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Miya Chinen
Last year during an English test, the objective was to write a sentence with the phrase "dumb and dumber". At the time, Miya was pretty much out of ideas. But now, dumb and dumber is all he knows.
Reki and Langa are sitting ducks on the floor beneath him while Miya sucks on an ice lolly, tapping away at his game. Both teenagers have been whispering away for a while now, using the cool weather as an excuse to make the skatepark their permanent residence. Miya reluctantly joined them, partly because he was bored and partly because he didn't have anything better to do.
"Dude, is that even possible?", Reki was lying on his back while Langa kept knocking both their skate boards against each other in idle movements.
"We should ask Miya." Miya sourly looks up from his game.
"Ask me what?"
Reki rolls around so that he's flopped over on his belly and makes a swooshy hand gesture. "Miya, you do a buncha' tricks, right?"
Miya narrows his eyes. "Yes..?"
Reki props himself up on his elbows, his eyes shining with that specific glimmer that always shows face when he's thinking of something particularly stupid. "Do you think it's possible to hold hands while skate boarding?."
He takes Miya's dumbfounded expression as a sign to keep talking. "I was talking to Langa about it and he thinks that two experienced skaters would be able to hold hands while they skate!"
Reki throws a sideways grin at Langa, who immediately wrenches his attention away from the clanking skate boards and positively blooms under Reki's gaze. "And I was thinking, maybe me and Langa should try it! To see if it's true-"
Miya almost snaps his neck trying to communicate the words "LANGA HASEGAWA, YOU ARE THE MOST PATHETIC MAN TO EVER EXIST ON EARTH" telepathically. Langa pointedly ignores Miya's telepathic threats, and nods his head enthusiastically at Reki.
Miya gets a flashback of his test, glossy white paper punctured with the words "Dumb and dumber." Of course Langa would be so desperate enough to hold hands with Reki that he'd start making up fake tricks from the top of his head. And of course Reki would throw caution to the wind to appease Langa.
Miya wonders if he should just yell "OKAY, I GET IT, YOU GUYS WANNA KISS EACHOTHER. JUST GET IT OVER WITH" because this was getting tiring. But knowing these two idiots, they'd probably find a way to evade the obvious. Their blatantly obvious crush on each other is getting old. Something has to be done, just so Miya can live with his sanity intact.
Storm clouds were gathering in the sky, while the sun selfishly sank into the horizon, grabbing away their precious time to skate. Miya bites into his ice lolly, unconsciously relaxing his shoulders at the deliciously cool taste.
He turns his attention back to the pair of skaters. "It's not going to happen."
Reki puffs his chest up like a threatened pufferfish. "What? You think we can't do it?"
"Well, duh! This is just asking for trouble."
"We can do it, it can't be that hard-"
"Don't come crying to me when one of you idiots bust your head open." Miya sneers while Reki jumps up and clasps Langa's hands, dragging the dazed blue-haired boy up.
"We'll show you!". Reki hops onto his skateboard, prompting Langa to do the same. They were side-by-side now and Reki clears his throat. He thrusts one of his hands out, glancing hopefully at Langa.
Miya can practically see Langa's thought process. The older boy seemed frozen, but then eagerly grabs Reki's hand. Reki allows their fingers to slide into each other, and the boy slowly grazes his thumb against Langa's. They both looked so red, that Miya had to physically turn away due to second-hand embarrassment.
Reki clears his throat again. "Okay." Langa stares at their entwined hands. "Okay."
"You guys actually have to skate, just standing there doesn't prove anything." Both of them startle and Miya is ninety-nine percent sure they forgot he was here in the first place. Miya wonders how they'd even be able to skate if they kept making heart-eyes at each other all the time.
Reki jabs his free hand towards Miya. "If we do this, then you'll have to admit that we're the best skaters!"
"You're crazy, Slime." Miya wants nothing more than to wipe that stupid grin off Reki's face. But let's be honest, this hand-holding-while-skating-thing will probably accomplish that for him. This whole fiasco is just a disaster waiting to happen.
"Okay, we move forward on three." Reki adjusts his grip on Langa's hand. He takes a deep breath and Langa does the same. "Three, two, one-"
They glide forward at a snails pace, wobbling precariously. Reki yelps and grabs onto Langa's other hand. Both of them wobble in place for a while, before Langa pushes his leg down and gains momentum once again. With their hands still securely coiled around eachother, they manage to go from one end of the park to the other without killing themselves in the process. Miya is actually impressed for once.
Reki lets out a whoop and Langa's face breaks out into a soft smile, the one usually reserved for the times when he's with Reki. It was a horribly cute sight (Miya would never admit that aloud even if he's held at gunpoint.) The redhead twists his head around to blow a raspberry at Miya.
