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Hurried footsteps echoed in the quiet training facilities as Toudou looked down corridor after corridor in search for the Mr. Pierre’s office. Checking his phone, Toudou clicked his tongue after seeing that it was three minutes past the hour. That meant he was three minutes late! Toudou prided himself for being a punctual person but due to the building being exceptionally fancy and ridiculously spacious, the to-be-manager had gotten himself horribly lost.Just as he was beginning to panic and quickly turned a corner down another corridor, he collided with someone, his nose bumping rather harshly against a hard and sharp jawline.“Ah!” Toudou recoiled at the impact. “S-Sorry!”“I’m sorry too. Are you alright?” A friendly voice asked.Looking up, Toudou was met with a handsome man, probably around the same age as himself. His unruly red hair framed his face, bringing out the deep blue colour of his eyes.“I’m fine.” Toudou replied with an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that. Excuse me.” With a quick bow, Toudou shuffled past the man, not wanting to stall any longer because he was late enough as it was.“Wait,” the redhead called back to him. Toudou turned around with an impatient bounce to his feet. “Are you lost? I haven’t seen you around before.”“I, err…” Perhaps the other man would know where Mr. Pierre’s office was. It wouldn’t hurt to ask. “Do you happen to know where Mr. Pierre’s office is?”“Mr. Pierre?” The redhead repeated. “Yeah, I do. Would you like me to show you the way?”“Yes, please!” Toudou replied instantly, bounding back to the redhead’s side. “Thank you so much!”The redhead huffed a laugh before directing his arm down the corridor. “It’s no problem. But I don’t think he’s actually there. I saw him walk towards the gym earlier.”“Oh, then,” Toudou began. “Would it be alright to take me to where he is? I’m supposed to meet him.”“Of course.” The redhead replied with a smile. “I was heading there myself.”“Are you training for something?”“Yeah, I’m a cyclist.” Toudou’s attention instantly snapped his head to regard his companion. “My team uses the gym quite often, although not so much the equipment, more just the space for rollers.”Taking a moment, Toudou gave the cyclist a proper once over. Firm muscles were evident even through his clothing, he was well built and very toned. His figure would be very strong on flats which most likely made him a….“Are you a sprinter?”The redhead gave Toudou a pleasantly surprised raise of an eyebrow and side glance before rummaging in his pockets to pull out a power bar. He took a bite of the snack before answering.“Indeed, I am. You can tell?”However, before Toudou could answer a door a few metres away opened and a blonde haired, somewhat elderly man, stepped into the corridor.“Oh, Toudou-kun!” He greeted the ravenhead as they neared him. “I was just about to go to my office to get you.”“Mr. Pierre.” Toudou responded, shaking the other’s hand firmly. “I apologize for my tardiness. I didn’t expect the building to be so large.”“No need to apologize.” He smiled pleasantly before half turning to the redhead. “I see you’ve already met Shinkai.”Toudou looked at the redhead, realising that they hadn’t actually introduced themselves, but it seemed the other reacted much faster than Toudou, offering his hand to the shorter man.“Shinkai Hayato, nice to meet you.”“Likewise. I’m Toudou Jinpachi.”Mr. Pierre clapped his hands together enthusiastically before ushering Toudou into the gym. “Let’s introduce you to the others then.”Stepping in, Toudou found himself in a spacious room. Even with the machinery and five cyclists on rollers, the room was still very spacious. Large windows lined one side of the wall and the door leading outside was open, letting a constant fresh breeze in.“Everyone,” Mr. Pierre called out, earning the attention of the cyclists in the room. “Come take a break for a moment, I want to introduce someone to you.”One by one, they hopped of their bikes and obediently approached Toudou. It appeared that not only was Toudou shorter than the cyclists but they also seemed somewhat intimidating. He swallowed thickly before offering his best smile.“This is Toudou-kun.” Mr. Pierre said. “He’ll be working as your manager from today onwards.”“Toudou Jinpachi.” The ravenhead bowed politely. “Thank you for having me.”When Toudou looked back up, there was a variety of expressions.Shinkai seemed the happiest out of everyone, smiling softly while munching on a power bar. Beside him was a stone-faced blonde man, he didn’t seem at all interested. Next to him was a more tanned man with a shaved buzz-cut hairstyle. He offered a small smile which made Toudou feel a little bit more comfortable. The next two cyclists however made Toudou shift a little uncomfortably. One had a very unimpressed look and seemed disgusted by the idea of having a manager and the one beside him… well, to put it simply, Toudou would just say he looked weird. His face was long. He had two moles on the left side of his face. But the oddest thing was his hair. Green with red highlights… Really?! And then the final person. Toudou didn’t get much time to give him a look before a beefy arm was wrapped around his shoulder and a weight crushed him a little bit from the side.“Manager, huh?” He said. “Pleasure to meet you, I’m Tadokoro Jin.”“Ha, why waste our money to hire a manager?” As Toudou assumed at first glance, the one with the frown didn’t like the whole manager idea.“Yasutomo…” Shinkai responded with a hint of disbelief in his voice.“What?! I’m just saying, we’ve been alright without one so far, so why the hell do we need one now?”“Let’s give him a chance, Arakita.” The shaven head said before turning to Toudou with a hand out. “I’m Kinjou Shingo.”Toudou nodded before shaking the hand firmly, still slowing being crushed by Tadokoro’s weight over his shoulders.Kinjou turned to the side with a hand out to introduce the rest of the team. “This is Fukutomi Juichi, our captain.” Toudou and the blonde man exchanged a brief nod in acknowledgement. “Our climbers are,” he turned to his other side. “Arakita Yasutomo and Makishima Yuusuke. Which leaves Shinkai and Tadokoro as our sprinters.”Toudou nodded to every bit of the introduction, filing away the information so that he could do his best as the manager of Tokyo’s strongest cycling team.“Toudou-kun,” Mr. Pierre spoke up. “Let’s go to my office to check over the paper work. You can come back and get to know the team better later.”Tadokoro finally lifted himself off Toudou and it felt like gravity had eased up by at least a half. “Sure.” Toudou bowed to the team quickly before excusing himself, following the coach out the training room and towards his office. “Should we get back to practice?” Fukutomi asked the team who all nodded in unison, proceeding to place their bikes back onto the rollers.“Did anyone know that we were getting a manager?” Makishima asked.Both captains, Fukutomi and Kinjou, looked at each other before the latter replied. “Mr. Pierre did ask us whether we wanted one and we said to give it a try.”“We’re wasting our money,” Arakita complained. “Anyone would want to have the title as manager of a top tier team. He’ll quit once he realises that we’re too high maintenance.”Tadokoro boomed a laugh. “Let’s see what happens. I kinda like the guy. He doesn’t seem too bad.”“I agree with Jin-kun.” Shinkai added with a nod. “Maybe he isn’t half bad.”Arakita sighed. “You guys are too optimistic.”Silently, Makishima agreed to that statement. Having high hopes and expectations for a new kid doesn’t always end well.
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Over the course of the week, Toudou worked hard to adapt to the team’s routine. He was a quick learner, picking up the schedule easily while also taking the time to speak to the members individually. Makishima must admit that he found Toudou a little difficult to talk to, the man was a little too energetic and loud (and annoying) to hold a decent conversation with. Moreover, he had already given nicknames to half the team and on first name basis with Shinkai. But aside from himself and Arakita, the rest of the team seemed to like the presence of their new manager.Whenever they returned from a bike ride, a bottle of water and a neatly folded towel waited for them. Sometimes if they came back later, they would be awarded a hot meal after a refreshing shower. And it was no exaggeration to call Toudou’s meals a reward because damn, his cooking was amazing. They were completely balanced and were served either perfectly on time or a few minutes early – never late. It satisfied their tastes individually which involved stronger spices for some or a certain type of sauce for others.Another thing they noticed was that their changing room was looking cleaner and cleaner by the day. There was a shine to the floor and lockers. Previous dirt and stains magically vanished, as well as the ever present smell of sweat was slowly disappearing. When and how Toudou managed to do so much, they didn’t know but they really did appreciate it.Maybe having a manager wouldn’t be so bad.
Fukutomi Juichi. Captain and ace assist. Nickname: Fuku. Shows minimal facial expressions. His method may sometimes come across as harsh but he holds much faith in his teammates. His skills are formidable and both him and Kinjou make a fearsome duo in races. In difficult situations, he is able to direct the team like an army, earning him the position of captain.
“Fuku-chan, if we ever go on a trip, it’s going to be a mountain!” Arakita yelled from across the table, glaring daggers into Shinkai.“Juichi, let’s go to the beach.” Shinkai insisted, ignoring Arakita’s scowl.“Shinkai, no!”“What’s so bad about the beach?” Tadokoro laughed.Arakita ran a hand over his face. “I don’t wanna get burned! It fucking hurts to hell!”“That’s why you wear sunscreen, Arakita,” Kinjou said.“Ugghh,” Makishima groaned. “I hate that stuff. It makes your skin all sticky and horrible.”“See!” Arakita waved a hand in Makishima’s direction. “I’m not the only one who finds sunscreen uncomfortable.”“We climb mountains all the time, Yasutomo.” Shinkai argued. “How often do we go to the beach?”“We don’t go for good reason!”At that point, Toudou walked in with two plates of freshly baked apple pie. It seemed no one noticed him apart from Fukutomi, or maybe it was the smell of apple pie which made him look away from the argument.“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Toudou said, only the blonde nodded in response since it appeared only he was the one to notice Toudou.Setting the food on the table, Toudou cut the pie into equal slices before plating them for the team.“Fuku, what are they arguing about?” Toudou asked quietly as Arakita continued to complain about how sand gets everywhere and is ten times more uncomfortable than sweat.“If we were to have a trip somewhere, would you prefer the mountains or the beach?” Fukutomi asked, already taking a bite of the apple pie. His expression was as stoic as always but there was a flash in his eyes. Toudou smiled as the captain continued to take bites from his slice of pie.“Hmm,” Toudou began. “I would choose the mountains over the beach but I like both, so why not both?”Fukutomi nodded in response before reaching out for another piece of pie. Wow, he finished that first bit quick.“We can go swimming at the beach.” Shinkai said.“I’d like a good swim,” Tadokoro added with a nod.“If there’s a lake at the top of the mountain then we can go swimming there! The water’s probably cleaner too!” Arakita countered.“But it’s different out at sea.”“Ugghh!” Arakita groaned before turning to Fukutomi. “Fuku-chan, say something!”The team turned to Fukutomi who had half an apple pie shoved into his mouth. They paused for a moment before their gazes drifted up to Toudou, acknowledging his presence and then finally realising that each of them had a piece of apple pie in front of them.A second of pause and a few hungry grumbles of stomachs later, Shinkai, Arakita and Tadokoro wasted no additional time in digging in.“When…?” Makishima began, ignoring the loud eating of his teammates.“For a while now,” Toudou smiled at them, lightly smacking Fukutomi’s hand as the captain reached for his fourth… maybe fifth slice of apple pie. “Fuku, you’ve had enough. Save some for the others.”Fukutomi looked up at Toudou, giving him an unreadable look which made Toudou shuffle uncomfortably.He sighed. “Your last piece, okay?”With a nod, Fukutomi snatched up another slice before eating his ‘final’ piece.(He ate another two after Toudou left the room.)
