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“Hey Langa!” Reki called, waving and skating over to where Langa was sat on his board.
Langa sprung up. “Reki!” He smiled, holding out his hand for their handshake.
Reki hopped off his board. High-five, fist bump, infinity symbol. “So… what’re we doin’?”
“Oh, I was thinking that we could skate around today. We could stay here and practice or ride around town for a bit.”
Reki glanced around at the skate park. “Let’s stay here.”
“Okay.” Langa hopped on his board and started to skate around the park, the hot summer sun beating down on everything it touched. On his third lap around the park Langa noticed that Reki was just sitting on his board and watching him. He skated towards him, noticing that he was wearing a hoodie. He stopped and sat on his board next to him. “Did you want to do something else?”
Reki wasn’t looking at him anymore. “Nah, it’s fine.”
“Aren’t you hot in a hoodie?”
Reki’s face flushed a bit. “I’m fine.”
“You could get heat stroke, you should change into something else.” Langa’s eyes never left Reki.
“I told you I’m fine,” he snapped.
“But it’s dangerous to be out in the heat like that for too long, at least roll up your sleeves.”
Reki stayed silent, eyes trained on the ground as if he were studying the concrete.
“Reki?” Langa leaned forward to try and look into his eyes.
“Y’know I— I think I should go…” He stood up swiftly and started to walk away, skateboard in tow.
Langa jumped up and caught his wrist, his chest hurting when he felt Reki flinch away. “Let me walk you home at least.”
“Let go.”
“Please—”
“Langa, let go,” he snapped.
He begrudgingly let go of Reki’s wrist and watched as he walked away. His chest hurt, he wasn’t sure what to do, and he wanted to stay by Reki’s side.
He sat on the bench at the skate park, staring at the clouds until the heat felt suffocating and his clothes felt gross sticking to his skin from sweat. He got on his board and skated to the one air-conditioned place he knew would help him out: Joe’s restaurant.
—
The air conditioning felt nice, much better than the sweltering outside air. He stood in the doorway and glanced around the restaurant. Miya was in one of the booths playing a game, and Joe and Cherry were bickering as usual at the counter. Langa walked over to an empty booth and sat down, resting his head on his arms on the table.
It took a minute, but Joe spotted him. “Yo, Langa!” He glanced around, “Huh, where’s Reki?”
Cherry sighed. “The kid can come here on his own, dimbus.”
“Well, yeah, but usually they’re a package deal, y’know, pretty boy.”
There were footsteps and then someone sat down across from Langa. “What’s up, kid?”
Langa stayed silent.
“Did you and Reki have another fight?”
“I dunno…” Langa mumbled.
Joe hummed. “What happened then?”
“We went to the skate park and he was acting really weird.”
“Weird how?”
“He didn’t skate. And he got all snappy when I told him not to have a hoodie on in the summer,” Langa spoke into his arms.
“Huh, did he go home to change or somethin’?”
“I dunno, I said he could just roll up his sleeves and then he just… left.”
“Okay…”
“Did I do something wrong..?”
“No. No, not at all.”
From across the room Langa heard Cherry sigh.
“You should go talk to him, kid.”
“Huh?” Langa looked up at Joe who had a weird expression on his face.
“Go check up on him.” Joe nodded slightly and got up, returning to his spot behind the counter.
Langa sat there for a moment, unsure of what made the others so antsy. He looked over at Joe who nodded toward the door, signaling him to go check on Reki. Hesitating for a moment, Langa stood up and made his way out of the restaurant. He got on his skateboard. Clearly there was somewhere he needed to be.
—
He’d only been to Reki’s house a few times, so he ended up skating past it and had to circle back. Walking up to the door, he felt his stomach sink and his heartbeat speed up. He didn’t know what was happening, but clearly it wasn’t good. He managed to get himself to knock on the door, and after what seemed like hours it opened.
“Oh, hi there Langa.”
“Hello miss… uhm… is Reki home?”
“Oh! Yes, come in, come in.” She gestured for Langa to come inside.
He stepped inside and took off his shoes.
“He’s shut in his room down there,” she pointed down a hallway, “do you remember where it is?”
“Yes ma’am, thank you.” Langa bowed slightly and made his way down the hall to Reki’s room. He paused in front of the door, feeling his chest constrict. Carefully, he knocked.