"See, I told you we could do it!", Reki crows and they both waver a little in place due to the sheer force of Reki's mirth. Miya claps his hands slowly, making sure to let them know how sarcastic he was.
"Congratulations, Slime one and Slime two, you guys moved a whole entire inch." He cackles as Reki makes a rude gesture and turns back to Langa, the determination prominent in his face.
"Let's go!" Langa clearly wasn't aware of how deeply Reki was invested. The poor boy almost kissed the pavement when Reki skates forward without any prior warning. Miya smirked, enjoying watching Langa get dragged around.
"Reki, I'm going to fall." Langa shook on his board like a new-born fawn, desperately holding onto Reki. It was incredibly hilarious, especially since Langa was sprouting his signature deadpanned face, save for a soft pink blush tinting his cheek. Reki hauls Langa closer. He smiles at Langa almost smugly, his eyes shifting into half-moons. "I gotcha'."
Langa looks like Reki just told him the secrets of the cosmos and the galaxies. His eyes were glittering as they slowly inch forward. In astonishingly perfect unison, they both pushed forward once again, this time faster and more confident than before. Miya watches them, pale hands locked together with tanned ones, as both boys managed to skate one entire lap successfully.
"We're doing it-", Reki proudly exclaims. Miya raises an eyebrow as Langa shamelessly stares at a laughing Reki.
"I knew you could do it Reki.", Reki squawks at Langa's praise, wrenching one of his hands free to bat away at Langa. They skate a couple more laps, progressively getting bolder.
Langa perks up mid-circle, a steely look overcoming his features. "Let's do an ollie."
"Langa, wait-"
Three things happen.
First, and most distressingly, the thump of two teenage boys getting knocked onto the floor makes a startled Miya drop his half-eaten ice lolly.
Second of all, while trying to achieve an ollie, the only thing Langa manages to do is drag an innocent Reki along with him onto the ground. Reki topples onto Langa. They both end up sprawled on the floor, Langa taking the brunt of the fall. Reki ends up wedged between both of Langa's thighs, his head cushioned snugly into Langa's stomach.
Lastly, both boys don't even seem to realise that they fell. Langa gazes down into Reki's amber eyes, his soft mouth parted in an 'o' while Reki turns a concerning shade of red, matching his hair. They both just stare at eachother dopily, faces pink and eyes wide. The scene was so intimate, something that feels like it should be left untouched. That doesn't stop Miya though.
Miya coughs into his fist to let them know he's still here. They jump and try to get up at the same time, resulting in both their heads knocking against each other in a way that makes Miya bark out a laugh.
"Sorry", Reki props himself up on his elbows, smiling sheepishly at the blue-haired boy.
"No, it was my fault.", Langa doesn't look the slightest bit sorry and tightens his grip on Reki's back. Reki manages to untangle himself from their pile of limbs (A little reluctantly, Miya notices) and hauls Langa up with an apologetic grin on his face.
"I guess we have to keep on trying, ya' know, to get better at this trick."
"We need to practice a lot."
"Yeah, yeah, a whole lot."
"Still here." Miya grumbles while the two boys break away from their little bubble. Rain starts to drip down and Reki throws himself onto Miya, pinching his cheeks with a dramatic squeal.
"As if we'd forget our favourite Miya-chan-"
"Don't you dare call me that, you slime."
An obnoxious honk stops him from kicking Reki where it'll really hurt. He looks back to see Shadow, looking weirdly plain without his usual walmart joker get-up.
"I think that's my ride", Miya picks up his board and skips away, returning Langa's lazy wave while Reki screams 'goodbye'.
"See you losers later."
"See you tomorrow, Miya!." Reki yells at the black-haired boy while his hands attach themselves to Langa's again, as if they couldn't bear to stay away for long.
Shadow looks pretty grumpy, and he glowers as Miya approaches his car with a shit-eating grin.
"Aren't you a little too old for parks, grandpa?"
"I wouldn't be here if frickin' Joe didn't bail on his turn to pick you up."
Miya tunes out the rest of Shadow's rant as rain starts pouring vigorously. He buckles himself in and messes around with the radio a little. Shadow glares at him.
"Knock it off, you're ruining my car."
"Shut up Shadow, let me hear some good music instead of your old crap."
They both know Miya gets what he wants in the end, but bicker anyway just for the fun of it. It's nice, Miya realises, gazing out of the window. To have friends who care. Knowing that Langa and Reki like to spend time with Miya willingly and that Shadow was ready to come all the way here just to pick him up sends a warm, bubbly feeling into his gut. Having people care about Miya, the snarky brat, instead of the award-winning Chinen is a good change. Miya hopes he'll never have to be the lonely boy he used to be ever again.
