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“I hate you.”
It was a fact, a statement. Reki knew that. His defense rose every time Adam did show up at S after his defeat by Langa. He was slightly less uncomfortably aggressively courting Langa, but court he did, still.
Though oddly, Adam never failed to tell him he hated him.
Reki didn’t care much, he still didn’t like him, after all. The underhanded use of violence mostly. Even if everything was allowed during a beef, it did speak volumes about a person’s character to skate like Adam did. Shadow used mean methods as well but only to win, not with the intention to seriously hurt or kill his opponent. It was especially vexing because Adam didn’t really NEED them, he really purely used them for fun and excitement, Reki guessed.
At least that was what he could surmise from his second beef against the man. He was good, so good, so talented and skilled, his skating was quite beautiful, albeit aggressive, his control of the board, of the entire race was overwhelming and Reki had indeed felt a twinge of excitement when he managed to beat him just a little bit. The overlaying fear and anticipation that had scared him witless the first time around was now oddly adding to the fun, a little bit at least.
He still feared the man, just not as much anymore. He did not particularly feel offended when Adam made a routine out of telling him he hated his guts before gushing over Langa.
Reki didn’t feel like they mixed well, after all.
So he did feel a little bit of triumph every time Langa just gave Adam one-worded replies before pouring all his attention into skating and to some extent, him.
It probably didn’t make the hate Adam felt for him any better. But in an ironic way, Reki felt recognized.
----
“I hate you, I despise you. Your form is not pretty, you skate like an amateur despite having skated for years already.” Adam’s voice was dripping with anger and venom.
The redhead shrugged. Even if the words rang true and hurt a little, he accepted them. This was who he was and he would fail and then he would wallow and then he would get back up on his board and try again. That was all he could do, after all. That or giving up, and Reki had given up once, he didn’t want to do it again. It sucked more than failing and retrying.
“I don’t like you much, either, Adam, even if you are an awesome skater when you aren’t trying to kill people.”
A sneer. The man turned around dramatically, away from Reki and Reki watched briefly, the man in his tight skater suit retreating into the crowds, board in hand.
Langa approached on his board with snacks in hand. “Reki!”
The redhead turned. “You just missed Adam,” he said and couldn’t help but grin a little teasingly.
“Huh,” Langa voiced, eyes turning completely devoid of emotions.
Reki snickered at Langa’s surprisingly expressive void of expression. “I thought you like him as a skater.”
“Yes, as a skater. Outside of beefs he is…”
“A lot?”
Langa shrugged. All the flowers he had gotten from Adam so far whenever he bought some to declare his love for his Eve had ended up with Shadow (who said they were bought at his flower shop in the first place) or Joe’s restaurant as table decoration. Since most times they were red roses and Shadow said in Japan flower language was quite the big thing, Langa hadn’t known what else to do with them.
When Reki thought back to that night at S, he realized Adam never tried to court Langa for the first time despite both being there.
----
“A flower that means ‘hate’?” The florist, Higa Hiromi echoed, looking surprised. The man in suit with the mole under his right eye usually brought roses or other colorful flowers that spoke of love and adoration. “I don’t really like the notion of using flowers for negative messages but…” The florist by day and skater by night looked around. “Since your employer likes roses, maybe a yellow rose? It usually means friendship, but it also means jealousy and hate, so it’s sort of a hidden message…?”
Tadashi thought it would suit well as a message by Ainosuke. It was elegant and still had a deeper meaning. “One rose is fine.”
While Hiromi finished up the order, the secretary and skilled skater himself thought of his superior. Lately, the man had been watching the redhead almost as much as his Eve. Granted, the fact that his Eve was with the redhead a lot didn’t make Tadashi think twice of it at first. But when the demand came to get him a flower with such a message, the usually stoic man had raised his eyebrow a tiny bit, though Ainosuke had not looked at him. He hadn’t looked at Langa. He had been looking at the redhead.
He wondered, when he placed the one single yellow flower next to yet another extravagant bouquet of red intended for Eve, if Langa had been the catalyst to open Ainosuke up again, but if he had been mistaken and the redhead should be the one to show Adam the true meaning of fun in skating now. He remembered the dialogue he had with Reki in the hotel room. He had dismissed it and Reki didn’t really seem to have talked to him anyway. But it had remained in the back of his head. Adult life was cruel, especially if one came from such a renowned family as Ainosuke did. So Reki’s childish views were misplaced, right?
But what if Ainosuke needed exactly that kind of childishness as balance?
