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Never in a million years did he think this would happen. Adrenaline raced through his veins as he laughed, lying face up on the old concrete floor as his friends surrounded him. "Skating is so much fun!" Reki couldn't help but laugh out.
He slowly opened his eyes after the chorus of cheers stopped reverberating through his skull; his vision swam as the outlines and figures of his close friends came into focus. "Reki..!" Langa started, his eyebrows pinching together in a look of concern.
"That was amazing!" Miya exclaimed, his voice pitchy and high with his pre-puberty vocals. "And so stupid!" His tone lowered, looking like a cat fighting for its scraps of food in an alleyway.
"That was a hard hit, Kid, you feeling okay?" The tall, muscular chef asked, his expression a mix between Langa's worry and Cherry's relief, with a shit-eating grin. "No one has gotten that close to beating that dirt-bag in a long time."
Cherry shot a glare at the green-haired man and rammed his fist into the other's arm, as high up as he could from his spot in the Carla-powered wheelchair, before turning back to the neon red blur. "Reki.. you're bleeding pretty bad.." he spoke with a surprisingly gentle voice. "And you hit your... well... everything, pretty hard."
Reki's brows furrowed as he looked straight up at the old factory's ceiling. He couldn't tell where exactly he was bleeding from; he could tell that somewhere on his head was bleeding by the way his hair was sticking uncomfortably to his scalp and forehead.
"Looks concussed to me." The florist commented and, for once, did not add a comment to jab at the younger peer.
"I'm not concussed." Reki bit, slowly forcing himself to sit up, adrenaline dripping out of his frame with each passing second that he wasn't in fight or flight. He groaned out in pain as his shoulder blades pinched together, causing a stinging sensation to sliver its way beneath his skin and into the muscles of his back.
Langa kneeled beside him in a moment, hands darting out to support the skater if his arms buckled under the weight of hoisting himself up. The snowboarder seemed scared to touch the seasoned skater, whether that be from the blood or something more, Reki couldn't tell.
"Dude, I'm not made of glass." Reki laughed, although he couldn't suppress the wince as his ribs ached with each blow of air through his body. "I'm not that hurt, I don't think anything is broken," he looked down at himself, he was sopping from the sudden rain, mud covered his jeans and sneakers, with droplets of blood flickering onto his hoodie.
"We should still get you to a hospital." Cherry reasoned, already bringing up Carla's hologram screen to do a quick scan of the teenager. "Even if it's just for some bandages and pain medication."
"Nah.. I'm good." Reki gave a shaky grin, slowly standing up to his full height with the help of Miya, even if he was grimacing the whole time from the mud getting on his bright green hoodie. "I really just want to head home."
Reki watched as Cherry and Joe exchanged a look silently before the younger of the two sighed. "Very well, although you shouldn't be alone tonight. If I recall, your mother doesn't know you sneak out to attend S. Miya or Langa should be around in case your condition is worse than it seems."
Miya's eyes widened as he turned towards the pink-haired male. "What! Why are we volunteering me?!" he screeched, shaking his head wildly. "I want Mrs. Kyan to like me! I'm not gonna go home with him all banged up!"
"He can stay at my place tonight," Langa spoke, his Canadian accent slipping through like usual as he looked between the group. All eyes were on him for a moment before Shadow let out a bellowing laugh, covering his face with one hand.
The blue-haired male looked confused for a moment, scratching at his cheek as he waited for his turn to speak again once people had calmed down. "It wouldn't be the first time..?" He said, confused about why the artist's face matched the color of his hair and why the rest of the group had a plethora of expressions.
"Don't say it like that!!" Reki exclaimed, switching between talking to the group in rushed explanations of just sleepovers or hanging out, and scolding Langa for his lack of explanation and reading the room.
A soft pout tugged at the Canadian's lips as he watched the redhead. They'd only recently shared that late-night skate to find their footing again, and it was only then, breathless under the stars, that he finally admitted how he felt. They were still learning each other in this new way, but that didn't mean things had to change.
"Why can't I..?" Langa tilted his head, gently holding onto the fabric of Reki's sleeve. "We've had sleepovers before."
Reki couldn't help but grunt in response, his blush dying down to more of a simmer than a flame. "Whatever, dude.. just.." He groaned again, ducking his head into his sweater's hood as his friends laughed around him. "Can we just go?" he huffed, glaring at the others.
