Chapter Text
"C'mere Langa!" Reki barks, grabbing Langa's arm and pulling him away from Adam, and the odd feeling in Langa's gut fades quickly. Keeping ahold of his board, Langa lets it happen, curious about what has Reki so upset. He catches the nasty look Reki throws in Adam's direction over his shoulder as they move away from the crowd that's now clustering in awe around the masked man. Miya follows behind the pair until they stop once Reki is satisfied they're at a good distance away from anyone else in the abandoned factory.
"What's wrong, Reki?" Langa asks after tugging his arm out of the bruising grip. He's truly baffled at what could have caused such a strong reaction. He can't think of anything he did that was weird or wrong. He knows he has trouble reading social situations and admittedly has a tendency to be clueless, which Reki has poked fun at him for sometimes, good-natured teasing between friends, but nothing stands out to him as cause for this.
Reki sighs and buries his face in his hand, muttering under his breath. He looks up, eyes betraying just how frustrated he clearly feels. "What were you thinking?! Just accepting like that?!"
Langa blinks. "What do you mean? Why wouldn't I?" Reki had challenged Adam to a beef on his own accord, so why is it a problem that Langa wants to skate too? Skating is fun, and if Adam lives up to his apparent hype, skating against someone with his level of skill would be very exciting. Adam's got a certain intensity about him that Langa finds intriguing. He just knows racing the guy would be awesome.
"Dude!" Reki hisses, exasperated, "He was hitting on you!"
...What?
"No he wasn't," Langa says after a moment of heavy silence that's only disturbed by the low murmurs from the crowd. He glances over to where Adam has started smoking a cigarette, groups of people still hovering around him, whispering amongst themselves. There's a defined empty space around Adam, as if he both draws people in with their fascination of him yet his mere reputation is enough to keep them from coming too close. Adam isn't facing in his direction but Langa gets the feeling of eyes on him. It's probably just his imagination.
A groan from Reki draws Langa's attention back to their conversation. "He totally was! He was really coming onto you! With all that..." Reki trails off and makes some weird gestures with his hands. Langa stares, completely lost. Reki groans again and turns to Miya. "Ugh, Miya you saw it too right? Back me up here! Guy's a total creep, right?!"
Miya shrugs, looking half bored and half annoyed. "Wouldn't know. I've never skated with him, and it's the first time I've seen him here."
"Really?!" Reki grumbles, even more frustrated. He puts both hands firmly on Langa's shoulders as if it's actually a serious matter. "You gotta believe me, Langa. You need to back out of it and stay away from him!"
"Reki, you're overreacting. He's just..." Langa frowns, realizing he doesn't know the Japanese words for eccentric or flamboyant, and calling Adam weird seems too rude and not quite right even if the guy's performance and mannerisms are exaggerated. On top of that Langa is growing increasingly annoyed about being told not to skate. And Adam is not flirting. That's absolutely ridiculous. "It's just part of his act. Kind of like Shadow, I guess," he finishes, hoping Reki gets it.
Of course he doesn't understand, judging by the way Reki is looking at him. "It's not an act! He was flirting with you! How can you not see it?!" Reki almost yells, burying his hands in his hair and tugging in an over-exaggerated manner.
Langa wants to tear his hair out too. "He's not. If anything he's just trying to be intimidating." It's not like Adam had dropped a pickup line on him or even touched him or anything like that. Getting in someone's face and looking down on them is totally an intimidation tactic, and that's all Adam did at most.
"Langa please! Trust me on this! You need to back out!" Reki pleads, and for a second Langa thinks Reki is about to drop to his knees and beg. His friend's eyes are that wide and desperate. It's a little unnerving to see how strongly Reki feels about this whole thing.
"Then why don't you call your beef off?" Langa suggests as a compromise. Adam wants to race with him if he wins, so it makes the most sense to Langa to just call off the original wager. He could probably skate against Adam anyways later, after Reki comes to his senses. He doesn't voice that last bit, though.
Reki immediately balks. "No way! It's totally different!" Reki's eyes flick to Miya and Langa does get it. Reki wants to stand up for the younger boy. Still...
"I want to skate," Langa states in a flat tone. He's done with this argument. It's not fair at all for Reki to demand Langa pull out of the chance to skate against Adam and at the same time go ahead with his own beef. Besides, if Reki goes through with his race, it's doubly unfair to suddenly yank away the prize from whoever wins, especially after agreeing to a wager.
