Chapter Text
Langa didn’t know if he would ever get used to the heat.
It seemed that no matter how early in the day he went out, the temperature never felt any cooler. The sun remained unyielding, beating down on his pale skin and burning his shoulders. Langa had never gone through so many bottles of aloe in one week.
It was times like this when he really missed the icy winds and snowy peaks of his home country. He missed the grey skies and the snow topped pine trees. He missed catching snowflakes on his tongue and the firm crunch of ice under his boots. He even missed the feeling of his lips chapped from the cold.
He missed the quiet solitude of the ski lifts, before the mountain was busy with tourists, when it was just him and his dad enjoying the peace. Looking out at a world bathed in white.
Not that Langa couldn’t appreciate the beauty of the beach. It had only been a week since he arrived at S Beach and saw the ocean for the first time, and he was still blown away by how utterly vast and breathtaking it was. It was just different from what he was used to. It wasn’t Canada.
But maybe change was a good thing.
That had been his mom’s idea when she sold their house in Canada almost a year after his father’s death and moved back to Japan. With Langa graduating high school, she had wanted to return to Okinawa. The tiny beach town she’d brought them to, known by locals as S beach, was the exact opposite of Vancouver. But Vancouver didn’t hold anything for either of them anymore.
They rented a small beach house and would spend the summer together at S Beach while his mom looked for a permanent apartment before Langa left for college.
When he realized his mom wanted to return to Japan, Langa had eschewed applying to Canadian universities. He didn’t want to be too far from her, so he had used her citizenship to enroll at University of Okinawa. At the end of the summer, his mom would stay in town and Langa would go to college.
It was a fresh start for both of them.
Langa continued walking down the beach, enjoying the rough texture of the sand under his bare feet. It was early enough that the beach wasn’t packed, but there were still other early birds milling about. Once he and his mom had settled in, Langa had gotten used to waking up to watch the sunrise while he ate breakfast, before going for a walk down the beach. Watching the seagulls soar through the air and listening to the waves crash on the shore was a nice way to start his morning.
Of course, seagulls weren’t the only interesting thing to watch on the beach. His morning walk had the added benefit of walking right past a cute red-headed lifeguard. His heart sped up a bit as he neared the familiar lifeguard stand. Sure enough, the cute lifeguard was working again today.
Not that he’d ever spoken to or even acknowledged the lifeguard besides awkwardly getting caught staring a few times. Langa didn’t know anything about him other than he worked in the mornings, and he certainly didn’t have any plans to find out more.
Langa didn’t exactly have a lot of experience flirting. Plus, having a crush on a lifeguard during a summer beach vacation was a bit too cliché. But that didn’t stop Langa from subtly checking him out as he walked by each morning. There was no denying the guy was attractive. Something about him sitting up in that high lifeguard chair with his bright red board shorts and white tank top made him all the more appealing. The tanned skin and wild red hair pulled back into a small ponytail didn’t hurt either. And unlike Langa, the lifeguard never looked like he was about to collapse from the warm weather.
The sweat had been steadily building up on Langa’s forehead since he started walking, and the water was looking increasingly appealing. It would be nice to splash around and cool down a little bit. Langa made his way down to the edge of the water and stuck his foot in, testing the temperature. The temperature was perfect, so he walked forward just enough for the water to cover his feet.
He curled his toes in the sand and closed his eyes, as he inhaled the salty air. In a few minutes he would turn around and head back to the house to meet up with his mom for breakfast. On her days off, they would usually spend the day on the beach or walk around the small beach town together.
Langa took a few more steps forward in the shallow water, shuffling his feet through the wet sand, making sure to avoid any sharp shells or rocks. There he stood for a few minutes, cooling down and just enjoying the waves lapping over his ankles. He had just turned to walk out of the water when he felt something slide underneath his foot with a peculiar slippery texture.
Suddenly, there was a sharp, stinging sensation in his foot and Langa went down. He wasn’t quite sure what happened, he was only aware that he was now sitting in the shallow water and his left heel was burning painfully.
Confused, Langa looked down at his foot, only to see a stream of blood steadily trickling out from his heel. He was vaguely aware that his foot was starting to swell up and redden in appearance. Trying to stand up resulted in a wave of dizziness. Getting out of the water himself didn’t appear to be an option.
Langa had never been good with blood, and the bleeding combined with the pain and heat was starting to make him lightheaded. He cursed himself for stupidly not bringing his phone on the walk. The only option was to groan in pain and attempt to get somebody’s attention.
He managed to gather his adrenaline and wave his arms to call out for help before he felt the dizziness overtake him again. Logically, he knew he wasn’t significantly injured- it wasn’t as if massive sharks came this close to shore- but the blood was making him queasy.
Langa’s vision was starting to spot when he became aware of somebody approaching him from behind. The person crouched down in the water next to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
“Hey there, can you tell me your name?”
