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It's been exactly five minutes of them being on the road and Akihiko's leg is already bouncing like he's trying to make a hole in the floor of their poor sedan. Shinjiro should have accounted for the fact that Akihiko needs enough enrichment in his tiny, metal enclosure of a car to last him for the next few hours without causing some damage.
"Can you stop that?"
Akihiko stops. Shifts in his seat. Leans forward a bit and starts fidgeting with his hands. This is going great.
"Umm…" Ken pipes up from the back seat. "Will this help?"
He hands Akihiko a fidget cube Ken took with him for the journey. Akihiko looks back and stares at the toy as if he's considering the physical advantages of such an exercise. He takes the cube and now instead of a violent bounce Shinjiro has to deal with a sound of clicking, cranking, switching, and popping. It definitely did not help.
Shinjiro sighs. "What are you, seven?"
The noises stop. Akihiko sighs back.
"Is anyone else hungry?"
Oh, for fuck's sake.
~~~~~
It started with Ken coming back from school with a frown. The summer break was just around the corner and the kids were all talking about where their parents were taking them and Ken, stuck with two barely sane college students as roommates, had nothing to share.
Akihiko, as dense as a rock, was quick to provide a helpful reminder that they are not technically a family, thus a family trip for them would not be possible, leading to a very sad Ken and a very angry Shinjiro. With only determination to make it up to Ken and spite to prove Akihiko wrong, Shinjiro drew up a plan for a long road trip. If only he knew having a little ragtag family like them stuck in a metal box for hours would be this much… fun.
As the only responsible member of this family, Shinjiro got stuck behind the wheel. There have been attempts to switch the dynamic in the past. For convenience's sake, Akihiko once asked Shinjiro to teach him how to drive.
Once.
Since then Akihiko has been driving shotgun even if, in Shinjiro's opinion, he should have been sitting on a kiddie chair in the backseat.
"Are you fucking kidding me? It's the fifth traffic jam in an hour. We haven't even left the city yet!"
Akihiko curses, which, in and of itself, is an anomaly. Shinjiro is learning all kinds of new stuff today. Such as, there are only two things that can make Akihiko swear and traffic jams place second, right after Shinjiro.
"If you have time to be mad at other people, be mad at yourself. Everyone's going on vacation, just like us."
Akihiko takes a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. He closes his eyes and when he opens them again, the fire in them is just a little dimmer.
"You're right." The tone of his voice is nothing unlike the one he uses after talking to his coach, asking for training advice.
Akihiko makes an effort to sit still. And what an effort it is. The car is quiet for a total of ten seconds before Akihiko starts muttering to himself.
"We're just a part of the crowd. We all want to have fun outside of town. It's no one's fault we're stuck here."
"Ken." Shinjiro says, gripping the steering wheel tightly. "The boxer needs his toy."
Ken clears his throat from the backseat. Akihiko turns around, seeing Ken offer the fidget cube again. Akihiko lights up as if it's the first time he's seeing it.
Click. Tap. Switch. Pop. Clank.
~~~~~
They're finally on a straight road. Shinjiro has forcefully wretched the cube out of Akihiko's hand, throwing it back to Ken. It's only fair that he's given something else to fidget with.
Shinjiro doesn't have to focus on the road as much and it just so happens that his hand is free. It started with Akihiko squirming in his seat, looking for some radio stations he might like, playing with AC and accidentally switching on the wipers. To save his sanity, Shinjiro has grabbed Akihiko's hand, pulling him closer and making it land on his knee.
Akihiko has miraculously become docile. He's sitting there, staring straight ahead with his hand trapped in Shinjiro's and a goofy smile on his face. Shinjiro has found himself being guilty of sometimes looking away from the road to glance at Akihiko's smile. Some things are worth dying for, like that.
"Eww…" The voice from the backseat disagrees.
Shinjiro squeezes Akihiko's hand even tighter, letting him toy with his fingers. "Oh, sorry. Are we being scandalous?"
Ken's unimpressed face is reflecting in the rear view mirror. "Get a room, you guys. Or a car."
"Sure." Shinjiro replies smugly. "I'll let you have that one when your feet can reach the pedals."
"Hey!" Ken kicks his seat. "I've grown a lot, you know!"
"Oh really? Is Mr. Adult afraid of a little hand holding?"
Ken humphs, crossing his arms with a stern expression rivaling a puppy who's just bitten someone for the first time.