----
After being touchy-feely with Langa, forcing a giant bouquet of flowers into the light-haired skater’s arms (which was perfect, the table flowers in Joe’s restaurant were expiring), Adam had gotten into Reki’s personal space and no-one really was surprised, the man didn’t really respect that concept anyway. “You’re unforgivable and I hate you.”
“I know,” Reki just said, leaning away but not too much because he didn’t really like showing fear or weakness to that man. He was like a hound smelling when someone was afraid and lapped at it. And Reki was past that. Mostly.
“Good. I will keep reminding you.” And shoved the yellow rose in his face.
Reki spluttered at the velvet petals tickling his nose, almost stuffed into his mouth by that sudden move, hands reaching up to snatch the object and to hold it away from his face. As Adam let go, their fingers brushed but Reki was too confused at the rose to notice.
“Just so you know,” Adam spoke as he turned with a flick of his hand to signal goodbye, “It means ‘hate’.”
“Of course it does,” Reki muttered, though he smiled cheekily. “The color matches my sweatshirt color today!”
Surprised the man turned around but Reki was already laughing with Langa and Miya when those two agreed.
No-one saw a passing emotion of annoyance crossing the dark-haired man’s face except Snake watching from the side. Only later would Snake realize that it wasn’t because Langa was not looking at him this time. Those red eyes were fixed on another kind of red.
----
The next time Reki got a yellow rose was when he was at the city’s summer festival. His entire family was dressed in light yukata, even his father had a day off. Having the entire family together was rare because his father was constantly working, so he had even turned down skating with Langa. And Langa, respecting that Reki had family time once in a while, had gone to S himself. Adam would probably be there, too, but Reki really wasn’t as worried about that as he had once been. Langa knew his limits better now and Adam seemed a little less unhinged. Plus Joe was there too.
Reki really wanted to skate or Langa to be here, too, but he was busy helping his parents to manage the twins, who were like loose puppies running from stall to stall. He and Koyomi made the plan to take a twin each so that their parents could have at least five minutes with each other. With Nanaka on his hip, because she was the more active twin and leaving Koyomi the shyer, quieter Chihiro, he showed Nanako wind chimes and the toy scooping game. Nanaka demanded Reki to play to get her a specific toy and maybe it was Reki’s handiness with tools and his skills with sketching, drawing and holding a brush with little trembling, but after two tries he got Nanako her preferred toy.
And Chihiro saw and pulled at his sleeve shyly, pointing at another.
“Thanks, Reki,” his mother said as Reki’s father took over the twins for a while, pressing a kiss to her son’s forehead. “I know you would have wanted to skate.”
“Mom!” Reki flushed, “Don’t do that in public, it’s embarrassing.” He covered his forehead with a pout.
“You used to love forehead kisses.”
“Shut up.”
When his mother took over the twins afterwards, his father and he walked side by side through the loud but pleasantly festive lanes of the festival. “You got new injuries. Are you alright?”
Indeed, Reki had a few more scraps, a few bruises and several bandaids on his arms and legs. “Just skating injuries, I am fine, dad.”
“Alright;” he smiled, “but don’t overdo it, alright? Don’t worry your mother too much. ...don’t worry me too much. Also, don’t forget your studies.”
“Yes, yes,” Reki pouted a little but really, he had nice parents who let him be a little wild with skateboarding. He just had to take care of not dropping in classes too much. Plus Koyomi was a good student at least.
Later the night, when the Kyan had placed a blanket on the ground by the seaside to wait for the upcoming fireworks, Reki offered to get more drinks because it was humid and warm despite the sun having set a while ago and despite the sea giving the air cool freshness, and they had burned through all the drinks they had brought before.
With drinks in a bag, Reki exited the nearby convenience store, stopping when he realized a familiar man with a cap and a mole under his eye stepping into his way.
“Oh, Snake?”
The older man nodded. “He wants you to have this.” He held up a yellow rose.
“Again? Adam really hates me, huh.” Reki found it a little amusing but took the flower anyway. Shadow would punch him if he ever refused one from his shop.
“I wonder,” he heard Snake mutter low under his breath.
“Eh?”
“Excuse me.” The man bowed and left.
Reki twirled the flower between his fingers all the way back to his family and when they asked where this was from, he lied that the store gave them away. During the fireworks he still felt the flower in his hand, the thorns mostly removed but one single one had remained and the prick into his skin was both painful and grounding.
He really didn't know what to think. Even if it was hate, did he enjoy that one portion of attention he got from the man? Maybe it was like Langa, maybe he was indeed fascinated by Adam, the skater.