“L-Langa Hasegawa,” he slurred out.
“Alright, Langa. My name is Reki and I’m a lifeguard. It looks like you have a pretty bad jellyfish sting, but I’m going to help you out, okay?”
Langa nodded, thankful that he had managed to attract somebody’s attention. The lifeguard- Reki he said his name was- had wrapped a supportive arm around his shoulders and was directing him to take deep breaths. Langa took his advice and managed to calm himself as he took a few shaky inhales. He hadn’t realized a jellyfish sting could hurt so much, but he was relieved. A jellyfish sting wouldn’t be too serious. It was probably seeing the blood that was making him feel so shaky.
With his vision starting to come back in focus, he finally managed get a look at his rescuer, and couldn’t stop himself from letting out a loud groan. Because of course. Of course it was the hot lifeguard that had found Langa struggling in the water and was currently looking at Langa with concern. And even through his mild delirium, Langa could tell that hot lifeguard was somehow even more attractive up close.
“Can you walk by yourself?” he was asking.
Langa moaned an approximation of a no.
“That’s no problem. Put your weight on me.” Reki said soothingly, “The main lifeguard station is really close by. I’ll help you walk there and then we can take care of the sting.”
Reki helped Langa stand up from the water, and it was a testament to how much pain Langa was in that he didn’t acknowledge how close he was to an attractive guy. Had he been a little more self-aware, he might have blushed at how Reki pulled Langa close and wrapped his arm tightly around his waist, making sure to take the bulk of Langa’s weight.
“Don’t put your foot down, I got you,” he said.
Despite being slightly shorter than him, Reki was strong enough that Langa could put his arm across Reki’s shoulder and limp across the beach. A short and sandy walk later, Langa found himself being helped into a small shack-like building that was obviously the lifeguard headquarters.
Reki helped Langa inside and guided him to a chair before signaling that he would be right back. Langa took another deep breath, while he collapsed down on the plastic chair and tried to ignore the painful throbbing in his foot.
“Here,” Reki reappeared and placed a cool towel on his head, “You’re really overheated, this should help.”
“Thanks,” Langa croaked out.
Reki smiled. “It’s no problem. Now I’m going to deal with the jellyfish sting. Can I see your foot?”
Langa nodded and Reki kneeled down and gently picked up Langa’s foot, examining it carefully. Luckily, Langa’s face was already so red from exertion that he was sure Reki couldn’t see his blush. Reki eyed his heel carefully for a few seconds before setting it down and pulling some supplies out of a first aid bag. He snapped on a pair of latex gloves before reaching for Langa’s foot again.
“First, I’m going to rinse your foot with vinegar and then I’m going to take out the stingers with tweezers. Is that okay?”
Langa nodded again.
“Okay, it might hurt a little bit. Here I go.” Reki warned him.
It did sting a tiny bit, but Langa was too distracted by the way Reki was touching him to react.
Reki set the bottle of vinegar to the side and pulled out a shiny pair of tweezers. “Now to remove the stinger.”
This pain was a little sharper, and Langa had to dig his hands into his thighs to keep himself from squealing.
Reki obviously noticed because he paused to smile encouragingly before resuming his task. A few painful minutes later, the stinger was out and Reki was carefully wiping away the blood.
“That wasn’t too bad was it?” he asked.
“No, s’ fine.” Langa mumbled.
“Okay, now I’m going to bring you a bucket of hot water and have you soak your foot for at least twenty minutes.”
Reki moved quickly, and Langa soon found his foot soaking in hot water and a cold Gatorade in his hand, which he sipped gratefully. The pain was finally starting to lessen, so Langa was able to look around at his surroundings.
The inside of the lifeguard station was fairly barren, and it was more of a large shack than a station; just a large open space with some couches and chairs and a few other lifeguards milling about. It wasn’t particularly interesting but looking around gave him an excuse to avoid looking at Reki, who had squatted down next to Langa and was watching him with worried eyes.
“How are you feeling?”
“Much better. The pain is starting to go down a lot,” Langa answered.
Reki let out a relived sigh. “Good. For a minute there, I was worried that you might pass out. But you seem to be doing better.”
Langa closed his eyes. Thankfully, he had managed to stay conscious. Passing out would been even more embarrassing.
“Sorry for the trouble,” Langa said.
“No trouble at all! Seriously, this happens all the time. Jellyfish stings definitely hurt, but you’ll be totally fine in a few days with some rest and Benadryl.”
“Good to know,” Langa said. “Thank you for all your help.”
Reki tilted his head and grinned. “No problem at all. It’s what I’m here for.”
Langa was so distracted from Reki’s blinding smile that he almost missed the next question.
“You’re not from around here, right?” asked Reki, “Are you visiting?”
Langa cleared his throat. “Yeah, I’m here for the summer.”
“By yourself?”
