Chapter Text
Takumi stared at the sky, spacing out into his own world, not paying any mind to what his coworkers and friends were babbling about. His mind was off to the night before. It had started off like any other night. He woke up at 4 in the morning, splashed his face with water to wake himself up, go downstairs, put his sweater on and walk to his dads car as his dad loaded it with the tofu he had to deliver. He had put the cup of water in the cup holder and made his way up Mt Akina to the hotels. It was only after he had delivered the tofu and was making his way down when it swayed in a different direction from his usual routine.
He was sliding into a turn when he saw another car. A bright yellow car that you could see from a mile away was racing downhill in front of him.
Weirded out as he was, he followed the car down, trying to pass it so that he could get home in time for another three hours of sleep before he had to get up for school.
The car had obviously noticed him as it had started to move a bit faster. It would pull away from Takumi when the roads would straighten out but Takumi would pull closer on the curves.
Takumi was getting a bit frustrated with the car, he just wanted to go home and lay down on his comfortable bed.
The car in front of Takumi finally slowed, allowing him to pull a head and speed home. He glanced at the car as he turned the car, he watched as it pulled to a stop, sitting horizontally in the middle of the road.
—
“Takumi, are you even listening?” He was dragged out of his own mind by one of his bestest friends, Itsuki. “You’ve been dreaming more than usual.” Itsuki gasped before yelling at him. “Tak you jerk! You got a girlfriend didn’t you! You jerk, I told you not to get one until after I did!” He stomped on the floor in frustration.
“Itsuki that’s not wha-“
“Oh leave him alone Itsuki.”
Iketani, their other coworker who was most likely listening in on their conversation, cut in. “So what if he’s got himself a girl, you should be happy for him.”
“That’s easy for you to say Iketani, you’re 21 and still single.” Itsuki muttered back, receiving a glare from Iketani. “I just think that it isn't fair that Takumi can get a girlfriend when I can't.”
“I didn't get a girlfriend though. '' Takumi interjected, slightly frustrated.
“Well it doesn't matter” Itsuki brushed him off “since you weren't paying attention, you don't get to go.”
“Go where?” Takumi asked, confused.
“If you were paying attention you would know.” Itsuki answered. Iketani hit Itsuki’s arm with his elbow and told him to knock it off
“Up to Mt. Akina, tonight, I thought it would be nice to bring you guys up there to watch us practice, maybe give you guys some tips for when you guys start racing. Since you have your licenses now.” Iketani answered Takumi, while Itsuki rubbed his arm where he was hit.
“I can't wait!” Itsuki stopped rubbing his arm. “Watching Iketani and the other speed stars race up and down the touge. Ooo I can’t wait!”
—
“God Takumi, you’re such a wimp screaming like that. You’re embarrassing me in front of the Speed stars!” Itsuki scolded Takumi as he sat on the grass to catch his breath.
Iketani crossed his arms and stared down at the two. “Sorry Takumi, I got a bit excited and started to drive pretty hard. I should have gone a bit softer on the turns, since this is the first time you’ve driven with a street racer.”
“Sorry.” Takumi bowed his head.
“You better be sorry! That was so uncool Tak! I bet you still scream on roller coasters like a kid!” Itsuki yelled right in his ear.
“I’ve never thought roller coasters were scary, you wouldn’t understand how I’m feeling even if I explained it to you”
“Are you calling me stupid?!”
“Yeah”
“TAK YOU JERK!” Itsuki was about to smack Takumi over the head when a line of unfamiliar cars drove up. But one stuck out to Takumi, a bright yellow car with a wing so big he’d wonder if it could fly, the car from the night before.
“Haven’t seen those guys before…” Iketani mumbled, squinting his eyes to get a better look. Only then was he able to make out a sticker, a Red Suns sticker. “Fuck…”
—
Takumi stared at the man that got out of the bright yellow car. He was older than himself, he noticed. He seemed off to Takumi, like he wasn’t really there. He only looked away when the guy noticed him staring. Maybe he should stop, but what could he do, he didn’t want to listen to Itsuke talk about cars and racing, and he couldn’t just get up and leave since he didn’t have a car to leave with. God he was bored.
He had heard Itsuki talk about how he and his brother were popular in the street racing scene.
How they were on magazines and posters and stuff like that. How much he believed his friends' words, he didn’t know, but seeing Iketani's reaction when he saw them, they had to be a big deal.
He glanced over again, just to see the guy staring back at him. He quickly turned back, lightly blushing, wait why was he blushing. Takumi started to freak out inside. Sure the guy was kinda good looking, it was fine for him to notice that right? Sure it was. It had to be. And he definitely matched his car, Flashy. That was fine to notice too right? Yeah had to be. It had to be.
