Renga Oneshots

April fools

Reki walked along the side of the road, his mind spinning with thoughts of Langa. He hadn't seen him much lately, and when he had, Langa had been distant, almost like there was a wall between them. Reki tried to push the anxiety from his mind, but it lingered. Maybe it was just his own insecurities talking. Maybe everything was fine.

As he rounded the corner, he spotted Langa walking towards him in the distance. His heart leaped at the sight of him, and without thinking, Reki picked up his pace, eager to catch up.

"Langa!" he called out, a smile tugging at his lips. But Langa didn't turn around. His back remained to Reki as he kept walking, seemingly lost in his thoughts.

Reki's heart sank. "Maybe he didn't hear me..." he muttered to himself, his pace slowing slightly. He took a deep breath, willing himself to be patient. Maybe Langa was just tired or distracted. He tried again, his voice louder this time.

"Hey, Langa!" he yelled, waving his arm. Still, Langa didn't acknowledge him. He walked right past him, not even a glance in his direction.

Reki stood frozen for a moment, staring after him. His thoughts were racing now. What happened? Why didn't he stop? Maybe Langa was upset with him—maybe he had done something wrong. His stomach twisted into knots. Maybe he's in a bad mood... he thought, trying to rationalize the situation as he began walking again, his mind spiraling into uncertainty.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur. Reki went to work, but it felt like time had slowed down. Every minute dragged on forever, and his mind kept drifting back to that moment with Langa. What did it mean? Why had he ignored him like that? The thought gnawed at him throughout his shift. He kept glancing at the clock, counting down the minutes until he could go home and figure things out.

Finally, his shift ended. Reki felt drained, mentally and emotionally, but there was still that heavy weight of worry in his chest. He trudged home slowly, dragging his feet with every step. What if he doesn't like me anymore? The thought lingered, and panic set in. Maybe he had done something wrong, something irreparable. Maybe he had pushed Langa away, and now it was too late to fix it.

He stopped at a bench on the sidewalk, the cool evening air hitting his face, and sat down, resting his head in his hands. His heart felt heavy in his chest, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. He stared at the ground, the world around him fading into the background.

A voice suddenly broke through the haze of his thoughts. "Reki."

He lifted his head and glanced to the side. His breath caught in his throat. There, sitting next to him on the bench, was Langa. Reki's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected to see him here. Langa, looking just as unsure, turned toward him with an apologetic expression on his face.

"Hey..." Reki muttered softly, unsure of how to react. Was Langa here to talk about what had happened? Or was he here to tell Reki he'd made a mistake?

Langa seemed to sense the tension in the air and quickly spoke, his voice soft. "I'm sorry, Reki."

Reki blinked, confusion flashing in his eyes. "For?" He knew something was off, but he wasn't sure what was going on. Langa's expression was serious, but it softened as he met Reki's gaze.

Langa let out a small, nervous laugh, scratching the back of his neck. "For the joke I pulled. I planned to ignore you for a little while to see how you'd react. I didn't think you'd take it so hard." His tone was light, trying to ease the tension between them, but Reki could see the guilt in his eyes.

Reki felt a mixture of relief and frustration. It was a joke? All of this... everything he'd been thinking, feeling, was because of a joke? His heart settled, but the sting of confusion remained. He shook his head, not quite able to fully process what had just happened.

"I thought you hated me," Reki admitted, his voice trembling slightly. "I didn't understand why you were ignoring me, and I... I thought maybe I did something wrong."

Langa immediately reached out, pulling Reki into a tight hug. Reki's heart fluttered at the unexpected gesture, but the relief and the overwhelming feelings that followed made him feel like he might break. He clung to Langa, his hands grasping onto the fabric of Langa's shirt like a lifeline. He could feel his heart racing, and a wave of emotion hit him so hard he couldn't stop the tears from spilling over.

"I'm sorry," Langa murmured into his hair, his voice filled with warmth and sincerity. "I didn't mean to make you feel that way. I just thought you'd laugh it off."

Reki sniffled and pulled back slightly, wiping his eyes. "I should've known better... I just... I thought I messed everything up."

Langa gently wiped away the tears on Reki's cheeks with his thumb, his touch tender and calming. "You didn't mess anything up, Reki. I'm sorry for making you think that."

Reki took a deep breath, his chest still heavy, but the weight of his worry slowly starting to lift. "I should've known you weren't mad at me..." he whispered, his voice full of uncertainty.

Langa smiled softly, brushing a stray lock of hair out of Reki's face. "I could never be mad at you."

There was a long pause as they sat there together, the warmth of the embrace filling the space between them. Reki felt his heart slowly returning to its normal rhythm, the panic of the day melting away with each passing moment.

"Do you want to get some food?" Langa asked, his tone light and teasing now. "I feel like we need to make up for all the drama I caused."

Reki chuckled softly, wiping his eyes one last time before looking up at Langa. "Yeah, I'd like that. And, you know, maybe you should just tell me next time if you're going to play pranks on me."

Langa grinned, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Deal. But only if you promise not to overthink everything next time."

Reki laughed, the sound ringing out between them. For the first time that day, he felt like everything was going to be okay. Maybe they still had a long way to go, but for now, this moment was enough. They stood up from the bench together, Langa's hand brushing against Reki's as they started walking down the street side by side, a newfound understanding between them.

And though Reki wasn't sure what the future held, he knew one thing for sure: Langa was still here, and that was all that mattered.