"Okay, yeah." The blue-haired male nodded, letting Reki lean his weight on him for support as they walked out towards the parking lot; the group trailed along, both to make sure Reki was actually okay enough to not pass out on Langa's moped but also to take subtle blackmail photos and make jokes to each other in conversation.
Once Langa and Reki were settled on the moped, helmets secured, and skateboards stored in the compartments under the seats. "Take it easy for a few days, kid." Joe smiled, patting him on the shoulder as gently as he could. "I mean it."
Reki tried his hardest to hide the wave of pain that washed over his body, forcing a smile on his busted lip. "Whatever, Dad," he joked before patting Langa on the back. "Can we go now? I don't want to get rained on all night."
Langa couldn't help the laugh that escaped him as he started up the vehicle and started their drive to the Hasegawa residence. He was having a hard time keeping his attention on the slippery road ahead of him as he felt his newfound boyfriend's arms snake their way around his waist, and a warm cheek lay on his shoulder.
As he parked the vehicle in the driveway, kicking the stand-down as cool as he could have, he pried the helmet off his soaking wet head. "You can take a shower first," He began, watching the redhead slowly get out of the back seat and open the compartment to grab out his beaten-up board. "I'll get a med kit around while you clean up."
Reki hummed quietly in response, his eyelids drooping as all the energy he had earlier dissipated with each second. "Kay.. Thanks, for, well.. everything, I guess?" He smiled sheepishly, a rose dusting his cheeks as he looked off towards nothing for a moment before pressing a chaste kiss against the Canadian's cheek and hurrying as fast as his aching limbs allowed him to the door.
Langa stayed where he was for a moment, eyes wide and crimson covering his pale complexion before following after the skater. "..Your door is locked.." Reki mumbled as he stood awkwardly at the door, thumbing at the back wheels of his board.
"Yeah.." the snowboarder whispered, fishing the keys out of his jeans' pockets before opening up the apartment door, letting his boyfriend in first. "I'll let mom know.. Go ahead and shower."
Reki nodded quickly before hurrying towards the bathroom after taking off his dirty shoes and setting his board down where it wouldn't get anything dirty. "I'll bring you a change of clothes and stuff, so don't worry about it." Langa continued, hanging his keys up near the door and kicking off his sneakers.
The redhead snuck his way into the bathroom, and the shower could be heard through the wooden door. Langa took the opportunity to open his mom's door quietly; she seemed to be asleep, her face relaxed in a way he hadn't seen back in Canada.
Langa couldn't help but smile, writing a simple note in English and leaving it on her bedside drawer, just letting her know that Reki had come and was spending the night, with an apology at the end for not asking beforehand.
He then walked over to the hallway closet, pulling out a couple of different fluffy towels in cool-toned colors, some stained with a blue dye that obviously belonged to the resident teenager.
He then went to his bedroom, which looked plain in his opinion; like a hotel, decorated enough to feel used but not lived in, the opposite of how Langa would explain how Reki's felt like. Every time he went over to hang out, it was like walking into a warm embrace; his family was a joy, and Reki's personality was prominent the second you stepped into his room. Langa adored it.
Rummaging through his closet, Langa pulled out a hoodie and a pair of gym shorts, silently thankful that he and his boyfriend were similar in height; it meant sharing clothes was a lot easier. With his goal accomplished, he headed back to the bathroom.
"Reki..?" He asked, knocking on the door with his free hand. "I've got some things for you.. Can I come in?" Langa couldn't stop the light blush that dusted his cheeks as his brain conjured up the blurry image of Reki in the shower.
All he could hear for a moment was the trinkle of water hitting something and then the linoleum floor. "Yeah, come in." Reki's voice muttered, though Langa could swear he heard a grunt and a groan.
He opened up the door quickly before he could chicken out, shivering as the steamy air washed over his soaking form. "I'll leave them on the countertop." Langa hummed, setting the clothing down before hanging up the towels by the curtain.
As he was speaking, the stream turned off, causing him to jump slightly. Langa watched with wide eyes as a hand reached out from behind the curtain, grasping hold of a fluffy towel before disappearing past the light curtain again.
"Do you want me to leave..?" Langa asked quietly, his throat all of a sudden dry and his lungs incapacitated.