"I can be mature." He says in a definitely mature tone.
"Really? What do you have to say to this, then?"
Shinjiro lifts Akihiko's hand and gently kisses the back of it, holding his fingers and then moving on to place another kiss on his knuckles. All the while he observes the road carefully, cursing the road safety as it makes him miss the expressions on both of his passengers' faces.
Ken hides his face in his hands, muffled groans filling the car. They almost make Shinjiro miss Akihiko's next words, spellbound and quiet.
"I love you."
Shinjiro quickly whips his head to the side. Akihiko's lips are parted slightly, looking at Shinjiro as if he's the eighth wonder of the world. Shinjiro looks away, making a quick decision.
He swiftly pulls over, holds Akihiko's face with both hands firmly and pulls him in for a deep kiss.
The muffled screams from the backseat continue.
~~~~~
Their short honeymoon phase lasts exactly for another fifteen minutes as they inevitably approach a city big enough to expect more traffic jams. Akihiko has been behaving well enough that Shinjiro entrusted him with directing them out of it, believing that Akihiko is suddenly capable of reading maps. Not his first mistake, and definitely not even a hundredth. It's not like Shinjiro could kiss a good sense of direction into Akihiko.
"Wow, you really fooled me earlier into thinking you don't like traffic jams."
"Fuck you."
Shinjiro snickers in glee. It's not like he minds being stuck here this much. It gives him a brief rest from focusing on the road so much, but with their limited funds he would like to avoid paying for gas even more than they planned.
"Not with the kid in the car."
"Hey guys, new plan." Ken chimes in, clearly delighted with this conversation. "I'll walk all the way to the edge of the city and you pick me up when you eventually get there."
Shinjiro nods. "Good plan. Take Aki's protein so you can leave a trail for us to follow. His protein sense will smell the powder and we'll be out of here in no time."
Shinjiro looks to the side with a smug grin and sees Akihiko grinding his teeth.
"Look…" Akihiko clenches his fists as if he insulted his entire bloodline with his shit sense of direction. He nearly crushes his poor phone, tapping on the screen hopelessly. "This thing keeps spinning, it's not my fault we keep going in circles!"
Without saying a word, Ken leans over Akihiko's seat. He taps one button to set the direction to north and backs out like a silent hero that he is.
"Oh. Take a left here and then it's the second exit to the right." Akihiko says as if he's known this piece of information his entire life.
Shinjiro takes a left and then the second exit to the right, leaving the city behind.
~~~~~
Akihiko is holding his head up in his hand, looking out the window pensively. He looks embarrassed enough that Shinjiro doesn't mention his previous blunder, but it's very clear that Akihiko's silence is… loud. Shinjiro can feel Akihiko's eyes on him as if looking for recognition for behaving so well. It's the only apology Shinjiro will ever get so he gives Akihiko a half-smile, not to seem too eager. He has a reputation to uphold.
It looks like it's enough to lift Akihiko's spirits. He sits up straight and Shinjiro mentally prepares himself for another round of fidgeting. Before Shinjiro can scold him in advance, Akihiko does the last thing Shinjiro would expect.
He starts to hum.
The song on the radio is one he recognizes and he's heard it a few times before, and from the sound of it it's the same for Akihiko. He gets bolder and bolder with it too, changing the pitch and even muttering the words sometimes. Shinjiro doesn't say anything, not wanting to ruin the moment. He won't admit it, but there's already a plan forming in his head with the both of them in bed and Shinjiro falling asleep to Akihiko's voice.
Shinjiro can see Ken stir from the backseat, peeking from behind their seats with curiosity. Akihiko eyes him wearily but keeps humming, a little more uncertain. Ken frowns, staring at the radio. The non-verbal communication here is world-class.
Just as Shinjiro expects Ken to break Akihiko's little moment, his voice joins in. He starts off a little more playfully as if goading Akihiko to put his heart into it, and Akihiko responds, making his voice a little louder. Shinjiro keeps driving, listening to the two of them having a hum-off. He doesn't even notice when he starts smiling like an idiot. He loves them so much and the thought makes a lump form in his throat.
Soon enough, he can feel two pairs of eyes on him.
Shinjiro won't join in, no way in hell. If he does, his voice will crack and they will be forever making fun of him that he's a softie and cries at a basic carpool karaoke. Shinjiro keeps his eyes peeled on the road, and if they're a little misty no one says anything about it.
In a few seconds, the third voice joins the chorus.