Chapter Text
Reki has been looking forward to summer for the past month and a half. Imagine, getting to spend the whole day at the skatepark? Sunrise to sunset, getting food whenever they wanted and sitting out under the stars late enough to worry his usually lax parents. No more school obligations, homework, or tests to worry about for over an entire month! Of course, he was planning to spend the whole thing with Langa. Between their shifts at DopeSketch, the two of them were gonna skate together every single day. Just think of all the new tricks they’ll have the time to master! Reki’s even been making a little list of places he wants to take Langa around Okinawa (mostly food related, of course), he still hasn’t visited Reki’s second favorite ramen shop. That was the first item on “Reki and Langa’s Summer Bucket List” tucked away in the pages of his sketchbook.
Today though, they were just hanging out at that skatepark in the early hours of the morning as usual, it was only their second day off after all, it felt like they had all the time in the world.
Until they didn’t.
“Hey Langa? I think your phone is ringing.” Reki can hear the distant chime of Langa’s ringtone from his spot at the top of the very ramp, getting ready to drop in. Langa skids to a stop and hops off the half-pipe he was just practicing in, walking over to his backpack on the ground at the edge of the park. Reki continues trying to nail the indy grab he saw in a YouTube video last night. The conversation lasts long enough to be unsettling to Reki. Langa’s mom doesn’t call him often, but sometimes if they stay out too late past dinner, and he’s not paying attention to his texts, she’ll remind him to come home (or to let her know if he’s staying over at Reki’s) and that will be the end of it. Reki tries to busy himself with this trick to keep his mind from wandering too much.
“Uh Reki?”
The anxious waver hidden in Langa’s voice makes Reki jump off the vert ramp as fast as he can, stomach twisting anxiously for a reason he can’t quite ascertain.
“Something up?”
“Yeah, uh, I gotta head home.”
“What did your mom want? Did something happen?”
“It’s hopefully nothing. I’ll see you at our shift this afternoon?”
“Yeah, sure man. Of course. See uh- see you later.”
Langa shoots him a half-hearted smile and grabs his backpack, throwing his skateboard down at his feet.
“Okay, bye Reki!”
And with that he was gone.
Reki didn’t stay out at the skatepark much longer after that. It felt weird being there without Langa and his mind kept focusing on that small, sad smile Langa had thrown at him before he left. He seemed worried, but why?
It wasn’t until he was already at DopeSketch that he heard from Langa again. He was running late, like really, really late. Reki was usually the one running behind, not him. The store was empty when his phone rang, and his heart leapt into his throat when he saw Langa’s name as the caller-ID.
“Langa? Hey man, where are you?”
“Reki? I’m uh, I can’t make it to my shift today…”
His voice was warbling a little over the phone. He sounded even more anxious than before.
“My grandma’s in the hospital, Reki. It doesn’t uh, it doesn’t look good.”
“Oh Langa, I’m sorry man. Don’t worry about your shift, I’ll tell Oka and we can cover for you. Go see your grandma.”
He hears Langa’s shaky breath on the other side of the line.
“My grandma on my dad’s side, Reki. She’s in Canada.”
Oh…
“My mom is looking at flights right now. I- I think we’re going to leave tonight.”
Reki almost stops breathing, the air leaves his lungs in an instant, only to come rushing back.
“WAIT TONIGHT? You’re flying back to Canada?! H-how long are you gonna be gone?”
“I’m not really sure right now… maybe a week?”
“Uh, o-okay.”
“I gotta pack. Just… come by when you can okay?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Ok, bye.”
Langa hangs up before Reki’s mouth can catch up to reply. Langa’s leaving? For Canada? It was all so sudden Reki feels like he’s been body checked off one of the cliffs at S. He can’t even imagine what this must be like for Langa, having to leave so suddenly for something as terrible as this.
He rushes into the back to tell Oka, trying to speak clearly even though he’s noticeably panicking. Oka tries his best to get him to stay calm and lets him leave an hour early so he can head over to Langa’s before he needs to catch his flight. Man, Oka can be a really great boss sometimes, he’ll have to remember to make it up to him sometime.
Reki skates faster than he has in any beef over to Langa’s after work, not even bothering to change out of his DopeSketch shirt. He knocks rapidly on the door when he arrives, until he looks to his side and remembers they have a doorbell. Just as he reaches out to push it though, the door swings open and Langa’s standing in front of him. Out of breath and looking like he just ran a mile to get to the front door of their small apartment.
Reki doesn’t know what to say. He fears that if he opens his mouth he might just burst into tears.
But then Langa’s arms wrap around his middle and his head buries itself in Reki’s hoodie, squeezing him so tightly he can barely breathe. He doesn’t care about any of that though, he just holds Langa back, putting all his feelings into this one last hug. It doesn’t feel real. He squeezes harder.
“Langa, I’m so sorry.”
“Reki…”
And oh, Langa sounds like he’s about to cry. Reki can’t have that, if Langa cries he’s definitely gonna cry. He pulls back enough to put his hands on Langa’s shoulders and look him in the eyes, forcing a smile that he’s a little too familiar with.
“You gotta eat some real poutine in Canada for me, okay? You’re always talking about how the stuff here isn’t the same.”
Finally, he sees a small smile break out on Langa’s face as he huffs out a small laugh. Bringing his wrist up to rub at his eyes.
“It’s not. They don’t have real cheese curds here.”
“Right. And bring me a souvenir? Something real corny with a maple leaf on it.”
Langa chuckles at that. “Of course.” He heaves out a big sigh and slumps his head back down onto Reki’s shoulder, squeezing him once.
“I’m gonna miss you.” His breath ghosts across his ear, soft and low and unlike Reki’s ever heard it before. Reki can’t help it, his breath hitches. He swallows once, steeling himself.
“Me too.”
He hears Langa’s mom yell something in English inside, probably telling Langa to hurry up and pack or something. Reki has a feeling Langa’s the type to wait until the very last moment and rush everything. Langa pulls back from the hug and shouts something back at her, then turns and looks at Reki with a very soft sadness in his eyes. Reki bumps his fist lightly against his chest in an attempt to lighten the mood, but it just ends up coming across as tender.
“You should go pack, bro. Text me when you get there okay? I’ll talk to you all week, I don’t care what the time difference is I’ll stay up all night if I have to.”
Langa’s eyes soften just a touch. “Okay.”
Langa’s still holding him, Reki knows he needs to get going or they might just stay like this all night until he misses his flight. And as much as he might want that right now, he knows Langa needs to go and see his grandma. Reki drops his arms and opts for holding one of Langa’s hands instead, taking the slightest step backward.
“I’ll see you later man.”
“Yeah, see you later.”
Reki drops his hand, an act that makes pressure build up behind his eyes and turns to leave walking hurried steps out the door before he does something stupid in front of Langa, like start crying. Before he gets very far though, he turns and shouts back at Langa.
“Promise you’ll text me!”
“I promise!” is the last thing he hears as Langa’s silhouette disappears behind his door once it clicks shut.
It’s not until he gets home and sees one of Langa’s shirts he left behind at Reki’s place from their sleepover a few days ago thrown across his bed that the tears begin to flow.