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gyro's breath comes out in quick shallow pants as he leans forward on his horse. he's so close to the checkpoint. so close he could almost taste it, or maybe that was just all the sand and dust in the air from the horse in front of him. diego was his only obstacle between him and the finish line, and gyro was determined to pass him. he can see diego's horse losing it's footing slightly and slowing down. gyro smirks and speeds up, effectively passing diego and going into first place.
“Nyo-ho-ho!”
gyro cheers, his grin so wide that the sun shines off of his golden grills. gyro can hear diego cussing as he falls behind, but it's quickly drowned out by the cheering of the crowd as they get closer to the checkpoint. he can hear the mixed chants of names as they cheer their favorite racer on, but one specific chant catches his ears ad it gets louder and louder as he crosses the finish line first.
“GO! GO! ZEPPELI! GO! GO! ZEPPELI!!”
the crowd chants, gyro's chest and ego swelling at the cheering. he had won this leg of the race and he couldn't be more excited. as he hops off his horse he's surrounded by people and writers eagerly waiting for him to tell them about what happened, but gyro was focused on one thing only, finding his partner. gyro not so politely moves out of their way into the crowd, eyes scanning for any glimpse of you he can find.
his eyes eventually meet yours and his grin widens. he pushes past people till he's in front of you. gyro immediately takes his hat off and places it on your head, his smirk as playful as ever.
“howdy darlin’, did ya’ miss me?”
he asks in his usual cocky manner, making you laugh at his antics. you as well as the many other people around were well aware of the cowboy hat rule, and gyro placing his on your head so casually was causing others to whisper and talk.
“i might have missed you a little bit..”
you tease back, but in reality you were ecstatic to see your boyfriend. gyro laughs heartily, one of his hands coming up to cup your face while the other rests on your hip, bringing you closer to himself.
“well, maybe I'll have to take my hat back then…”
he muses, making you huff playfully. your huff makes gyro's grin widen more, tilting your chin up with his fingers. he leans in, planting a kiss on your lips as his eyes close. you immediately kiss back, wrapping your arms around his neck. eventually you both need air and you pull away, scrunching your nose after.
“your breath stinks”
you state matter of factly, making gyro bark out a laugh, throwing his bead back in amusement.
“can't be that bad sweetheart, you still kissed me”
he points out with a teasing glint in his eyes.
“oh shut it!”