But these were flowers from Adam as himself, right? Had he...really gone through the trouble of telling Snake to specifically seek him out on a day he was not at S for this?
That flower, he placed into a vase and put it in his workshop afterwards.
----
There was no beef that night. People just skated down one of the several open routes and when the group had started off, there was no Adam in sight nor was there any announcement that he would be there, either. So Reki was absolutely unsuspecting when he was snatched off the route by someone and entered a closed off side route, and with one hand on the Reki’s waist, his body pressed against a larger one for balance and control, they pushed off a cliff that made Reki scream at the sudden drop of height. While they landed safely, Reki pushed away from the arm holding his waist and steering him off course. He stepped hard on the back of his board to screech to a halt and Reki tried to calm his fast beating heart. “What the heck, Adam?!”
The dark-haired man with the peculiarly detailed elegant mask stopped beside him, relishing in the cigarette he had been smoking with the other hand. “What? I just wanted to skate with you casually.”
“Are you even capable of that,” Reki murmured, looking suspiciously at the man.
“Don’t give me that look. I even informed Joe and Cherry via a cute card that I’m just skating with you a little and even gave them a tracking pin per mobile. So, skate with me?”
Reki really wanted to say no. Adam was still a wild card to him. He told him over and over he hated him and that he was worthless and he never forgave him for humiliating him in the rain. He turned around but...the cliff was as high as a house was big and the rocky wall didn’t show many opportunities to climb it. Reki clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction and turned back.
“I’m surprised you aren’t skating with Langa. Don’t you find skating with me boring and beneath your skills?” Reki stepped back on his board and kicked off, brushing past the older man. Wind followed Reki, tousling his red hair and Adam could feel the whirlwind brush past him. The man flicked the rest of his cigarette away (Snake was nearby and picked it up; it was humid in Okinawa but still, they’d rather not risk a fire when this place was supposed to stay off radar).
And in a flash Adam was already rolling beside Reki. He hated how easily that man showed him that they were not on the same level, not consistently at least.
“While I do indeed think that, I am also a rational man now, and it is a fact that you got a few moves on me in that beef,” he casually replied, picking up speed and taking the turn with a flip of his board, grinding into the ledge of the rocky curve. Reki stuck his tongue out in concentration and did the turn with the trick he copied from Miya, the same he had successfully used in the first beef against Adam. This time however with much more precision and certainty. It was nothing super special and he took forever to master it and also to improve it, but to Reki, it showed his training paid off. Not giving up was good. It was frustrating sometimes how long he took but giving up was no longer an option.
“Are you praising me?”
Adam scoffed a little, though there was a strange smile on his face.
“Well,” Reki shrugged, kicking his leg off the ground faster to gain momentum and ollie-ing over a rock protruding in the middle of the route, a determined smile on his face, “at least you look happier now.”
“W-what?”
Reki only heard him brake to a halt but he did not look back as he took the next turn as fast as he could, so even if he looked back he wouldn’t have seen the man anymore. He continued down the rather straightforward route for a few seconds before he heard the familiar sound of Adam’s skateboard rolls scraping over the ground again.
“You cheeky brat!”
“What?” When Reki looked, Adam was whooshing past him at an insane speed, looking annoyed.
But there was also definitely a smile?
“You’re still years behind using psychological welfare, kid.”
“I wasn’t…??” Reki was confused, but his eyebrows drew together when he bent lower in his knees, gaining more speed by lessening his resistance. “Oh whatever, just watch, I can be fast, too!”
The casual skating turned race was rather simple and aside from Adam obviously provoking him by bumping into his board a few times, he didn’t use his Love Hug or Full Swing Kiss. At some point Reki got reckless in trying out the move he had seen Joe do on their hot spring trip, but this one he actually hadn’t practiced enough yet and he tumbled off his board with a yell.
He could feel Adam’s eyes burning into him as he continued skating towards the abandoned mine building, past him without slowing down, so he quickly scrambled back on his feet and flipped his board over to follow, despite a stinging elbow. He did manage to catch up mostly, boards bumping into each other a few times and Adam even reaching out for him for some reason but Reki ducked away and detangled his board from Adam’s.
“Brat!”
Reki yelped when he was slightly tucked back by his hoodie. Not enough for him to fall but it slowed him down a little. “Hey!”
Adam already let go of him, skating past him, flicking his hand as if throwing something way. “There was a leaf and it bothered me to no end.”
