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Makishima looks down at the torn piece of paper in his hand in near disgust. The offending piece of material only has one thing, Toudou Jinpachi, spelled out in festive, red and green writing. He couldn’t believe his luck, pulling his new boyfriend’s (he couldn’t help but cringe at the word) name out of the offered helmet after practice a couple of weeks ago. Still, finding something for the other man seemed near impossible. Well, he supposes that was mostly his fault, considering he’s done nothing but tuck the tiny, insignificant piece of paper into a pair of his gym shorts and forget about it since he got it. So, when Onoda calls him about a week before the party asking him if he will come with him to find his own gift, he all but jumps at the chance.
He doesn’t know what possessed Kinjou to start this Secret Santa exchange between them and the Hakone Cycling club, but he’d wished he’d at least talked to him about it so he could tell him what a terrible idea it was. It’s bad enough that they have to deal with the other team on the track, but in his personal time too? It’s just too much. And plus, there’s a stupid rule where their gift isn’t allowed to be anything bicycle related, so he feels like he’s at a loss.
Onoda is a little out of breath as he pulls up next to where Makishima’s waiting for him a couple of minutes late.
“Sorry I’m late, Makishima-senpai! My mom made me put on pair of gloves before I left and they were all the way up in my room and-”
He lets him ramble on for a couple more seconds before waving his hand passively, “That’s fine. Let’s get started.” He couldn’t honestly blame the younger boy’s mother for sending him back in to find gloves. It’s freezing outside, a record low for the Chiba Prefecture. He regrets getting out of bed that morning.
The boy nods eagerly and the two of lock their bikes to a nearby bike stand before marking their assault on the strip. They’d decided on a small shopping center about 20 minutes from their school. Truthfully, Makishima had only been there a couple of times himself, but the younger biker had been sure they’d find exactly what they needed.
“Ahhh,” the boy starts, pulling his own piece of scrap paper out of his pocket to gaze at his own name. Arakita Yasutomo. Makishima has to admit that he feels a little bad for Onoda. Out of everyone on the other team, he happened to pick the second most annoying one- after Toudou, of course, “I have no idea what to get for Arakita-senpai!”
He offers a shrug in agreement and Onoda continues on, “I talked to Naruko-san and Imaizumi-san and they told me I probably shouldn’t get him anything anime related. And I just don’t know what do! He’s such an amazing person-”
He’s only half listening at this point, instead busying himself with looking into the windows of the different shops, trying to find something that might work as a gift. What did Toudou even like anyway? Being loud? Harassing him? Headbands?
“I was really hoping I would get Manami-san! Last time I spoke with him, he said he’d be super interested in watching the first season of Love Hime, so I figured I could just buy him the first season…” the boy rubs his two index fingers together awkwardly, “Ehhh you’re so lucky that you got Toudou-san, senpai! You guys are already so close you must already know exactly what he likes.”
Makishima grimaces. It’s true, he has known Toudou for the past couple of years, had even started a relationship with him a few weeks back. He’s sure that there are many things Toudou wouldn’t mind receiving as a gift, but for some reason, he draws a blank, “I actually don’t know what I’m getting for him yet.”
They stop in front of a store, a small, but garish looking building with a bright, colorful, sign advertising different types of little trinkets. It looks childish more than anything and Makishima inwardly groans, knowing there was no way Toudou would want anything from there. Onoda leads them inside, making a beeline for an anime display located in the back of the store chattering all the way.
“Whaa?? I thought it would have been easy for you. Do you think it’s because the two of you are…”
“It’s not like that, sho!” Makishima says quickly, trying to ignore the blush that’s sure to be running all the way to his ears. He looks around the store for a second, just to make sure no one is looking their way before continuing, “He’s just a… difficult guy to shop for.” It isn’t even necessarily a lie. Toudou really is an incredibly picky person, only wanting the best. He’d always been nervous about getting anything, even bicycle related, for the other boy. He wouldn’t tell Onoda that the feeling only intensified after they started dating. Toudou is probably expecting something from him now, and the idea has him both parts anxious and exhausted.
