Frozen Rose (Langa x reader)

Chapter 69

(Y/n)'s POV

Megumi blew a kiss towards her friends whilst Joe saluted us. A giggle escaped my lips as Cherry rolled his eyes at his old friend's behaviour. The pink-haired male stood by my side, daring anyone to come close with that stern, business-like glare he shot towards Hinata's friends.

"I'm surprised you're managing to keep them in check, though it won't last long," commented the man.
"When you have to deal with a bunch of moronic kids, it becomes second nature," Cherry replied.
"If it wasn't for these moronic kids, you'd be a lonely couch potato with no friends," Yuu joked.
"The amount of times I've wanted to stitch that irritating mouth of yours together..."
"If you wanna argue, do it somewhere else. You two sound like a bickering old couple," Miya exclaimed.
"Huh?!" said the two simultaneously.
"See my point?"

This time, I was full on laughing despite the movement pulling at my wound. Cherry kept a hand around my arm, preventing me from falling. A whistle abruptly sounded before the beef between Joe and Megumi began.

The girl's movements were smooth and seductive, almost like a passionate dance. Whilst Hinata's skating had been confident and ignited a vigorous beating of excitement, Megumi's inspired a dark envy and awe, for her movements were fluid and fierce like sweet wine.

She twirled her board, manoeuvring around Joe's body. He seemed bemused by her actions, especially when she put one foot on his board and kissed his cheek. She immediately pulled away, giving Joe a split second to avoid the ledge that was now in his way.

He effortlessly used his hands to flip over the block, dropping down a ramp on the other side. Megumi followed as the two glided up and down at increasing speeds. They executed grabs that had everyone watching in awe.

"Looks like all that muscle isn't just for show," said the man.
"You haven't seen anything yet," Miya replied.
"Same to you. Megumi can get a lot worse."

The two had left the ramp and were performing freestyle tricks along the obstacles and ledges of the park. Megumi ran a hand along Joe's stomach, again pulling away at the last second.

Joe immediately kickflipped over the railing and landed on the lower platform. Was she using seduction to distract her opponents? I clenched my fists, watching the two as tension rose in the air.

"Don't worry. If anything, that gorilla will throw her tricks right back at her," Cherry exclaimed.
"Yeah, right. No one can resist Megumi," the man answered.
"You sound like she got to you," Miya said stoically.

Yuu and I let out a snicker, soon turning into awkward gags as the man blushed a bright red. Cherry eyed the man with derision, subtly pulling me away a few inches. From his beetroot face, it seemed that something terrible had happened in the past.

We returned to watching the beef, only to see Megumi press her lips against Joe's. Our mouths dropped open before Cherry forced them closed, frowning at the girl's behaviour. A large obstacle was in their way. She seemed to have memorised the entire park, knowing exactly where everything was. A prickle of awe slid into my heart.

Joe, however, wasn't at all shocked by her actions and decided to play her game, twisting it to his own rules. He pulled her in by the waist, spinning their bodies as they went up and down the ramp. She appeared delighted by his intimacy and allowed him to play his game.

He had her trapped in a fierce dance, eventually swinging her up so high I feared she would splatter into a pile of flesh and bones. Joe skated away, leaving the girl to land on her own. Yuu immediately gripped my hand, both of us noticing the look of worry flickering across Hinata's face.

Megumi flipped and landed almost gracefully; however, her wrist had twisted upon impact. I found that I harboured not a shred of sympathy for her, not even as she pushed to catch up to Joe.

"I would never have expected that from Joe..." Miya exclaimed.
"It's because she hurt (Y/n). It may seem like he thinks this is all fun and games but he's furious," replied Cherry.

The green-haired male continued to perform difficult tricks, skilfully evading Megumi each time she neared. He executed a railslide along the longest edge in the park before effortlessly doing a tre flip, leaving the girl behind.

He performed a grab whilst jumping down the few flights of stairs towards the finish line. Megumi was rushing after him, completely ignoring her injured wrist. She kicked her board up, using a nearby pole to fling herself forward.

The match was over. Joe had passed before she could land on the other side. A smile plastered itself on my face as I squeezed Yuu's hand. He smiled right back at me, an exact replica of the sun.

"Yo," Joe greeted as he came over.
"No, I wasn't supposed to lose..." Megumi whispered, despairing over her loss.
"*sigh* Megumi, it's already over. We're not going back on our word," said Hinata.
"No! This is all her fault! If it wasn't for her, I would've had him wrapped around my finger! This isn't fair!" she cried.

She stumbled towards me, anger in her every move. I stood my ground, knowing that whatever pain she inflicted couldn't possibly amount to the torment I felt in my mind.

However, before her hand could connect with my body, Langa grabbed her arm, shoving me behind him. A look of shock overtook my features as the blue-haired male stood in her way, unyielding even as she tried to break free from his hold.

"Ow, you're hurting me! Let go!" she demanded.
"Langa, I can protect myself-"
"No, don't even start. You're just sacrificing yourself so that we don't get hurt. I...can't stand it, okay? Please think about what we feel...what I feel," he exclaimed.
"Damn..." Hinata said softly.

The rest of us were at a loss for words. Reki, however, nodded as if Langa was his son who had done something to make his father proud.

"And you, don't hurt her again. My parents taught me never to hurt girls but right now, I'm trying so hard to hold back. I'm wondering why I should when girls can hurt just as much as boys...so back off," Langa said coldly to Megumi.

Hinata exchanged a few words with Cherry before his group left for good, pulling an irritated Megumi along. Langa and I stared at each other. I couldn't think of anything to say. He had said a myriad of things that had created a mess in my mind, and now my thoughts were jumbled.

He searched my eyes and when he found no resistance, took a tentative step forward, and another until he was right in front of me. Neither of us said a word as he lifted me into his arms, careful to avoid my wounds as much as possible.

"Langa, I'm sorry...and thank you," I whispered.