Chapter Text
The sun was way too bright today. People in the streets looked happier than usual. There were birds chirping left and right. Today seemed like a perfect day, much to Koga’s dismay. Because, on this seemingly perfect day, he was going on dreaded event… a date.
Date, date, date . No matter how much he repeated it, it still sounded horrible and wrong. Seeing Akehoshi’s face invading his head along with the word wasn't helping his case either.
Since they agreed on this, so many questions kept on popping up in his mind. Why did he ask for a date, of all things? Why didn't he ask for one of those shiny things he liked so much?
Why did he want to go out with him ?
And then his brain went to a place he didn't like at all, because it was the very dangerous ‘what if’ place. So many ‘what ifs’ in his mind. One, in particular, retained his full attention.
What if Akehoshi liked him? What if he was in love with him?
Koga unconsciously sped up his pace. A date. Wasn't this usually seen as a romantic thing? Then maybe it was true. Maybe Akehoshi liked him. He didn't know what to do with this information. Also his heart felt weird. Racing too fast again.
Taking a deep breath, he chose to ignore it when he arrived at the park. No matter if Akehoshi was in love with him or not, he was going to regret this day either way.
His eyes going through the numerous people present at the park today, he searched for a pile of orange hair in the crowd. Koga arrived at the center, a perplex look on his face. Nowhere to be seen. He did get the time right, though. Was this dumbass late…?
A pair of unknown arms embraced him from behind, almost making him lose his balance. “Boo~!” The voice was cheerful, too cheerful, followed by a giggle and genuine laughter. Akehoshi .
Koga wanted to turn around and yell at him (because what else was he supposed to do?), but the racer didn't want to move or even let go. “Gami-san is so waaaaarm~! Can you take me on your back?”
“Aaaaah, stop that! Get off me!” he forcefully grabbed Akehoshi’s hands and got them away from his chest.
When he turned around, he was put face to face with a pouting Akehoshi…
… Or so he assumed. His expression was hard to tell or describe, for the simple reason that there were sunglasses and a mask covering everything. The cap on his head completed the set.
“You look… Ridiculous.” Koga stated, not even knowing if ‘ridiculous’ was the right term to use. He looked like he was about to go rob a bank or something.
“It's for safety reasons!” Akehoshi put a finger in front of his mouth, and a smile could be seen through the mask. Also he was definitely winking. The sunglasses made it hard to tell, but it was a sure value. “I'm undercover!”
“Yeah, you look suspicious as hell.” Koga sighed and kept his eyes on the mask. Oh how he wanted to tear it off.
His hand moved almost on its own, guiding the mask off of Subaru's face. “Get that thing off!”
And now he could see the pouty face in its full glory again, how very delightful.
“Ooooh, I see! It's easier to kiss without the mask~!” The sparkling boy sheepishly said, bringing his face closer to Koga’s.
“H-hey! Stop, stop, get away!” Date, date . The words echoed again as he slammed his palm against the other's lips. The situation was the same as usual, their relationship hasn't changed, but somehow his body was filled with heat at the mention of the kiss.
“Ooookay~!” Subaru laughed it off and took advantage of Koga’s embarrassment to grab his hand before he could react. “Time to go then, yahoo~!”
“Where are you taking me?” Frankly he was more annoyed than angry, mainly because he couldn't think straight at the moment. He was too tired to yell at him.
“Surprise, surprise~ !”
Akehoshi guided him through the infinite sea of people that formed the park today. The dumbass sure chose the right day to go out; no one would ever notice them in that crowd. Koga analyzed Akehoshi again, with a different angle this time. His whole attire was one typically made to hide one's identity. At first it seemed foolish, but now that he thought about it, going out in the streets the day after winning a big race wasn't the most brilliant idea. Especially since the public decided to hate him, for whatever reason. Maybe it was because he came out of nowhere, and suddenly soared to the top…
Or maybe it was because of his name.
Some newspaper titles appeared in his mind, invaded his memory. “Worldwide racer Akehoshi dies from bad conditions in prison.” , “Akehoshi’s death: Return on the racer’s criminal history.”
It was nothing to be proud of. Nothing to brag about. Subaru hated and avoided the subject like the plague, and ignored every reference people could throw at him.
He could have been the son of a famous racer, but as of now the world only knew him as the son of a criminal.
A squeeze on his hand brought Koga back on track. His eyes made contact with Subaru's sunglasses. The boy was bouncing up and down, obviously very excited about his little idea (whatever it was). They were standing in front of a café with a shiny and polished wooden door. How and when they got here was a mystery, but at least now he knew what was in store for today.
Hold up .
They were going to enter a café , while holding hands , on an event labeled as a date .
Oh no .
“So that's where you wanna go.” Koga tried to hide his internal conflict, looking about everywhere around him, fixing everything that wasn't Akehoshi.
“Mhm~!” The racer joyfully nodded. “Their food is really good! They make amazing crepes!” He pulled Koga along with him as he pushed the door, the sound of a bell ringing in his ear.
Koga only groaned and agreed to try the crepes. There was no harm in tasting good food, and if he was lucky enough, eating would spare them any need for conversation.
The place wasn't very crowded, which meant less chances of getting recognized. Subaru approached the counter still holding Koga’s hand. He wasn't inclined to let go of it, no matter how much Koga tried to slip through.
“Hello~ !” The sparkling boy hummed to the waiter. “Could we-”
“-All I'm saying is, last race was absolute nonsense!”
Just as an unknown voice rose in the place, Subaru's sentence got lost in his throat and he couldn't find the strength to speak. Koga on the other hand hurriedly turned his head to see a couple in their thirties enjoying some desserts at a table near the entrance. The man, with his arms crossed on his chest, just spoke his opinion on yesterday's race. It just had to be there and now, huh?
