Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THEM! I wish I could get a penny for every time I heard that phrase mentioned, but alas, it is not to be. I do take responsibility for Kyoichi's dirtiness in the last chapter though. I was in a...horny mood and as such, those sort of things tend to happen. I won't say I'm ashamed of it, but I sure as hell am proud of it. -laughs-
Warnings: Adult language, somewhat adult situations, parental interference of the Fujiwara variety, though I'm not intending on this chapter being too naughty. It's more of a 'think-piece' chapter. The story is coming to a close very shortly and for now, I'm hoping to settle everyone into their collective corners and give them all cookies for being such good boys. According to Keisuke, he gets chocolate chip, Ryosuke gets oatmeal raisin (go regularity!) and Kyoichi gets peanut butter. Which only means I have to buy three different kinds because I simply can't say no to them.
Notes: As mentioned above, this chapter is the second to last in this series, so hopefully you guys aren't going to send me tons of hate mail or messages begging me to continue. I've never written a fic as long as this one and though I find it to be a somewhat tedious task now, it certainly draws attention and no, I'm not ending it just because I'm tired. The hits counter alone makes me smile. The delightful reviews I receive make me laugh and/or blush. I'm not used to praise of such caliber. I'm terribly appreciative of you really special guys (you know who you are) and though I may complain about a chapter not sounding right or not coming about exactly the way I had planned, it means a lot to me that you can still read it, enjoy it and not be afraid to give me advice when needed. -throws random sparkles and streamers- You all deserve a naked kyoudai party.
"Does this mean you want me back, Ryosuke?"
The blond driver was on his feet and slunk closer to the car, leaning himself over the other to look him in the eye, seriously interested in what the med student was saying, his future love life on the line.
"Ryo?"
"Yes, Kyoichi. I want you back."
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It had been more of a shock to Ryosuke that he wanted the loudmouthed Evo driver back in his life, his mind reeling somewhat from the admission the previous night. He had come home with a light headache, a side affect of being so overly aroused and something the young Takahashi cursed himself for.
Keisuke was in bed already, no small miracle, because the raven-haired driver was certain to get an earful because he had neglected to return home on time. The kitchen was clean and his room was still in order, so it was safe to assume that the blond hadn't been on the warpath when he had come back. He had more than likely raided the fridge for a snack, ate it over the sink bachelor-style, and retired to his room. The yellow FD was in the garage and it was only logical to think as such.
With a great yawn and a stretch of aching limbs, Ryosuke hopped out of bed and had a quick shower, exiting the steamy room to a sight he hadn't expected, Keisuke's lithe form draped over his bed in little more than a pair of plain black boxer shorts. The elder kyoudai smiled and took his damp towel off, giving it a tight roll and snapping it halfheartedly at the younger boy's thinly covered behind. What was loosed from the thin body was nearly inhuman, his back arching and green eyes flashing at his attacker.
"ANIKI! What're ya fucking doing! Jeez, kill a guy for lying down why dont'cha..."
He slid to his feet and stretched, his belly and chest covered in light scratches, their freshness and dark colour against the boy's pale skin catching Ryosuke's eye immediately.
"Keisuke, how did you get all of those scratches? You looked fine just the other day."
The blond blanched slightly and looked down, spotting the marks and giving them a gentle rub, trying to figure out something to say. He scratched over them and though it was painful, he fought the urge to wince.
"Ah, it's nothing, Aniki. You know how you wake up in the morning and scratch yourself? Like under your balls and then across your chest? I must've just been too sleepy to notice how bad I scratched myself this morning."
His bright smile was a mask, that much Ryosuke could see, but he accepted the excuse anyway. And undoubtedly, it was an excuse.
"Sou ka. More than I needed to know actually."
The FC driver waved a dismissive hand and turned to get dressed, choosing a pair of beige slacks and a navy blue polo shirt with the collar button done up properly. His 'casual style' outfit, he called it. 'Poseur', as Keisuke would say. The suddenly regal looking Takahashi scooted the nearly nude form from his room and went about tidying up, then heading downstairs for coffee and a bit of breakfast, his stomach tasting a simple meal.
