Title: Cleanup Duty
Characters: Fumihiro Hiroshi, Iwase Kyouko, Nakamura Kenta, Tomiguchi
Summary: Tidying things up is just one more part of Fumihiro's job description.
Notes: A missing scene for the end of episode nine of Fourth Stage: after all, what did happen after Keisuke went home? 1059 words, gen but for the implication that the Takahashi boys love each other very much.
Cleanup Duty
As the sound of the FD's engine faded, Kenta looked over his shoulder at Iwase-san; when he looked back, his eyes were wide. "What do we do now?"
Hiroshi rubbed the back of his neck while Tomiguchi shuffled his feet. Iwase-san was standing where Keisuke-san had left her, eyes wide and face pale, still as a statue.
Or very nearly so. Hiroshi wasn't sure, but he thought the breeze might have been carrying the sound of a sniffle on it. The others might have caught it, too; the three of them shifted uneasily.
"Um." Tomiguchi cleared his throat. "We can't just. Um. Leave her there, can we?"
"Maybe she'd like it better if we left her alone?" Kenta ventured, sneaking another look in her direction.
Tempting thought, that; this sort of thing was well above their collective pay-grade.
Hiroshi watched Iwase-san pass her hand over her face and sighed, and wished that he were less responsible, just this once. "Stay here."
Tomiguchi and Kenta both looked relieved that he had decided to do something; Hiroshi sighed again and crossed the parking lot. Iwase-san wiped her eyes as he approached, the gesture hasty and furtive.
When he got closer, he could see that she was shaking a little, though she met his gaze squarely enough, before glancing away. Hiroshi eyed her for a moment, but it would have been rude for him to wait for her to make the first move, considering the circumstances. "Um." He cleared his throat. "Are you all right, Iwase-san?"
She lifted her chin a little higher. "Of course." Her voice only trembled a little; whatever else could be said for her, she was keeping a good grip on her composure... though possibly only by her fingernails. If she wasn't looking at him, though, what was she looking at...? Ah, yes, of course. The FD, or the route Keisuke-san had taken, at least.
It was a real pity that Keisuke-san wasn't as good at deflecting interested individuals as his brother was, Hiroshi thought, rueful. Ryousuke-san had a gift for turning people down so gently that it didn't seem to register that he'd done so. But Ryousuke-san was Ryousuke-san, and Keisuke-san was Keisuke-san.
And knowing that didn't do a damn bit of good just at the moment. It'd be more useful to know what Keisuke-san had said to her, so he could know what to apologize for.
In the end, he settled on saying, "Don't take it too hard. He hasn't dated in years, now." Funny that they'd been discussing just that when she'd pulled up; he'd have to ask Kenta what he'd known. But later.
Iwase-san flinched. "I... he doesn't like distractions very much?" Her tone was uncertain, venturing. But not quavering, thank goodness.
"Not particularly, no." Now they were on firmer ground. "He's very single-minded. And right now he's devoted to his driving." Which was, perhaps, putting it mildly. "Right now Project D is taking up all of his attention." Though by the sounds of it, Keisuke-san had admitted that she could be a distraction, which said volumes about his regard for Iwase-san, really.
Hiroshi eyed the trembling line of her mouth and kept that thought to himself. There was no need to be cruel.
She drew a shaky breath and let it out; as she did, she pulled her shoulders straighter. "I see," she said. "I'm afraid I've been very silly."
Hiroshi suppressed his immediate response—that she hadn't been the first, and wouldn't be the last—and chose something more diplomatic instead. "Not really," he said, as gently as he knew how. "Keisuke-san is... I'm sure no one could blame you."
"Except him."
Hiroshi blinked, surprised by the depth of her insight. Before he could muster a kind response, Iwase-san lifted her chin a little higher, gathering what surely felt like the shreds of her remaining dignity around her like a cloak. "Excuse me," she murmured. "I should be going."
Hiroshi cleared his throat, thoroughly impressed. "Ah. Of course." He inclined his head to her. "Good night, Iwase-san."
She held her head high as she walked back to her FD; she pulled out as smoothly as she'd arrived, with no hint of her emotions in her driving. Hiroshi watched her go and whistled under his breath; it was no wonder she'd thrown Keisuke-san's concentration off. That one had a lot of potential.
Kenta and Tomiguchi were wearing identical, blatantly curious looks when he rejoined them. Hiroshi shook his head at them. "She'll be fine."
"Did he really—" Kenta began. Then he stopped and corrected himself. "Is he crazy?"
Hiroshi blew out a breath through his teeth. "No," he said, finally. "Just focused, is all."
Tomiguchi snorted, wagging his head. "I'm with Kenta," he muttered. "Definitely crazy."
Kenta seemed inclined to agree with him; Hiroshi didn't bother correcting them. "Well," he said. "I think we're done for the night."
They murmured their goodnights to him and moved off to their cars. Hiroshi let them go ahead so they could chat with each other—or swap gossip, which was more likely. There wasn't any harm in it, since the Takahashi brothers had been the topic of idle speculation for years now, and no one yet had come even close to hitting on anything with the faintest resemblance to the truth. But then, the truth was right there, plain for anyone with the eyes to see it: Keisuke-san was devoted to his driving. And to Ryousuke-san, though they were practically the same thing.
Hiroshi shook his head again, amused by it all. If people couldn't see what was right under their noses, it wasn't his business to point it out to them.
He did feel bad for Iwase-san, though, poor kid, for barking up the wrong tree like that. But she was made of stern stuff, though perhaps she didn't quite realize it herself, yet. She'd get over it sooner or later.
And in the meantime, well. Hiroshi supposed that she'd make for good camouflage, not that Keisuke-san would think of it that way. Not without outside encouragement. But Ryousuke-san would appreciate it, so at least it wouldn't all go to waste. And perhaps he might try to nudge Keisuke-san's attention in that direction. It couldn't hurt, in any case.
"Never a dull moment," he said to Akagi's darkness, wry, and headed for his car.
end
One more fic from the WIP folder... Comments are always lovely!