Reki hummed quietly for a moment, drying off his aching body before wrapping the towel around his waist and pulling the curtain back. "You're just going to take a shower after.. I don't see why you'd need to leave." Reki tried to seem cool and collected, but it was apparent by the blush on his cheeks that he was just as affected as Langa.
Langa nodded quickly, looking at anything but his lover in a moment of panic. "Do you have some like… an antibiotic or something? I've got to patch myself up." Reki broke the blue-haired teenager out of his panic, sitting down on the toilet lid as he grabbed another towel, ruffling it up in his hair.
The resident nodded, opened the medicine cabinet, and pulled out a well-loved basic first-aid kit. "I think I have some in here, if not, my mom definitely has some," Langa spoke, looking through the kit as a way to distract himself.
"Here." Langa handed the redhead a potted ointment. "Mom says it's good for healing scrapes and bruises." A small smile graced his lips as he searched for roll-on bandages. "She's really smart, so shes probably right."
Reki couldn't help the laugh that escaped him, pressing a hand against his side to ease the pain in his ribs. "Dude, your mom's a nurse, of course she knows about medicine and junk." He turned towards his best friend, a toothy grin that caused his eyes to squint as he spoke.
He grabbed the bandages with an equal laugh, turning towards the other. "I guess you're right." Langa smiled softly, watching carefully as the skater applied ointment to the cut along his forehead, tongue poking out between pink lips.
"Of course I'm right!" Reki grinned, applying more to the scrapes and bruises on his forearms, palms, and triceps.
Langa watched quietly for a moment before setting the bandages on the countertop next to the clothing. "I'll be right back, I'm gonna put some leftovers in the microwave," he spoke in time with his stomach growling.
"Go," Reki giggled, setting the pot down on the countertop next to the bandages. "You're always thinking of food." He rolled his eyes, picking up the gym shorts as the resident left the bathroom.
Quickly changing into his shorts, he dipped his fingers back into the ointment, took a deep breath, and, willing his aching muscles to reach around his back, attempted to apply it to the scrapes and bruises along his back and shoulder blades. "Ow.." He whined quietly from the ache of his muscles and the feeling of coolness being pressed into his open wounds.
Tears sprang to his eyes for the umpteenth time that evening, drawing in a shaky breath as he willed his body to work for him. "It hurts…" he whispered to no one in particular, his body betraying him as he shook from the effort.
"Reki, I'm back." Langa announced as he opened the door, lifting his gaze from the floor up to look at his lover. His icy blue eyes widened as he took in the state of Reki's back, littered with glaring red scrapes, yellow, green, and purple bruises were peeking up from the gym shorts resting on his hips, as well as on his shoulders from landing so roughly.
"Reki.." He breathed out, swallowing back the lump in his throat.
The younger of the two turned towards the other quickly, almost trying to hide his back from the other. "Langa!" He exclaimed, laughing nervously as he scratched the back of his head. "I.. didn't expect you back so soon." He smiled shakily, looking anywhere but his lover's gaze.
Langa's gaze didn't change even as Reki moved; he seemed to be staring at nothing and everything at the same time. "Uh.. Earth to.. Langa?" Reki laughed, but it was out of nervousness, not humor.
"Reki," Langa repeated his name, causing the redhead to tense and avert his gaze. "I didn't realize it was that bad.." He whispered, kneeling in front of the other and placing a gentle hand on his scarred knee.
"It's not that bad!" Reki argued, moving slightly to look at the other, chewing on his bottom lip. "It's just some scrapes and bruises, it just looks gruesome cause I can't properly reach."
The older of the two blinked stupidly for a moment before frowning deeper. "Can I help then?" He asked, his hand gently squeezing the other's knee. "I don't want you to be hurt.. I don't like seeing you in pain."
Reki blinked before letting out a sigh. "Fine.. but you're being dramatic, y'know," Reki grumbled, pivoting in his seat so his back was facing the other.
Reki jumped when he felt damp hair brush against his shoulder before feeling a warm pair of lips press a gentle kiss against his shoulder blade, causing him to fluster and shrink into himself. "Langa.." He warned with no intention behind it.
"You need to be more careful." Langa pouted as he began applying the ointment, careful not to press too hard on the open wounds. "You're so talented, Reki." A small, beautiful smile crossed Langa's lips.
"I don't know why you try to prove it so much, you're already so amazing," he praised, picking up the bandages to cover up all the wounds, not just the ones on his best friend's back. "I wish you could see yourself how I see you."