“Whaaaaat?” Reki called from behind the door.
“Can I open the door?”
“Langa?” His voice sounded strained now, quieter than it was before.
“Yeah…”He watched as the door slowly opened, revealing Reki. He had his hood up and his room looked significantly messier than Langa remembered it. “Can I come in?”
Reki nodded and stepped out of the doorway, closing the door behind Langa.
“Do you want to talk?”
Reki shook his head.
“Okay…” Langa looked around the room. “Do you want to watch something?”
Reki shrugged, “Sure.”
“Do you want to pick something?”
Reki shrugged again, “I don’t care.”
Langa pulled up an episode of Reki’s favorite show on his phone, propping it up against a stack of magazines on the floor and gesturing for Reki to sit beside him against the wall. Reki complied, sitting a few inches away from Langa and bringing his knees to his chest. Langa started the show, and for twenty minutes neither of them said a word. They did, however, look over at the other every few minutes. Reki switched between playing with his fingers and drumming on his knees the whole time, and Langa gently swayed side-to-side and occasionally lightly snapped his fingers a few times.
The episode ended and they were once again surrounded by deafening silence.
Langa looked over at Reki who was again curled into a ball and staring at the floor, though slowly he turned to Langa and opened his arms. It took Langa a second to realize that he was asking for a hug, but once he did he quickly scooped him into his arms, pulling him onto his lap.
Reki buried his face in Langa’s shoulder and squeezed him tightly, as if he were afraid that he’d leave if he loosened his grip even a little bit.
“You’re great, you’re amazing, you’re awesome, you’re so cool… I love you,” Langa whispered into his ear. He felt Reki smile against his shoulder.
They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Reki broke it. “Sorry… for running away earlier.”
“Hmm?”
“I just… I didn’t want you to… I wasn’t…”
Langa pulled back from the hug a little, trying to see Reki’s face. “Hey, whoa, it’s okay, you’re fine. What were you so worried about?”
Reki looked away, but Langa could tell there were tears in his eyes.
“Hey…” He leaned down to see Reki’s face and tried to wipe some of the tears from his cheeks. “What’s up, what’s wrong?”
“I don’t want you to hate me,” he sobbed.
“I won’t hate you, why would I ever hate you?” Langa’s mind was racing and he was frantically trying to figure out what was going on. “Hey, look at me…”
Reki slowly tilted his head up to look at Langa.
Langa wiped the tears from his cheeks with his thumbs. “I won’t hate you, no matter what. You’re awesome, I love you… remember that.”
Reki sniffed. “Mmh..hhm” He fiddled with the sleeves of his hoodie.
“You don’t have to say anything you don’t want to, you know. I can wait. For as long as you need.”
Reki nodded. “I— I know… but… but I think you— I want you… to know.”
Langa pat Reki’s hooded head. “Okay.”
It took a while, and lots of reassurances from Langa, before Reki was ready to share.
“Do you want me to turn around or close my eyes or something? Would that make it easier?”
“…maybe, yeah.” He thought about it for a moment. “If— if you could close your eyes… yeah, uhm I’ll tell you when to open them, okay?”
“Okay,” Langa said, closing his eyes. He heard shuffling and a sharp intake of breath, though Reki’s weight didn’t move from his lap.
“Okay, you—” deep breath, “you can look…”
Langa opened his eyes to see Reki squeezing his eyes shut and looking away from him, one arm covering his face, the other arm was in front of him with the sleeve pushed up. “What am I supposed to—” he started, searching Reki’s covered face. He stopped when he noticed the bare arm, taking it into his hands, studying it, and gently running his fingers along the uneven skin.
“I’m sorry… I know it’s weird and gross and—”
Langa leant down and kissed one of the scars.
Reki’s head snapped up, shocked.
Langa pressed a kiss to another scar, then another scar.
Reki’s cheeks flushed. “What… why— don’t you think this is weird or gross or something?!”
Langa kissed another scar. “Am I supposed to?”
“Well… I don’t know… they’re not supposed to be there and…”
Langa looked up. “They’re a part of you, right? And I love you.”
Reki’s blush darkened and he looked away.
Langa brushed the hood off of Reki’s head and kissed his cheek before pulling him into another hug. “I love you,” he whispered.
Reki smiled into his shoulder. “Right back atcha,” he whispered back.