He gives the skatepark one more look. The last thing he sees before Shadow hits the gas is a blur of red and blue, spinning around in the rain with their heads thrown back together in laughter.
It was a nice sight.
___________________________________
Nanako Hasegawa
Achoo!
A loud, warbly sneeze from her son's bedroom roused her up from her nap. Nanako Hasegawa pads through her silent kitchen, chasing away drowsiness with a yawn. She peeks into Langa's room, trying her best not to sound too overbearing.
"Langa? Are you alright?" Another sneeze. Langa's teal eyes are glazed over and his nose was bright red, making his fever prominent.
" ....'m fine", He coughs into his palm, shivering even though Nanako forced him to bundle up under four different blankets. "Can I go skate now?"
Langa's immunity system was extremely strong for a kid. It makes sense, after years of getting exposed to the kind of cold that feels like it's nipping at your skin. Nanako remembers her and Oliver joking about having adopted Langa from a polar bear couple, because of his affinity for snow. And also because of his appetite. Mostly his appetite.
Turns out his resistance against getting fevers only worked when the stimuli was snow. A vigorous Okinawan storm had torn away all his ability to keep the sneezes far at bay. Nanako remembers almost having crumpled from a heart-attack because she came back home to find Langa sprawled on the floor, star-fish style with soaking wet clothes. And even more strangely, he had an uncharacteristically dopey grin on his face.
Nanako frets with the edge of her cardigan, wondering if she should do a medicine run. Langa keeps looking at her hopefully and she realises she still needs to answer him.
"Honey, you're in no shape to skate today", Nanako invites herself in awkwardly to connect the back of her palm with Langa's sweaty forehead. It comes back warm.
Langa rarely gets fevers, but when he does, they hit him like a freight train. Nanako curses mentally and smooths her son's hair back, like she used to do years before, in a completely different continent.
She remembers a miniscule Langa, adamant about returning back to the slopes to snow-board despite his very obvious fever. He kept insisting he was fine even though he couldn't walk two steps without swaying in the spot. Oliver had cackled, loud and boyish and addictive, and tucked Langa back in bed with an apology and a promise to snowboard extra next time.
Oliver was always good at dealing with things. He used to stay up all night with Langa, cheering him up and cuddling with him while Nanako dealt with the practical part, the medicines and thermometers. She loved watching her favourite boys swaddled underneath blankets, Oliver whispering stories of snow gently to a sniffling Langa. Nanako couldn't tell tales the way her husband could, and she never bothered learning.
That was because she never imagined a day where Oliver wouldn't be here to help her. Sometimes she misses him so deeply her chest aches.
Moving to Japan, after Canada became too much and too little at the same time, was a choice that Nanako often worried about. She remembers a sense of guilt that came with being a mother, forced to choose between the nostalgic comfort of home that she desperately craved after Oliver's passing and wrenching her son away from the only life he's ever known. But when Langa threw his snowboard away that day and never touched it again, she decided to take the risk.
And now they're here.
She snaps out of her reverie when Langa unsuccessfully tries to stifle a wheezy cough. Langa wipes at his nose, still looking at Nanako expectantly, like he doesn't even care that he's a walking infection.
"You need rest", She rests her hands on her hips and tilts her chin up when Langa gazes at her blearily. "Come on Langa, you know I'm right."
The boy makes a raspy sound of defeat and slides back into bed. He looks so disappointed that for a second it makes Nanako want to eat her own words. But then he just nods sullenly and settles down. Oh, thank goodness, she didn't want to wrangle a grouchy, sick teenager back into bed just because he has poor self preservation skills.
"Can you text Reki and tell him I can't meet him today?", He rasps out, so thick and scratchy that it makes Nanako wince. Langa's eyelids were drooping down and the poor boy looks like he's one step away from going into hibernation.
She sighs fondly."Try to get some sleep. I'll bring you some tylenol."
"Make sure to tell Reki."
Nanako tip-toes to the hallway. "I will-"
Langa was fast asleep before she even reached the end of her sentence.
It was adorable, that her son was so insistent on updating Reki. She grabs Langa's phone on the way to the kitchen, and taps in the passcode to let herself in. She almost drops the phone when she sees the wallpaper on the screen, gaping at it stupidly.
It was a picture of Langa, but he wasn't alone. A red-haired boy with a humongous grin on his face sat close to him. The frame didn't get much of them except for their faces, but they were pressed up against each other cozily. The boy's happiness looked so tangible, so glaringly bright that Nanako felt like she could almost reach out and cradle it in her arms. His face was squished to Langa's, both their cheeks pink and pretty, his amber eyes half concealed by a peace sign.