Reki looks like he's about to burst when Miya steps in and grabs the red-head's arm. "Okay Slime, time to drop it," he says, dragging Reki away towards the exit of the abandoned factory. One glance at Miya's face tells Langa that the boy is just as done with the argument as Langa is.
Langa watches them leave. "Hey! Let go of me! I'm not done yet!" Reki's protests trail off the further away they get until finally Langa can't hear them anymore. He lets out a sigh and looks over to see that Adam is gone too and the crowd has thinned significantly, only a handful of people still milling around.
There's absolutely no way Reki is right. Adam was not hitting on him. Sure, the guy seems kind of odd, but isn't everyone at S a little bit weird? Adam is just more unique with his whole matador get-up. Langa nods to himself, feeling more confident about his own reading of the situation. All Adam had done was hover and circle around him. He hadn't touched him, and he'd even asked permission which Langa hadn't given or denied. The most Langa had felt was the brush of air under his chin when the man had withdrawn his hand and on the back of his neck when Adam had stepped in close behind him.
It makes way more sense that the guy with the apparent reputation of some sort of S legend would be getting in Langa's face in order to shake his confidence or nerves. There are different ways to intimidate someone. It doesn't always have to be all loud bluster and threats, and Adam's way of going about it seems to fit the style Langa had observed from him so far. Maybe Langa was reading too much into it as well or getting it wrong, same as Reki. Perhaps Adam was truly only interested in Langa's talent. It could even be merely a meaningless game. Judging by how people reacted, this is the first time in a while Adam has shown up at S. Maybe he's bored and the theatrics are for his own amusement and he's just messing with people.
Langa shrugs to himself. Whatever it is, it's nothing to be worried about.
Satisfied with his conclusion, he makes his way to the door and steps out into the cool night air. An exhaled breath draws Langa's gaze to the side and he spots Adam leaning against a wall near the factory's exit, board propped up beside him, blowing out smoke from his cigarette. He can feel their eyes meet without being able to actually see them through the dark shadows of his mask. Adam tilts his head in a silent acknowledgement and grins, a sharp tooth peaking through his lips.
Something about Adam, or maybe it's something about this moment and the mood he's in, has a familiar burn coiling in Langa's gut and gets his heart stirring, the undeniable need to rise to a challenge and win. Reki is wrong and Langa is going to prove it. Adam was not hitting on him back there. Similar to how he'd jumped in head-first with his races, taking on skilled opponents and embracing the rush of pure adrenaline, Langa marches over to the matador without a second thought.
"Rookie-kun," Adam's deep voice purrs a greeting, his grin growing wider at Langa's approach. The man takes another slow drag on his cigarette, and Langa reaches him after he's blown the smoke out away from both of them and stamped out the cigarette on the ground.
"Adam," Langa says, and falls quiet, feeling a little lost and foolish all of a sudden. He hadn't really thought of what to say before he'd surrendered to his nagging desire to prove himself right, that Adam wasn't flirting.
Just when Langa thinks the awkward silence might be going on too long even for him, Adam pushes off the factory's wall and steps into Langa's space, forcing him to look up at the taller man. They're not touching, but they're close enough that Langa picks up the clear scent of cologne and tobacco and can feel the warmth radiating off the other's body. "Excited to skate with me?" Adam asks, voice low and deep and pleasant.
Right, this is the second time Adam has gotten in his face. It's totally either an intimidation tactic or that he gets a thrill out of messing with people.
"If you win," Langa replies. While he deep down he knows that Adam wouldn't have the reputation he does without merit, he still wants to believe that Reki has a chance, like a good friend would.
Adam huffs out a laugh. "When I win." Langa says nothing, letting his previous words do the talking for him. Besides, admitting that he is interested in skating with Adam somehow feels like a loss to him, as small and petty as that is. Adam hums, then asks, "Care to make a wager of our own?"
"Okay," Langa answers after a few seconds, ignoring the little voice in the back of his head that sounds suspiciously like Reki screaming that this is a bad idea. He should say no. The smart thing to do would be to say no, but Langa's feeling wild and he likes the way his heart is pounding. It's a similar feeling to when he's tearing downhill on his board, wind in his hair. He feels it now, like he did when he was back in the factory and Adam was circling around him, like a shark.
