#initialdsecretsanta2020

Takeshi darts in and out of Shingo's personal space, placing a chaste kiss on his lips, larger hand resting atop the one gripping the smoke.

"Now you can," he says.

"Sap," Shingo huffs.

He flicks the cigarette onto the pavement and grinds it out with his heel. No use smoking, honestly. He had picked it up just to look cool a few years back and luckily wasn't overly attached to it now. Granted, Takeshi's... interference had a lot to do with that.

They couldn't kiss if he smoked.

Once he’s satisfied that it’s out, he turns toward Takeshi, sliding his hand up to rest on his bicep. He rests his other hand on his shoulder and pulls him in close, their breaths mingling for a short minute before they’re kissing proper, chapped lips on chapped lips. His fingers bury into the soft fabric of Takeshi’s coat, keeping them close even as the kiss ends with another puff of breath.

The look Takeshi levels at Shingo settles him instantly.

“Ready to go home?” Takeshi murmurs.

“Yeah,” he sighs.

But they hang onto each other for a moment longer. Shingo rests his ear against Takeshi’s chest and breathes through his nose, focusing on the sound of his heart, audible even through the layers of winter-wear. Strong arms wrap around him, shielding him tight against the rush of cold wind. 

Finally, Takeshi pulls away, flicking his fingers in the direction of his parked R32. The large car manages to look both intimidating and mysterious in the low light, the polished black exterior reflecting the orange street lights in muted concentrations. It bounces as they both climb in.

It’s still warm inside, for the most part. Shingo eyes the gauges before flicking the heat on and switching off the radio in the same motion.

“No music?” Takeshi remarks.

Shingo doesn’t reply. He contents himself with watching the forested hills of Mt. Myogi turn into white-and-black blurs. It’s snowing by the time they reach Takeshi’s house.

--

Takeshi winces as he turns on the light to his apartment. Evidence of his breakfast is still on the table and his boxers are also draped across the back of his sofa. He chuckles hoarsely as Shingo tosses them into his arms, eyebrow raised.

“Hey, I didn’t know I was going anywhere today,” Takeshi says defensively. He folds the boxers up and sets them aside. “Hungry?”

“Just tired,” Shingo replies. “Sorry,” he adds.

“Don’t be. The cold makes me sleepy, too.”

Because that was the root of the matter, wasn’t it? Both of them preferred graveyard hours, but Shingo did poorly in the cold and they had been out for a while. Takeshi gently grabs Shingo by the elbow and cocks his head toward his bedroom-- which was just a curtained off portion of his tiny apartment. Beyond it was his futon, and he couldn’t remember if he rolled it up or not.

He blinks in surprise when Shingo pulls him into another kiss. It’s more intent than before with hands grabbing at his chest and fumbling with the zipper. His eyes flutter closed and their noses bump together briefly before he starts to move with the kiss, following Shingo’s lead.

“Don’t just stand there,” Shingo says suddenly.

Takeshi grunts. He slides his arms under Shingo’s and starts to undo the latches of his red parka, eyes squinting open. Their arms tangle considerably, knocking together as they try to get rid of their jackets at the same time.

Shingo finally disengages, laughing a little at their predicament. Takeshi pushes him-- gently-- and breaks off toward the futon, shaking his head.

It’s dark in the bedroom, but neither of them turn on the light. The street lamp outside provides plenty, turning the sparsely-decorated an even mix of pale yellow and gray. Snow can be seen drifting, frozen, just beyond the foggy window pane.

Takeshi preps the futon and Shingo strips down to his boxers, tossing his clothes aside. Now that he’s looking, he finds that Takeshi’s clothes are also strewn about, and there’s a single poster on his wall-- an S13 Silvia, respectively. 

“I remember when you drove that,” Shingo says.

Takeshi glances up as he folds himself onto the floor. “Yeah? It was a nice car…”

He wouldn’t tell anyone, but he missed driving the S13. With his knowledge now, he knew that it wasn’t the car that won the race, but the driver. And he wasn’t… He wasn’t quite the driver he cracked himself up to be. But he enjoyed it, and he tried, and the rest of the Night Kids did too. So in that regard, he was pretty content with himself.

He grunts as Shingo falls into his lap, draping himself dramatically and hanging onto his neck with his arms.

Takeshi hauls him up easily and attacks his neck with kisses, sliding a hand up to start mussing his hair, pulling at the locks gently. With his other hand, he starts to attack Shingo’s sides, tickling and scrabbling at his skin. 

Shingo twists and writhes, expression contorting as he laughs despite himself, working a leg around to jab into Takeshi’s stomach.

“Hey! That hurt!” Takeshi laughs.

“Die!” Shingo barks.

"What do you say? Do you accept?"

The night on Usui was warm, which wasn't unusual for this time of the year, and a small group of hotshot drivers were currently leering at the "angels of Usui", which was just as common of a sight. Of course, that did not mean it was welcome.

"Or are you afraid that I'll be too rough? Don't worry, ladies, I'm a real gentleman."

Sayuki rolled her eyes at the rambunctious laughter that followed the taunt made by the cocky guy who was apparently their leader. She had heard this kind of taunt at least four times… this summer. Idiot racers were remarkably uncreative, if one could even call this laughing stock "racers." As far as Sayuki knew, they had no reason to be haughty: They had lost against pretty much all other drivers on Usui so far. It was ridiculous that they seemed to believe they had even the sliver of a chance against her and Mako, but of course, they were definitely the kind that thought women didn't make good racers.