It was Langa's face that caught her attention. His eyes were crinkled up and his mouth was half open and he looked so much like the happy kid they left behind back in Canada. His hands were slightly skimming the other boy's arm where it was wrapped securely around Langa's shoulders.
Nanako hasn't seen Langa this aglow in ages. She was still ogling at Langa's bright face and the even brighter boy and then suddenly it all clicked.
Reki.
This must be the infamous Reki. The boy who has stolen her son's heart. She gazes at the picture and a sudden lightness overtakes her body and she feels so relieved. She hasn't seen Langa this overjoyed in forever, and it was all thanks to this red-haired boy. She wonders how extraordinary he is to get Langa so smitten over him.
Trying not to collapse into a puddle of happy, sappy tears, Nanako opens the messenger app and locates the target contact. A long string of videos were waiting to be opened. She avoids all of them respectfully and types out a message.
Langa
Hello this is Langa's mom.
Langa is sick so he won't be able to meet you today.
Ill let you know when he gets better!
Nanako wonders if she should send a heart, since hearts are cute and all. But she figures teenage boys wouldn't be into that stuff, and she doesn't want Reki to think Langa has an uncool mom. So instead she sends a smiley. The phone trills with a response almost immediately.
Reki<3
WAT IS HE OKAY
HIW IS HE DOING
can i come visit l8er
Look how concerned her son's friend is! Nanako quickly types in an affirmative, feeling a strong rush of affection for the kid. He's so sweet to be worried, no wonder Langa's crazy about him.
Reki<3
THANK UUU
GOOD NIGHT LANGA AND MS HASEGAWA <3
TELL HIM I MISS HIM
Nanako mentally decides to question Langa on whether he does or does not have a boyfriend when he's awake. Because there was no way they were just friends.
She already knows about Langa's feelings, and she hopes that he'll be brave enough to confess. Because Reki obviously cares about him deeply. And more than in a just-friends way, because Nanako had to be blind to miss the powerful blush decorating the redhead's tanned skin in the wallpaper photograph.
Nanako shuts off the phone with a lingering smile. A feeling of euphoria pushes into her heart, dancing around her ribcage and she is glad that Langa has found someone worthy to love.
I wish you could see this Oliver.
___________________________________
Koyomi Kyan
Reki Kyan is many things. He is Koyomi's older brother. He is uncool ( save for the few times he does a really cool trick on his skateboard). He is a major annoyance in her life, one that she cannot shake off because they have the misfortune to live together in the same house.
But right now, he's just sad.
The red-haired boy had been slumped over the dining table for the last half an hour. Koyomi tried to ignore his existence, opting to diligently focus on her math homework instead. But by Reki's seventeenth sigh, her patience is wearing thin.
He's been stuck in a loop, checking his phone, sighing, and dropping his head onto the table with a "thump". He does it again and Koyomi finally snaps.
"What is with you?" She pauses to glare at Reki. His signature headband was nowhere to be seen and it makes his hair look wilder than ever. Reki holds her glare with a sheepish expression and shakes his phone in her face.
"Nothing! Nothing, I'm totally chill. What's up with you?", He sighs for the eighteenth time and lets the phone drop onto the table.
Koyomi grimaces at the pout on his face and kicks her leg out, feeling a morbid sense of satisfaction when Reki yelps. "Ow!"
"You look like mom just shredded your skateboard with her bare hands", Koyomi points at his face accusingly., "See? You're making that face again."
"I told you I'm- Hey- Stop it." Reki pushes back on his chair to escape the wrath of Koyomi's deadly feet. He chews on his lip, before gazing at his phone with such longing that it threw Koyomi off.
"It's just, It's been two days since I saw Langa. And I'm bored out of my mind.", Reki looks at her imploringly, as if Koyomi's the one holding Langa hostage. "I just miss him."
Koyomi blinks at him. Now that she's thought about it, it's been oddly Langa-free in the house for the past few days. She should've realised it earlier since all of her mom's cake slices we're still intact, instead of lost in Langa's black hole for a stomach.
"What happened to him again?", She frowns when Reki looks absolutely devastated. Was Langa okay?. Reki would absolutely loose it if something were to happen like last time-
"He got a fever. Y'know there was a thunderstorm last week, right?. Well, me and Langa did some seriously dope rain skating. But he got sick.", Reki mournfully looks at Koyomi as if skating around in the rain was a totally natural activity to do with your buddies., "Man, I hope he isn't feeling too bad right now. "
"Reki."
"In my defence, it seemed like a really cool idea at the time. I mean, Langa said it was cool too."
