Chapter Text
Reki was like sunshine, so warm, so blinding, the one thing that could melt the snow and ice, especially the frost that had found its way to Langas heart after his father's death, Nothing was ever the same after his father died, and he and his mother had to move away to try and escape the ghost he had left behind in their memories, it was too hard to live in a world without him, but Reki, Reki had made Langa forget about all of that.
Which might be why Langa was in the situation he was in now, regretting his choices, regretting each moment that lead to him being stuck to Adams side, If he had not agreed to be the bet for Rekis race, Maybe Reki would not have landed in hospital, Maybe Langa would not of had to race Adam, and then, he wouldn’t of lost, and most importantly, maybe he would not be separated from Reki.
From that moment on Langa belonged to Adam, similar to how Tadashi belonged to Adam, the both of them, mere pets to the man, It had been 4 years since the race that changed everything, 4 years since Langa could bathe in Rekis warmth, and yet he could still remember the moment he regretted the most like it was yesterday, the moment he had to tell Reki goodbye. It was one of Adems conditions. No more meeting with Reki, no more training with Reki, and more importantly, no more talk of Reki, According to Adem, Reki had been holding him back, it was Reki’s fault that Langa could not reach his full protentional, but that was wrong, Langa knew it was wrong, because without Reki, He would not of even touched a skateboard.
The day they said goodbye, It was raining heavily, and they were situated under the shelter a bus stop, just the two of them alone, Reki still bandaged up from the hospital, but- he was smiling, Smiling as he reached out to catch the raindrops in the palm of his hand, commenting on how it had been so hot recently that some rain was nice to see, how his eyes shined that day will always stick in Langas memory, the red head was so innocently unaware of the race he had lost only the night before.
Unable to leave the hospital due to recovery, Langa begged shadow and Miya to keep the loss a secret from Reki, that he wanted to tell Reki himself. The two were hesitant but they agreed. As long as Langa told Reki today, so that is what they were doing now, recalling every detail of this moment, from how his throat clammed up, and how he fought back a smile, something that was so hard to keep back whenever Reki looked back to him, with those wonderous eyes of his, full of so much emotion, that Langa suddenly felt unworthy to be a friend to Reki, Or to be anything more... he believed that perhaps it would be the best if he did leave Reki alone, because if anyone was holding someone back, it was him holding Reki back, He wanted to keep this warm light for himself but that was selfish... Reki could brighten up so many lives, if he just focused on someone else for a change.
“Langa?”
Snapping from his thought Langa’s breath hitched as his companion called his name, and he swore, he wanted no one else to ever say his name again, because they could not make it sound as lovely as Reki did, it beat how Adem would say it. Not that, that was hard, Langa still curled internally in disgust every time it slipped past his bosses' lips.
And then and there was when Langa let it slip, He didn’t explain why, or how, he simply lied, and said “I don’t want to see you anymore.” He could barely remember what happened after that, Only how Reki’s expression dropped, and how it caused an uncomfortable feeling in Langas stomach, before Langa turned and walked off in the rain, Ignoring how Reki called for him, ignoring the texts and with a heavy and painful heart, deleted and blocked Reki’s number, He didn’t want Reki to hurt again, hurt by something Langa had caused, and Langa was sure if he didn’t agree to leave Reki’s side, Adem would make Reki’s life hell, and make skateboarding Reki’s worst nightmare, and Langa could not let that happen, so instead he walked away. He walked away and never looked back.
At first it was hard, really hard, especially in school, to avoid Reki, to ignore him, and especially to not feel anything when he noticed how broken Reki seemed every time Langa refused to meet his gaze, Warmth died to cold, and light turned to darkness, They ended up in separate classes in their final year, making things easier, but Langa noticed, Reki stopped appearing at S, From the cameras Adem had, The familiar redhead was nowhere in sight, and the bluenette always found himself looking for the familiar face every time he skated, never losing a race, but winning never having the same effect again, with no Reki there to smile and support him, Langa found himself slipping back to hold habits. Leading us too now. 4 years later.
Langa was now a dedicated follower of Adem, his assistant, handling work calls when Tadashi could not, giving Adem a good name as he won race after race, Adem getting all the credit for training, But Langa could care less, he was a legend on the track, Snow. As they called him, or ice prince on occasion. Having almost completely forgotten about the boy the once he cared so deeply for, Langa threw himself into work and study, focusing on college, and on skateboarding, though one thing never changed, his skate board, tying him to Reki, if he realized it or not.
After Reki completely disappeared from the skate scene, Langa’s training became more sloppy, well sloppy by Adems standards, Adem began to find Langa boring, often commenting on how there was nothing entertaining about him anymore, but entertaining or not, Langa still never lost a race, finishing first in great speed, amazing his watchers and fans each time, even if he no longer had that love for skating that once coursed through his veins, Langa could only sigh and continue on with this routine he built.
