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Flash. Boom! Langa looked outside. The lighting made the sky go white, followed by a loud crash of thunder. He was worried about where Reki was. He had been acting weird lately, but when Langa had asked Reki to stay over, he seemed eager. A little too eager. But as usual, Langa decided not to press further. Reki had a bad habit of keeping his negative thoughts to himself, even if he needed help.
Langa had pulled out his phone again, texting Reki again and again. He started pacing his bedroom. At one point Nanako, his mother, had even walked in. She was also worried about Reki. Every time Langa’s phone buzzed, he looked at it eagerly. He hoped to get a text back from Reki, but he never did.
Almost two hours had passed since Reki’s normal arrival time. More flashes and booms came from outside. When Langa peeked out the window another time, he saw it was raining heavily. When the booms paused, Langa heard a ding-dong. He rushed out of his room and raced down the stairs. Nanako was sitting in the kitchen, looking over at him with a small smile.
When Langa opened the door, he saw just who he had hoped. Reki. And he looked just how Langa expected. Soaking wet. His hair was flat and stuck to his face instead of spiking like normal. “Hey, Langa…sorry I’m late.” He speaks in a monotone voice, not even looking at Langa, just down at the floor. Langa quickly pulls Reki into a hug. Reki does not react to this, just a blank stare ahead.
Nanako quickly grabbed a towel and wrapped it around Reki’s hair. Langa lets go of Reki and leads him upstairs to dry him off and give him a fresh pair of clothes. After around 10 minutes, Reki goes into Langa’s room. Langa, already in his pajamas, is sitting on his bed, looking at his phone before seeing Reki. Once he saw him, he quickly got up to lead him to his bed.
Once the two of them sat down, Reki continued to stare ahead blankly. Langa stared at him, heartbroken. He hated it. When he saw his best friend looking like this. Reki’s been like this since he dropped S. Sure, there were some good days. But most of them weren't.
Reki seemed to have noticed Langa looking at him. Without looking, Reki broke the silence. “There isn’t much to stare at here..” Langa finally realized that he had been staring, his cheeks reddened slightly. Reki smiled slightly and huffed a breathy laugh, knowing he was right. Langa smiled as well, but still kept in mind Reki’s current condition. He wasn’t going to let the fact that Reki laughed steer him away from the truth hiding behind his smile.
This time, Langa broke the silence, “Wanna watch some skate videos or something?” Reki nods. Langa nods back and scoots over to lean on his pillows. Reki isn’t too far behind, he hops off the bed and heads over to the other side. Curling up next to Langa. Langa pulls out his phone and opens YouTube, immediately clicking the search bar and searching “skateboarding." Langa unconsciously wraps his arm around Reki, causing him to lie down closer to Langa’s chest.
After about an hour of doing nothing but watching videos and talking, Reki got up to use the restroom. He had been in there for a few minutes when Langa decided to go ahead and check on him. He knocks on the door, “Reki?” Langa got a response, but not one that consisted of words. But perhaps sniffles.
Reki opened the door to find Langa standing on the other side. His face is tear-stained and his eyes are red from crying. “Woah, Reki…what’s wrong?” Langa quickly steps forward, cupping Reki’s face in his hands. “Reki..?” This is when Langa finally saw it. Reki’s hazelnut eyes. His eyes are now dull and staring back into his crystal blue ones.
Before Reki can say anything, Langa pulls him into another hug. The tears begin to flow down Reki’s face. They soak into Langa’s shirt, staining it with his salty tears. But Langa doesn’t seem to mind. Not one bit. Langa lets go of Reki just as he did when Reki first arrived.
Once they were both back on the bed and Reki had calmed down, they sat and looked at each other. Eventually, Reki had opened up. Finally, after months of not saying anything he finally let it spill. Finally, let someone else help him. Finally, let someone in.
Reki explained almost everything he had felt these past few months. Langa let him, and he never interrupted him. Not once. And when Reki needed a break, Langa gave him one. He let him take his time explaining and venting.
After Reki had let everything out, they just sat as they did before. Reki tucked under Langa’s arm, but this time, Langa played with his hair. They didn’t watch skating videos, instead they sat in silence. Listening to the rain falling outside. Every once in a while, Reki would flinch at an unexpected crash of thunder, but Langa didn’t mind. He knew Reki was jumpy, but found it cute rather than annoying.
Not long after they settled back in, Reki was asleep, which didn’t surprise Langa. After the night he had, anyone would fall asleep quickly. Fun fact, Reki is a messy sleeper, which Langa found adorable. When Reki had stopped moving, he whispered something almost inaudible in his sleep. Langa’s face reddened, hoping he heard what he did. He leaned over Reki to get a better look at his face.
Langa kissed his cheek and whispered, “I love you too, Reki.”