rekd | knock me down like a heavyweight

knock me down like a heavyweight

[ by the time reki's gotten to his seat in homeroom, it feels like the night before was all just some sort of hazy, surreal dream. a lot's happened since then; for one, his arm is bandaged all the way up to the elbow, compliments of a gnarly gash he got bailing straight into a cluster of jagged rocks, he's probably killed off half the brain cells he's got left skidding on his face, and the unfathomable weight of last night's loss is heavy on his mind. kinda hard to think about anything else when he can still hear his skateboard crackling beneath the flames. fuckin' sucks, man.

it takes awhile for him to zone back into reality. really, it's less of a zone and more of a jolt, when the gaggle of jeering students crowding around him start to dissipate and he notices qi fang with a start. fuck, he forgot all about those english notes. even worse, qi fang looks so good, fresh-faced and distractingly handsome. reki, on the other hand, looks like he stayed up til the early hours of the morning getting stitched up in the ER and barely slid into class in time for the bell in yesterday's wrinkled clothes. embarrassing.

whatever. he has until lunch to think up a good excuse for why he can't return those notes yet. instead, of course, he sleeps straight through all of his classes and sleep-walks up the stairs to the roof, flopping into his usual spot against the fence, debating whether or not he even wants to be awake to eat. a nap in the sun sounds a lot better, so he pulls his hoodie up and leans his head back against the chain links, letting his eyes drift shut slowly. ]

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And ply me full of cake, oh no...

[ yeah, qi fang doesn't sound too cut up about that possibility. but! he still follows reki back to his room like a good fuck buddy whatever he is.

he lingers by the doorway, folding his arms and leaning against it while he waits. ]

It was nice of them to let you sleep, at least.

Yeah, they're not the worst sometimes.

[ maybe today's color is yellow. he has just the hoodie for it, grabs that and a headband to leash down the unruly mess his hair has become between the shower and falling back asleep, and then he pats down the bed to locate that bottle. both of them, actually, he'll slide them into his back pocket, then grab qi fang's shoes from the night before and hand them over on his way back out the door. ]

Sure you're ready to get the hell outta here though. I grew up here and it's too loud for me.

[ qi fang notices the bottles and shifts a little in his place, trying not to let his mind get away from him while they're still not technically in the clear. ]

Nah, it's nice. You'll probably think my place is creepy cuz it's so quiet. I can promise it isn't haunted.

[ he takes the shoes in one hand and absently reaches out with the other to tuck a wayward lock of reki's hair into the headband, before moving out of the way to let reki lead them out. ]

Sounds fucking sublime. I'll take quiet ghosts over little sisters any day.

[ yeah, too bad about that. reki wants to shove him right into the wall and kiss him so hard right now. he shoots him a look that means pretty much the same thing anyway and ushers them toward the front door with a sigh. ]

You sure you're not like a secret skating prodigy?

[ like, are they really gonna have to walk like cavemen? ]

[ yeah, nah, he is not gonna think about that look right now. he's still in shorts, after all, free-balling it. the last thing either of them need is reki's grandma catching him with a semi.

anyway. ]

99% sure I'm not. I mean I can do it, I just won't be impressive on it. So if you're not gonna be embarrassed having a chump on one of your boards...

[ reki stops dead short. this changes everything. ]

Like... You can stay on and manage a reasonable speed?

[ qi fang almost walks right into him wtf warn a dude ]

Yeah? It was a whole thing in middle school and I haven't been on one in a while but I'm pretty sure...

[ reki's never felt this #blessed. once they've got their shoes on, he hooks his fingers into the pocket of qi fang's hoodie and pulls him along, out the front door and into the yard, past the charred wreckage of his board from last night and straight into the shed again. ]

Knock yourself out.

[ it's not like there's a shortage of decks to choose from. reki's just gonna grab an old, beat to shit nickel board, but the rest are in pristine condition. ]

[ qi fang falters a little when he lays his eyes on the array of boards at his disposal. he feels a little out of his element, because each one looks so different from the other that he's sure there's a different purpose for all of them.

eventually he just opts for the plainest looking one, holding it up towards reki. ]

This one's not gonna suddenly launch rockets when I use it, is it?