There used to be a time when Koyomi was under the impression that Langa Hasegawa was a charming foreigner, perfect and poised as a prince. The first time she saw Langa she had been wholly surprised that someone like him would hang out with Reki. She didn't mean it in a mean way or anything. It was just that- Reki was loud, energetic and sunshine incarnate and Langa was all calm and collected, aloof almost all the time.
Oh, how she was mistaken.
Langa was, in a way, entirely perfect for Reki. Koyomi isn't clued in on half the stuff they do, but she has enough knowledge to realise that both the idiots spend their time skating into trouble, screwing around like it was their god-given birthright to do so. Maybe it was. Who was Koyomi to judge.
There was something sickeningly sweet about the way Reki treats Langa. Sickening, because no sister wants to see her brother make goo-goo eyes at some pretty boy. Sweet, because that's how Reki treats him. All soft smiles and lingering touches, something just for the two of them to share.
Koyomi knows, of course. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that Reki Kyan is head-over-heels for Langa. Which is great, because considering how long she's been stuck on her homework, Koyomi isn't a genius. And now between her stupid homework and her even stupider brother, she feels a migraine threatening to come up.
"It's only been two days,Reki, not twenty years. I'm sure you can hang on". Koyomi resists the urge to run around and scream like a headless chicken when Reki sighs, checks his phone, and slams his head down again.
"I know but-"
"Reki."
Reki sadly blinks at Koyomi, reminding her of a particularly depressed puppy. Her brother was acting like a lovesick schoolboy. It should probably be embarassing, but honestly, she's rooting for him and Langa. They obviously like each other a lot, but as she deduced earlier, these idiots would probably take ages to confess. She bets anything that they think cuddling is a totally platonic thing to do.
It could be, but when it comes to them, it's anything but.
Koyomi drags a hand through her hair, upsetting her pigtails. She taps her pen to get Reki's attention.
"Mom's gonna make chicken soup."
"So?", Reki frowns, trying and failing to put his last braincell into use. Koyomi resists the urge to facepalm herself. "I'm not really in the mood for soup-"
"It's not for you dummy, it's for Langa!", Koyomi grits out while Reki looked like Christmas just came early. "You could go and visit him with some soup. He'll get better that way, and I won't have to listen to your whining."
Reki jumps out of his seat, almost dropping his phone because of excitement. Koyomi lounges back in her chair, satisfied with her good deed of the day.
"That's brilliant! Koyomi, you're a genius.", Reki zooms into the kitchen, no doubt ready to pester their mom about the soup.
Koyomi blinks down at her math homework and lets a small smile bloom onto her face.
"A genius, huh?"
___________________________________
Kojiro Nanjo
Kaoru Sakurayashiki is a force to be reckoned with. This has always been one of the unshakable laws in Kojiro's life. Ever since he met a feisty, spitfire of a boy at a playground as children, who insisted that Kojiro didn't know how to ride a kiddie bicycle properly (which was bullshit, by the way), he knew this fact was as unshakable as the ground he walked on.
They were quick to become friends.
Kojiro genuinely can't think of a time in his life where Kaoru wasn't there. He was there when they were kids, always ready to tease and cajole Kojiro into doing his evil bidding. He was there when Kojiro was a teen, riling him up for sport and never failing to attain scathing remarks in return. He was even there when Kojiro left the country to fulfill his dream of being a chef, always at the back of Kojiro's mind like a sticky cherry blossom petal stuck behind the bottom of a shoe.
If Kaoru heard that metaphor, he'd probably beat Kojiro up. Highschool was a hell of a ride, and no one believes him when he says that he used to be the poor shmuck who had to hold down the esteemed Sakurayashiki from getting into trouble. Kojiro vividly remembers sharp golden eyes, even sharper elbows and a tongue to match the set.
Then Adam happened.
("Adam is currently skating all by himself.")
Kaoru was obsessed, there was no other way of putting it. He wanted the Adam to notice him, wanted something more than the other man was willing to give Kaoru. Kojiro remembers days spent alone despite being part of the trio. He remembers Kaoru's happy pink cheeks and then remembers it stained with tears, red and drippy, even when the boy was too stubborn to admit it. Kojiro remembers being the second choice.
Adam was a sore spot in teenage Kojiro's life.
("He's an amazing skater, but I'm sure he's not happy right now.")
Adam made great promises. And he delivered too, when he and the two skaters created 'S', after discovering their love of skateboarding. After that, it was an age of watching Adam attack people senselessly in the name of a good beef. Not even Kaoru could justify that.
(" That's why his skating ends up that way ")
When Adam left for America, Kaoru had been distraught. But the boy concealed it like usual behind his cold and calculated mask. When Kojiro broke the news that he'd also be leaving for Italy, all he got was a passive congratulations.
