Work Text:
Wataru fought to suppress a yawn, trying to focus on the passing roadsigns above him. He absentmindedly reached down to the air-con, trying to turn it up, only to realize it was already at max. Well shit.
He left home just before sunset, but in the dark winter night the temperatures dropped lower than expected. And he was painfully underdressed, wearing only a jacket and scarf over his usual clothes. On the bright side, he was already in Gunma. The drive to Takasaki wasn't going to take that long.
He threw a glance at the passenger seat, where his gift for his partner was sat, secured with the seatbelt. A box wrapped with the closest yellow to his FD he could find. A mixtape he was quite proud of. Some homemade foods, a small model of his car he had painstakingly hand painted and the final of at least 20 drafts of a letter he spent all night writing, all neatly set inside.
He cringed slightly when thinking about it since it meant he had to admit to himself that he too can get soft, emotional and sentimental, but forced those thoughts aside to focus on the road.
"What should I get you for christmas?"
"Surprise me" he winked.
How does one with his financial standing surprise someone as rich as Keisuke Takahashi? He probably already has everything he could have bought for him. Still, he hoped it was all enough.
~~~~~
He miscalculated his journey. He originally expected the drive to be much longer, accounting for winter weather.
A quick run on Akagi won't hurt, right?
He was really itching to hit the touge. That same urge that pulled him to the passes at home was now pulling him up the road on Akagi. Winter made it a beautiful, almost haunting place, with some snow covered trees resembling sheet ghosts, with eerie silence only interrupted by the sound of his car.
He'll take it easy, it's winter on a much different course than his usual.
The call of the mountain was hard to resist. The empty road seemingly inviting him to go faster, challenging him to push himself to the edge. He did his best to ignore the siren's call and play it safe.
But the mountain lulled him into a false sense of security with a relatively clear part of the course. Unknowingly, his speed started to climb just a small amount as his resistance to the call started to falter just enough as the corner approached, and the mountain sprung it's trap.
It was an old classic of the time. A thin, invisible sheet of ice, just large enough to cause him to slip.
The next few moments felt like a slowed down blur. Then he felt his body be suddenly thrown forward as his body triggered the freeze response, white knuckle gripping the steering wheel as he felt himself be thrown around before he felt the car finally come to a stop.
He just sat there, deathly stiff. His head was spinning. He felt like a floating head, disconnected from the body. He grabbed his head with his hands and his whole body felt disconnected from himself. A sensation compared to trying to drive a car from the back seat.
Maybe he needed some fresh air. He undid his seatbelt after a short struggle, opened the door and stood outside before slumping to the ground.
The cold didn't phase him when it ate into his skin as the realization of what happened slowly creeped in, only for him to try to force it away. He didn't even want to inspect the damage.
He spent years with this car. He sure as hell doesn't have money for a new one. The repairs probably won't be cheap either. He didn't want to think about it.
He should have noticed the sound of the rotary much sooner as its buzzy roar reverberated down the mountain, steadily approaching him. The noise stirred him from his dissociated state. Before he knew it, Keisuke was kneeling in front of him, warmth from his hand spreading through his shoulder.
"Are you okay?"
A redundant question really. Wataru didn't answer, simply leaning forward and pulling Keisuke into a tight, silent embrace.
"I'm not feeling that well."
Keisuke squeezed him closer.
"You'll be okay, I promise. Everything's gonna be okay."
He sought out Wataru's hand, but upon touching it almost recoiled from how cold it was. Only then did he notice how underdressed he was.
Wordlessly, he removed his coat and wrapped him in it.
"Let's get you warmed up."
He walked him over to the FD. The inside was nice and hot with the A/C on full blast.
Keisuke turned and started to take a step away when Wataru's hand reached out and grabbed him by the wrist.
"Wait. Can you please get something from my car? Yellow box, on the passanger seat."
Keisuke nodded. Soon he was back in the driver's seat, box in hand.
"This was supposed to be my gift to you.. hope it's not ruined from the crash and all. I worked my ass off for this." Wataru gave a weak smile.
Keisuke reached over and squeezed his hand.
"What matters is that you're okay. Don't worry about the rest. Okay?"
He leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss to Wataru's forehead.
Wataru flushed red and pulled the coat tighter around himself as Keisuke began a phonecall with someone. Wataru wasn't paying attention as he inhaled Keisuke's scent from his coat. It was calming, comforting even. He should ask him for one of his hoodies. Maybe it will all be okay. Maybe it's not as bad as it seems. He'll just pull some overtime and he'll be back on the road in a few weeks. Maybe-
His thoughts were interrupted by Keisuke reaching over to his face, seemingly intently observing it.
"Yeah the pupils are normal. He has a runny nose, I can't say. 15 minutes? Okay."
With those words he ended the call.
"So, the tow truck'll be here in 15 minutes and it's gonna take the car straight to the shop so it'll be up and running in no time." Keisuke explained.
"Wait wait, I don't know how much the repairs will be. I can't just take it to a shop like that!" Wataru protested.
Keisuke put his hands on his shoulders. "Hey. Don't worry about that. I got you covered."
"I can't let you do that! I can't ask that much!" Wataru protested again.
"Listen, I'm doing this because I want to, not to hold it over your head. I can't just watch my boyfriend struggle, you know?" Keisuke smiled.
Wataru's face flushed red again. He was still so stupidly nervous around affection.
"Okay then. Maybe there is one thing I can ask. Can I get a kiss?"
Keisuke chuckled before he leaned in and their lips met.
Bonus scene:
"...yeah, I'm alright. Don't worry, he said he'll help me out. Of course I've thanked him. See you, goodnight."
Wataru put the phone back down. He had just informed his family of the crash. Fortunately, he'd managed to calm their worries enough for them to sleep at night.
He flopped down on Keisuke's bed next to him, the mixtape playing in the background. His room was messy as always, but he had cleaned off one shelf for the FD model.
Keisuke silently pulled him into an embrace. No need for any tough guy act.
"Hey. It's gonna be okay. I promise." Keisuke murmured.
"I know. Thanks." Wataru whispered back.
He closed his tired eyes and as he began drifting off, he felt a soft kiss on the top of his head before sleep finally took him.