Shinkai Hayato. Ace sprinter. First name basis. Constantly snacks on powerbars and loves rabbits. He paces himself very well, only reaching his maximum speed in times of necessity. At full speed, he is known as the “Straight Line Demon” since he leaves his foe quaking in fear at the sheer dominance he displays along flats.
With his shopping list in one hand and the other carrying a basket half full of power bars and the other half of actual ingredients for his dinner, Shinkai strolled around the supermarket in search for some meat to add to his stir fry.Turning down the meat aisle, Shinkai saw a familiar head of shiny, black hair, leaning over and inspecting a packet of mince beef.“Jinpachi!” The redhead called, jogging up to his manager with a smile.“Hayato?” Toudou looked up in surprise.“Yo! Doing some evening shop?”“Yeah, you could say that,” Toudou replied with a smile. “I’m going to try a few new dishes at home and see how they turn out.”“Oh, are they for us?” “Curious, Hayato?” Toudou smirked.“Of course!” The redhead gave his manager a bright smile. “If it has to do with food, I’m definitely interested. Especially, your cooking, Jinpachi!”“Wahaha! Flattering me won’t get you anywhere, Hayato!”Shinkai made a dejected sound but his expression was excited and hopeful.“Say, Jinpachi.”“Hmm?”“I’m planning on having stir fry tonight. What should I add to it?”“Chocolate and banana.” Toudou replied jokingly.“Really? That works?” The hopefulness in Shinkai’s voice made Toudou snicker quietly behind a hand.“Only you would think it’s possible,” Toudou turned back to Shinkai with an amused smile. “Of course it doesn’t work. Who in their sane mind would put chocolate and banana into a stir fry?”“Should I try it and prove them wrong?”“Hayato, no.” Toudou seemed genuinely worried that Shinkai would do such a thing. “In all seriousness…” Toudou said, lulling his head from side to side in thought. “I made gyudon for everyone for lunch today so you should probably avoid eating red meat again… Have you thought about prawns? They work well with stir fry.”“Oh, I didn’t think about that!”Toudou nodded. “Try it and see how it turns out.”“Sure.” Shinkai replied, smiling happily at Toudou who was already back to busying himself with picking out a packet of chicken breasts.It hadn’t even been a week since Toudou became his manager and Shinkai was already feeling rather comfortable around him. He cared for the team and did his utmost in even the most minor of tasks. Shinkai was glad that his first impression of the ravenhead wasn’t wrong. He just hoped that his teammates also warm up to Toudou because no matter how he looked at it, having someone like him around didn’t seem like a bad thing at all.
Kinjou Shingo. Tokyo professional cycling team’s vice captain and ace. Very dedicated to his solo training and records his progress in journals. He is known as the “Snake of the Stone Path” and famous for his inability to give up. His skills are on par with Fukutomi and are recognized by both the team and their rivals, earning him the title of ace. He suffered a knee injury in high school.
One afternoon, after a lap of their usual circuit, Toudou ran out to meet them as they returned. He wore an unusually serious frown, eyebrows pinched together and his mouth a thin line. It wasn’t an expression which suited the bright and enthusiastic Toudou they grew accustomed to over the week.“Kinjou!” Toudou called, running up to said man just as he swung his leg over his bike.“Toudou? What’s the-”Kinjou, however, didn’t get a chance to finish his question before he was dragged away by the hand. The manager pulled him back into the gym before sitting him on a chair. Kneeling down in front of Kinjou, Toudou began to lightly knead at the cyclist’s left knee.“Does it hurt?” Toudou asked tentatively, eyes never leaving the body part in question.“Not really.”There was a beat of silence.“How did you know?”Violet eyes drifted up to regard Kinjou’s face before looking back down to where his fingers were prodding sweaty skin. “I read through your documents and your medical record. Given the damage it suffered in the past, you shouldn’t over do training. I would even say not to push yourself in races but I know that’s a stupid thing to say. So I’m going to have to change up the training scheme a little to not put too much pressure on your knee.”“There’s no need for that.” Kinjou argued. “I can manage.”Toudou shot a dangerous glare at the ace, causing him to be slightly taken aback. “If we don’t take precautions now, you’re going to end up with a lifelong injury. I don’t want to see you throw away your cycling career when there’s something I can do about it.”Kinjou looked up to see that the rest of the team followed them inside and had apparently heard what Toudou said. They all had a somewhat surprised expression, exchanging glances between themselves as well as peering at Toudou who was thoroughly preoccupied with taping Kinjou’s knee.“Kinjou,” Toudou began after standing up. “You’re banned from cycling at home.”“You little-!” Arakita began but Shinkai grabbed his arm before the taller man could advance towards Toudou.Kinjou simply looked dumbfounded at Toudou before nodding slowly.Not a second later, Toudou was striding out of the room, leaving the team in a tense silence for a moment.“Who the fuck does he think he is?!” Arakita huffed, tearing his arm out of Shinkai’s grasp. “He’s got some guts to tell a cyclist that he’s not allowed to train at home.”“He only means well,” Shinkai tried but he only received a disapproving growl from Arakita.“Kinjou, are you alright?” Makishima asked, walking over to Kinjou who carefully got to his feet.“I’m fine. I didn’t expect him to notice.”“He didn’t notice.” Arakita grumbled. “He just looked at your medical record.”“Not many people do that,” Tadokoro shrugged. “I mean, they’re boring pieces of paper. He didn’t just read them for fun.”There was a beat of silence before a few sighs filled the room.“Well, let’s just cool down and stretch.” Fukutomi suggested which everyone obeyed.Towards the end of their stretches, Toudou re-entered the gym with a small cardboard box in hand.“Kinjou,” he handed the box to said man. “There’s a training regime in there which focuses on your core and won’t pressure your knee too much. I’ve also put a bottle of lotion and cream in there for you to use after you shower every night. Just apply it to your knee and let it rest over night.”Toudou straightened up after giving those instructions before regarding the rest of the team.“I’m still working on everyone else’s training regimes so give me a bit more time and I’ll have those ready!” Toudou offered a bright smile. “Good work today, everyone!” And with that, he was out of the room again.It felt like every time Toudou left the room, it would always leave the team somewhat speechless. They glanced at each other, sometimes eyeing the box in Kinjou’s hands, all deep in thought.
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Makishima Yuusuke. Ace climber. Nickname: Maki-chan. Socially awkward and ends most sentences with –sho. He has an unusual dancing technique, but his climbing skill is exceptionally fast, taking advantage of his long limbs. Often called the “Peak Spider”. He thinks carefully about many factors during a race and his observations are highly valued in the team.
With only half the sun above the horizon, Makishima found himself rummaging around his apartment in search for his phone. After about an hour of searching, Makishima concluded that no, he didn’t take his phone back home with him. That meant it was most likely in his locker. Riding his bike to go get it would be easy but he wasn’t entirely sure that the building would still be open.Well, dinner was eaten and he had the energy for a quick ride so even if it were locked, there would be no harm in doing a bit of exercise.Throwing on a thin jacket, Makishima left his apartment, wheeling his bike to the road before taking off.From a distance, he could still see some lights lit from within the training facility. With a breath of relief, Makishima rode up to the entrance, chaining up his bike before entering.The silence throughout the building was eerie and he would prefer to dash out as soon as he retrieved his phone but what caught his attention before reaching the locker room was the soft playing of music from inside the gym. The door was slightly ajar, letting light pour out of the gap and into the dark empty corridor.He swallowed thickly before approaching the door with quiet steps. Holding the door handle, Makishima peeked his head into the gym, following the music and soft humming to a figure sitting at the desk.Hunched over a wide spread of paper, Toudou was scribbling something away while nodding gently to the music he had playing from his phone. He didn’t notice Makishima until the climber pushed the door open further and stepped inside.“Toudou,” he greeted quietly, not wanting to startle his manager.Still, the ravenhead snapped his head up at ridiculous speed upon hearing his voice. “Maki-chan…?” He asked, slowly standing up from the desk.“What are you-?”“What are you doing here?!” Toudou asked before Makishima had a chance to finish. Rushing over to stand in front of Makishima, Toudou continued, “You should be at home. You’re not planning on training, are you? No, you have to go home and rest, you’re going to need your energy tomorrow!” The shorter man was already trying to push Makishima out of the gym. The climber did take a few steps back before he held his ground, Toudou’s palms felt hot through Makishima’s thin top.“I’m just getting my phone,” Makishima replied, taking a hold of Toudou’s wrist to stop him from pushing him anymore. “I didn’t think you’d still be here.”Toudou eased up a little, however he didn’t take his hands away from Makishima’s chest. “I’m just doing a bit of planning for training camp.”“That’s still another two weeks away.” Makishima replied. “Plus, it’s just 1000km in four days.”With a swift withdrawal of his hands, and an unintentional pull free from Makishima’s grip, Toudou planted one hand on his hip and the other pointed right at Makishima. “You and the team only need to think about 1000km. But there’s planning to do for meals, supplies, equipment and repairs.” Toudou lowered his arm. “I don’t want to miscalculate anything.”For a moment, Makishima stayed silent. He still hadn’t interacted with Toudou enough to feel comfortable around him but somehow, him saying those few things made Makishima realise that Toudou was taking the managing job very seriously.“Thanks for doing so much.” Makishima said, offering a small smile.Toudou’s face lit up almost instantly. “No need to thank me, Maki-chan! It’s my job!” He made a waving motion with his hand. “Now, you should go get your phone and go home. Your body needs rest.”“What about you?” Makishima asked without thinking.“Me? I still have work to do.” Toudou replied, making his way back to his desk.“Do you always stay this late?” Even though Makishima was told to leave, he found himself following Toudou back to the desk. Scattered across the desk were each team member’s personal file along with lists of supplies and a large map of their training camp course, marked with several post-it notes, stickers and annotations. Everything was done so thoroughly that Makishima wondered just how much time Toudou had spent working on it. “How long will that take?”“Maki-chan~” Toudou whined. “You’re asking too many questions! You need to go home and sleep!”“You should head home too. It’s getting late.” Makishima wasn’t entirely sure why he was concerned over Toudou’s health, perhaps it was just some form of repayment for managing the team so well in his first week.“It’s okay, Maki-chan. Let me finish this.” Toudou gave Makishima a determined look, not willing to take no for an answer.“Then I’m not leaving until you do.” It was petty but something told Makishima that Toudou stayed behind much later than anyone else and the idea of him overworking left a really foul taste in his mouth.“What?! No!” Toudou cried, jumping to his feet again. “You’re leaving, right now!”Raising his hands to Makishima, it seemed like Toudou was going to attempt again at ushering the cyclist out. This time, however, the green haired man caught both Toudou’s wrists and prevented him from advancing. The action was a little more forceful than he expected, making Toudou take a step back, hitting the edge of the desk with his backside.“Ah-!”Well, Makishima didn’t intend to make the atmosphere of the gym turn a few degrees warmer, but here they were, standing very close together with Makishima restraining Toudou.“M-Maki-chan?” Toudou asked, face flushing a cute red.