Onoda apologizes profusely until Makishima decides to distract him with pointing out one of the random animes displayed on a nearby shelf. They stay in the store for a little while longer before making their way out, the younger chatting about something or the other.
The next store is a little bigger, with a wider variety of things. They separate for a short while, and Makishima finds himself wandering over to a display of headbands. He grabs one and it feels cheap and plastic in his hands. Toudou would be sure to hate it.
“A headband, senpai?” Onoda asks him and Makishima jumps, snapping around to see the other right behind him. When had he gotten there?
“Ah! Sorry, did I scare you?”
He shakes his head, holding up the, even by his own standards, tacky headband, “I don’t know what I’m doing,” he admits.
Onoda smiles easily, “That’s ok, senpai! I’ve heard the way Toudou-san talks about you before. I’m sure he’ll like whatever you give him, since it’s from you.”
He offers him a small smile, “We’ll see.” He places the headband back on the stand and allows Onoda to lead him over to some possible gift ideas.
By the time they leave the store, it feels like it’s dropped a few degrees. Makishima unconsciously tugs his scarf tighter around his neck.
“You could get him anything, senpai! As long as it comes from the heart!” Onoda says to him somewhere between the third and fourth shop. The bespectacled boy dives into a little rant about some anime and the importance of love. He snorts in response, choosing instead to flip open his phone and shoot a quick text the man in question.
-Hey
The answer was almost instantaneous and Makishima almost rolls his eyes at his enthusiasm.
-Maki-chan!!! You never text me first!! What do I owe the pleasure?
-Out shopping. What do you think your friend Arakita would want for Christmas?
Toudou answers a little slower this time, and Makishima’s halfway typing out ‘did you die’ before the little notification pops up on his screen.
-He’s not really my friend, Maki-chan. More like an associate. An annoying one. Why?? Are you his secret santa?
The text is followed by about 30 pairs of eyeball emojis, and this time Makishima does roll his eyes.
-No, Onoda is… He’s having trouble finding something for him.
-Ohh! Well, I’m not really sure what he might like. I know he has like a super weird obsession with Bepsi.
Makishima shoots a quick look at Onoda. The other boy hasn’t seemed to notice he’d stopped listening a while ago, still chattering on about different shows and whatnot.
-Anything else?
-Idk, Maki-chan?? I mean I saw him feeding a cat that snuck onto the school grounds once. If that helps??
Makishima shrugs, tucking the phone away. He guesses it will do, considering they’re a little closer to finding something than they were a couple of minutes ago, “Toudou says that Arakita likes Bepsi and cats.”
Onoda stops talking, startled out of his rant, “Thank you, senpai!”
Makishima is the one to steer them into a shop this time, finally unable to take the cold. This shop is even smaller than the other two, hidden away in the far corner of the shopping center. It’s cute, he has to admit, with warm fairy lights glittering around the border, but it’s headband display in the window that catches his eye. He flips through them quickly and though he doesn’t exactly know what he’s looking for, none of them feel right. He sighs in defeat, skulking over to where Onoda had wandered off to.
“Do you think Arakita-san might like this?” Onoda asks him. For the first time, it’s not anime or doll related, instead a small, ornate, glass cat figurine. It’s nice, but doesn’t seem to suit the brash guy. Makishima shakes his head just as his phone buzzes in his pocket. Of course, it’s Toudou again. He almost regrets texting him earlier.
-Soooo who did you get for Secret Santa, Maki-chan?
The idea of Toudou knowing that he’s trying to find a gift for him somehow makes the situation even more nerve wracking. He considers not answering for a moment, but decides that that might make him more incessant.
-If I told you it wouldn’t be a secret, would it?
He types out before he can regret it. He doesn’t wait for an answer before stuffing it back into his pocket. Even though they’ve been dating for a little while now, flirting is just hard. It comes a lot easier to Toudou than it does for him and Makishima can’t help but feel a little jealous.