“With my mom.”
Reki looked at him thoughtfully, “Are you staying close by?”
Langa nodded, “Yeah, our rental house is probably a mile away. Right on the beach.”
“Well at least you’re close by. That makes it easy for me.”
“Huh?” Langa’s face morphed into confusion.
“I’ll give you a ride back to make sure you get there safe.”
Langa waved his arms frantically. “No, no! That’s not necessary at all. You’ve done more than enough. I can get home on my own.”
Reki raised an eyebrow playfully, “Really? Because it doesn’t seem like you can walk.”
Langa blushed. That was… probably true. His foot was feeling much better, but he doubted he’d be able to hobble the distance back to the house by himself.
Reki must’ve taken his silence as acceptance because he smiled victoriously. “I don’t mind helping you back. Once your foot is done soaking, I’ll get you back home safe. Don’t worry.”
“Sorry for causing so much trouble,” Langa muttered, embarrassed.
“There’s nothing to apologize for!” Reki said, “I told you this happens to tourists all the time. It’s really no trouble at all.” When he smiled again, Langa noticed his eyes were a soft golden-brown and he had freckles scattered across his nose.
And Langa, despite his pain and humiliation, couldn’t help giving him a slight smile back.
The ride back turned out to be a type of beach friendly ATV that drove directly on the sand, which Reki insisted on helping Langa walk to. Now that he wasn’t in danger of passing out, Langa became acutely aware of Reki’s scent. He smelled like coconut sunblock, salt, and sweat. Langa didn’t hate it.
Though the same couldn’t be said about the bumpy ride to his house. Langa tried not to yelp in pain as Reki hit another sand dune. He had already nearly fainted in front of his crush, so not yelling was the least he could do to maintain some level of dignity.
Reki stopped the vehicle to let a family pass in front of them, and he turned to Langa. “Is your mom home to help you? I have to get back to my post.”
Langa clenched his teeth as the cart started moving again, “Yeah. My mom should be home. She’s a nurse, so everything should be fine.”
“Oh great! She’ll know exactly what to do about jellyfish stings.”
Langa put his hands in his lap glanced towards Reki apologetically. “Oh- right- I should have told you that and then you could’ve just driven me straight home and not wasted all your time taking care of me. I’m sorry.”
“Whoa, that’s not what I meant. I didn’t mind taking care of you at all. I’m just happy you’ll be okay once you go home. I would have been worried otherwise.”
Reki smiled and briefly took his hand off the wheel to pat Langa’s hand. He only left it there for a few seconds, but it successfully distracted Langa from Reki’s steady stream of chatter for the rest of the ride. When they stopped in front of Langa’s house, Reki once again forced Langa to lean on him.
“Are you sure?” Langa winced.
“As funny as it would be to watch you hop up those stairs on your own, yes, I’m sure.”
“Shut up,” Langa gritted out, but he gave in and wrapped his arm around Reki’s shoulder, letting the lifeguard help him up the stairs and into the house. His mom was already awake and rushed up to him in a mild panic when he walked through the door.
“Langa, what happened?” she exclaimed.
“He’s fine, ma’am,” Reki said. “He got stung by a jellyfish this morning, but we took care of him at the station.”
His mom raced forward and grabbed his other side, “Let’s bring him over to the couch.”
The two of them helped Langa lay down on the couch and prop his foot up. His mom tossed a blanket over to him, before turning back to Reki.
Langa settled in as he listened to Reki introduce himself and give his mom instructions on caring for his foot. It seemed with a few days of rest; he would be back to normal. The chaos of the morning was starting to catch up to him and he wanted nothing more than to take a Benadryl, go to sleep, and forget this embarrassing interaction ever happened.
One thing he knew for sure was he would be walking in a different direction on his morning walks from now on. He was thinking about how long it would take for him to heal when he became aware the conversation between his mom and Reki seemed to have shifted from jellyfish sting aftercare to the breakfast his mom was baking.
“Wow, that smells amazing.” Reki said.
His mom smiled, “Thank you so much. I’m baking blueberry muffins. They should be done in about ten minutes. Would you like to stay for breakfast?”
Reki shook his head, “Oh, no. I couldn’t do that.”
“You went out of your way and brought my son all the way home. Please I insist.”
Langa jolted upwards to glare at his mom behind Reki’s back. The last thing he needed was his cute rescuer eating breakfast with him and his mom.
“Unfortunately, I need to get back and finish my shift. I really wish I could…” Reki said.
His mom seemed to recognize the genuine contrition in Reki’s voice because she clapped her hands together excitedly. “I’ll tell you what, later this week when Langa’s feeling better, I’ll make some more and have him bring them to you as a thank you.”
“Mom!” Langa hissed, annoyed. “I’m sure Reki doesn’t want us bothering him at work.”
