Chapter Text
Nobody talked about S in daylight.
That was part of the charm.
It belonged to the hours after midnight, to the fluorescent signs buzzing somewhere overhead and the old mine tunnels bathed in strange colors that made everyone look a little less real. Music spilled through the corridors and mixed with the smell of gasoline and sea air drifting in from somewhere beyond the cliffs.
There was something dreamlike about the place.
Like stepping through a secret door.
The lights of S illuminated the old mine in shifting colors, the sound of wheels against concrete echoing through the tunnels. Music blasted from somewhere above, mixing with the roar of engines and excited voices. It was loud. Chaotic. Normal. Langa liked normal. Normal meant Reki would appear running toward him with his skateboard tucked under one arm and enough energy to carry three people. Normal meant Reki talking too fast and pulling him into some spontaneous race before he even had time to say hello and do their dap.
Which was why the sight that greeted him when he entered made him stop in his tracks. Reki was already there, but he wasn't skating or talking. Just sitting. His board leaned forgotten against the bench beside him. Langa frowned. This wasn't right. He was just sitting there, head tilted back, staring at the colored lights hanging overhead as though he'd never seen them before.
Blue.
Pink.
Purple.
Their reflections danced in his eyes. And he was smiling? Not the bright smile Langa knew. Not really. Something softer. Something distant.
"Reki?"
Reki's head lifted immediately, and his entire face lit up. "Langaaa!" his voice stretched out strangely. Langa blinked. Reki practically slid off the bench trying to stand, wobbling enough that Langa instinctively reached forward to catch him. "Careful."
"I am careful!" Reki giggled. Reki actually giggled. Langa froze, ignoring the somersault his heart did at the sound. Taking a closer look at his red-headed friend, he noticed his eyes were glassy. Cheeks flushed, and he was smiling at absolutely nothing.
"You came."
"...Yeah."
"You always come," Reki said as he began to play with Langa's blue strands of hair that reached his shoulders.
Langa was taken aback. He couldn't tell if his heart was accelerating due to the choice of words his best friend was using against him or if it was because Reki showed up to S high... again. Before Langa could rack up something in his brain, Reaki suddenly burst out laughing. Langa stared with widened eyes. Almost too afraid to ask, Langa said, "What?"
"Nothing!" Reki said through laughter that continued to escalate as seconds escaped. "You're just so freaking huge!" Reki managed to strain out through his dying laughter. "I've always been this tall," Langa replied, hoping his was masking his growing concern well. "I know, I just forgot, you know?" Reki giggled into Langa's shoulder, sending shivers down the boy's spine. The sound should've been familiar. It should've made him smile to have his favorite person dig their face into his shoulder.
Instead, something uncomfortable settled in his chest. Because Reki's eyes were glossy. His words ran together. And when he stood, he couldn't hold his own weight. As if reading his mind, Reki let go of Langa and attempted to wave towards where Miya, Shadow, Joe, and Cherry were engaging in conversation. He began stumbling to the ground until Langa caught him before he could reach the floor.
Immediately.
Without thinking.
Reki laughed again. "Langa saves me." His head dropped onto Langa's shoulder as though it belonged there and was made just for Reki's use whenever he pleases. "Langa's warm," he continued. The words were soft. Sleepy. And for some reason, hearing them made Langa feel cold. Because Reki wasn't usually quiet. Reki filled rooms. He was the one to fill the silences. He talked with his hands and laughed too loudly and skated too fast and loved things with his whole heart.
But tonight, he seemed so far away. Like he was looking at S through the fog. As if the neon lights and loud music and endless night had swallowed him up. And Langa hated it. Not the closeness, not the way Reki leaned into him. Never that. He hated the distance because somehow, even with Reki pressed against his side, he felt farther away than ever.
"Reki."
"Hm?"
"What happened?"
Reki blinked slowly, then smiled his goofy smile.
"The lights are pretty."
"Reki."
"They're moving."
"They're not."
"They are!"
He laughed softly. Once the one-sided joke was over, he rested his head back where it belonged, Langa's shoulder, before he said, "You're prettier though." Instinctively, Langa's grip tightened on Reki's waist. His racing heart contradicts what his chest felt. His chest was aching. Hearing Reki's laughter, he sounded tired. Not sleepy. Just tired. The kind of tired hidden behind smiles and jokes and endless motion.
