orendalogs | Yowamushi Pedal

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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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"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."

Probably for the best he didn't tell him, but Reno was smart enough not to throw a fit under the circumstances. He took the thermos gratefully and set into a bit before arching a brow. How'd Maki know he liked his coffee loaded with bullshit? Was he that transparent?

"You're an angel," Reno sighed, feeling infinitely better with something hot in his gt after the roller-coaster ride that was the last few hours.

"Still gonna have to try that Pocari stuff. Maybe next time. Anyways, let's see how much trouble I can get into on a bike before it's too late and you turn into a pumpkin or something."

Reno had said he had a sweet tooth back at the bar. Makishima was surprisingly observant for someone who tried to act like he didn't care. Though with comments like that Makishima might just go back to being a full on tsun to save his blood pressure.

"Ah...N-nah...I just thought it'd be better." He rubbed awkwardly at the tip of his nose as he pushed his bike around to the parking lot where it'd be easier to teach or show Reno the basics.

"I wouldn't turn into a pumpkin," Makishima said with a smirk over his shoulder. "I'd turn into a spider, sho!"

Just to be clear on that point.

Once at the parking lot Makishima made a point of first helping Reno adjust the height of his handle bars and seat. That done he explained the best way to get on the bike so that Reno didn't accidentally rack himself. True to Makishima's word he really wasn't very good on the verbal explanation, but showing was easy enough.

At least Reno was true to his word as well - he learned quickly. He was flippant and made too many jokes, talked himself up big. Even so, he laughed off his failures, grit his teeth and tried again and again. He did, indeed, hurt himself, but only because he sat on himself when trying to get comfortable on the narrow bike seat. He bore it all with good will, however, and despite Makishima's lack of teaching skill, Reno eventually started wobbly figure eights in the parking lot.

"WOO WOOOOO! LOOK LOOK!" he shouted, trying to wave only to slap a hand back on the handlebars and make a serious face as he concentrated on moving safely.

"Hoi hoi! You like spiders, huh?" he asked, wondering about a petshop he passed near his entry portal. He wasn't too keen on anything that could bite him simply for existing in the same space, but he supposed a lot of his co-workers were the same way.

"You uhhh, don't have a bunch crawling around in your place, right? that'd get kinda awkw--woah!" he cried out, hitting a small patch of ice and tilting over into a pile of shoveled snow. It was a harmless fall, though comical, Reno sinking into the heap and partially disappearing with the bike. None the worse for wear as he popped up gasping for air and laughing.

He really couldn't remember the last time he had as much fun and din't have to be blind drunk.

Makishima tried not to wince every time Reno fell over. He knew at that speed he really wasn't going to get hurt except for some scrapes and bruises but he still didn't like watching him get hurt. That incident of siting on himself while trying to get on the saddle couldn't have been very comfortable either.

"Sho! You're doing good!" He laughed lightly, proud of his boyfriend and the progress he was making. He was feeling pretty good about this, until Reno hit that patch of ice and went crashing down. "Sho!"

He ran over, sighing in relief when Reno popped back up like a jack in the box.

"That's why we don't bike when it's iced out, sho." He held his hand out to help pull Reno free of the snow and slush. "You're going to need to warm up after this, sho."

Well, best take an opportunity when you saw it.

"Warm up, huh?" he grinned, reaching out for that hand before giving a sharp yank, tugging Makishima down atop him in the show drift. He wrapped his arms around the slender body, squeezing him in a warm hug and pressing a kiss next to his ear, nudging hair away with his nose.

"Good call, I feel much better now."

"Iie!!!" Makishima cried out in his native tongue as he was pulled down into the drift on top of Reno. He was grateful his jacket kept most of the cold out and the way Reno nuzzled against his ear was a suitable distraction from really being mad at him.

He made a distressed noise, pouting over his shoulder at Reno. "These coats are dry clean only you know." Not that he really cared. The price to clean a coat wasn't so great that he'd pass up being in Reno's arms. The sappy thought made him blush and he shook his head lightly, turning so that he could catch Reno's lips with is own to show he didn't really care at all.

He hadn't kissed Reno since the day they'd met and he'd almost forgotten how nice it had felt to kiss those soft lips.