[ reki gives him an anxious look. ]

Uhh... Why would it do that? Don't be a dumbass.

[ obviously this one is rocket-free. there's no chassis to hold one on this board in particular, and anyway, reki's done the math and it's physically impossible to nail the torque conversion it'd take to fire off a rocket from a deck in any direction you'd hypothetically want it to go. he's done the math so hard he still has scars from the burns and the bail. ]

Try standing on it.

[ qi fang shrugs, setting the board down. it had been a flippant comment, meant to make light of all the chaos that can be found in reki's workshop. ~~look at me, trying to reason out my shit.~~ ]

Don't worry if I fall I won't sue.

[ he tests a foot on it, rolling the board a few times before bracing himself and hopping on with both feet. he wobbles a little, but maintains his balance just fine. he looks up, holding his hands up as if to say satisfied? ]

Good luck getting blood outta this rock anyway.

[ is he satisfied? not really, not because of anything qi fang's doing, but because of a thousand tiny variables he puts together in a half a second's glance. it's not like he's moving, so he can't tell for sure what's off, but he's obsessed enough with all of this shit to take a calculated guess and whip another board off the racks, setting it down on the floor. ]

Try this one.

[ it happens in a second, so quickly qi fang can't be too sure, but he swears he saw a weird flash behind reki's eyes as he looks him over. something critical and calculating. he feels an odd thrill from it, but he wouldn't be able to describe it even if he tried. ]

Kay...

[ he steps off the other board and mounts the new one. it's a little flashier than the first, but it feels sturdier under his weight somehow. ]

Feels nice.

Right? The bearings are tighter and there's a wider wheelset on this one.

[ like qi fang cares. anyway. now reki's looking at him again, not trying to discern anything in particular. just kinda... filing this view away for later. he tilts his head one way, then the other to get the full scope. ]

You look fuckin' hot.

[ it's not that qi fang doesn't, he just doesn't understand what any of it means. he tries to, to his credit, head tilting curiously as he looks down at the board and lets it roll back and forth beneath him a few times.

he's looking back up at that last comment, unable to help the smirk on his lips. ]

You're just saying that cuz I'm wearing your clothes.

[ he snickers, pushing off the floor to roll where reki stands, coming to a stop right in front of him. thank god he can still do this, otherwise that could've been real embarrassing. ]

Shall we?

Hm.

[ yeah, they... probably should before reki rolls him right up against a wall again. honestly, he should have known this would be a Thing. but whatever, he's strong, he can flip up his own board and tuck it under his arm for the trek across the lawn. maybe he needs to make some adjustments via his pocket right fast but it's all copasetic from there.

it's gonna be awhile til he stops looking at qi fang like this, though. ]

Yeah, let's go. What part of town do you live in, anyway?

Just a couple of blocks from where you work.

[ he isn't so quick to reveal that he lives in the denser, wealthier part of town. he isn't ashamed or embarrassed or whatever, it's just not something he ever thinks to mention.

once they're on the concrete he's back on the board and quirking a brow at the other. ]

Wanna take the lead to your work and then I'll take it from there? Something tells me the less you have to follow my slow ass the better.

[ reki flashes him a smirk and glides around him while he gets his bearings. ]

Just focus on getting where you gotta go.

[ like reki's going to miss a second of this. fuck that, he's going to stick nice and close—especially because there's no way he's letting qi fang take a nasty bail when he just talked him into this for the first time.

which, speaking of... ]

And watch out for the drop-off at the end of the hill; it's brutal.

Well now I have performance anxiety...