Onoda snaps him out of his thoughts, “Senpai, you’re looking a little red. Are you alright?”
Of course, he’s blushing. Right.
Makishima shakes his head, “Just a little bit hot in here.” It’s a lie, but he sells it by tugging awkwardly at his scarf.
It seems to be enough for Onoda, “Ok! I think we can head out anyway,” the boy sighs, “I don’t think I’ll be able to find anything for him here either.”
They leave out back onto the cold street. They’re in and out of stores after that, both boys fruitless in their search. They stay out until the sun starts to sink below the horizon and Makishima starts losing feeling in his gloved fingertips.
Onoda sighs, defeated, as they make their way back to their bikes, “Thanks again for coming with me, Makishima-senpai. Even if we didn’t find anything.”
He just shrugs. Onoda isn’t the only one who’s a little put off. All this little shopping excursion managed to do was further increase his anxiety about the whole situation.
The two of them ride back towards their school together in near silence, the only sound is Onoda humming Hime Hime under his breath. Makishima takes the time to clear his thoughts, going through every gift the other boy might possibly like.
When they finally part ways, he’s exhausted and his chest hurts a little bit from breathing in the frigid, winter air. The ride back to his house is a long one, and by the time he makes it back all he has the energy to do is strip out of his winter clothes and plop onto his bed.
He lays there for a near hour before forcing himself to get up. He takes his time with his nightly routine, staying in the hot shower a lot longer than he usually would, letting the water soften his cold, stiff muscles. He can almost hear Toudou yelling at him. Showers that hot aren’t good for your skin, Maki-chan!! He can’t help but smile when he gets out, looking at the small bottle of moisturizer Toudou had “accidentally” left on Makishima’s counter. The other climber thought he was smooth, leaving little things at his house, a pair of shoes, a couple of headbands, an extra toothbrush, like he wouldn’t notice. It should annoy him, the extra clutter, but it’s nice. Like he’s not alone.
Makishima makes his way back to his bedroom, hanging his winter things back up in his closet. He fishes his phone out of his pocket, and though he knows the other boy has been texting him all night, he’s still surprised at how many missed texts he has.
-Maaaaaaaaki-chan!! No fair.
-Are you ignoooorrinnngg meeee?
-Come on, I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours!
There are several more like those and he quickly scrolls through them all until the end.
-I’m just going to ASSUME you fell asleep early!! So, goodnight, Maki-chan! I’ll talk to you tomorrow!
He doesn’t bother answering, but he can’t help another small smile that sneaks its way to his lips. When he finally crawls back into bed, he groans, trying again to wrack his brain for something that might make him happy.
He doesn’t understand why this is so hard. Toudou is always so much better at expressing his feelings. Makishima feels lost compared to him. From the moment they’d started dating, it seemed Toudou always knew exactly what to say, even if it’s usually embarrassing.
“You’re one of a kind, Maki-chan!” Toudou told him when he confessed. It was right after a race, and the two of them, well, Toudou, had decided that they should hang out for a little while before Makishima had to be on the bus back to Sohoku.
Makishima thought he was joking at first, but after some rather passionate words- and frankly an incredibly awkward kiss- he accepted it, and they started their relationship. The other boy is obnoxious and annoying, but he managed to claw his way into Makishima’s life. Somehow it just feels right, even if he himself is unable to put it into words.
Just as he starts to drift off, his phone rings, an annoying pop song his brother had set for himself the last time he’d seen him. He’d never bothered to changed it, since his brother called so rarely, but now he’s regretting it.
“What?” He answers, half mumbling into his pillow.
“Is that anyway to greet your favorite brother?” Ren’s ever cheerful voice answers him. Makishima feels like he could throttle him.
“I’m hanging up on you, sho.”
“Woah, woah sorry,” he’s laughing and there’s a little bit of noise in the background, wherever he is, “I just wanted to see if you checked out the new spring line yet.”
