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"Come on, Adam!"
Ainosuke smiled as he dug his poles into the snow and pushed off, slaloming after Langa. The younger man was ahead of him on the course, as expected of someone who'd been snowboarding for most of his life, but he thought that he wasn't all that bad, himself. It had taken a little time and a refresher lesson, but Ainosuke was quickly regaining his old skill with skis.
The last time he'd done this was when he'd been in America, and while he was curious about what it would be like to ride a snowboard, he wasn't entirely confident in his ability to distance himself from the sport he'd been practicing for decades. After all, he'd arranged this trip for Langa's sake, so he didn't intend to spend most of his time learning about the difference between a snowboard and a skateboard.
If he'd had a choice back then, he wouldn't have hesitated to learn snowboarding, but choice wasn't something he'd been afforded after what had happened. Even though he'd been sent to America to "get it all out of his system," he hadn't been allowed near anything that even resembled skateboarding. Skiing, on the other hand, was apparently "respectable" enough to not require intervention from the nannies that had been set on him.
For now, though, all he was trying to do was keep Langa in sight. It wasn't too difficult, since Langa was pulling off tricks while Ainosuke was just focusing on moving forward, but Ainosuke didn't want to miss a moment of it. Langa was so much more dazzling when he was on the snow: even with his custom skateboard, he'd never had this much freedom to cut his own path. His turns were razor-sharp, throwing up a spray of powder that sparkled in the sunlight, while his jumps truly sent him flying through the air. It took Ainosuke's breath away.
He was so intent on watching the young man that he missed the rock jutting out of the snow. One of his skis jammed up against it, and then he was suddenly losing control, his legs trying to move in different directions while his arms flailed, trying to find enough purchase with his poles to keep his balance. For a brief moment, he thought he'd succeeded, but then his legs slipped out from under him, sending him falling backwards into the snow.
"Adam! Are you okay?"
Levering himself up to a sitting position, Ainosuke looked down the slope to see that Langa had stopped to call back to him.
"Never better! Just give me a moment!" he shouted back before rolling over onto his stomach and starting to carefully push himself upright again. It was considerably difficult with two long strips of fiberglass strapped to his feet, but he patiently followed the steps he'd learned until he was standing again. After taking a quick inventory to make sure he didn't have any injuries, he carefully pushed off again, heading toward Langa.
His companion waited for him to catch up, and Ainosuke gave him a mock salute with one of his poles as he skated by to reassure him that he really was fine. It was far from the worst fall he'd ever had, and the thick snow helped to cushion his fall, as did his heavy down jacket. Langa's own coat was considerably thinner, which had concerned Ainosuke at first, but he seemed more comfortable with the cold since he'd lived in Canada for most of his life.
It didn't take Langa long to pass him again, and after looking back at Ainosuke a few times to apparently make sure that he didn't fall again—how embarrassing!—he resumed snowboarding as usual. By paying a little more attention to his surroundings, Ainosuke managed to avoid a repeat of the incident until they finally reached the bottom of the slope.
"Shall we take a break and warm up?" he suggested, glancing at the lodge, but Langa shook his head, looking toward the lifts.
"I'm going to go again."
Ainosuke considered his options for a moment, then bent down to unclip his skis.
"Alright. Come find me when you're back, and I'll rejoin you," he instructed. Langa might be fine, but Ainosuke needed the comfort of the lodge before he could venture back out into the snow. It was nice as a novelty, but he was used to the much milder temperatures of Okinawa. It was a pity that he'd be wasting some of the time that he could be spending with Langa, but even his burning, passionate love wouldn't save him from frostbite.
"Okay," Langa agreed, and Ainosuke watched him head over toward the lifts, waiting to see him join the line before he made his way into the welcome warmth. A cup of hot coffee and casual conversations with others seeking refuge from the Hokkaido winter kept him occupied, and he was in the middle of an animated discussion about the regional specialties when a cold, damp glove fell on his shoulder.
"I'm back!"
Ainosuke tilted his head back to look up at Langa, gently shrugging off the chilly touch. The younger man was red-cheeked from the cold and the wind, but he looked exhilarated. It made Ainosuke smile: he'd never seen Langa quite like this before, and he found that he enjoyed it.
"Welcome back. Are you heading out again, or would you like to take a break?" he asked.
"A break."
Ainosuke beamed when Langa moved around to sit next to him on the couch. Of course, if Langa had wanted to go for another run, Ainosuke would have joined him, but he was more than happy to simply stay inside.
After getting two cups of hot chocolate for them, he continued to chat with his new friend about his recommendations while Langa curled up next to him, drinking quietly. He seemed to be a little tired, so Ainosuke finished the conversation before turning his attention back to Langa.
"Would you like to head back to our room?" he asked. Langa nodded, so Ainosuke excused himself before getting up. After reassuring Langa that he'd be back soon, he gathered up their rental equipment to return it, with his compliments, before returning to the young man and helping him to his feet.
"Were you listening to the conversation?" he asked as they headed back to their room, and Langa shook his head.
"Not really."
Ainosuke laughed, but he had expected as much. He'd thought that the discussion of food might have caught Langa's attention, but right now, Langa was like a kid who'd played outside all day and ended up exhausting himself. Frankly, Ainosuke thought that it was quite endearing, especially since Langa tended to be more reserved when he wasn't skating—and even then, it seemed that he hadn't been going all-out either—and he was quite glad that he'd arranged this short vacation.
