head, if Langa is honest. Reki’s so talented - he makes the best boards and he can fix anything with an engine. It’s not only the mechanical side of things either. He even designs the decks for almost the entire team and Miya’s too. Regardless of his own opinions about himself, Reki is special. It’s not about what he can do, it’s about the amount of heart Reki puts into it.
“I got a few more kiddos last week too! They wanted some advice on starting out and one of them was really shy ‘cuz she wanted rollerskates instead of a skateboard. So, obviously, I had to get her feeling confident. Wheels are wheels, right? And if she loves roller skating, then she doesn’t need to force herself to match her friends. Left the shop with the biggest smile and some new skates. I hope she comes back!”
Reki means so much to him.
“Oh, don’t mind me though. It was nothing as exciting as what you’ve done this week. Tell me about your retreat! Did you meet the Brazilian team? They’ve got so much young talent.”
“It was fine.” Langa says. He would rather hear more about Reki’s week. “The food was good.”
“‘And stuff.’ You were with a bunch of pros! At least tell me you skated with them right?”
Langa nods, “One showed me a kickflip down a set of ten stairs. She’s young too. You’d like her the most.”
“That sounds like you enjoyed it then.” Reki smiles. Langa’s not good at talking but Reki usually gets what he means. “Wait - you mean the prodigy ? I see her all over my socials!”
“Sounds like her.” Langa’s terrible with names but he knows the girl is a big star. He did get her to sign Reki’s board, so he’ll have to show Reki later. He’s always excited to see his board back, with dozens of signatures of pro skaters that Langa collects. “I’m going to wash up and then we can watch a movie if you’re feeling up for it?”
Reki stretches and pulls himself out of bed, pulling the comforter along him. He rewraps himself up in a cocoon of blanket and nods, “I want to watch Tangled again. I’ll turn on the TV while you shower.”
Langa wants to kiss him.
It’s not a new feeling, but there’s something about Reki’s smile that makes Langa feel so much more affectionate. He bottles the feeling, dropping the bowl off at the sink and continues to his room, grabbing a new set of clothes and showers. Sweat and grime washes off, leaving Langa feeling more refreshed than a few hours ago. He also has to ice his shoulder before bed because of the small fall he took this morning. His coach already scolded him on his recklessness but Langa’s confidence is so unwavering that it’s frightening. He knows it, his coach knows it, and his teammates know it.
At his core, Langa is competitive. There’s no denying it. He’s the type of competitive that’s subtle about it, and unquestionably confident. That’s who he is and anyone can see it’s written all over his face when he gets into it. Skateboarding makes him feel like flying and it hasn’t changed over the years. It’s close enough to snowboarding to remind him of his dad but it’s also something so deeply connected to Reki. It makes him feel closer to Reki more than anything else and he’s good at it. Langa’s more than good at it - he's good enough to make the big leagues, skating at the national levels and abroad.
Despite all that confidence, Reki is the plunge Langa can’t take easily.
The TV in the living room is ready when Langa emerges from his room in his pjs. Reki is cozying up on his side of the couch and blowing his nose. His face is a little red but he doesn’t look terrible. Langa wants to kiss him again.
He could let it go. He could give in like he always does and continue on with the weird dance that they’ve been doing for a few years now. They’re not dating but they take turns spending Holidays together with their families and they celebrate every milestone together since they’ve turned eighteen. Reki comes to all his competitions and Langa attends every big product debut. They are each other's plus ones without discussion. Reki can read his mind with only one look while no one else can and Langa knows Reki’s biggest obstacle is himself. They even hold hands and it’s not always by accident.
They just fit together.
“I love you.” Langa says. It’s so easy too, three words that barely contain a drop of his feelings.
And yet, Reki says, “I love you too, bud.” Like he always does because he’s a good friend. This is the only thing that Reki doesn't get and Langa curses his own obtuse knowledge in social interactions. Even Langa finds it to be too embarrassing to ask if they're dating. It’s fine though, Langa can wait forever.
He tunes back into the conversation as Reki rambles about the TV shows he’s caught up with. His eyes shine with excitement and his expression is vividly animated as he continues talking, more so than before now that he sees that Langa is actually listening again.
“I didn’t watch the new episode of Owl House though, I swear. That’s our show, obviously. But I did finally start that one show Miya told me about, the one with the little girl who gets adopted by the spy and the assassin -”
It hits him at that moment. Just seeing Reki stare up at him with a nose rubbed raw, cheeks flushed with a slight fever, and snot tissues on the stand. Nope, nevermind. Langa can’t do this anymore. So, he does what he does best and just takes the leap of faith.
“Can I kiss you?” Langa interrupts because he wants to have this for the rest of his life. He wants to get home and see Reki, listen to him talk about anything and everything, and just bask in his presence.
Langa wants everything with Reki.
“You’ll get sick and you have practice this week.” Reki stutters, pushing his back far enough to cough into his elbow. “No way dude!”
That would be Reki’s go-to reaction, Langa smiles. He gets closer anyways, “It doesn’t matter - I want to kiss you. I’ve wanted to kiss you before. I want to kiss you later. Reki, I want to kiss you tomorrow and the next day and the next. Forever. Infinitely .”
It’s not not a proposal.
"Oh my god," Reki’s cheeks burn brighter and it's not from the fever this time. He throws his hands up to cover Langa's mouth and quietly mutters, "Why are you always saying such cheesy things?"
"Reki," Langa says, covering his hands with his own to pull them between them and Reki lets him interlock their fingers together. "Is that a no?"
Reki rolls his eyes but nods his head, "Fine, but you can't blame me if you get sick."
Langa doesn’t waste a moment, he swoops down and kisses him softly. He can feel Reki smiling against his lips and Langa breaks away, only leaving a sliver of space between them. He leans his forehead against Rekis’ warm one and breathes, “I love you.”
This time, he hopes Reki gets it. Langa doesn’t have a clue how else to make it more obvious. There are only so many times he can say I love you and Infinitely as a friend, right?
Maybe he really will need a ring next time.
Reki blinks slowly, “ Oh .” He pulls him into a tight hug and rubs his face against Langa’s shirt that will need to be washed. Reki laughs with the same warmth Langa’s been chasing since they met and smiles, “I love you too.”
It feels easier than breathing.