He remembers getting mail from Ren last night, but he’d forgotten all about it.
He doesn’t answer.
“… I’ll take that as a no then. That’s alright. Just try to take a look at it before you head to school tomorrow, yeah? I think you’ll really it! The designs are really one of a kind.”
Makishima snaps up at the phrase, an idea popping into his head. Why hadn’t he thought about this sooner?
“I will, nii-san. But can I ask you a quick question?”
There’s a little shuffling on the line before he answers, “Go for it?”
“Do you think you could design a couple of headbands?”
--------------------------------------------------------
“I just don’t know what to get for Maki-chan!” Toudou groans for about the thousandth time since they’d started practice. The whole thing is rather dramatic, considering all he had to get Makishima’s name in the first place. Arakita had been the one to pull his boyfriend originally and only agreed to give Toudou his name after he agreed to do all of the wolf’s club chores until Winter Break.
He sighs heavily, draping himself over his handlebars, “It has to be perfect! It’s not just a Christmas gift, it’s the first gift I’m going to give to Maki-chan as an official couple.”
It’s the truth. Things have changed since they’d started dating. There’s suddenly this pressure that wasn’t there before. Talking to Maki-chan was always so much easier before they started dating. Sure, he loves him, but neither of them had ever done this before. Maki-chan was awkward as always and he well, as wonderful as Toudou is at speaking, putting a name on their relationship made everything feel a lot more real.
“Shut up,” Arakita, the brute interrupts him, steering close enough to Toudou to bump him with his bike, “I never would have traded you if I’d known you’d act like this.”
The wolf veers ahead at Fukutomi’s command before he has a chance to answer him.
“Well, what does Makishima-san even like, senpai?” Izumida asks him. The first thing that comes to mind is the pile of near-raunchy, gravure magazines the other boy has hidden in his drawer, and his… questionable interest in fashion.
“He likes… a lot of different things.”
“How about a box of power bars?” Shinkai asks him, one of the bars in question hanging from his mouth, “I think I might have a few discount coupons for some banana ones in my locker if you’re interested,” he offers.
Toudou scoffs, not even trying to hide the look of disgust on his face. He couldn’t even imagine Maki-chan, who thinks ice cream is a full meal, shoveling one of those pieces of junk into his mouth.
“That’s a great idea, senpai! It will definitely help him pack on some pounds in the long run! He’s very thin, so the-”
“Maki-chan is perfect the way he is!!” Toudou snaps.
Fukutomi is next, mentioning something about apples.
“No, Fuku. Nothing fruit related. Come on.”
“You could always give him some good s-”
“Manami!” Fukutomi cuts him off sharply, and even under his helmet he can notice their captain is blushing, “Go ahead and switch with Arakita. He needs a break.”
Manami pedals ahead with a small chuckle.
Toudou groans again, trying to hide a small smile by accelerating, “Why are you all idiots?” He’s no closer to finding Maki-chan’s gift, but he is grateful that his friends at least tried to help. He decides to keep his mouth shut for the rest of the ride, focusing on cycling.
Instead of doing his homework as he usually did after practice, Toudou decides bike over to some of his favorite stores in search of something that might work. He just can’t believe how incredibly hard this is for him.
-Hey
He gets a text from Makishima just as he’s leaving just about the third store. He has to take a quick double take. His boyfriend never texts him first. Is he lucky?? Blessed?? Both??
-Maki-chan!!! You never text me first!! What do I owe the pleasure?
His heart is beating extremely hard in his chest.
-Out shopping. What do you think your friend Arakita would want for Christmas?
Toudou pauses, a small pit of jealousy riling in his stomach. Is that who Makishima pulled in Secret Santa? He knows it’s a long shot, but he was hoping that maybe his boyfriend had also attempted to get his name. He takes his time typing in his response.
-He’s not really my friend, Maki-chan. More like an associate. An annoying one. Why?? Are you his secret santa?
-No, Onoda is… He’s having trouble finding something for him.
