#*wavy arms of Squiggily-isms*

[giggly-squiggily]

i loved the matchablossom drabble you wrote! i have a headcanon for joe and reki (if the event is still open, i'm not sure how timezones work 😅)

i think they would bond because langa and cherry are both geniuses (skating and carla) while reki and joe are both people who had to work hard for their respective dreams so whenever reki has a down phase and doesn't feel good enough joe does his best to cheer him up because he knows what it's like

Headcanons To Dabbles: Officially CLOSED!

Oo, this is so soft! I love writing Joe- he's a great big brother/dad figure to the boys! I've gotcha covered, anon!

“Hey kid.” Joe kneeled before Reki, giving his knee a squeeze. “Come on. We’re going out.”

Reki looked at him wearily, his already downer expression souring more. “Why?”

“Because.” Joe shrugged, as if that was the only answer he needed. Maybe it was.

Reki stared at him before sighing, knowing Joe was only gonna keep pestering him until he agreed. “Where to, then?”

~~~ They found themselves on the beach, parked by the water with slushies in hand and a convenient store bag full of small snacks and candies between them. The treats didn’t seem to change Reki’s mood much, but the water certainly did. He seemed less down as he took in the sights.

“When I was your age, I used to come down here whenever I got upset.” Joe hummed around a twizzler, chewing it slowly as he reminisced. “Fights with precious, failed tests, bad days- something about sitting here with the sand between my toes and the smell of saltwater around me always calmed me down.”

“It’s nice…” Reki agreed quietly, knees pulled up to his chest. It really was nice, but he still didn’t understand why Joe brought him here. “Can I be blunt?”

“Never stopped you before, kid.”

“Why are we here?” Reki looked at him, brows furrowing. “I don’t mind it, but…”

“Ah. My ulterior motives.” Joe smirked, still looking out at the ocean. “In time, Reki. First, enjoy the breeze.”

Reki did as he said, turning back to the ocean. Watching the waves made him think of skating, the ups and downs, the way they moved. He wondered what surfing would be like.

Then he thought about Langa and how his eyes matched the color of the ocean.

And then he remembered how the other skated and all his temporary calm soured into self loathing.

“There it is.” Joe pointed his now shortened twizzler at him, waving it like a wand at Reki’s gloomy face. “You’re feeling pretty pathetic right now, huh?”

“Harsh?” Reki glared at him.

“Truth.” Joe nodded, tossing the remainder of his candy in the bag. “You’re comparing yourself to Langa again. You’re convinced he’s this untouchable god of skating and you’re only his shadow.”

“That’s not…” It was true.

“Don’t deny it kid. Believe me- following behind someone like Precious and his Carla bot can make a guy feel pretty small at one point or another.” Joe didn’t sound bitter though, if anything- he sounded amused. “Then I realized the problem wasn’t Cherry, or my skating. It was me. I told myself I was nothing because I couldn’t do what they did.” Reki didn’t ask who was “they”. 

“And you know what? All this time later, I still can’t do what they do. But I don’t need to.” Joe nodded. “Neither do you. You don’t need to match Langa and be his equal to be great at skating. You just need more confidence in yourself that you’ll get there.” Joe reached out, grabbing Reki’s collar and pulling him into a side hug. “You’re gonna have days like today where it feels like there’s a road block, and you’re gonna have days where it’s clear skies. That’s just part of figuring out what your path of skating’s gonna be. So don’t be bummed out about this. I promise you, it’ll pass. You’re a great skater, Reki. Don’t forget that.”

Reki didn’t speak- his throat was too clogged with tears. He instead reached out with his fist, smiling wobbly when Joe tapped his own against it. “Thanks, Joe..”

“Don’t mention it, kid.”