Reki chuckled, “If they taste as good as the smell, there’s no way you’ll be bothering me. Plus, I was going to ask you to come by in a few days no matter what, so I could make sure your foot was better.”
“Sounds like a plan.” His mom said happily, and Langa watched in horror as she cheerfully ushered Reki out the door without give him another chance to object.
Once the door closed behind Reki and his mom had walked back inside, Langa hissed out, “What was that about?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why did you tell him I’d bring him muffins? That’s so humiliating!”
She frowned at him. “I was just trying to be friendly. I thought it was kind of him to offer to drive you back home. He went out of his way, and I wanted to say thank you.”
Langa pinched his forehead, “That doesn’t mean we have to bring him baked goods.”
“This is a small town, Langa. People do nice things for each other.”
Langa threw up his hands in exasperation.
Sighing, his mom walked back towards the kitchen. “I’m going to get you some breakfast, and then would you like some pain medication?”
“Fine, thank you,” Langa said.
His mom could bake all the blueberry muffins she wanted; he was not going to deliver them. There was no way he could do something so embarrassing.
Langa could not believe he was doing something so embarrassing.
What was his mother thinking? Better yet, what was Langa thinking going along with this? He had hoped that she would forget her stupid plan to show Reki gratitude with baked goods, but no such luck.
Instead, she kept talking about helpful the lifeguards were and how she was so thankful that Reki went above and beyond his duties. True to her word, as soon as Langa’s foot was healed, she made the muffins as promised to thank him for taking care of her son.
Which was why, four days later, Langa now found himself on the way to the lifeguard station with a healed foot and a container of freshly baked blueberry muffins.
Yes, this was beyond embarrassing.
It was especially awkward because Langa had the slightest suspicion that his mom had ulterior motives. Ever since his father’s death, she had been gently encouraging him to branch out and make friends. She had probably noticed that Reki looked roughly the same age as him and decided to play platonic matchmaker. He knew that she worried about his lack of social skills, and sure, making friends had never been one of Langa’s strong suits, but he didn’t need his mom to set him up on a playdate.
Langa stood outside the lifeguard station scowling. His plan was to find Reki, drop off the muffins, say thank you again, and avoid Reki’s lifeguard tower for the rest of his life. It was a solid plan. Before he could knock on the station door, it swung open revealing a rather large and intimidating man with green hair and tattoos.
“Uhhh,” Langa stammered unintelligently.
“Hey there, do you need help with something?” the man asked with a friendly smile.
“Is Reki here?”
He frowned. “Reki’s out working right now. Are you his boyfriend or something? You shouldn’t be visiting while Reki’s on shift.”
Langa felt an immediate flush rise to his cheeks. “N-no, he’s not my boyfriend. We don’t- I don’t-”
“Take a breath, kid,” the man laughed amicably.
Langa calmed himself and started over, “I got hurt a few days ago and Reki was working and helped me get home. He said to come by when I was feeling better. My mom made him something to thank him.” He gestured awkwardly to the container in his hands.
The man seemed to think it over before stepping to the side. “Reki should be coming in soon for his break. You can wait in here.”
“Oh, no, no,” Langa said trying to back away, “I can just leave it with you.”
“Nonsense,” he said, placing a firm hand on Langa’s back and steering him inside. “It’ll just be a few minutes.”
Langa shook his head frantically, “I don’t want to bother him”
The green-haired lifeguard chuckled, “I’m sure he won’t mind at all. You can sit down and hang out here while you wait.”
Defeated, Langa allowed himself to be led inside. He sat stiffly on the couch, clutching the tupperware, and observing the other lifeguards while he tried to find an escape route. He had been waiting about fifteen minutes when Reki finally dropped into the seat beside him on the couch.
“Langa, right?” he said.
“Um, yes- Reki?”
Reki flashed him a thumbs up and collapsed further into the couch. “Good memory. I’m kind of surprised considering how out of it you were. How are you feeling now?”
“Much better. My foot seems to be all healed. Um- thank you for being so helpful.”
Reki nodded, “No problem, man. I’m really glad you came by. So what’s up? Joe said you had something for me?”
“Joe?”
“Big, muscly guy with tattoos?”
“Oh right. My mom made these for you. To thank you for getting me home safe and everything.” Langa took the lid of the container and passed them over.
“Awesome!” Reki cheered as he pulled out a muffin. “Your mom rocks!” He unwrapped the muffin and shoved a piece in his mouth with gusto. “So good.”
He offered up a piece to Langa which Langa shyly accepted. It was a testament to how cute Langa found him that he wasn’t completely disgusted by Reki chewing with his mouth open and spewing crumbs everywhere.
Reki wiped the excess crumbs off on his shirt and leaned his head back, letting out a sigh. “I’m always starving after the first half of my shift, and this totally hit the spot. Thanks, Langa.”
