Work Text:
“I am already regretting letting you come up with a plan. I told you I don’t need anything special for my birthday.”
“Come on Dotachin! Smile!”
“Yes Dotachin, you can never know who will fall in love with your smile!”
“Stop that, you two.”
“Stop what?”
“Calling me Dotachin. And the falling in love with your smile bit too. I just wanted some peace and quiet for my birthday is that too much to ask?”
They were at one of the shops, waiting for some last-minute shopping to be finished, because Erika and Walker had some super secret plans for Kadota for his birthday.
Obviously he was already dreading it, and even going back to a coma seemed preferable to this.
Togusa was quiet, while Erika disappeared somewhere around the back, when the door of the store opened, and really, the giggling immediately gave away who entered.
It was Chikage, with only one girl on his arm just now, who pressed a kiss on his cheek before disappearing trying to buy some snacks too apparently.
And he was wearing a suit.
A white suit, with a red shirt underneath, and even a black tie which was hanging loosely around his neck, and for once he wasn’t wearing a hat, his hair was scruffy, and…
“Dotachin, you are staring~”
“...I’m not.”
Chikage obviously heard their voices, because he turned his head that way, smirked a little and walked up to them. Okay, this was fine. Everything was fine.
“Oh look who it is. I heard it’s your birthday, I planned to visit you later this week, I had no idea I’d run into you. Happy birthday, my man.”
“Uh… thanks.”
“Do you have any plans for today? I just came to pick up one of my honeys, we have some plans for later, where are you going?”
It was Walker who piped up, before Kadota could reply.
“Yes, we are planning to--”
He couldn’t finish because Kadota raised a hand, covering Walker’s mouth.
“Yeah, we have some plans.”
“Oh, well” was it just Kadota’s imagination or did Chikage look kind of disappointed? “Then see you later.”
“Yeah. See you.”
Then Chikage turned away, especially as his girlfriend came back, and they walked out arm in arm, with Chikage turning back with a little wave.
Kadota lowered his arm with a sign, and it was quiet - when he glanced at Walker, who looked at him with a stunned expression.
“I’m bacckkk~ what did I miss?”
“Dotachin has a crush!”
“Wha-- I don--” but denying it led nowhere because Erika obviously perked up upon hearing it.
“Ooo who is it? Is it meee? No, it can’t be. Probably not Walker either. Is it Togusa? Or did you realise your long-lasting love towards Izaya finally?”
“Erika sto--”
“Orrrr...” Erika smirked like the little minx she was. “Orrr does this has anything to do with the fact that I ran into one of Rocchi’s girlfriends in the Adult Section? Is it Rocchi? It’s Rocchi isn’t it?”
“I’m done talking to both of you.”
Togusa also sighed, and pushed himself away from the wall, murmured something resembling I’m gonna regret this and then just threw his van keys at Kadota who caught it by reflex.
“It’s your birthday. But take care of my van, hear me?”
-
As much as Togusa let him drive the van (better you than any of the other two was how he put it), he still didn’t trust him enough to sit in the back. Which was actually, sort of understandable. It still didn’t stop Erika and Walker from asking when they can also drive (never - came the immediate response - from both Togusa and Kadota), and also to ask about Rocchi (which made Kadota wish that either A. they would ask about driving the van again or B. he’d go back to his coma).
“So. You didn’t tell me where are we going. Which is a problem, because I’m the one driving, remember?”
“Just follow the GPS, Dotachin!”
“Erika.”
“Fiiine. We are going to Saitama.”
Kadota glared at her through the rearview mirror, and Erika rasied her hands.
“It has nothing to do with Rocchi! There’s a good party there. A Certain Magical Index-themed one. You’ll love it! Buuuut who knoooows, maybe he’ll be there too!”
“I don’t know…” Togusa rolled his eyes. “Chikage probably knows thousands of parties, and why would he be there at a party like that?”
There was a thoughtful humming from the backseat, and Kadota just sighed again, and glanced out the window.
And almost jerked the wheel to the side.
There was Chikage in the lane right next to him, with his girlfriend on the back, both of them wearing those ridiculous striped helmets.
And Chikage glanced to the side, and as soon as their eyes met, there was a smirk on his face
“Eyes on the road, damnit!”
At Togusa’s yell, Kadota looked forward, allowing Chikage to overtake him, and then watched him slip through before the red light hit, and Kadota slammed the brake.
Toguse swore a little under his breath.
“You know, if there’ll be a scratch on my van just because your silly crush…”
“I do no--"
“Ooooh, Dotachin, I saw how your eyes met! That look was so full of passion and…”
“It is truly a shame he most likely won’t go our way now, will he?” Walker sighed.