Nice indeed; Reno thought the same as well. He was high on life, had a good time riding a silly bike, had a great date, was suitably boozed up without being so hammered he made himself looked retarded and he'd even burned off a little energy with a solid fight. In all, the day looked like--

"The best day of my life. You know that?" he mumbled against Makishima's mouth before his eyes popped open and his cheeks flamed.

"I mean, I don't wanna sound all gooey and obsessed or like I'm moving too fast! Don't take it the wrong way, I'm crazy but I'm not that brand," he insisted, mentally flailing as he tried to catch up to his mouth.

"I only mean, I've never gone out and just done fun shit for the hell of it. When I was a kid, shit was tough, yo. I grew up on the streets and we didn't get bikes. You weren't smart if you were making friends - everyone wants something from you, y'know? And then i grew up and things weren't much different. You just get paid to be a thug, that's all. Put on a suit and suddenly you're not a hood rat, you're a professional. I don't do dates, I do dinners. If I'm lucky. Sometimes that's not even in the minutes. People don't stick around, and when you're just floatin' through life, there's not a lot of reason to drag things out, y'know? Just hit it and quit it, yo. No fun dates, no kissin' in snow drifts - which by the way, you're a great kisser. It's way more natural with you. That's...that's really nice. I'm fuckin' this up right now talkin' too much but it is, man. It's like...one of the best days of my whole life. I got to do normal things like a normal person and you've been...just...just the greatest. How do I not screw this up? Huh? How do I do right and get like...to the like...eightieth date, yo? Cuz like, if I gotta keep my hands off and make sure you're home by eight and do all those things, I can do it. I can respect you and do right by you...I just...don't really know when what I'm doin' is okay or not."

He rambled without a breath it seemed, frantically trying to backpedal and barrel on head first at the same time, all while knowing the more he talked the more he made himself sound like a lunatic. And that was the problem. Even when he was trying to make things right he was sabotaging himself more, two times awkward for every ounce of suave.

The small confession caused the kiss to break and while Makishima would have been content to continue kissing the stream of consciousness that came tumbling from Reno's mouth made him pull back a little.

He sat quietly in Reno's lap as he spoke, not quite making eye contact with him. No doubt that only aided the anxiety that was creeping into bits and pieces of Reno's words, but Maki found it easier to listen to embarrassing things when he didn't have to look at it dead on.

He had wondered about some of what Reno now said. He'd been able to tell from day one that Reno was rough around the edges but how rough he really was was only now becoming apparent. That Reno had been poor didn't matter to Makishima. Most of his friends from High School and those in his college now were not nearly as wealthy as his own family, though none were quite as poor as Reno was making himself out to be. That he was a delinquent turned professional hadn't completely escaped his mind either. He'd returned from that mugging far too relaxed and with a spark in his eyes that hadn't been there before though Maki couldn't possibly imagine just what Reno had done to get the money he'd used to purchase the bike.

It was the confession that went unspoken, hidden between the words Reno was letting fall, that truly made Makishima pause and turn to face him fully again.

He stared quietly, his own dark blue eyes meeting Reno's own and staring into them as if he could see the lie if there was one.

He didn't see any.

"S-sho..." He let out his breath (He hadn't realized he was holding it.) in a single sound. He was at a loss for words, pedaling slowly inside his own mind to a peak he wasn't sure he was ready to climb just yet. He could hear the unspoken word in what Reno was saying and if Makishima was honest with himself it scared him a lot. How could Reno be so sure about that? How could he possibly know that Reno would want to actually be there for 80 dates if not more? What if Reno got tired of Maki or found someone better?

He bit his lip, fear keeping him from saying anything at first until a car horn in the distance drew him back from his thoughts.

"Ah-h-ha...sho," He laughed awkwardly, shaking his head and putting his free hand up to his forehead as he looked away from Reno. "You say some embarrassing things, sho!" His voice quivered as he spoke, and he hated hearing that tremble in his own voice. Man up Makishima, a man, our boyfriend, just laid his heart on the line for you, don't run it over.