“Oh, well it was from my mom, so…”
Reki grinned at him, “But you brought it.”
Langa blushed a bright red and looked down at his hands.
Reki reached for another muffin, “You said you were here for the summer?”
Langa nodded, “Uhh- yeah. Just until I start college.”
Reki’s eyes brightened, “Oh cool, we’re about the same age then. I just graduated high school too. Well, I hope the rest of your vacation is better. Sucks to get stung by a jellyfish your first week here.”
Langa nodded but then paused, “How’d you know I’ve only been here a week?”
“Oh- I don’t I guess- I just noticed you on your morning walks. I would have remembered you if you had been here before. I mean- ya know, it’s my job to pay attention to new people. Being a lifeguard and all!” Reki coughed and looked away.
Langa stared at him in confusion, trying to understand his flustered behavior.
Reki coughed a few more times before changing the subject to how nice the weather was today, and if Langa was planning to spend any time on the beach.
“Probably not today,” Langa said. “We always try to go in the morning otherwise it gets too crowded.”
“That’s for sure,” Reki crossed his arms over his chest, “It’s always so nice and calm in the early mornings, but by late afternoon it’s packed.”
He sighed and stood up. “And unfortunately, I have to get back out there. I still have a few hours left today.”
Langa stood up too, “Oh. Okay. Well, I’ll be seeing you around I guess.”
“Tomorrow morning?”
Langa turned around, “Huh?”
Reki’s rubbed his hand behind his neck. “I just thought you might be going for a walk tomorrow morning now that your foot has healed.”
Langa opened his mouth in surprise, “Oh. I guess. I mean- I hadn’t thought about it.”
“It’s just I’m working tomorrow morning… And I know your name now.” Reki glanced at Langa, before quickly looking away.
Langa wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that.
Reki seemed to take Langa’s silence badly because he frantically waved his hands around. “Er- I mean, you used to walk by me in the mornings when I was working and now that your foot is feeling better, I thought you might start doing it again. I could say hi to you properly now that that I know you. I mean if that’s okay?”
Langa gawked at him, trying to figure out word vomit, “Uh- yes?”
“Oh, cool,” Reki seemed relieved. “Uhh see you, then. Bye, Langa!”
And before Langa could process the conversation or respond, Reki had turned and darted away, leaving Langa staring after him in confusion. Glancing at the couch before leaving, Langa could’t help but let out a frustrated groan.
After all that, Reki had forgotten the rest of the muffins.
Early the next morning, Langa debated whether he should walk by Reki. His original plan had been to avoid Reki for the rest of the summer, and there was still a part of him that wanted to stick to that plan. But the other, slightly braver part of Langa, thought maybe going to talk to Reki wasn’t the worst idea. Reki had noticed him after all. Reki had said that he wanted Langa to say hi. Unfortunately, the ominous storm clouds weren’t making his decision seem any easier.
He continued debating the pros and cons as he walked, not noticing that he had gone his normal route by pure muscle memory. By the time he realized where he was, it was too late.
“Langaaa, Langaaaa!!” Reki was standing up from his chair waving enthusiastically.
Langa paused before picking up the pace and jogging towards him. It’s not like he could pretend he couldn’t hear him. The dark clouds had scared everybody else off, and he was the only one on the beach. Well, Reki had seemed happy to talk to him before, so hopefully it wasn’t a fluke. He stopped at the foot of the chair and glanced up at the lifeguard shyly. “Hi Reki, how are you?”
Reki sighed and gestured to the empty beach, “I’m fine. It’s pretty boring around here, so I’m glad you’re around.”
Langa blushed. “Oh- I-I’m not that interesting,” he stammered.
Reki snickered, “Sure you are. I got to rescue you from a jellyfish after all.”
“Ah, sorry again.”
Reki waved him off, “I told you to stop apologizing about that. It was no big deal. Actually, it kind of made me feel like a hero.”
Langa couldn’t stop himself from rolling his eyes.
Reki laughed at Langa’s deadpan expression before he gazed out on the ocean. “Still there are worse jobs out there. At least this one has a great view.”
Langa couldn’t disagree with that.
“Anyways,” Reki said “How are you liking S Beach?”
Langa shrugged, “It’s nice.”
Reki chuckled, “Kind of boring, huh?”
Langa shook his head. “No, I like it. It’s different from where I grew up, so it’s a good change of pace.”
“Where are you from?”
“Oh, I grew up in Canada- Vancouver, but my mom is originally from Okinawa. She’s going to continue living here after the summer.”
Reki scanned the beach briefly before returning his eyes to Langa, “Yeah, why’d she decide to move back?”
Langa hesitated. He didn’t want to make things uncomfortable by having the dead parent conversation. As he was contemplating his next words, the sound of phone chimed from Reki’s pocket.
“Sorry,” Reki said.
“No problem,” Langa said, relieved to have been interrupted. “Go ahead and check if you need to.”
