Disclaimer: I do not own PMK.
Thursday. Career week's drawing to a close soon...
TetsuSaya fluff & RyoumaOkita fun coming up next.
Case 008: Bike Squad
D-Day. Okita passed Hijitaka in the corridor as the older man went to Kondo's office where the panel will be waiting. Good luck, old friend, Okita mouthed silently. Hijitaka gave a slight nod. "Okita-san!" Tetsu sprinted down the corridor and straight into Okita.
"Watch it, Tetsu-kun!" Okita laughed as he ruffled the boy's red hair. Hijitaka snorted and hurried on his way. "We're going on patrol!" Okita announced triumphantly as he raised his piglet into the air. Saizou squealed with delight. Was the car repaired already? "Come on, the wheels are waiting!"
"This is…" Tetsu stared at the set of wheels Okita-san so enthusiastically referred to. Okita handed him a child's safety helmet. I'm not a kid…
"Aren't they beautiful?" The Shinsengumi patrol bicycles gleamed in the sunlight. Tetsu tried to mount one. They were too high for his small frame. Okita frowned. They'll have to work something out. Maybe find a shorter bike…
They passed the Comedian Trio as they wobbled out of the garage. The trio let out a series of whistles and hoots. Tetsu clung onto Okita and buried his face into the man's back. He was sitting behind his partner and wearing the kiddy safety helmet. Okay, I'll pretend he's Tatsu-nii… except Tatsu-nii does not have a Hello Kitty basket upfront with a piggy in it!
"Saizou, Tetsu-kun, let's go!" Okita chirped as he pedaled past Yamanami. Yamanami's glasses slipped down his nose. When he told Okita to take Saizou out of the station during Itou-san's visit, he wasn't expecting this… The young captain had borrowed the basket from Shinpachi. Thankfully, he was in plainclothes. He shuddered to think what Itou-san will say if he were to look out of the window now and see a uniformed officer on that.
"I haven't gone on bike patrol for a while since I got my driving license…" Okita enjoyed the feel of the morning breeze ruffling his long tresses. Isn't there a regulation against long hair? Tetsu brushed the wayward strands out of his face. Saizou grunted from his basket.
"Ohayo, Hana-chan, Saya-chan!" Okita-san waved to the girls as they passed the shrine. Oh-no! Tetsu buried his face into Okita's back with shame. Okita stopped. "Need help?" Both girls were carrying heavy bags of old clothes they had collected for the orphanage. Hana gladly accepted his offer of help.
"Come on, Tetsu-kun! Let's help!" Okita pulled the boy out from behind him. To Tetsu's horror, he saw Saya desperately trying to stifle her laughter in her amusement. "Saya!"
Okita left Saizou to guard the bike while they helped the girls carry the old clothes and blankets to the nearby orphanage. Saya shyly held Tetsu's hand as they walked back. The redhead's heart beat a steady tattoo against his ribs. They parted at the shrine gate where Okita had parked his bicycle.
"Oki!" Tetsu stared at the monster that drew up next to them at a junction where Okita had stopped with the intention of buying some refreshment. It was a gleaming sliver Harley Davidson with red, white and blue streamers trailing from the handlebars. The rider laughed and reached over to ruffle Okita's hair with a leather-gloved hand. The man was tanned, wore dark glasses and a leather biker's jacket.
"Ryouma-kun!" Okita greeted the stranger warmly. Ryouma had a big smile and a beard. He wore a cowboy hat instead of a helmet over his dreadlocks. Okita frowned and his tone became serious. Tetsu sensed the change in mood. Saizou cowered in his basket, then decided to jump basket. The pig trotted off without his master noticing.
"Ryouma, you know it's an offence not to wear a helmet…" Tetsu was still perched on the bicycle seat. Maybe he ought to get off…
"Oki, please! A helmet is not my style!"
"I'll have to arrest you for civil disobedience…" Okita's face darkened.
"Only if you can catch me!" The light changed and the Harley sped off in a cloud of dust. Tetsu clung on as Okita cycled after the biker. No wonder Saizou jumped! Tetsu felt the bicycle become airborne as they soared over a speed bump. Okita was riding headlong into oncoming traffic…
"Okita-san! We wouldn't be able to catch him!"
"I know a short-cut!" They swerved into an alley, sending several bins flying. Tetsu caught a glimpse of the slogan on the back of Okita's jacket. Bike Demon Kid. Tetsu gripped on tight as they sailed across an under-construction bridge.
They found themselves at the top of a long flight of steps. At the very bottom was the silver Harley. Ryouma waved at them. With a curse, Okita took the stairs at top speed.
"Okitaaa!!" Tetsu lost his grip and became airborne. He crashed head-first into the bushes lining the stairs…
"Tetsu-kun, Tetsu…" The redhead moaned weakly at the sound of his partner's voice. Tetsu awoke to find that he was lying in Okita's arms. "Sorry, I shouldn't have done that," Okita wiped blood from a cut on the boy's cheek. San-nan will give him hell later even if Kondo let him off.
"Dizziness? Nausea?" Okita examined for the any signs of concussion and broken bones but found none. The bushes had broken his fall. "Oki, how's the lad?" Ryouma bellowed from atop his Harley. The engine was revving away.
"Doing fine!" Okita replied. Tetsu heard the roar of the Harley as it sped off. He's getting away! Tetsu leapt to his feet. Okita simply shrugged.
"Back to the HQ, Tetsu-kun." Okita mounted the bicycle. It looked a near wreck by now. They had lost the Kitty basket back at the alley. Tetsu nodded and climbed on.
Okita smiled as he felt the boy's arms about his waist. Tetsu had lost the helmet in his tumble. Now he buried his head into Okita's back with his eyes tightly shut. Poor puppy.
He always got carried away when chasing Sakamoto Ryouma. That was how he wound up in hospital to start with. He had tumbled down a staircase during one of their chases and banged up his knee. He has a follow-up in a week's time. Okita slowly cycled back to the station.
Author's notes:
Too much Pacific Blue? I love the Harley Davidson bike. The purr of the engine. The... (but I'm not allowed to ride motorbikes). Ever rode pillion on a bicycle behind someone with long hair? Hello Kitty basket & pig? Okita has either no sense of fashion or very unique taste.