Sk8 the Infinity Oneshots

To Skate With You Forever (Renga)

A/N: Ha ha! Finally! This is the companion fic to "The One Who Makes Your Heart Race", and unlike the last one (that explored Langa’s side), this one explores Reki’s side. The only scenes that exist in both fics are the ones with Reki and Langa in the same scene. Just like with the last fic, this fic is post episode 9 and is canon divergent. I wrote the outline for this at the same time as the last one. I may know ahead of episode 9.5 now, but to stay true to these companion fics and the orginal outlines, this fic is not influenced at all by the events in episodes 10-12. This fic still contains the hopes and predictions I had before episode 10 originally dropped

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Since Langa passed him by during the beef, Reki has been focused on his phone, watching the end of it unfold. All other noises and sights have been tuned out until all that’s left are Reki and the video.

It’s been a while since Reki’s felt this way. It’s been a while since he’s had that nervousness, the kind that makes him sweat in anticipation of how a beef will turn out.

Is he going to win?

Reki knows Langa can do it--believes he can--but he just can’t stop himself from worrying about both the outcome and Langa’s wellbeing.

Reki’s tried. Since the day he broke off his friendship with Langa, left him standing there under the rain, he’s tried to tell himself that he’s free, that he doesn’t have to worry about Langa’s wellbeing. He knows there’s nothing he can do to affect Langa’s well being even, but he just can’t help it.

Reki sighs.

It sure is hard to stop caring about someone you…

He doesn’t even allow himself to think about it, shifting his focus back to the race.

Langa and JOE are toe to toe in the abandoned factory now. The seconds stretch out into minutes, the two cross the line, and the winner is revealed.

“Langa won,” Reki whispers to himself. “Against JOE.”

The beef is over, and the video on his screen switches to a visual that reads “Winner! SNOW”.

Reki’s hand squeezes tighter around his phone.

I don’t understand.

He was so worried about Langa earlier, and he’d gotten so worked up at the prospect of Langa giving up, but even though Langa just won, Reki’s not smiling.

“SNOW won, dude!”

“Maybe he might win against ADAM!”

“He just might!”

Reki turns off his phone.

Langa won. But I’m not happy at all.

That ever present ache Reki’s felt since that day he left Langa in the rain grows.

My friend won, but I can’t be happy for him.

What am I doing in a place like this?

Reki bites his lip as tears begin to well up in his eyes.

I get it. I was just frustrated.

The first tear cuts a trail down his face, falling onto the ground at Crazy Rock, but everyone knows how hard it is to stop crying once you’ve started. More tears quickly join the first, staining the ground.

I...don’t want to cheer others on after all!

Before, Reki thought that the problem might’ve been that he was in the wrong place. He can’t catch up to Langa--can’t skate by his side like ADAM can--because he’s just not good enough. He can’t compare, so that means he’s just meant for support, right? He’d entertained the idea that maybe his place was to cheer on Langa and the others, fix up boards, and make them instead.