orendalogs | Yowamushi Pedal

Entry tags:

Yowamushi Pedal

Who: Reno and Makishima
What: Reno wanders modern Earth and takes a fool chance.
When: Modern times, in the last decade.
Where: England
Warnings: Possible smut, but everyone is of age and consenting.

A fateful night under the mistletoe just a few days after Reno stumbled into the boring-ass world called "Earth" and he ended up with a phone number and a lingering taste in his mouth. He waited a long time to call. Not months, but a couple of weeks, once he learned about the local holidays and realized they were meant for family and close friends, not date with strangers you snogged in bars. Well, depending on your upbringing, anyways, but he figured Makishima for a more quality figure than himself.

So it was that the day after Christmas, Makishima's phone rang and it wasn't someone from Japan or any of his relatives. It was the lazy drawl and accent of the guy from the bar.

"It's uh...it's Reno. Remember? From the party?" he offered up as gently as possible in case Maki didn't have the privacy to talk. Usually Reno didn't think about much, saying whatever he felt like when he felt like it, but the weeks of wandering around (which was actually more than a month for him, being as he went portal jumping in the meanwhile) gave him time to think about how not to screw everything up in the first hour. It was pretty sweet having time to make plans and rev himself up. Plus it meant time to beat the crap out of some punks to rip them off, shuck their wallets and get enough local scratch to take a guy out for a night on the town and not look like a cheap-ass.

Good times.

"Look uh, I know it's been a while but I thought you'd like time with the family and all. But apparently the holiday was done yesterday and I didn't want you to forget me" the Turk laughed, trying not to sound desperate. Fucking hard to do when you were playing out a seen from goddamn Lady and the Tramp. Good thing he'd never seen the movie. Loveless was bad enough.

"That dinner? Uhh...you hungry?"

[ Continued from here ]

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The kiss to his cheek made Makishima blush and did nothing to help the guys teasing either. All of them wanted to know where Reno had come from and how Maki was getting on with him. The first part was easy enough to answer, but the questions got a bit harder after that. Makishima still wasn't too sure of where Reno was from though he assumed it was somewhere in Europe though he had no clue where, and as for his own feelings well this was only the first date. Maksihima had a sinking feeling that something there was very serious all the same. The guy was an obvious idiot in many ways, but Makishima found it endearing in a way. It reminded him of various friends back home and something about him was comforting.

What wasn't comforting was how long it was taking Reno to find an ATM and get back. He knew the area around here could be a little rough and he was starting to worry that something had happened when he got the call. Oh okay, so he was fine and now Makishima was sighing as the phone hung up. Yup exactly like certain idiots from back in Chiba.

He waited patiently, talking with the clerks about the next race he was going to be in once the New Year hit and the school year started up again.

By the time Reno got back Makishima was ready to either strangle him or have a heart attack from nerves. He turned to look at him and instantly his face went pale. He ran over to Reno at the door, barely letting him get the full way into the store before he was looking him over for broken bones and blood. He only saw a little of the latter and his limbs all seemed to be working fine. Josh turned and went to the back to get a first aid kit and a bag of peas for Reno's cheek.

"You gotta be careful around here mate." One of the clerks pipped up, impressed that Reno hadn't ended up dead. "The neighborhoods not the best."

"You're sure you're okay, sho?" Maki asked still looking pale and like he was half tempted to cart Reno off to a hospital just in case.

Seeing honest worry made Reno feel more than a little guilty for the whole thing, a hand rising to the back of his neck as he rubbed under his ponytail and looked off to the side in embarrassment.

"Yeah. Yea~h. Yo, come on. I'm fine. Promise," he sighed, flicking his pale gaze back to Makishima and offering a reassuring smile, ignoring the sting of his split lip. "My work back home can get way more rough than a bunch of bald punks in a backstreet," he huffed, reaching out in gratitude when Josh returned with the frozen bag. Touching it carefully to his cheek, Reno puffed up a bit and cocked a brow, putting on his usual airs.

"What's the deal, huh? Don't think your man can handle himself? Come on. I'm pretty as hell but that don't mean I can't kick some ass when the need pops up," he grumbled good-naturedly, reaching out and tweaking Makishima's nose gently.

