Archive of Our Own ^beta

Take it Easy - Give it all you've got

Not for the first time, Langa wished he was as comfortable showing affection as Reki. Considering how tactile his entire family was, it probably wasn't surprising that the redhead didn't think anything of it. His best friend had no problem throwing himself at Langa for a hug after a beef, but all Langa could offer was a wide smile and an enthusiastic comment of, “That was a great race, Reki!”

“Not bad, slime,” Miya agreed. “There’s a trick I can show you that'll help you suck a bit less; you’re still losing too much speed at the corners.”

Langa tried not to let it bother him when Reki threw his arm around the younger boy instead of him , sharing the easy affection that Langa craved with somebody else despite Miya’s protests.

“He’s going to need a lot more than some tricks if he expects to defeat the Clown Punk of S!” Shadow declared loudly, painted face stretched into a grin.

“I can think of somebody else who relies on tricks to win,” Miya argued, his smirk suggesting he was trying to rile Shadow.

“Hey, I did better than last time!” Reki pointed out.

“You mean you actually finished the race? I don’t know if that's anything I'd brag about, kid,” Shadow said with a raucous laugh that was echoed by his group of fans around him.

“At the rate Reki is improving, he’ll beat you in no time, Old Man!”

The argument that broke out was good-natured, the type of bickering that was expected from the group of friends he’d made since he’d moved to Okinawa and Reki had taught him to skateboard. Langa still wasn’t used to it, though. Still didn’t know how to join in when they got like this. It was easier when it was just him and Reki, the light-hearted banter coming more naturally to him. 

He always felt a little like an outsider looking in, not entirely comfortable even if the bond the group of them shared went beyond simple friendship. They’d become a family, of sorts, in the short time he’d known them. Like Reki’s actual family, though, they were loud and boisterous. Langa had never experienced anything like that in his own family. It had just been the three of them, after all, and his father had always been the most outwardly demonstrative of them.

He missed his dad.

Langa was so caught up in his thoughts that he’d stopped paying attention to the conversation. He was pulled back into it when Reki threw a casual arm around his shoulders, hugging him back to reality. 

“What’s up?” Langa asked him, knowing Reki was selfless with his affection, but it usually wasn’t without purpose.

“There isn’t another beef scheduled for the night, so Miya’s going to show me a couple of things to increase my time. I’ll catch up to you later, all right?”

“Yeah, sure,” Langa agreed, trying not to feel let down. Left out. Because the lack of invitation to join them hadn’t gone unnoticed. “Have fun!” He forced a smile that Reki seemed to buy since he matched it with a bright one of his own.

“Of course! It’s skating!” Reki declared.

They parted with a slap of hands, a bump of fists, and curled fingers. Langa felt the same flutter in his chest that he always did when they completed their new DAP, but the darker mood that seemed to have come over him didn't let it linger long. 

“I want to skate infinitely with you.”

“Infinitely? That's a bit much, bro.”

It wasn't, though. Not to Langa. Maybe it was just that he had a better understanding of the fleeting nature of time than his best friend. Or maybe it was that Reki simply didn't feel the same way Langa did. After all, Langa knew he was in love with the vibrant redhead. He just had no idea if Reki felt the same.

He watched Reki and Miya’s departing backs for a moment, watching them shove playfully at each other until Reki slung his arm over the smaller boy's shoulder and gave him a violent head rub with his knuckles. Even as far away as they already were, Langa could hear Miya’s squawk of protest. 

He tried to ignore the jealousy that churned inside him. An all too familiar feeling lately, it seemed. Things had been better since the end of the tournament, since he and Reki made up after their fight. For the most part, at least. 

Except for the jealousy. 

It had started about a week after Langa’s race against Adam. Only a few days after he’d gotten to share his promised race against Reki. That had been so much fun, and  Langa’s heart had pounded in excitement the entire time Reki had skated beside him. And for hours after when he’d thought of his friend’s smile as they’d sped down the mountain together. Then, a couple of days later, when he’d gone to meet Reki and Miya at the skatepark, he’d realized they’d already been there for hours without him. 

The first time it happened, Langa had pushed the feeling aside. It was harder to do the same after the second time. The third time, Langa had finally said something to Reki about it. His best friend admitted that he was trying to spend more time with Miya to make up for how he’d acted during the tournament. 

Langa understood that. He really did. Except… well. Miya wasn’t the only one Reki had ghosted, and while he’d apologized to Langa, he’d never really talked about what had been going on with him during all that. Langa had been the one to do all the talking that night, which was fine , really, except…

Reki was a terrible liar. He expressed everything he felt on his face, his amber eyes showing every emotion even when he wouldn’t talk about them. And Langa had learned to read what they were saying really well. At least, he thought he had. Which meant it was clear to him that Reki was hiding something from him about skating with Miya. There was something about it that he didn’t want Langa to know.

After that realization, the jealousy had become a lot harder to push aside.

He tried, though. Not wanting to ruin Reki’s night by being in a bad mood. Not after Reki had such a good rematch against Shadow. But Reki wasn't there at the moment, and that made it easier to give in to those darker feelings. 

He looked around to try to find something to distract himself from them, to pull himself from the mood he was in. Shadow had gone back to his group of fans, the bass from the boom box one of them carried on his shoulder doing nothing to drown out the Clown's loud laughter. 

Neither Joe nor Cherry were there that night. They'd both promised Reki they'd be watching on the live feed, pretending they hadn't flushed in embarrassment when Langa not-so-innocently asked if they'd be watching the race together like they usually did at S. 

And Miya was off with Reki. Which was the primary reason Langa needed a distraction in the first place. 

There were, of course, dozens of people around him that he could join. People all-too-willing to talk to Snow , to tell him what an awesome skater he was, to rehash old beefs he’d won or beg him to race again soon. It all felt a bit hollow, at the moment, though, and he doubted it would get his mind off anything.

Then he’d looked up and saw Adam watching the crowd from one of the walkways of the abandoned factory. Langa hadn’t really talked to him since the final race of the tournament, though he’d seen him at S a few times. Adam had been… quieter since he’d lost the race. Still a grand showman — Langa doubted anything would change that — but he’d been less antagonistic about it. 

Without any hesitation, Langa started to make his way towards him. Parts of the old factory were a tangled mess of stairs and walkways, only some of them safe or fully functional, and Langa wasn’t certain how to get up to that particular part of the building. Not until he saw one of the Capmen standing by a set of stairs as if guarding it. He made his way towards him, figuring he could ask how to get up there, if nothing else. Only the Capman gave a bow of his head, face shadowed by the bill of the red hat he wore, and stepped aside so Langa could access the stairs he’d been in front of.

Curiously, Langa began to climb them, each metal step clanging loudly as he did. 

“Hey,” he said a bit awkwardly when he reached the top of the stairs and found Adam there smoking a cigarette.

“Well now ,” Adam said, exhaling a plume of smoke into the air, “I told my dog I didn't want to be disturbed, and now I don't know if I should reward him or punish him for disobeying.”

“Your dog…?” Langa repeated, glancing down at the Capman who'd let him by. He was looking up at them, and for a brief moment, as the moonlight hit his upturned face, Langa could see the small mole under his eye. “Is that Snake?”

Adam made a humming noise that Langa couldn't interpret at all and fluttered his hand dismissively. “Enough about him. You found me. My Eve!”

Langa felt himself flushing a little bit. He wasn't interested in Adam, not like that, at least. He was a fantastic skater, and Langa wanted to race him again, and he thought he'd like to be friends with him, because he had a feeling Adam didn't really have any of those, but that didn't mean he wanted a… romantic relationship with him or anything. 

Still, the attention was kind of nice, and he felt a faint blush of warmth on his cheeks at the nickname.  

“We hadn't really talked since the tournament,” Langa said, trying to ignore his embarrassment and making it worse instead. “I figured I'd come see how you were doing.” 

“Were you worried about me, sweet little Langa?” Adam asked, obviously trying to sound like he was teasing, but Langa wasn't certain he actually was. It was hard to tell with Adam sometimes since he still struggled with the nuances of the language, and Adam was so over-the-top most of the time it was difficult to tell whether it was genuine.

“Yeah, I guess I was,” Langa admitted honestly. 

“You really are too precious for words, Snowball.” 

At least he was clear about his mocking.

“We raced a funeral beef together,” Langa pointed out, frowning. “We're… friends now, aren't we?” 

“If all it took to make friends was a dangerous race, I would’ve had dozens years ago.” Adam’s sarcasm, it seemed, was also obvious. He took a long drag of his cigarette blowing the smoke out slowly into the night air. “While I usually find apologies far too tedious to concern myself with… I was… going through something and you, my darling Snow, were caught in the middle of it.” 