[ is this the kinda shit that's gonna make or break them? fuck, he wishes he paid more attention back when skateboarding was way more popular. but, alright, no use dragging it out...

taking a breath he pushes off and tries to just build up a steady speed for himself as he winds down the road, towards the skate shop. he is not remarkably impressive by any means, but he isn't wobbling around like a whole idiot so there's... that. glad he tied back his hair though, otherwise that would have gotten real annoying real fast. ]

[ yeah, imagine skating around with hair all up in your face—you'd have to be some kind of psycho to do that. luckily, qi fang looks like he's off to a great start and however much sunshine reki was exuding before is turned up to fucking eleven now. who cares if he's not kickflipping off curbs and ollieing into the stars? he looks amazing.

reki's so fucked. he can't even deny it anymore. ]

Lookin' good!

[ y'know, just in case qi fang's still stuck on that performance anxiety; reki's more than willing to stick around and cheer him on in earnest. kinda hard not to sound 100% enthusiastic, when this is pretty much the best thing that's ever happened to him. ]

You're so full of shit.

[ qi fang is pretty positive he looks like a toddler learning how to walk for the first time, if not a newborn faun figuring out how legs work, but reki's very sweet for being encouraging nonetheless. hell, it's tough not to feel some of that enthusiasm seeping into his own blood, tugging at the corners of his lips. he's not gonna let it go to his head too much (there's still that drop to be wary of, after all) but he does let it puff out his chest a little. hell, when reki glances over, qi fang will even throw up some sick hand signs. sure, he feels like a total idiot but reki's beaming at him like none of that matters and, you know what? it doesn't. ]

[ nah fuck all that. this is such a good time, zig-zagging down the perfect hill with the sun at their backs and the whole world blurring around them. he's playfully juking qi fang a little, but hey, that's how you learn and anyway he doesn't want him to go too fast and choke up when the road drops off ahead.

either way, there's no feeling like an idiot when reki's swerving over every little bump in this ancient street to nab himself some air, his arms spread wide and his mouth echoing down the block with whatever wild noises he can belt out before the impact shuts him up. there's literally no reason to care; this is the most fun you can have on four wheels and reki's gonna enjoy the shit out of it with his eyes on qi fang the whole time. ]

[ yeah, okay. qi fang gets it now. all those times girls would come to their games, every other time the boys would visit theirs in turn. there's something really intoxicating about seeing someone in their element, but qi fang has a feeling this is something else entirely. this isn't just reki's element, but his domain, moving like he's both at odds and at one with the wind, swerving around like his body isn't made to stay still.

qi fang doesn't fall flat on his face at the end of the hill, but his stop is sloppy, a few stumbling bumps that has him hopping off the board and his arms flailing around to stop his momentum. but he doesn't really care when his attention is on reki, watching him fly through the hill like it's any old thing. his board bumps against his ankle, and it stings, but he doesn't really notice that either, practically gaping. ]

Dude... You're like some kinda genius.

[ reki swerves right up to him to look him over, even though he can tell by a glance that no harm's really been done. and then he averts his eyes, huffing. ]

Stop. You would've had that if you followed through.

[ qi fang's an athlete; he'll get it. like an actual one where reki just sort of banks on bravery and a few genuinely graceful moments. reki's got no doubt he'll have a chokehold on the basics by the time they get to their destination. he carefully wheels qi fang's board around his feet with the toe of his sneaker and pushes off on his own, gliding slowly forward. ]

Just lean into it next time; no guts no glory, right?

Seeing guts is what I'm trying to avoid.

[ excuse you, was he the only one who saw how treacherous that drop was? yes? probably?? qi fang's starting to get the feeling he's a little out of his depth here, but reki doesn't seem discouraged by that just yet so he'll count his blessings where he can. back on the board he rolls forward enough to join reki by his side. ]

So how'd you get into skateboarding anyway?

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LMAO I GOT MY TIMELINES CROSSED ignore me.....

LMAOOO I thought u were doing some FoReShAdoWinG

NO IM JUST A DUMBASS

it's still my fault for never letting u out of threads lmaooo

pls like i ain't making my home in ur journal

welcome home this bud's 4 u

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