“Okay, but don’t report me. The only reason I’m taking my phone out is the beach is empty.”
“I promise,” Langa smirked.
Reki glanced down at his phone and groaned.
“Is something wrong?” Langa asked.
“Ah, well, it’s no big deal. I was supposed to hang out with a friend tonight, but one of my little sisters is sick, so my house is out, and he just told me his house isn’t available either.”
“Oh…” Langa said, sympathetically. “That’s too bad. What were you going to do?”
“We normally just do a Mario Kart tournament with my sister or have a movie marathon. I know, wild Friday night, huh? Pretty lame.” Reki rolled his eyes.
“That’s not lame, that sounds fun.”
Reki snorted in response and busied himself typing away on his phone. Langa chewed his lip in thought as he listened to Reki mutter about finding a place to hang out. An idea was forming in his mind. An idea about where Reki could hang out. Reki had said he was just planning to watch movies or play games, so all he needed was a place with a TV and a video game console. Langa had a TV and a Switch. … so potentially, Langa could offer up his house.
The worst thing that could happen was Reki would laugh at him and call him pathetic for even offering, but that seemed unlikely. From everything Langa had seen, Reki appeared to be a very friendly and kind person, so Reki simply rejecting politely him was more realistic. And compared to how Langa had already embarrassed himself in front of Reki, that didn’t even seem too bad.
Before he knew what he was doing, he found himself opening his mouth and saying, “You can use my house if you want.”
Reki paused and looked up at him in confusion, “Huh?”
Langa swallowed and tried again, “I mean if you just need a place to hang out. I have a TV and a Switch, so… if you want.”
Reki was still looking at him.
“Or whatever, it was just a suggestion.” Langa finished lamely.
He was just about to revoke the offer, when Reki jumped down off the lifeguard chair and made his way to Langa’s level and gripped his shoulders, “Are you serious? You wouldn’t mind?”
Langa tensed under his touch, “Uhh no, it’s fine. My mom is working tonight, so I’d be bored anyways.”
“Awesome!” Reki cheered. “Seriously, Langa, you rock!”
“Oh-h?”
“You really don’t mind? It would be me, my sister, and our friend. Are you totally sure?”
His eyes were sparkling, and if Langa hadn’t been sure before, Reki’s enthusiasm would have convinced him.
“Yeah, that sounds good.”
“Cool. I’ll bring pizza to thank you. Around 7pm sound fine?”
Langa nodded, “That’s fine with me.”
Reki looked Langa over before breaking out into an even larger grin, and before Langa could prepare himself, Reki reached out and ruffled his hair, “You are super cool. Seriously!”
“Th-thanks,” Langa said, his face turning bright red.
Reki’s own face was a little flushed, and he looked like he was going to say something else when a clap of thunder interrupted him. Langa and Reki looked up at the sky to see even more storm clouds had rolled in while they’d been talking.
“You better get going,” Reki said, “You don’t want to get caught in this.”
Langa nodded. “I’ll see you tonight I guess?”
“Definitely,” smiled Reki, “I can’t wait.”
Langa swallowed nervously as he rearranged the throw pillows on the couch for the fourth time. He wasn’t quite sure what was spurring his obsession with pillow arrangement, it wasn’t as if Reki was going to care. But he was nervous; making friends had never been his strong suit. He hadn’t had a friend over to his house since he was in elementary school. He had certainly never had a group of people coming over.
Langa bit his lip and reminded himself to keep his expectations in check. He needed to remember they weren’t really coming over to see him. They just needed a house, and Langa happened to have access to an empty one. But if this went well, it could be nice to have some company for the summer when his mom picked up shifts.
After the rain had stopped, Langa had gone to the grocery store and stocked up on snacks and drinks. The house was clean, and he was ready to impress. All he needed to do now was wait for his guests to arrive. And sure enough, a few minutes after 7, the doorbell rang.
Langa smoothed down his shirt and ran his fingers through his hair one final time, before he took a deep breath and swung open the door. Reki was standing there with two boxes of pizza in his hands. To his left was a younger looking girl who Langa could only assume was Reki’s sister because they looked so similar. On his right stood a boy with messy black hair and a bright green cat hoodie.
“Hey!” Reki announced cheerfully, “We have pizza!”
“Hi,” Langa managed.
“Thanks again,” Reki smiled. “Let me introduce you to everybody.” He gestured towards the girl. “This is my sister, Koyomi.” He turned to the younger looking boy with black hair, “And this is Miya. I already told them about you.”
Langa lowered his head politely, “Nice to meet you both. Please come on in.” He moved to the side and held the door open. All three of them slipped off their shoes and made their way into the house.
“Thank you for having us,” Koyomi said as she looked around the kitchen, “Are you staying here by yourself?”
Langa shook his head, “No, my mom rented this place for the summer. She’s looking for a permanent apartment in town though.”
