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Langa had never been the type that was easily distracted. Snowboarding took a lot of practice and focus and he knew he could block out the background noise with ease. It was how he’d continually succeeded. That, however, had changed drastically since he’d been living in Okinawa. While skating took the same amount of practice and concentration, Langa occasionally found himself focused on other things mid-skate. More specifically, his best friend.
Reki wasn’t doing anything in particular that was distracting, nor was he doing it on purpose. His passion and excitement were just… infectious. And Langa was infected bad. Today’s distraction could have been avoided entirely, but Langa was an idiot.
The hot summer sun beat down on them as they skated down the roads and laneways, showing off tricks and jumps. The course at S was great for races, but Langa loved taking to the streets for skating. It offered new obstacles and gave him ideas for new moves. And, he’d take any excuse to spend the day skating with Reki.
Their skating was going well, until Reki landed a tricky jump and he laughed, his whole face lighting up. The pure happiness in his expression punched the breath out of Langa’s lungs and for just a second, he took his eyes off the road. One moment his feet were planted on his board, and the next he was airborne.
He landed hard, his body skidding across the pathway and into the bushes by the side of the road. His skateboard had rolled off somewhere, but that was the least of his concerns. He groaned as he slowly got into a sitting position and immediately felt a stinging sensation across his body.
‘Dude, you totally stacked it,’ Reki laughed from behind him. He knelt down beside him and the laughter dropped from his face. ‘Oh, shit.’
Langa wiped his chin and it came away red. His palms were scraped up and bleeding, as was his right forearm. He glanced down at his t-shirt, which had shredded on impact and exposed part of his banged-up stomach. Oh… that was… a lot of…
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‘Are you okay?’ Reki asked, concern in his voice. Langa looked at the red stain on his front and swayed a bit, but Reki grabbed him before he could fall over. ‘Whoa, Langa, look at me.’
Reki grabbed his face, diverting his attention away from the blood. He hadn’t stacked this badly since he first started skating. It took Langa a few seconds to realise Reki was prodding at his arms, ribs and legs.
‘No broken bones, just some gnarly scrapes,’ Reki said. ‘Come on, we should get you cleaned up.’ Reki helped him to his feet. Pain shot down Langa’s right side and he groaned. The likelihood of him bruising was very high. ‘Are you okay to walk?’’
‘I think so,’ Langa said. ‘Where’d my board go?’
They located it a few metres away and then started the slow trek home. Reki’s place was the closest, so they made their way there. Langa had to pause as the pain continued up his leg and side, and after the third time, Reki got under his arm and placed his own around Langa’s waist to lessen some of the discomfort. It also lessened the number of thoughts in Langa’s head.
Reki was talking about some donut… cake…sweet or something? Langa’s focus was elsewhere. Specifically, on how warm Reki’s skin was under his arm, and how his unruly red hair tickled his skin. Due to how hot it was, Reki had opted for an oversized yellow singlet, so his arms and collarbones were exposed. Aside from their trip to Miyakojima, it was the most skin he’d shown in a while, so Langa had taken the chance to admire the dusting of freckles on his tanned skin, as well as the slight definition in his biceps.
He blinked and they were at Reki’s house. Langa had to wonder if he’d hit his head when he’d crash landed because he didn’t remember half of the walk (it had taken about thirty minutes, Reki hadn’t shut up the whole time and Langa felt like he’d gotten heat stroke in addition to his scrapes). The house was oddly quiet when they arrived, as opposed to the usual loud chaos.
‘Where is everyone?’ Langa asked as he slowly removed his shoes.
‘Koyomi’s at a friend’s place and Mom’s probably out shopping with the twins,’ Reki said. He led Langa down to the bathroom and had him sit on the small counter by the sink. Langa didn’t bother looking in the mirror; he knew he looked a mess. Instead, he watched Reki pull out a first aid kit as well as a cloth. He held it under the tap until it was damp and then turned to Langa, his gaze going from his face, to his arms and landing on his hands.
‘Man, you really ate pavement,’ he said. ‘How’d that even happen? Were you distracted or something?’
‘No,’ Langa said, a little too fast. Reki raised an eyebrow at him and he cleared his throat. ‘I think I hit an uneven part of the sidewalk.’
‘Happens to the best of us.’