Makishima wrinkled his nose, waving his hand back and forth in front of his face to wave Reno off. Don't think that cute, laid-back attitude was going to get Reno off the hook. He was glaring a little now though there was still obvious worry behind his gaze.

"You need to be careful, sho!" Nope Reno wasn't getting out of this one. "I'm going with you next time, sho! If something happens to you I don't want to be left in the dark, sho!" The verbal tick that Makishima tried to hold back when he spoke in English was slipping more than ever as he got more and more frustrated by the situation. The thought of Reno not being able to hanle himself or being outnumbered and ending up dead somewhere actually bothered Makishima a lot. Sure he was only just getting to know Reno, but he already considered Reno as someone precious to him.

"Hey, calm down Yusuke." Josh spoke up quietly. "He made it back. A split lips and a little roughing up isn't too bad. He can take care of himself."

"Hey hey hey!" Reno barked, reaching up and grabbing the sides of Maki's face, holding him still. "Look at me! Look. I'm o~kay! If you'da been there you might'a got like, really hurt, yo. Chill out. Just breathe," he sighed, leaning in and pressing a light kiss to the mole near Makishima's mouth.

"Seriously, this is the shit I do all the time at work. If you freak out now you're gonna have a hell of a time handling my occupation. I fly helicopters over volcanoes and shit, babe. Some shitty skinheads in a country that doesn't allow concealed carry isn't really gonna get me down. Now we're here to buy a bike, right? Not melt sacks of peas. If you're that worried about it, clean my face up yourself so you can see I'm fine. Put some bandaids on my boo-boos."

Makishima felt sick to his stomach. Even with Reno holding onto his face as he was to help prove he really was okay and in one piece he couldn't help but think about what could have gone wrong. He reached up and held onto the jacket he'd bought Reno and allowed his hands to tighten into fists around the red fabric.

He knew he shouldn't worry about the what if's, but he couldn't help that.

"S-sho..." He looked at the split on Reno's lip that was still bleeding slightly and then to the scrape on Reno's cheek that also needed some attention. Fixing him up was something Makishima could do. He heaved a sigh, forcing himself to calm down as much as he could so he could take back some control on the situation. Taking one of Reno's hands in his, he pulled him over to the counter where Josh was laying out some alcohol pads and a few band-aids.

"You want the bike I showed you, sho?" Makishima spoke quietly as he tore open the small packets of alcohol towelettes. His hands were trembling slightly.

"Yup, sure do," Reno replied, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at Makishima's hands before clearing his throat and looking off to the side. Yeah, he'd have to go out and make a hell of a lot more money somehow, just to have it and not need it when he was with Maki. He couldn't stand how upset the guy was...even if it was nice to be worried about.

Speaking of...

"Hm. Kinda nice bein' worried about, though. I mean, I won't go out of my way to get in a fight just so you fix me up, but it's pretty sweet having someone give a shit. Back home I'm mostly just a piece of the payroll. No one really worries what happens when you're pretty much replaceable, yo. I mean, sure it'd cost a lot to train someone else but they're not really gonna give me a pack of peas and some bandages as much as slap some field stitches on me, slap my ass and send me back out."

The words were meant to be encouraging but they only made Makishima worry more. His lips pursed and pressed together into a thin line as he moved to dab the alcohol along the cuts and get the band-aids ready. The idea that Reno might have something happen to him on the job was even more worrisome, but he supposed that was the risk he was taking in dating someone with the profession Reno had. Not that he really understood it anymore than Reno being like some sort of CIA type agent.

He sighed again, lowering his hands as Reno was now bandaged and ready to heal.

"Josh can you get that bike for him?" He asked, giving Josh something to do other than awkwardly stare at the couple. The other clerks had already wandered off or gone off shift in lieu of the tender moment between the new couple.

"Sure thing, Yusuke." Josh saluted, going to get the bike and a helmet that he thought should fit Reno's head.

A helmet would have been a good idea for Reno on any given day. Of course, Makishima didn't need to know just how much trouble the redhead got himself into. He'd find out soon enough. Better to postpone it as long as possible.