Everything became bland, Grey, but that is how Langa liked it, this is what he was used to, grey. Till one faithful evening, as he stood behind Adems chair in his viewing room, Langa boredly watching the screens, unmoving, everything was the same as usual, the same faces as usual, till suddenly, a bright, and vibrant red caught his attention, a flash of red in the crowd, his breath caught in his throat, and for a moment, everything seemed a bit brighter, As a face so familiar, but a stranger of a person appeared on screen, a bright smile, and warm and mesmerizing , Amber eyes, took Langas breath away, his gasp, soft but loud enough to warrant a glance from Adem, Who sat proudly in his chair, a wicked and cruel grin painting his lips as he reconsied the person right away, to him a meaningless person, but upon spotting the glint in Langas usually emotionless gaze, he couldn’t help but chuckle, things were surely getting interesting, and from the looks of it, Langa might actually have something to skate for again.
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For Reki the past 4 years had been painful, losing Langa, really took a toll on him after the race with Adem, Reki often blaming himself for how things turned out, if only he had not froze up, if only he had kept going, if he swerved, if he won the race... Maybe Langa would still be with him, but then again, maybe not...Langa never did tell him why he no longer wanted to see him, and for a boy with a heart beating for a growing crush, it was absolutely heart shattering.
Langa had felt like home to Reki, he was his best friend, his confident, they shared so much together! At least-...Reki used to think so. When Langa first ignored Reki, The red head did everything in his power to catch Langa’s attention, but with each failed attempt, Reki’s heart grew heavier and heavier, till he eventually stopped trying.
Taking it upon himself, Reki also gave up the S races, much to Miya’s disapproval, Reki swore that it would not be forever, just until he was confident in his ability. Until then he would focus on making bored, and getting into art college, training on the side with help from Miya, shadow, and new mentor friend Joe, Reki was able to find some sort of balance in his life once more, but nothing could completely fill the hole that Langa had left.
4 years later, life was back to normal, and after pestering from Miya, and some nuggies from Joe, Reki finally gave in and decided to give S race another shot, keeping up with the new skaters over video, and watching and supporting Langa online, Reki dug through his stuff, found his old sticker, kicked up his bored and was on his way to the race.
His chest feeling tight as he got closer, nostalgia and adrenaline hitting him the moment he skid through the gates, with a deep breath of air, Reki threw back his head and sighed, he had missed this place, smiling to himself, Reki felt 17 again, fist bumping skaters as he went, reconsing some as customers who’s boreds he had customized. The short skater stood at the back of a group, watching as smoke rose from the front, trying to get on his toes to see what was going on, Langa was stopped by a familiar voice cackling into the air, mocking the person, who's bored they were burning, what a familiar scene, grinning Reki made his way through the crowd, and once he was front and center, he could not help but say,
“Still burning skateboreds for a bet? Thought you would have a new trick by now, Shadow.”
Freezing, Shadow slowly looked up, hiding his excitement at seeing Reki, for the sake of keeping his persona in character, and made his way towards the petite man, slapping a hand down on his shoulder with a roar of laughter,
“Finally, back to lose, eh Reki? How about less talk and more skating hm?”
To which Reki found himself rocking on the heels of his feet, the atmosphere working its magic, as he could hear whispers of watchers behind him, wondering who he was, or some rare mentions of those who recognized him from somewhere before, refuring to him, ‘as the kid Adem destroyed’, The mention of that creeps name, enough for Reki to want to prove to them, that he was no longer that same kid, especially not when it came to his skill, so without further anticipation, Reki kicked up his bored, and in one smooth move, had to pointed directly to Shadow.
“You wanna skate oldman? Fine. Loser burns their bored.”
There was a drop in Reki’s tone, challenging if you will, a hand lazily in his pocket, as though this was nothing but a game to him, but when you were skating against a friend, how could it be anything more than that? They were here to have fun. His eyes were sparking in determination. Ignoring how the crowd behind him suddenly let out a loud yell at the idea of witnessing not one, but 2 races against Shadow in a single night, the only one not yelling in excitement, was a short 18 year old, who leaned against the chain fence, watching this from a distance, a grin to his lips, and eyes sharp as a cat, look up, showing the light outline of the cat ear headphones he wore underneath it, Cats being his signature look. He was here for support, but more importantly, to watch his close friend, beat shadows ass in this race. Sparing a glance to the security cameras, Miya could not help but wonder... If Langa was watching this.
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Back in the viewing room, Langa’s breaths had become labored, and he had taken a small step forward, completely hypnotized by the image on screen, Adem intentionally zooming in, watching Langa for even the smallest reaction, It was amusing to the psychopath, Langa for the first time in years, had that look back in his eyes, the look that dragged Adem to him in the first place, the look of wonder, and he couldn’t help think of how pathetic Langa was, so be so easily distracted by the appearance of an old... friend. There was still nothing special about this red head, but Adam was still curious to see what he had in him.