Reki took Langa’s hands and faced them palm up so he could inspect the wounds. His right hand had taken more of the impact than his left, but both were just as bloodied. Most of it had dried on the walk back, so Langa wasn’t on the verge of fainting again. Reki gently wiped the dirt and grit from the scrapes before dabbing some ointment onto them. Langa flinched instinctively from the sting.
‘Dude, toughen up,’ Reki said.
‘Shut up, it stings,’ Langa said, frowning. He watched how careful Reki was at cleaning the grazes. ‘You’re good at this.’
‘I’ve fallen off my board more times than I can count,’ Reki said. ‘So, I know a thing or two.’
‘I’m in good hands then.’
Reki looked up at him and grinned. ‘Only the best.’
Langa’s stomach did a flip. He averted his gaze to their hands and compared the differences. Reki’s hands were slightly smaller than his, fingers thicker and nails more squared. Langa’s fingers were long and slender, his nails oval shaped. Reki’s tanned skin made Langa’s look almost translucent.
Their hands, like the rest of them, were opposites. But that’s what Langa liked about Reki. He’d opened up his world and he got to see the beauty in things he otherwise would have overlooked. Every day a new adventure awaited, every day brought laughs and every day felt that little bit brighter. Slowly, the hole in his heart started to shrink.
After the loss of his father, Langa’s passion had fizzled out until nothing remained. He’d been Langa’s biggest supporter, so with him gone, what was the point? Langa had been lost, adrift with nothing driving him. Until he met Reki. His passion and positive attitude had rubbed off on Langa and made him excited about something again.
His first true friend.
Langa had always been a bit of a loner back in Canada; too preoccupied with snowboarding to maintain proper friendships. He also had a hard time communicating with people and that became more apparent since moving to Okinawa. Not with Reki though; he hadn’t given Langa a chance to back away and now they were closer than ever.
But with this friendship came feelings Langa didn’t quite understand at first. Like, why did he think Reki’s goofy smile was cute? Why did he like it when Reki’s full attention was on him? Why did he laugh at Reki’s jokes, when half the time they were so bad it was embarrassing?
You know why, idiot.
No matter how hard he tried to steer the feelings back into the land of friendship, his heart and head had other plans. Like that one time he dreamt about Reki kis-
‘Okay that should do it,’ Reki said.
Langa snapped back to reality and glanced down at his now bandaged right hand. With the blood cleaned off, he could see the damage was minimal on his left, so Reki had kept it uncovered.
‘Show me your arm,’ Reki said and Langa obliged. Reki went through the cleaning process again, until Langa’s arm was also wrapped.
‘Oh, um, you should probably take your t-shirt off so I can see your stomach,’ Reki said, his gaze fixated on the first aid kit. Langa felt his face heat and he slowly pulled his arms through and lifted it over his head. He looked at the ripped hem that was stained red. His mother didn’t need to know about this. He dropped it to the floor and looked at Reki.
‘How do you still have abs with all the burgers you eat?’ Reki asked, bending down so he could inspect the graze properly.
‘I dunno, good metabolism?’ Langa said. He focused heavily on keeping his breathing in check and not the position Reki was in. This was fine, totally fine. Reki touched his skin with his fingertips and Langa jolted.
Reki sprung up. ‘Did that hurt?’
‘No, you just startled me,’ Langa said, sitting up straight.
‘My bad,’ Reki said and laughed. He rinsed the cloth under the tap again and lightly dabbed at the scrape. It was about the size of Langa’s hand, and stopped just above his jeans. However, blood had trickled down, staining the top part of the fabric. At least his pants hadn’t taken damage like his t-shirt had.
‘You ever cop any bad injuries when you used to snowboard?’ Reki asked.
‘A few broken bones and some fractures,’ Langa said. ‘I’ll take some asphalt scrapes over that though; waiting six weeks or more before getting on the board again was rough.’
‘I broke my leg when I was twelve and not being able to skate that whole time was the wooorst. I’ve been lucky enough not to have any other major breaks,’ Reki said.
He didn’t warn Langa he was about to apply ointment, so the sting caused him to jolt again. Reki simply looked up at him and smirked. Langa smirked back. Once he finished with the ointment, he secured a bandage over the wound with some medical tape.
‘Nearly done,’ Reki said, straightening up.