Reki's complexion matched his brightly dyed hair, his head dropping slightly as he soaked in the praise. "Langa." He whined quietly, lifting his arms as the blue-haired teenager wrapped bandages around his torso.
"Done." Langa smiled as he finished bandaging the beaten-up teenager. "You look like a mummy." Langa couldn't help but chuckle as he took in the appearance of the other, picking up the plain cream hoodie from the countertop.
The younger of the two eyed him for a moment before narrowing his eyes. "Are you trying to dress me right now?" Reki asked, gazing up at the other in a moment of confusion. "I'm not a child. Y'know."
"I don't think you're a child..?" Langa matched his confusion as they just stared at each other. "But you're hurt, just lift your arms."
Reki rolled his eyes before lifting his arms, allowing the elder teenager to slide the hoodie over the skater's banged-up body. "You're such a sap, Langa." Reki smiled as his head popped out of the neck hole. His eyes widened as the other teenager pressed a kiss against the bandage on his head, his face flushing red again.
"You can go eat while I shower. I'll join after." Langa smiled softly, his cheeks matching how flustered Reki felt.
"Kay, sorry if I used all the warm water." Reki gave his best friend a shit-eating grin before pushing himself to stand and head out to the kitchen, where the food Langa had prepared was still sitting in the microwave.
The guest opened up the microwave and pulled out the plate, staring at the mashed potatoes and chicken that looked sadly dry from the rapid heating. He carried his plate over to Langa's room, sitting down on the other's bed as he shoved the dry chicken into his mouth, scarfing down the food as he heard the shower start up again.
Reki finished his meal rather quickly, setting the paper plate onto the other's bedside table. He shifted so that he could lie on his back and stare at the ceiling, groaning softly as he applied his body weight onto the wounds of his back.
He looked around for a moment before patting his pockets, cursing his past self for leaving his phone in his old clothes still in the bathroom. Without a distraction, he wordlessly looked around the room.
It was plain, grayish white walls with a singular poster, some American band or something, his desk was empty besides some crumpled papers of homework with pencils and pens scattered around the hardwood surface.
His closet was open, and he owned a variety of hues, but it was predominantly blue; Reki silently wondered how the hell he could wear so much blue all the time. His hair, jeans, and sometimes his sweatshirt or undershirt were blue.
Reki pondered it for a moment in his own closet. The redhead never wore the same color two days in a row; he had so many different colors that it never felt right to wear the same one twice.
As he lost himself in the memory of his clothing, Reki nuzzled his nose into the front of the hoodie he was wearing, soaking in the smell of Langa's Axe cologne, horrid to girls their age, but to Reki, it smelled pretty good.
He was too busy in his own world to hear the shower shut off or the microwave beep; he only noticed when the door to Langa's room creaked open. Reki's eyes widened as he made eye contact with icy blue orbs, nose deep still in his lover's hoodie.
They just stared at each other for a moment before Reki forcefully sat up, waving his arms around and blushing a deep shade of red. "It's not what it looks like!" He exclaimed, slapping a hand over his mouth as he remembered Mrs. Hasegawa was asleep next door.
Reki stammered over his following few words, trying to explain that he wasn't being a creep and smelling his boyfriend's hoodie, but got distracted halfway through as he saw Langa carrying his own paper plate, and wearing only a towel tied snuggly around his waist.
Langa noticed Reki's gaze and looked down at himself, blushing a deep red that covered his cheeks down his chest. "I.. um.. I forgot.. clothes.. for my shower.." Langa mumbled, embarrassed at his predicament.
"I can change in the bathroom. I just... I just was hungry." He stuttered out, moving his plate to gesture, before setting it down on the bedside table next to Reki's empty one. He padded over to his closet and pulled out a simple shirt-and-gym-shorts combo, along with the undergarments he needed.
Reki swallowed around the lump in his throat before speaking. "You can change in here," the words came out before he could overthink them, and his face lit up a deep red again. "Not..! Not in like.. like a perverted way!" He tried to make himself sound better, but it had the opposite effect.
"Ugh.." Reki slapped himself in the face before turning towards the wall, pulling the hoodie over his face, and pulling the strings tight. "I'm blind, you can change here.." Reki mumbled, defeated, listening intently to the sound of fabric hitting the floor, then some shuffling around.