“It's all right,” Langa said, though he couldn't help but notice that Adam hadn't actually apologized. “I think we both needed that race.”

“Eh?” Adam tilted his head to look at him curiously. He took another puff of his cigarette while scrutinizing Langa with his masked stare in a way that made him want to fidget nervously. “Perhaps — if we are friends now — I should be asking how you are doing, my dear.”

It was on the tip of Langa’s tongue to say he was fine, really, when Adam added, tone sharper and more commanding than he’d ever heard from him, “Do not lie to me, Snow.”

Langa swallowed before saying quietly, “Some days are better than others.”

Adam nodded, as though satisfied with the response. He didn’t say anything, not immediately, instead simply turning back to look out over Crazy Rock as he finished his cigarette. 

Hesitantly, Langa moved to stand beside him, looking out over the mountain. The almost frenetic energy of all the skaters didn’t reach them up there on the walkway, the shouts and laughter somewhat distant. As though they were untouchable, the two of them, surveying everything beneath them. The view was clear, though, showing a larger portion of the course than he’d expected. He could even see Miya laughing as Reki bailed from his board mid-spin. 

“I researched you, you know,” Adam said unexpectedly, dropping his cigarette and grinding it under the toe of his boot. “You were more than just any snowboarder. You were a National Hopeful. Considered a guaranteed spot on the Olympic team.”

“Yeah,” Langa admitted softly, the word almost sticking in his throat. He felt the burn of tears behind his eyes but willed them away. He’d gotten good at that. Being numb was easier. Especially since Adam wasn’t finished talking. 

“Then your coach — your father — was killed in a car accident and the next time you were on the slopes, you froze, and not just literally, my little snow bunny. You were unable to finish the race.”

“It all felt so… pointless,” Langa confessed, clutching at his chest as he remembered the ache of that hollow, empty feeling. “Everything did.”

“Your little friends don’t know, do they? What you gave up. What you lost? Though I suppose Cherry might. No doubt he had that computer of his look you up once he saw you skate.”

“I don’t know. We’ve never talked about it,” Langa shrugged. He didn’t explain that he didn’t talk about his grief with anybody , keeping everything locked inside. He’d first started doing it when he watched his mother break down, knowing he had to be strong for her. But closing himself off had become such a second nature, that he’d forgotten how to feel anything, at all.

Until he’d met Reki. A ray of sunshine that broke though the clouds, he’d done more than simply teach Langa how to skateboard. He’d helped him remember what it was like to feel joy again, to laugh. To feel alive. 

While he was grateful for it, he’d never really talked about it. Reki felt everything so deeply — every happiness, every heartache — that Langa didn’t think he’d really understand the pain that came with being numb . 

He thought, oddly enough, that Adam might. He’d actively sought that feeling by skating in the zone, but Langa saw him as they took their last jump together. He’d seen the wonder that had lit his face as he remembered, finally, what it felt like to let himself have fun. 

It was that thought that made Langa haltingly ask, “I know what happens on the mountains… stays here… but do you think we could… talk sometime?”

Adam tilted his head, studying him for a moment, before saying, in a voice more genuine than normal, “For you, my Eve, I will clear my calendar. My secretary will be in touch.”

Langa nodded, letting go of the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Then Adam’s words sank in. “You have a secretary?” 

For some reason, Adam found that funny, giving a bright burst of laughter at the question. “You do amuse me, my sweet Snow,” he declared, pinching Langa’s chin in his gloved fingers. Then he turned away, heading towards the stairs. “I will see you soon, little Langa,” he said over his shoulder, blowing him a kiss.

Langa watched as he said something to Snake, the Capman falling in step behind him as they both left, leaving Langa to worry about what he’d just gotten himself into.

*************

Later that week, Langa stayed home sick from school. His mother fretted and worried, pressing her hand to his forehead to check for fever. She made certain he had everything he might need — food, medicine, fluids — before leaving for work. He didn’t get sick often, and he hated worrying her. She had enough stress in her life without adding concern for him to that list. 

He’d texted Reki to let him know he wasn’t going to be in class. His best friend had replied, offering to ditch and bring over snacks so they could chill and watch bad TV all day. Langa had let him know he was probably just going to sleep all day. 

An hour later, Langa was waiting outside his apartment when a sleek black sedan pulled up. Before he could react, the driver of the car had gotten out and opened the car door for him, bowing his head slightly. Langa just stood there gaping. Adam had said somebody would pick him up, but this wasn’t what he’d been expecting.

“Please get in the car, Hasegawa-san,” the chauffeur prompted, voice soft and entirely without inflection. 

“Oh! Right. Sorry,” Langa apologized, jolting into action and sliding into the backseat. It wasn’t until the man was closing the door behind him that Langa got a good look at him. He was dressed in a crisp black suit with a lavender tie, but it was unmistakably Snake.

He gave Langa only the briefest of glances in the rear-view mirror before pulling the car back onto the road and into traffic.

“You’re…” Langa started to say.

“Kikuchi Tadashi,” he interrupted. “I am Ainosuke-sama’s personal secretary.”

“… Snake,” Langa finished saying once he was done talking. “I guess… Ainosuke-sama?… is Adam?” he asked.

“Please refrain from using those names outside of S,” Snake said tersely. “There is a Non-disclosure agreement on the seat beside you. It would be appreciated if you would read the document and sign it. Ainosuke-sama’s identity as Adam cannot be revealed to the public.”

“I wouldn’t- why would I-” Langa spluttered.

“Please just sign it,” Snake said with what Langa thought might be a touch of exasperation in his monotone voice.

Langa spent the rest of the car ride looking over the papers. He still struggled reading Japanese. Adding a bunch of legalese did not make it any easier. In the end, he just scribbled his signature on the indicated line, his normally messy handwriting made even worse by the sharp turn the car made partway through his name.

It wasn't until he was done that Langa looked up, eyes going wide at what he saw through the car windows. They had pulled into the long, winding driveway of the biggest house he'd ever seen. Carefully manicured trees lined the road they were on and the large manor house still loomed in the distance. “This is where Adam lives?” Langa said, somewhat awed. If he thought about it, which he never really had, it made sense that Adam was rich. Not only did he have his own helicopter, but he also kept S running, free of charge, and the new screens he’d put up for the tournament alone must’ve cost a fortune. 

“The estate has belonged to the Shindo Family for generations,” Snake answered. “As the sole heir to the family, Ainosuke-sama inherited it when his father passed away a few years ago.”

“Oh. I didn’t know he’d lost his dad, too.”

The silence that followed Langa’s comment was heavy, and he assumed it was simply because mention of death tended to make things awkward. Then, Snake spoke. 

“It may not be my place to say this, Hasegawa-san, but I would not compare your own grief to Ainosuke-sama’s. His father was not like yours. Aiichiro-sama was not a good man. Especially not to his son.”

“He was still his dad,” Langa said sadly, but his mind was elsewhere.

‘No more cruel expectations. No one giving you orders.’

‘This is not defeat. That is unacceptable in this house!’

‘If you don’t win, you will cease to exist! You won’t be loved!’

Langa had recognized — when he’d heard Adam saying those things during their race — that there was, undoubtedly, a lot of pain in the older man’s past that had made him the way he was. The confirmation didn’t feel pleasant.

The last of the car ride passed in silence. Snake moved to open Langa’s door, but he was already climbing out of the car, looking around curiously. The place was even more massive up close.

“If you will follow me, Ainosuke-sama is expecting you in the gardens,” Snake informed him.

Langa tried not to trip over his own feet while walking and looking around himself, trying to take in everything at once. The house they quickly passed through was lavish and rich, ornately decorated with what were probably priceless works of art. The gardens Snake led him to were beautiful, roses in bloom everywhere he looked, the warm air filled with the soft scent of them. 

Langa was pretty sure he’d get completely lost trying to find his way back to the house by the time the hedges of rose bushes opened to reveal an area around an empty circular pool. Adam was skating it, dressed in dark blue suit pants with a matching vest — the jacket that went with them draped carefully over a nearby chair — and a button-up shirt with a red tie. His hair was slicked back, though a couple of pieces fell forward instead. The smile he flashed was a muted thing compared to what Langa was used to seeing from him at S, and seemed a little less honest. 

He sounded genuinely happy to see him, though, as he said, “Ah, Snow! You are finally here. I trust my dog had no difficulty fetching you.”

Langa cast a sideways glance at Snake to see how he’d reacted to being called Adam’s dog — and that was the second time Langa had heard him use that term — but the man merely blinked, completely nonplussed. 

“Um… yeah. Thanks,” Langa said awkwardly. Trying to remember the lessons in hospitality his mom had given him, he added, “You, ah, you have a lovely house.”

