#initial d fic

Though the heads of some of the now disbanded RedSuns turning your way doesn't help the heat rising in your chest, something soft and warm morphing into some form of embarrassment.

"No, no," you wine, ducking your head and covering your eyes with your free hand.

A light chuckle warms your ears, "What?"

Heat still radiates from the front of his RX-7 after a night with his old teammates, warming your legs as you sit on the hood. Ryosuke is done hitting the RedSuns' home course, and though you love watching him zoom through Mt Akagi, you love having him by your side even more. "I thought you were this helpless little lady stuck in a grocery store parking lot. I really thought I was going to rescue you- No, not really, but I did feel obligated to help. It was dark out, you were all alone. It didn't seem right to drive on by without stopping to check on you."

"And I thought you were going to be annoying and assume I couldn't help myself," you give him a pointed look.

He stiffens, but quickly relaxes again once he notices the smirk tugging at the corner of your lips. "I did not expect to walk around your car to see you pulling a radiator out of the engine bay though. That had me lost for words."

You shrug nonchalantly. No doubt it was a strange sight. Ryosuke wasn’t even the first to stumble across you that night. However, he was the only one you didn't manage to chase off. In fact, after your initial snarl he proved to be both genuine and helpful, which was a first.

"I was refusing to have the thing towed." You giggle quietly to yourself. "Not like I had a garage waiting on me anywhere at the time anyway. What difference did it make - fixing my car in a store's parking lot or the one at my apartment?"

He nods in agreement. "Still though."

Bumping his shoulder against your own, he brushes his nose against your temple. "I remember almost kicking over that plastic tub that looked a lot like it belonged in a kitchen, and much less like it should be full of coolant."

You huff with a soft smile, "I was at a grocery store, remember?"

He yelps when you jab a finger into his ribs. Eyes shoot to Keisuke when they let a laugh escape at his expense.

"Yes, of course," he answers, rubbing the afflicted area to soothe the irritation.

Who would have thought. You're old shitbox blowing a radiator in a grocery parking lot all those nights ago would have led to a very handsome man and his white FC stopping to help you. That said man would have helped you get your car fixed before 2am but the two of you wouldn't leave the lot until almost 4am.

"What a way for this to have started," you murmur to yourself at the thought.

There's a glimmer in Ryosuke's eyes as he looks down at you, lips curled softly into the sweetest smile.

Who would have thought you would have gone from crying in aggravation over your car breaking down on a late night grocery trip to being oh so glad it did.