After he refreshed the cloth again, he stepped in between Langa’s legs. Langa startled, but didn’t have enough time to fully freak out before Reki took his chin between his thumb and index finger, tilting his head up so he could see the scrape better.
On the outside, Langa was cool and collected (at least he thought so, but that blush said otherwise). On the inside however, he was screaming. In panic? With joy? Both? Reki was close. He was so close that Langa could see the golden flecks in his amber coloured eyes, the light smattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose and the small scar on his chin. He was so close that if Langa leaned in a few centimetres, he could kiss him.
Langa refrained from jerking at the thought and instead remained incredibly still. Reki carefully cleaned the blood away, his touch softer than when he tended to the other areas. He lifted his gaze to meet Langa’s, and for a moment they just stared at each other. Then Reki smiled. For the second time that day, Langa forgot how to breathe.
‘Lucky you didn’t land too hard on your head,’ Reki said as he put the cloth down. He grabbed the ointment and lightly dabbed it onto Langa’s chin. ‘Be a shame to mess up such a good face.’
What.
Langa almost short circuited. Was Reki saying he was… attractive? No, surely not. Langa watched Reki’s face carefully as he applied a small band aid to his chin. Was he blushing? No, definitely not.
‘Okay, all done,’ Reki said. His hands hovered by Langa’s face and he didn’t move away. They looked at each other for a moment, and Langa really wanted to reach out and touch him. He raised his hand slightly, but before he could get it anywhere near Reki, a loud bang sounded on the other side of the door, followed by giggling.
‘We’re home!’ Reki’s mom called. Reki stepped back from Langa, breaking whatever spell they were under. He opened the bathroom door to find Nanaka and Chihiro standing on the other side. Their faces brightened when they spotted Langa, and as he slid off the counter to his feet, they ran circles around him.
‘Leave Langa alone, he hurt himself and needs space,’ Reki said, ushering them out of the bathroom. He glanced at Langa, eyes darting from his face to his bare chest. ‘I’ll find you a shirt.’
Langa grabbed his destroyed t-shirt before he followed Reki to his bedroom, the twins at his heels. The pain in his body had subsided a lot since they got back, which made walking a lot easier. Reki was rifling through his drawers, before he pulled out a t-shirt and handed it to him. Langa put it on and glanced down; he’d been given one of Reki’s bigger shirts, but it almost fit snugly. Reki’s mom appeared at his door a moment later and she smiled at Langa until she noticed his wounds, and concern creased her brow.
‘Oh Langa, dear, what happened?’ she asked.
‘Fell off my board,’ he said.
‘Are you okay?’
‘I’m fine, thank you,’ Langa said.
‘Looks like Reki took care of you,’ she said.
‘Of course I did. I wasn’t just gonna leave him bleeding,’ Reki said, slapping him on the back.
‘Well, I’m glad you weren’t badly hurt,’ she said. ‘I’ve sure seen this one-’ she gestured at Reki ‘-in a worse state.’
Reki pulled a face at her and she waved him off.
‘Is it cool for Langa to stay the night?’ Reki asked.
‘Is that okay with Mrs Hasegawa?’ she asked Langa.
He nodded. ‘I called her earlier, she’s working late so its fine,’
‘Okay then,’ she said. ‘Dinner will be in an hour, so I’ll call you when it’s ready. Come on girls.’
She grabbed the twins and closed the door behind her. Langa glanced at Reki, but he was rummaging around his desk for something. Langa recalled how close they’d been, the way Reki easily smiled at him only moments ago in the bathroom. He’d done it like it was the most normal thing in the world, proximity be damned.
Langa’s brain felt like it was slowly melting out of his ears. Maybe he had copped some heat stroke and was hallucinating. Because in what world was that even a possibility?
‘Aha!’ Reki cried, producing a remote. He pointed at the AC unit and it kicked in a moment later, cool air blowing out. He turned to Langa. ‘I gotta show you this trick Cherry did last week at S. I reckon you could definitely pull it off.’
He took his phone from his pocket and sat on the floor in front of his bed. Langa joined him and they watched a few videos Reki had taken. Langa didn’t recall seeing these happen, but Reki explained it was when he was off beefing with Miya.
‘And this jump here? It was crazy fast in the moment but when I slowed it down you can see how he moves his right foot slightly?’ Reki said.