“You…” Makishima started, biting back the urge to lean forward and kiss the dust of redness settling on his manager’s cheeks. He swallowed thickly, his mind going blank as his gayness struggled to break free. “You can finish your work tomorrow,” he forced out, letting Toudou go and stepping back. He turned around to hide the blush exploding under his cheeks too. “It’s… It isn’t fair for you to prioritize our health over your own.” Even though Makishima knew full well that one of the most important roles of being a manager is to always place the team before oneself.Toudou was silent behind him and it began to worry Makishima. Was he shaken up by what Makishima did?Chancing a glance at his manager, Makishima saw Toudou staring off to the side, hand covering the bottom half of his face as the previous blush spread deeply to his ears. It made them glow a bright red against his shiny dark hair. The whole image was adorable and it was not helping Makishima’s gay stay in check.He forced himself to turn around. “I’m… going to get my phone. I’ll come back and get you before I leave.”There was a small affirmative noise and Makishima took it as his cue to leave. His feet took him automatically to the locker room and after the door closed behind him, he let out a big exhale.Okay, that definitely wasn’t the plan… Did Toudou get freaked out? He probably did. God… Why did his homo have to show?! And not only to a really handsome man but also the man who happened to be his manager!Makishima wanted to melt into the ground.With much effort, Makishima pinched his phone out of his locker, seeing that he had a miss call and a text – both from Kinjou.[Kinjou]: Call me back when you have time.Makishima wondered what he wanted to talk about but nevertheless, he pocketed his phone, mustering up some courage to go back to the gym and meet Toudou.Before he got there though, his manager stepped out of the gym with a backpack. “There you are, Maki-chan!” He called back as enthusiastically as always. It made Makishima relax a little since Toudou seemed to have recovered from… well, whatever that was that happened. “I thought you left without me!”“Kuha! If I did, you’d probably go back to work.” They fell into step together as they made their way out. “Do you always stay this late?”“Hmm,” Toudou hummed in thought. “Only because I’m still getting used to everything.”“Really?” Makishima glanced at Toudou. “You seem to be fitting in fairly well.”“Wahaha! It’s because I’m great at socializing!” The smile on his face was bright and infectious. Makishima felt his lips pull slightly upwards in response. “But it’s really because I have to learn a lot about everyone. I join a month before you go on an intense training camp, and not long after that is the national race. I don’t have the luxury to take things slowly so I’m making up for it as best as I can. I want to support the team as soon as possible!”For the umpteenth time since meeting Toudou, Makishima was at a loss of words. This man was something else. He thought thoroughly about everything, respected everyone not only for being a cyclist but also for their individual character. He was honest and wore his heart on his sleeves, never did he give off the impression that he had any harmful ulterior motives despite his subtle manipulations.“You’re doing great, Toudou.” Makishima said. “Thanks, again.”How Toudou could smile any brighter was beyond Makishima. “You’re welcome, Maki-chan!”Once they entered the bike shelter, Makishima made to unchain his bike when he heard the sound of another chain being removed. He turned to Toudou to see him wheel a white framed bike with red letters over to the climber.“That’s your bike?” Makishima asked, having seen that bike before but never finding out who it belonged to.“Yeah! My Ridley’s gorgeous, right?”“Kuha!” Makishima laughed. Seriously, there was always something new to learn about Toudou. “I didn’t even know you ride.”“Rude!” Toudou complained, mounting his bike once they were outside. “I’ll have you know that I was dubbed the Mountain God back in high school!”“Really?” Makishima raised an eyebrow, swinging his leg over so that he straddled his bike. “Why didn’t I see the Mountain God race at Inter-High then?”Toudou huffed before pedalling off, Makishima caught up just in time to hear his response. “I was supposed to be in my third year but…” He sighed. “A family issue came up… and I couldn’t attend.”A small guilt gnawed at Makishima’s inside. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up any… bad memories.”“Oh no no, don’t apologize! It wasn’t anything serious.” Toudou reassured. “My sister just took over the inn at the time and was struggling to stay on top of things. I helped out as much as I could and reduced my time cycling. And since Inter-High is always during summer, we get a flood of tourists. Not so much for the hot springs but more so for just a place to stay.”“Your family owns an inn?”“Yeah! It’s the best one in Hakone!” Toudou smiled proudly. “I’ll take you and the team there one day!”“Kuha! I look forward to it.” Makishima laughed.They rode quietly side by side for a little while before they stopped at the traffic lights and Toudou spoke up. “I’m going to be turning a right at the next junction.”“Sure.” Makishima nodded. “Take care, Jinpachi.”“You too, Maki-chan,” Toudou replied with a smile before pedalling on the green light. “See you tomorrow!”And with that, Toudou steered off around the corner with a wave. Makishima offered a small wave of his own before continuing his route to his apartment. “Hello?”“Ah, Kinjou. It’s me.” Makishima greeted as he flopped onto his bed, his other hand absently towelling his hair dry. “Sorry I didn’t pick up earlier, I left my phone in my locker.”“No problem. I just wanted to talk to you about the training regime Toudou gave me a few days ago.”“Oh yeah, I remember that. What’s wrong with it?”“There’s nothing wrong with it.” There was the slightest bit of awe in Kinjou’s voice. “It’s really well thought out and judging by the type of exercises instructed, they’re specifically picked out to build the body of an all-rounder.”“He does everything thoroughly, huh.” Makishima said more to himself than to Kinjou but his teammate made a noise in agreement anyway.That day, Makishima learnt a lot about his new manager. Only a week had passed since they met him and already Toudou had shown many beneficial signs of doing a good job. No, not just a good job… But an excellent job. Toudou might actually be one of the best things to happen to the team.
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Arakita Yasutomo. Climber. Foul-mouthed and short tempered. Originally an all-rounder and has incredible stamina. He is a very strong puller on all types of terrain but since joining the Tokyo professional cycling team, he began to hone his skills as a climber. He rides aggressively and somewhat dangerously but his technique is essential to the team.
Riding through Tokyo every morning was the same monotonous chore Arakita was faced with. The city never changed and in all honesty, he had ridden over those streets so much he could pretty much recite the line of stores in order.The lights ahead turned from green to amber and a sigh left the cyclist’s lips. Pulling the brakes, he slowed to a stop before the traffic lights, leaning on his handlebars in boredom. His sharp eyes wandered aimlessly around before landing on a lump by the side of the road several metres ahead. It looked like a rubbish bag, probably got blown to the side of the road by the wind or something.With the lights changing to green, Arakita faced forwards and began to pedal again. However, with the distance closing between the lump on the ground and himself, Arakita realised that it wasn’t some bag of trash, tossed aside and forgotten. It was furry and had a tail… He rode passed it and saw a pair of ears and big yellow eyes. Under its dark fur, it laid in a puddle of blood-Instantly, Arakita pulled the brakes, pulling over in a rush, earning him an angry car horn from the driver behind him. The cyclist didn’t care, however. He ran to the injured animal hastily, dropping to its side with a hand hovering hesitantly over its bleeding leg. The cat stared at him for a moment before it mewled helplessly, kicking its bleeding leg before hissing in pain.“Stupid, don’t move,” Arakita scolded, holding his hand to the cat’s head before it rubbed its face against the back of his fingers. The cyclist looked around the area for a blanket of sorts but when he saw nothing useful, he drew his hand back and stripped off his cycling jersey.“Come on, now.” Carefully, Arakita wrapped his jersey around the animal, lifting it into his arms with gentleness he never showed others. The cat struggled a little before settling into the warmth, cradled by Arakita.Stepping back to his bike, Arakita drew up a map of Tokyo in his mind. “The vet is…” He mumbled to himself, squinting his eyes shut to visualize the quickest route to take. He received a meow from his feline friend, which made Arakita look down and smile softly. “Don’t worry, little guy. I’ll get that leg of yours fixed.”Hopping back onto his bike, Arakita rode off towards the vet, ignoring the confused looks of passersby at a topless man riding while cradling a cat.Arakita wasn’t sure how long he had waited at the vet but he was certainly late to morning practice. Well, he had something to take care of so the team would probably understand. His patience was really being tested while he twiddled his fingers, hoping the doctor would turn around the corner any second…“Arakita-san?”“Y-Yes?” The cyclist perked up.“She will be fine.” The doctor reassured.A breath Arakita didn’t know he was holding escaped, relief replacing the tension in his chest. “That’s good to know.”“I would like to keep her here for some additional check-ups but if you prefer to take her home-”“Ah, she’s not mine.” Arakita interrupted.“I see…” The doctor seemed to ponder over this for a moment. “I’ll send her to an animal shelter then.”Even though it was for the best, the idea of sending the black cat off to an animal shelter didn’t sit well with Arakita.“Would you like to say goodbye?”Arakita didn’t consider himself the sentimental type, or perhaps it was because this was a cat that made him feel a little bit more attached. He didn’t know, but he agreed to see the cat before leaving.Upon entering the clinic, Arakita made a beeline for the operation table. The black cat blinked up at the cyclists tiredly before making an effort to produce a tiny meow. With a gentle hand, he brushed over the black fur of the animal’s neck, before scratching lightly under its little chin. Soft vibrations were felt as it purred comfortable at Arakita’s action.“Could you give me the rest of the day to think about looking after her?” Arakita asked the doctor behind him without taking his eyes off the animal.“Of course.”Arakita left the vet with a small “thank you”, his mind already considering the idea of adopting the cat. By the time he arrived at the gym, he was nearly two hours late. Arakita was expecting the team to have long started training but when he opened the door and found his five teammates cycling on rollers, he stopped in his tracks.“Yasutomo!” Shinkai called, instantly hopping off his bike to run to his teammate. “Are you alright? Where have you been?”“The hell, guys?! Why are you still riding here?” Arakita asked, ignoring Shinkai’s concern.“Toudou said to wait for you.” Fukutomi replied.“Idiot, why bother?”“Arakita?” Said manager peeked around the doorframe. When violet eyes landed on Arakita, Toudou stormed into the room with an expression of complete disappointment. “Where have you been?! I told you to arrive on time because we’re supposed to practice drafting today. We can’t do that with you missing! And why are you topless?!”“Bloody hell, Toudou.” Arakita ran a hand down his face. “You’re so loud and annoying.”Toudou bristled. “You-!”“Right right,” Arakita waved him off, stepping past him and out the door. “I’m going to get changed, be back in a bit.”“Yasutomo!” Shinkai ran after him, leaving the rest of the team to look between them.A sigh left Toudou, or maybe it was more like a breath to compose himself. “Kinjou, Fuku,” he turned to the two captains. “I’m going to shorten today’s circuit.” “Yasutomo.”“What do you want, Shinkai?” Arakita growled, opening his locker for a spare jersey.“You probably have a reason for being late but Jinpachi was worried.”“I don’t really care.” He turned to the redhead. “I took a cat to the damn vet, it wasn’t anything serious.”“Still, I think you should tell Jinpachi. And-”“And what? Apologize?”Shinkai stayed silent but the look on his face said enough.With a click of his tongue, Arakita zipped up his jersey and left the changing room. “Whatever.”