The Efini driver was getting dressed by the sounds coming from his room, banging and shuffling of drawers and a muffled curse as he stubbed something on one of the various messes that adorned his floor, his promise of keeping the room clean as forgotten as his laundry, still sitting in the basement, neatly folded, atop the dryer.
Ryosuke chuckled and made his way into the nook, absentmindedly digging through the cupboards before finding the bread, slipping two slices into the toaster and looking for the butter after setting the bag back on its shelf. The butter was hard as usual, their mother's habit of putting it in the fridge during the summer irritating him as he'd have to microwave it for a few seconds to soften it enough to spread. He popped the now liquefied spread from the microwave and only had to step over to the toaster before it gave up its bounty, the nearly blackened bread smoking lightly, exactly the way he liked it.
He took all of the items to the table, as well as a mug of the strong coffee their father so favoured, and settled himself into a chair, choosing to look out the window instead of read the paper, his peace coming in short supply as the younger of the two stomped his still sleepy way down to begin the morning raid.
"Fuck, Aniki. Did you have to burn your toast again? It stinks."
And so began another typical morning in the Takahashi household. Only this time, each boy had a secret and despite their love towards each other, neither was willing to mention theirs first.
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The reason for Keisuke's bodily injuries snorted himself awake from a sudden dream, wide eyes taking in the sight of his father reading the paper with a steaming cup of coffee in front of himself, something Takumi hadn't seen in ages. The tofu master usually suffered through the morning and went until dinnertime without much of anything. It had always been that way. Now though, things seemed to be changing between them. To the young Fujiwara, it was a frightening revelation. After all, when was the last time he had been called down from his room out of a deep sleep, only to find that he had slept in and missed his delivery? The elder man wasn't upset with him but was actually smiling, in that creepy lecher sort of way he managed whenever he saw a pretty girl walk past.
Takumi cleared his throat and downed the rest of his orange juice, part of a large breakfast the chain-smoking driver had prepared himself, the rest of it absolutely edible and much to Takumi's dismay, delicious. He gave a short yawn before standing and stretching, his hands already clearing the dishes as they normally did when the two actually ate together, setting them in the sink to be washed later on, a task he'd invariably get stuck with after he came back from his daily errands.
What he still couldn't understand, was why his father wasn't mad at him for missing the delivery. He had come home too late from the car park in Takasaki and though he was sure he had been as quiet as possible, he could have woken the elder man without realizing it. But even then, he was out late, no doubt with someone because Bunta knew when the meetings ended, and still he hadn't been punished. Something was up.
"Naa, Oyaji? How come you let me sleep this morning? It was my turn to do the delivery."
The squinty-eyed driver lifted his head and his smirk faded, changing into a broad grin and a light chuckle.
"You were in no shape to sleep and then wake up so early. I was awake when you got home, Takumi. You looked like you had a good night. More so than you ever did when you came back from driving."
A choked and mumbled reply came from the blushing brunet, his hands waving frantically as he tried to dissuade the man's ideas.
"N..no, no. I was at the meeting but it ran long. Keisuke-san had to show me the new techniques he learned."
The elder man nodded and put his cigarette out, leaning casually across the table and beckoning to the other with a look that suggested he had better listen. This was no situation the veteran racer was comfortable with, not by a long shot, but he was tolerant if nothing else.
"You were at the meeting and you were learning techniques from the younger Takahashi boy. That I don't doubt. The meetings have helped you immensely and for that, I thank his older brother. As for the blond himself, his techniques didn't involve the car in any way, did they? You might have been practicing them inside a car but they can be done anywhere, am I right?"
The brown haired delivery boy was struck dumb by the man's words. Was he accusing Takumi of being involved with the other driver? Was he ok with it? Was he psychic and informed of what they had done? Was...was he wiggling his eyebrows?
"Oyaji, I don't know what you're getting at but..."
"No, Takumi. You do know what I'm getting at. I talked to that boy's brother the day I drove to Takasaki to work the Impreza in. He promised me that Keisuke was a good kid. I don't doubt that he's got a spark in him, but if his brother believes in his ability to drive, he can't be all bad."
Takumi gaped and blinked, tucking his legs up under himself as he sat back down on the cushion in front of their kotetsu.
"H..how do you know what we did?"
A chuckle and a flick of his wrist and Bunta was reading the newspaper, hiding behind it as he grinned wickedly.