“Sweet,” Miya said, “Thanks for inviting us.”
Reki dropped the pizza boxes on the counter, “I’m glad somebody cool is renting this year. Usually these summer houses are just a bunch of families with little kids.”
Langa blushed at Reki calling him cool but hid it by quickly turning around to take out dishes from the cabinet. “This is a big tourist area, right?”
Reki nodded and helped himself to a slice of pizza, “Yeah. It’s packed right now since it’s the busy season, but the actual population is super tiny. Once the summer is over- it gets pretty quiet.”
Koyomi huffed in agreement, “Quiet is an understatement. This place is ridiculously boring.”
Langa raised an eyebrow, “Really?”
Miya sighed, “Yup. S Beach is built around tourism, so the only people who live here full time are people who work in the industry. As soon as the summer is over, it’s like a ghost town.”
“Reki’s lucky he’s getting out of here soon,” Koyomi added as she dabbed at her pizza with a napkin.
“Getting out of here?” Langa asked
Reki nodded. “I’ll be leaving for college soon. That’s why I’m working as a lifeguard right now. It pays pretty decent, and I want to have some spending money for school.”
Miya snorted, “More like you want to buy materials to make a new surfboard.”
Laughing, Reki threw an arm around Miya, “I want spending money for school and a new surfboard. That’s why I’m working almost every day.”
“Surfboard?” Langa wondered out loud.
Reki motioned towards all of them, “We all surf. Ever tried before?”
Langa shook his hood.
“No way, man. I’ll have to take you out sometime. I mean- if you’re interested.”
Langa considered it. He had never been surfing before, but he had seen videos of it. “Are you any good?”
Reki flashed him a thumbs up, “Of course I am!”
Koyomi rolled her eyes, “As much as I hate to admit it, this guy is pretty good. He taught me when I was younger. He even made me my own surfboard.”
Making his own surfboard sounded pretty impressive. Langa had never even considered making his own snowboards.
“It could be kind of neat- I mean- if you all didn’t mind taking me out.”
“Of course we wouldn’t mind!” Reki said emphatically.
Langa allowed a small smile to cross his face, “Really?”
Reki grinned back, “Absolutely! It’ll be fun.”
Even though Koyomi and Miya were several years younger than him, and Langa couldn’t look Reki directly in the eyes without blushing, he found himself enjoying their company quite a bit.
Even if they didn’t look similar, it would be obvious from their outgoing personalities that Koyomi and Reki were siblings. They both made a point to ask Langa questions and draw him into the conversation, seeming legitimately interested in what he had to say. He was soon comfortable with their bantering and general noisiness. Even Miya’s sarcastic comments started to grow on him after a few rounds of Mariokart.
The four of them had been sprawled out in the living room, snacking, and playing games for a couple of hours when Reki stretched his arms up and let out a loud sigh, “I’m bored of video games.”
Miya smirked, “That’s just because you keep losing.”
Reki scowled and tossed a pillow at Miya, which he easily caught. Before a pillow war could start between the two of them, Koyomi set her controller to the side. “I’m with Reki, all this screen time is giving me a headache.”
She turned to Langa, “Do you have any boardgames?”
Langa stood up to rifle through the cabinet: “I think there’s monopoly.”
All three voices rang out “No!” simultaneously.
“Sorry to jump on you like that man,” Reki laughed. “We’ve had to ban Monopoly. It’s caused too many problems.”
“Problems?” Langa asked, nonplussed.
“Somebody is too sore of a loser and can’t handle it.” Koyomi stage whispered while gesturing towards Miya with her thumb.
“I’m not a sore loser,” Miya snapped angrily, “It’s not my fault you and Reki always team up on me because you know I’ll win if you don’t!”
“See, sore loser,” she giggled.
“Pointing out that Monopoly is a fundamentally broken game DOES NOT make me a sore loser.” Miya growled. “First of all, it takes forever. Nobody wants to spend four hours playing the same game. Second, the trading rules are ridiculous. Other players shouldn’t be allowed to trade property to each other for a dollar just to screw over the one in first place-”
Miya’s rant was cut short by Reki reaching around him and squishing his cheeks together playfully, “Yes, yes. We’ve all heard it before.”
He turned to Langa, “As you can see. Monopoly is out of the question.”
Langa shrugged, “Well, I don’t think there’s any other games. We could watch a movie? Oh there’s a hot tub too but you all aren’t wearing bathing suits…”
“Hold up,” Reki dropped his hands from Miya’s face in excitement, “You didn’t say anything about a hot tub.”
Langa nodded, “Uhh yeah- there’s one on the back porch.”
Reki pumped his fist in the air, “Nice! Let’s do it.”
“Agreed!” Miya chimed in.
