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Prologue. (ep 6)
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Reki and Langa had briefly split off from the group to get changed into their swim gear. While the redhead struggles to fight his t-shirt over his head, his eyes land on something smooth.
And with the confidence of the sea as it crashes to meet the sand, he blurts.
“Dude, you shave your legs?”
The Canadian teen whips his head around, eyes wide with confusion, “Is that weird?”
The realisation of how quickly the words fell from his mouth punches Reki straight in the gut, leaving him spluttering.
“No!! Not at all! You- I just never noticed!!”
Langa’s mouth moves, letting out a small “Oh,” before he turns back around to pull on his swim-shirt. Reki’s mind doesn’t leave the thought alone, however. Frankly, it goes too far.
I wonder if his legs are soft?
Does he ever cut himself while shaving?
How often does he shave?
Does he shave up to his thighs?
Are his thighs sof-
YEAH okay that's enough of that.
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Reki prides himself on his attention to detail. He always notices tiny things, like when Langa’s bearings are starting to rust on his board, or the lovelorn look Joe gives Cherry when he’s not looking. With his “incredible” deduction skills, he figures out a few things.
- Langa shaves his legs once a week.
- He somehow never cuts himself while doing so. (Reki is jealous of this ability, as he manages to cut his jaw every time he shaves his face.)
- The reason Langa shaves his legs is because he doesn’t like how scratchy it feels when he wears pants. Which is fair, honestly.
He still has an endless supply of questions, however. Such as:
- How long does it take for him to shave? He has VERY long legs, so it’d take a while, right?
- Are his legs as soft as they look?
- How far up does he shave? (Not like that, you weirdo.)
Reki definitely spends way too long focusing on finding answers to his questions. So much so he frequently finds himself having to slap the thoughts out of his brain during class, even during skating!
And while he can pick up on the small things, he doesn't notice the blinding red that takes over Langa’s face every time he catches the redhead studying his legs.
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It was after ‘S’, the two boys are sat against the wall behind Reki’s bed. His room, as always, was cluttered with personality, traces of his memories scattered across every wall. Somehow, the redhead had lost a beef with Shadow for the first time in a while that night. Obviously, he had some better excuses to give to the man, but the actual reason was simple, and kind of stupid, actually.
Langa was wearing shorts.
It’s stupid, it’s REALLY stupid. But his friend is almost always wearing long pants, so he allows himself to indulge a little. Maybe a little too much.
As sit in silence, Reki can’t help but glance over, at his best friend and his slim yet muscular legs, ivory skin which seemed to go on for miles. His sunset eyes felt addicted to the sight, while some slightly unsavoury thoughts manifest. And good GOD did Reki just want to let himself touch. He wants to run his calloused hands across his skin, daringly brushing under the hem of Langa’s black shorts. He wants to see what kind of expression Langa would make. He w-
“Reki?”
“Hm?” Reki only hums, still slightly in a daze from his own imagination. He drags his gaze from the boy’s legs, only to be met with an expression he couldn’t quite read. Langa’s glossy eyes were darting across the room, while a bouquet of brilliant rouge bloomed across his pale cheeks. He was gnawing on the inside of his cheek, ever so slightly and-
Oh god.
Had Reki been staring that long?
Langa’s voice is slightly breathy, “You were um,” oh my god i made him uncomfortable and he hates me now, “Staring, at my legs? You’ve been doing that a lot, actually.”
Reki was panicking. He attempted to stammer out some excuse, yet his words stuck to his throat like caramel. He was flailing his arms like an idiot, while Langa sat there with a confused and embarrassed look across his face.
The blueberry boy finally pipes back up.
“Do you think it is weird that I shave my legs, Reki?”
He had asked this before.
“No!!! It’s really a- cool actually! I just um-” Words spill from the shorter boy’s lips like a dam that had just overflowed, “Your legs just look really soft and I uh-”
Thankfully, he stops himself by slapping a hand across his mouth, flipping his head to face the other way. Man, this door is really interesting, huh? What a nice door Reki has.
Langa mumbles something, his voice blending with the ambient wind which tattered on the window.
“What?”
He turns back around and somehow is best friend has gotten even redder.
“Did you, um... want to touch them?”
Reki’s brain just stops. It feels like he’s just skated straight into a brick wall, with how fast it silenced itself. He squeezes his palms, feeling his heart drumming in his ears.
“Would that be weird?”
“I don’t mind.” Langa shifts on the bed, now brushing his shoulder against the other’s.