Glancing around and noting that everyone had awkwardly left the area, Reno realized that he didn't care all that much that he was making things a little awkward. It was much too nice, being favored in such a way, to give up just for the comfort of strangers.

"You think I can really learn this stuff?" he asked after a few moments of silence, watching Josh pull the bike down. "I mean, I've never ridden one, I'm not built like you, if like...build is a requirement. I ride motorcycles but aside from balance I don't think it's the same. I wanna do this, definitely. I just don't wanna like, you know. Embarrass myself in front of you. Or embarrass you, honestly. I mean I embarrass myself all the time, and being embarrassing in an affectionate way is okay, but I don't wanna mess up something you really care about. You sure you're okay with this? Last chance before I'm out nearly a grand."

Despite how worried Makishima had been Reno somehow found a way to make Makishima laugh. He shook his head, smiling crookedly at Reno. "Sho! Of course you can do it. Build doesn't matter in the least, sho!" He was grinning now thinking fondly of Tadokoro.

"Tadokorocchi is built like a bear and he's the fastest cyclist I know, sho!" One of the fastest, but Makishima's view was a little skewed in favor of his friend.

"You'll be fine, and I'll be there to help you learn, sho." His grin widened, the idea of being able to cycle with Reno and that his new boyfriend would be so willing to learn for him giving him a feeling that could only be described as warm and fuzzy.

Grinning helplessly in response, Reno shook his head and shrugged, enthused for something he wasn't even sure he really understood. It didn't matter. It made Makishima so happy, and really...Reno was piss poor at making people happy. He needed it as much as Maki wanted it.

Maybe that was how falling in love worked? Fuckin' hell. Woah. yeah...not a word he wanted to even think right then. Just have a good time, don't fuck it up.

"Tado...korocchi...shit that's a mouthful. But a bear? Well, guess there's hope for me. I mean, I'm pretty good at most things I put my mind to, so this should be the same, right? I can do flips in the air and run up the sides of buildings. Why the hell can't I ride a bike?"

Love was a dangerous word in either boys vocabulary. Makishima wasn't going to jump in and say it, but that warm fuzzy feeling he got in his chest when he looked at Reno wasn't far off from it.

"You can parkour?" Makishima arched an eyebrow, but he really shouldn't be surprised. They guy was obviously rough about the edges, so maybe he could do the things he said. "You're going to make me worry about you breaking your neck, sho?"

One more thing to worry about outside of Reno's job description which wasn't much of a description at all.

"You'll worry yourself sick, y'know," Reno smiled crookedly, shaking his head.

"When you're not tied down with school or career stuff, and if you still gotta thing for me, I'll take you back home with me. Little vacation, yo. You can see me in action. Meet my friends. My boss, maybe. I dunno. He's uh...kinda...well, you'll see," Reno shrugged, clucking his tongue softly. Introducing Maki to anyone was bound to raise a lot of questions. But if Reno took the teen along anywhere, they'd work out a story. Or the truth...who could say?

Parkour, though?

"Running up walls and doing flips n' shit? Yeah I do it all the time. Not as good as some people, but you learn a lot when you're doin' martial arts. I try to keep things non-lethal. Better for business. And I do have a little conscience, y'know."

Makishima's cheeks turned bright red at the implication that they might have some sort of life after all these dates. Sure this was only date one and Reno had to prove himself continuously to really solidify his position in Makishima's life, but the thought was a nice one.

Josh smirked, busying himself with getting a few more things that Reno would need for the bike and trying not to draw attention to himself and this romantic scene.

"S-sho..." Makishima muttered, turning away and trying to focus on something that wasn't Reno's stupidly attractive face. "Is the bike ready, Josh?" Please say yes.

"Hm? Oh, yeah sure...if you two are done." He grinned and laughed as Makishima's flustered expression grew worse.

"A man is never done until he's got the target, yo," Reno grinned, closing one eye and firing a finger gun at Maki before shrugging and nodding.

"But if you mean am I done talkin' gooey with him, haaa. Yeahhh, I suppose I can take a break," the redhead smirked, shrugging again and poking around in his pockets to pull out the roll of cash he'd stuffed away.

"I probably pulled too much cash," he remarked, tapping a finger on the fat stack of pilfered bills. "I don't get the currency here at all. We're still coin-based back home. Paper seems entirely wasteful, man. But take whatever you need."

