Chapter Text
School had just started for Reki and Langa. The air was hot and wet. Reki was unbothered by it for some reason, wearing his signature yellow hoodie. But Langa was drenched and covered in sweat. It's like Okinawa is a sauna, one that's over 100 degrees and he can't leave. He sipped on his water bottle frantically, panting and wiping sweat from his forehead. The heaviness of the environment making his usually upright posture—at least in Canada—slouched.
"Reki! How do you handle this heat!" Langa complained, carrying his skateboard while Reki rode his slowly. Langa was so exhausted not even from walking but trying to regulate himself that if he even tried skating he'd fall on his face. Reki just looked at Langa sympathetically as he bent over, putting his hands on his knees.
"Take this." Reki offered blandly, getting his water bottle for Langa. Langa took it hurriedly while aggressively panting. Unscrewing the cap and drinking it wildly like his life depended on it. He finished about half of it as he put it aside, still holding it. Taking a breather before he went forth to consume the rest of it without inhibition.
As he finished the bottle he handed the crumple of plastic over to Reki. Looking up at him like a saviour. Maybe it was the heat or his exhaust but Reki looked good. Langa was sure to appreciate that…privately though.
"Thank you!" Langa said to Reki through gasps, standing up warily. The air was still suffocating but a sea breeze came by, offering a sense of cool that Langa did not take for granted. Slightly refreshed he start again, Reki pushing himself to catch up with Langa.
"You're surprisingly fast when you're cold." Reki noted in a teasing tone, referencing the more temperate wind that'd passed them. Their school was close, like the Nazis seeing the spires of Moscow. But much less dramatic, and Moscow being air conditioning instead of the Soviet capital.
In a bit less than 15 minutes they both arrived at their school. When they got to the gates Langa forgot about Reki and ran inside the school for air conditioning. Reki being left in the dust because he wasn't as adamant on it being hot. Him having to skate up to get to Langa, already getting himself in more trouble at the start of the year.
Inside the school Langa was embracing the chilled air, other students judging him as they walked to their shoe cubbies. When Reki had finally got there Langa had decided to go over to his cubby and replace his shoes. "Langa! You can't just run away from me!" Reki told Langa as he parked himself next to the blue-haired boy. Langa looking up at Reki after he put his school shoes on.
"I'm sorry." Langa admitted dishonestly. He could care less for Reki right then and there, he was more focused on the air conditioning. He watched as Reki passed it off annoyed, going to change his shoes too. Langa followed Reki a foot or so to his cubby, standing over him as he changed his shoes. Then the school bell rung, they needed to get to class.
"Come on, Reki!" Langa encouraged as Reki lackadaisically put his shoes on. He wasn't about to leave Reki's side for something so trivial, but he also was not going to be late to class. Reki let out an exasperated sigh, like changing shoes made him Sisyphus.
Once Reki put his shoes on Langa was quick to grab him by the arm and drag him to their class. Reki tripping as he lost his balance and physical agency. People halted and stared as Langa was practically dragging Reki by the ear, like a mother to their misbehaving child.
In their class Langa sat down politely, getting his things ready as fast as possible. The teacher was just starting the lesson. Langa got out a Post-it note and a gel pen. Quickly scribbling down something in English to Reki.
He handed Reki the note that wrote "Reki, we should go study at Sia la luce after school. Then we can go to S!" Reki took it hastily as the teacher wasn't looking. He looked at it confused. He could not read English at all. All he understand was his name and S. Giving Langa the note back with a shrug.
Langa sighed as he received the note back. Oh yeah, Reki would not understand English. He looked up to ensure the teacher wasn't looking, then pulling his phone out of his jeans. Under the desk he went to Google Translate and wrote down the translation on a second note.
"レキ、放課後は「Sia la luce」で勉強しようよ。それから「S!」に行けるし！" the note was inscribed with Langa's sloppy Japanese penmanship. He gave the note to Reki nervously, hoping Google translated it correctly. Reki looked back at him with a nod as he crumpled the note and put it in his pocket.
Langa exhaled as he put his phone in his jeans pocket, leaning back into the chair looking up to the front. But the teacher wasn't there. He was slightly confused and panicked for a second. Then he heard a cough to his right. Slowly turning his head he was met with the teacher putting their hand out. He was caught with his phone and was having it confiscated now. He dejectedly handed it over with an annoyed sigh. Now he couldn't write to Reki because he didn't understand English. That is unless he used hieroglyphs, which, at this point, he might have to.
The class passed quicker than Langa thought it would. Not having his phone he'd think he'd be miserable since he couldn't give Reki notes. The subject was surprisingly interesting for a language arts class; them having to write five haiku poems about a something they found beautiful. Langa wrote about Canada, obviously. The problem wasn't him not knowing what haiku is, but rather not knowing how to write the same in Japanese.
When Langa brought up the paper with the poems the teacher just looked at him blankly. Just like Reki they didn't understand anything written in English. Langa looked up awkwardly as he realized what he'd done. "I'm sorry." Langa apologized simply, greatly embarrassed for the linguistic mistake.
"Oh vast Canada, your white-coated fields and plains, and snow-capped mountains." Langa read out the first one, looking at the teacher to hopefully understand what he was saying. They did not, just looking at him confused. Langa's stressed and sweating, standing in front of both the whole class and teacher while functionally communicating in gibberish. And then the teacher went to pull out their phone, taking a picture of the paper. It registering with Langa upon the shuttering sound. Was the teacher getting him in trouble?—No. They were translating it on their phone.