“It is a monstrosity of opulence,” Adam said wryly, “but what can I say: it’s home.” 

His sarcasm, it seemed, wasn’t toned down with the rest of his personality now that he wasn’t wearing the mask. 

“Looks like a great place to skate, though,” Langa pointed out. 

“It is. And thankfully, my dear aunties are on holiday at the moment, so we are able to enjoy it together today,” Adam agreed. “Would you like to join me, my sweet?”

“I, ah, I didn’t know we’d be skating, so I didn’t bring my board.”

“I’m sure Tadashi wouldn’t mind lending you his. Isn’t that right, Tadashi?”

Langa couldn’t help but notice the way Snake tensed for a second, or that Adam’s smile had gotten a little sharper around the edges, a little more cruel, with the comment. 

“Won’t he need it?” Langa interjected into the tension. “I mean… Snake would want to skate with us, right?”

“A splendid idea, my darling Langa. What do you say, Snake? Would you care to join us?”

“My apologies, Ainosuke-sama,” Snake said with a slight bow. “I have work I must attend to. I will get Hasegawa-san my skateboard to use before seeing to my usual tasks.”

“Be a good dog and fetch us some refreshment as well, why don’t you? I’m sure the two of us will work up quite a thirst.”

“Of course, sir,” Snake agreed with another bow before turning away. Adam watched him go with an expression that was oddly… blank.

“Why do you call him that?” Langa asked curiously.

“Hmm?” Adam murmured, turning towards him. Langa has the impression that he had, for a moment, completely forgotten he was there. 

“Your… dog. Why do you call Snake that?”

“Ah, my angel, I call him that because that’s what he is. Nothing more than a dog. He fetches, he obeys every command without question, and he is loyal only to his master. He is a dog , exactly like my father trained him to be.”

“Your father….” Langa repeated.

‘Aiichiro-sama was not a good man.’

“Yes, well, he’s dead now, so Tadashi is mine.”

“Oh.”

Langa was uncertain what to say to that, but thankfully, he didn’t have to say anything. Only a moment later, Adam murmured, “Speak of the devil — or should I say snake in this instance — and he shall appear.”

He looked over his shoulder and saw the dark-haired man emerging from the maze of roses, a pale grey skateboard tucked under his arm. He held it out to Langa with both hands, fingers white-knuckled as if he didn’t want to let it go, though he released it easily to Langa when he took it from him.

“Um, thanks,” he said, bowing awkwardly. “I’ll take good care of it.”

“I’m sure you will enjoy skating with Ainosuke-sama,” he said, and though his face remained completely neutral, Langa couldn’t help but notice that his green eyes looked a little sad.

“At least somebody wants to,” Adam said a bit… petulantly. It seemed that way to Langa, but the ghost of a pout barely flicked over his face before he flashed a smile and a rather flirtatious wink. “Don’t worry, puppy, I’m sure my Eve and I will have a delightful time.”

“Of course, Ainosuke-sama,” Snake said with another bow. “I will return with refreshments shortly.”

There was a moment, when Snake turned away, that Langa watched Adam… wilt. Shoulders slumped, expression filled with painful longing. It was the only word for it, really. As though he was watching everything he’d ever wanted walk away from him. Langa recognized it because that was the way he felt every time he watched Reki leave. 

It only lasted for an instant, but in that moment, Adam looked so terribly lonely and vulnerable. The same way he’d looked during the race before Langa had pulled him out of the zone. 

‘There’s no one by my side.’

“You and Snake don’t skate together,” Langa blurted out in realization, attacking that moment of vulnerability even as Adam put on the mask he wore outside of S, the one where he held himself confidently and wore a charming smile. A stronger mask, Langa suspected, than the one worn on the mountain. 

“You are far more observant than most people see, my little snow angel,” Adam chided. 

Langa felt himself flush at the comment. He was well aware that people tended to think he was a bit… slow. Truth was, Langa had a lot racing around in his head; he just wasn’t very good at expressing it. Never had been, really, though his difficulties with the language didn’t help much.

“But, yes, you are correct, my dear,” Adam continued, pulling him from his thoughts. “Tadashi and I haven’t skated together since we were children.”

“Why not?”

“I’m afraid my father didn’t approve of our little hobby. Tadashi stopped skating when my father put his leash on him.” It was a lie, and they both knew it. There was no way Snake would be as good as he was if he’d stopped skating completely. Which meant he’d simply stopped skating with Adam. 

“He’s… the person you were thinking about. During our race. The one you wanted to be skating with,” Langa said, frowning.

“Please explain,” Adam said tersely. “Because I don’t know what you’re talking about, Snow.”

“Yeah, you do,” Langa said, feeling the same reckless confidence that he’d had when he’d argued with Adam during the funeral beef. “Your mask broke, remember? I saw your face when I gave you your board back… while we were skating during the last part of the race. You looked…” Langa hesitated, searching for the right word, before simply saying it in English, “You looked nostalgic.” 

It was an expression he knew too well, after all. His mom wore the same look on her face while thinking about his dad, one of bittersweet memory tinged with all the happiness from the love they’d shared and all the pain of that loss. She usually tried to hide it from him, but he still saw it.

“Is English easier for you, my Eve?”

Langa’s head snapped up at the question asked in perfect, if somewhat accented, English. “It is,” Langa admitted, dropping back into Japanese. “But I need the practice. How do you speak English so well?”

“I took lessons from the time I was a child. My father sent me to America to finish my schooling after I graduated from high school. I lived there for several years.”

“Sent you…” Langa repeated. “You didn’t want to go?”

“I did not. I fear he sent me away to keep me from corrupting influences.” It was said flippantly, as if it meant nothing. Langa didn’t believe that for a second. Especially when Adam added, “Skateboarding, my little Langa. He learned I was still skateboarding and did not approve. He destroyed my board and sent me away so I could have a more respectable education.”

The pieces that made up Adam continued to click into place for him.

‘Friends only exist to teach you about betrayal.’

‘He is a dog, exactly like my father trained him to be.’

Snake was the one to betray him, to tell Adam’s father about his skating. And Adam’s search for his Eve , for the person who could keep up with him and skate at his side, was nothing more than Adam trying to replace the friendship he’d lost. Eve was nothing but a placeholder for what he really wanted. And he’d found it, in Langa. Except for one thing…

Adam wasn’t in love with Langa. But Langa was relatively certain Adam was in love with Snake. 

“Enough about my boring past,” Adam declared. “Let’s skate together, shall we?” 

“Okay,” Langa agreed. As curious as he was about Adam, he had a feeling he wasn’t going to get any more details about his life.

He was right, too, for all that they spent the rest of the day together. They skated together for hours , circling the bowl of the pool, trying new tricks and perfecting old ones. They took breaks, of course — some of them long breaks — when Snake brought out a pitcher of lemonade, and again when he brought lunch. 

They talked during those times. Not about anything too heavy, and nothing that was personal to Adam. Instead, he’d asked questions about Langa’s life. His schooling, Canada, and what his childhood had been like as a snowboarding prodigy. They’d talked about his dad, a little, though Langa hadn’t mentioned the numbing pain of grief that would overtake him at times. 

Even though that was the main reason he’d asked Adam if they could hang out, Langa decided that maybe it was all right if they didn’t talk about it. It was enough to know he could. More than that, though, there was the reminder of what he’d learned from Reki: that skating with friends built bonds, and those helped keep the painful emptiness at bay.

The sun was starting to set, painting the garden in hues of lavender and burnished gold, when they finally decided to call it quits for the day. They sat on the rim of the pool, side by side, with their legs dangling into it. “This was fun,” he told Adam with a smile.

“Yes, it was,” he agreed, though again there was that masked look of sorrow, of longing. Langa got it. He understood. Because neither of them was skating with the person they wanted to be with. 

Right then and there, Langa decided on two things: First, he needed to talk to Reki. He needed to be honest about his feelings. Not only about how he felt left out with all the time Reki was spending with Miya, but also… other things. Secondly…

“I think you need to get Snake to skate with you again,” he blurted out. “I’ll help.”

From the devilish grin that unfurled across Adam’s face, he rather liked that idea. 

*************

Unfortunately, deciding on a course of action did not make actually doing anything about it any easier. Especially since Reki wasn’t really talking to him the next time he saw him. It wasn’t like when they got into their fight during the tournament, when Reki was acting all depressed and ignoring him. No, this time Reki was actively pissed and ignoring him.

Having Reki leaving him hanging on their fist bump, turning away instead, was quite possibly the worst feeling in the world. That is, until Langa asked in confusion what was wrong and got back a reply of, “I don’t even want to talk to you right now, dude.”

