Chapter Text
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥
February 14, Valentine's Day, a day Reki kinda dreads.
He can’t believe his desperate, younger self thinking that this year was going to be the year that someone, anyone, would give him chocolate with a love confession on the side.
But, alas, all he got were sympathy chocolates from the girls in the class and chocolates from his mom and sisters.
It’s just not the same you know?
At least he has Langa, the prince of the school.
He’s jealous, ok? Reki will admit.
Who wouldn’t be? The pile of chocolates on his desk can rival Mount Everest, The 47 girls and 2 boys (yes he’s been counting) asking him to go somewhere private to give him their chocolates and spewed their guts over how much they like him, them crying over him not returning the feeling (Reki can probably live without that).
He didn’t like how lonely he felt every time someone wanted to take Langa to the side. All the years before this year, the pain was numb and easy to ignore, being grateful that he got chocolates at all. This year tho’, the pain was stinging. It was so annoying over how much it stings, like, getting fresh orange juice on your paper cuts when you’re trying to eat the orange.
Reki feels a little better after seeing just how exhausted Langa looked by lunch time.
“Man Langa, you look like the walking dead. Didn’t know getting asked to the side took a lot of energy.” Reki said as he put a piece of teriyaki chicken in his mouth.
“I didn’t ask for them to.” Langa replied as he got his own piece from Reki’s bento.
“Could you at least eat your own lunch for once, those sandwiches won’t stay cool for long.”
“You let me get half of yours, and I give you half of mine all the time though,”
He’s right. They shared their lunches, as friends do, pretty much all the time. Reki’s mom loves the fact that Langa loves her cooking.
“Yeah yeah, at least eat some of the salad with me this time.”
Langa was in the middle of unwrapping the convenient store egg salad sandwich he got when he said, “How come no one has given you any chocolates yet? Would have thought someone would have pulled you aside by now.”
Reki froze. He just stared at Langa, eyes big, the lightest blush on his cheeks, hand in mid air, waiting to grab one half the egg salad from the container in Langa’s hand.
“Wha- what do you mean by that?! I’m not the school’s prince here! Besides, I’m used to it. I can get the chocolates myself for cheaper tomorrow anyways,” Reki said as he looked away and to the ground as he took one half of the sandwich and bit into it.
Langa just looked at him with sadness in his eyes, “I still think that you’re the only one who thinks of me as a “prince” and, you’re really amazing Reki, how come no one else sees that.”
Reki just blushes a nice pink color now.
“Come on man, it’s just not that easy……,”
Reki’s considered the weird kid. All he ever wants to talk about was skating and skateboards, he doesn’t have the best grades, shows up late, doesn’t realize when he’s loud, he doesn’t pay attention that well, he almost exclusively wears hoodies, and he’s ok looking.
Not to mention that he likes girls and boys.
He’s noticeable at least, too noticeable.
Well, it’s like that one proverb goes, ‘the nail that sticks up gets hammered down.’
“Fuyuko you can’t—“
“But what if this is my only chance?—“
The sound of two girls interrupted Reki’s train of thought.
“You’ll get another one, it’s lunch time for the prince, and he very much enjoys his food, you can do it after school.”
“Is that why they said that ‘the way to a man’s heart is through their stomach’?”
“Yes, now let’s go—“
The sound of two sets of footsteps fading in the distance brought Reki and Langa back to their conversation.
“I guess they do call me prince.”
“50.”
Langa gave Reki a blank look.
“What? I’ve been keeping track.”
“You’re way off, 62.”
“WHA—“
“5 were boys.”
57 girls, 5 boys.
Cute.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥
By the time school let out, Langa was confessed to 74 times today.
69 girls, 5 boys.
Nice.
Langa asked if they could go to his apartment so they could split the chocolate evenly with each other to share.
Reki quietly debates if he should ask for more so he can share with his sisters. On second thought, Langa is a glutton, and mom would probably scold him for giving Nanaka and Chihiro a lot of sugar.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥
When they got to Langa’s home they immediately put up their boards, took off their shoes at the entrance before b-lining it to the kitchen where they could dump all of Langa’s chocolates on the table.
“You want anything to drink?” Langa asked as he looked in the fridge.
“Yeah what you got?”
“Juice and soda.”
“Same amount of sugar, ones carbonated and ones not.”
“Soda it is.”
Reki was just looking at the chocolates with both hands on the table mentally debating which ones to take when Langa put down his soda with one hand and held out a box with the other.
When Reki looked over to see the box he discovered that it was the most beautiful red he had ever seen. It was a deep, rich red color satin that made the simple yellow bow on the top of it pop out quite loudly, practically begging to be opened.
When he looked up, he also discovered that Langa had his free hand on the back of his neck, face trying to hide in his arm, and he was blushing.
He didn’t think it was possible for Langa to get embarrassed.
“Umm…….,” Langa started, blushing even harder.
“I made these for you. I forget to bring them this morning, but I’m kinda glad that I didn’t because I wanted to confess to you privately, without any interruptions.” Langa continued.
