Chapter Text
Langa was leaning against the counter, feeling himself slowly melt away. He had already accepted his defeat against the scorching summer afternoons in Okinawa, and if he focused hard enough, he could make out a few words from Reki’s animated, one-sided chatter. Somehow, Reki remained perfectly unfazed by the heat—a mystery Langa had yet to solve.
The job itself wasn’t especially exhausting—there weren’t enough customers for that. It was just a little more demanding than usual, mostly because Oka, surprisingly, trusted them enough to leave them alone in the shop (just for a little while).
The bell announcing a customer rang, and before Langa could lazily turn his head to look, Reki had already jumped up from his seat, eyes sparkling.
“Haru?!”
The person who had walked in was a boy their age with brown hair. He recognized Reki instantly, and the two of them rushed into an excited hug.
“It’s been forever!”
“I know, man! You could’ve told me you were coming,” Reki replied between cheerful laughs.
Langa wondered if that’s what he and Reki looked like when they hugged.
Pushing his irritation with the heat to the back of his mind, he stepped closer, curiosity pulling him toward the boy he clearly didn’t know.
“Langa, this is Haru. A friend from when I was a kid,” Reki announced with a wide smile.
Before Langa could respond, Haru glanced sideways at him and turned back to Reki.
“So he’s my replacement?”
Reki laughed, unaware of the small—but very annoying—feeling that settled in Langa’s chest. Haru looked around the shop with interest.
“So you’re still just as obsessed with skating,” he said teasingly. “Why am I not surprised?”
Reki shrank slightly, his smile freezing in place. Langa hated that expression.
“Reki is really good at skating,” Langa added, with all the grace his limited social skills would allow.
Reki’s smile bloomed again, this time a little more shy. Langa loved that look.
“Man, you’re exaggerating… I mean, it’s not like—”
Before Reki could keep rambling, Haru interrupted him.
“Anyway, I just came to see if you’d be free after work.”
“Oh, yeah. We’ve got a couple more hours left on our shift.”
“Cool. Want to meet at the mall? Langa can come too.”
Haru glanced at Langa with an amused expression before stepping closer to Reki and ruffling his hair.
“See you!”
“Bye!”
When the door finally closed, the heat washed over Langa again. He barely noticed it, too distracted by the whirlwind of thoughts centered around a certain redhead who was unsuccessfully trying to fix his hair and headband.
Langa stepped closer, fueled by a confidence he didn’t know he had.
“Let me help.”
Carefully, he adjusted Reki’s headband and ran his fingers through his hair, his hand drifting down to his cheeks as his thumb traced slow circles against Reki’s skin. Up close, he could see Reki’s freckles more clearly, scattered across the bridge of his nose and his cheeks. The difference in their heights was more noticeable too.
Lost in his thoughts, Langa failed to notice the fondness in Reki’s eyes every time he looked at him.
After showering for the second time that day, Langa headed out to meet Reki and his friend. He wasn’t particularly thrilled about the idea, but how could he say no to Reki?
They agreed to meet at their usual spot before heading to the mall together. As always, Langa arrived first, though he didn’t have to wait long. After greeting each other—fist bumping in the shape of an infinity symbol—they walked in a comfortable silence.
Reki wore a different headband, matching his short-sleeved shirt and shorts. Langa, on the other hand, wasn’t prepared for the heat; his closet clearly wasn’t built for Okinawa summers, leaving him in a short-sleeved shirt and jeans.
Once they arrived, Reki looked around nervously, fidgeting with his hands. Langa found himself hoping Haru wouldn’t show up, imagining instead the two of them going back to Reki’s place to watch skate videos, curled up on the bed (with the fan on, obviously).
“Hey, Reki, don’t you think it’d be better if—?”
Haru finally arrived, greeting them cheerfully and completely ignoring his tardiness. He wore a sleeveless shirt and denim shorts—undeniably more casual and comfortable than the Canadian’s outfit.
As they set off together, Reki leaned toward Haru, looking a bit embarrassed.
“So, Haru… you can go to the gym without any trouble now?” he asked, gesturing at his clearly toned arms.
“Yeah! I’ve been going for...”
Haru’s voice faded in Langa’s mind as he wondered whether, if he wore a shirt like that, Reki would look at him with the same amazement.
After wandering aimlessly through the mall, the three of them stopped to get food. Reki and Langa ordered burgers and an absurd amount of fries, while Haru was perfectly content with a salad. A few minutes passed before Haru’s phone buzzed, and he stepped away to take the call, leaving Langa and Reki alone.
The world seemed to fade away, and Langa found himself staring into honey-colored eyes.
“I didn’t know about him.”
“I wasn’t trying to hide it, man…”
Reki ran a hand along the back of his neck and motioned for Langa to come closer.
“We were friends as kids. Mostly because of skating,” he whispered. Langa could hear his breathing, feel the warmth of his breath against his ear, sending a ticklish sensation down his spine.
“Like you and me?”
“What? No, no. You and me are…” Reki hesitated, searching for the right words. “…different. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Haru had an accident and couldn’t skate anymore.”
“Was it that serious?”
From afar, they spotted Haru weaving back through the crowd, so Reki hurried.
“The point is, it’s not something he’s very comfortable talking about, okay?”
Langa pulled back slightly to look him in the eyes and nodded.
“Besides, I think he likes you. He’s a pretty closed-off guy, you know?”
Reki smiled at him again, and Langa felt the heat rush to his face. Was it the weather?
If it made his best friend happy… maybe he should try talking to him.