Langa's seen Reki high a couple of times. It's just never taken this hard a toll on him, at least not to his knowledge. It's also no secret that Langa isn't very fond of Reki showing up to S high off his mind, but what can he do except be the pillar of support for his best friend? Metaphorically and literally.
Standing there beneath the strange lights of S, with music echoing through the tunnels and colors reflecting in Reki's eyes, Langa had the terrible feeling that he'd missed something important. Something that had been hurting for a long time. And somehow, he was only noticing now.
Whatever Reki was going through had no business taking place here. "Okay, Reki, hold on to me tight, I'm gonna start walking," Langa said while grabbing Reki's stateboard with his free hand, maneuvering it to tuck under his armpit.
"Sure sure, but I can walk on my own too, you knowww," Reki drawled. Ignoring his stubbornness, Langa slowly guided them to where the rest of the gang was. 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐'𝘮 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨? 𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘐 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘙𝘦𝘬𝘪 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘴? 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰, 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘙𝘦𝘬𝘪 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦? 𝘏𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘶𝘱... 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧-
"Langa, Dude!"
The voice suddenly came from right in front of him.
"We can't have both of you two not in your right mind," Joe spoke, pulling Langa out of his mind and reentering reality. "Sorry," he said, Canadian accent slipping out. 𝘙𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.. 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸, he thought. "And you, what're you doing here stoned?" The father figure of the found family of skaters, Joe, questioned. Disregarding the question, Reki slowly slipped out of Langa's grasp. Letting Reki's board fall, he gently guides him to lean against the rocks lining the streets of S. He'd become fascinated with the lights overhead, mumbling quietly to himself every few minutes. "They're dancing." "They aren't," Langa countered. "They are."
Shadow crouched beside them. "How long's he been like this?"
"I don't know." Langa swallowed thickly, trying to ignore the guilt rising in his chest. "I just got here."
"Hm." Shadow studied Reki carefully. Not angry. Not disappointed, just worried. Reki noticed him and smiled brightly. "Shadow!"
"What's up?"
"Your hair's green!"
"It sure is," and to that, Reki laughed again.
"It looks so sickkk!"
"Thanks, kid."
Shadow turned back to Langa, "I hope he's not trying to race tonight-" before he could finish his sentence, Langa interrupted him. "No." Shadow smiled faintly, so faintly this wasn't Shadow anymore, this was just Hiromi. "Good." Miya stood awkwardly beside them with his arms crossed, pretending not to stare. "Is he okay?" Miay asked quietly.
"He'll be okay," Joe answered whilst Cherry sighed. "Idiot." Yet his voice lacked its usual bite; even he was worried, too. Everyone was because this was Reki, and something about seeing him so quiet and soft felt so wrong. Reki suddenly raised his head. "Miya!"
"What?"
"You're tiny!"
"I KNOW I'M TINY!"
Reki dissolved into laughter again, and despite himself, Miya's expression softened. "Moron." The insult held no heat or meaning. Joe smiled weakly, "He's definitely not racing."
"You don't need to state the obvious," Cherry muttered. Another race started somewhere near them. People cheered, and music echoed through the tunnels, but for once, none of them cared. They stayed planted where their feet lay as if unanimously deciding that no matter what happened to Reki, he wasn't going to face it alone. This thought made Langa's chest hurt because maybe he'd been wrong. Maybe S wasn't just races and rivalries. Maybe somewhere along the way, without any of them noticing, it had become home.
"Alright then! Let's get you home, Red." Joe said, breaking the ice, kneeling down to be eye to eye with the stoner. "Aw man, whyyy? I'm totally fine," Reki said, waving his hand around as if that would help prove his point. "Uh, yeah, dude, I'm pretty sure if you were fine, you'd be riding circles around us by now. Just let Shadow take you home, and you'll be good in no time-"
"So you're sending me home just cuz I got high?" Reki strained out before he yawned a huge, sleepy yawn, then promptly laid his entire weight against Langa. "Langa."
"Hm?"
"I think I'm melting."
"You aren't."
"Oh."
Silence.
"...Can I still melt?"
"No."