The route seemed to merge with the other routes now as other skaters were ahead of them, but Reki gaped at Adam. “Why would you care??”
Adam zipped past him. “Don’t want Cherry and Joe accusing me of abusing you. Look, they are already over there.” With that, their ‘casually skating together’ as Adam has requested ended and the man flew past the group waiting by the abandoned mine. Adam disappeared in the structure, while Reki rolled towards his friends, slowing to a stop.
“I have no idea what THAT was,” he began, rubbing the back of his head before anyone could bombard him with questions.
“You are hurt,” Langa pointed out, mild worry in his voice and the others gasped. “Was it-”
“No. That’s my fault. I tried out Joe’s trick. Joe, please teach me more of your trick, I need to practice more.” Reki winced a little when he now took the time to examine his wound. A scrape over his elbow, that one would sting for a while. Langa was already rummaging through a bag for disinfectants, causing Reki to squirm in pain when the cool chemical hit his wound, when Miya frowned.
“You...have a flower in your hoodie.”
“Eh?? Oh that Adam,” Reki grumbled. “He fucking lied when he pulled my hoodie. I bet there was no leaf like he said. It’s a yellow rose again, right? Man I got it, he hates me.”
Cherry picked it up from his hoodie when Reki’s grasp to his back missed, his mouth covered by his usual skating getup but his eyes frowning, eyebrows drawn together. “It’s...rose-colored?”
“Eh?” Reki blinked, seeing the rose being held delicately in Cherry’s hand. “It suits you, Cherry.”
The man with a similar shade of hair of rose color, the rose only slightly darker, raised an eyebrow. “Thanks but I think you’re missing the point. Adam gave that to you .”
Reki shrugged, confused. “I know, and I don’t get it. Shadow, were you out of yellow roses?”
The man with the elaborate face makeup shrugged in return. “Actually, we were. There were other yellow flowers that could have conveyed a similar message but then he just picked this one. He seemed fine with the meaning. I...I thought this time it wasn’t for Reki.”
“What does it mean,” Langa asked.
Shadow didn’t answer right away, watching as Cherry gave the rose to Reki. Reki saw a thorn on the stem and absentmindedly rubbed his gloved finger over it as if that would explain things more.
“Joy.”
“Hm,” Reki mused, “he did look like he had a little more fun than the last time he raced. Though he didn’t seem to realize it himself, so this still makes no sense.”
“Joy, huh,” Cherry spoke, more to Joe than to the rest, who started to tease Reki about falling off his board and injuring himself again. “So that was indeed a genuine smile when he passed us.”
----
“He’s like those clumsy puppies. They will try imitating their parents and peers and very much fail at it but it is kind of cute and mainly very entertaining.” Ainosuke was lounging in his chair in front of the many screens that were all focused on the redhead (and Langa, his beloved, awesome Eve, he told himself, he was only watching Reki because he was with Langa). “So I forgive you for getting me that blunder of a rose-colored rose, it actually suited well as a message.”
His loyal Tadashi just bowed.
“Hah, look at him, failing that move again and again. Joe isn’t really a good instructor anyway. He’s all muscles and just does things but he can’t explain it as well as I would have. And Cherry is too technical, it’s boring.”
“Do you want to teach the redhead?”
Caught off-guard by the blunt question of his loyal dog servant, Ainosuke sneered a second too late. “Of course not.”
On screen, Reki laughed. He laughed even after he fell. After a moment of frustration Reki just laughed, then pushed himself up to try again.
Even when Langa entered the shot and tried the move with perfection for Reki to try to imitate, Ainosuke couldn’t look away from the redhead when he started with determination and a smile on his face.
----
“I hate you.”
Reki looked up. He was leaning against the rocky wall a bit off the side to the half-pipe, taking a break because his muscles were aching but he did manage another new trick he had seen in a video, so he deserved a break. The others were still messing around on the half-pipe and the other constructions and Reki was sure Cherry and Joe were racing. Or...something else.
There was a little hush because it was Adam, the Adam, among the crowd but since he had appeared regularly lately, he blended in rather quickly despite his extraordinary outfit and board. Seeing how he was preoccupied with someone, the people quickly returned to their own businesses.
“Did Snake get the wrong flower order the last time without your permission?” Reki stood up and leaned against the wall. Usually he would feel mildly concerned about being trapped between a wall and Adam so close in front of him but there were people around him, Langa and Miya and Shadow were nearby and he didn’t feel the usual venom from the man’s words.
