BIKE LESSONS
He had never thought that riding a bike would have been that easy, but he guessed that with such a teacher as Mondo Owada there couldn't be any problem.
If he had to be honest he hadn't thought that he would have agreed to teach him– he had made him promise, however, that he would have taught him some baseball's tricks, which he could do, despite his hate for that stupid sport.
He wanted to be a musician, to start a band, not to be an athlete; and was there anything cooler than a star on a badass bike?
Unfortunately he didn't have a license – he had never cared about getting it until that moment- so he couldn't just go around on something he wasn't even able to drive properly.
He needed someone who could teach him how to do it, someone that was also really good at it.
Oh, he knew who he needed to find…
- I wasn't expecting you to get this good this soon-, Mondo said.
He wasn't saying that just to boost Leon's spirit; he really meant it.
When he came to him, asking him to teach how to ride a bike, he didn't really know what to say; he didn't have any experience with teaching, and also why was he so interested all of sudden?
He tried to make him change his mind, saying that there were better people than him that he should go ask to, but he insisted so much that he would have felt bad if he had refused again.
He had never spent so much time with Leon; sure, they were in friendly terms, but they usually just saw each other in class. They had never met outside school.
They got to know each other better and they both had a great time together. They didn't always stick to the "bike lessons" – that was how they had decided to call those encounters- but they also talked about a great number of different subjects, from Leon's musical dreams to Mondo's passion for dogs – which took the other by surprise, the first time he admitted it.
They discovered that there was a lot more about the other than what they were letting people see every day at school.
- I think I'm ready for a more crowded street, what do you think?-, Leon said.
They usually went practicing far from the centre of the city, in little secondary streets that Mondo seemed to know very well.
- I dunno, man-, he answered, scratching the back of his head.
- You don't have a license, if someone catches you it's gonna be bad-, he added.
- Come on!-, the other exclaimed, - You are the Super High School Level Gang Leader, you can't possibly be afraid of the police-.
- I'm not afraid for myself, in fact-, Mondo retorted, - But for you-.
- You don't have a title that could protect you in a situation like that. I don't want to get you into trouble-, he added, and that was his final answer.
Sometimes Leon could catch himself thinking that his friend was a bit too good of a person to be in the position he was, with that Super High School title, especially when he was saying things like that one; he had never seen him with his men, so he could have been wrong, but what gang leader would be afraid of his friend getting caught riding a bike without license?
That didn't mean that he didn't appreciate that caring side; it was just that he found it a bit odd.
Oh well, if there wasn't something school had taught him was that the world was full of weirdos; someone just happened to be less weird than the rest and Mondo thankfully belonged to that category.
- At least let's race-, Leon proposed, - I want to try-.
- Let's bet our school titles, if I win I'll be the new feared gang leader-, he jokingly added.
As soon as he said those things, however, he saw Mondo getting paler and paler and his expression getting from astonished to what it looked like pain.
Was he feeling sick?
- … I don't think it would be safe for you to do it-, Mondo then said, and it was obvious how much effort it was taking for him to speak, despite his attempts to not make it seem a big deal.
- Hey, are you alright?-, Leon asked, getting closer to him, ready to catch him in case he blacked out.
- Y-yes-, the other replied, resting against the wall to keep his balance.
It was a lie; Leon didn't need to be the High School Level Genius to see that.
There was something Mondo didn't want him to know, something that was keeping him from wanting to take part to an actual race.
Maybe an incident?
- Hey, sorry-, he said, tentatively putting his hand on his shoulder.
- I was just kidding; we don't have to race if you don't want-.
- …Good-, Mondo said, visibly relieved.
- I'm sorry you had to see that…-, he said, once he had completely regained his composure.
- Don't worry, man-, Leon answered, - The most important thing is that you're ok now-.
He should have been the one apologizing, and not Mondo, since it had been his fault that whatever the hell that was even happened.
He was still curious, even more than before; he wanted to know why he had been so terrorized at the idea of racing him, but he also didn't want to pry too much into the other's personal life– because, let's be honest, he didn't think Mondo would have refrained from beating the shit out of him if he pushed his buttons too much.
He wasn't feared for nothing.
- Hey, what do you say if I ride you home to make up for this… thing?-, he said, not really knowing how he should have addressed that subject.
- You, riding me? You're kidding, right?-, Mondo answered, before bursting into laughter.
A part of Leon was starting to feel offended: was that the proper reaction to have when someone offered to make you a favour?
It was also true, however, that it was a nice change from the Mondo from before; now he looked more like himself.
- I'm not kidding!-, he insisted, trying to sound serious.
He then pointed to the bike Mondo had used to go with him and he added:
- If you're worried about the other bike I'm sure your friends from the gang can come take it whenever you need-.
- You're not wrong-, the other answered, - But still the idea of you riding me, of all people, is ridiculous-, he insisted.
It took a while but eventually, using the argument that he still wasn't in the right condition to ride again, Leon won the argument.
- At least try to not get us killed-, Mondo said, seated behind him.
He still wasn't enthusiastic about that idea. Who the hell did Leon think he was? A newbie?
- Mmh… still haven't decided yet-, the other joked, before starting the engine.
- You know, it's been a long time since I've ridden with somebody-, Mondo said, but because of their speed, Leon didn't hear him.
- Did you say something?-, he shouted, but the other denied.
As much as he wanted to be as honest as he could with all his friends, he couldn't tell anyone about the murder of his brother; he was still trying his best to not let it influence his life in order to be a better leader without any weakness but, as the event of a few moments ago had demonstrated, he had to work even harder to reach that goal.
Still, in that moment he couldn't help but think about the first time he rode a bike ever.
He was still a kid and there was Daya with him. He remembered how strongly he had tightened his puny arms around him, and it still wasn't enough to entirely cover his body; he was so huge…
He had been afraid, but his brother had laughed and told him that everything was all right.
That sight alone had been enough to make all his worries dissipate.
It was ironic that he was remembering that sweet – and oh so painful- moment only now. How could he had forgotten?
- Thanks-, he said once he and Leon arrived at his house.
- For everything-, he added.
- Um… you're welcome?-, the other answered.
That strange change of attitude had thrown him off guard; what happened, now?
- Well, I'd say you learned how to handle a bike pretty well-, Mondo stated without any effort to cover a certain sense of pride he was feeling. He had been a very good teacher.
- Now it's your turn to return the favour-, he added.
- Of course, I always keep my promises-, Leon solemnly declared.
He hadn't forgotten that now he had to teach him some baseball tricks. He just hoped that it would have been quick because he didn't really want to get involved in that sport again.
He tried not to think about it while he was driving, not wanting to cause any incidents. If he had, his title would have probably changed into High School Level Detained, since he technically couldn't even drive, and he really didn't want that.
He was too young for jail.
That day Mondo had been kinda weird, he couldn't deny it, but despite that he was still happy with the decision of asking him to be his teacher: he had not only learned very well how to ride a bike but he had also gained a friend.
He didn't have any regret; actually he would have definitely done it again.
Author's note: hi, thanks for reading this story, I hope you liked it!
4fireking had contacted me some time ago, asking me if I wanted to write something for him, and I said why not.
I hadn't written much for Danganronpa, considering that it's also the inspiration for my nickname; it was just one thing, and it wasn't even about the first game.
However, I didn't really want to write about any romance, and I really felt like Mondo and Leon would have been very good friends before the whole Despair thing ever happened, considering also the picture of the two of them with Chihiro, and that's how this story was born.
Well, let me know what you think about it, see you next time! -Feeldespair