What? Was he related to Shinkai or something?

The blush only got worse at Reno's words and he purposefully turned away to pretend to be interested in some bike parts against one wall.

"Whoa dude!" Josh exclaimed. "No wonder you got mugged!" If Reno was walking around with that kind of bank in his pockets he was more than an easy target. "You should be glad I'm an honest sort of bloke." He took the roll, counting out what he needed and no more before handing the change back to Reno. "Here you go mate, the bike is yours."

"Tip," Reno drawled, pulling one of the bills with a larger denomination on it, so far as he could see. 50 seemed reasonable? Slapping it on the table, he shook his head.

"Won't take no for an answer. Buy you and the guys some pizza or something. I was a total fuckin' hassle and the money is already here. It'll pay for the medical stuff, too, right? And the peas," he added, tossing the thawed bag on the counter. "Thanks for that. Definitely feels better." Not that it really hurt, but how was he supposed to explain the kind of "upgrading" employees of Shinra went through?

"Well, Yusuke, you gonna teach me to not look retarded? If I rack myself, you're responsible."

"S-sho." Makishima nodded in agreement. His cheeks flushed more at the use of his first name by someone he cared about. He didn't mind it when the bike boys did it, he understood it was a cultural thing, but from Reno it made that fuzzy feeling all the worse.

Makishima walked over, taking his hand and laying it across one of the handlebars of Reno's bike. "Come on, we can go back to my place for a bit. I uh...I'm not that good at telling people how to do something." He was one of those people that did far better with showing by action rather than words. The hidden meaning that Reno would actually get to see his place didn't need to be said.

"Thanks, Josh." He waved at his friend, who waved back still star struck as he gaped at the $50 bill in front of him. Just who was this guy anyway?

Just an idiot, really. But of course he couldn't go dropping gold coins on the counter. Last time he did that he nearly got mugged for real. Apparently his home currency was worth way more in Maki's world than his own.

...Come to think of it, if the exchange rate was so high, a paycheck in his world could trade up pretty high in this one. All he needed was a pawn shop and someone who wouldn't ask a lot of questions...

Food for thought later. Something way more important just came up.

"Your place? Like for real? Dude you hear this?" he asked, looking at Josh and thumbing over his shoulder. "Royal treatment. If you don't see him for a few days, just assume I got lucky!" the redhead grinned, flashing that tongue of his before gripping the bars of the bike and nodding happily.

"Heck yeah. Show me how to ride like a pro," the Turk crowed, winking at Maki and punishing the teen with his usual merry vulgarity.

If Makishima was a more violent person he might have punched Reno then. As it was he hurried out of the shop as quickly as he could and tried not to turn any redder than he already was. He'd never felt so happy to be out in the cold.

"You might not be able to ride too much until the weather get's warmer." Riding in the cold could be hell, though it didn't stop Makishima one bit. The bike Reno had bought would suit him well though it wasn't really Makishima's style.

"Josh did a good job matching you, sho." He didn't know if he'd be able to get Reno to ride like a pro or not, but he could show him the basics.

"Well, I'm usually pretty good at sizing people up, and he seemed like he knew his stuff. I feel pretty confident that if I can't manage this, it's no one's fault but my own. I got a great provider and a great teacher that's enthusiastic about it, so failure is mine alone, right?" Reno remarked practically, shrugging as hie ran his thumbs over the gear shifts, nodding to himself.

Maybe he could do it? It was like a motorcycle in a lot of ways, just that the engine was himself. Holy knew he had energy to spare, so that wouldn't be a problem. He had practically limitless stamina, so endurance wasn't the issue. His balance was good and gears weren't unknown to him. Really it'd just be learning to balance and pedal at the same time and learning the feel of a bike instead of a motorcycle. He felt pretty confident he could ride with Maki, at least, even if he'd never likely race.

Still, one never knew the future. He'd been given to unusual whims.

"He does, sho!" Makishima grinned. He figured the least he could do for Reno was explain a few things about the bike as they walked to his apartment. It wasn't terribly far, but it was going to be awhile before they got there.