Reki jumped as he felt slender arms wrap around his torso, pulling the hood off his face and craning his neck to look at the other. "Reki.. You're so cute.." Langa mumbled, nuzzling his head against the other's shoulder.
The younger of the two melted back into the other's touch, relaxing as Langa surrounded him; his clothes, his room, his arms, everything was Langa. And Langa was his confidant, the brightest star in his life, the perfect snow on Christmas morning.
"Eat your food before it gets cold." Reki hummed after a minute or two, gently shrugging the older off of him. "If you put that chicken back in the microwave, it'll be like eating sand." He snickered, watching as Langa all but dove to eat his leftovers.
As Langa ate his dinner, Reki lay back down on the bed, looking up at the ceiling with a hum. "Did you grab my phone from the bathroom?" he asked quietly, twiddling his thumbs in the hoodie's pocket as he felt the exhaustion start to settle into his bones.
"Oh." Langa hummed, reaching past his plate to grab the other's phone and hand it to him. "I forgot to tell you, sorry." Reki couldn't help but smile at the heavy accent of his lover, watching him shove the last forkful of chicken into his mouth.
"You're so pretty.." Reki whispered, looking at his notifications and sending a quick message to his mom before tucking his phone into his pocket. "Really pretty.." he placed a gentle hand on the other's bicep, adoring the way Langa's eyes widened and his pale skin turned pink.
Swallowing the last of his dinner, Langa placed his plate on top of the others and turned to him, mouth hung slightly agape. "I'm pretty?" He asked questioningly, like it was such an odd thing to hear.
"Dude!" Reki laughed, shifting over in the bed so Langa had room to lie down next to him. "You're the prettiest guy I've ever met." He confirmed, caressing his calloused palms against the cheek of his lover.
Langa couldn't help but smile at his lover, a brilliant, blinding smile that made Reki forget all about the pains and aches no teenager should be experiencing. "You're pretty too, Reki," Langa whispered, placing his palm on top of the other's hand.
The artist of the two smiled at his boyfriend, gently thumbing at the other's cheek. "Langa.. Can I kiss you?" He whispered, nudging his foot against the other's shin before they intertwined their legs.
The older teenager felt all the air in his lungs disappear as he nodded fervently, a very, very rare smile gracing his lips, wide and goofy, one only Reki ever got to see. "Please.." Langa whispered, his eyes half-lidded, pretty lashes daring to touch his flushed cheeks.
Reki couldn't help himself as he pulled his boyfriend of three days into a delicate kiss, adoring the way Langa seemed to all but melt into the press of their lips together.
Langa couldn't help himself as his arms wrapped around the other's neck, wanting to be as close as possible without making it awkward between them. Reki reciprocated by placing his free hand on the other's bony hip, thumbing at the fabric of the other's shirt.
When the two of them pulled away, inches apart, breathing in each other's presence, all they could do was fall into a fit of giggles, holding one another close, with Langa being extra careful of Reki's injuries, as exhaustion and all the tense moments of the night drove them to surrender to sleep.
The next morning, the two boys were woken up by Reki's phone blowing up with notifications. Groggily pushing himself to sit up, the redhead's eyes widened. "Langa, we are so dead!" He cried, scrambling out of bed and groaning as the injuries of the prior night made themselves apparent.
"Huh..?" Langa groaned, nuzzling into the warm covers, trying to lull himself back to sleep.
"Your mom sent a photo of us sleeping to my mom!" Reki cried out in panic, tugging at his headband and searching for his dirty clothes from the previous night.
Langa groaned at how loud the other was being, an evident pout on his lips as he sat up, rubbing at his still sleep-filled eyes. "And that's.. bad..?"
Reki paused in his panic and turned to the other, a look of pure astonishment on his face. "One," He held up a finger to count, "I haven't told her we're dating yet, and we were full on cuddling in the photo." Langa nodded slightly, feeling slightly bad for getting his boyfriend in trouble, "Two, I wasn't supposed to be here, I snuck out last night." Reki held up another finger.
"And three, I was supposed to take the girls to dance practice this morning! Which means I'm in sooooo much trouble when I get home." Reki groaned, going back to looking for his items.
"Oh.." Langa hummed, running a hand through his fluffy hair, "I'll pray for you?" He smiled at his lover, laughing at the way Reki sputtered and turned to the Canadian in a rage.