Kaoru didn't even escort him to the airport. Kojiro could feel themselves growing apart and it scared the shit out of him.
("But, you know, we're not alone.")
Then while he was studying culinary in Italy, before barely making it to the four month mark, a late-night call from a drunk Kaoru changed his whole perspective. They talked throughout the entire night, about everything and nothing, about others and themselves. They shared secrets they were too self-conscious to give out under the prying eyes of the sun . They said things that needed to be said. Kojiro remembers crying out of relief that him and Kaoru wouldn't grow apart after all.
They never mentioned that call again. But it solidified their friendship. And after Kojiro was done with his studies and returned to Japan with a bigger body and a few ugly souvenirs, Kaoru was there this time at the airport to pick him up.
(" Right, Kaoru?")
They have a routine, one that was as familiar as the homely scent of Kaoru's hair. They worked, they skated, they annoyed the shit out of each other. Cherry didn't laugh as often as he used to, but whenever he did, It was Joe who was pulling the sweet sound out of him. Life was looking up for Kojiro.
He flaunted his muscles and his new tattoos, while Kaoru got attention for his intellect and Carla. Kojiro says something stupid, Kaoru calls him out on it, and then they bicker. For Kojiro, it came to him more easily than breathing did.
Kaoru had changed from an angry teen to an angry adult, who knew how to hide it well. Adam's betrayal still stung for him, Kojiro could tell. But he didn't give two shits about Adam when nowadays it's always Kojiro-and-Kaoru. Kojiro and Kaoru, the spectacular skaters. Kojiro and Kaoru, the pair of idiots who can't keep their mouth shut in the vicinity of the other. Kojiro and Kaoru, who curl up in their house to watch a trashy TV show, Kojiro roaring with laughter at Kaoru's sniped commentary.
He suffers more bruises because of Kaoru than skating at this point. Kaoru Sakurayashiki was a force to be reckoned with, but Kojiro was never afraid to play with the tides. Kaoru is his person, no matter how annoying he could be.
Reki and Langa remind Kojiro of themselves. Not their personalities, God no, but more in the sense that they're also floating around in the same orbit. Never one without the other.
The last thing Kojiro expected was for him to feel paternal towards a ragtag bunch of children. But they've grown close enough that a lot of their antics have started to speed up his ageing process. Him and Kaoru have an ongoing bet on who's going to be driven to their grave first because of the kids.
Speaking of Kaoru, he's late.
Kojiro resists the urge to pout like a seven year old. He should've seen this coming, Kaoru even outright told him that he might have to deal with a difficult client today. But Kojiro had decided that today was a good day to cook up some delicious Carbonara.
The smell of pasta and savoury sauces wafted around his kitchen, making him feel giddy. But there's still no sign of Kaoru. Kojiro would normally chew him out for overworking himself, but this means that Kaoru will get more wrinkles and Kojiro will win the bet. He's prepared to sacrifice Kaoru's (objectively) timely beauty for his own bragging rights.
While he was giggling at an image of a very pissed off grandpa Kaoru, the trill of the bell made him leap up from his seat and yank the door open.
He is met with a mop of red and blue hair. Not pink.
"J-Joe?", Reki's eyes were huge as dinner plates and the kid looks scandalised. Langa was beside him as usual, looking drowsier than normal.
"What are you doing at Cherry's house?"
How does one explain that they've been living with their situationship (for the past ten months or so) and now have a joined bank account but not a proper label?. They never felt the need to specify anything, but if Kaoru happened to ask for his hand in marriage, Kojiro would easily agree. Which isn't the point here-
"Oh crap, you murdered Cherry, didn't you? Now me and Langa are gonna have to make up alibis-"
Kojiro snorts, leaning against the doorway to give them a clear view of the hallway.
"No dead bodies here kiddo, sorry to disappoint."
"Oh. Then why are you here, Joe?"
Time for some strategic evasive maneuvers. "Why is Langa wearing your hoodie?"
Reki turns bright red and starts stammering. Langa breaks through his counterpart's incoherent babbling to chirp "I'm sick." in lieu of an answer. Kojiro decides not to address the soft pink dappled across his pale skin.
"What do you guys want so late anyways? Whatever it is , I bet I'll be a better help than that four-eyed freak.", Kojiro pretends to flex his muscles and Reki explodes into peals of laughter.
"In your dreams.", A sharp jab into his armpit makes him groan and fold into himself. Kaoru Sakurayashiki, his attacker, despite being shorter than him, manages to look down condescendingly at a wincing Kojiro. Reki immediately sobers up and scooches behind Langa, away from the danger of Kaoru's sharp fingers.