"Oh."
His eyes were already drooping. Shadow stood, dusting off his knees, "Kid needs sleep." Langa looked up. "My house?" The idea of leaving Reki alone, or sending him alone like this, made something twist painfully in his chest. Shadow smiled. "Good idea." Joe nodded, "Yeah."
"Better than letting him wander around," Cherry added his input. Even Miya agreed, "Just don't let him die."
"Miya!" Langa shouted with a panic-stricken look and a firmer grip on Reki's body. "What? I mean it!" Langa looked down. Reki had fallen asleep sitting upright, cheek resting against Langa's shoulder. His breathing is slow and peaceful. He looked younger somehow, smaller. Not like the Reki who laughed loudly and charged into everything headfirst. Just... tired. Whatever was bothering Reki must've been happening for a long while.
Hiromi quietly picked up Reki's skateboard while Joe grabbed his backpack. Cherry muttered something about irresponsible teenagers while making sure Reki hadn't forgotten his phone. And Miya, trying very hard to look annoyed, took the stupid little keychain hanging off Reki's bag before it could drag on the ground. None of them spoke about it. They simply did it. As naturally as breathing, because Reki was theirs. Not in the possessive sense. But in the way people become yours after enough late nights and stupid arguments and shared victories. In the way, family happens accidentally.
During the drive, the rain had started. Not heavy but just enough to turn the streetlights blurry. Enough to make Okinawa look softer and dreamier. Hiromi drove,
Joe sat in front, Cherry complained he had to sit in a jam-packed car next to a 13-year-old, and Miya played games on his phone.
And in the backseat, Reki slept against Langa. Completely trusting. His head was resting on Langa's shoulder. His fingers were loosely holding onto the sleeve of Langa's hoodie. As though even asleep, He was afraid of losing Langa. And Langa, who had spent months learning how to trust someone again, found himself sitting perfectly still. Not wanting to wake him. Not wanting to move. Not wanting this strange, quiet moment to end. Because beneath the rain and the headlights and the sleepy city passing outside, something felt fragile tonight. Like whatever Reki would tell him once he sobered up would either make or break this delicate relationship the two of them share.
He only knew one thing. Whatever had happened to Reki, whatever noise he'd been trying so desperately to silence, Langa wasn't going to let him face it alone. By the time they reached Langa's house, the rain had settled into something soft. Just enough to turn the streetlights purple and gold and make the world outside the car windows look blurry around the edges. Nobody rushed to get out. For a moment, they all just sat there. Reki was still asleep with his head further onto Langa's shoulder, and now his fingers had completely curled into the sleeve of Langa's hoodie. Shadow glanced back at them through the mirror with a softened expression. "He always trusts people this much?"
Langa looked down, watching Reki's slow and peaceful breathing. "No." This made Shadow smile, "Thought so." Joe quietly handed Langa Reki's DopeSketch backpack. Cherry had already organized everything from Reki's phone, wallet, and keys. Nothing being forgotten. Miya poked his head out the car window, pretending not to care. "You'd better text us tomorrow." Langa only blinked back at him for a little too long before Miya said, "He's an idiot, so someone's gotta make sure he's alive." Joe snorted, Cheery sighed, and Shadow just smiled. Family, strange and accidental, but family nonetheless.
As Langa stepped out of the car, supporting most of Reki's weight, Shadow lingered. Without the makeup and theatrical voice. Just Hiromi is present. "Call me if you need anything, okay?" he asked gently. Langa looked surprised, but regardless, gave him a firm nod, allowing Hiromi to release the breath he was subconsciously holding. Then the taillights disappeared into the rain, leaving only the sound of water against the pavement and Reki.
"Reki."
"Hmm," he groaned, trying to dig deeper into Langa's shoulder.
"We're here."
"Hm."
"We have to walk."
"No."
Langa blinked.
"No?"
"No."
"Reki."
"No."
"Why?"
"I'm sleeping."
"You can't sleep outside."