"Well, I was looking into food options for us," he explained. "There's seafood and Hokkaido's famous ice cream, of course, but the butter ramen and barbecue lamb also sound quite delicious. Or maybe a soup curry? What do you want tonight? If there's something else that you want, just let me know and I'll try to get it for you."
"Mmm. I want meat."
"Let's get the lamb, then," Ainosuke decided as they entered their room. "Do you want to eat now, or maybe warm up some more in the hot springs?"
He'd ordered a room with a private outdoor bath, which had fascinated Langa when they'd arrived. The young man had also seemed nervous when he asked about the toilet for some reason, but whatever he saw when he opened the door seemed to reassure him.
"Food first."
"Alright." Ainosuke exchanged a brief kiss with Langa before picking up the room phone to place their order while Langa slid under the kotatsu and lay his head down on the table. Ainosuke smiled as he spoke with room service: that had been a special request, since Langa had asked about it when they'd been planning this trip. And truthfully, he was quite curious about it as well: it was never cold enough to need one at home. So once he finished the call, he joined Langa, sliding his feet underneath and pressing them lightly against the young man's legs.
"That tickles." Langa tugged his own legs back and tried to step on Ainosuke's feet to pin them down, starting a small wrestling match under the table that ended with Ainosuke's legs wrapped around Langa's while the young man struggled.
"Adam." Langa groaned, twisting sideways to try to break free, but Ainosuke only adjusted his grip to tighten around Langa's knees before playfully tugging at him, pulling him slightly under the table.
"Yes, Langa?" he responded sweetly while Langa flopped the other way without success.
"Let me… go!" Langa tried to jerk his legs back, but he sounded like he was trying not to laugh, so Ainosuke stayed the way he was, laughing himself. Really, whenever he was with Langa, he always had fun, even with the smallest of things. They continued to wrestle together under the table, freezing when a soft knock came at their door.
"Your dinner is ready."
Ainosuke let go of Langa and sat up, raising his hands to his hair to smooth it back and waiting for Langa to crawl out of the kotatsu as well before calling out, "Come in!"
The door slid open, revealing a young woman in a yukata. She bowed to them before carrying in her serving table. Carefully, she transferred a heavy pan onto the kotatsu before lighting the chafing fuel and setting out two large plates of meat and vegetables, as well as a bottle of sake. Ainosuke and Langa both thanked her as she left, and then Ainosuke began to add some food to the pan, pouring out two cups of sake while they waited for it to cook.
"I'm underage," Langa pointed out, but Ainosuke shrugged.
"Good food deserves good drinks, and one cup never hurt anyone. But if you don't want it, you can just leave it."
He'd picked out a nice one to share with Langa, but if he didn't want to drink, Ainosuke wasn't going to force him to. Of course, in public, Ainosuke wasn't going to condone underage drinking, but the laws against it were intended to protect children from having free access to alcohol and developing a dependency: as long as they were supervised by a responsible adult, he didn't see an issue with it.
He was aware that there were those who would raise their eyebrows at the idea of him being called "responsible," but he really was, at least outside of "S." Although the border between the two was somewhat blurred in their current situation, he was hardly going to do anything that would draw untoward attention. Especially not after he'd gone to the effort to arrange a trip where they (well, mostly he) wouldn't be easily recognized and they could hang out together openly.
Langa still looked a little uncertain, but he accepted the cup and took a small sip while Ainosuke tended to the grill. And then his face brightened.
"This is good!"
"Isn't it?" Ainosuke smiled as he piled some food onto Langa's plate before taking a sip himself. It was smooth and on the sweeter side, and he'd chosen one a little lighter in alcohol content as well, just in case. It paired well with the rich savoriness of the meat, and he continued to take care of the cooking while they ate.
When the serving plates were nearly empty, Langa groaned and lay back down, to Ainosuke's amusement.
"You enjoyed it, then?"
"Yeah."
"Did you leave space for dessert? I mentioned their ice cream, right?"
Langa groaned again, making Ainosuke laugh.
"After our bath, then? We can take some time to rest and digest first," he suggested. Langa made a noise of agreement, so Ainosuke finished eating as well, blowing out the flame for safety's sake before laying down as well. The kotatsu was dangerously comfortable: Ainosuke had been looking forward to the outdoor bath, but right now, he didn't want to move. Perhaps he should order some mandarins along with the ice cream so that the two of them could enjoy the full experience of the kotatsu.
They lay there together in a comfortable silence, but when Ainosuke felt like he was about to fall asleep under the table, he reluctantly extracted himself from it.
"Ready for the bath?" he asked Langa, stretching as he stood up. But there was no answer, and he looked down, seeing that the boy's eyes were closed. Carefully, he walked around to the other side of the table and knelt down, noting the slow, steady breathing.
Really, just like a kid. He'd played outside all day, and after eating a good meal, he fell asleep. Shaking his head, Ainosuke fetched a pillow and slid it under Langa's head, moving slowly and carefully so as not to wake him. And then he headed to the bath by himself, sinking into the water with a sigh.
It would have been better if Langa was with him, but he didn't want to wake the young man when he was clearly tired. Besides, they still had one more night here, so he'd be sure to drag him into the bath tomorrow. Smiling at the thought, Ainosuke tilted his head back to stare up at the dark sky, blinking when he felt a pinprick of cold against his face.
Looking back down, he watched as snowflakes began to melt into the steaming water. With an expression of bemused wonder, he lifted his hand above the surface, catching a few that immediately faded away. And then he turned his head back to look into their room, where Langa hadn't moved from where he lay under the table.
He'd never lose his beloved Snow.