Tadokoro Jin. Sprinter. Nickname: Bear. Loud and friendly. Cares very much for his teammates and gets very defensive over them. He eats just as much as Shinkai and holds a friendly rivalry with the redhead (half the time involves food). He is a strong puller, able to block the wind effectively with his large body. His sprinting technique involves large oxygen intake, giving him a powerful burst of speed.
The team was ready for their ride before long, Toudou having told Fukutomi and Kinjou where to steer off their previous route, shortening their ride so that they would return at the normal ending time despite the late start. In the changing room after training, Tadokoro voiced his complaint. “I don’t see why we couldn’t stick to the original route. It’s not like it would matter finishing a bit late.”“I said that but Toudou wasn’t allowing it.” Kinjou informed.“What the hell?!” The bear yelled.“We could just ask him the reason.” Shinkai suggested.Once everyone was changed, they went back to the gym to see Toudou at the desk scribbling away.“Toudou.” Fukutomi said as the team approached their manager.“What’s up?” Toudou looked up. “I thought you guys would be heading home already.”“Why didn’t you let us ride the full course?” Tadokoro asked impatiently.“Why?” Toudou repeated.“Just because we started two hours late, doesn’t mean we can’t make up that time. It would be the same in any race.”Toudou looked between the team members before standing up from where he sat on his chair.“I don’t doubt your ability to make up two hours worth of distance but there isn’t a need to push your bodies that much at the moment. Especially with training camp coming up next week.” Toudou’s expression was serious. “I don’t want to make you ride into the time when your body should be recovering.”There was a beat of silence, the team taking in their manager’s words.Then Toudou sighed. “Plus, I didn’t want to keep Arakita when he obviously had something else on his mind.”At that moment, the team looked around them and only then did they notice that a certain climber was missing amongst them.“Where is Arakita?” Makishima asked.“Probably going to the vet.” Shinkai supplied, earning him several raised eyebrows.“The vet?” Toudou asked.“He saved a cat by the side of the road and took it to the vet this morning. That’s why he was late.” Shinkai informed.“I see…” Toudou replied, sitting back down. “Anyway,” he smiled up at the team. “You guys should probably head home. Make sure to shower up and eat well!”“Thanks, Toudou.” Kinjou said with a nod, turning to leave the gym.Just as the manager lowered his head back to the papers scattered on his desk, Tadokoro called out to him. “Hey, Toudou.”“Hmm?”“Sorry for, err… doubting you earlier.” Toudou looked up to the large sprinter. “I didn’t know you put that much thought into it.”“Wahaha! Don’t worry about it!” Toudou laughed with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I would be annoyed if someone cut down my favourite part of a ride. It’s only natural!” The smile on his face was bright, stretching from ear to ear. “You’re still my favourite bear. Apology accepted!”Tadokoro huffed a laugh. “Have a good evening, Toudou.”The door clicked softly shut after that, leaving Toudou alone in a silent gym with nothing but a pile of unfinished and unorganized schedules and regimes for the week long training camp planned for next week. “Hello?” Toudou’s voice came from his phone after ringing no more than twice.Arakita sighed. “It’s me.”“What do I owe the pleasure, Arakita?” He heard the teasing in his voice and already Arakita was beginning to regret calling his manager. It was entirely out of character for him to call.“Shut up, just…” A half growl, half sigh left Arakita before he started again. “Look, I’m sorry I was late to practice and didn’t tell you. I didn’t think it would cause much of a problem…” The last bit he mumbled, unsure whether Toudou heard him since he barely heard himself.“It’s alright, Arakita,” Toudou replied. A small smile could be heard in his voice, not a mocking one, but a genuine smile. “I heard what happened from Hayato and it was a really kind thing for you to do.”“W-What…?!” Arakita felt a heat rush to his face.“Wahaha! Arakita, are you blushing by chance?”Okay, Arakita was a fool for believing that Toudou was genuine!“Like hell! I’m hanging up!”With a harsh press to end the call, Arakita sighed. Looking down at his lap, he absently stroked the black cat he saved earlier that day. She was fast asleep, warm and curled up against his thigh while having the evening news playing on low volume in the background.A part of him was relieved that Toudou didn’t give him a lecture about being late and somewhere Arakita refused to acknowledge, he was glad that his manager was understanding.
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It was half way through the first day of training camp and Toudou found himself checking and double checking the supplies, making sure that there was the right amount for each rider (and a few extra power bars for Shinkai).The cyclists were doing well, pacing themselves as they aimed to complete 250km by the end of the first day, thus completing 1000km in four days. It was evident that the stronger riders were the two captains, being an all rounder was beneficial for a course which had both flats and hills. Arakita was also performing solidly, previously being an all rounder himself was giving him an obvious advantage. However, that didn’t mean the others were falling behind. Makishima was fascinatingly fast on the incline, making up the time he spent on the flats, while it was the opposite for the two sprinters.All in all, everyone was doing well and Toudou didn’t dare slack off for even a moment, especially when the team was working so hard. The evening had settled, the wind carrying a cool air which no doubt felt heavenly for the team, but for Toudou, it only made him shiver quietly. He deemed it too dark to continue riding. Even though the team had been equipped with a torch, it was unreasonable and unnecessary. Plus, most of them had completed their 250km for the day anyway. There was no reason to push them any longer and risk them hurting themselves. That was how Toudou found himself waiting by the finish line, bouncing on the balls of his feet with a few towels in hand.A few blinks of lights shone through the bushes and tree line, then there were the sounds of bikes and familiar voices, shouting, calling and yelling at one another as they sped towards the goal.Another shiver ran down Toudou’s spine but that one wasn’t due to the cold, it was the excitement from watching Fukutomi, Arakita, Kinjou and Tadokoro race neck in neck. The fire in their eyes burned intensely even through the darkness of the evening. Even though they were teammates, their rivalry was incredibly healthy and it made a joyous pride swell in Toudou’s chest.Four bikes crossed the goal line with minimal difference but according to the score board, Kinjou and Fukutomi both crossed at the same time. Then it was Tadokoro, closely followed by Arakita. Even though the margin was small, the latter still cursed in frustration at falling a fraction behind his teammates.Quickly grabbing a handful of supplies, Toudou jogged up to the four cyclists.Fukutomi and Kinjou were hunched over their handlebars, breathing laboriously with their heads bowed.“Fuku! Kinjou!” Toudou called as he approached them with a bottle in one hand and a stack of towels in the other.They unbuckled their helmets to regard Toudou.“Good job, you two!” The manager smiled brightly, handing a bottle to Fukutomi before looping a fluffy, clean towel around Kinjou’s neck.“Thank you,” Fukutomi said after taking a swig from the offered bottle.Rummaging in the bag he had around him, Toudou pulled out another bottle and gave it to Kinjou. After looping a towel around the captain’s neck, Toudou said, “The bath is ready, so once you’re both cooled down, go have a soak. I’ll get dinner started when everyone returns.”With that said, Toudou turned away towards Tadokoro and Arakita. The former was like the captains, standing over his bike while the latter had toppled off his bike and was lying on the ground, heaving.“Arakita! Don’t lie on the ground like that, you won’t get enough oxygen into your lungs that way!” Toudou scolded as he tossed a bottle and towel towards Tadokoro, receiving a “thanks” before kneeling down beside the climber.“Ugghh…” Arakita groaned, throwing an arm over his eyes after getting a glimpse of Toudou.“So rude…” Toudou pouted. With a firm grip of Arakita’s shoulders, the manager pushed the cyclist into a sitting position before thrusting a bottle of water into his hands. “Here, drink up.”Arakita did as he was told, sighing as the fresh water trickled satisfyingly down his throat. When the bottle was lowered, Toudou threw a towel around the other’s neck, dabbing lightly at the skin to soak up the sweat.“You’re such a mother, Toudou.” Tadokoro laughed around his bottle.“I’m not a mother!” Toudou huffed. “I’m-”“Toudou,” Kanzaki called from the goal line. “The last two are here.”On his feet in an instant, Toudou raced back to the tents, picking up two fresh bottles of water and towels. Briefly, he stepped back to swipe up a handful of power bars before trotting over to where Shinkai and Makishima had just crossed the line.They were less worn out in comparison but even so, Toudou did the same to them as he did with all the others. Handing a bottle of water to them both, he looped a towel around their necks. Toudou fished out all the empty wrappers from Shinkai’s pockets, replacing them with more snacks. Then he went behind Makishima to pull his long, iridescent mane out from against his neck so that the towel could be fully pressed to skin and not make his hair soak up the sweat.Being too busy fussing over them, he missed the half fond, half exasperated smiles the team shared between each other. Even the four who finished the race first observed the display of Toudou’s mothering and smiled at their manager’s actions.