“oh~ distracted little Langa~” Adem teased, hands folding on his lap, as Langas gaze never moved from the screen, taking in every inch of Reki, Noticing every little change, how his hair was now held back by a hair tie and clips instead of his old bandana, showing off more of his face, little pieces framing his tanned skin beautifully, still sporting hoodies, but this time it was tied around his waist, showing his t-shirt, giving more form to the body that used to be constantly covered, suddenly Langas gaze caught onto the old bandana, that was tied around Reki’s wrist, and for some reason he felt a sudden rush of nausea hit him, causing him to sway slightly, but it was not from disgust, it was from.. Excitement, it had been so long since the blue haired skater had felt this way, and one look at Reki was bringing it all back and bringing back feelings full force. He wished the videos had sound, so that he could hear what Reki was saying, so that he could even hear Reki’s voice.
But then- the race started, and Langa was absolutely mesmerized, Reki had gotten better, obviously it had been 4 years, but he was amazing, his speed and sharp turns were almost pro level, and Langa found himself aching to know how long it took Reki to master his moves and who was there when Reki mastered them, The red head was stubborn, so he probably caught onto them really soon, but the moment that truly had Langa floored, is when Reki managed to pull off one of Langas old moves, Langa watched as if in slow motion, as Reki’s knees bent, determination coming over his expression as he headed straight for a slant, the hands at Langas sides shaking as worry filled him, already knowing what was coming, but refusing to believe it could be pulled off, Reki slid up the rock with ease, and once in the air... managed to pull off, a rodeo flip. A snowboarding move, as if he could not steal Langas heart more, landing with ease, he skids ahead, turning to the camera with a cheeky and yet boyish grin, throwing a peace sign as he quickly sped out of the cameras view.
Leaving Langa with nothing but selfish desire bubbling up from inside, A long forgotten wish suddenly coming to mind, heart racing, and seeing color for the first time in years, Langa wanted Reki beside him, Even if it was him who left, even if it was him who lied to Reki, Langa felt that greedy desire eating him up from the inside, an ugly monster raising it’s head one more, As with one smile, Langa wanted to keep this previous treasure to himself once more. To hold Reki close like he dreamed of doing so many times before. An infatuation that without a doubt would end up controlling Langas very actions.
Adem watched the different emotions that flashed by Langas face, entranced by the sheer open-ness of it, and instantly he realized how he could get what he wanted, how he could watch Langa skate as he did before, This red head was talented, Adem would admit, but he could still sense that fear from Reki, noticing the small details, such as a hesitant step whenever a turn came, But that didn’t matter right now, What did was the tall Canadian beside him, who’s gaze was transfixed to the screen in an all too familiar way to Adem.
“See something you like? Hm. Little Langa?” he asked, all too happy when he got a nod in response, a plan perfectly unfolding before him, a plan to get that passion back into his favorite skater.
“would you like to see him again?” purred the sitting gentleman, leaning over his seat towards Langa, who suddenly stiffend up, refusing to look to Adem, scared that he did something wrong, Langa shook his head, he wanted to keep Reki away from Adem. A dark chuckle left the pyhco as he watched Langas desperate attempt at hiding how he obviously was trying to play the hero here.
“Don't worry Langa~ I'm not interested in such a... forgettable face. He is all yours once again. IF. You race him” fingers caressing circles into the arm rest, A crooked grin curled itself onto a disgusting and cruel expression, Langa had to suppress a shiver, despite it being 4 years, he doubted he would ever get used it to, but then his eyes dragged back to the screen, aware that he could not say no to a race Adam suggested, Langa actually found himself excited for this one, chewing on his lip, watching as Reki showed off once again, laughing into the wind in such a care free manner, Langas gut twisted painfully again, He wanted to be on the receiving end of that laughter, and when amber eyes met his through a screen, though on accident, Langa felt as though he was once again, under that shelter, during a rainy Monday afternoon, with Reki, before their worlds completely flipped.
Langa needed Reki, after holding the truth back for so long, he could not lose him again, even if Reki wanted nothing to do with him now, Langa still would not be able to let go, but he was deeply confused, Adem was the one who made Langa get rid of Reki in the first place, so why... was he letting Langa back to see him. It was suspicious, Still highly confused on the situation, Langa squinted for a moment, but ultimately his heart one, and he took the chance to see Reki again.
“...Fine. but- on one condition...”
Adem leaned on his hands, feet tapping against the ground “and that would be?~”
“I get to pick the bet.”
Now usually Adem would be completely against Langa choosing the bet, as usually it would end in something that would not benefit him in the slightest but seeing as this was only for fun and amusement, Adem decided to do the charitable thing for once and agreed to it.
“Well alright then~” he studied Langas expression for a moment longer, he could already guess what it was Langa would bet on, Having the youth under his thumb for 4 years now, Adem could proudly say he corrupted at least some of the once pure boys morals, making him a selfish and stern champion, who never lost when it involved something important, so Adem could not help but wonder, what would the race be like, If the prize, was something personal to him and his selfish desires?