Chapter Text
It was safe to say, it was going poorly.
Reki wasn't losing. He wasn't but he wasn't winning either.
The way that Adam kept teasing and flirting and mocking Reki was rattling in his brain and tensing his muscles more than they already were. He'd given up on understanding the way Adam lived his life, the way he chose to skate, or love, or act, but a part of him still tried to and now he was stuck gritting his teeth in a near death match against the crazy slightly-pedophilic madman that was obsessed with his best friend.
The worst was yet to come it seemed.
Adam lined up to take a shot at Reki, the same way that he did with Cherry, skateboard held in his hands as he powered it up and started to swing like the board was a baseball bat instead of something you put your freaking feet on, and Reki was preparing to dodge just like he practised (in his head). He did too, his black jacket ruffling in the wind behind him as Adam yelled in frustration. He allowed himself to smile as he lowered to the ground to go faster.
But Adam caught up too fast and before he knew it he was being grabbed and Adam was- and Reki was- and Adam was- was- was-
Inoki kept skating as fast as he could. The cheers of the crowd for Reki were gone, the laughs at Adam were silent. It was eerily quiet in the arena of S and Inoki couldn't care less.
(He could, that was a lie, a lie, a lie. It wasn't- he wanted them to cheer for him. He wanted them to know it was him. That he was-)
His board was Adam's and Reki's was- (gonegonegonegone) -and he felt the wind through his hair. A jerk of his legs and Inoki did an ollie as easy as breathing over a large boulder in his way.
See that Little Red? It wasn't hard at all.
Inoki stuttered and felt his form flicker. He kept his balance as he felt himself struggle to keep shape. The board moved under his feet, but Adam kept it steady.
"Not yet, not yet. Come on now, don't you want to win?" Adam mocked inside of him. Inoki could feel Reki, could feel his despair and his fear and instantly he felt as Adam licked it up and took control again, pushing Reki further and further down within Inoki.
Around the curve, Inoki could see the ending. This dance they were playing was dangerous, on an edge of a knife. Inoki couldn't keep this form. Adam was strong and tough, but Reki was feisty and stubborn. He'd get back control and Adam wouldn't be able to get it back. But it didn't matter so long as Inoki passed that finish line whole.
Reki screamed inside of him. He thrashed and struggled and even cried in more than just frustration. Or maybe that wasn't just him. As Inoki got closer and closer to the finish line, the crowd that was silent got louder. No, not the crowd. Them.
Joe and Cherry sparked hate in Adam that flowed over Inoki. They were there at the end of the line and they were furious. If Cherry could stand, Adam was sure he would-
Inoki. Inoki. Inoki. He was Inoki.
If Cherry could stand, Inoki was sure he'd be running to meet them. Joe's hands were already in fists. Next to them, Miya was frightful. The poor boy was shaking, terrified at just the sight of Inoki. Adam grinned inside of him, bathing in that fear. He already had Reki's, Miya's was just whipped topping.
Oh and how Reki hated that. Oh how he screamed and struggled louder inside of him for that. Inoki's form shuddered and wavered and flickered as Reki fought. Adam fought back harder and harder. Inoki kept skating to that doom, knowing he would unfuse just as they crossed the finish line and not a moment too soon.
But there at the finish line was the thing Inoki, that Adam was waiting for. Waiting and wailing to see.
Langa.
Langa.
Unfortunately, Inoki couldn't make it to the finish line. Adam pushed too hard, wished for too much. Reki never stopped fighting. Never gave up. And with Langa right there, everything that both Adam and Reki wanted was everything opposite of each other, and it was all just too much, too fast, too great to hold the Great Inoki together.
A pop and Adam and Reki were Adam and Reki once more.
Reki was the first one up. His hair was frizzy, unkempt, and more rat's nest than it used to be. Adam loathed it greatly as he watched lazily as Little Red crossed the finish line, on foot, and glared at him. Bruised, scraped, bleeding, and with deep already-set eye bags of exhaustion, Reki Kyan had won their beef.
"You absolutely pathetic excuse for a-"
Surprisingly Reki cut off his friend's retorts. Which one it was wasn't something Adam could tell. His eyes only found Reki's and the rest of the world could fade away for all he cared. Adam could still feel the venom radiating off of each and every one of them though and he could tastethe disgust thrown his way from the rest of S.
Reki gave him a look, one Adam, for the life of him, couldn't decipher. Then he sighed, and made his way over to Adam, his friends protesting all the way.
Adam stared at the hand outstretched towards him and grimaced.
"I don't need your pity." He spit out.
Reki didn't sneer or smile and scoffed. He simply sighed greatly and retracted his hand.
"What you need is therapy."
Adam watched as Reki backed away, with his eyes still locked on Adam as if looking away was tantamount to letting a tiger loose in crowded park. They stared at each other and no one else, even as Adam picked himself off the ground and took a step towards the boy.
The dreaded group of friends Reki made, those fools that dare to try to beat him, encircled the boy before he even got a chance to speak again, before he even really made a move.
And Reki Kyan gave Adam one last look. Something horribly broken in his eyes let Adam know that even though his feet had crossed the finish line all on his own, it was clear that Adam had won exactly what he wanted to.
He always did.