Chapter Text
"Hey Langa, do you believe in God?" Reki asked, sitting on the empty grass next to Langa.
“God?” Langa tilted his head to the side, cocking an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
Reki bit his lip, plucking out the red flowers below them and spinning the florals around in his hands. "You know, like—" He paused, "It was just some story I heard going around! In the past, there were things like religion and God and.. That was the stuff people believed in whenever things were beyond their reach or something."
Langa frowned at the other, sighing as he laid his head on top of Reki's shoulder. His favorite place to rest. "Then.. No. I don't need that stuff."
"Eh? Why's that?" Reki's curiosity peaked, staring longingly at Langa while he awaited his answer.
Langa stayed silent for a while, focusing on the sky above them. It was like any other day in Anakt Garden— The pristine blue color washing away any sorrows, the golden rays gently hitting their faces as everyone danced and played together. He could hear the voices of the other kids, all singing together in harmony. He never really cared for such things though— Not until he met Reki. Before him, singing was nothing but a chore for him. That's simply what his guardian wanted him to do, so he listened and remained hesitantly obedient, “blissfully” unaware of his guardian's intentions.
He was used to sitting by himself, singing alone under the empty skies. That was until a second voice joined his melody— One that radiated a special light. A light that every star in the galaxy should be envious of. It added a certain warmth in Langa's tune that he didn't even realize was missing. He remembered that day vividly, a memory that he believed would never fade away for as long as he lived. A memory he would not allow to fade away.
__
"Oh, my Clematis, hope bloomed through the abyss." Langa sang, voice soft and eyes empty as he stared out to the world ahead of him. He had been practicing for the upcoming singing evaluation— Yet nothing he sang sounded right to him. He couldn't evoke any emotions in himself the way he had done before. It was wrong, all of this. But unbeknownst to him, a short boy with wild red hair had been standing behind the trees, concentrating solely on Langa's delicate tone.
"Oh, my Clematis, always be by my side." Reki continued the other's song, now unveiling himself and standing right beside the blue haired. He gave the stranger a toothy smile, causing a flame to ignite into Langa's eyes.
Hesitantly, Langa asked, "..Who are you?" He blinked blankly at Reki, his lips subconsciously curving into a small smile.
"Reki!" He proudly exclaimed, grabbing onto the collar of Langa's shirt and pulling him closer. "Your singing is, like— You're so awesome! I was hoping to hear more, but ya’ know, you just kinda.. stopped. So I continued it!"
A faint rosy color spread across Langa's face, not being able to process Reki's words. While Reki rambled on about them singing together, Langa's voice, and other things he had failed to comprehend, all Langa could think about was the feeling Reki's voice brought to him. It was odd, unfamiliar, yet it was something Langa knew he had been craving for a long time. Maybe it was the warmth in Reki's voice, or the childish innocence that shone in his eyes? Whatever it was, made Langa's heart beat like crazy. It was like nothing he had ever felt before this— But Langa needed more.
"Reki." He interrupted, causing Reki to pause everything and look at Langa with a cheeky smile.
"Yeah?"
Langa swallowed his nerves, bringing his hands together and fumbling with his thumbs. "Please, sing with me." He whispered, averting his gaze away from Reki.
Reki's eyes widened at Langa's request, his mouth slightly gaping open. He thought for a moment, biting his inner cheek. Langa wanted to sing with him? It was such a sudden request— But it was definitely something he couldn't decline. After all, only someone who was blind would fail to see the talent Langa possessed. It was practically an honor to Reki that someone like him wanted to sing with him.
Breaking the silence, Reki chuckled, nodding and grabbing onto Langa's right hand. “Of course I will!”
Hesitantly, Langa intertwined his fingers with Reki's, nodding with him. Taking a deep breath, a new found determination took over Langa's body as he slowly began to sing again. Reki's voice followed along, their tones mixing together like it was meant to be. Langa's gaze was fixated on Reki, flickering between his lips, filling the air with his luminous voice, and his amber eyes, filled with a sparkle of passion like he's never seen before. Langa couldn't help but smile every time Reki looked at him, especially with that goofy smile of his.
For once, Langa didn't feel like he was drowning— It was more so the opposite, as singing with Reki made him feel like he was floating. Almost as if a weight had been lifted off of his chest. As they finished the song, Reki let go of Langa's hand, throwing his arms around Langa's neck and hugging him tightly. “Langa!” He beamed, “That was even better than before! It's so much more fun when we sing together, don't you think?”
Langa softly chuckled, a slight red color rising to his cheeks. “Yeah.” He agreed, giving Reki a small smile. Countless thoughts flooded Langa's head at that moment, all about the boy in front of him.
The only reason they were both here at this moment was because of the "S" stage— A reality TV show that had been skyrocketing ever since the first season. Langa didn't know much about it, just that it involved singing against others— But for some reason, the idea of being the first "S" Stage tie in history popped into Langa's head, and the only person he'd want to do that with was Reki. He completely spaced out thinking about it. Being on that stage with Reki— Eyes watching them, their voices syncing together just as it did today. It all sounded like a dream.