Langa leaned in closer and watched it again until he saw the trick. ‘Did he know you were filming him?’
Reki scratched the back of his neck. ‘Not exactly. Pretty sure he would murder me if he did.’
‘I should learn that trick and then do it the next time at S,’ Langa said.
‘In front of Cherry,’ Reki said, eyes sparkling.
‘Give me a couple days for these-’ he held up his bandaged arm ‘-to settle and we can try to get it done.’
‘Hell yeah,’ Reki said, grinning at him. He leaned in even closer to show Langa the next video, their knees and arms touching. Langa may have been looking at the videos, but he did not take anything in.
The next hour passed that way, until Reki’s mom called them for dinner. They both demolished their soba noodles before spending a bit of time in Reki’s workshop. Reki excitedly showed him a new board design he’d recently finished; it had a pointed tip, similar to Joe’s. Shocks of fluorescent colours outlined in heavy black made up the image of some cross bones, with graffiti text alongside it. It even glowed in the dark.
Langa turned it over in his hands. The wheels were hot pink, matching the same colour on the back. ‘Did you design this yourself?’
‘Basically yeah. I had a vague brief but pretty much had free reign,’ Reki said.
‘This is so cool,’ Langa said. ‘You’re so talented.’
‘Ah, it’s nothing,’ Reki said.
Langa looked at him. ‘Yes, it is. I could never do something this awesome.’
Reki’s cheeks went pink and he smiled sheepishly. ‘Thanks.’
Langa held the board out to him and when Reki grabbed it, their fingers brushed. Langa flexed his hand and immediately regretted it when a stinging pain shot through his palm. He shook it off before Reki noticed.
‘We should probably head in now before mom has a fit,’ Reki said.
They wandered back inside and Reki offered the bath to Langa first. He navigated washing himself as best he could around the bandages before he dried and changed into some more of Reki’s clothes. A futon had been laid out on the floor beside Reki’s bed, so Langa sat down on it while he waited for Reki to be done with his own bath.
He could have passed the time messing around on his phone, but instead he stared at the stickers on Reki’s wardrobe, his mind a whirlpool of thoughts. His chest was no better; it felt… weird. He looked down at his bandaged hand. All this because he found his best friend’s smile distracting? Pull yourself together, Langa.
‘Is your hand hurting still?’
Langa looked up as Reki knelt on the futon and gently took his arm in his hands. Since he’d just bathed, he wasn’t wearing his headband. Langa rarely saw him without it and if he was being honest, it made him look incredibly cute. His hair was unruly on a good day, but now it was even more wild.
‘Oh, it’s just a dull ache,’ he finally said.
‘You always gotta look ahead, eyes on the road,’ Reki said.
Langa glanced at him. ‘Yeah… lesson learnt.’
Reki shut his bedroom door and then got onto his bed. They chatted for another half an hour before calling it a night.
Normally, Langa fell asleep in three seconds flat, and was out like a light until the next morning. Not tonight. He laid with his eyes closed and willed his mind to switch off. But no, his brain decided to replay the days events, highlighting all the best moments. He resisted the urge to groan and instead stuffed his face into his pillow. He couldn’t settle, wouldn’t settle until he addressed the issue, which was lying barely a few feet away from him.
‘Reki, you awake?’
After a moment, ‘Yeah.’
Langa got up and climbed onto Reki’s bed.
‘Hey, wha-’
‘Move over.’
Reki did as he was told and Langa lay down next to him. While the room was dark, faint light spilled into the room from the streetlamp outside and Langa could see most of Reki’s face.
‘I lied to you,’ he said.
‘About what?’ Reki asked.
‘About the reason I fell,’ he said. He took a deep breath and rolled onto his side so he was facing Reki. ‘I was distracted by something.’
‘What?’
‘You.’
Reki stared at him for a few seconds. ‘Me? What did I do?’
Langa could feel his face heat and was so glad the darkness concealed it. His heart pounded and he took a deep breath. ‘When you landed that jump… and you smiled… you just, completely lit up. Hard not to be distracted by that.’
Reki brought his hand up to his face and partially covered his mouth. Was he blushing?
‘Oh.’
‘Honestly, it’s not even the first time its happened,’ Langa said quietly.
‘How often?’ Reki asked, just a quiet.
Langa held his gaze. ‘Every time we’re together.’
