Chapter Text
Falling in love is like skating, Reki decides on Tuesday afternoon only a few weeks after realizing he loves Langa. Langa is someone he wants to be near, no matter what, but he imagines holding Langa’s hand when they bump fists. When they're at school, he doodles Reki Hasegawa in the margins of his notebook and on the back of his classwork. He truly loves Langa but is too cowardly to say anything at first.
As the school year ends and spring comes, Reki falls even harder for Langa. It’s a simple, sunny spring afternoon, and they are skating through a park on their way to meet Miya, Reki looks up just in time to catch Langa popping an ollie over the curb, and his soft blue hair is framed perfectly against the pink of cherry blossoms. He nearly falls in beat with the stuttering in his heart, heat flushing to his cheeks. This is it He thinks no better time than the present, yeah? “Hey, Langa!” He shouts “Langa, I have something to tell you!” Langa looks back towards him and Reki knows that this is it, where he will bare his heart, pour out all of the awkward moments and friendship, and turn them into something newer, better. “Langa,” he murmurs, breathless “Langa, I love you.”
Reki holds his breath as Langa looks at him, soft blue eyes glowing in the light. “Reki,” Langa’s pink lips parted, words soft against the wind. “What did you say? I couldn’t hear you over the yelling. Reki neatly elaborates with “what yelling” doing his best to hide the flush in his cheeks, the shake to his voice, the tremor in his hands. He looks over in the direction that Langa points to, and just as he squints down through the sun, he hears it: “Yo! Slimes, what took you so long.” and there he stands, the ‘planned’ nuisance in the room. Reiki sighs, and then laughs softly, before resigning himself to confess again, on another day.
He tosses a water bottle over to Langa and does his best to not get caught for the blatant ogling of Langa’s neck, the smooth bobbing of his Adams apple as he swallows, a line of either sweat or water chasing down his throat, pooling on his bare, delicate collar bone. Almost in a trance, Reki leans forward, and then leans, eyes half-lidded, he can almost taste the salt against Langa’s skin, he leans forward and falls. He falls flat on his face, slamming into the curb with a loud “oof”.
He feels a gentle tug on his collar before being hauled onto his feet, the sarcastic grin of the orange-haired menace that tagged along with Miya. “Thanks, Shadow,” He said. “Don’t mention it, kid, I'm fine with picking your ass up off the floor if it means I get to see you make sweet love with the sidewalk.” Reki rolls his eyes and grins, brushing himself off. They all set off to the park Miya leads them to, racing to see who’ll get there first.
Reki enjoys working at Dope Sketch. It’s amazing, he gets to talk boards all day, get some time away from his little sisters, and make some cash on the side. However, it’s become increasingly harder to stay focused on his tasks when Langa is working beside him most days. Ever since that day at the park, Reki has had trouble concentrating on anything that isn’t Langa. Whether it be home, work, or skating, his mind always drifts back.
He’s not helpless, and he doesn't enjoy pining, however confessing again, spur of the moment just seemed, well, off. It seemed crass, and not nearly enough to show Langa that he truly loved and cherished him so much that Reki thought his heart could burst any moment. He’d be really, really concerned with the jumping sensation his heart does, leaping to the top of his throat every time he sees Langa, if it wasn’t for the sheer happiness he feels, it’s like his heart does ollies and kickflips for Langa.
Needless to say, Reki is doomed. He can’t think of anything romantic enough or realistic enough for him to do. He would just make Langa a board, professing his love with a beautifully handmade skateboard. But, well, he’s already done that. Langa loves his board and takes good care of it, so there is no real point in making another right now. Reki thinks about asking his mom, or his sisters, but shudders at the thought of their reactions. No thanks, he thinks, spinning on the chair at the front desk, lights shining across the linoleum.
He taps the pen against his sketchbook before he pulls out his phone, opens the search bar, and quickly typing how to confess to ur crush behold, the wonders of the modern age. He clicks on the first YouTube video he sees and watches with rapt eyes, taking notes. Hours later, long after his shift ends, and after watching what felt like an endless list of videos in his new (privated, thank you) watchlist How to Romance 101. So far, there seem to be a few main common points throughout each one; Verbal confirmation of the relationship, confirming that you were asking them out, and them confirming they want to go out; Sincerity, showing sincere work and thought, putting in effort, and last of all: gran gestures. Every video he watched touched on while it’s important you don’t go too off the deep end, that grand(ish) gestures matter. Flowers, a nice dinner, chocolates, maybe jewelry.
Reki’s eyes swam, visions of him asking out Langa extravagantly, not that he could afford to his brain reminded him snidly, but was followed quickly by reality crashing in. Reki doesn’t have a lot saved up, maybe a few thousand yen. He opens his bank app and checks. He gets paid 336 yen an hour and works about an average of 16 hours a week. He gives some to his parent of course, but they don't require much as they live comfortably on both of their salaries, his father an insurance salesman, and his mother an editor for a gossip magazine. Reki works to pay for his hobbies. He waited an entire summer, saving all of his money to pay for his work shed, buying every one of his tools, all of his wood and wheels. He’s proud of it, but now he’s wishing he had just a bit more saved, he can't think of any restaurant near him that is both nice and affordable.