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The accident did a number on Daiya's body. Mondo knew that even if he had made it into the hospital alive the medical bills would have been too damn high to pay. But of course he didn't. Daiya died on the scene from a nasty blow to the head.
Died instantly. Mondo didn't think some sappy last words would have made him feel any better but it still hurt.
But not as much as the tsking he heard from some hella audacious fuckers. Such a tragedy. A victim of the road. If only he'd been wearing a helmet.
'If only he had been wearing a helmet.' As if Daiya's death were the fault of his own absentmindedness, not Mondo's sheer SHEER stupidity.
He didn't ever wear a helmet anyways, but for the next little while he definitely didn't. To some how spite those naysayers with his continued life. (And if he had died? Well, good fucking riddance.)
And then he slowly went back to not wearing a helmet for the reason he always hadn't. It was uncool. It would ruin his pompadour. And maybe still because of Daiya. He didn't deserve any protection his brother hadn't had.
So why the fuck was his new kyoudai making such a big deal out of it.
oOo
It started when Mondo started suggesting Ishimaru go on a bike ride with him. Not to anywhere in particular, just areas around the school. Ishimaru had already dragged him though what he was sure was more than enough study sessions for a millennia, it only seemed fair that he now got to show off something he was actually good at.
Ishimaru's reaction wasn't a positive as he had hoped, but Mondo wasn't actually expecting that to be the case. Really, Ishimaru still exceeded his expectations in at least saying he would give the offer some thought.
After a few days of Mondo being ridiculously bad at being patient he finally had his answer. Ishimaru agreed that the coming Friday they could ride.
So Mondo was pretty sure it was really bullshit that when friday arrived, Ishimaru refused to even touch the bike
“Why don’t you have a helmet!” Of course he doesn’t. “You had plenty of warning, you should have been prepared!” The last time he had heard Ishimaru that loud was... that morning when he realized Mondo had forgotten a due assignment back in his dorm. Ishimaru’s brow was even more furrowed than normal now though, which was actually a true marvel of nature to behold, so he was probably angrier.
“C’mon, I’ll be fine!”
“You won’t be the only person riding!”
“Okay, we’ll be fine. I’ve ridden plenty of times, this won’t even be my first with a passenger.” The previous times mainly consist of various members of the Crazy Diamonds pieces-of-shit motorcycles breaking down. So at least they would have experience riding before. Still, clearly Ishimaru was freaking out for no reason?
“Mondo it is against the law-”
This exchange went on for about half an hour before Ishimaru announced that he really had quite a bit of homework he should be getting to, and he would be leaving now! So he stormed off.
And Mondo watched as he left… before jumping on his bike and riding off, helmetless and all.
oOo
Next Tuesday slowly arrived, completely unaware of the events about to transpire. And so was Mondo, until Ishimaru stopped him after the last class. Looking maybe kinda cool, cute HELLA DORKY in a surprisingly beat up motorcycle helmet of his very own. And he was carrying another under his arm.
“Kyoudai, what the he- wait were you saying something?” He knocked the side of ishimaru’s helmeted head. “C’mon, you gotta at least lift the visor.”
Ishimaru took a few moments to remove the helmet, now awkwardly holding both of the pieces of safety equipment in one hand. “As you know, I was gone this weekend.” Mondo had almost been glad of that, they hadn’t really talked since that Friday evening and he knew it would have been awkward, even for the closest of soul brothers. “While I was back home, I was able to pick up a couple of my grandfather’s old helmets.”
“Wait, wait. The prime minister was a biker?” Is that another reason Ishimaru had been so harsh on him when they first met? Does everything really lead back to that one (awful, Ishimaru had convinced him,) old man??
“No, my other grandfather. He started living with us this year, but he used to have his own bike… wait, he used it as a respectable working vehicle! Don’t get any ideas kyoudai.”
Mondo had plenty of ideas.
“So, well, I guess you got your precious helmet. Does that mean we can take that ride now?” excitement was slipping into his voice aplenty.
“Well…” Ishimaru fumbled with the two helmets for a bit, before holding out one to him and grinning. “Just as soon as you put on yours!”
It wasn’t exactly a bad looking helmet. Sure it was definitely past it’s prime, but it’s black coloration served to hide some of that. And on the side there was what looked like… fading flame decals.
Mondo had even more ideas than before.
But he had said very clearly that he didn’t need one, right? He could accept that maybe Ishimaru just wouldn’t be comfortable without the extra precautions, yet Mondo was pretty sure his title alone would point to just how much he didn’t need one.
Of course, his blowup last time had helped nothing. So he’ld just try to play it calm. “Look Kyoudai… thanks but no thanks. I’m fine.”
Ishimaru looked puzzled. “Oh, so do you have one of your own?”
“Uh. Yeah. Probably. Somewhere. It’s likely too small for me by now. But I just don’t wear helmets, okay?”
Ishimaru looked… close to tears? Shit what did he do?? “No! It’s not okay! Kyoudai, riding a motorcycle without a helmet of some sort is illeg-”
“Yeah, yeah, I heard all that already! It doesn’t mean it matters!”
Ishimaru was quiet, trying to collect himself. “But if we did ride, and you got hurt… It would be my fault, wouldn’t it? Because I ignored safety regulations and let you ride unprotected!”
What. No, that’s ludicrous. It would be his own damn fault for being stupid enough to get in an accident with someone so important riding along. But... It would hardly be the most preposterous thing Ishimaru found reason to blame himself for...
Damnit. The kid worried enough, he could wear a simple piece of headgear for him.
(haha wow, ishimaru sure was clinging very tightly to him for the entire ride)
When he first got off the bike, Ishimaru was of course incredibly wobbly, and had to sit down for a few moments before he could actually get his helmet off. But when he did, immediately he flashed Mondo a ridiculously wide smile.
And Mondo was actually pretty glad for the helmet's tinted visor, seeing as it was covering the blush spreading rapidly over his face.