—
“Hey tak?” Itsuke brought him out of his trance “do you think that if I asked, the Takahashi brothers would sign my magazine?”
“I don’t know, guess you gotta ask to find out.”
“God you’re no help Takumi.”
“Sorry”
Itsuke grumbled and rested his head in his hands. “It would be cool if they did. They’re really good. The oldest of the two, Ryosuke, is even undefeated.”
“That’s cool.” Takumi hesitated for a bit before finally breaking.
“What about him?” he pointed at the guy leaning against the yellow car.
“Oh that’s Keisuke, he’s pretty good just like his brother. It would be pretty hard to beat him. Of course I would be able to beat him when I get a car and join the Speed Stars.” He puffed up his chest.
“Uh huh, sure.”
—
Takumi watched as the cars drove one by one, down the mountain and back to Mt. Akagi from where they came. All but one, the bright yellow car and the driver with bright bleached hair.
He watched as his coworker held his head in his hands and told him and Itsuki to get in the car so he could drive them back home.
He watched as the whole team looked defeated before the race even began. He watched as they dredged that Saturday night. The night they’d lose their reputation as the fastest on Akina. But he didn’t understand. It was just a mountain. And that race was just that, a race. It didn’t mean anything. To him at least.
But he stayed quiet. His opinion probably wouldn’t matter to them. Because he didn’t care about racing or driving or anything like that. He didn’t care at all.
He thanked Iketani as he got out of the car and walked inside the store front.
He pushed the curtain out of the way and took off his shoes as quickly as possible. He gave his dad a nod of acknowledgment and raced upstairs to get some sleep in before he was forced to drive up that damned mountain to deliver tofu to the hotels like he did every night.
Rain or shine, he was up there.
—
Takumi looked down at the cup of water his father passed him
“Hey, you put more water in it than usual! How is that fair?”
“You’ll be fine. Now go on, you’re already late.”
“Am not.” He mumbled as he put the cup in the cup holder.
He rolled up his window, pulling out of the parking spot to drive up Akina to the hotels at the top.
—
There was a car in the middle of the road.
A yellow car.
The yellow car.
He parked on the side of the road and watched as the yellow car moved to the side as well, the driver getting out and walking over to Takumi’s window. The blonde man knocked on Takumi’s window, and watched as it rolled down.
Takumi was greeted with a look of shock on the man.
“What the f- you’re just a kid! You look like you’re still in high school! Do you even have a license?!”
Takumi nodded his head. “I do, but… why are you here?” He was confused really. He didn’t know this guy, and yet he was questioning him about everything.
“I wanted to see if I could catch that ghostly 86, but it’s just a kid, I was beaten by a kid!”
“So?”
“So!? It's humiliating! I was beaten by a kid who probably just got his license! How the hell do you drive like that kid, it looked like you knew this track like the back of your hand!”
“I kinda do.” Takumi shrugged at the man, what was his name again, Takeshi? Takahashi! Keisuke Takahashi. Didn’t Itsuki say he was famous?
“What do you mean you “kinda do”?” Keisuke pushed.
“I don’t know, I just know the road?”
Keisuke seemed to not like that answer. “That’s more than just knowing the road kid. It’s honest to god looks like you’ve driven down this road for years.”
“I did start driving when I turned 13.”
“WHAT!? What the hell do you mean 13?! How old are you!?” Keisuke was shocked.
“18?”
“18! So you’ve been driving down this road, for five years?”
“Everyday”
“Everyday?!” That shocked Keisuke even more. “Even if it was raining, or the roads were iced over?”
“Everyday” Takumi confirmed.
“That’s insane. Why the hell did you even start doing this? No don’t tell me, it’s cause you wanted to start racing as soon as possible hun kid. That’s why you started driving so late at night. And that’s why you got so good.”
“Nope. It’s for business. I have to deliver tofu that my dad makes up the mountain to the hotels at the top.”
“That’s it? Then how are you so good? You drift like a legend!”
He shrugged. “I just want to go home as soon as possible so I can get more sleep before I go to school.”
“You’re kidding me right?”
Takumi shook his head. “No. I don’t even like driving.”
“You don’t like driving? Kid, no one gets that good at driving when they don’t like to drive. You’re just lying to yourself saying that.”
“It’s the truth!”
“Sure it is. Whether you like it or not, you like to drive. Understand that. Now I’m out. Next time I see you, you'd better understand how much you actually like driving.” And with that, Keisuke walked to his car, and left. Left Takumi sitting there in his car, questioning himself.