[Notec]
by degrees
Humoring Him
Akira slowed as he approached the home of his eternal rival, feeling a little uncomfortable. He didn't know what he had agreed to when he had consented to meet Hikaru at his house, but he was more inclined to humor his rival because it was his birthday. He sighed, fingering the folds of the gift he had brought, wondering if it would be weird at all. He had given it a lot of thought, and in the end decided to bring it though he was having second thoughts. He didn't know how to hide the package, though, without returning home, which was out of the question.
"Touya!" an exuberant voice called out to him, causing Akira to startle, before scowling. He looked up from the package he held and sighed, catching sight of Hikaru as he stood next to--
"Shindou," he said in a disbelieving voice as he half-walked half-jogged over to his rival, "what exactly is that?"
Hikaru grinned, patting the seat of the bright yellow and black motorcycle he was standing next to. "It's exactly what it looks like, duh."
Akira rolled his eyes, wondering why he even bothered. "I suppose a better question would be 'what do you think you're doing?'"
"Don't be so uptight, Touya, you sound like my mom," Hikaru snorted, before holding out a helmet that matched the paint job of what was a death trap in Akira's mind. "It's my birthday present to myself."
"You bought yourself a motorcycle," Akira said mildly, ignoring the helmet the other held out for him. He could only assume that Hikaru had gone mad if he thought he would be getting anywhere near. Ogata's sports car was bad enough.
"Yeah, isn't it great?" Hikaru grinned enthusiastically, shaking the helmet insistently. "Come on, I got my license today, so I thought maybe you'd let me take you for a ride." The tone of Hikaru's voice changed subtly, and Akira noticed it, but it took a back seat to the dull panic he felt at the mention of riding it.
"What brought this on?" he said faintly, gesturing to the bike. It was very slick-looking, and something that Akira could admire, as long as he were far, far away from it.
"Well, I was gonna get my license when I turned 16, but I didn't have enough saved yet. Well, that and mom saying she didn't want me to die in a violent crash."
Akira gave Hikaru a deadpan look. "What changed?"
"Oh, she decided I was finally mature enough, so she relented." A beat passed as Akira stared hard at his rival. Mature wasn't exactly a word he would use to describe Hikaru. It wasn't even in the top 25 list of words he'd use to describe him.
"She got tired of you nagging her about it, didn't she?"
"Maybe. It doesn't matter, she agreed in the end. You didn't answer my question! So do you want to go for a ride with me?" He pulled the helmet back to hold close to his midsection, and Akira struggled to find an excuse to decline that wouldn't offend Hikaru.
"I'm not so sure that's a good idea, you just got your license after all..."
"Don't say that, I've been practicing. I went to a driving school and everything! It only took me three tries to pass the driving test, too."
"Three??"
"Don't sound like that, they're really picky about everything being perfect." Hikaru frowned, setting the helmet on the seat of the motorcycle. "Lots of guys take a lot more tries. Ten, sometimes twelve. I promise I'll be careful. Just around the block? Then mom said to invite you to dinner."
Feeling a knot in his stomach, Akira swallowed and glanced from Hikaru to his bike and back again. It was his rival's birthday, and he had come with the intention of humoring his whims, but this was beyond what he had expected. Still, they wouldn't have given a driver's license to someone inept.
Right?
Sighing heavily, Akira nodded, his hair swinging forward across his cheeks as he wondered not for the first and certainly not for the last time if he had lost his mind when he had met this person standing in front of him. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he held out the gift he had brought. "Just in case we die on this trip, here. This is for you."
Hikaru puffed out his cheeks indignantly, before taking the gift and deciding that a fight could wait until he showed up his rival. "Thanks. What is it?" he asked needlessly as he opened the wrapping and found a beautiful folding fan.
"I noticed the one you carry to all your games was looking a little worn, so I thought that I would... I hope you aren't offended, I thought you might like it..." Akira stuttered slightly, a blush turning his cheeks faintly pink as he tried to explain the choice of gift. Hikaru stared at it, opening it slowly before snapping it shut and gripping it tightly.
"Touya..." he murmured. "Thanks."
The knot in Akira's stomach loosened slightly, and he raised his hands to wave them in front of him. "No need to thank me, just enjoy it. Happy birthday."
They were silent for a few moments, standing there in the afternoon sunlight. Akira couldn't help but wonder what Hikaru was thinking about, but before he could think of something to broach the silence, the other reached out to grab Akira's hand and tug him gently.
"So, how about that ride, huh?"
"If you kill me, I'm going to be very upset, Shindou."