Reki frowned without opening his eyes. "Mean." Langa sighed. Eventually, after much negotiation and several complaints about gravity, he managed to get Reki inside. His mother was asleep, and the house was quiet. The aquarium light in the living room casts blue waves across the walls, making everything feel underwater. Dreamlike. Reki stopped in the hallway. "Whoa." Langa turned over his shoulder to see Reki staring at the shadows dancing across the ceiling. "Pretty." His voice came out in a whisper. "The fish are making stars." Langa's chest ached because Reki sounded happy. But not in the way he usually was. Not bright, not loud. Just... small. Langa gently grabbed a hold of Reki's tan, calloused hand, pulling him into his bedroom. "Sit." Reki obeyed immediately, making himself comfortable on the bed he's spent many evenings lazily lying on.
Twenty minutes later, Reki was found wrapped in one of Langa's hoodies. The sleeves were too long, and his hair was a wild mess without his headband holding back the flames of his hair. Oh, and he also became obsessed with the blanket Langa dropped onto him. "Langa."
"Hm?"
"I think this blanket loves me."
"Does it now?"
"It said so!"
Langa smiled despite himself. He stood in the kitchen, making tea because his mother always said tea helped with everything. Rain continued to softly tap against the windows, and somewhere in the distance, thunder rolled lazily. Two in the morning, the whole world asleep, except for them. Reki sat cross-legged on the couch, watching Langa with sleepy eyes. Pulling Langa out of his trance, Reki broke the silence, "You make nice tea." Looking up from his occupied hands, Langa let out a soft chuckle while saying, "You haven't tasted it yet."
"I know..." Reki said, breaking eye contact and twirling the strings of Langa's hoodie, "but I know." Langa let his stare linger for a little longer because, for some reason, the way Reki looked at him just now made his ears warm. Later, after tea and water and several reminders that yes, he had to drink both, Reki migrated into Langa's room. Not intentionally, he'd simply followed him like a sleepy cat. The aquarium lamp cast blue and purple light across the ceiling, rainwater slid down the windows, and the entire room felt suspended in time.
Reki lay on top of the blankets. Not asleep or awake. Just existing. His eyes followed the shadows moving across the ceiling. "They're dancing again." Langa made his way to sit next to his most treasured person. "They aren't." "They are." ...Okay." Reki smiled softly. "I like your room."
Silence.
"It's quiet."
Another pause.
"My head likes quiet." Langa's smile disappeared because there it was again. That sadness. The thing Reki kept brushing past. Like it was too heavy to touch, and Langa hated it. Not because he didn't understand, but because he wanted to. He wanted Reki to tell him because seeing him hurting and not knowing how long he'd been hurting made something ache inside him. And because, more than anything, he wished he could fix it. Reki studied Langa's face and noticed the crinkles forming on his brow. What was he thinking so intensely about? As if this would give him the answer, Reki scooted himself close enough to rest his head on Langa's shoulder for what seemed like the hundredth time.
"Langa?"
"Hm?"
"I love you."
The words come out so naturally and so simply as if he were commenting on the weather. Langa froze, and Reki yawned. "You know that, right?" Silence filled the room, with only the rain making its presence known. "You're my favorite." His eyes were closed now, half asleep, barely conscious. "I love you so so much." Langa stopped breathing. Outside, rain pattered softly against the window, blue light moved across the walls, and somewhere downstairs, the filter of the aquarium hummed quietly. But inside Langa's chest, everything had stopped.
Reki smiled sleepily. "Pretty." Langa swallowed. "Reki."
"Hmm?"
"W-what is?"
"You."
His voice had become softer, dreamier.
"Pretty," he said, then laughed quietly, as if he had an inside joke with himself. "I got lucky." And before Langa could speak, before he could ask or even inhale a breath, Reki was asleep. Completely knocked out. Leaving Langa sitting there frozen. His heart was pounding so hard it hurt because those words, those impossibly beautiful words, had been whispered so carelessly as if they weren't life-altering. As if they weren't enough to blend the lives of Reki and Langa into a perfect shade of purple. Long after Reki had fallen asleep, long after the rain had stopped, Langa remained awake beneath the blue aquarium light. Watching shadows move across the ceiling, listening to Reki breathe, and wondering (with terrifying hope) whether those words belonged to the dreamlike version of Reki he had spent the night taking care of. Or whether somewhere underneath the exhaustion and the laughter and whatever pain he'd been trying so hard to silence, had belonged to the real one. His Reki.