- reader is gender neutral
You quietly slip into DOPE SKETCH with a large skateboard-shaped duffel bag over your shoulder. You came back from running an errand for manager Oka, who claimed to have been busy though he probably wasn't. It was an excuse to not get out of the shop, but you didn't mind.
"Hello? Anyone here?"
Upon hearing your arrival, the manager pops his head out of the office door and sends you a wide grin. "I'll be there in a minute!"
As he runs back into his office, you stand still with one hand tucked underneath the strap of your bag and the other in your front pocket. There's no one else in the shop because of how late it is, so you casually lean against the desk, unbothered by how impolite your actions could be perceived as.
It takes a while for manager Oka to show up and once he does, he taps your shoulder to draw your attention.
"What have you got for me there?" he asks, eyeing the bag.
You drop it onto the front desk and he zips it open, revealing the same skateboard he built a few days ago. He frowns upon seeing it and looks back at you.
"What's wrong with it?"
You scratch your head. "The... buyer wasn't too satisfied. He said the wheels were way too thick and demanded, demanded, to have them remade.
"The entire thing or just the wheels? Please tell me it's just the wheels."
"..."
"The entire thing?!"
"The entire thing."
Manager Oka lets out a groan. "This is why I asked Reki to make it, but that boy said he was too busy teaching Langa how to skate."
You snort. "Reki's still hell-bent on teaching the transfer student?"
The manager shrugs and tucks the skateboard underneath his chair. "They've been at it for a week now. I gotta say, this is the first time I've seen Reki so riled up after his defeat to Shadow."
"Where are they now?" you ask, heading towards the door.
"You gonna find them? They're at the park."
"Okay, thank you!"
"No problem. Also, (Name), tell Reki to mend this skateboard for me. I can't fix things to save my life."
"Of course!"
You make sure to give manager Oka a thumbs up before the door closes with a jingle. The street lamps come to life when you step onto the pavement and they lighten your route to the park.
You've been to the playground so many times, or maybe too many because you contemplate about bringing a blanket each time you go. That's only because Reki loves to skate during the night when it's always cold. He tends to go 'full power' in the dark.
Thanks to Reki, you know the fundamentals of skating, which in Reki's perspective, is very 'essential.' Just like he is with Langa, he was so determined to get those wheels rolling under your feet. The number of times you fell and hurt yourself wasn't a great achievement, especially when Reki couldn't stop laughing.
Attempting tricks with him wasn't a proud moment of your life either — you don't even want to think about how many times you landed on your ass — but watching Reki try and try again really motivated you to push further. That's why he regards you as his best friend, partner and 'skate disciple.'
You chortle as you near the park. 'Skate disciple.' What a grand title to hold.
The red gate creaks open and waits for you to pass before it shuts loudly. The park is quite abandoned, so you make a beeline towards your friends, who are attempting ollies in the centre.
"—almost, almost got it! 15 years of snowboarding and so what?! You've got this in the bag!"
Reki doesn't notice you, but Langa does and he waves.
"Eh, who're you waving at?" the redhead asks and turns around. His jaw drops open when he sees you and he suddenly starts gushing like an excited child.
"You're... wild."
"(Name)!" he rushes over and pulls you into a tight embrace, peppering your face with kisses despite your growing embarrassment because of the very obvious presence of a third party. Langa doesn't seem to mind though, hopefully. You can never seem to read that guy.
"You didn't meet us on the rooftop today," Reki blows a strand of hair out of his face and gently shakes your shoulders, a sign of how much he missed you.
You pat his hand. "Sorry, my teacher held me up. He said I had to make, uh, deliveries? Yeah, deliveries to different stations around the school. Weird, I know."
"Well, join us tomorrow!" he says, proudly.
"Langa doesn't mind, right?"
"I'm sure he doesn't! If he does, I'll beat him to a pulp!"
"—with that arm of yours?"
"—not a punching bag, Reki."
You both answer at the same time which makes Reki erupt into his contagious laughter. He brings you and Langa closer, looping his arms around your shoulders and pressing his head against yours.
"Oh, you guys make me laugh."
"You laugh like the Joker," you retort.
"From Batman?!"
"The one and only."
Reki tilts his head to the side. "Is that an insult?"
"I mean, (Name)'s not wrong."
"Langa?!"
You spend the next hour playing around like kids until Langa gets a call from home. It doesn't take long for him to leave, giving you and Reki some space.
It's definitely a lot less active without Langa because Reki actually has a proper excuse to rest and stop worrying. He props his skateboard up against the small steps and perches himself on the edge of a rundown swing. You join him and lean against the metal sidebar.
"Is Langa good? Has he been improving?" you ask, trying to make some small talk.
"Yeah! He's doing really well, he's a lot less mouthy than someone I know."
"Woah, I wasn't that bad."
"You were so bad. So bad to the point where I, the greatest skater of all time, almost gave up!"
You snicker, utterly aware that Reki's only joking and means no harm. It's true, he's not wrong. You used to get angry constantly and scare Reki so much he went to manager Oka for moral support. You felt terrible, but it was always funny to see him came back nervously, half ready to face your wrath.
"No, but, I don't think I properly thanked you for getting me into skateboarding," you speak.
Reki looks at you with a slightly surprised expression, but you don't look at him back.
"And sorry for, you know, getting mad over all my mistakes. If I ever made you feel sad about something I said, I'm sorry."
You shyly fiddle with your fingers, unsure of what to say. You don't really know why you decided to speak your feelings out, maybe because it's soft hours, or maybe because you want to show Reki your gratitude.
"It's like," you begin, the words slowly forming in your brain, "different? I get what you mean now. I used to think you were talking about unrealistic things, but I actually get it? It's so weird, I totally understand where you're coming from."
Reki continues to stare at you without moving a muscle. His lips are slightly parted, and his eyes hold that special shine you've always admired. It only appears when he's genuinely intrigued about something and you know that.
Suddenly, he lets out a deep laugh which catches you off guard.
"Did I say something wrong?" you ask.
"No! No, the opposite really," he composes himself and smiles.
"The opposite? Hey, did you even listen to what I said? I literally gave you an entire Shakespeare speech and you laugh?"
"Shakespeare didn't make speeches, dummy."
"Alright, pack it up, Einstein. You know what I meant."
Reki pushes himself off the swing and walks over to you with his hands out of his pockets. He tucks one arm above your back and the other behind your head, cradling you tight against his body.
"Thank you," he mutters, quietly.
A little stunned by his response, it takes you a while to think about how you're going to reply. It's only been a few months since you started your relationship with Reki, so the proximity is a bit overwhelming. Also, you didn't know he would act all soft and mature because you didn't think it was in Reki's nature to act adult-like. You were sure he was going to either cry or become flustered, but it seems like he surprised you.
You bury your nose into his shoulder, filling yourself with warmth. His hold doesn't loosen, but instead, tightens when he feels you pushing closer. Reki treasures these types of moments because he never knows when it will happen again. It surely won't when Langa's around.
After a while, Reki pulls back and presses a firm kiss on your forehead, rubbing your cheek with his thumb that feels lightly calloused. It's not important though, he spends his time on skateboards and falling off skateboards anyway.
"Shall we go home? I'll walk you back," he offers.
"You don't have to. Don't you want to skate more?"
"Nah, I'm pretty tired. Come on, I'll walk you home."
"If you insist."
"Oh yeah, I insist."