Anxiously, the redhead lets his hand place just above Langa’s knee. And oh, wow it is as soft. Softer than it looks, actually. Even when he runs his hand against the hair it still feels as smooth as new bearings feel to ride. Despite how often Langa bails off his board, there are someone no scars, aside from a scrape on his other knee from a few days prior. His rough fingers trace gently across the skin, unconsciously getting closer and closer to the edge of the fabric. This answered a few of his questions. Langa’s legs WERE in fact very soft, and he seemingly shaved up to the top of his thighs.
Stuck in his own mind, he’s brought back out by a sharp, tense gasp that’s muffled behind a hand. Reki brings his eyes up to only be met with a wide-eyed, very embarrassed Langa.
Finally, the intimate undertones of the situation they were in catch up to him.
“S-Sorry!!” Reki blurts, lifting his hand and balling up his fist.
Then, a gentle, pale hand grabs his wrist and places it back against the cool skin.
Langa’s head is turned away, leaving Reki to only guess the kind of face he could be making.
“I...don’t mind.” His voice is laced with something Reki can’t quite name. Something he hasn’t heard before.
Mumbling a quiet “Okay”, he lets his hand trace back over his thigh. He rubs small circles, merely admiring how delicate the surface was. Gently, he slides back towards the hem of the shorts, now leaning closer. Reki can hear Langa’s quiet, sharp breaths, and once again, is punched right in the jaw with another realisation.
Langa didn’t mind.
Langa liked this.
And good GOD that lit up Reki’s chest like a bonfire. All rational thoughts left him. The only thing in his mind was how far can I go with this?
Daringly, the redhead shifts slightly on top of the other boy, placing his other hand against the wooden wall behind him. This earns yet another sound to burst from Langa’s throat, sounding strained and almost needy.
“Is this alright?” Reki’s voice was a whisper, barely audible over the patter of his own racing heart. Their faces are close, hot breath mixing in the middle.
Langa doesn’t respond, his cerulean eyes fixated on the other’s chapped lips.
“Langa? Are you o-MHF" His words were cut off by the lips of his “best friend”, as well as a pair of slender arms being thrown around his neck. All caution he had before was thrown to the wind, gripping a hand around the other’s leg. The kiss was hungry and messy, which in all honesty, Reki didn’t expect as his first kiss. But he doesn’t think he’ll ever want to feel anything else ever again. In messy rhythm, the redhead drops the arm he was holding himself up by to Langa’s cheek, cupping it gently yet firmly, holding on for dear life.
In a breathy puddle, they finally separate. Reki was essentially sat on Langa’s lap at this point, their foreheads pressed together. This didn’t feel real whatsoever.
The silence is back, warm and slightly tense.
The blueberry boy speaks through heavy sighs, “Reki, you...”
Oh, he’s still on top of him.
Reki essentially throws himself off, huddling his burning face in his arms.
Silence, again. Langa traces a finger over the space on his lips, starry-eyed. Reki doesn’t notice this, however. He’s too busy panicking.
What if he only did that because it felt nice? What if he wasn’t actually comfortable? What if I’m not a good kisser? What if he-
Cool hands pull the redhead’s shaking arms from his face. Langa’s face is slightly frowned. Oh GOD HE’S MESSED UP BAD HE’S NEVER GOING TO TALK TO ME AGAIN-
“Reki, I can hear your thoughts from across the room.” His brows relax, while his glassy blue eyes stare straight into Reki’s caramel ones, “I wouldn’t let anyone else do that. That was um...” He pauses, then lowering his voice with a sort of husky tone to it, “ really nice.”
They’re close again, the shorter boy managing to stammer out “Really?”
He responds with a nod, before placing a delicate peck on Reki’s lips. This was so different to the kiss they had only seconds ago. Yet, it has the exact same effect on Reki’s heart.
Looking down in slight concern at how red the other boy is, Langa starts, “Reki, are you ok-”
“LANGAPLEASEGOOUTWITHME”
He chuckles, his smile fond and reaching his eyes, which crinkle at the sides.
“Slower?” Langa absolutely heard what he said. But no one has to know that.
“Langa, please... go out with me?” Reki slowly speaks, his voice shaking as his eyes dance across the paler boy’s expression, scanning for an answer.
“I would love nothing more, Reki.”
The rest of the night continues about how it usually does, but with a lot more touching. Nothing as intimate as the first kiss they had, instead just soft, gentle pecks every so often. Reki falls asleep on Langa’s lap, his face smooshed against the smooth skin he spent so long staring at.
He has never slept that well before.