Kadota looked up at the red light.
Then he decided what the hell.
And stepped on the gas.
Obviously, immediately, there had been screaming from inside the van - Walker and Erika screaming from excitement, and Togusa screaming because oh my god what the hell.
Honestly, Kadota himself couldn’t answer that question either - it was a challenge, keeping up with Chikage in the traffic, and he saw him glance back, and grin, and Kadota wouldn’t let up.
And then there were police sirens, and familiar white backs in the rearview window.
“Oh man. Great. You gotta pull over, you know that.”
Honestly, Togusa might have been the only person in existence looking relieved by the idea of being stopped by cops.
“I can’t.”
“W-why not?”
“I don’t have a license.”
Total silence, as Kadota kept his eyes on the road.
“What?!”
“Oh, Dotachin is breaking the law?”
“I think technically he breaks the law a lot.”
“I meant traffic rules. And laws.”
“Look, my license expired while I was in a coma, and usually Togusa drived, so I figured I can take my time with it. Point is, I can’t stop.”
So he didn’t.
-
It took a while to avoid Kuzuhara, and honestly, by all accounts, it didn’t make sense how he could do it. Especially not with everyone still screaming inside the van.
But they finally stopped in the parking lot of one of a supermarket in Saitama, and all of them stumbled out, Togusa immediately snatching the keys from Kadota’s hands.
“Never again. I can’t believe I have to ban you from driving as well. What the hell. I trusted you.”
Kadota lied down to the ground, looking up at the sky - there were barely any stars up there because of the city’s lights and some clouds, but he was just looking up, until he saw his three friends standing around him, looking down.
“Seriously, man, what the hell had gotten into you?”
“...it’s my birthday. So I thought - why not?”
“All the traffic violations and the safety of my van isn’t a good enough reason to you?”
Erika elbowed Togusa in the side.
“He just wanted to impress Rocchi!”
Kadota didn’t say a word, and Walker grinned.
“As impressive as it was, I think you already impressed him the first time you two fought. So you don’t really have to sweep him off his feet, Dotachin.”
“That is right! You could let him do the sweeping sometimes!”
“Why do you two seem so intent in letting sweeping to be involved…?”
That was the moment when they heard the music.
“I think that’s… Dotachin, get up!”
They dragged Kadota up to his feet, and they walked behind the supermarket - and there it was, a coffee shop, with some cosplayers (and non-cosplayers too), hanging around.
“Happy birthday, Dotachin! We made it! And… look at that!”
And there was Chikage, leaning against the wall, fiddling with his phone.
“Wow. I really didn’t expect him to come around here…” Togusa mused.
Erika and Walker elbowed Kadota on the side.
Both of them.
The same time.
“Ow guys, please…”
“Go and talk to him!”
“Come on!”
Alright, if Kadota wanted to be honest with himself…
He really didn’t need to be told again, so he just pulled his beanie off, slamming it into Togusa’s hand, before walking towards the party.
-
“I didn’t really think you could get away from that Kuzuhara guy. Congratulations!”
Chikage put away his phone smirking when he saw Kadota walk up to him.
“Well, I have a few tricks up my sleeve. And what are you doing here? I thought you were with your girlfriend.”
“Noo… well, yes, but I only gave Kana a lift to see her girlfriend. They are both very into these novels… Kana is making me read them, but I don’t really have much time, so I’m definitely not up-to-date yet.”
Kadota nodded a little, putting his hands to his pockets, looking around.
“And you? Ditched your friends?”
“Well, I just came here to talk to you. They are still around.”
“So. Now you’re talking to me. Seemed pretty determined to talk to me as well, speeding after me like that. Now what?”
Chikage was grinning, still leaning to the wall, and Kadota sighed.
“You are quite a cheeky little bastard, aren’t you?”
“Well, I’m not that much shorter than you, but other than that, you could say that. My honeys say that to me all the time. So, are you gonna stop glancing at my lips and kiss me or do we have to make small talk all night?”
Kadota groaned, reaching out, grabbing Chikage’s loose tie to pull him away from the wall, until their faces were close to each other, and Chikage was still grinning.
“Why? Couldn’t get another date?”
He looked into Chikage’s eyes, and couldn’t stop himself from grinning either.
“Could have. Didn’t want to, especially once you showed up. It’s your birthday isn’t it?”
“And what happens after my birthday passes?”
“We can figure that out later as well couldn’t we? Are you gonna kiss me now or do I have to ask this a third time?”
He didn’t have to.