Work Text:
There was beauty in age, or so he’d been told. As the youngest Diet member, he had heard variations of the comment from countless peers and he learned to simply grin and agree. It wasn’t an entirely incorrect assumption-- age created the finest wines, sweetened the best memories, and wisened the most respectable elders-- but Ainosuke had been witness to how time could corrupt, twist, and gnarl its subjects as well. At the end of the day, it was a statement used to emphasize the value of time lived and experienced as well as to comfort those whose youth was slipping away. Strangely enough, he never did hear it from his younger colleagues.
Personally, Ainosuke wanted to age like the aforementioned wine, value increasing by the day. When his reflection resembled those of his elder colleagues, he wanted to be prized and revered, respected to his years and beyond. As both the most youthful of his peers and the self-proclaimed top dog , he felt that his life was moving smoothly in that direction. At least, when he reflected on it during the occasional lull in the morning’s meetings, he came to that optimistic conclusion.
As much as he was invested in the work he did, this was one day that he was eager to leave the stuffy political halls and take some time for himself. Tadashi had cleared his schedule-- he had seen to it that the day would consist of as few obligations as possible so as to give him time to prepare for the night-- meaning that he had a few hours to breathe before he needed to don a new mask.
The two men were nearly out the door, Tadashi holding it open for him, when a third presence came to their attention.
“ Shindo !”
Ainosuke paused, turning towards the voice that interrupted his departure. He was greeted by a woman who appeared to be stepping straight out of a professional magazine, her greying hair indicative of her seniority. She was someone that he had worked with countless times before-- someone with whom he often agreed-- making his flicker of irritation at being stopped wane slightly.
He offered a warm, practiced smile. “Ah, Miss Takahashi,” he greeted. “I was just on my way out. Is there something I can help you with before I take my leave?”
She came to a stop a respectful distance away from him with a pleasant expression on her face. “Nothing like that, no. I only wanted to stop and congratulate you.”
Ainosuke arched a brow. “Congratulate me? Whatever for?”
“It is your birthday, isn’t it?” she reminded. “Becoming another year older is something to be proud of. There is beauty in age, after all.”
“So I’ve heard,” he hummed. “I appreciate you thinking of me today. Thank you.”
“You are very welcome,” she replied, her smile broadening for a brief moment. “Now, don’t work yourself too hard. You’re always so busy. Try to enjoy yourself today.”
A sparkle shone in Ainosuke’s eye-- one distant from the building in which he stood, much freer and more exhilarating-- as his polite grin took on a borderline mischievous tone.
“Believe me, Miss Takahashi, I plan on enjoying myself
plenty.
”
“Do you think Adam will be here today?”
Langa had asked that question so many times that answering it had become almost instinctive. Since their famous beef, the Matador of Love had increased his attendance at S, but not to the point that his presence was expected . Each night was a question that only Langa seemed to care about the answer to. More often than not, he would receive a shrug or flippant “ Who knows?” in response. That night, however, he was met with a long-suffering sigh.
“Of course he’ll be here,” Cherry answered, surprising Langa with how confident he sounded. “I would be shocked if he failed to turn up.”
“It’s his big day,” Joe added. “Any day that he can unapologetically be the center of the universe is a good day in his book, but tonight especially.”
“Since when has Adam ever been apologetic about being the center of the universe?” Reki questioned, prompting a snicker from Miya’s direction. Though the man had slowly started to grow on him since that fateful beef, Langa knew that Reki was less than pleased by his eagerness to meet him. If he didn’t know any better, he would label it jealousy, but surely Reki knew that Langa could be friends with more than one person, right?
Ignoring the jab, Langa, furrowed his brow slightly and asked, “His big day?”
“His birthday,” Cherry clarified. “Knowing him, he has something big planned.”
Langa’s eyes widened.
Birthday.
In the back of his mind, he knew that it would come up eventually, but he had never thought to ask about it. Suddenly, showing up with nothing but his board felt wrong.
“Oh. I didn’t know. I don’t have anything for him.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Joe assured with a smile. “All of the attention he’ll get is more than enough.”
“Sounds like you’re speaking from experience,” Cherry commented, causing Joe’s smile to flicker.
“You’re just jealous that I get attention,” he shot back.
Seeing where this was leading, Langa stepped back, allowing the pair to go at one another’s throats to their hearts’ content while he pondered his predicament. No matter what Joe said, it felt… wrong not to have anything to offer. But what could he do? All of the stores were closed by this hour and all he had was his board…
...My board!
A loud bang interrupted his thoughts, followed by crackling as the sky bled red with fireworks. All eyes turned up toward the sky as a figure followed the sparks to the ground. When his feet finally touched the earth, the parachute was released and billowed dramatically into the crowd, much to the pleasure of screaming fans. Though the man from the sky beamed and drew in a breath to speak, no introductions truly needed to be made. Langa’s question had been answered; Adam was going to be there that night after all.
“Fellow lovers of skating!” Adam called, bringing everyone to an immediate hush. “Tonight is a night of celebration! Today is my birthday, and I am trembling with excitement to share it with such a gorgeous crowd.”