Humoring Him
Akira slowed as he approached the home of his eternal rival, feeling a little uncomfortable. He didn't know what he had agreed to when he had consented to meet Hikaru at his house, but he was more inclined to humor his rival because it was his birthday. He sighed, fingering the folds of the gift he had brought, wondering if it would be weird at all. He had given it a lot of thought, and in the end decided to bring it though he was having second thoughts. He didn't know how to hide the package, though, without returning home, which was out of the question.
"Touya!" an exuberant voice called out to him, causing Akira to startle, before scowling. He looked up from the package he held and sighed, catching sight of Hikaru as he stood next to--
"Shindou," he said in a disbelieving voice as he half-walked half-jogged over to his rival, "what exactly is that?"
Hikaru grinned, patting the seat of the bright yellow and black motorcycle he was standing next to. "It's exactly what it looks like, duh."
Akira rolled his eyes, wondering why he even bothered. "I suppose a better question would be 'what do you think you're doing?'"
"Don't be so uptight, Touya, you sound like my mom," Hikaru snorted, before holding out a helmet that matched the paint job of what was a death trap in Akira's mind. "It's my birthday present to myself."
"You bought yourself a motorcycle," Akira said mildly, ignoring the helmet the other held out for him. He could only assume that Hikaru had gone mad if he thought he would be getting anywhere near. Ogata's sports car was bad enough.
"Yeah, isn't it great?" Hikaru grinned enthusiastically, shaking the helmet insistently. "Come on, I got my license today, so I thought maybe you'd let me take you for a ride." The tone of Hikaru's voice changed subtly, and Akira noticed it, but it took a back seat to the dull panic he felt at the mention of riding it.
"What brought this on?" he said faintly, gesturing to the bike. It was very slick-looking, and something that Akira could admire, as long as he were far, far away from it.
"Well, I was gonna get my license when I turned 16, but I didn't have enough saved yet. Well, that and mom saying she didn't want me to die in a violent crash."
Akira gave Hikaru a deadpan look. "What changed?"
"Oh, she decided I was finally mature enough, so she relented." A beat passed as Akira stared hard at his rival. Mature wasn't exactly a word he would use to describe Hikaru. It wasn't even in the top 25 list of words he'd use to describe him.
"She got tired of you nagging her about it, didn't she?"
"Maybe. It doesn't matter, she agreed in the end. You didn't answer my question! So do you want to go for a ride with me?" He pulled the helmet back to hold close to his midsection, and Akira struggled to find an excuse to decline that wouldn't offend Hikaru.
"I'm not so sure that's a good idea, you just got your license after all..."
"Don't say that, I've been practicing. I went to a driving school and everything! It only took me three tries to pass the driving test, too."
"Three??"
"Don't sound like that, they're really picky about everything being perfect." Hikaru frowned, setting the helmet on the seat of the motorcycle. "Lots of guys take a lot more tries. Ten, sometimes twelve. I promise I'll be careful. Just around the block? Then mom said to invite you to dinner."
Feeling a knot in his stomach, Akira swallowed and glanced from Hikaru to his bike and back again. It was his rival's birthday, and he had come with the intention of humoring his whims, but this was beyond what he had expected. Still, they wouldn't have given a driver's license to someone inept.
Right?
Sighing heavily, Akira nodded, his hair swinging forward across his cheeks as he wondered not for the first and certainly not for the last time if he had lost his mind when he had met this person standing in front of him. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he held out the gift he had brought. "Just in case we die on this trip, here. This is for you."
Hikaru puffed out his cheeks indignantly, before taking the gift and deciding that a fight could wait until he showed up his rival. "Thanks. What is it?" he asked needlessly as he opened the wrapping and found a beautiful folding fan.
"I noticed the one you carry to all your games was looking a little worn, so I thought that I would... I hope you aren't offended, I thought you might like it..." Akira stuttered slightly, a blush turning his cheeks faintly pink as he tried to explain the choice of gift. Hikaru stared at it, opening it slowly before snapping it shut and gripping it tightly.
"Touya..." he murmured. "Thanks."
The knot in Akira's stomach loosened slightly, and he raised his hands to wave them in front of him. "No need to thank me, just enjoy it. Happy birthday."
They were silent for a few moments, standing there in the afternoon sunlight. Akira couldn't help but wonder what Hikaru was thinking about, but before he could think of something to broach the silence, the other reached out to grab Akira's hand and tug him gently.
"So, how about that ride, huh?"
"If you kill me, I'm going to be very upset, Shindou."