“Okay, go take a bath, everyone.” Toudou said after throwing Shinkai’s wrappers in the recycling bin and retrieved all their empty bottles. “I’ll get dinner ready now.”With a smile, Toudou didn’t wait for a reply before he trotted off into the lodge, already pulling up the mental instructions for what he had planned for their first dinner of training camp. The team was bathed and fed, giving Toudou the time to check over their equipment for the next day before he hit the hay. His body was quietly protesting from fatigue but Toudou ignored it, dragging himself to the bike racks to make sure everything was in order. It was uncertain whether anyone would wake up early the next day so that they could rack up a few kilometres before the rest of the team began riding. That was why Toudou had to look over the equipment and their bikes the night before.Crouching down next to Shinkai’s beautiful black Cervélo, Toudou ghosted his fingers over the small scratches and grazes over the shiny metal. The problem with black and white bike frames was that the dirt and damage on it always seemed more obvious. Just like his Ridley. He had to polish it daily to make it look as perfect as its owner. Violet eyes drifted to the other bikes, one celeste, another black and three white.Maybe Toudou should give their bikes a nice wipe down before the next day. Blinking sleepily awake, Toudou saw the ceiling above him blur into focus. There was faint light filtering through the curtains, coupled by the chirping of birds but most of the sounds were drowned out by the quiet breaths of the team and the not-so-quiet snores of a bear. With a groan, Toudou groped around his pillow for his phone, flicking it open only to wince at the bright assault on his eyes. He was awake ten minutes before his alarm, which was also an hour before the team’s alarm.Pushing himself up, Toudou staggered a little on his feet. Maybe he got carried away with the cleaning the previous night. Checking the equipment took an hour, then polishing the bikes took another two. Having to wake up an hour before the team to prepare breakfast also cut down on his sleep, so the total amount he had last night was…Toudou soothed over his furrowed brow at the thought. It was only one night, he could do it. Not getting his regular eight hours of sleep wouldn’t kill him, it would however make him look a little short of perfect but even so, he would still give himself a solid eighteen out of ten. No big deal.His eyes drifted over the sleeping team, mature features relaxed, hair fanned out behind their heads, mouths slightly parted as their chest and shoulders rose and fell with every breath. A smile pulled at Toudou’s lips as he thought about the team. Even though he had only been with them for a month, he was growing increasingly attached to them. They were lovely people and although some seemed sceptical about having him at first, Toudou liked to believe that that feeling had disappeared after their time together, replaced with something more… Honest? Valued? Toudou wasn’t sure whether he knew a word to describe how he felt.With a light shake of his head, Toudou quietly padded out of their sleeping quarters. After freshening up in the bathroom, he gave himself a few checks in the mirror before making his way to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. He was mainly just concerned about Makishima and Arakita since they did not normally have a sufficient morning meal. Shinkai was another issue. His breakfast mostly consisted of powerbars and Toudou was not going to allow the redhead to cycle if that was all he planned to eat.Eventually, the team filtered into the food hall one by one. Fukutomi and Kinjou looked well rested and ready to continue training. Tadokoro was already snacking on power bars and Toudou couldn’t help but wonder whether he had stolen them off Shinkai. Makishima was the next to enter, his hair in a loose ponytail which exposed his lovely, smooth, pale nape. Then finally, Arakita and Shinkai came in, the latter with one side of his bangs clipped up by – oh my god, are those bunny clips?!“Morning, everyone~” Toudou sang as he strolled over to the table with their steaming porridge and fried egg. “Did you sleep well?”Arakita grunted while everyone responded with either a nod or a “yes, thank you.”Breakfast was rather quiet but Toudou didn’t mind so much, the team was probably tired and wanted a slow morning before they mounted their bikes and set off for another 250km. He observed them eat for a moment before Makishima’s ponytail caught his attention.“Maki-chan.”“Hmm?”“Did you not brush your hair before sleeping last night?” Toudou asked, walking up to the climber before taking the messy locks into his hand.“I… No, I didn’t.” Makishima confessed, letting Toudou fiddle with the hair band to free his long wavy mane.Fishing a comb out of his pocket, Toudou began running it over the small knots, gently working them out as to not disturb the cyclist’s eating. “You need to take care of your hair, Maki-chan.” Then he glanced up at everyone. “All of you, in fact. I don’t want to see any receding hairlines before you turn thirty.”Makishima’s hair from afar looked beautiful, especially when it swayed with the wind while he climbed a slope, but up close, Toudou could see how damaged it was. He knew that the climber took time to shampoo and condition it but it didn’t seem like that was enough. The strands were damaged by the constant dying and re-drying of colour and it caused some to become brittle.Just as Toudou smoothed out the last knot, an idea came to mind. Before he could voice it, however, Fukutomi spoke up as the team finished their last bite.“When everyone’s ready, we should get started.”The team stood from the table, thanking Toudou for the meal as they filed out.“Toudou,” Makishima called just as the manager leant over the table to collect their plates.The shorter man turned around only to startle at how close Makishima was standing to him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement and before he could react, the climber had placed a hand gently onto his head.“Thanks for sorting my hair out, and the food.” There was a small smile sitting on Makishima’s long lips and it caused a flutter in Toudou’s chest.A wide smile assaulted Toudou’s face as he replied brightly, “Of course, Maki-chan!”Perhaps it was his imagination, or maybe Makishima did leave his hand atop Toudou’s head for a little longer than necessary but either way the shorter man didn’t comment on it. In fact, when the contact was gone, he actually missed it.“I’m off then,” Makishima said with a light wave.Toudou made an affirmative noise. “Take care!”The smile on Toudou’s face didn’t go away, not even when he was doing the monotonous chore of washing the dishes. With a satisfying stretch of his limbs, feeling the pull of his muscles and the click of his joints, Toudou sighed contently as he finished preparing the team’s lunch. He wanted to have them ready early so that he could slip out to the convenient store to pick up some colour protection conditioner and softening shampoo to help Makishima manage his green mane better.Leaving a note on the desk so that the team knew to expect Toudou back by dinner, the manager strolled out of their training grounds, greeting the receptionist on the way out.Being so focused on which brand of shampoo and conditioner he should buy for Makishima, Toudou walked past an extremely lanky man with medium-length, black hair and bluntly cut bangs, beside him was a shorter man of blue hair. The manager paid them no mind, completely unaware and unexpecting that he would meet them when he returned from his shopping trip. Dashing through the unexpected rain, Toudou cursed under his breath for forgetting an umbrella and therefore making his hair damp and heavy. His appearance aside, however, Toudou had to hurry back to his team to make sure that they were doing fine in the rain. He was sure that they would manage since it wouldn’t be the first time they had ridden in this condition. Hell, some of them had ridden through a storm and were perfectly fine. But still, something was nagging Toudou to get back as quickly as possible.Clothes soaked through and horribly clinging to his frame, Toudou proceeded into the camp, feeling a bit like a drowned kitten. Giving his body a quick shake to ease his body and hair of some water droplets, he registered two men standing and observing the course.He felt his eyebrows pinch together as he glanced over his shoulder at the receptionist.
I’m sure I told him not to let anyone in…
Cautiously, Toudou stalked over to the newcomers. The rustle of his plastic bag made his presence known but only the shorter man turned around.The first thing Toudou noticed about him was not the bright blue colour of his hair, it was, in fact, the pink headband which held his bangs back.“Oh, who do we have here?” The blue haired man asked, his voice polite and pleasant.“I could ask you two the same thing.” Toudou said carefully, stopping a few feet away. “The course has been reserved, you’re not supposed to be here.”The taller man blew a raspberry and twisted his head over his shoulder to regard Toudou. The action sent a chill crashing down the manager’s spine, the twist of his neck and his expression of wicked amusement was downright horrifying. Still, Toudou stood his ground and held an impassive gaze.“That’s not a very nice thing to say.” Even his voice was creepy. “We came all the way here and you’re just going to kick us out?”“You have no business here, please leave.” Toudou said.“We can’t leave yet,” the tall man tilted his head innocently (more like grossly) to the side, his lips forming a small pout. “Komari-kun hasn’t,” okay, that small pout stretched into one distorted grin. “Felt anything yet.”Toudou visibly shivered. He mentally blamed the cold but either way, it didn’t go unnoticed by the two men as they both grinned dangerously.“Let us introduce ourselves,” the shorter man, Komari, said. “My name is Kishigami Komari. I am Midousuji-kun’s, our Ace’s, assistant.” He gestured to the other man with a wicked smile as realisation dawned on Toudou’s face. “So, who might you be?”“You came to scout us out?!” Toudou all but yelled.All of a sudden, Midousuji lunged forward, closing the gap between him and Toudou with one long stride. Toudou reacted by pivoting to the side but that may have been a mistake as he backed himself into a stone pillar. Before he knew it, Midousuji was looming over him menacingly.“My teammate asked you a question.” Toudou felt his back press further into the cold, stone surface. “It’s only polite to answer.”Through gritted teeth, Toudou replied. “I’m not obliged to answer anything asked by an opposing team.”There was a sigh from beside them and their attention went to Komari despite their positions remaining the same. “I thought a fellow headband lover like yourself would be a little more friendly,” he said, shaking his head disapprovingly. “You upset me.”Midousuji turned his head back to Toudou which made the manager also snap his attention back to the man still towering over him. They held each other’s gazes for a long while before the ace pulled back a little.“We’re not wanted here,” Midousuji said, giving Toudou a belittling look. “Let’s go.”“Of course,” Komari agreed before following his teammate. “We’ve already seen what we came here to see.”Something churned in Toudou’s guts as those last words were said. Watching as the two left the facilities, turning the corner and out of sight, Toudou collapsed onto his knees. His hands braced against the concrete ground as he finally let out the breath he had held for god knows how long. The aura around those two were dangerous and remembering it sent several shivers up and down Toudou. His body trembled and he felt horribly cold. Maybe it was because of the rain, or maybe because he felt threatened. It was difficult to explain because although he wasn’t personally threatened, the idea that there was another team coming to scout them out in person, researching his team… It was nauseating.It was normal but it made Toudou uneasy. He felt the need to do something. His team was precious to him. He had to protect them.Pushing himself up onto shaky legs, Toudou snatched up his bag of hair products before racing back to their quarters. The rest of the day blurred past as Toudou couldn’t stop thinking about the two visitors from earlier. He was so lost in thought that he missed the several worried glances the team made in his direction as well as amongst themselves. And before long, evening came and the team called it a day.With the dishes washed and stacked away, Toudou took a hurried shower before sitting down on the couch with his laptop on the coffee table. He filtered through several websites, documents, articles and journals before finding what he wanted.
Kyoto professional cycling team. Ace: Midousuji Akira (Captain). Assist: Kishigami Komari. Climber: Tsuji Akihisa. Sprinter: Yamaguchi Noriyuki, Ihara Tomoya, Machimiya Eikichi (Vice Captain).
