Chapter Text
A lot of people were uncomfortable with how close Reki liked to get to them, and he respected their personal space if they told him to back off. But, he just wanted someone that let him cling onto them constantly, as he wished to do.
That’s just one of the many reasons why Langa is so amazing. Not only does he tolerate Reki’s touchy behavior, he actually enjoys it! Though, Reki wanted to make absolutely sure Langa was actually okay with their constant physical contact and not just letting it happen, so as much as it pained him, he held himself back one day.
During lunch on the roof, he made a point to consciously have a little less contact with the other boy. As much as Langa could be completely oblivious sometimes, he noticed this right away.
“Rekii, why are you so far awaaay?” He asked as he leaned onto Reki’s shoulders where they sat next to each other. Although Reki knew that the smart thing would have been to just ask Langa how he felt, he knew that talking about their feelings was something they both struggled with, and this seemed easier anyway. Oh well, he was happy with it.
Once class was over, they went over to the skatepark, ready to unwind from their hard day of school. They got to move and get their muscles working, it was infinitely better than sitting at a desk all day trying to focus on some stupid math equation.
Langa had realized that he was gay back in Canada, a little confused at first to find out other boys don’t want to hold hands with and kiss some of their friends, but hadn’t told his mother yet. He’d already had to come out as trans, he was done with all that. When he came home with a boyfriend one day, his mom would realize and act that same way she would if he brought a girlfriend.
Back in Canada, although people made an effort to use the right pronouns and refer to him as Langa, they were far from perfect. Now that he lived in Japan, things were much easier at school. Nobody had to switch, they just started using the right words.
Though he supposed he would have to come out to Reki as trans. As for telling him about his sexuality, well, he could think about that later.
It was a Sunday night and both boys were looking forward to a sleepover at Langa's house. Langa’s house was closer to their school, so their mothers agreed to let them enjoy the last bit of their weekend with each other, especially since Nanako had a night shift and Langa would have been alone otherwise. This would be the first time they would sleep over at the other's house since normally, they go back to their own places after S. Langa knew Reki wouldn't care about him being trans, he just figured he should tell him before any awkward misunderstandings occur.
When they were about to change into pajamas, Langa decided to get it over with.
"Hey Reki, just so you know, I'm trans. That still means I'm a boy." He'd rehearsed this countless times in his head but was still surprised at how calm he sounded.
He looked up for a reaction and was very surprised at the expression on Reki's face. "Dude! Seriously?!"
Now Langa was confused, this is not at all what he had been expecting. When he was about to ask what he meant, Reki spoke again.
"Me too, man!"
Reki was surprised to say the least. Not only would Langa not leave him - not that he ever would, but his mind loved to freak out - but he would understand him more than anyone? This was fantastic!
They stayed up far too late watching several movies and talking about the tricks they hoped to improve on the next day. Somehow, Langa had spent all that time in jeans and finally went to change once they were tired enough to actually sleep.
Langa stepped out of the bathroom, freshly changed and barely keeping himself upright, eyelids already drooping. Reki ran forward, grabbing his shoulders and dragging him into the bed. They hadn’t needed to talk about it - neither of them had the energy to set up a futon so they both automatically decided to share the bed. Langa rolled over so that his torso was on top of Reki, which was extremely comforting, but Reki couldn't fully relax while something was bothering him.
“Dude, are you not…uncomfortable?” He asked, not sure how to without being insensitive.
“Hmm? Why would I be?” Langa’s voice was muffled from the pillows beneath him.
“‘Cause, you’re not in your, you know, binder.” Even though Reki thought about it a lot, just saying the word out loud still felt kind of weird. He wasn’t used to being able to talk to someone his age about it, and he found it was kind of nice.
“Nope. I just don’t like it when people assume I’m a girl because of my chest. When I’m with you, I know you know I’m a boy, and you even understand better than anyone. I mean, come on, you know how uncomfortable binders are.”
“Okay, I was just making sure.” He snuggled closer to him and closed his eyes, content to be in this cozy atmosphere with his best friend, the pressure of his body relaxing him. He wasn’t looking forward to school in the morning considering how little sleep they would actually get at that point, but he pushed that aside and just focused on how content he felt in the moment.
Reki bounced his knee and was fidgeting with his mechanical pencil as his math teacher was lecturing the class about not caring enough on their homework. He rolled his eyes at the amount of time they were supposed to be working on each night while thinking about the color scheme of a new board commission he had gotten.