It made for an awkward day at school, sitting through classes with Reki right next to him, an uncharacteristic air of anger burning around him. It left Langa feeling hurt and confused, clutching his chest at the empty ache he felt looming inside of it. 

Reki tried to take off as soon as school let out, jumping on his board with nothing more than a curt, “See you later, I guess.”

But this time, Langa didn’t let him turn away without explanation. He grabbed his wrist, stopping him before he could push off down the street and almost making him fall off his board. 

“We need to talk, Reki,” he said firmly.

“Can’t. Sorry,” his friend said, sounding anything but. “I’m supposed to be meeting Miya.”

“Then text him and tell him you can’t make it,” Langa said. “Because we need to talk. Now.”

“Fine. Whatever,” Reki said mulishly, pulling his phone from his pocket. 

They didn’t go to the skatepark like they usually did, or any of the courses that they often frequented together. Instead, Langa led Reki back to his apartment, knowing his mom was at work and they’d be guaranteed privacy. 

“Why are you mad at me?” Langa demanded almost as soon as they’d kicked their shoes off in the entranceway.

“You're really going to stand there and ask me that?” Reki shot back incredulously. “After you lied to me about where you were yesterday?!”

Somehow, it hadn’t even occurred to Langa that might be what was going on. Maybe it should have. “Reki, I-” he began haltingly, trying to figure out how to explain where he’d been, how to apologize for lying.

Unfortunately, Reki took his pause as him trying to think up an excuse. “Don't even bother trying to deny it, dude. I saw you. I stopped by to check on you, and I saw you getting out of Snake’s car.”

“How did you know it was Snake’s car?” Langa asked, even as his brain yelled at him that that really wasn’t important at the moment.

“It’s the same one he hit me with,” Reki answered casually.

“Snake hit you with his car!?”

“That doesn’t matter now!” Langa wanted to argue that point, but before he could, Reki continued furiously, “You lied to me so you could spend the day with Snake.”

“No, I didn’t,” Langa countered, watching a look of disbelief wash over Reki’s angry glare. “I lied to you so I could spend the day with Adam. Snake just took me to him.”

Reki reeled back as if Langa had actually hit him, looking so hurt that Langa felt his heart breaking in his hollowed-out chest. “You were with Adam?” Reki repeated in a horrified whisper, amber eyes filling with tears.

“Yes, I was. And I’m sorry. I should have just told you. I shouldn’t have lied to you about it.”

Reki gave a wet, bitter sound of mocking laughter. “Let me get this straight, you aren’t apologizing for spending the day with him , you’re only apologizing that you didn’t tell me about it?”

“Reki…” Langa began before grabbing his friend's arm and dragging him to the living room, pulling him down to sit on the couch with him. Thankfully, Reki didn’t seem to mind, no doubt also preferring they didn’t continue this conversation while still standing in the genkan.

“I asked Adam if we could talk sometime off the mountain,” Langa told him. “He texted me, said he had the day off, and said we could hang out if I wanted to skip school. I should have just told you that.”

“Why didn’t you? Why did you lie to me, Langa?”

There were numerous ways Langa could answer that. Because it was easier than having to explain why he wanted to talk to Adam. Because he knew how much Reki hated Adam and didn’t want to upset him. Because he didn’t want Reki to try to talk him out of going. 

Instead, he opened his mouth and what came out was, “Why have you been lying to me about skating with Miya?”

It came out sounding so accusatory, making it that much worse.

“What!?” Reki said angrily. “I didn’t. I told you- ”

“A partial truth,” Langa interrupted, the words slipping out in English. He shook his head slightly before trying again in Japanese. “You told me it was to make up for how you’d treated him. But I know you , Reki, and I could tell that you’re keeping something from me. That there’s another reason you don’t want me coming along.”

He didn’t need the guilty look on Reki’s face to know he was right. 

“So you’re saying this is my fault!?” Reki countered. 

“That’s not what I meant,” Langa said in exasperation, covering his face with his hands. Everything was just coming out sounding wrong, not at all like he intended it.

‘The only thing that’ll make this right is being honest about your feelings. You like this person, right? That’s your truth. Those are the emotions you should share. It’s the only sure way to help you regain trust.’

Following his mom’s advice had worked last time. Maybe he needed to heed it again. “I like you, Reki. I really like you,” he confessed. “I don’t want either of us keeping things from each other.”

He lowered the hands covering his face and looked at his best friend. Reki no longer looked as upset, but he was watching Langa a bit cautiously.

‘That’s your truth…’

It was more than just spending time with Adam that he’d been hiding, Langa knew. So after taking a deep breath, he began.

“After my dad died… I closed myself off. From everything. It was easier to be… numb than to feel what I was feeling.”

“Langa-” Reki started to say, but Langa just kept on talking over him, the words pouring out now that they’d started.

“I couldn’t feel anything , though, Reki. It wasn’t just the painful feelings I’d blocked out, it was the good ones, too. I pushed it all down until I felt nothing. Until I was empty. Adam… tries to do the same. He gets it. I wanted to talk to him about it because I knew he’d understand.”

“So you're saying Adam knows you better than me?” Reki asked, and there was hurt in his voice and what might have been a bit of fear.

“Only the bad parts. You get the good parts, the best parts of me, Reki. Because it was you who showed me how to feel again. Not Adam, not skateboarding. It was you. You are so incredible, Reki, and you made me feel alive again when I was nothing but a shell of myself.” 

Reki was red with embarrassment by the time Langa finished, trying to hide his face the same way he had at the skatepark the night they’d made up after their fight. This time, Langa didn’t let him, reaching over and taking both of his hands in his.

“I wanted to be better for you,” Reki blurted out, blushing even brighter. “You're the one who’s incredible, Langa. Skating with you is amazing! I’ve never felt anything like it! I wanted you to feel the same. I didn’t want you to have to hold back when we skated together. Miya’s been coaching me.”

“Why didn’t you want me to know that? Why did you make me feel… so left out?”

”I didn’t mean to,” Reki said, face crumbling with guilt. “I just… I struggle so hard to learn even the simplest tricks and I… crap, I was embarrassed for you to see how much I suck when it comes so naturally to you.”

Langa laughed , pure and easy. “Reki,” he chided. “It doesn’t. I was snowboarding for fifteen years. And I was good, Reki. I was an Olympic Hopeful.”

“You were!?” Reki interrupted.

Langa nodded. “And I worked hard for it, Reki. Every day for years.”

“But that’s snowboarding. That's… different.”

“It’s not. Not really. Yeah, they’re different, but they're also a lot alike. Especially since you made me a custom board to help me. I wouldn’t have been able to pick it up as fast without that,” Langa told him, and he had the bruises to prove that. He’d gotten hitched up several times skating on a normal board the day before and had bailed hard repeatedly. He didn’t mention that to Reki, though, instead saying, “Someday, you’ll see what I mean. I want to take you snowboarding. You’re gonna suck, at first, but you’ll learn quickly because a lot of the skills are the same and you really are amazing, Reki.”

Watching Reki squirm in embarrassment, trying to pull his hands free so he could hide his face behind them, really was the cutest thing. Still, he let go of one of them, allowing Reki to cover his blush. Because he wasn’t done talking yet, and he had no doubt his friend was going to be even more mortified as he continued.

Hopefully, in a good way. Because if he wasn’t, Langa might be destroying their friendship as soon as they’d mended it.

“That’s your truth. Those are the emotions you should share.”

“That’s not all I want,” Langa continued. “I also want to try surfing because I think it looks like fun and we might be really good at it, or really bad, but I still want to try. I want to go on a vacation with you where we aren’t attacked by mud monsters. And I want to skate with you. Every day. I want to help you learn new tricks with Miya, and I want to learn new ones, too.”

“Oh, geez, all right,” Reki agreed, still looking a little flustered by what Langa was all telling him.

“I’m not done yet,” Langa told him. “I also want to hug you. Hold your hand. I want to put my arm around you.” Reki was looking at him now, eyes wide over his splayed fingers, but Langa couldn’t stop there. “I want to kiss you and take you out on dates. I want to go out with you. I want to be your boyfriend, and I want you to be mine.”

“You-” Reki said, the word sticking in his throat slightly. He didn’t say anything more.

“I like you, Reki,” Langa confessed again, stressing the words to get his point across. “I really like you. Would you-”

That was as far as Langa got with his question before his best friend lunged across the couch and smashed their mouths together. A bit too hard, making Langa give a pained ‘ow’ before he kissed back.

As far as first kisses go… it was clumsy and awkward. Their noses kept bumping together. Their lips were chapped. Reki’s breath… wasn’t great. Langa was uncertain his was any better. Neither of them knew what to do with their hands. Or their tongues. 