"I've had enough," Mako said with that slight edge to her usually soft voice that she got every time she was truly annoyed. Sayuki loved her for it. She loved the rigid, steely Mako that sat behind the wheel and scared the crap out of any stupid little hotshot daring to challenge them on Usui. Obviously, she also loved the soft and shy Mako that she liked to tease for being such a romantic all the time, but right now it was that other side to her best friend that she got to admire.

She had long decided that men who were repelled by Mako's iron will and the confidence she hid under her soft demeanour were immature dumbasses. Also blind. And cowards.

All the better for her, she decided – she couldn't deny the way her mood soured every time Mako got approached by some guy. She chastised herself for thinking like that, knowing how much it affected her best friend, and trying not to be mean about it even though she was a little jealous.

"Yeah," she agreed quickly, noticing that she might have been looking for a moment too long, "Let's show them who the real rulers of this mountain are." The stupid lowlifes that had challenged them started actually laughing at that, but Sayuki felt like laughing herself. They truly thought they could defeat them on their home mountain? Defeat Mako? No way, not as long as the planet was still spinning.

 And spin was exactly what it continued doing, the planet; and before Sayuki knew it, autumn had arrived along with it. They had still not lost against anyone else but Fujiwara (who at least was a decent guy and cute to boot – not as cute as Mako, of course, but still) and Mako still retained her passion, which was great news to Sayuki after the slump she had been in for the two months or so before that.

On this day, they had decided to leave the prefecture and watch the already-mentioned Fujiwara race alongside Project D. Sayuki honestly still wasn't feeling that enthusiastic about Mako being anywhere in the vicinity of Takahashi Ryousuke (the old annoying jealousy was rearing its head again), but the point was that she got to spend time with Mako, and who was she to deny that? She was also interested in the races, but it wasn't like she would have gone there on her own.

 It was drizzling a little by the end of it, the kind of rain that didn't really deserve to be called "rain". The spectators on the galleries dissipated only slowly, not letting the weather stop them from discussing the races. Likewise, Sayuki wouldn't have minded staying and catching up with one or the other familiar face she spotted in the crowd, but she could also see that her best friend was already getting tired. "Let's go home before the rain gets any heavier," she said and noted the relief that briefly crossed Mako's face.

"Yeah, let's leave," Mako said, knowing that Sayuki knew that she wasn't crazy for late-night conversations with acquaintances. She did also like her sleep; but so did Sayuki, despite the insomniac hobby that they both shared. Occasionally, they had slept in the car together: On nights when Mako refused to stop training until she perfected that one line or when they simply had too much fun to be driving all the way home and falling into their respective beds, separately. Sayuki couldn't say that she minded those occasions, even though sleeping in the passenger seat was everything but refreshing.

They were already at the car by the time the rain started coming down harder and the crowd began dispersing in earnest. "Hurry, hurry," Sayuki implored, trying to shield her hair with her hands somehow while Mako fished the car keys out of her purse. As soon as the doors were unlocked, neither of them wasted any time getting inside. Sayuki narrowly avoided bumping her head on the doorframe in her hurry to get out of the rain.

"Jeez!"

Both of them watched the raindrops running down the windshield for a moment. Outside, people were running to their respective cars to escape the sudden downpour. Mako let out a quiet laugh. "Well, that was close."

"Would have been a bit less close if you kept your keys somewhere else than the bottom of your purse," Sayuki commented and grinned when Mako shot her a look, pouting a little. Sayuki let her gaze linger for a moment: Tiny droplets of water had caught in Mako's long brown hair and were glittering like little diamonds in the warm yellow light overhead. Sayuki found it difficult to tear her eyes away from her best friend in that moment. One droplet made its way down her forehead, and Sayuki didn't think for long before reaching over and brushing it away before it could reach Mako's eyes.

Mako laughed. "I must be looking like a drowned poodle. You do, at least."

"Hey!" It was Sayuki's turn to pout this time. For the record, she didn't think Mako was looking like a drowned poodle at all. She was cute as always, especially with those gemstone droplets in her hair. Sayuki sort of wished that she could take a picture right now, but of course she hadn't brought her camera. It was a real shame.

Mako smiled brilliantly at her, which made the sight even more worthy of being preserved for the ages. "What do you say? Should we get some takeout and then go to my place to dry off?"

"That sounds amazing," Sayuki sighed, already dreaming of a warm midnight snack and of hopefully spending the rest of the night at Mako's place. She would never demand her best friend to drive her home in the middle of the night, after all. "Sounds like a sleepover, actually."

She tried not to sound too hopeful.

"It's been a while since we last had one," Mako mused as she started the engine. Sayuki stared, transfixed, at her thoughtful expression. The latter noticed, and her fingers lingered on the brake lever as she turned to face Sayuki again for a moment. "I'd love to," she said, smiling, and leaned over. Sayuki understood the insinuation and moved in to meet her lips. The kiss they shared was brief, but it held a promise for more so that Sayuki failed to feel disappointed when Mako pulled away.

"The ramen shop at the corner of my street?" her best friend and simultaneously girlfriend asked as she loosened the hand brake and pulled out of their parking spot. The heavy rain still drummed on the car's roof, but Sayuki quite liked that now that she was looking forward to soup, a hot shower, and sleeping next to Mako.

"Please, yes. Just what I need today."

"And more kisses?" Mako asked sweetly, with a hint of mischief sparkling in her eyes.