"We need to put a damn bell on you, I didn't even see you coming." Kojiro grumbles at his tired friend. He turns to the kids and waves an arm at Kaoru.
"How did he get past all three of us?" The two teens shrug at the same time and Kojiro is thrown off by their brain connectivity.
"That's because I'm not a bumbling idiot like you.", Kaoru pushes his glasses back and scrunches his nose up in delicate disdain.
"Says the- uh- weirdo shadow stalker!"
"Shut up, you incorrigible gorilla."
"You first, baby cakes."
"You shut your damn mouth, you fucking-"
Kojiro feels his whole chest rumble with laughter. "You kiss your mother with that mouth, Kaoru?"
"No, but I kiss yours-"
"Cherry!", Reki looks horrified while Langa sways where he stands, fiddling with the edge of his stolen red hoodie. Kaoru sighs and leans against the doorway opposite to Kojiro's.
"Do you require assistance?", He narrows his eyes at Reki who gulps.
"I wanted to ask you about some adjustments I'm planning to make in Langa's board.", The redhead looks at the man with beseeching eyes, using Langa as his shield in case things go wrong. "I'm not really confident-"
While Reki continues with his tangent, his hands unconsciously reach towards Langa. Langa gazes at Reki as if he's looking at an otherworldly entity, his eyes soft and wanting. His eyes travel from Reki's eyes to his adam's apple, and then to his mouth and Langa seems so content to just watch Reki prattle. Kojiro feels his heart squeeze at Langa's unabashed stare of fondness.
The blue haired boy scoots closer and seems content to press their shoulders together snugly. Looking at them fills Kojiro with a warm feeling, nestling into his stomach and making his heart feel full to burst with affection. He's proud of himself and Kaoru, he realises, for being someone to look up to for these two skaters.
Kojiro can see Kaoru's eyes soften, and the man wasn't hesitant in the least to answer all of Reki's queries. Kojiro watches them nerd out with a fond look, and shifts his view over to address Langa.
"Hey kid.",He gestures to the inside of the house. "Want some Carbonara?"
The way Langa immediately perks up with happiness fills him with such tenderness. God, he was in a mushy mood today. Maybe all that childhood reminiscing was messing with his brain.
"We have extra, since someone", He shot a pointed look towards Kaoru. "Will not be getting any today, because he's such a-"
Kaoru shoves him and Kojiro laughs.
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Hiromi Higa
The rock wall was digging into his skin through the leather jacket as Hiromi watched the 'S' crowd, unusually silent despite his loud and proud alter ego. Miya was standing beside him, hands crossed over his chest while his cat tail swayed behind him. He looked pretty sour, but he always wears that scrunched up expression like the world always fails to meet his expectations.
But this time Hiromi knows he's slightly upset.
"Did you see Snow's face? He looked really mad."
"Yo, what's wrong with that guy?"
"What's up with Snow-"
Hiromi knows what's up. Their night was uneventful, with the gang sidelining the races for today. Joe and Cherry had been invested in a particularly heated fight and had stalked off to prove who has the most fans, or something along those lines. Hiromi tends to zone out whenever they start getting at each other's throats. Reki, Langa and Miya were distracted with the new changes Reki had made to Langa's board, the redhead bashfully rubbing the back of his neck while he got compliments. Well, compliments from Langa and some passive praises wrapped thickly in insults from Miya.
The kid was in good spirits, and then skipped off to talk to Cherry. That's when Hiromi noticed the group beside him.
'S' , weirdly, reminded himself of his flower shop. Not the general ambience but the skaters in it. Pools of different colours pop like flowers- dyed hair, extravagant get-ups, and skillfully decorated skateboards as far as the eye can see. Hiromi tends to notice the colours first because of his love for flora.
So, naturally, the first thing he noticed about the approaching dude was his bright, neon yellow hair. Blondie sauntered towards the gang, or more specifically, Langa. He approached with such confidence that for a second even Hiromi was fooled. Then Blondie spat out straight up shit.
"Snow", His grin was predatory. Langa was unfazed, his eyes still placed on the spot Reki was a moment ago.
"Why don't you ditch the stupid redhead and come hang out with us instead?"
Hiromi felt his jaw go slack. Blondie had the audacity to turn to him and purr "You're invited too, Shadow. And Chinen of course."
Then in five seconds flat Langa had challenged Blondie to a beef with a downright murderous look on his face. Hiromi felt a shiver up his spine when he saw how dark the teen's normally light eyes had gone.
And now Hiromi is left to deal with an anxious Miya, and an even more apprehensive Reki.
