Chapter Text
Adam was so sweet to him. It was Langa’s 21stbirthday and he had brought him a chocolate cake for dessert after they shared dinner. For once, instead of in Langa’s bedroom Adam decided it would be nice if they shared a meal in the formal dining room with the sunshine. It sounded like a lovely change of pace to the younger man, so he went along with it happily.
Since accepting Adam’s love at last on that fateful day nearly two and a half years ago Langa had become spoiled and pampered, and he realised just how deep Adam’s love for him went. He just wanted the best for the young man, he wanted him to be next to the only person who was his equal on a pedestal worthy of Langa’s unique talents.
A little under a year ago the cell door on Langa’s room had become unnecessary and stifling. It was just something which made it take that much longer for Adam to enter when he comes to visit. At this point the younger man would never dream of leaving that room without Adam’s permission anyway.
The occasion was a special one. In the US and Canada, a person’s 21stbirthday was one of the biggest milestone ages of their life, and therefore his keeper decided to go all out for a celebration. His Eve was originally from Canada, after all. Adam had even bought him some nice clothes to wear for this special dinner in the dining room - a lovely red shirt with a darker red waistcoat decorated in love hearts, and some navy blue trousers. Those clothes fit him perfectly and seemed so right. It helped Langa broadcast his status as Adam’s Eve proudly.
As he arrived to the dining room, he noticed first the beautiful bouquet of red roses which had been left at Langa’s place setting. They were absolutely gorgeous, and his face lit up with one of his little but genuine smiles at the gesture.
“My radiant Eve, I see you found my gift,” Adam proclaimed in delight, stepping smoothly to his side and wrapping an arm around his waist. “Part birthday gift, and part apology for how absolutely beastly I was to you the other day, my little love.” Looking into Langa’s eyes, his Adam carefully raised a hand and ever-so-gently brushed over his Eve’s right cheekbone with his thumb.
“I’m relieved to see your black eye is healing so well, little Langa, I would hate to see my precious Eve hurting for long,” Adam said with soft eyes and a faint pout. He had taken great care of Langa after the recent incident, sparing no expense in providing all the best skin and bruise creams, eye care, and painkillers. It just went to show how high a position the Eve of the skating world was and how much he was valued.
“It’s okay, I shouldn’t have asked you to leave. I know the only real cure for a bad day is letting you in, not pushing you away,” Langa said quietly, leaning into Adam’s possessive hold and resting his head against his shoulder. “You were just frustrated that I was getting the way of my own paradise, so you reacted strongly. It’s okay, I understand.” He gave his keeper a sweet smile to drive the point home, knowing how awful he felt after he raised his hands against Langa.
Sometimes they still struggled to find a balance in their paradise, but it was okay because Langa always managed to figure out what mistakes he made so he could avoid them next time. All he had to do was remember what Adam wanted from him and they could both be happy.
“What a wonderful Eve,” his keeper murmured affectionately before pulling a chair out for his Eve, ever the gentleman. He happily took the seat and stared in awe at the steaks placed on the settings. They looked delicious and so high class. Something like this never would have been given to him before Ainosuke, he truly had the most doting person in the world keeping him healthy and protected. Who could ask for anything more?
Adam didn’t hesitate to begin with the meal, so Langa gleefully helped himself as well. He couldn’t resist good food. He thought he had enjoyed food before, but the types of things he had been eating since accepting his place in this Eden were beyond belief. All sorts of fancy delicacies from all over the world were served to him at mealtimes in this paradise, and he could savour to his heart’s content.
There was a quiet lull in the fading evening light as they both focused on their meal, although Ainosuke looked a little distracted. Langa knew better than to ask about it, though, his Adam hated it so much when he focused on things that existed outside of their paradise. It was a sure way for Langa to make himself upset, and Adam cared for him so much that he wanted him to feel nothing but bliss.
“You know, little love? I have a lot of land on this property, there’s no one else around for miles,” his beloved keeper suddenly began, a little twinkle in his eyes. “You’ve settled in so well, at last, and I do miss skating with my wonderful Eve. How would you feel about me commissioning a skateboarding track, even better than the one at S, so we could start skateboarding together again? I miss seeing you get up to your old tricks.”
Langa couldn’t remember the last time he had even thought about skateboarding. It was so difficult to think about any passions besides Ainosuke when simply being in this paradise commanded all of his attention. But he couldn’t deny that it was yet another stroke of genius from his Adam. Combining skateboarding and their private Eden? There could be nothing more fitting as the next step for the Adam and Eve of the skateboarding world.
“That sounds wonderful.”
“Then it’s settled, little Langa. We shall skate once more!”
Adam looked extremely pleased as they finished eating their steaks, clearly energised by the idea of finally skating with his equal again. His poor Ainosuke must get so bored beefing with all the riffraff nowhere close to his level. If providing a true challenge for the first time in years was how he could best please him Adam next, how could he refuse?
A while later, after the cake was finished and Langa unwrapped his birthday gift (a lovely red choker with a bedazzled letter A), Adam was simply holding him in his lap, playing with his long hair and tenderly stroking his scalp. The attention felt like pure heaven, and the younger man had to admit to being half asleep due to the soothing sensation.
Maybe years ago, he would have thought of a different way to spend his milestone birthday, a way that was a lot louder and involved more people. Now, though, he knew better. Everyone besides Adam and Eve were irrelevant, and nothing could be more perfect that spending another day in the paradise that was Eden. Adam seemed to sense Langa’s sleepy contentment and let out a little huff of a laugh, leaning close to whisper in his Eve’s ear.
“Happy birthday, little love, and I look forward to all the others we will spend together in paradise.”