"ああ、広大なカナダ | 白く覆われた野や平原 | そして雪を頂いた山々"
"ローガン山がそびえ立っている。| それを彩る板の跡 | 氷と雪が吹き過ぎていく"
"クジラと雹（ひょう）の輪郭 | ペンギンと魚が豊富 |ホッキョクグマ、ヘラジカ、ガン"
"マスキーゴンのスノーボード | アメリカの創造 | 素晴らしいイノベーション"
"冬はとても寒いですね。| 沖縄はすごく楽しいです。| 夏はとても暑いですね。"
The teacher read from the screen. Nodding at it. It definitely wasn't a haiku in Japanese but they trusted Langa knew what they were doing in English. The teacher got out a pen and wrote "良" in a red pen, circling it. Langa wasn't sure what it meant but the teacher smiled at them and handed the paper back. He hoped it meant he did well.
Then the bell rang again. Langa gave the teacher an earnest and appealing smile as he waved them off. In the hall he waited for Reki to catch up to him; going up to Reki the first he saw him out the door. Reki looked partially surprised that Langa came up to him, by gave a warm laugh.
"Langa, dude, you don't know Japanese?" Reki asked like it was his own failure Langa doesn't know Japanese. Langa knew some, but not substantial amounts. Nanako, his mother, occasionally speaking in it.
"Uh, obviously I know some Japanese, like konichiwa!?" Langa defended himself, abrasively using one of if not the most common Japanese phrases. In his mind "hello" was the equivalent of translating all of Shakespeare's works. Reki gave him an exhausted and dramatic sigh. Oh yes, hello, on level of being as complicated as pulchritude. Something Langa thinks of Reki and his outgoingness.
"Sure, dude. 'Hello,' practically better than me!" Reki teased Langa with a huffed giggle. "Wanna skate instead of going to math?" Reki offered, Langa looking shocked, politely declining. Langa would love to skate with Reki, especially since it meant being in a more personal space with him, but Langa could not risk his reputation yet. Langa started a small stride from Reki.
"No. But meet me on the rooftop for lunch and we can discuss this afternoon." Langa retorted, looking back at Reki. They'd be skating later at S, and probably wouldn't get in trouble, nevermind the fact it's illegal. Langa continued off to his math class, Reki could skate if he wanted but Langa wasn't going to.
"Loser!" Reki taunted Langa through the halls with an exclamation. People around Reki already done multiple times over with his obnoxiousness. Reki realized Langa was not coming back, and ran up to him. "Langa! Why do you hate me?" Reki asked knowing better. Langa turning around suddenly.
"I don't hate you." He established, "Go skate or come with me to math, but I'm not coming." Langa stated his abstinence, opening the door to the math class. The teacher staring him down, already late because of Reki's shenanigans. Langa politely walked in and bowed, gesturing his sorriness for being late. Sitting down as the teacher marked him present, but tardy. Reki did the same. Rather being with Langa in boring math class with their soon-to-be-found-out-as strict teacher than skating alone.
——————
After math Reki and Langa walked in the hallway, going to the stairwell. Langa looked over at Reki exhausted.
"Reki! Now you've gotten me in trouble, what, ten times? I haven't even been here for a month!" Langa complained dramatically, not actually annoyed but pretending to be so because of his over-inflation of bad behaviour. When they got to the top of the stairs Reki opened the door out to the roof. Langa forgot how miserable the weather is, instantly stopping in his tracks and squinting like he was a tongue and the air was a lemon. Reki looked back at Langa's uncomfortableness and started laughing.
"Ugh." Langa expressed at the wall-like weather. Dejectedly walking through it like marching through thick snow. He looked kind of like a dog with his mouth open, heaving in the damp air.
They walked over to a lonely corner and sat on the floor together. Reki pulled out a thermos and half-cooked noodles. He opened the thermos and poured the hot water onto the dry noodles. Langa watched as the noodles steamed. He got out his lunch, poutine. "Ooh" Langa remarked quietly, thinking the noodles looked delicious, as with quite the wide array of foods. Reki looked over curiously.
"Do you want to try some?" Reki proposed as he held up the now-hot container infront of Langa. Langa staring at it in some form of surprise, but also honour. He'd love to have some of Reki's food, but only if he was sharing it.
"Of course!" Langa responded humbly, turning around to offer his poutine to Reki. Reki was giving Langa some plastic cutlery to eat some of his food with. When Reki handed Langa the tools he was met with Langa's soft and gentle smile offering Reki the poutine.
"Oh?…What's that?" Reki asked obliviously to the dish, although Langa'd definitely mentioned if not shown it to him before. "Is that the poutine thing you Americans eat a lot?" Reki asked with the same unknowingness, confusing Canada with America. Langa's expression soured a bit. He did NOT appreciate Canada being confused with America.
"Yes. It is poutine." Langa said in brief, melancholic bits. Establishing what it is but having been rubbed the wrong way by Reki's association with the whole Global West as America.
They went along and ate peacefully, Langa silently being tortured by the swampy weather. Langa especially liked Reki's ramen, though that wasn't uncommon with the Japanese foods he's had. They're much better than the versions made in Canada. Reki tried Langa's poutine and wasn't necessarily pleased. He liked it neutrally but he didn't like the cheese curds.