During their English class, Langa slept most of the time, having no need for it since he was already fluent. Reki on the other hand was struggling, learning a new language was certainly a challenge. But of all his academic classes, he paid the most attention to this one for Langa. He wanted to be able to communicate with Langa in his native language, especially since Langa put in so much effort to improve his reading and writing in Japanese.
When the final bell rang, they sprinted out and lept onto their boards without sparing the school a second glance.
When they arrived at their familiar skatepark, Reki demonstrated a new trick for Langa to try. Langa, however, was looking at Reki’s face instead of his board. He looked so happy and free when he was skateboarding and Langa loved to see him with such joy written all over his face. Since Reki demonstrates a new trick a couple times so Langa can learn, he didn’t need to tell him about his embarrassing lapse in concentration.
“You got it?” Reiki shouted from where he was standing on the opposite end of the skatepark.
“Yeah, I’ll try.” He placed his feet on the board, smiling as he remembered when he’d taped his feet to it his first time at S.
He did it, although it wasn't as fluid and comfortable as Reki made it seem. He loved seeing his proud smile whenever Langa learned something new, and the fact that Reki had been the one to teach it to him.
Langa saw Reki laugh, but noticed the pained expression that appeared on his face for only a moment, gone too fast for Langa to be sure it wasn't his imagination. Still, he wouldn't take that chance. When he went silent, Reki realized and also stopped laughing.
"What's wrong?” His smile faltered; Langa looked serious.
“Reki, are you okay?”
“I mean, yeah, why?” They both knew he was a terrible liar.
“Reki,” Langa repeated gently.
“I’ve been, you know, I’ve been in my binder for a while, but I’m fine.” Reki
“Do you need to take it off?”
“No. I only have to take it off if it hurts, it’s just uncomfortable right now.”
Langa reached forward, slow enough for Reki to voice any discomfort, and hugged him tight. “You know I worry about you. I’m not going to force you, but I think it would be good to take a break. We can go home and relax.” He knew Reki was less likely to give in for his own needs. “Plus, I wanna take a break too.”
Reki felt so lucky. Langa was so gentle and sweet with him, treating him with the utmost care, he felt like he could melt right into Langa’s arms. “Yeah, okay.”
Langa smiled, “Alright.”
Reki hates skateboarding - a thought he’d never usually have - when he’s not in his binder. Normally, it’s not safe to wear a binder while exercising, but since he wears one in a bigger size up than he needs, he’s fine. This just means that if either of them needs to change, they go home - usually to Langa’s since it’s quieter. Reki often thinks of how unlucky it was to have to do this. If they’d been born amab, this wouldn’t be an issue for them, they would just skateboard however much they wanted whenever they wanted, not restrained by a piece of fabric across their chests.
When they got to Langa’s house, it was silent, his mother still at work. Once they got into Langa’s room after a quick stop in the kitchen, they separated to change, as was their routine. They got home, changed, stretched, and relaxed together, usually watching their old skating videos or talking about cool boards and tricks.
Langa let gravity take control of him as he raised his arms, flopping dramatically onto his sheets. He looked up expectantly, and smiled when Reki wasted no time in flopping down right next to him.
“Man, this sucks,” Reki muttered under his breath, aware Langa could hear him. There was nothing he could say to that, so he simply put his arm across Reki’s shoulder, pulling him into an embrace. They laid there for several minutes in a comfortable, easy silence. Reki sat up and brought his arms around Langa’s middle, mindful not to touch his chest. Langa let out a contented sigh after he sat up as well. He was surrounded by Reki, all his senses were overwhelmed with him in the most wonderful way. He could see the gentle slope of his back leading to strong legs. He could hear the soft breathing of the person in his arms. His hands felt Reki’s coarse hair brushing across his skin. He could smell the faint scent of lavender, Reki’s deodorant, with as close as they were pressed together. Well, that was four senses down, and he thought about taste. What would it be like, he wondered, to taste Reki? He always lost his chapstick and had to buy replacements, so would his lips have a different flavor all the time? What would it be like to–
He felt himself snap out of it. What. was that?! What had he just been thinking about his best friend? He felt his cheeks heat up at the images his mind had projected, thoughts of Reki’s chapped lips. Thoughts of Langa’s own lips against them.
Reki, blissfully unaware of Langa’s current thoughts, let go of him and rubbed his face. “Geez, you’re so warm, I was getting sleepy.”
“Well, do you think your mom would let you sleep here tonight?” Langa asks, hopeful.
“I’ll check, but I’m almost 100% sure she’ll say yes,” he told Langa.
They hadn’t stopped to drop their school things off at Reki’s house, so everything they needed for the next day was with them. Unsurprisingly, Masae had agreed and they spent that night just like the one before; curled up in each other’s warmth.