They were silent for a moment and then Reki shifted away slightly and lay on his back. Alarm bells rang in Langa’s head. Loud. His stomach knotted. Had he just put his foot in it? Shit. He’d scared Reki off. This was it, the end of their friendship. Why was he like this? Normal teenage boys were supposed to like girls and go on dates and stuff. They were not supposed to feel that way about their friends.
‘Like what?’ Reki whispered.
Langa froze. Had he said that last part out loud? Shit, shit, shit. Reki stared at him with big, round eyes.
‘Like what?’ he repeated.
Langa laid on his back. ‘L-like… when I’m with them, I get butterflies in my stomach. Not from nerves, from excitement,’ he said. ‘Like my heart doesn’t stop pounding the entire time we’re together. Like…’ Langa took a shaky breath. ‘…like I want to kiss them.’
The skin under his eyes tingled and his throat felt like it was about to close up. He couldn’t look at Reki, because he was scared by what he might see. He focused his gaze on the ceiling and tried to keep his emotions in check.
Reki shifted next to him. ‘I’ve never kissed anyone before.’
Langa swallowed the lump in his throat. ‘Me either,’ he whispered.
Reki shifted again until he was leaning on his arm and hovering above Langa. He chanced a look at him. Reki wasn’t looking at him with disgust or unease; instead, he appeared thoughtful, curious. They held eye contact for what seemed like forever until Reki leaned in just a little closer. Langa remained as still as possible; he didn’t want to spook Reki or himself because what was happening?!
‘I’ve felt those things too,’ he finally said.
‘You have?’ Langa whispered.
‘Although… the kissing part is kinda new,’ Reki whispered back. His gaze darted to Langa’s mouth quickly before meeting his again. He looked at Langa like he was waiting for something. His choice was clear, yet he didn’t budge. Did he want Langa to make the first move?
Langa raised his hand and softly held the side of Reki’s face. He didn’t have to lean up too much, as Reki closed the remaining distance. It was an awkward soft press of lips and Reki accidentally bumped the graze on Langa’s chin, which made him reflectively jerk. Reki broke away and started to apologise, but Langa gripped the hair at the back of his neck and pulled him in. This time when their lips met, Langa pressed more firmly.
They moved slowly against each other, mouths still closed, testing. Langa had seen plenty of people kiss in movies and on TV and a lot of them used tongue. He wanted to try it, so he used his own mouth to part Reki’s lips and slipped his tongue in. Reki jolted slightly at the intrusion, but quickly leaned into it, his own tongue curling around Langa’s. He could taste the salt crystal toothpaste Reki had used earlier and in that moment, it was the best flavour in the world.
Langa’s head was exploding with cheers and screams and absolute panic but he’d never felt happier. He was kissing Reki. Actually kissing him. He was hot already because the summer heat didn’t agree with him, but with Reki pressed up against him, his body felt molten.
They continued back and forth, smiling between breaks. It wasn’t until Langa gently sucked on Reki’s lower lip – and a noise that sounded very much like a moan escaped his mouth – that they came to a halt. Reki pulled back; eyes wide. Before Langa could say anything, he shoved his face into his pillow.
‘mwhadtfudjwastat,’ he mumbled.
Langa chuckled softly and rolled onto his side so he was facing Reki. He gently brushed his red hair off his face and Reki peeked an eye at him while keeping the rest of his face in the pillow.
‘Why are you laughing?’ he asked.
‘Because you’re cute,’ Langa said.
‘Dude, shut up!’ Reki frowned. ‘That was so embarrassing.’
‘I dunno, I kinda liked it,’ Langa said.
Reki looked at him for a few seconds before he rolled to his side again. Their faces were close and Langa wanted to kiss him again so bad.
‘Please,’ Reki whispered.
Langa must have said that last part out loud. Whatever, he didn’t question it. He closed in until their lips met again and this time, tenderness was at the bottom of the list. Langa was always hungry, but this was different; for Reki, he was ravenous. He’d been dreaming about this for so long that he wasn’t wasting the opportunity. He pressed firmly, lips bruising, tongues warring. Reki responded with equal intensity and soon both of them were breathing heavily.
‘How are you so good at this,’ Reki murmured.
‘Am I?’
‘You sure you’ve never kissed anyone before?’
‘You’re my first,’ Langa said and Reki groaned.
