Renga Oneshots

Piece by Piece

Holding You Together pt 2 

The first step was getting Reki out of his room.

Langa decided this after watching Reki curl up under his blankets, mumbling something about "five more minutes" when Langa tried to wake him up. Normally, Reki would be up before him, already working on a new skate design or texting Langa to meet him at the park. But things weren't normal.

Not yet.

"Reki," Langa said gently, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Come on, you need to get up."

Reki groaned and rolled over, his face buried in his pillow. "Too tired."

"You've been in bed all day," Langa pointed out. "That's why you're tired."

There was no response.

Langa sighed and, without hesitation, reached forward and poked Reki's side.

Reki flinched. "Dude!" He peeked out from under the blankets, glaring. "Did you just tickle me?"

"Mm." Langa hummed, poking him again.

Reki yelped and scrambled up, trying to shove Langa's hands away. "You suck."

Langa smiled slightly, pleased that Reki was at least moving now. "You should eat."

Reki slumped forward, pressing his forehead against Langa's arm like he was too exhausted to hold himself up. "Not hungry."

Langa frowned but didn't push. Instead, he stood up and held out his hand. "Let's go outside."

Reki groaned dramatically, but when Langa didn't move, he finally reached out and let Langa pull him up. His hand was warm but weaker than usual, and Langa hated that.

Piece by piece, he was going to help put Reki back together.

Getting Reki outside was one thing. Getting him to eat was another.

Langa tried subtle things first—bringing snacks over, leaving food next to Reki when he was distracted—but Reki would just pick at it or push it aside. So, Langa resorted to something he knew Reki couldn't resist.

"Reki," Langa said as they sat on the front steps of Reki's house. "If you eat this, I'll buy you a new set of wheels for your board."

Reki squinted at him. "Bribery? Really?"

Langa shrugged. "It's effective."

Reki eyed the food in Langa's hand—a simple onigiri that Langa had made himself, wrapped neatly in crisp seaweed. Slowly, hesitantly, Reki took it and bit into it.

Langa didn't let himself sigh in relief, but his shoulders relaxed. "Good?"

Reki chewed for a moment before nodding. "Yeah."

Langa didn't say anything else, just sat beside him, watching the way the sunlight hit Reki's red hair, making it glow. Reki was still tired, still worn down, but at least he was eating.

Piece by piece.

The next step was skating.

Reki hadn't touched his board in days, and that wasn't normal. Langa knew that if he wanted Reki to feel like himself again, he needed to get him back on his board.

So, the next time they were at the park, Langa placed Reki's skateboard in front of him and said, "Come skate with me."

Reki hesitated, running a hand through his messy hair. "I dunno, dude. I'm kinda out of it."

Langa tilted his head. "You say that like skating doesn't make everything better."

Reki laughed weakly. "Touché."

Langa took a step closer, lowering his voice. "I won't let you fall."

Something in Reki's expression softened, and after a moment, he sighed and picked up his board. "Fine. But if I eat pavement, I'm blaming you."

Langa smiled. "You won't."

They started slow, just rolling back and forth, letting Reki get comfortable again. At first, Reki's movements were stiff, his balance slightly off, but soon, his instincts kicked in. His stance relaxed, and before long, he was grinning, pushing forward and picking up speed.

"There you go," Langa murmured, watching as Reki's expression shifted from exhaustion to something lighter—something more like the Reki he knew.

Then, without warning, Langa pushed forward and skated ahead. "Catch me."

Reki blinked, startled, then scoffed. "Oh, it's on, Snow!"

He chased after Langa, laughing as he tried to close the distance. And just like that, for the first time in weeks, Reki was smiling without forcing it.

Piece by piece.

That night, Reki was sprawled across Langa's bed, flipping lazily through a magazine while Langa sat on the floor, cleaning the bearings on his board.

"You're weirdly good at taking care of people," Reki muttered, eyes scanning the page.

Langa glanced up. "You think so?"

"Yeah." Reki turned his head slightly to look at him. "Why?"

Langa thought for a moment before answering. "Because I care about you."

Reki's fingers twitched against the magazine. "Oh."

Langa set his board aside and crawled up onto the bed beside Reki, resting his chin on his shoulder. "I don't like seeing you like that."

Reki swallowed hard, feeling Langa's warmth pressed against his side. "I... I don't like feeling like that either."

Langa shifted, tilting his head slightly so his forehead was resting against Reki's. "You won't have to do it alone anymore."

Reki's breath caught in his throat. "You're really not gonna let me push you away, huh?"

Langa hummed. "Nope."

Reki exhaled, his shoulders finally, finally relaxing. "Thanks, Snow."

Langa just reached up, brushing his fingers through Reki's hair. "Always."

Piece by piece, Reki was coming back. And Langa would be there for every part of it.