It was now Reki’s turn to blush.
“I was being completely honest with you at lunch when I said that you are amazing, you made my life brighter again and you continue to make my life brighter every day. I don’t know what I would do without you when I came to Okinawa.”
Langa was fully red now and looking away so hard that he probably wished that he could disappear now.
Reki just stood there, stunned, with his own blush coming from the inside of his chest, down his back, rows up his neck, his cheeks, his face, up until he felt the heat on the top of his head.
He can feel his jealousy melt right out of him.
It was then he finally processed the words Lang had said.
“Ok wow.” REALLY?!?!! SERIOUSLY!?!?!? Ok wow IS ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY???????? Your mother would be ashamed of you.
“Is that- is that all you have to say?” Langa turned his head to look at him now and he looked like he was about to cry.
“NONONO, IT'S JUST- it’s just a LOT to take in. No one has ever confessed to me before so it’s a bit surreal.” Reki had to confirm to Langa that he was not rejecting him. That would just kill them both
Langa was now staring at him with wide eyes, patiently waiting for Reki’s response to his feelings.
It was now Reki’s turn to turn away embarrassed with both his hands pinching the bottom of his bandanna, tugging it to try and hide in it.
“I- I don’t know what I would do without you too Langa. I haven’t had someone to call my best friend in a long time, let alone someone I would call my lover for the first time.”
Langa just stared at him with even bigger eyes (was that even possible?).
It took Reki a second to think about the rest of his response.
“Langa, I’m saying yes to you, I— I felt the same, have been for a long time.”
Langa, he finally blinked, and when he did he shed tears with the biggest smile on his face and let out a hearty laugh.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥
After a few minutes to recollect themselves from the emotional roller coaster that was, Reki opened the box of chocolates.
The box was square and was about 15cm on each side, inside of it was 9 smaller squares, 3 of each dark, milk, and white chocolates, the tops all had different decorations, and all of them in little white cupcake liners.
“They’re all different flavors, but I added a bit of sea salt to each of the fillings, cause I know you like salty things.” Langa explains.
Reki picked up the chocolate on the top left. “You made these yourself?”
The chocolate he held was a dark chocolate one with a milk chocolate diagonal drizzle with red heart sprinkles on the top of it.
“My mom helped me a little bit. She immediately bought the kit when I told her I wanted to confess to you.” Langa lovingly left out the part where she tried to take control over the whole thing where he basically had to kick her out of the kitchen to watch her shows so he can make the chocolates how he sees fit. He let her be the taste tester though.
“That’s nice of her, she’s very supportive.” Reki said as he took a bite of the chocolate.
“MMH, This is really good Langa!! Way better than I expected!”
The inside of it was red and it tasted like salty raspberries.
“You think so?”
“Totally!” Reki replied as he finished off the chocolate.
“I want to save the rest of these for later, I want to savor each one.” He said as he put the top back on it.
“Come on, let’s sort out these chocolates!”
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥
After what felt like hours (probably only just one) they got all the chocolate sorted out between the two of them. Of course, Langa kept eating the chocolates as they went along.
Seriously, how does he not get stomach aches????????
They got out and did their homework, talked more than getting their actual work done.
Sadly, Reki had to get home soon. So he packed up his homework, his share of chocolates, the chocolate made by Langa, sat down and put his shoes on.
Reki stood up and turned around to look at Langa. He opened his arms and took a step forward to see if Langa’s ok with it. Langa stepped forward as well, arms not as open as Reki’s, so they can circle around his waist, and Reki’s can circle around his shoulders.
“Thank you Langa, for the best valentines a dude can ask for.”
After they finished their hug, they had their signature handshake and fist bump, before grappling his board.
“See ya tomorrow Langa.”
Reki opened the door and meant to turn out but almost ran into Langa’s mom in the process.
“Oh my—“
“Sorry Mrs. Hasegawa!!” Reki apologizes quickly as he squeezes right past her to get to the hallway and quickly gets to the elevators.
“Be careful next time,” Nanako said in a loud voice to make sure that he heard it.
“Goodness, that child needs to be more careful,” she said as she should her head. “So Langa, how was your day?” Nanako asked her son.
“It was ok.” Langa replied back as he helped his mom with the groceries as she stepped and toed her shoes off.
“You got any chocolates from any girls at your school— wow. That is slightly less than I expected.”
“Reki has the other half.” Langa said nonchalantly as he put down the groceries before clearing off the table of the chocolate.
“Speaking of Reki, did you give him your chocolates?”
A soft, warm smile and a little bit of blush made it onto his face, “I did, he liked them and returned the feeling.”
Nanako smiled, “well that’s good to hear, now put away the vegetables and get the old ones out for dinner.”
You see that Oliver, Langa found someone he loves dearly.
Neither boy could barely sleep that night over their new step in their relationship.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥
Langa confession count:
69 girls, 5 boys
Reki confession count:
1 boy
But dammit, he won Valentine’s Day for real.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