A gloved hand raised up into the air and, hardly a second later, other silhouettes followed his path from the sky. Boxes of sweets and bottles of expensive wine floated down, each secured to a tiny parachute of their own. The offerings scattered around the crowd, causing the excitement to buzz even higher.
“Enjoy!” Adam exclaimed as he threw both of his arms up in an open gesture and people scrambled to grab treats of their own. Behind him, Langa could hear someone that sounded vaguely like Cherry scolding someone who sounded vaguely like Miya for snagging one of the wines, but he didn’t bother looking back to confirm. The others had plenty of reasons not to like Adam despite their slow-but-steady reconciliation, but the almost fantastical display only made Langa smile. Leave it to Adam to invite others to celebrate of his own accord rather than expect anything for himself (especially in such an over-the-top fashion).
While others went about matching up their prizes and chattering away, Langa pushed through the crowd to confront Adam directly. As he approached, board in hand, he watched the older man’s interest become piqued and his showman’s grin morph into something more genuine.
“Ah, my precious little Langa. To what do I owe the pleasure?” he greeted.
“I have something for you. For your birthday.”
Sort of.
“Oh?”
Surprise was evident in Adam’s voice; clearly, he hadn’t expected anyone to have been prepared. It made Langa wonder when the last time he’d been given something was. He offered a smile of his own and showed off his board.
“A race. Against me. And maybe I’ll let you win this time,” he tacked on as a tease, hoping it was taken as such.
A few seconds of silence followed before laughter rang out—and not the malicious kind that made his skin crawl, but the warm, jovial kind that invited people in.
“You make it sound like you have a chance of winning in the first place,” Adam replied. “I don’t make the same mistakes twice.”
Pleased that his proposal was accepted, Langa nodded toward the start of the track and said, “There’s only one way to know for sure.”
“You are so right,” Adam hummed, making a sweeping gesture with his arm. “Shall we?”
Langa didn’t have to be told twice. As they made their way toward the start line, people began to notice and animated chatter followed their every step. In the end, it wouldn’t matter who won; it never truly did. It was about the companionship, the thrill, the celebration , not the result.
...That being said, Langa had no intentions of going easy on him. As they waited for the start signal, he glanced over at his opponent and noticed the wide, focused grin on his face and felt his heart leap.
This was going to be fun.
They returned to a silent house. There was no excitement or fanfare to greet them; not even the dust stirred as they entered. Night had fallen on the Shindo estate long before it ever touched the patrons of S. The drive home had been enough to leach any extra adrenaline from their veins, but stepping inside was the final sigh that sealed the night. It was over, all of the presentation and celebration, and they could finally get some much-needed rest.
Even if he would deny it, Tadashi could see Ainosuke’s exhaustion in the way his lethargy increased with every step he took. There was something almost endearing about it, as it reminded him of a child who had been stricken by drowsiness after expending all of his energy on celebration. The image was almost enough to make Tadashi smile. Almost.
Distantly, he wondered if Ainosuke would be able to make it to bed on his own.
Just as they were about to part ways for the evening, Tadashi stopped his master with a gentle clearing of his throat and said, “Mr. Ainosuke?”
“Hm?” Ainosuke mumbled as he turned to look at him. “What is it?”
There was a definitive exhausted slur to his words that showed just how close he was to passing out on the spot.
Rather than waste time with pleasantries, Tadashi pulled a small box out from his pocket and handed it over. Technically, midnight had long since passed, so it was no longer Ainosuke’s birthday, but was the day truly over until the next morning’s sun rose to announce the new one? Both of them would argue not.
“Here. For your birthday.” He knew what he was supposed to say—that it was from his aunts even when Tadashi had been the one to pick it out—but that detail failed to slip off his tongue.
Oops.
Surprise flashed across Ainosuke’s tired face as he accepted the box. Though it was no mystery that all of the gifts he had received from his aunts in the previous years had been selected by his secretary, this was the first time he’d been so open about it. He opened the box, eyes widening in appreciation at what he saw.
In the box was a pair of ruby roses, delicately fashioned and lined with gold. At the base of each blossom protruded identical sets of leaves, the precious metal accenting their edges. The bars they were attached to sported the same shine, and it didn’t take an expert to infer that the quality was high; Tadashi would never have saddled him with inferior goods, after all.
“I thought they might look nice with your suits,” Tadashi offered as an explanation, but they both knew it went deeper than that.
Roses...
It would be like being back in the garden; like wearing a little piece of Tadashi on him at all times.
“You’re right,” Ainosuke hummed, closing the box up again. “The colors will mesh well. These are nice.”
“I’m glad you like them.”
There were unspoken words in Ainosuke’s comments, but Tadashi heard them loud and clear: Thank you.
“You really should try to get some rest,” Tadashi continued, giving into the temptation to guide his exhausted master back to his room. Ainosuke sighed and allowed the assistance, already half-asleep by the time they made it into his room.
No verbal acknowledgement of gratitude was given that night, nor was it necessary. Ainosuke walking into work the following morning with two delicate roses pinned on his wrists for all to see displayed his appreciation well enough.