Makishima went over all the things he could think of, gears, the chain, maintenance, how Reno would need to adjust the seat and handle bars if things felt uncomfortable as well as the different types of modification Reno could get since he'd sounded so interested in it back at the shop. By the time they did reach Makishima's apartment the green-haired man was in desperate need for some Pocari or something to sooth his now parched throat. He wasn't used to talking this much.

For his part, Reno listened attentively the whole time. It wasn't as much because he was interested in it - though he was - but because Makishima loved it. It was obvious the teen adored his sport and knew enough to fill a book, and that fascinated Reno more than anything. He doubted he'd ever be quite as enthusiastic about riding a bike as Maki, but he could get behind anything where he could get exercise and show off.

Besides, it won points with the guy, and where was the loss there?

"Uh, hey," the redhead cleared his throat as they drew up to the building that was evidently where Makishima lived. "Look, uh. I talk a big game and all, but I can be respectful. I'll understand if you want me to wait outside while you're gettin' your bike an' all, y'know? It'd be more polite if I didn't actually go to your place on the first date."

It was as decent as he could get without outing himself as a hot mess. He could't exacly out an say "Me going into a house on the first date is like...trouble-city back home, yo. Haha, ha. Yeah. I mean, I'll be honest, I have a pretty shitty reputation back home." That'd put Maki on the defensive and really, as far as Reno saw it, behind there was his chance to have no bad reputation. He could behave himself, woo someone properly and if he was lucky, keep him.

If he was lucky, which Reno usually wasn't. Of course he didn't know red hair was lucky in Maki's world. Mocked, sure, but once upon a time it was an auspicious sign.

It wasn't just about riding a bike but Reno would learn that the moment they were able to truly ride together and that wasn't going to happen in this cold.

He was putting his hand on the front door of his apartment building, a stairwell inside leading up to the various floors and the flat Makishima claimed as his own, when Reno's voice caught his attention and he stopped.

"..." He turned to stare at Reno. The expression on Makishima's face was somewhere between surprise and disbelief. Reno turning him down to come up to his place was the last thing he'd have expected the red-head to do. Disbelief turned into concern and Makishima's brows furrowed at the admission. He knew Reno had to be older than him, and age typically meant more experience, but the idea that Reno was potentially a one-night stand kind of guy didn't sit well with him. He lowered his hand from the door and turned fully to look at Reno on the steps.

He didn't say anything at first, merely regarded Reno quietly for a moment as he went over all Reno had done and said and weighed it against what he was hearing now. Eventually the smile started to creep back into Makishima's face and he shook his head. "Don't worry about it, sho."

He leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on Reno's cheek.

Anyone who was going to go through buying a bike and actually lay out that kind of baggage on a first date was well worth sticking around for.

"I'll be right back down. You want anything to drink? I have some canned Pocari and mineral water if you want it?"

"I have no idea what Pocari is. I'll try that, or anything hot," he amended, clearing his throat and turning away the instant he felt blush creeping up his neck. Hiding his face would have helped if it weren't that his ears were red, too.

"Don't make me wait forever, yo. It's balls cold down here, and frostbite ain't something a man oughta get on his tackle," the redhead sniffed, distracting himself with thumbing the grips and gearshifts, bright eyes roaming idly. Much as he tried to look aloof it was pretty obvious that Makishima's chaste affections had him doing internal pirouettes.

"You gotta be here when I break my ankles and lose all my teeth."

"Sho!" Makishima laughed, turning again to go inside and hurrying his way up the stairs till he reached his floor and apartment. The idea of Reno breaking every bone in his body over biking wasn't something he really foresaw, though he had seen at least one bad accident and what it could do to a person, he didn't think Reno would have that trouble -- Little did he know.

He hurried back down a few moments later, bless Keurig's for making coffee fast.

"Pocari's not warm, sho." He handed Reno a coffee thermos. It was decaf inside, and loaded with plenty of sugar and cream to get rid of the bitter taste of the coffee. "I brought you coffee." No he wasn't going to tell him it was decaf. He was sure Reno would have thrown a fit about that but he didn't want to see Reno hopped up on artificial energy.

When Reno took the thermos, Makishima set his bike down on the ground. "There's a parking lot over there we can use."

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