But then Langa pulled back enough to breathlessly ask, “Reki… would you go out with me?” and got back a bright smile and a reply of, “Why are you a dumbass? Of course, I will,” before they kissed again.

And Langa discovered, in that moment, that there was something that would make his heart pound with happiness even more than skateboarding. 

*************

“I don't get it,” Reki said from where he was draped across Langa’s back as they watched on his phone as Harry raced down the mountain. He had learned, in the days since they’d gotten together, that Reki got weirdly embarrassed by PDA despite how tactile he usually was. However, at the same time, he’d use any excuse to share his affections with his boyfriend. Which was why they were currently sitting on the ground at S, watching the race on Langa’s phone instead of watching on one of the large screens set up around the mountain. Just because Langa wanted Reki to have an excuse to invade his personal space.

Miya sat beside them, playing on his switch instead of watching Harry race. He was leaning against Langa, too, using his side as a backrest. The younger boy had somehow clocked that his friends had gotten together when he first saw them, the day after Langa had confessed, and had seemed completely unbothered by it except to tell them they better not be gross around him. 

“What’s there to get?” Miya commented. “It’s basically an exhibition show being judged on set criteria. It’s no big deal.”

“But why a dog show?” Reki asked, still perplexed.

They’d shown up to S that night to discover Adam’s latest event. The course had been altered with obstacles for the skaters to race around, including a giant hoop for them to jump through. Each contestant was running on their own, instead of challenging another skater, and they were being judged by the gallery. It was unexpected and a bit silly, but Langa had signed up to compete immediately. All of them had.

“I think Adam is doing this for Snake,” Langa said without thinking.

“Why would he put on a dog show for Snake?” Reki asked, even more confused now. 

Langa… hadn’t actually meant to say anything about that. Oh well. Hopefully, that wasn’t covered in the non-disclosure agreement he signed.

“Snake is Adam’s dog,” he explained simply.

“What!?” Reki exclaimed, far too close to Langa’s ear. “That makes no sense. Isn’t Snake, you know, a snake!?”

“Adam says he’s a dog,” Langa said casually, shrugging as much as he could with both his friends leaning on him. 

“I don’t get it,” Reki said again.

“Seriously, slime, haven’t you ever heard of pet play? Some people are into that, you know.”

Both Reki and him turned to look at the younger boy incredulously, Reki having to sit up from where he was draped across Langa’s back to do so. As balmy as the Okinawa night was, Langa still missed his warmth immediately.

“How the hell would you know something like that!?” Reki demanded.

“There’s this thing called the internet? Maybe you’ve heard of it.”

“All right, that’s it! I don’t want you hanging out with my little sister anymore! I won’t have you corrupting her with any kinky-”

“I’m waiting for you to finish your sentence,” Miya said smugly when Reki trailed off, simply turning red and stuttering a bunch, waving his hands around vaguely as if that clarified anything, instead of actually completing his comment.

Langa shrugged Miya off of him so he could get up. His race was soon, so he didn’t want to get too comfortable again. “It’s not like that with them,” Langa assured them. “I don’t think,” he added, amending it with a, “yet” only a moment later.

“Yet!?” Reki spluttered, loudly, letting go of all the pent-up breath he’d been holding in since he’d started yelling at Miya.

“I’m trying to get them together,” Langa informed them. It hadn’t started out that way — he just wanted them to skate together again — but the more he thought about it, the more he thought about how both men had acted that day, and how happy having Reki as his boyfriend made him, the more he’d liked the idea of them as a couple. 

Reki was staring at him in disbelief. Miya, however, thought it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard, actually abandoning his video game as he doubled over laughing. 

“You want to play matchmaker for Adam,” he wheezed. 

“Yeah. What’s so funny about that?” Langa asked Miya, a bit irritably.

“Adam’s interested in you, bro,” Reki answered instead. “You do realize that, right?”

“No, he’s not,” Langa said, rolling his eyes.

Now both of his friends were looking at him like he was an idiot. 

“How many roses has he given you?” Miya asked.

Langa had to think about it for a second, counting on his fingers. There had been four bouquets? The one before they raced the first time. He gave him the second one when he’d crashed Langa’s party, quite literally since he’d parachuted in, wreaking havoc on the rooftop party before departing just as quickly. He’d given Langa another one the first time he’d shown up at S after the tournament, and the last one had been delivered to Langa’s apartment only a couple of days after they’d hung out at Adam’s house. 

“A couple hundred,” Langa admitted, knowing each bouquet had fifty roses. He’d counted, curious, when he’d gotten the second one. “It’s no big deal, though,” he added, knowing that for Adam it probably really wasn’t. 

“A couple hundred!?” Reki shouted.

“Looks like you're going to have to up your game, slime,” Miya told him. 

“No, you don’t,” Langa assured him quickly, knowing how insecure his boyfriend could be. “Adam doesn’t mean anything by it.”

“Dude, he calls you his Eve.”

Langa shrugged. “Yeah, and? He also calls me his little snow angel . It’s just how he is.”

“Man… are you even listening to yourself right now?” Reki asked, leaning towards him. “Adam’s into you.”

“No, he’s not,” Langa sighed heavily. He couldn’t explain to them that Eve was just somebody Adam had been searching for because he couldn’t be with the person he really wanted to be with. It was too personal to tell them that. So, instead, he said, “Adam knows I’m trying to set him up with Snake. Sort of.”

“What do you mean by sort of?” Miya asked suspiciously.

Langa wanted to sigh again. Why had he even brought this up? He looked around them, making sure nobody was close enough to overhear, before saying, “You can’t tell anybody this, all right? I don’t think Adam would be happy with me if you did… but Adam and Snake used to be friends. They got in a fight years ago and haven’t skated together since then. I told Adam that I think he needs to get Snake to skate with him again, and I offered to help.”

“Why would you offer to help Adam?” Miya asked, face twisting up in disgust. 

“Because I think he would be happier if he had somebody else to skate with other than me.”

“I’m in,” Reki said without hesitation. 

“You- what?”

“I want to help you get the two of them skating together again.”

Langa couldn’t prevent his bright smile, knowing his boyfriend wanted to help him with his plan. “That’s great, Reki!” He said with enthusiasm. “But why would you want to? You don’t even like Adam.”

“To give him somebody else to skate with other than you. Duh,” Miya said dryly. “I might as well help, too. It’s not like you slimes would be able to get anything done on your own.”

“Hey! You little brat!” Reki snapped, lunging at Miya. The smaller boy easily dodged the attack, though, slipping away from it like a cat.

“Did either of you even notice that so far Adam’s plan isn’t working?” Miya asked smugly. “Snake didn’t register to compete.”

“He didn’t!?” Reki exclaimed, grabbing Langa’s phone to pull of the schedule of registered contestants.

“I did some research on him during the tournament,” Miya informed them. “As far as I can tell, that is the only time Snake has ever skated Crazy Rock.”

“There’s no way,” Reki said in disbelief. “How could he be that good if he’d never skated the course before!?”

“The facts don’t lie. And he’s still not skating tonight, even if Adam really did set this up for him.”

“I wonder why,” Langa said, frowning.

“Think we should ask him?”

“Maybe you should get Adam to ask him,” Miya drawled, rolling his eyes.

*************

It was later that night, after his own race, that Langa tracked Adam down. He was, once again, tucked away on one of the balconies watching the festivities alone. This time, however, Langa knew to look for the Capman standing away from the rest of the crowd. 

“Is it alright if I go on up?” Langa asked Snake even though he’d stepped out of the way for him to pass. He got nothing but a silent nod in response. 

“Are you enjoying the show, Snowball?” Adam asked without even turning around to look at him. No doubt he’d seen him coming before Langa had even started climbing the noisy metal stairs.

“I am,” Langa admitted, joining him at the banister so he could look out over the mountain with him. “This was a fun idea.”

“So glad you approve, my Eve.”

“Did, ah, did… your dog inspire it?” 

Adam glanced at him, flashing a small smirk. “He did. He helped me plan it as well.” 

Langa couldn’t help but notice that Adam’s gaze automatically shifted towards Snake as he said it. And that Snake, as if sensing it, glanced up at the balcony, locking eyes with Adam for a minute before looking away. 

“Any idea why he didn’t participate?” Langa asked once the moment was broken.

“No,” Adam said with a frown. “It was quite a disappointment. I should have ordered him to enter the show.”

“Or… you could maybe… just ask him why he didn’t? I mean, do you even know why he won’t skate with you anymore? Or at S? The tournament was the only time he’s entered the races, isn’t it? Maybe you should try to find out why?”

