Renga Oneshots

room redo

Reki drummed his fingers against his phone screen, staring at the unanswered messages in their chat.

Hey Snow, wanna skate? – Read. No reply.
You okay, dude? – Delivered. No reply.
Lannngaaaaa, are you alive? – Delivered. No reply.

The last time he went this long without hearing from Langa, it was when the guy had caught a nasty cold and passed out in bed for an entire day. Reki had only found out when Nanako called him, asking if he knew why Langa wasn't responding to anyone.

Now, with that same feeling gnawing at his chest, he made a split-second decision.

Screw it. He grabbed his skateboard and headed straight for Langa's place.

The sun was already starting to dip when Reki arrived, the golden glow of late afternoon casting long shadows across the quiet neighborhood. He hopped off his board, kicked it up with a practiced flick of his foot, and walked up to the door.

He knocked.

Silence.

Reki frowned. He knocked again, a little louder this time.

Still nothing.

A flicker of worry sparked in his chest. Langa wasn't the type to ignore knocks, especially not his. Was he asleep? Did something happen?

Hesitantly, Reki reached for the doorknob and turned it.

Unlocked.

"...Okay, that's not weird at all," he muttered to himself before stepping inside.

"Langa?" he called, peeking into the living room.

At the sound of his voice, a familiar figure popped out from the kitchen—Nanako, Langa's mother, with a warm yet slightly exasperated smile.

"Reki! I'm so glad you're here," she said, wiping her hands on a dish towel as she approached him. "Do you think you could help Langa with his room? He's redoing it but has no clue what he wants. He won't listen to me, either."

Reki blinked. "Wait—he's been ignoring me all day because of his room?"

Nanako sighed. "I think he's overwhelmed. He's been at it for hours, and he's just... stuck."

Reki chuckled. Classic Langa. The guy could throw himself down a half-pipe at full speed without hesitation, but redesigning his room? Apparently, that was too much.

"Of course, I'd love to help!" Reki beamed, already heading toward the hallway.

Nanako smiled in relief. "Thank you, Reki. Maybe he'll actually listen to you."

Reki knocked once before pushing the door open. "Yo, Snow, you in here?"

The sight that greeted him was... chaotic, to say the least.

Langa's room was a disaster zone—his bed was pushed awkwardly against the wall, his desk chair was overturned, and there were piles of books, skate magazines, and clothes scattered across the floor. The walls, which were usually bare aside from a few posters, had some newly printed photos taped up in random places, as if he couldn't decide on a final arrangement.

In the middle of it all, Langa lay sprawled on the floor, curled up into himself, staring blankly at the ceiling with a deep frown on his face.

Reki's expression softened. He closed the door behind him and made his way over.

"Hey, hey,  what's wrong, my love?" he asked, dropping down beside Langa.

Langa didn't move, didn't even acknowledge him at first. His arms were tucked under his head, his legs bent slightly as if he'd been lying there forever, lost in thought.

Reki nudged his shoulder gently. "C'mon, Snow, talk to me."

Langa finally let out a long sigh. "I don't know what to do," he muttered, voice muffled.

Reki tilted his head. "About what?"

"My room," Langa groaned, rolling onto his back to look at Reki. "I've been sitting here for three hours trying to figure out where to put everything. I keep moving stuff, and nothing feels right. It's just... annoying."

Reki snorted. "Dude, you could've just texted me. I would've been here in five minutes."

Langa sighed again, and before he could roll onto his stomach again, Reki reached out and pulled him into his lap, resting Langa's head against his thighs.

"Well, lucky for you, I'm here now," Reki grinned down at him. "So, let's figure it out, okay?"

Langa closed his eyes for a moment, letting out another deep breath before mumbling, "Okay."

With Reki in charge, they started putting together a plan. The biggest issue was the placement of Langa's desk and bed. After throwing around a few ideas—and Reki shooting down Langa's wild suggestion of putting his mattress on the floor for the 'ultimate lazy experience'—they settled on a layout that actually made sense.

It took a couple of hours, a lot of back-and-forth moving, and several impromptu breaks where Reki made dumb jokes just to see Langa roll his eyes (and hide a smile). By the time they finished, the room actually looked good.

Not perfect. But it finally felt like Langa.

They both flopped onto the freshly arranged bed, exhausted.

Langa turned his head toward Reki. "Thanks for helping."

Reki grinned. "Hey, what are best friends—" He paused, then smirked. "I mean, boyfriends for?"

Langa flushed slightly but didn't look away. "You're annoying."

Reki just laughed, satisfied.

Before they could get too comfortable, Nanako's voice called from the kitchen.

"Boys! Come get some food before it gets cold!"

Langa barely had time to react before Reki jumped up and bolted for the door.

"Oh, you're on, Snowball," Reki taunted as he grabbed onto the frame.

Langa sat up quickly. "Wait, what—"

"Race ya!"

Without thinking, Langa scrambled off the bed, taking off after him.

They nearly tripped over each other on the way to the dining table, where Nanako was already setting down their plates. She shook her head with an amused smile.

"How's it going?" she asked, handing them glasses of water.

"We actually finished!" Langa said, still slightly out of breath but visibly happier than he had been earlier.

Nanako beamed. "Wow, you guys did so well. I'm proud of you both!" Before they could react, she pulled them into a tight hug, squeezing them affectionately.

Langa let out a soft laugh, while Reki playfully groaned, "Air—I need air—"

Nanako released them with a chuckle.

They ate together, chatting about random things between bites of food. By the time Reki was getting ready to leave, the house felt a little warmer, a little more alive.

At the door, Nanako gave him another grateful hug. "Thank you for helping him, Reki."

Reki smiled. "Anytime. I mean that."

With a wave to Langa, he stepped outside, hopped on his skateboard, and rode off.

And as Langa watched him disappear down the street, he realized that—room or not—his world always felt right when Reki was around.