Toudou raised an eyebrow at the team’s line-up and he felt it stretch higher towards his hairline as he read each of their profiles in detail. Noting down their strengths and presumed weaknesses, Toudou moved on to watching videos and recordings of the team in races.An unknown amount of time passed as Toudou continued his research. He browsed through an impressive amount of websites, saving anything which he found interesting or useful. With his ears plugged by earphones, he didn’t hear the person approach him or call him. It was a gentle tap on the shoulder which had Toudou jump a good inch off the couch, yelp in surprise, then ripped his earphones out with wide eyes before turning to the other person with his heart lodged in his throat.“Shit, s-sorry.” Makishima apologized, guilt washing over his features which then made Toudou feel guilty.“N-No, it’s… It’s alright. Wahaha…” The laugh was weak but it seemed to ease the tense atmosphere they somehow created. “Did you need something?”Makishima looked away, itching his cheek absently. “No, not really.” He glanced at Toudou. “It’s just… It’s pretty late, y’know. And you’ve been working for a few hours now.”Checking the time at the corner of his laptop, Toudou only just realised that it was indeed 2:14am. He pursed his lips together, glancing to his work before turning to Makishima. “I still have stuff to do. You should sleep, you’re going to need your energy tomorrow.”There was a twitch in Makishima’s brow but his expression remained unchanged. “Can’t you work on it tomorrow?”In reality, Toudou could leave his work and continue the next day but he didn’t want to stop his train of thought. “I… don’t want to stop.” Toudou admitted, giving Makishima a determined look.The green haired man only sighed before perching himself on the arm rest, craning his neck over the table to look over the many sheets of paper scattered across the desk. “What are you working on anyway?”“Just doing some research.” Toudou shrugged. “I want to compare our statistics with other teams and work out whether there are any strengths and weaknesses we can use to our advantage.”Makishima pinched a few sheets up from the desk and scanned over them with blue eyes. There was a moment of silence as the climber looked over Toudou’s notes. “These… are really detailed.”“They have to be!” Toudou smiled up. “Road races don’t always go according to plan but if we have some idea of what to do for every possible scenario then it will help, even if it’s something minor and easily overlooked.”There was an unreadable look in Makishima’s eyes and it made Toudou’s smile falter a little. “This… Jinpachi.”Toudou blinked.“This is really amazing work and we’re really grateful that you’re doing so much for us but you’ve…” He ruffled his iridescent hair and sighed. “You’ve been acting weird today and we really don’t want to see you overworking.”“I’m not!” Toudou insisted. “I’m fine, Maki-chan.”Makishima narrowed his eyes and it felt like Toudou’s soul was being analysed. “You’re eye bags are showing.”“What?!” In his surprise, the manager bolted to his feet, instantly regretting it when his vision darkened and he swayed from the sudden movement.“Careful.” Makishima said, swiftly wrapping his long arm around Toudou’s waist, while the other caught the side of his face, guiding it to climber’s shoulder.Even with his eyes squeezed shut, Toudou could still feel the world around him spin. Pressing his face into Makishima’s shoulder in hopes of grounding him, he inhaled the other’s scent. It was a comforting smell. It warmed something in Toudou’s chest and it made him sleepy. If only they could stay like that for the rest of the night.“Don’t fall asleep on me, Jinpachi.”Well, that idea was out the window. “Maki-chan~” Toudou whined, nuzzling further into the crook of Makishima’s neck.“Hey!” The climber protested, but he didn’t push his manager away.They stayed like that for a minute longer before Makishima spoke up again, gently patting Toudou on the back for his attention.“Come on, we should get some rest.”With much effort, Toudou detached himself from Makishima, saving his work before shutting down his laptop. The fatigue of the past two days were catching up with Toudou as he didn’t even register the fact that Makishima had to lead him by the hand to the bathroom to wash up before directing him back to their shared quarters with the rest of the team.Blaming his tiredness for his mindless clinginess, Toudou latched himself to Makishima again when they settled into their futons. The climber didn’t complain, in fact, it seemed like he welcomed it. But Toudou didn’t get much time to think about it before he drifted off into a pleasant, dreamless sleep with nothing but the scent of Makishima registering in his mind.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Lulling his head to the side in half-wakefulness, Toudou bumped his forehead onto something which made him blink tiredly awake. There was a mass of green in his vision and he couldn’t work out what it was exactly. Blinking a few more times, the person in front of him slowly came into focus and when Toudou registered the iridescent hair, long lips and two distinct moles, the manager bolted upright. He felt his face burn and his heart rate pick up from the sudden close proximity he had found himself in so early in the morning.“Oh, look.” Toudou snapped his attention to Shinkai’s voice. “He’s awake.”“Ha! About time,” Arakita said from beside the redhead, folding his futon away.A chill ran down Toudou’s spine as he looked around to see that he and Makishima were the only people still in bed. Toudou had missed his alarm (or maybe he forgot to set it in the first place) and ended up oversleeping which also meant that the team had no hot breakfast.“Shit, I’m-” Toudou made a move to stand when long spidery arms wrapped awkwardly around his lower body. One arm went behind him and held onto his hip bone whereas the other snaked over one thigh then under the other and grabbing a palm full of ass. A shy little squeak left the manager as he looked down, horrified as Makishima nuzzled into the side of Toudou’s ass, seemingly completely unaware of his actions and what they did to Toudou’s heart.His attention snapped back to Shinkai when he heard the redhead chuckle quietly. “He looks comfortable.”“I’m…” Toudou was at a loss of words. He was still panicking about oversleeping, and he would normally get breakfast cooking right away but having Makishima latch onto him… latch onto his ass was not only highly distracting and embarrassing but also difficult to escape from if he didn’t want his privates getting accidently grabbed!“Relax, Toudou.” Arakita said. “You look like you’re about to cry.”Pursing his lips together, Toudou didn’t say anything. And it didn’t seem like he needed to because the door slid open and Kinjou stepped in.“Oh, you’re awake.” Kinjou greeted. “I came to wake both of you up.”“M-Morning, Kinjou.” Toudou said, looking away, unsure of how to face the vice captain.“Tadokoro is making breakfast and Fukutomi is setting the table.” Toudou looked up at Kinjou with wide eyes. The ace only smiled softly in return. “Go wash up. Breakfast will be ready soon.”With a quiet nod, Toudou made to stand up again, only to remember that he couldn’t move. “Umm…” He started, looking down at Makishima. “Maki-chan,” he shook the climber’s shoulder lightly. “Wake up.”The green haired man only groaned, tightening his hold around Toudou’s ass, making the manager internally panic more. It was even more embarrassing with three other members of the team watching.“Shinkai, wake him up.” Arakita said, nudging the back of the redhead’s calf with his foot.With a chuckle, Shinkai strolled over to Makishima, kneeling down beside him before winking at Toudou. “This is how you do it.” Toudou didn’t mean to gulp loudly, but he did and he knew Shinkai heard it.The redhead first tucked a few strands of hair behind his ear before leaning in close to Makishima. Toudou watched as Shinkai cupped his mouth against the climber’s ear as if he were about to tell him a secret. Then with a not-so-quiet whisper, Shinkai spoke, “Yuusuke-kun~”The reaction was instant. Makishima bolted upright, retracting his arms from around Toudou’s ass. One hand went flying to his assaulted ear, a furious blush spreading across his cheeks to the tips of his ears as he gave Shinkai a disbelieving look.“Sh-Shinkai?!”“Good morning.” Shinkai smiled as if nothing happened.Makishima’s blue eyes travelled from Shinkai to Arakita before looking around to Kinjou then finally at Toudou. The look of surprise, coupled with the pretty blush on Makishima’s face made Toudou’s own cheeks heat up a little. It was only when violet eyes watched blue eyes travel upwards then down again as if he was looking at… my hair!Quickly, Toudou snatched up his headband and pushed his unruly bangs out of his face. His cheeks were really burning, never expecting that he would let the team see him before his daily beautifying process.Shinkai was chuckling again.“Get going already,” Arakita huffed. “The bear’s going to eat your share if you show up late.”With that Toudou and Makishima scrambled to their feet. The latter was out the room pretty quickly but Toudou paused, looking back to ask, “What about the futon-?”“We’ll do it, Jinpachi,” Shinkai waved him off. “Go make yourself beautiful.”Toudou gave Shinkai a bright smile before racing off down the hall to catch up with Makishima. “Oh, you both are awake.” Tadokoro said as he set the remaining few plates down.“Morning,” Toudou greeted. “Sorry for oversleeping, I didn’t mean to make your prepare breakfast.”“Don’t worry about it.” The sprinter waved him off. “You looked like you needed the sleep,” he looked up to the two captains who nodded in unison. “So, we decided to let you lie in a bit.”Toudou looked between the three of them before glancing away. “Thank you,” he replied shyly. Although he was grateful, he swore to himself that he would never make his team prepare a meal for their manager again.There was idle chatter at the table but Toudou wasn’t listening. He was considering telling them about Kyoto but he didn’t know how to bring the conversation up. His thinking had made him pause in his eating and it didn’t go unnoticed by the team.“Jinpachi?” Shinkai asked, earning the manager’s attention. “Are you alright?”“Huh? Y-Yeah,” he replied quickly before catching the various concerned gazes of the team. Well, it was a good opportunity to just tell them. “Actually,” he started, setting his chopsticks on the table. “Kyoto’s cycling team came here yesterday.”“Kyoto?” Tadokoro asked.Toudou nodded. “It was their ace and assist. They came to scout us out.”The team glanced at each other before looking back at Toudou.“Even though I told the receptionist not to let anyone in, and I was out at the time which I know was irresponsible and-”“Toudou.” Fukutomi interrupted. “What’s the problem with them scouting us out exactly?”“Huh? W-Well, it’s just-”“Ha!” Arakita laughed. “Have them research us. Have everyone research us. It won’t make a difference.”Toudou looked around the table with slightly furrowed brows.“Don’t worry about these things, Toudou. Them coming all the way here to see us is time which they could have spent training.” Fukutomi said. “Your job is to bring us to the start of the race at our best condition. Leave the race itself to us. We’ll come back as champions.”Somehow, the words really touched Toudou. They were said with the captain’s usual stoic expression and voice, but the way the rest of the team nodded their heads and offered small and encouraging smiles made Toudou feel truly happy.Not trusting his voice, Toudou only nodded, offering a smile of his own.“Alright, let’s finish eating and complete another 250km.”“Yeah!” They hadn’t started riding all that long ago when Makishima yawned for the third time already.“Makishima, you keep yawning like that and you’ll catch all the flies in the area.” Tadokoro said as he looked back from where he was riding in front of him.“Did you not sleep well?” Fukutomi asked.“Ha! More like he slept too well.” Arakita commented with a smirk.”Basically used Toudou’s ass as a pillow.”“I- What?!” Makishima asked in disbelief.“You did.” Kinjou said, to which Shinkai made an affirmative hum.Running a hand down his face, Makishima sighed. “I woke up half way through the night and found Toudou working.” He replied instead, hoping to direct his teammates’ attention away from what he thought was a dream…“In the middle of the night?” Kinjou asked.“Yeah, this was 2am. He hadn’t slept yet.” The climber informed.“That’s unlike Jinpachi.” Shinkai said which received a few nods in agreement.“I think he was quite worked up about Kyoto coming to watch us.”“You don’t think they did anything to Toudou?!” Arakita growled.“I don’t think so,” Makishima shook his head. “But he did research them thoroughly afterwards. I think whatever happened between them, Toudou feels like they’re a threat.”They all gave Makishima a hard look.“So you’re saying we should be wary of them too?” Fukutomi concluded.Makishima nodded. “Let’s ask Toudou for his research and work out a counter strategy to their line-up.” Tadokoro suggested.“Ah, that’s what he was doing last night. He has a stack of notes about their strengths and weaknesses, what we can do to exploit that. He’s come up with a few scenarios and predictions which might be worth looking at too.”“He did all that?”Makishima nodded again.A low whistle left Shinkai as Tadokoro said, “That’s mad.”“He works hard.” Kinjou commented at which the team made affirmative noises.“We haven’t really done much in return.” Shinkai admitted.“Well, it’s his job.” Arakita shrugged but when he received five pairs of rather unimpressed gazes, he held up his hands in a placating manner. “Okay, okay. I admit, he’s been doing great. But what exactly can we do in return? It’s not like he’ll be happy with us making him breakfast and stuff like this morning.”They hummed in consideration before Shinkai asked, “Does anyone know when his birthday is?”“Oh, Shinkai, that’s a great idea!” Tadokoro praised, reaching out to pat the other sprinter on the back.“We could ask the coach.” Kinjou suggested.“But isn’t that cheating?” Tadokoro questioned. “Shouldn’t we try and see if we can get him to tell us?”“We could try,” Makishima shrugged.“Yeah, let’s do it then!” Shinkai cheered. “Then we’ll throw him a party as thank you!”With that said, the team agreed to find out when their manager’s birthday was and continued their training. “Ah, it’s so hot.” Tadokoro complained when he pulled his brakes after completing his 250km for the day.“Well, we are in the middle of summer,” Toudou chuckled, handing Tadokoro a bottle of water.“Do you believe that summer babies are more tolerable of heat and winter babies of cold?”“You don’t actually believe that, do you?” Toudou asked with an amused smile.“I’m just asking,” Tadokoro shrugged. “Are you a summer baby?”“I am!” Toudou answered with a smile, turning away as Shinkai crossed the finish line. Tadokoro missed his chance to ask for any more information. “Just get her a cake, Yasutomo.”“Agghh! I can’t!” Arakita complained. “She’s on a diet, she’ll just make me eat it.”“That isn’t so bad.” Shinkai seemed excited at the idea.“No. I can’t buy her something in hopes that she’ll just give it to me.”