“You truly expect me to take advice about Love from a teenager?” Adam said a bit sourly.

“A teenager with a boyfriend,” Langa informed the older man, unable to prevent his satisfied smile. He honestly had no clue how Adam was going to react to him telling him that, since he had been a little… violent when it came to Reki before their final race. He hoped that had changed, though. He supposed he was about to find out.

Adam just gave a curious head tilt and said, “Oh? Did the Little Red Rocket finally fall for my Eve’s obvious charms?”

“Other way around,” Langa said, smiling even wider. “I fell for his.”

“Well. I’ll just have to trust you that those actually exist, I’m afraid. Now go away, my sweets. It would be far too conspicuous for me to go talk to him if you are still here.”

He made an annoyed shooing gesture at him. Langa couldn’t help but laugh, shaking his head slightly at the man’s antics.

“Talk to him,“ he reminded Adam before leaving. “Don’t just… order him to tell you or something.”

“Ugh. Fine. Whatever. Next you're going to tell me to play nice, aren’t you?”

“You could try it,” Langa suggested.

“Now where’s the fun in that?” Adam drawled.

Langa was still shaking his head as he took the stairs down two at a time. He felt… lighter than he had in a long time. Happier. And maybe it was strange, but he kind of wanted the same for Adam. He’d seemed to be in a good mood, at least, but Langa wanted even more than that for him. He wanted Adam to find his own happiness, too.

He hadn’t known how to explain that to Miya and Reki very well. He didn't really understand why he felt so strongly about it himself. It might’ve had something to do with the conversation he’d had with Joe and Cherry the night of his party. Both of the older skaters had thanked him for what he’d done during the final race. They had known, for years, that their old friend was in a dark place, but they hadn’t been able to pull him out of it. But Langa had, or he’d started to, at least. Adam was going to have to do a lot of that himself, but he was on the right path to do so now. And his old friends — even Cherry, who had every reason to hate Adam for what he’d done to him in the tournament — had been nothing but grateful to Langa for helping Adam.

So maybe it wasn’t that odd that he was concerned for the man’s happiness, that he wanted to help him even more.

Langa was jerked from his thoughts, quite literally, giving a strangled yelp as he was yanked into the shadows of the abandoned factory. He fought off his assailants, not very well, but he did manage to hit one of them while flailing about frantically. Hard enough that they let out a loud, “Ow!! Langa!” in a very recognizable voice.

“Reki?” he asked, confused and squinting into the darkness to try to see his boyfriend.

“Would both of you shut up!?” another familiar voice hissed. “You’re gonna get us caught and this area of the factory is off-limits.”

“What’re you both doing here?”

“How’d your talk with Adam go?” Reki asked in a whisper.

“Fine. He said he’d talk to Snake and then told me to go away so it didn’t look suspicious when he did.”

“Awesome. That means he's going to talk to him here,” Miya said. “Now come on. I found the perfect hiding spot to watch from,” he added, leading them through the deep shadows.

“We’re going to spy on them!?”

“How else are we going to know what our next move should be?”

As they crept through that part of the abandoned factory, Langa saw the chain link fence that blocked off the parts of the mountain designated as restricted. Somehow, Miya had gotten them around it so they were on the wrong side of the fence. It was, admittedly, a little exhilarating to be breaking the rules. Especially when they passed by a group of skaters just hanging out, leaning on the fence smoking a joint. If any of them had turned around, they would have seen the three teenagers skulking through the shadows. 

“Damnit, where'd he go?” Miya grumbled when they neared the stairs Snake had been guarding. The fence passed right along underneath them. Snake, however, was no longer there. A glance up at the walkway showed that Adam wasn't either. 

“Is that him?” Reki asked, pointing at a man wearing a red cap a little further off. 

“How should I know? All the Capmen look alike!”

“That's him!” Langa whispered in excitement as he saw Adam approaching him from the other direction. “C'mon, let's hurry.” 

They were, undoubtedly, nowhere near as inconspicuous as they wanted to be while they hurried along the fence line, trying to get close enough to hear what was being said. Langa watched from a distance as Adam leaned against the fence next to Snake and pulled his cigarette case out of his pocket. He offered it to his companion afterward, and to Langa’s shock, Snake took one. 

He didn't seem like somebody who'd smoke. Though there seemed to be something natural, rather familiar, about the way they simply stood together, sharing a cigarette as they talked quietly. 

“Ahh, man! We're missing it,” Reki whined. 

They might not have been able to hear the entire conversation, but Langa expected they got there in time for the most important part since they all heard Adam ask, “If I gave you leave to race whenever you wanted, would you?” 

Snake's reply was too soft for them to hear, but the way Adam’s mouth turned down at the corners and the slight slump to his shoulders suggested it wasn't favorable. 

“Do you not love skating like you used to, Tadashi?” Adam asked. 

“We have to get closer,” Langa whispered.

He inched forward, trying to get near enough to hear Snake’s answer. He glanced back to make certain his friends were following, eyes widening in horror at what he saw. Miya stood frozen while Reki, unfortunately, had been grabbed by one of the Capmen. He held him in a headlock, one hand clamped over his mouth to keep him from crying out. 

Shit… that wasn't good.

“I don’t know,” Langa heard Snake say quietly. “I… I think I want to… but I’m not there yet.” 

“This area is off limits,” the Capman said, deep voice little more than a whisper. As he didn't want to interrupt the conversation happening on the other side of the fence or alert the two men to their presence. “Why the hell were you kids spying on the Boss anyway?”

“Well, then. I suppose we will have to work on that,” Adam replied with a gentleness Langa had never heard from him before. He looked over his shoulder at them and saw Adam's gloved fingertips caress the back of Snake's neck. There was something so intimate about the gesture that he immediately flushed guiltily at witnessing it. 

“We're sorry,” Miya said, keeping his voice just as quiet, though he was using the tone he usually reserved for interviews and talking to parents. The one designed to be both polite and far more innocent than he actually was. “We got lost and were trying to find a way around the fence.”

“I'm not buying your bullshit, kid,” the Capman said. “I know who you are.”

Miya scowled at his ploy not working.

Then Langa heard Adam say, “Go get the car, dog. I’m ready to go home.”

They were saved.

As soon as Snake walked off, Langa loudly called out, “Adam!” and rushed to the fence. 

“I must say, Snowball, this isn't how I expected to end up on the wrong side of the fence from you and your little friends” Adam said. He’d straightened from his slump, but his voice fell a little flat and his smirk was just a bit lackluster. “You can release him,” he added to the Capman.

Reki sagged once let go, bent over with one hand on his knee, the other rubbing his neck. “Dude, you're strong,” he told the Capman. “That was even worse than one of Joe’s headlocks!”

“Are you all right, Reki?” Langa asked his boyfriend.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine,” Reki said, standing back up.

“Are you all right?” he asked Adam, the question quieter this time, more personal.

“I assume you heard him: he doesn’t even know if he loves skating anymore.” It was said softly, just for Langa’s ears. Probably because there was something rather small and vulnerable to Adam in that moment. 

“Then we will just have to remind him,” Langa said firmly. “You’d forgotten how much you loved it, and you remembered. We’ll just have to do the same thing for Snake.”

“Always such an optimist, my Eve. How are we to remind him when I can’t get him to skate at all?”

A deeply cleared throat made Langa turn. The Capman stepped closer to the fence. As he did so, Langa was able to get a closer look at the man’s face and saw he had a wicked-looking scar along his jawline.

“It might not be my place to say this, sir, but if you’re wanting to see Snake skate Crazy Rock, you’ll need to set the timers on the cameras to start recording about an hour before the gates open. Only on nights you aren’t attending,” he said, looking over Langa’s head directly at Adam.

“Well now, isn’t that interesting?” Adam drawled. He no longer sounded as defeated as he had a moment before. “Be a dear and go ahead and set the cameras up for me before the next night we are scheduled to open, why don’t you?”

The Capman… hesitated.

“I assure you, no trouble will come to our little serpent because of it,” Adam promised the Capman. Langa had no doubt that was a complete lie, considering he’d seen firsthand what Adam could be like when he was trying to get something he wanted. 

It was probably going to cause Snake a significant amount of trouble. 

“We’re trying to get Snake to skate more,” Langa further explained, a little more honestly. 

“Seriously, I think that dude has completely forgotten how to have fun, ” Reki added, still rubbing his throat slightly.

“All right,” the Capman agreed. “I’ll reset the cameras for you. But I don’t want him learning I was the one to do it.”

“My lips are sealed,” Adam promised with a devilish grin. “In fact, how about he never learn this little conversation took place at all, hmm?”