He lowered his hand slowly, looking back and still at a loss for words did the only thing he could think of. He kissed Reno again, holding him close and cupping his cheek with one hand. Actions spoke louder than words. It was a good thing too because Makishima was horrible at explanations.

It wasn't that Reno was sure - he certainly wasn't prepared to use that particular word in any context - but while commitment was a largely foreign concept to the free-floating Turk, he knew he wanted to try. Unlike Makishima who had only gone a short time without Reno between their first meeting and their first date, Reno had traveled quite a bit and had a lot of time to think. He thought Makishima was attractive, which mattered because the teen certainly didn't fit his usual marks, and he enjoyed the younger man's presence a great deal. Their first encounter was brief but electrifying in a way Reno didn't usually experience, and he told himself that his decisions needed to be based on the date afterwards.

It was the best day of his life, and it wasn't even because they did fun things together instead of just knocking boots, it was because of Makishima. Reno had gone to plays and movies with people, he'd had fancy dinners, he'd talked for hours and strolled through parks. Much as he oversimplified his dating record, the fact was, it was a long and varied list. Long, varied and completely unfulfilling. It was Makishima that made it all different. Makishima who would continue making the dates worth coming back to. His awkward little spider.

Who...apparently didn't feel the same. In Reno's experience, a kiss was most often a distraction - a way to get someone to shut up. Had he said too much? Did Makishima only see him as so many others did; a fun ride, but not a long term investment?

He was instantly crestfallen and for a moment maybe Maki could feel the joy cool and seep out. The nervous energy dissipated and Reno returned the kiss, because that was what he did. He committed to his course of action until the assignment ran it's course. Still, he only blamed himself. He was a colossal piece of shit and knew it, but he'd hoped...

Well, all he could do was ride the rest of the night out and see where it went, he decided. Best not count himself out yet. Two dates...maybe....maybe he could get a second one before Makishima decided he was too much trouble? Yeah. Maybe he could prove he was worth at least that much?

A little of the enthusiasm crept back in, Reno's kiss less mechanical as he tensed his jaw and smiled in spite of his obvious concern.

"I'm an embarrassing guy," he admitted softly, a tone of apology easily noted. "I'll try not to be an embarrassment to you."

The change in emotional temperature didn't go completely unnoticed by the socially inept spider. He pulled away slowly, frowning a little as he did. Something in the way Reno returned the kiss didn't feel right. Worry gripped at his heart and he reached up to touch the side of Reno's face. Had Makishima messed up? Had he read Reno wrong?

He bit his lower lip, staring hard into Reno's face and looking past the apology.

"You don't have to apologize," He said. He wished he knew what Reno was thinking just then but he was no mind reader.

He sighed softly, and moved to get off of Reno's lap. "We shouldn't stay in the snow, sho!" He tried to force excitement into his voice but it just came out strained. Reno couldn't be having second thoughts or something could he? The boys mind moved so quickly it left Makishima dizzy sometimes as it had many times during the night already. Reno could change tracks on a dime or so it seemed to Makishima. He hoped he hadn't done something wrong. He turned his head away from Reno for a moment, a light color rising to his cheeks as he spoke quietly. "I...I do too, sho...I mean I want to go on more dates, sho."

"R...Really?" Reno asked, visibly shocked. He had been overwhelmed with disappointment a mere moment prior with Makishima leaving his lap, breaking the last of the contact that had fulfilled his small needs and fantasy, but the admission was enough to change his perspective entirely.

Had he completely missed the point and made too many negative assumptions? Perhaps. He knew he was already at fault for comparing Makishima to anyone from his past line-up. The teen was worlds apart (quite literally, in fact) from anyone Reno had ever dated before. Why was he assuming the boy would be anything like them?

"I do have to apologize," he grunted, pushing himself up to his feet and shaking his head with a smile that wasn't particularly happy. It was self-deprecating, if anything.

"I've made some judgment calls that weren't entirely my own to make. I've been looking at things from the perspective I've gotten over the years without fully considering that you're nothing like anyone I've ever known, yo, and I've been making assumptions based on the contrary. I'm gonna mess up a lot as this thing we've got goes on. I just...hope you'll gimme the chance to make up for it all. I'll probably need more than one or two chances to get it right. So I apologize in advance."

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