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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[ 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?

[ asshole. he's always got a line. reki almost swerves into a rail because he's grinning too hard to pay attention, but whatever, it's fine, if his overdramatic wriggling to regain his balance earns him some snickering then that's still a win.

thank god he sobers reki up with a question he doesn't want to answer. there's a sour look on his face for the fraction of a second it takes to set his gaze elsewhere. ]

Same way as everyone else: peer pressure. You?

[ even on the move like this, with half his attention on trying not to fall flat on his face, qi fang can sense the shift in reki's mood. it's hard not to, considering how wide he'd been grinning just a second ago. he has enough sense to know he's struck a nerve, but he hasn't yet decided if he wants to keep prodding at it. so instead he shrugs absently, glancing away to allow the other some privacy. ]

Yeah, same. I mentioned before it was pretty popular for a while back in middle school. But I was only ever casual with it at best.

[ hm hm hmmm ]

Looks like you took it to a whole 'nother level though.

I'm all right. I know some guys that are on a level you'd never even believe.

[ hey, it's only for a fraction of a second. they're skating; now's not the time to sulk about the past. ]

The board you're riding is a prototype I mocked up for one of 'em. He kinda... never got back to me about it, though.

[ his fucking loss. the shock absorption on this baby is fire. and qi fang looks like he's having a good time with it, which, honestly, even better. ]

All for the best, man. You look way fresher on it than he would've.

[ qi fang watches reki perhaps a little too closely when he mentions someone specific, mind already buzzing with annoying thoughts like an ex? before he has to manually stomp them all down. snagging a tire on a wayward rock knocks him back into proper focus, wobbling a little before sheepishly rolling along. ]

I'll model it for you if you ever wanna sell it proper but I can already tell it'd be a waste under an amateur like me.

[ reki has a hand out to steady him in an instant, his foot sliding over the deck to make sure it doesn't slip. she's being a total G, though; everything feels balanced and stable under the sole of his sneaker.

anyway, time to play dumb: ]

But how can I sell it if it's already yours?

[ reki reaches out for him and instinct has qi fang reaching out in return, which just means he ends up awkwardly holding reki's wrist as they sort of just. stare dumbly at each other. ]

What? Dude, c'mon. Even I can tell you could make bank from this. Don't waste it on me.

[ well, it's not the worst thing. the view is pretty choice and reki can't help but grin after a second of it. ]

... Huh? Can't hear you.

[ his shifts his hand, pressing his thumb into the center of reki's palm. ]

Don't play dumb you're gonna make me look ungrateful.

[ reki's fingers wind around and he tilts his head, flashing big, bright eyes at him. ]

Dunno what you're talking about. You don't look like you're ungrateful; you look like you're having a good time.

[ qi fang's own smile turns a little sharp, leaning down further to shorten that gap between them. ]

That's not hard around you.

[ his turns coy, with just a hint of trouble to the curled corners of his mouth. ]

Sounds like a good reason to go for it then.

[ qi fang recognizes a dare when he sees one, but it's a hard line to cross when they're out in public like this. technically, the streets are pretty clear what with most people either at school or work... but despite that smile on reki's face, qi fang still figures there's a 50/50 chance he'll get socked for trying to steal a kiss out in broad daylight like this. ]

You're trouble on a skateboard.

[ he shakes his head, sounding exasperated as he straightens up. ]

How many times are you gonna try and turn me on in public?

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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