He almost jumps in the air, he’s so excited. Now, about Arakita… what kind of things does that guy actually like?
-Ohh! Well, I’m not really sure what he might like. I know he has like a super weird obsession with Bepsi.
It takes him a little while to answer.
-Anything else?
Toudou thinks hard. He hasn’t really taken the time to hang out with Arakita one on one. He isn’t the type of guy he would typically associate with.
-Idk, Maki-chan?? I mean I saw him feeding a cat that snuck onto the school grounds once. If that helps??
When Makishima doesn’t text back for a while, he assumes he got his answer. He distracts himself from his phone for a little while, looking at the shelves in a few stores for something that the green haired cyclist might like. Sadly, he’s unsuccessful.
As he leaving the last store in defeat, he can’t resist the urge to He knows he might regret it, but Toudou can’t help but type in the question.
-Soooo who did you get for Secret Santa, Maki-chan?
He doesn’t exactly expect the other boy to answer, he seldom does anyway. He does not expect the text he gets next.
-If I told you it wouldn’t be a secret, would it?
Ooh, that almost didn’t sound like his Maki-chan, but Toudou can’t help but blush nonetheless. He wants to ask his boyfriend to clarify, but instead he just hangs on to the tiny thread of hope that Makishima somehow got his name.
He tucks his phone away as he rides back to his dormitory, a small smile on his face. He’s still perplexed (God, he hopes this situation isn’t going to give him wrinkles), but he really does love his Maki-chan.
He shoots him a couple more texts when he gets home, though a little part of him hopes he won’t answer. Thankfully, his wish is answered.
He shoots him one last message, right before he starts nightly facial routine.
-I’m just going to ASSUME you fell asleep early!! So, goodnight, Maki-chan! I’ll talk to you tomorrow!
He distracts himself from Makishima’s gift by focusing on himself. Letting himself get wrinkles wouldn’t do anything to help the situation.
He’ll think of something.
----------------------
It was decided earlier on that the party be held at the Toudou An. Makishima had been there a couple of times before over summer break. It’s spacious, but just small enough to be considered cozy. They all arrive together, bundled up in their largest coats. Imaizumi and Naruko had argued just about the whole way there, so much so that the other members had to shush them constantly.
Makishima pays no mind to any of it as he and his team make their way up to the specified guest house. His head is rushing, he clutches and unclutches the neatly wrapped box in his hands. Ren managed to design 3 different headbands based on Makishima’s description of what he liked. What if Toudou didn’t like them? What if he had enough headbands? He shoves the thoughts out of his head as Kinjou knocks on the screen door. It opens almost instantly, revealing the face of the Hakone captain, Fukutomi.
“Welcome,” he tells them all, just as stoic as ever, though, he’s dressed in a red and green sweater decked out in blinking fairy lights. It’s hard to take him seriously.
Kinjou bows first, “Thank you for having us.”
Fukutomi just nods, leading them to the foyer where they strip out of all of their heavy, winter clothes and then to the main room.
They disperse as soon as they get in, each member splitting into their respective groups. Toudou makes a beeline for Makishima as soon as he sees him.
“Maki-chan!! I missed you!”
He blushes as he pulls him into a tight hug, “I just spoke to you yesterday.”
Toudou rolls his eyes, “It’s not the same, Maki-chan. Now you’re actually here. And I’m so happy you are.”
Makishima is saved from having to answer him by Fukutomi, “Thank you all for coming. We hope to make this a tradition for our schools in years to come.”
Kinjou smiles, continuing on, “Why don’t we get started with the Secret Santa part of this out of the way so we can focus on the party?”
Almost everyone in the room lets out a cheer, but Makishima can’t help but be nervous. They split off again, this time to find their own Secret Santas. The room gets loud almost instantly. He turns to look at Toudou who, to his surprise, is looking quite nervous as well.