Fingers pierce into his bicep and Hiromi yells out before he sees that Reki came to the starting point too, chewing on his fingernails. Crap, did he hear what they said about him?-
People can be extremely cruel. Hiromi knows this better than anyone as 'Shadow'. The look on Reki's face when his skateboard got burned to ashes by Shadow still haunts him at night. They're pals now, and Shadow privately thinks that Reki is too forgiving sometimes. Maybe that's what makes Reki a better person than him. But the bastards at 'S' remind Hiromi of his old self, ragging on Reki for funsies. The kid doesn't deserve to deal with any of this.
"Langa shouldn't be racing now! He just stopped being sick!", Reki frets and Hiromi realises that, no, Reki doesn't know why Langa's beefing right now. The boy watches them zoom off with a frown. "I told Langa not to race today. I guess he couldn't control himself."
Shadow snorts. "He's doing it for honour."
"Honour?", Reki looks at him incredulously, like Hiromi just proclaimed that Joe has expressed his immense desire to become a nun. "He's the best skater in 'S', what does he have to prove?"
Honour, yes. Just not his.
The race was over almost as quick as it began. The ugly eye-melting hair dude never even stood a chance. Eventually Hiromi was lost in the thrill of the race, roaring in sync with the crowd when they see that the infamous Snow is skating rougher than usual.
He screams along with Reki in celebration when Langa crosses the finish line first. Miya just tuts beside them, but he seems relieved that Langa looks pacified now.
The pressure on his arm releases and Reki is off like a rocket, arms outstretched and beaming. Langa doesn't waste a second and catapults himself into a laughing Reki's arms. Hiromi realised they have a cute little tradition of hugging each other ever since Langa's beef with Adam. The romantic florist inside of him is swooning.
Reki was giving Langa a re-run of his own race, as if Langa wasn't there to directly experience it. And Langa listens, his hands still wrapped around Reki's shoulders.
"..... And that last turn you did was amazing! Seriously, Langa, you're so dope!"
"It's all thanks to you, Reki. The new board modifications work great.", Langa's eyes were shining and after a small gap, the blue haired boy leans down and presses his mouth against Reki's cheek. Reki breaks off from his tangent and his face turns so red that Hiromi has to cackle.
The entirety of 'S' breaks out into coos and wolf-whistles. Langa bites his lip and pulls Reki's headband down, over the other boy's eyes shyly, letting his wild red hair go free. He links their hands and pulls a still incoherent, stupidly blushing and blind Reki away, disappearing into the crowd.
"I would ask if they're dating now, but I know we won't get an answer." Miya complains to Hiromi on their way back to the car. "I mean, last time I asked them that, they just started blushing and totally ignored me. And they were literally on top of each other, Shadow. Like full on cuddling-"
Shadow sighs and runs a hand through his mohawk. "Those brats are oblivious as hell."
"I know, right?" When they reach the car, both of their boards clatter down from their hands as they stare in shock at the scene before them.
Langa and Reki were making out against the trunk of his car. Reki's hands were clasped onto Langa's back firmly and they break apart to giggle into each other's mouths. The typically bored-looking Langa is shining, his hair messed up and his face pink. Reki looks just the same, and they both lean in again and-
"GET AWAY FROM THERE, THAT'S MY CAR, NOT A KISSING BOOTH."
They spring apart as a frazzled Hiromi runs over to check if his car is okay. Miya pads behind him with his mouth wide open.
"Not a word Miya", Reki looks hilariously red, blushing more furiously than what Hiromi assumed normal humans had the capacity for. Langa looks smug, and he bumps his shoulder together with Reki's.
"Sorry",He says serenely, not sounding apologetic in the least. He slots his fingers in with Reki's and they stumble off. "We'll see you guys tomorrow."
Hiromi and Miya just stand frozen in the spot. Then a loud whoop behind them almost makes Hiromi shit his pants.
"Aha! I knew those kids were dating!", Joe hollers and claps a pissed looking Cherry on the back.
"You owe me money, Kaoru."
"I told you not to call me that here, you absolute moron- and we never had a bet about them, we only have a bet about wrinkles and Miya's test scores." Cherry grits out, grabbing Joe by the lapel of his jacket and giving him a rough shake.
"We saw the slimes KISS", Miya shrieks in his reedy voice. "And what do you mean you have a bet on my test scores?-"
While Miya stomps over to argue with the older duo, Shadow sees Reki and Langa hop onto their boards and skate away in the distance, a coy smile on Langa's face while Reki is chattering. He feels a certain adoration in his chest for the two skater boys.
Then he coughs awkwardly, because he's not Hiromi now, he's Shadow, and Shadow has his reputation as a non-sentimental anti-hero to keep. Damn those adorable kids.
Reki and Langa are still holding hands as they skate, and they don't let go.
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