Oh, maybe it really was an intimidation game. Two beasts posturing and bearing fangs until one backs down. Langa refuses to lose this fight.
Adam's grin seems to grow feral, victorious maybe, and he leans in even closer to Langa, his breath ghosting over Langa's lips. Langa holds his ground, blood thrumming in his veins, refusing to step back even as Adam encroaches further into his personal space. "What can I do for you, snow bunny?" Adam asks, almost teasingly. "You can ask for anything you want and I'll provide."
It's a brag about his money and power, for sure, but Langa is not above taking advantage of Adam's misplaced generosity. "Buy me a meal," Langa says, staring unflinchingly up at the taller man. He thinks he can almost make out a pair of eyes looking back from the darkness of the mask.
"Oh?" Adam coos, his mirth clear from the way his grin twitches into a bemused smile, "That's all you want? Nothing more?"
"I'll eat you out of house and home," Langa tells him, noting the exact moment Adam registers his reply as a joke. It's not. Langa is being serious, and if Adam didn't believe him, the only victim would be Adam's wallet.
Langa's breath catches in his throat when Adam throws his head back and laughs, the sound of it making his stomach flip in an interesting way. It's been a while since he's heard anyone laugh so freely like that. It's been even longer since Langa's laughed like that.
Adam lets out one last chuckle. "Cute," he purrs. "Now, what could I ask from you? Hmm..." Adam makes a show of thinking and then smirks. Langa's a little surprised when Adam lifts one of his hands in his own, it's the first time the guy's actually touched him, and his eyes widen when his hand is brought up to a pair of soft lips that press gently against his knuckles. Langa can still feel the warmth though the fabric of his glove, almost pulsing in time with his racing heartbeat. Adam gives him a toothy, teasing smirk. "Perhaps... a kiss?"
Okay, yeah. Langa was wrong. It's not an intimidation tactic or game.
It's not flirting.
Adam's just messing with him for his own personal amusement trying to get a reaction out of him, make him freak out or something, or shake his nerves maybe.
Two can play that game, and Langa is confident he can get the upper-hand here. He feels sharp and alive and his mind fires up with a few comebacks he could use. He picks the one he thinks will knock Adam off-kilter the best.
Fair's fair, and if Adam can touch him, Langa can do the same. He pulls his hand out of Adam's hold and grabs his blue tie, tugging it a little so that the taller man bends down and their gazes line up. Adam's breath hitches and Langa can just make out a pair of wide eyes shadowed by the mask. "Don't forget a breath mint then, Señor."
Victory.
Langa feels extremely satisfied when Adam is left speechless, lips parted in shock. He's not the type to gloat or rub it in, so he waits for the matador to step away from the posturing now that Langa's shown he's not going to back down or show any significant reaction to Adam's gaudy act.
Adam doesn't move away and Langa holds his ground, not giving an inch, not flinching when Adam's lips start to curl up and the air suddenly feels heavy. He can still barely make out Adam's eyes, and they're lidded, as if he-
"Langa!" Reki's voice calls out from behind, breaking whatever the weird tension was. Langa takes a few steps away from Adam, blinking. Was his heart always going this fast?
Langa turns and spots Reki running up to him. He swallows hard, ignoring the strange feeling in his stomach and trying to calm his racing pulse, and goes to meet his friend. Unable to resist the urge, Langa glances back just once at Adam. The matador is still watching him, smile growing wider when he notices Langa's attention.
"Why were you over there with him? Did you not listen to a word I said?!" Reki asks, tone harsh and accusing. Langa's not in the mood to do this fight again.
"Just talking. Where's Miya?" Langa replies. He doesn't want to argue with Reki right now. He's still confident that Reki is wrong and it wasn't flirting, but standing up to Adam's antics has left him feeling weird for some reason.
"He went home," Reki says, staring hard at Langa as they make their way out of S. Langa sighs, knowing that the red-head won't let it go so easily. Sure enough, Reki soon bursts. "So what did you-?"
"Later, Reki," Langa interrupts, giving his friend a flat look that thankfully Reki picks up on and drops the topic. Langa needs some time and peace and quiet to think about everything that happened tonight.
It feels like something's shifted, something's changed, and he's not sure what.