Chapter Text
Oka was Reki’s manager at his part time job at the skate shop DOPESKETCH and his only non-internet friend.
The shop had closed and Oka poured some green tea for him and Reki in the employee break room. They liked to just hang out a little bit after closing each day.
Oka worried about Reki. He didn’t have any friends at school or aspirations for life; he just wanted to skateboard. And while Oka understood the sentiment, he wanted more for Reki after he graduated in two years.
Reki’s parents didn’t pay him much attention, he had three other siblings and his dad was always traveling for work. When they did pay him mind, though, they were fine, and it wasn’t like Reki was being neglected or abused. Just ignored. It was no wonder he tread the border between good boy and gangster.
He had a great personality and big heart, Oka acknowledged, he just didn’t know how to let anyone close enough to see that.
Behind an internet screen, he had more luck. The chatroom Reki was a part of was a group of skaters here in Okinawa. They could potentially meet up and form in person friendships– but Reki would rather be behind the screen.
“Oka, I have it bad.” Reki said after taking a drink of tea.
“What do you mean?” Oka replied, sitting down across from him.
“There’s a new kid at school and he’s… he’s gorgeous, Oka.”
“Ohhh?” Oka grinned.
“Hasegawa. He sits next to me too, so I just spent all of class looking at him from the corner of my eye.”
“Did you talk to him?”
“What? No way. He’d never want someone like me to talk to him. He’s already practically school royalty– every class, Oka, every class he was amazing at. Soccer in gym, cooking in home ec, and he speaks fluent English. He’s from Canada.”
“So? You could still talk to him. Just say ‘hello’ and see where it goes… Maybe he’s curious about you, too, sitting next to you and all.”
“Me? No way, I’m not interesting like he is. Or attractive enough. He’s probably going to go out with a bunch of pretty, popular girls. Tons of them.”
Oka rolled his eyes. “You never know. Maybe he’s gay.”
“No way, he’s too perfect to be gay. Even if he was, there’s way more popular guys than me he could go for.”
“You’re impossibly stubborn, you know that?"
Reki laughed, “I’m just speaking the truth!”
The next day, Hasegawa had the school uniform on, apparently having received them after school the day before.
Reki kind of missed his other uniform he wore yesterday, but he had to admit he looked great in their uniform too. Under the jacket, he wore just a white button down. But the top two buttons were unbuttoned and Reki could see just a peek of his chest.
He tried not to drool in class.
He watched Hasegawa drop his eraser and pick it up, his movements were all so graceful and practiced. Not like Reki, who was always clumsy and uncoordinated.
Reki watched him until it was lunch break, and a stream of girls came over to crowd Hasegawa’s desk, blocking Reki’s view.
“Hasegawa-kun, how do you like it here?”
“It’s fine.”
“Hasegawa-kun, do you have a girlfriend?”
“No.”
“Hasegawa-kun, do you want a girlfriend?”
“No.”
“Uhhh?? Why not?”
“...”
He’s not much of a talker, Reki realized. He seemed like he just wanted these girls to leave him alone.
And he obviously did, because he simply got up and left in the middle of their questions.
Reki decided to go have his lunch up on the roof, away from all the noise and chatter.
He saw Hasegawa out in the hall looking around, like he didn’t know where to go. Then he started climbing stairs that went up to the roof.
Reki followed him a good ways behind until they got to the door and Hasegawa carefully opened it.
He went outside and Reki followed, not planning to talk to him or anything, but maybe he could just look at him some more while he ate.
Reki reached the outside and turned the corner to sit in his usual spot.
Hasegawa was there, and turned, meeting Reki’s eyes. Reki noticed he had beautiful, blue eyes that matched his snow-like hair. But they were dull and lifeless. Like all the joy had been sucked out of them.
“Hello,” Hasegawa said. His voice was soft and angelic, like it might break if dropped.
“It’s… Kyan-san, right?”
Reki swallowed hard and managed a stiff nod.
“Are we allowed up here?”
Reki shook his head no.
“But you come here anyway?” Hasegawa gave a small smile and a little laugh that made Reki’s heart melt.
“Do you mind if I stay here, too?
“No, I don’t…” Reki finally choked out. Her nervousness reaching critical levels.
“Thanks. I wanted to… get away from that crowd.”
Reki nodded understandingly, as though somehow he could understand what it was like to be surrounded by a crowd of pretty but annoying girls.
Reki took his seat and Hasegawa sat next to him, but didn’t say anything more. They ate lunch together in silence, and followed each other down the stairs when it was time to go back.
Reki couldn’t believe he had talked to him, just like a normal person. He was such a beauty, and Reki was a monster. How could they communicate so casually?
Reki took out his laptop and logged onto the skater’s chatroom. He said hello to everyone that was on, and asked a few how they were.
Finally, they asked about him and his new crush.
REKI: “He actually talked to me today.”
SHADOW: “What?!”
CHERRY: “Really?”
JOE: “Go get him!”
MIYA: “What did he say?”
REKI: “He said ‘hello,’ and then if my name was right. Then asked if we could be up here on the roof. I said no, but he asked if he could stay anyway.”
MIYA: “He wanted to stay with you?”
JOE: “Sounds like the beginnings of a steamy romance to me!”
REKI: “No, no, guys. It was nothing like that. He just wanted to get away from all the girls hitting on him.”
SHADOW: “If you say so, lover boy.”
CHERRY: “Yeah, that’s just what you think, REKI.”
JOE: “Ask him out!”
Reki felt embarrassed and logged out of the chat, closing his laptop. He laid back on his bed and played their conversation over and over again.
It really wasn’t anything important. But today… April 8th, 2021, would go down in his brain as the day that Hasegawa Langa first said “hello.”