“It’s getting kind of loud. Why don’t we head outside for a second, Maki-chan?” he asks him. He doesn’t even give him the chance to answer before he’s leading him out one of the side doors and onto the chilly, wooden porch.
“This is for you,” Makishima says, shoving the box into the other boy’s hands before he can talk himself out of it.
“They’re one of a kind,” he continues, refusing to look him in the eye. Not that it mattered,
Toudou doesn’t look up at him, doesn’t really even react at all, just stares down at the 3 headbands with wide eyes. The fact makes Makishima feel even more uncomfortable and he finds himself resisting the urge to shift awkwardly from foot to foot. The other cyclist is so quiet it just doesn’t feel right. He actually wishes that they hadn’t gone outside for a little privacy because the silence is almost killing him.
“So, did I finally find a way to shut you-”
He’s cut off by Toudou leaning forward to press a warm kiss to Makishima’s lips. The long-haired cyclist is caught off guard, barely managing to catch himself before the shorter man is crowding him back up against the screen door.
“I love them, Maki-chan. They’re perfect,” he’s speaking softer than Makshima’s ever heard him, and there’s a soft flush settling over his face that he’s sure mirrors his own.
“W-whatever,” he mumbles, but he can’t help the shrill of excitement that wells up inside him that the other boy actually liked his gift. It’s dumb, getting excited over something like this, and he hopes that Toudou can’t feel his heart beating out of his chest.
Toudou leans in, capturing Makishima’s lips in another kiss, “I mean it, Maki-chan. This is one of the best gifts anyone has ever gotten me.”
He doesn’t know what to say, so they just stand like that for a moment, before the cold starts to settle into his bones, even with Toudou pressed up against him.
Makishima pushes at him weakly, “So what did you get me, sho?”
He looks up at him startled, “Huh?”
The green haired climber rolls his eyes. It’s too cold for the other boy to be playing stupid, “You’re my Secret Santa too, aren’t you? That’s why you called me out here.”
Toudou takes a couple steps back, laughing nervously. “Well, about that, Maki-chan… I think I’ll give my gift to you another day!! How about that??”
He darts left, but right before he has the chance to reach the screen door, Makishima makes a grab for him, “No way. I want to see now.” He would not be the only one to embarrass himself tonight.
The black-haired boy flushes red, “It’s not as good as yours, Maki-chan.”
“I don’t care.”
He hesitates for a moment before carefully closing the lid on Makishima’s gift and shoving it into his arms, “Fine! Give me a second!”
He runs behind a bush and Makishima mentally counts to 5 before Toudou jumps out with a variety of different bows taped to his sweater.
“I’m your present, Maki-chan!”
It takes a couple of seconds for the whole thing to process and he can tell by the way that Toudou stands with his arms still outstretched and his chest heaving, that he’s waiting for him to say something.
Makishima can’t help but laugh. It comes straight from the gut and startles even him. He leans over clutching his stomach in one hand as he cracks up. He doesn’t think he can stop even as Toudou looks up at him with big eyes and wails.
“See, I told you, Maki-chan! I couldn’t think of anything special enough to get you, so I went ahead and did this,” he gestures to himself, “I’m sooooorry.”
The Sohoku cyclist wipes a tear from his eye, “No, no, it’s ok. I love it,” he says without thinking about it. He really does. This whole thing is so… Jinpachi. He hopes that the other boy gets what he’s trying to say without him having to say it.
“You love it?”
He doesn’t know where his newfound confidence comes from, “Yeah, it’s, well, heh. It’s one of a kind.”
Toudou beams and this time, Makishima completely expects it when he kisses him again, pressing him back up against the door, “I love you too, Maki-chan,” he leans back to murmur against his lips.
“I know I know,” Makishima answers, pushing at his chest and finally standing up straight, “Now, let’s get back to the party. It’s freezing out here.”
He smiles brightly, taking a hold of Makishima’s hand as he slides open the door.
“Merry Christmas, Maki-chan!” he tells him as they head back inside, hand in hand.
“Merry Christmas, Jinpachi.”