Renga Oneshots

Rebuilding Ramps

This is a part 2 to shattered wheels and shattered hearts :)

Months had passed since the last time Reki had seen Langa. Months since the fight after the race with Adam, months since he had pushed Langa away in the middle of a storm he couldn't control. Months spent skating alone, pushing himself harder than ever, chasing speed and adrenaline as if they could erase the emptiness gnawing at him from the inside.

It didn't work.

Every ramp, every street corner, every empty parking lot only reminded him of what he had lost. And despite all the tricks and tricks and races he had forced himself into, the ache never left.

Reki's phone vibrated on the table, and he stared at it as if it were a foreign object. The screen lit up with Langa's name, and for a moment, panic surged in his chest. Don't answer. He doesn't want to hear from you. You ruined everything.

But the vibration didn't stop, and neither did the voice inside him. Maybe... maybe it's time. Maybe you can try.

His fingers shook as he picked up the phone. He didn't dial Langa. Instead, he typed a message—simple, raw, and trembling with everything he hadn't said for months:

"Langa... I'm sorry. Can we... can we meet? I need your help."

He stared at the screen for a long moment before hitting send, heart pounding so hard it almost hurt. The reply came minutes later.

"Reki... okay. Meet me at the warehouse. Alone."

Reki's stomach twisted with nerves, hope, and fear all at once. That warehouse had been their place—the place where they had laughed, argued, and shared more than either of them could say out loud. He hadn't been there since the fight, and walking through the doors felt like stepping into a memory he wasn't sure he deserved.

The city was quiet when he arrived, the neon lights of the ramps flickering weakly in the night. Langa was there, standing at the top of the half-pipe, arms crossed, expression unreadable. But when Reki's eyes met his, something softened. Relief? Caution? Reassurance? He couldn't tell, and he didn't want to overthink it.

"Reki," Langa said quietly. No accusation, no anger—just his name.

"Langa," Reki said, voice low and strained. He swallowed hard. "I... I've been awful. I—"

Langa held up a hand. "Yeah. I know."

Reki flinched at the bluntness but kept going. "I pushed you away. I shut you out. I... I didn't know how to handle everything, and I—" His throat tightened. "I was scared, and I took it out on you. I'm... I'm so sorry. For everything."

For a long moment, silence stretched between them. The hum of the fluorescent lights, the faint echo of distant traffic, the smell of worn boards and rubber—all of it felt heavier now. He had imagined this reunion hundreds of times in his mind, but reality was harder than anything he could have rehearsed.

"You really hurt me, Reki," Langa said finally. His voice was calm, but there was a weight behind it that made Reki's chest ache. "You disappeared. I didn't know if you even cared. I thought... maybe we were over."

Reki's hands shook. "I know. I know I made it worse. I was... I was spiraling, Langa. I didn't know how to... I didn't know how to ask for help. I thought... maybe if I left, you'd be better off. But I... I wasn't better off. I wasn't okay. And I needed you. I just... I didn't know how to say it."

Langa's gaze softened, and for the first time in months, Reki felt a flicker of hope. He took a tentative step forward, voice barely above a whisper. "I need you. I don't want to do this without you anymore."

Langa's expression shifted, relief and pain mingling in his eyes. "Reki... you can't just say that and expect everything to be fixed overnight. You broke me too. It's... it's going to take time."

"I know," Reki admitted, voice raw. "I don't expect you to forgive me right away. I just... I needed to say it. I needed you to know I'm not leaving again. Not unless you tell me to."

There was a long pause, and then Langa sighed, dropping his arms to his sides. "You scared me, Reki. I thought... I thought you didn't care anymore. But... seeing you here now... I can see that you do."

Reki's heart swelled. "I do. I've never stopped. Even when I tried to push you away, even when I... I hated myself for everything. I..." He stopped, voice catching in his throat. "I want to try again. With you. Please."

Langa hesitated, then gave a small nod. "Okay... we try. But... this time, you have to let me in. We do it together. No more hiding, no more shutting me out."

Reki's eyes filled with tears, and he nodded vigorously. "I promise. I'll... I'll do better. I'll try. I don't want to lose you again."

For a long moment, they just stood there, looking at each other, the silence no longer heavy but tentative, fragile, full of possibility. And then, slowly, Langa extended his hand.

Reki hesitated, then took it. Their fingers intertwined, warm and grounding, and for the first time in months, Reki felt a sense of stability, a sense of home.

They didn't speak for a while, just walked down the ramps together, letting their boards roll beside them. Reki's heart was still heavy with guilt and fear, but Langa's presence was a lifeline, a reminder that he didn't have to face everything alone.

"I... I want to start over," Reki said finally, voice soft. "No more hiding, no more running. Can we... just start over?"

Langa's lips curved into a small, tired smile. "Yeah. We can start over. One step at a time."

Reki exhaled, relief washing through him. "I want that. I want... us. No matter what."

Langa squeezed his hand. "Me too. But we have to be honest. If things get hard, we talk. We don't run away. Deal?"

"Deal," Reki said, tears slipping freely now. "I... I'll do anything to make this right. I don't want to lose you again."

They walked to the top of the half-pipe together, boards clutched in their hands. The city lights reflected in Reki's tear-streaked face, and he felt something he hadn't felt in months—hope. Fear still lingered, but it was no longer paralyzing. With Langa by his side, he felt like he could face anything.

"Race me?" Langa asked suddenly, a small spark of his old competitive energy returning.

Reki laughed, a genuine, shaky laugh. "You're on."

They took off down the ramp, wind rushing past them, hearts racing—not from fear or despair, but from something lighter, freer. Reki felt the weight on his chest lift just a little, the emptiness inside him beginning to fill with something new: trust, love, and the understanding that he didn't have to face the world alone.

After the run, they sat on the edge of the ramp, legs dangling, boards at their sides. Reki turned to Langa, voice soft. "I'm really sorry... for everything. For the past months, for pushing you away, for being... me."

"You're still you," Langa said quietly, leaning his shoulder against Reki. "And that's okay. We're going to figure this out. Together."

Reki let out a shaky breath, resting his head against Langa's. The city lights flickered, the night air cool and calm around them. He didn't know what the future held—there would be hard days, hard conversations, maybe even tears—but for the first time in a long time, he felt ready.

Ready to heal.

Ready to love.

Ready to rebuild—not just the ramps, but everything he had almost lost.

And this time, he wouldn't do it alone.