“You should let it go.” The woman, who was certainly his wife, tried to calm him down as she took a sip of her drink. “This kid won't go much further. He'll crack from all the pressure before you know it.”
Were they talking about Akehoshi? They were, weren't they? Just who did they think they were, insulting him like this? Koga’s entire body was screaming and pushing him to go up to these two and tell them a piece of his mind.
Luckily for him and for the café’s overall reputation, Akehoshi’s grip on his hand tightened, urging him to stay by his side rather than causing a ruckus and ruining the day even more than it was already.
Akehoshi’s face was still facing the counter, small sounds escaping from his mouth before he could make a coherent sentence.
“Sorry~!” He excused himself to the waiter before turning to Koga with a smile too big to be genuine. “Gami-san, let's go elsewhere!”
Koga’s brows furrowed when he noticed the small tear forming in the corner of his eye. Just like at the race. He was trying to suppress it again. Everyone's words mattered a lot more than he might have initially thought. Being associated to someone else no matter how hard you try, being reminded past mistakes… This wasn't how Akehoshi’s life should have gone. He should already be considered a great racer by now, no one should be doubting his talents. But one thing kept pushing him back.
The orange-haired boy didn't wait for approval and got them both out of the café in the blink of an eye. Akehoshi didn't look back and only fastened his pace as they got away from the café’s doors. His eyes were fixed on the ground, he didn't want to look up.
“Akehoshi.” Koga’s voice made itself loud to par with the crowds noise.
No response. He'd have to try harder.
“Akehoshi!” Louder, this time. The racer abruptly stopped, and Koga took this opportunity to pull on the hand that was holding his own. He turned Akehoshi around and grabbed him by the shoulders.
“Sorry Gami-san, but don't worry, there's another place we can go to! It's all good!” Sunglasses were in the way of his expression, but anyone could tell he was holding back tears.
“...Holy shit, you're stupid.” Koga said, not being able to say anything else. How long was he going to hide like this? He groaned and approached his hands to the racer’s attire.
“Gami-sa-”
“Shut up, just… Get that off.” Even with Akehoshi’s whining, he managed to get the sunglasses and cap off his head. “There.”
Subaru ran his hand through his now fully visible orange hair and sniffled a few times. He couldn't hide his tears anymore.
“If you continue pretending that you're alright, I'm really going to smack your head!” Koga angrily gritted his teeth at Subaru's face, gripping the boy's cheeks with one hand. “Get yourself together, dammit!”
He squeezed the other's cheeks, provoking a high-pitched squeal from his mouth. He almost sounded like a puppy, which, to be honest, was kind of cute.
“Not everyone is against you! You're a good racer, you win, you're going to the championships , don't you think that proves your worth already?! You're not your dad!”
You're not your dad . This statement alone lifted Subaru's head up in a split second, and in and instant his eyes were shining again, full of hope. This got Koga to open his eyes wide and take a step back. This look wasn't always a good omen. Not for him, at least.
Out of nowhere, Akehoshi let out a loud laugh and took some heavy breaths to let go of his conflicting thoughts. The crowd around them gave them some looks, but he didn't care anymore.
“Thanks, Gami-san.” That was all, just these words were enough to make Koga’s heart race again. This was starting to be annoying, really.
“D-don’t go around thinking weird things! It's not like I-”
His sentence was cut off by a very quick Akehoshi, who immediately hugged him in the middle of the street. “Gami-san really can't be honest, huh? It's mean, you know~? Telling me all these things and then backing out… You're so mean, Gami-san!”
“What the hell are you saying?”
“Owww, you're unfair again, Gami-san!”
What was even happening right now. Koga couldn't tell if Akehoshi was just being stupid, or if he was somehow trying some reverse psychology with his brain. Wait, no, the latter was way too advanced for him.
After some more nonsense, he decided to give it up. “You know what? You're better, let's say it's what counts.”
He wasn't even lying. If he learned something from his past experiences, it was that a sad Akehoshi is somehow worse than a happy Akehoshi.
Now, they could both go home and forget everything ever happened.
Or, you know, not do that.
“Mhm...but I really wanted to go on a date with you, Gami-san.” He seemed disappointed. Oh no. He was going to make the pouty face again.
Koga tried to look away, but still spoke his mind. “W-well…” He couldn't believe the words that were about to get out of his mouth. “If you win the next race...maybe we can go on another date. Maybe.”
He was supposed to regret saying this, and still it was the opposite. He felt good about it, and a weird sensation was quickly invading his stomach.
He faced Subaru to see him holding back his excitement, his arms and legs already bouncing furiously. “Really? Really, really? Gami-san, does that mean you like me too~?”
What . What did he mean by ‘liking him’? And why adding a ‘too’? Was this a confession? Did Akehoshi just confess to him in the middle of the street?
Now what was there to respond? His mind was all fuzzy and each word could turn out wrong if he didn't pay enough attention. This shouldn't be so hard, dammit!
“I don't know what you mean! I just… think I'll need some more dates to find out…”
Subaru let out a loud gasp and jumped right into Koga’s arms, yelling his thanks for everyone to hear. He wasn't being subtle, and maybe he didn't want to be.
Koga thought about his ‘what ifs’ again. Maybe Akehoshi was in love with him, and in that case, he'll have to give him a proper answer sooner or later.
...maybe later was the best option. Just so he could find the right answer. Yes, because he wasn't in love with Akehoshi or anything!
Still, the way the boy was hugging him right now wasn't despicable, far from it.
Koga couldn't find a right answer right now, but the more he thought about it, the more he wanted Akehoshi to win the next race.