“Sounds good to me,” the security guard said, giving Adam a nod, tipping the bill of his red cap as he did so.

“Now, I’m afraid I must be off. My doggie is probably getting worried about me. Make certain these boys are escorted to the main area, why don’t’cha?”

“Of course, sir.”

Adam pushed off the fence but stopped, looking over his shoulder at them. “Oh, and Langa, angel, do try to behave yourself.”

“Seriously?” Langa deadpanned.

“Of course not, darling, but try not to get caught next time,” Adam said, blowing him a kiss before strolling off. 

The Capman snorted out a laugh before herding the three teenagers out of the restricted area. 

“Hey, Langa,” Reki said as they were trudging back toward where they could slip through to the other side of the fence. “I think you might be right. About Adam and Snake.”

“Yeah,” Langa agreed, reaching down and grabbing Reki’s hand. His heart filled with warmth when, instead of pulling away, Reki tangled their fingers together.

*************

Adam wasn’t at S the next time the gates opened. Langa figured he wouldn't be after that Capman told him Snake only skated when he wasn't there. The next question, though, was if Snake was at S that night. 

Langa was relatively certain the entire security force at S was ready to throw them off the mountain by the time they had the answer to that question. Ends up, Capmen were all about anonymity, so walking around trying to sneak a peek under their caps didn't go over all too well. 

Langa had found the dude with the scar from the week before, but when he greeted him with an, “Oh, hey, it's you,” he was given nothing more than a terse, “Move along now, skater,” in response. 

They never did find Snake, but it turned out to be a moot point. The night was wrapping up, the final race having just ended, when Langa got a text message from Adam. ‘In case you and your friends want to enjoy the show,’ was all it said. 

There was a video file attached to it. 

“Reki!” Langa called out in excitement. “Adam sent me a video!”

“Nice!” Reki said, hurrying over.

“Better not be porn,” Miya said blandly as he joined them. “I wouldn’t put it past him,” he said with a shrug when the two older boys just looked at him for the comment.

Thankfully, the video was frozen on an image of the starting line at the top of Crazy Rock. They moved away from the quickly departing crowd of skaters so they could all huddle around Langa’s phone to watch it together. It was obvious the mountain was empty in the video, of everybody , it seemed. Until a single skater took position on the line, face hidden by the red cap he wore, and waited for the countdown before taking off. 

Snake was phenomenal. They’d known that, to a degree, from his performance during the tournament. Ends up, he hadn’t been going all out in those races. From the looks of it, he’d won while barely trying. 

“He's even faster than when we raced,” Miya commented.

“The amount of air he can get on his jumps is incredible,” Langa pointed out.

“And his form is perfect,” Reki added. “No wonder Adam wants to skate with him again so badly.”

“He might be even better than you,” Miya teased Langa.

“Yeah. He probably is,” he said, not rising to the bait.

“You really think that?” Reki asked, staring at Langa for a second instead of watching the video on his phone. 

“Well, yeah. He dropped out of the tournament because he thought I should be the one to race Adam. That means he thought he’d win if I’d raced him first. He was confident he’d beat me, or he wouldn’t have needed to quit.”

“Oh. Right. I never thought about it like that.”

“I want to race him,” Langa decided.

“Wait a minute! Slow your roll! We’re trying to get him to skate with Adam , remember?”

“Oh. Yeah. I forgot.”

“Besides… I want to race Crazy Rock with you.”

“Reki…” Langa breathed, turning to look at his boyfriend. “Are you sure?”

“And that's my cue to go find Shadow so I can leave before you two start being gross,” Miya declared. “Later, slimes.”

Admittedly, both of them were distracted telling their friend bye. 

“Reki…” Langa said once Miya was gone, “You know I’d love to skate with you here, but if you aren’t comfortable or don’t think you’re ready for that yet-“

“I don’t want to end up like them,” Reki interjected. “Never skating together. Like Adam and Snake. I might never feel like I’ll measure up to you, Langa. But I still want to skate with you. So… what do ya say? Want to race together at S?”

“I’d like that,” Langa told him with a wide smile. Then, even knowing it would make his boyfriend splutter and blush, he leaned forward and kissed him.

*************

Reki and Langa weren’t able to race the next time S opened since the schedule was already full. They went anyway, of course, since Miya and Shadow had decided to beef. Neither Adam nor Snake was there, but Langa knew they wouldn’t be. Adam had texted him after sending the video to let him know that the two of them wouldn't be attending the races in person for a while. He’d then added, ‘Try not to miss me too much, my little snow bunny’ and a terrifying number of heart emojis and kissy faces.

Adam really shouldn’t be allowed to text.

It made Langa curious about what happened the night he sent the video of Snake skating Crazy Rock, but it seemed too intrusive to ask. 

The following week, he’d gotten to skate with Reki and it had been incredible. They’d had so much fun! It hadn’t been a serious beef, since neither of them were trying to show the other one up. They’d spent most of the race trying to show off for each other, actually, and the spectators watching it had seemed to enjoy themselves. Langa had been happy to hear several loud voices in the crowd cheering for Reki. As insecure as his boyfriend tended to be about his skating, he’d started making a name for himself on the mountain during his last race against Adam.

Reki had been glowing with happiness by the time he’d crossed the finish line with Langa, throwing himself at him for a hug. It had been all Langa could do not to kiss his boyfriend stupid because he really was adorable when he was all excited about skating like that. Instead, he waited until they were no longer in public to do so.

The next day, he'd gotten another text from Adam. This one was… oddly formal. He told him he'd been unable to watch his race and asked if he could come by the Estate later in the week. He apologized in advance that he would not have long to visit and that he wouldn't be able to send his “usual driver” as he would be busy with errands elsewhere.

While the intricacies of the written language were still difficult for him, Langa was able to read between the lines well enough to guess that Adam didn't want Snake to know about the visit. He talked to Reki about it this time, though, and his boyfriend not only helped him skip class so he didn’t worry his mom by pretending to be sick again, he’d also managed to get Oka to lend them the shop’s motorcycle so he’d have transportation to get there on his own.

Reki really was the best.

The older woman who greeted Langa as he pulled up to the massive manor house a couple of days later had a faintly disapproving air about her, but she said nothing as she led Langa through the house and out into the garden. Once again, Adam was waiting for him by the pool, dressed in a suit with slicked back hair. This time, though, he wasn't skating and was instead looking at the crystal clear water that filled the pool.

“Thank you, Isoka,” he told the maid formally. “Please remember that this is a surprise for Tadashi, so I'd rather he not know about my little visitor today.”

“Of course, Ainosuke-sama,” she replied with a bow. “Kikuchi-san will not hear anything about it from me.” 

“You may leave us now.” 

The older servant bowed again before exiting the garden area. 

“You filled the pool,” Langa commented.

“Little Langa, do you know the best way to force a dog to bite the hand that feeds it?”

“I don't think I want to?” Langa said uncomfortably. 

“You starve it, my sweet Eve.”

Langa looked at the pool filled with water that they’d skated in the last time he was there, and that he suspected Adam and Snake had skated in together when they were younger. He considered the fact that neither Adam nor Snake had been at S for the past couple of weeks. Starting as soon as Adam had learned that Snake had been skating the course before the gates opened.

He quickly put two and two together. “You really are a bastard, aren’t you?” he concluded.

The smile he was given was sharp and cruel. “When did I ever give you the impression that I was a nice man, m’dear?” 

That… was a fair point, actually. 

“Which brings me to my reason for inviting you here today quite well. It has recently come to my attention that my dog is exceedingly jealous of you.” 

“Of me? Really?”

“I can’t tell if you’re being humble or if you truly are ignorant of your appeal,” Adam drawled dryly. “You are my Eve, are you not?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Langa said, flushing slightly. Adam called him that often, but it was the first time Langa had accepted the title on his own. “But… the only reason you were looking for your Eve was because Snake wouldn’t skate with you, right? Snake has to know that.”

“I was unaware you had realized it. But yes, you are correct. Which is precisely why he is jealous of you. You were meant to replace him.” 

“Oh. That makes sense.”

“I want to make that jealousy consume him,” Adam said darkly. “Completely. Until there is nothing left except for him to give in to it.”

“You want us to skate together again,” Langa deduced.

“I knew you’d understand me perfectly,” Adam said with a grin that promised nothing good.

*************

“Are you sure you're alright with this?” Langa asked his boyfriend, not for the first time. Considering they were standing at the starting line of Crazy Rock, it would be the last chance he’d get to make certain.

“Why do you keep asking me that, dude? It’s making me nervous.”

“We’re trying to make Snake jealous,” Langa told him. “I don’t want you to be jealous, too.”

“Is Snake even here tonight?” Reki asked.