Feeling more confident, Langa moved so he was on top of him, careful where he placed his weight. He broke away to trail his lips down Reki’s jaw and across column of his throat, where he gently sucked the junction between his collarbone and shoulder. While he made his mark, he adjusted his position slightly, which unintentionally aligned their lower halves. The first brush sent shockwaves down Langa’s spine and Reki-
‘Oh fu-’ Reki’s hands grabbed the back of Langa’s t-shirt and he grasped the fabric tightly. He breathed out a moan and Langa stilled his movements as the sound went straight to his groin. And what a sound it was. He wanted to hear more of it. So, he moved his hips again and the friction caused them both to utter moans. The fabric of their sleep shorts was thin and Langa could feel everything.
He was no stranger to jerking off; he was a teenage boy after all. But this… this was a different ballpark. Hands weren’t involved, but another person was. His person. The one he’d been day dreaming about since he’d met him. Was it okay to do this? Reki hadn’t said anything to think otherwise, but the only functioning part of Langa’s upstairs brain told him to double check (his downstairs brain was in full support of continuing).
He rested his head in the crook of Reki’s neck and took a few deep breaths.
‘Are you… okay with this?’ he asked.
Reki was still for a few seconds before Langa felt his fingers brush through his hair. ‘I thought that was pretty obvious.’
Langa raised his head and met Reki’s gaze. ‘You’re sure?’
Reki bit his lip and nodded. ‘Yeah.’
Langa kissed him again and slowly rocked their bodies together. Everything felt so good. The feel of his lips, the warmth of his body and the touch of his hands – as they found their way under Langa’s shirt and up his back. Reki had said Langa was good at kissing, but Reki was a fast learner. He met Langa’s touch with his own eagerness, giving and taking where he saw fit.
Their rhythm was a little clumsy, but the effect was still the same and soon, Langa felt his stomach start to tighten. Reki sighed and started moving a little faster, more frenzied as he chased his high. Kisses became sparse as heavy breaths and moans took over. Langa reached his crest and as it all came crashing down, he buried his head in Reki’s neck. Warmth spilled into his boxers and his limbs felt like noodles. Reki let out a breathy whimper before going still.
Langa slowly rolled off Reki and onto his back. He’d never felt this blissed out after coming. Was that the power of getting off with someone you really liked?
As they came down from the high and their breathing went back to normal, the reality of their actions slowly sank in. Langa was flushed, a thin layer of sweat on his skin. Reki was likely in the same boat.
‘Shit,’ Reki breathed.
‘Hmm.’
‘That just happened.’
‘Yep.’
‘Shit.’
Langa paused for a moment, his stomach fluttering. ‘You liked it… right?’
From the corner of his eye, he saw Reki turn his head to look at him. ‘Yeah, a lot.’
Relief washed over Langa and he looked at Reki. They stared at each other for a moment in silence before Reki shifted slightly. He scowled.
‘Ugh, we need to change,’ he said. Once he pointed it out, Langa could feel it too. He got off the bed and realised he didn’t have a spare pair of underwear. Which was totally fair because the nights events had not been in his plans today.
‘Can I borrow some boxers?’ he whispered. Reki looked at him and stifled a laugh. Langa frowned and smacked him on the arm. Reki searched through his drawers and handed him a pair before Reki cracked his bedroom door open. The house was silent, and it only dawned on Langa that they hadn’t exactly been… quiet. Reki’s family must be heavy sleepers, and for that he was very thankful. They tiptoed down the hall to the bathroom, quickly cleaned themselves up and were back in Reki’s bedroom without making a sound.
Reki got back onto his bed, but Langa stood at the head of his futon, glancing at it and then to Reki. His bed wasn’t exactly big enough for two, but that didn’t stop him from scooting over to make room. Langa slid in beside him and they laid down, face to face.
‘Can I kiss you again tomorrow?’ Langa asked.
Reki shoved his face away. ‘You’re so greedy.’
‘That’s not a no.’
Reki looked at him and laughed. ‘Fine, yes. Now go to sleep.’
‘How am I supposed to sleep after that,’ Langa said.
Reki turned over so his back was to him. ‘Close your eyes.’
Langa grumbled, and then wrapped his arm around Reki’s waist, pulling him close. Within a few minutes, he was fast asleep.