Langa tapped his finger on his chin thoughtfully, “I soaked my foot in it a few times after the jellyfish sting, so I know it works. But isn’t it a little warm for a hot tub?”
“No way!” Reki declared. “Hot tubs are always great. Especially when you wake up at 5:30, so you can go surfing and then you have to work all day and your muscles are super sore.”
“Isn’t that just you, though?” laughed Koyomi.
“Hush,” Reki “Let’s do it.”
“I guess you can borrow bathing suits from me.” Langa offered.
“Works for me,” said Reki cheerfully.”
“Cool, thanks!” Miya said.
“Hang on,” Koyomi interrupted, frowning “I don’t have a bathing suit either and I doubt Langa has one for me to borrow.”
“Sucks to be you,” Reki smirked.
Koyomi scowled and reached over to pinch Reki, “You jerk.”
Reki laughed while squirming away from Koyomi. “You’re wearing shorts, just sit on the edge and put your legs in.”
“Ugh fine. Jerks.”
Langa stepped into his bedroom to change his swim trunks, before bringing out extras for Miya and Reki. He figured his smallest pair might only be a little bit big on Miya. While the two of them changed, Langa got to work setting up the hot tub.
Koyomi settled into the chair Langa had pulled up for her and dangled her legs into the hot water. “Thank you again for letting us take over your house.”
Langa smiled and climbed into the water, leaning against the jets. “It’s really no problem It’s nice to have company.”
Koyomi smiled back, “I was a little worried when Reki told us we’d be hanging out at a stranger’s house, but I guess it worked out fine. He was talking about you a bunch by the way. He actually wouldn’t shut up about this ‘cool guy’ he met.”
Langa opened his mouth to ask what she meant but was interrupted by Miya and Reki sliding the glass door open and making their way over.
“Hot tub!” Reki cheered excitedly.
Langa looked up and felt his mouth go dry.
Oh.
Langa did not think this one through.
He had been able to hold it together and keep his crush at bay the entire night, but that was with Reki fully dressed. Reki wearing no shirt- Reki wearing just Langa’s swim trunks was a different beast all together.
Langa shook his head. Nope. He was just going to ignore the inappropriate thoughts creeping up in his brain. Though he couldn’t help but notice that Reki chose to sit next to him in the hot tub instead of next to Miya.
“This is totally perfect!” Reki said, stretching his arms over his head.
Miya hummed in agreement before sticking his tongue out at Koyomi, “Too bad you can’t get in.”
Koyomi glared, “I know! Shut up!”
“Yeah,” Reki teased, “Want to come in? That can be arranged.” Reki made a show of grabbing Koyomi’s ankle and pretending he was going to yank her in.
“Don’t you dare!” Koyomi shouted, kicking at Reki. “If you pull me in, I’ll drown you!”
“Jeez, so violent,” Reki taunted.
Langa laughed at the siblings playfighting in front of him. It had been a long time since he had let go and enjoyed himself, and he couldn’t remember that last time he had laughed with a group of friends. It was a nice feeling.
It wasn’t until their fingers and toes were completely pruned and Koyomi began yawning widely, that Reki decided it was time to go and got everybody out of the water and ready to go. Langa refused their offers to help clean up, insisting that he would do it in the morning.
“Thank you again, Langa,” Koyomi said as she leaned sleepily on her brother’s shoulder. “We had a great time. You’ll have to come surfing with us sometime.”
“Yeah, Langa, thanks!” Miya chimed in. He gave Langa a wave.
“We’ll give you two a moment alone,” said Koyomi, pulling herself off Reki’s shoulder.
“Shut up, Koyomi!” hissed Reki, but she just giggled in response and dragged Miya down the front walkway, leaving Langa and Reki alone at the front door.
“Ignore her,” Reki said, his cheeks slightly pink. “She’s just being annoying.”
“Oh- um- okay,” said Langa.
Reki rubbed his finger under his nose and averted his eyes, “I did have a lot of fun though.”
“Me too.” Langa said.
“I guess I should get your number, so we can figure out a time to go surfing.” Reki said.
“Y-yes, good idea.”
Langa tried not to blush as they exchanged contact information when he was hit with a realization. “I don’t have a surfboard.”
Pocketing his phone, Reki shrugged, “No problem, you can just borrow one of mine.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” Langa asked.
“Not at all, we’re friends.”
Langa nodded. “Thank you.”
“Sure.”
They both stared at each other for a few more seconds, without saying anything.
“Umm- well, goodnight.” Reki said.
“Yes, goodnight.” Langa replied quickly.
Before Reki stepped out the door, he held his hand up to Langa. Langa stared at it for a moment before hesitantly reaching his own hand out and connecting the high-five. They followed with a fist-bump. With that, Reki gave him a brief smile before he jogged down the path to catch up with the others.
Langa closed the door behind him and leaned on it, thinking about Reki’s words.
Friends
Langa had made a friend.