“No, he isn’t. But trust me, Red, he’s most certainly going to be watching the show,” Adam assured them, interrupting their conversation. He looked directly at one of the cameras and blew it a kiss.

The horn sounded, signaling the track was being cleared. The race was about to start.

“I’d tell you to kick his ass, but that's not what this race is going to be about, is it?” Reki commented.

Langa simply shook his head, glad his boyfriend understood that. 

“Well… have fun? I guess? Try not to be too reckless?”

“We make no promises,” Adam said with a smirk, only to be ignored by both teenagers.

“I’ll see you at the finish line, yeah?” Langa asked, squeezing Reki’s hand really quickly before letting go. 

“See you there,” Reki said, punching him lightly in the shoulder before stepping back, leaving just Langa and Adam at the start line. They shared a conspiratorial grin as the lights counted down.

It was more like the first time they’d skated together than the funeral beef. They weren’t racing so much as they were… playing with each other. It wasn’t a competition, it was just fun , albeit somewhat suggestive fun, since they spent a good portion of the trip down the mountain pressed tightly against one another, arms around each other with their legs slotted together once Adam had hooked Langa’s board to his own. 

“You know, I have my suspicions about who called the cops the last time we skated together like this, my Eve,” Adam commented in his ear as they leaned into a curve.

“Really?! You think Snake did?” Langa asked as he flipped his board away, causing them to spring apart.

“My Puppy can be quite possessive,” Adam told him, sounding rather pleased by that fact. “Now, follow me!” he sing-singed before ramping off one of the sloped rocks that decorated the course. Langa did as well, copying his jump exactly. He passed him before pulling his own trick for Adam to duplicate after.

It wasn’t until they hit the abandoned factory that they actually started racing each other earnestly, each trying to gain the speed they needed to pull ahead. Adam crossed the finish line only a fraction of a second before him, but that hardly mattered to either of them. 

Langa spontaneously threw his arms around the older man’s waist afterward. Adam stiffened slightly at the affection — though it was rather innocent considering they’d spent half the trip down the mountain all but dry humping on skateboards — before he rather awkwardly settled his arm around the teenager’s shoulders. 

“That was fun!” Langa declared, a bit out of breath still.

“It was,” Adam agreed. There was something more genuine in his expression as he smiled down at Langa and gave a quiet, “Thank you.”

“Do you think it worked?” Langa asked, smiling up at him. “Do you think Snake was watching?”

“Yes, on both accounts, I'm sure,” Adam said. “Though I do believe this little embrace of yours is making your redhead quite jealous, even if our race didn't.”

“Oh!” Langa loosened his grip in the man's waist, turning slightly under his arm to see Reki there, glowering at them. “I'll talk to you later,” he told Adam, giving him one last squeeze before slipping away. 

The only time he'd ever thrown himself at Reki before was after the funeral beef, and that was born as much out of exhaustion, both mental and physical, as it was affection. This time, there was nothing but happiness filling his chest as he flung himself at his friend, wrapping him in a fierce hug. Reki caught him, arms tightening around him with an ‘oomph’ at the unexpected impact. 

“Hi,” he told him, flashing a smile. 

“Ah, hi,” Reki said awkwardly. “Did, ah, did you have fun?” 

“I did! Adam’s a great skater.”

“If you want to call what the two of you were doing skating,” Miya said sarcastically as he joined them. 

“What else would we call it?” Langa asked in confusion. 

“Dancing?” Reki said questioningly at the same time that Miya shot out with a decisive, “Foreplay.”

“That's it, you are so not allowed to hang out with Koyomi anymore,” Reki yelled at the younger boy, getting nothing more than a smirk in response. 

Langa was only partially paying attention to their argument, though, instead glancing over to watch Adam borrow a phone from a laughing Capman. He had no doubts about who he was calling.

“Do you think it worked?” he asked his friends. 

“If that didn't make Snake jealous, I'm pretty sure you'd have to skate naked to do so,” Miya said dryly. 

“Don't even think about it!” Reki shouted almost as soon as the words had left his mouth. 

Langa could only laugh, hugging his boyfriend even tighter. 

*************

Only a couple of days later, a message went out on the S forums announcing a special event celebrating the History of S. All the line-ups were predetermined and featured skaters who had played a prominent role on the mountain. Joe and Cherry were set to race. Both of them were original members of S and had been part of it since day one. Shadow had been invited to race, though he hadn't started racing Crazy Rock until almost a year later. Even Langa's manager at Dope Sketch had gotten an invite to participate, though Langa hadn't even known that Oka skated! Apparently, though, he'd been a big name on the mountain before an injury had limited how much he could compete. 

The main event, however, was the final race in the line-up: Adam versus Snake. 

Langa and Reki couldn't stop grinning at each other as soon as the notification came through on their phones one night while they were hanging out in Reki’s room watching YouTube videos. 

“Thank God that worked!” Reki declared with a groan. 

“Yeah,” Langa agreed. “I really wasn't looking forward to skating naked,” he deadpanned. 

“Langa!” Reki shrieked, turning a rather cute shade of pink. Langa’s laughter at it only increased when Reki retaliated by attacking him with a pillow. 

*************

Any doubts that Adam and Snake had gotten together were laid to rest when they showed up to S. Langa was relatively certain his jaw dropped when he saw Snake. He would have felt guilty about his reaction if Reki hadn't reacted the exact same way.  

“Holy crap,” Reki had finally managed to say. Langa had only been able to nod his head mutely. 

Because Snake… didn't look like either of them was expecting. Langa had only ever seen him in his nondescript Capman uniform or wearing an equally nondescript black suit. But Snake was decked out for his first race against Adam. His black pants and cap had an almost iridescent Snake skin pattern to them. His mesh top exposed a three-quarter length sleeve tattoo that Langa was absolutely not expecting the man to have. 

Considering it was of red roses and a white serpent, the symbolism of it was rather obvious. As if his connection to Adam needed to be any clearer. The heavy leather dog collar he wore around his throat already made it pretty obvious, especially since the tag that hung from it was heart-shaped, red on one side and blue on the other. 

Possessive bastard that he was, Adam had also made certain to leave plenty of visible hickeys and bite marks that Snake's mesh top did nothing to hide. 

“Did you realize Snake was hot?” Reki asked him as the two men approached where they were standing. 

“No,” Langa said slowly, still feeling rather stunned by that revelation. 

Langa greeted Adam with a hug, once again feeling him tense before he relaxed into the affection. Snake's eyes seemed to narrow at him in a glare, and Langa almost laughed at the proof that Adam hadn't been lying about him being rather jealous.

“Are you really one of the original members of S!?” Reki asked Snake with enthusiasm, apparently not holding a grudge about the fact that Snake hit him with his car. “Man, that is so cool!”

“Little Red,” Adam interjected. “Snake here is far more than just an original member. He helped build S from the ground up. Without him, none of this would even exist.”

“That's so awesome!” Langa declared, glancing at Reki in agreement.

"How come we'd never heard of you before?” Reki asked curiously. “Or seen you skate before the tournament?”

“I'm usually working,” Snake told them simply. 

“Our Snake here is the leader of the Capmen, so he doesn't get to skate often,” Adam added, and there was pride in his voice and more than that in the way he looked at Snake. He was bragging about him, and Langa couldn't help but think that was kind of sweet. 

He also couldn't help but think it explained the Capman’s hesitation when Adam told him to reset the cameras. Langa had assumed, they all had, that when he'd asked them why they were spying on “the Boss,” he'd been referring to Adam.

“Though hopefully Snake will be joining me more often,” Adam told them. “He deserves to have a bit of fun.” He added a rather audacious wink that indicated skating wasn't the only fun Snake would be having. 

It was hard not to watch them as the night went on. Hard not to notice the way they… fit together. The way Adam would pull out his cigarette case, and Snake would already have a lighter in his hand for him. Or how they would silently pass the cigarette back and forth, not a word spoken between them, but it still felt like a strangely intimate gesture. 

And their skating was incredible. As the only person who'd ever beaten Adam, one of the only people who could skate against him like that, Langa knew what skating with Adam was like. He knew all too well that he'd adapted his own style to go with Adam’s so that he could race him without injury. Snake and Adam’s skating meshed together seamlessly, though, in a way that was almost beautiful to watch. 

It wasn't until Adam went for a Love Hug and Snake’s only response was to open his own arms to catch him, that it dawned on Langa that Adam said they'd skated together as children. They had, most likely, learned those tricks together. Adam was the skater he was because of Snake. 

And when Adam yanked Snake off his skateboard at the finish line and kissed him, Langa was relatively certain he'd cheered louder than anybody. 

Except maybe for the Capmen. 

*************