"I don't. I just know that you've never smiled when you've come home after a meeting. A proper battle yes, but never just a practice. I figured something good had to have happened."
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For Irohazaka's master down-hiller, the night had been a peaceful one, albeit short lived as he got up early to make it to work on time, the noisy Evolution barreling its way to the auto body shop he was still employed by, the owner waving good-naturedly to him as he pulled into the fenced in yard. Kyoichi enjoyed the work and it kept him around cars, even the imports from America he loathed so much, the Fords and Chevrolets that dominated the spaces they sat in, their parts all on order from halfway across the world. He shook his head as he noticed oil dripping from a somewhat decrepit looking Ford pickup, quickly kicking a pan under the truck and heading for the office.
He smiled warmly to the girl at the front desk and went about tugging his overalls over the faded jeans and t-shirt he already wore, his name emblazoned on the front flap in red, the business's colours conveniently being red and blue. His first project was installing a new muffler on a Honda Accord, a routine job that he could have finished in less than an hour, but this morning, he found it hard to concentrate for very long on any one thing. His thoughts were dominated by memories of the previous night's activities, as well as the loving, longing kiss Ryosuke shared with him before they had parted ways.
A sharp clang of something metal hitting his toolbox ripped him violently out of the arousing reverie, dark eyes turning to gaze upon the young girl that worked the front office. She was kind and Kyoichi liked her, but as people go, she was rather loud and far from timid. He had never had the gall to tell her, even after almost six years, that he was gay, and her advances and gifts were wasted on him. He took everything with a smile and usually found ways to use what she gave, whether it was bath products (of which he was rather fond but would never admit it to anyone) or tools. Usually, the tools went to a lesser mechanic who didn't have as many or as nice tools already, simply because they could be used and the Evo driver only bought the best for himself anyway.
"Oi, Kyoichi! Daydreaming again? Bet it's about a girl huh? You've got that spaced out look on your face again."
The blond chuckled to himself and shook his head, setting the cutting torch on its bench and lifting the welder's mask from his sweat soaked brow.
"I'm dreaming about what I had for breakfast. That new protein bar has some real kick ass ingredients."
"You're lying! You were out with someone last night! You so were! I can tell."
The girl laughed loudly and flipped her shoulder length black hair back, oblivious to Kyoichi's true nature, her smile almost contagious as he smirked as well.
"Ok, ok. You win, Mayuri. I was on a date last night."
"I knew it! But you're so secretive, Kyoichi! I'll never know who it was, will I?"
The blond shook his head again and replaced the heavy mask over his face, turning away from her to continue with his cutting, waiting patiently until she got back into the office and behind the tempered glass window before starting the bright torch back up.
She was welcome company when the days were quiet, but since becoming registered to do foreign car repairs, the Irohazaka driver found it increasingly hard to spend anytime having friendly conversations with her. It was probably for the best in the end, if only to save the girl the heartbreak of finding out that her buff infatuation liked men instead.
With a crackle and a sharp snap of heated steel, the muffler finally came free of the dirtied car and Kyoichi triumphantly placed it in the scrap pile before lifting the new one up and bolting it into place, the light welding done with a separate torch, his work finished once he had lowered the vehicle and started it up, pleased with the gentle purr it gave in response.
His day would end soon enough and hopefully, as long as he could contain his glee, he would make it to Ryosuke's without having a car accident on the way, his excitement written on his angular features. Just a few things worried him though, needling their way through his happy consciousness. Their distance, his past infidelities and Keisuke. The mere thought of the blond making the elder man shiver. He hated him, with such a passion that it hurt. Just a meddling child who thought he could edge his way into Ryosuke's arms, despite their being brothers.
Kyoichi gritted his teeth and motioned for the new kid to come and drive the Honda away, wanting to get working on the broken Ford. He picked up the truck's key ring and twirled it around his finger as he sauntered over to it, still entirely content with himself for managing to seduce the elder Takahashi a second time, regardless of the mistakes he had made in the past.
"Yup, still got it..."