_
With each second that passed, Reki found himself growing more and more anxious. Why was Langa being so oddly quiet? Had he even heard him speak? Maybe it was simply a stupid question. After all, there was no proof of this “God” existing at all. Plus— That wasn’t what they learnt about during their “Religion and Music” classes. Not even remotely similar. It was just some old tale that Reki managed to hear. “Um,” Reki started, “You don’t—”
"Because I believe in you, Reki." Langa interrupted, mumbling and finally breaking the silence between them. Reki slightly gasped, raising an eyebrow at Langa.
"..Because you believe in me?" Reki whispered back, his body stiffening. How could Langa say things like that so casually?
Langa nodded, lifting his head from Reki's shoulder and turning his whole body to face him. "Yes, because of you. I don't need god or anything like that, because I have you."
A fierce blush spread across Reki's face, immediately using his arm to cover it up. "You— You said that already! Jee, Langa.." He stammered over his words, biting his lip and avoiding Langa's gaze.
Langa responded in soft laughter, gently grabbing onto Reki’s hand and guiding his arm down. “I still have more I wanna say.” He rubbed the back of Reki’s hand with his thumb, his gaze not once drifting away from Reki’s eyes. Over these past few years, Langa realized there was something special about Reki that separates him from the rest. Reki was truly brighter than the sun itself— He was the one who showed Langa just how fun singing actually could be, and he was the one Langa wanted to spend all of eternity with.
“Fine, fine.. Go ahead then.” Reki nodded, urging Langa to go along. He had always enjoyed hearing that gentle giggle of his— Reki couldn’t explain why, but it always made his heart flutter uncontrollably. He hadn’t thought much about it, mainly because he was always doing singing training or dance practice, but Langa was always there beside him. He realized he wouldn’t be able to recognize Langa from the back— Because he was always right beside him. Was that weird? To feel so strongly about your best friend? Was that even normal?
“Well, you’re just so awesome, Reki. I don’t know how else to describe it.” Langa said, eyes still locked onto Reki’s blushing face. Did Langa even know what he was doing? Was he aware of the words he was speaking? Everything Langa said remained in that soft, warm tone that he always used with Reki. It drove him mad. Langa continued, “You showed me how fun singing can be.. I don’t think I’d want to sing if it wasn’t for you.”
Reki awkwardly chuckled, unable to keep eye contact with Langa. “It’s just.. Well, you know, it couldn’t have been just me.”
“But it was just you.” He held onto Reki’s hand tighter, intertwining their fingers. “I didn’t think it was all that fun at first— Not until you sang with me! You’re the main reason I still want to sing.”
“Then..” Reki paused, trying to get the words to sound right in his head. He didn’t want to say anything stupid in front of Langa— That would just be too embarrassing, and his heart wouldn’t be able to handle that. “Let’s always sing together. Today, tomorrow, and even after S!”
Langa nodded, his smile growing wider with each of Reki’s words. Reki never failed to make Langa smile in such ways— Whether it was through idiotic means or just the fact Reki always shined wherever he went, he was something way beyond Langa’s imagination. It never occured to Langa that someone like him was possible. Reki was everything to Langa— Down to the way he looked, talked, sang, everything about Reki was absolute perfection. There was nothing, nobody like him. Nobody could ever, or even try to, compare to his light.
“We’ll tie in our round, Reki.” He smiled at that thought— Tying with Reki and shocking the audience. What would happen then? Would they rematch? Maybe it was possible for there to be two winners; Imagine that. Langa and Reki, together and winning the “S” stage. It truly was a blissful thought. “We’ll win together, Reki!”
“You bet we will!” Reki exclaimed, using his free hand to ruffle Langa’s hair, laughing as he did so.
Everything Reki did was done with such care, so much so that Langa felt as if they were made for each other— Like how his hands were meant to be intertwined with Langa’s, or how their voices were made to compliment one another. Whether it was a foolish way of thinking or abnormal, Langa couldn’t care less as long as Reki stayed by his side eternally.
Before long, the bell rang, signaling their free time was now over and it was time to resume their classes. “Ugh..” Reki groaned, slowly standing back up. “I wanted to keep talking to you. It’s fine, we can just talk in class— We gotta get as much practice in as possible, before we take the final evaluation for the “S” stage!”
Langa nodded, slowly standing up after Reki. Hand in hand, they walked to their singing training class, with Reki blabbing about whatever came to mind as always. It was their usual routine— Well, except for the hand holding part. It was new for both of them, and evoked something in Langa he hadn’t felt before.
“Reki.” He muttered, stopping in his tracks completely before they finished their walk.
“What’s up?” Reki replied, turning back to face Langa.
“Could you promise me something?” He asked, in which Reki replied with a nod. Langa bit his lip, unsure of how to phrase his next words, causing a concerned expression to grow on Reki’s face.
Reki turned his entire body to face Langa, grabbing his free hand and squeezing tightly in some half-assed attempt to provide comfort. “You can tell me anything, ya’ know..” Langa, taking a deep breath in, stared at Reki with a determination glistening in his eyes.
“Promise me that you’ll stay by my side. I want to sing with you infinitely.”
“I promise.”