“Who’s this? Who’s this?” Toudou asked eagerly, jumping down beside Shinkai on his futon. “Does Arakita have a girlfriend? Or are you trying to impress ohnnmm?” A pillow was launched rather aggressively at Toudou, muffling the last word. “Damnit, Arakita! Spare my beautiful face!”“Shut up, Toudou! I’m talking about my sister.” He huffed.“Hmm, what about her?”“It’s her birthday soon and I don’t know what to get her.”“Hmm, girls are normally quite easy to get gifts for. Accessories work well, maybe make up if she likes those, or take her to the cinema. You could always get a group ticket and have her go out with friends.”“Wow, you know how to take care of girls,” Shinkai commented.“Of course! I haven’t been blessed three times by the Mountain God for nothing!” Toudou said proudly.Arakita grumbled. “I’ll think about it.”“Hehe~ No problem! You can always ask me about these things.” Toudou made a move to stand and only then did Shinkai think to ask Toudou for his birthday.“Ah, wait, Jinpachi.”“Hmm?”“What would… Uhh, what should I get my brother?” Arakita gave him a questioning look and Shinkai knew what he was trying to say. It would have been too direct to ask Toudou what he wanted for his birthday, that was why he changed his mind.“Brother, huh.” Toudou tilted his head from side to side, obviously unaware of the silent conversation Arakita was having with Shinkai. “Video games, clothing… Hmm, or just throw him somewhere with his friends for a day out. It’s what I’d like.”“Like a party?” Shinkai dared to prompt.“Something like that, yeah!” Toudou smiled. “But it doesn’t really matter what we do, I always think that as long as I’m with the people I enjoy being with, anything is fine.”“So when is your birthday, exactly?” Arakita asked, a slight tone of impatience in his voice.“Wahaha! I’ll give you a clue, it’s in my name,” Toudou winked before skipping out of the room leaving Shinkai and Arakita to look at each other.“In his name?” Arakita repeated.“As in, the ‘eight’ in Jinpachi?” Shinkai concluded.“So August?”“August when though?”“It wouldn’t be August 8th, right?” Later that evening when the whole team was gathered in their room, Takodoro, Shinkai and Arakita told the others what they had found out.“Well, he said he was a summer baby and August would make sense.” Tadokoro nodded.“But is the 8th too much of a guess?” Shinkai wondered.“It’s the only lead we have.” Kinjou replied.“What day is the 8th?” Fukutomi asked.“Saturday.” Makishima replied swiftly.“That’s perfect, isnt it? We could have a day off and say it’s for, I don’t know, team bonding.” Arakita suggested.“We could do that,” Fukutomi nodded.“But what happens if it isn’t the 8th?” Shinkai asked.“Then it could be an early or a late day off.” Tadokoro shrugged. “As long as it’s somewhat close to his birthday.”“Yeah, plus he said a good birthday is just a day out with friends.” Arakita added.“We’ll think of presents individually.” Kinjou said, to which the team agreed.“So how do we-?” Makishima began to ask when they heard the door slide open.Immediately, they fell silent, all turning around to regard their manager who looked unsure whether he wanted enter. “Uhh, s-sorry, I’ll come back later.” He quickly said before bolting out of the doorway.“Shit, do you think he overheard us?” Arakita asked.“I don’t think so…” Shinkai shook his head but Makishima was already on his feet. “Ask him about the weekend!” Makishima heard Tadokoro shout as he dashed out of the room. Looking down a few corridors, Makishima didn’t find Toudou anywhere. Pacing down the hall and into the empty lobby, the climber began to worry his lower lip when a flash of blue caught his eye from the other side of the window.Outside, leaning against the railings of the balcony, was Toudou. His back was turned to Makishima while his light blue headband reflected the light of the small lamp which hung over him. Quietly, the climber approached the glass doors before sliding them open.Toudou turned around at the sound. “Maki-chan?” He asked, an emotion Makishima couldn’t read appeared then disappeared just as quickly.“Hey,” he replied gently, sliding the door close behind him. “Are you alright?”Toudou looked off to the side. There was a sadness in his eyes which pulled at Makishima’s heartstrings. “Have I…” He paused, swallowed then breathed out. “Have I done something wrong?”Without hesitation, because this was not an expression he liked seeing on Toudou, Makishima stepped right up to his manager, placing his hand at the back of shiny, black hair before pushing him gently so that he slotted just under the climber’s chin. He understood Toudou’s hesitance. Anyone would get self-conscious if a group of people suddenly stop talking the moment they entered the room. “Of course, you haven’t.” He reassured, feeling Toudou stiffen briefly at the gesture.“But then…” The shorter man’s hands hovered hesitantly at Makishima’s waist. “You were…”Wrapping his other arm around Toudou’s shoulders, Makishima pulled him tighter into his chest. “We’re planning a day off sometime between the end of training camp and the race.” He explained, voice gentle and steady.He pulled away briefly so that he could see Toudou’s face.“We’re thinking maybe the 8th, will you be free then?”Something flashed across Toudou’s face and it made Makishima near to 100% certain that the team had guessed his birthday right.“That’s a Saturday.” His manager stated more than questioned.Makishima didn’t expect Toudou to look so… conflicted.“I’m sorry, Maki-chan.” He smiled sadly up at the climber. “I’m busy then.”“O-Oh, I see…” Somehow, Makishima felt very dejected after hearing those words.Without knowing, he was being led back inside by Toudou’s hand, directing him to their quarters where they slept away the third day and into the morning of their final day of training camp. “Now that you mention it, we don’t actually see Toudou at all during weekends.” Arakita commented after Makishima told them that Toudou’s reply was a negative.“He always gives us independent training regimes on Friday.” Fukutomi nodded in agreement.“So what do we do now? Should we try another day?” Shinkai asked.“Wouldn’t that be obvious that we’re trying to arrange something for his birthday?” Tadokoro replied.“Yeah, for now, all he knows is that we have a day off on his birthday.” Makishima commented.“Perhaps we should just stick with gifts.” Kinjou suggested. “We could give them to him the day before.”In the end, that was what the team settled with.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
After training camp, they returned to their normal schedule, starting the week with a lighter regime before easing them back into their regular course and activities. Toudou continued to fuss over them like the mother hen he naturally was and when exactly did the team get so used to it? They weren’t sure but nevertheless, they welcomed it.At the end of the week, on the last day of July, however, Toudou was absent for the first time since he joined the team. Makishima and a few others were warming up on the rollers when Arakita walked in, followed closely by their coach.“Toudou-kun has sent me your course for today,” Mr Pierre held out a printed document to Fukutomi.“He’s absent?” The captain asked, taking the sheet of paper before scanning over the route highlighted. “An urgent matter came up and he returned home.” The team shared worried looks between them before the coach cleared his throat. “He will return next week.”The soft smile offered by Mr Pierre was knowing and it reassured the team.“Alright, let’s get started then.” Fukutomi said, receiving an affirmative from his teammates. With the sun setting in the distance, the team rode back to their training facilities. Dismounting their bikes, they stepped into the gym, cleats echoing in the quiet room with every step.“Gah, why is it so hot?” Arakita complained, pulling his jersey open to air his sweaty chest. “Toudou is the air con-” He held his tongue, realising that the person he was addressing wasn’t there.Somehow, the mention of their manager brought a bit of tension into the air around them.Arakita clicked his tongue before he made his way to the locker room. The weekend passed by uneventfully as it did every time. Toudou had left individual training regimes for the team members and they completed it diligently. All activities were well thought out and specific to the individual’s body build and abilities. It focused on polishing their qualities alongside strengthening their core. Sunday evening, Makishima sent a text to Toudou wishing him well and with hopes of seeing him the next day.It was the first time that Toudou didn’t reply. “The whole week?!” Arakita repeated in disbelief.“Is Jinpachi alright?” Shinkai asked, worry and concern heavy in his voice.Mr Pierre nodded. “He’s fine. Just that things at home haven’t been quite sorted yet. He has sent me your schedule for the week,” he said, handing a stack of papers to Fukutomi who took it with a silent nod.The coach excused himself soon after, leaving the team horribly distressed.“For the whole week…” Arakita repeated again.“What do you think happened?” Makishima asked, unable to contain that question any longer.“Has anyone tried to contact him?” Tadokoro asked.Shinkai fished out his phone almost instantly. “Should I call him? Or text him?”“I sent him a message yesterday but he didn’t reply.” Makishima informed.“Maybe we should-”“Everyone,” Kinjou spoke up. “Toudou is probably busy with whatever happened. Let’s not bother him with our worries.”“Kinjou, aren’t you worried?” Makishima asked. “This is Toudou we’re talking about.”“It’s because it’s Toudou,” he replied. “That’s why I trust that he is fine and will handle things.”“He wouldn’t want us worrying about him. You know how he gets,” Fukutomi added, to which the team nodded because they knew full well that Toudou got overly anxious when it concerned any form of negativity in the team. “He’s strong, after all. He’ll be fine.” The following day, the weather was grey and heavy showers came at unpredictable times.“It doesn’t seem like it’s going to clear.” Kinjou said.“Maybe we should take another path. It might not be too safe going along here,” Fukutomi replied, pointing to a part of their route which was prone to get horribly muddy in rainy conditions.“We could take the long way round.” Kinjou suggested. “Let’s ask Toudou…”He made to stand up but when the words processed, Kinjou sighed and sat back down at the desk. A hand was placed over his as Fukutomi gave the vice captain a knowing look. After returning from their ride on Wednesday, it dawned on them that Toudou had become an irreplaceable member of their team. Even though he was only a manager, his role was always present. With him absent, it felt like something was missing. There was no water bottle thrust into their hands after their training, no fluffy white towel wrapped around their necks followed by the dabbing of said material against their sweaty skin. There was no ninja who snuck up on them and gave them whatever it was that they were searching for or needed. There was no lame headband against shiny dark hair or violet eyes in sight. The distinct lack of an obnoxious voice and loud laugh left the gym eerily silent and depressing. Pressing his phone against red hair for the second time that morning, the team listened as Shinkai’s phone rang once, twice, three times…And the team already sighed in defeat.Toudou never let his phone ring more than twice. He would usually pick up instantly, but after two phone calls and several texts over the past three days, and receiving no reply, the team became restless.“I don’t like this.” Tadokoro admitted.“It’s not like him…” Kinjou said, eyes never straying from where Shinkai held his phone against his ear.The redhead’s lips were pursed thinly together, desperately praying for their manager to pick up.“Fuku-chan, can we like… I don’t know, go see him?” Arakita asked the captain.Fukutomi stayed silent as he considered the idea.“He’s probably busy,” Kinjou reasoned, but they could hear it in his voice that he was forcing the rationality.“We help him,” Makishima said. “Whatever he’s doing, whatever he’s busy with, we’ll help him.”“Fuku-chan!”Shinkai ended the call with a sigh as it went to voicemail. “Juichi, I’ll be honest. I’m really worried.”They looked at their captain in varying degrees of concern and desperation.“Do we know his address?” Fukutomi finally responded.A heavy pause followed.“Uhh, I know his family owns an inn in Hakone.” Makishima supplied.“That’s a start.” Arakita said, snapping his fingers.“Should we ask Mr Pierre?” Shinkai asked.“I don’t think he’s here today,” Kinjou replied.“Let’s just go to Hakone.” Tadokoro suggested. “We’ll find him when we get there.”They all turned to Fukutomi for permission, to which the blonde man nodded in approval. “Send a text to the coach and Toudou to tell them that we’re going to Hakone.”And with that said, the team mounted their bikes and set off for Toudou’s hometown. “Okay, we’re in Hakone,” Arakita yelled from where he was pulling the team. “Where do we go now?”“You said his family owns an inn, right, Makishima?” Tadokoro asked the climber.“Yeah, apparently the best ryokan here.” Makishima supplied.“Gah!” Arakita growled in frustration before signalling to stop.The team pulled over onto the pavement, panting slightly from the high pace they travelled from Tokyo.“You do know Hakone is like famous for its hot springs, right? There are probably loads of them around.” Arakita waved his hands about.“Should we call him?” Kinjou asked.Makishima reacted instantly, pulling out his phone and pressing the call button.“Maybe we could ask around?” Tadokoro suggested, craning his neck around for potential nice locals to question.Shinkai did the same before spotting a couple of high school girls. With a gentleman-like stride over to them, the redhead asked, “Excuse me, ladies.”The two girls, a brunette and the other with dyed two toned hair, turned around cautiously. Dragging their gazes over the athletically built man’s muscles first, the girls finally looked up into his handsome face. “Y-Yes?” The brunette managed to ask as the other continued to stare.“Would you happen to know of a ryokan owned by the name Toudou?”As if the girl with two toned hair got slapped around the face, she sparked to life. “Oh my gosh, yes! Toudou-san’s like the most handsome man in Hakone! His place is over there,” she pointed in a general direction down the road. “You won’t miss it. There’s like a huge sign for Toudou-an.” She was beaming at Shinkai. “If you haven’t already, you should go because their hot springs are heavenly. And if you’re lucky, Toudou-san will serve you personally!” She was squealing at that point and Shinkai could only smile politely as her friend held the vibrating girl by the shoulders.“Sorry about her,” the brunette apologized. “She’s a huge fan of Toudou-san.”“I can tell,” Shinkai smiled.“But yeah, if you head down the road, past the traffic lights outside the sushi bar, you’ll see a sign to Toudou-an.”“I see, thank you very much,” Shinkai bowed respectfully, making the two girls blush a little.Shinkai returned to the team but before he relayed what he had learnt, the other sprinter spoke up.“That girl is mad.”Kinjou nodded. “I guess Toudou’s fangirls are real.”“That’s kinda scary,” Makishima admitted.Shinkai laughed lightly before telling the team about their directions. Once they were on their bikes again, the redhead led the way, finding the sign to Toudou-an without much trouble.