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Even through endless questions and offerings of advice from his brother, Keisuke still shook his head when he was asked if he had any plans for the day, slowly becoming concerned when Ryosuke offered to give him his credit card, remembering a conversation they had had the previous month when the FD lover had maxed his own out buying new clothes that still hung, tags and all, in his closet. The younger Takahashi shook his head a final time before snatching the last half of the other's toast and ate it without so much as a 'May I or a 'thank you'. He grimaced at the charred taste but finished it anyway, chasing it down with a mug of black coffee, giving a slight face at its strength as well.
"Isn't there anyway for you to even eat without making a fool of yourself, Keisuke? You made faces at everything you just ate, you made a face when you came in to see the burned toast and you also made one when you burst into my room first thing. Is it habit now?"
The blond snorted and flipped the elder boy off, slithering his lithe self up from the chair and shuffling to the sink, depositing his mug in with the others and heading to the garage, his knapsack in tow.
"I'm gonna be in here for a while. I've got some paint chips to fill in where that delivery truck sprayed gravel at me the other day. I finally found the right colour."
Ryosuke nodded as he tidied and headed for the den, picking up the phone and listening as it dialed through, one ear attacked by annoying ringing, the other with Keisuke's incessant chatter about bastard truck drivers and their disrespect for expensive sports cars. The other line finally picked up and instead of hearing Takumi's subtle voice, he got the elder Fujiwara's, a light yawn followed by the standard tofu shop greeting.
"Hai, Fujiwara-san? It's Takahashi Ryosuke. May I speak with Takumi please?"
A chuckle and a flick of a lighter told the FC driver that the men had either been waiting for the call or he was expecting something like it.
"Takumi left about ten minutes ago. He said he was going to Takasaki to meet your brother for something."
The silence following his explanation had the elder man chuckling wholeheartedly into the receiver, a slow drag of the cigarette causing Ryosuke to grit his teeth, badly in need of a smoke, despite his quitting the nasty habit.
"I take it this is news to you? Takumi and I had a very long talk this morning and although I'm from the old world attitude and this is all foreign to me, I'm happy he's finally content enough with someone to...love them. There were no details mind you, because I'm a simple man and new things tend to bother my lighter side."
Ryosuke cleared his throat and felt the blush creeping into his face, licking his lips before finding the courage to speak again.
"So, Takumi is dating my brother? Officially? Since when?"
"I think it's been going on longer than we know about. Not officially really, but seriously anyway. Takumi came home smiling last night and even slept in past his delivery time. I wasn't upset but it was a surprise. I can't say I'm worried though. Your brother seems like a nice kid, even if a bit brash and hardheaded. He reminds me of myself when I was younger."
The dark haired Takahashi was pleased to hear the acceptance from the elder driver and he thanked the man for the information, with a promise made to watch the boys but not interfere. It made Ryosuke smile to know that the man Takumi had initially feared and hated, loved him enough to worry about him. He hung up and set the phone back in its charger before walking to the garage as the white hachiroku arrived, standing in the doorway and peering out into the graveled yard, keeping back enough so that the timid boy wouldn't be worried about his presence.
Takumi parked beside the FD, pulled out to sit in the shade of their largest maple, Keisuke diligently poking the prim paint with the yellow dabber, plopping small dollops of the basecoat fixer before he could go over them with the clear coat after they had dried. The blond lifted his hand in greeting and the brunet smiled back, a sight Ryosuke found he adored, something he hoped tom see more of in the future, now that the once shy boy became more comfortable around them. He ran a hand through his hair and bent over somewhat awkwardly due to Keisuke's angle while painting and placed a light kiss to his cheek, a faint blush colouring the bridge of his nose. He was bold when in love.
Choosing to leave the boys alone, Ryosuke smiled as he settled back into the house, unwilling to ruin their bit of fun with his own callousness, the relationship between the two boys secretive but not overly so. It would be hard to break the news to Keisuke about his own recently reacquired love life but he was positive that it could work.
The raven haired driver gave a light chuckle before lying down on the couch, deciding on a quick snooze before the afternoon rolled around, his meeting with Kyoichi happening after the blond had finished work. It was only a few hours and according to Keisuke, he would be around all day because he had declined any plans outside of the house. That meant Takumi would be inside with him when the Irohazaka driver arrived. It would be an interesting afternoon indeed. One filled with revelations and hopefully, one of acceptance and forgiveness.