Dark blue hair fell into Adam’s face and mask slightly as he tilted his head. “I forgive him for once because even though I despise you, you turned out to be interesting at least. Like a clumsy puppy.”
“What’s with people comparing me to a dog,” Reki murmured with a pout.
“You have a big family.”
“I do-wait, first of all, how is that relevant and second, how do you know??”
“I watch Langa-kun,” Adam admitted without shame and Reki felt himself raising a judging eyebrow, “so when he was at your place, I saw your family.”
“That stalking, you know?”
Adam shrugged, somehow not in the mood for jokes (it wasn’t one, but somehow that flew right over the man’s head). “How come a nobody like you gets it all? A supportive family, Langa-kun’s attention…” His voice dropped lower. “A sliver of skill. The ability to teach joy…”
Reki squinted, clearly having a hard time understanding Adam when the beat boxes and joyful sound of talking skaters around them drowned him out. “Huh? Are you jealous?”
Adam didn’t answer, his gaze dropped to the ground, mind far away probably, because after waiting for a while, Reki assumed the conversation was over.
“Alright I will...return to the others,” he said carefully, turning his gaze towards a mob of light blue hair as Langa gained high air on the half-pipe.
“Of course I am jealous,” Adam snapped, and Reki felt his wrist being snatched, turned back towards Adam, who leaned close to him, so close that he could smell the faint odor of cigarette smoke and a whiff of aftershave. “Langa-kun only ever looks at you and you also only look at him. Look at me, damnit!”
Reki’s mouth closed and opened wordlessly, overwhelmed at the close proximity and he felt a slight blush creeping up his cheeks. What exactly was happening?
“I hate you.” It was a whisper this time, Reki could feel the breath of the man fanning over his face and he shivered slightly. His heartbeat picked up on speed. It was not a threat. It sounded like something else but Reki couldn’t say what else exactly it reminded him of.
His mind truly short-circuited when Adam’s masked face blurred in his vision as he leaned in so close Reki lost focus, a hand on the back of his head pushed him towards the man and he felt hot, soft lips pressed against his. Quick and hard and then Adam let go, turning away and moving towards the half-pipe instead, retrieving a big bouquet of red roses out of nowhere yet again for Langa.
His friends found him still frozen a moment later, when Langa wanted to place the bouquet away so he could continue skating. Everyone was still surprised Adam only took enough time to give him the flowers, declared he still dreamt of being joined by Eve and then left.
“Reki?” Langa touched his friend on his shoulder gently and the redhead blinked. Blinked some more. Before he flushed a bright red. “What happened?”
“I don’t know,” Reki covered his face with his gloved hands, crouching on the ground and one could practically see steam rising off Reki. “Adam was here a moment ago and I don’t know…”
“That explains the red rose in your hair.” Miya reached down to pluck the rose out of the redhead’s hair.
“Huh?” Reki peeked through the gaps of his fingers.
“Must have gotten caught in your hair when he talked to you,” Miya mused. He handed Langa the rose, who took it, about to put it into the bouquet, when he frowned.
“No, they don’t match.”
“Eh?” Miya blinked. “You’re right, the color is a much darker red. And the stem is way shorter than for a bouquet. Hey, heeeey Shadow!” The younger skater waved the young adult over, who skated closer upon being called. “Did you sell Adam flowers again?”
“No, today’s my day off. Did Langa get a bouquet again? What did Reki get this time?”
Langa handed Shadow the short-cut, dark red rose. “It was in Reki’s hair.”
Shadow looked at the rose, then at the bouquet, then at the rose, immediately noticing the different shade of both rose types. “Oh.” Shadow blinked and maybe he was blushing a little, no one could really tell due to his face paint. “Ohhhh.”
“Whaaat,” Reki asked exasperated. His mind still somewhat tried to wrap around the moment with Adam before but Shadow was really acting strange and he felt anxious.
“You all know what bright red roses mean. But a darker shade of red roses, especially when you can compare like this, means...hidden feelings.” Shadow laughed as he placed the rose back in Reki’s hand, who weakly grasped it in disbelief. “I bet Langa will not be the only one getting red roses from that crazy guy from now on. I have to tell manager-san to stock up on red roses, hahaha!”
The redhead’s head dropped back into his hands, not caring that even the short stem had a few blunt thorns that scraped against his face skin, desperately trying to hide his blush and mumbling, “...t-that explains the kiss.”
Shadow, Miya and even Langa turned back towards him simultaneously, eyes wide just as Joe and Cherry walked into earshot.
“ KISS ????”