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For a moment, the team stood speechless outside the entrance to Toudou-an. The ryokan was traditional and very well kept. It stretched far out either side and had an estimated four floors. Steam could be seen from above the roof tiles, locating the several hot springs Toudou’s family owned. Simply put, it was impressive.“Holy shit…” Arakita breathed out, voicing the thought that was going through all their heads.They made no move to enter. They weren’t even sure whether they should enter. Somehow, they felt completely out of place.But before long, a young man with large circular glasses stumbled out the front doors, dressed casually underneath a dark blue, staff haori.“W-Welcome!” He greeted with a bow. When he straightened up, he stiffened slightly when he gazed upon six men, almost twice his size and build. Still, he put on his best smile and said, “I apologize that we’re currently out of guests rooms and the baths are a little crowded. You may come back later or wait in one of the lounges until they free up a bit.”“Actually,” Fukutomi said. “We’re really here to see Toudou.”The young man gave the captain a cautious look.“Jinpachi is our manager,” Shinkai supplied. “We, uhh, we came to visit.” He offered a friendly smile.With a careful nod, the short man replied. “I’ll show you to a lounge and I’ll call Toudou-san for you.” He made a turn to enter the ryokan before spinning back around. “Oh! You have bikes, right?” He asked unnecessarily, given that the six bikes stood loyally beside their respective owner. “Please, follow me, I’ll show you to the bike racks.” The young man directed, to which the team nodded and said their thanks.With their bikes securely locked away, Makishima noticing that there were several other bikes on the racks, Toudou’s Ridley included, they were led inside.After sitting down at the low table, their host spoke up. “I’m Onoda Sakamichi, by the way. I’ll bring you some tea and let Toudou-san know that you’re here.” He quickly excused himself, leaving the team to admire the inn’s interior.“This place is huge.” Tadokoro said absently, looking around the lounge. “And this is just one of the lounges.”“Did you see the map in the lobby?” Shinkai asked. “There’s a gym as well.”“And Toudou will be in charge of all this in the future?” Arakita waved his hand in the air as if gesturing to the whole building.“I think he mentioned his sister taking over the inn when he was in high school,” Makishima supplied.“So he works here? As well as being a manager?” Tadokoro asked.Makishima shook his head. “That, I don’t know.”“Managing a business like this doesn’t look easy,” Fukutomi commented.“Let’s ask whether we can-” But Shinkai was interrupted by the sliding open of the door.“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Onoda returned with a tray of cups and a teapot. “I called Toudou-san, but he’s really busy at the moment so he might be a while.”“It’s alright,” Kinjou said. “Don’t rush him.”“Is it always this busy?” Fukutomi asked.“During the holiday season, yes.” The young man replied as he set the cups in front of the guests, pouring them some steaming tea.“Is there anything we can help with?” Shinkai asked, receiving a surprised look from the teen.“Oh, no no. We can’t ask our guests to help!”The team looked between each other. “But we did drop by unannounced,” Fukutomi reasoned. “We would like to-”“Glasses-kun!” A distinctly familiar voice called from somewhere in the inn. Every team member perked up at the sound and Makishima felt a wave of relief wash over him. Looking at the expression of his teammates, they felt the same way after hearing Toudou’s voice for the first time in what felt like too long.“I have to go,” Onoda bowed politely. “Please, excuse me.”When the door shut behind the young man, the team sighed.“Aren’t we just adding to Toudou’s workload by coming as guests?” Arakita huffed.“Surely, there’s something for us to do.” Tadokoro said.“We don’t know how to help out,” Makishima replied. “Does anyone have any experience working in an inn before?”They all shook their heads negatively.“We probably should have thought about this a little more…” Kinjou admitted.A silence fell over them for a moment before they heard hurried footsteps approaching the door. There was a brief pause before the screen door slid open, revealing Toudou, knelt down on the wooden floor of the corridor, head bowed politely. He was dressed in a traditional yukata with the same dark blue staff haori Onoda wore.“Sorry to keep you waiting. I am Toudou Jinpachi, the-” The rest of his introduction was lost when he raised his head and found his team sitting before him.“Hello, Toudou.”“Y-Yo, Toudou.”“Good to see you, Jinpachi.”They greeted almost too casually, watching as the colour drain from their manager, his previously welcoming smile dropping as his expression was replaced by that of shock and horror. Makishima felt like he had just been slapped by guilt itself.“What the-?!” There was a sharp sound of Toudou’s jaw snapping shut. He looked behind himself, down the corridor to check for any guests before leaping into the room. Slamming the door shut behind him, then throwing his palms harshly against the surface of the table, Toudou continued. “What are you doing here?! What about training?! Don’t tell me you’re slacking off! Oh my god,” he paused as violet eyes narrowed on each and every one of them. “Did you cycle here?! What are you…?! Why?!” The look of disbelief was overwhelming. Makishima would even say that Toudou looked like he was about to cry.“J-Jinpachi, calm down,” Shinkai tried.“We were worried, damn it,” Arakita huffed, ruffling the back of his head with a hand. “You weren’t answering your phone and all Mr. Pierre told us was that you had something urgent come up. You can’t blame us for coming to check on you!”Toudou looked between the team, analysing their faces with a seriousness they hadn’t seen before. A sigh left their manager, releasing a bit of his tension but his eyebrows were still pinched together, shoulders were still stiff. “I’m sorry for making you worry,” he looked off to the side. “I’ve been busy. You might be able to tell.” He waved his hand absently. “Things should calm down by the start of next week. I’ll be back in Tokyo then.” Looking back up to his team, Toudou had an expression which bordered with pleading. “Now that you know I’m alright, will you go back and focus on your training?”“What, and just leave you to overwork yourself?” Tadokoro half laughed.“I don’t want you wasting time here when you should be practicing and preparing for your race!” Toudou argued.“We don’t want to train without our manager, Toudou.” Fukutomi said.“But-”“We’re not going anywhere, Jinpachi,” Shinkai said. “Let us stay and help out.”Violet eyes did a once over the team, analysing them again. There was a conflict happening inside Toudou’s head, everyone could see it and they only prayed that their insistence was strong enough to persuade him.“You can stay,” Toudou conceded and the team breathed out in relief. “But you’re not helping.”“What?” They asked in unison. “Why not?”“Because you’re my guests!” Toudou hissed. “I’ll get you a room but promise me, you’ll stay put.”The team didn’t get a chance to reply when Onoda slid open the door just enough to peak his head through the crack. “Toudou-san?”“Ah, Glasses-kun, perfect timing.” Toudou stood up from the table.“Naruko-kun was calling for you, Room 5 has asked for room service.” The young man informed.“Where’s Manami?”“He’s… giving a few guests a tour up the mountain.” Onoda replied, looking away.Toudou groaned. “Of course, he is…” He looked over his shoulder at his team before turning back to Onoda. “Alright, I’ll be there. Could you show them to the private guest room at the back, please? They’re free to use the onsen there. Oh, and give them the shower stuff I use in the bathroom, the ones on the-”“Toudou-san!” A voice from somewhere far away called.“Coming!” Toudou called back.“I know where they are, Toudou-san.” Onoda gave the taller man a reassuring smile, earning him a pat on the shoulder before Toudou dashed out of the room.Right after Toudou left, the team shuffled to the door, peeking their heads into the corridor to see Toudou jog down the corridor before halting, bowing lowly and respectfully as a few guests walked past him. Then once they were out of sight, Toudou continued down the hallway with hurried but elegant steps.“Umm,” Onoda started hesitantly, looking down at the bundle of six men by his feet. “Are you ready to go?” After showering and taking a dip in what Onoda said was the “smallest hot spring”, the team emerged out of the bathroom smelling oddly like Toudou. Having used his personal shower gel, shampoo and conditioner, they shouldn’t be surprised but it was still… oddly pleasant.“Smallest onsen, my ass,” Arakita huffed, drying himself with a towel. “That thing itself is bigger than my bathroom.”“I’d like to see what the others look like,” Tadokoro laughed, pulling on the yukata which was folded neatly beside his belongings.When everyone was changed, they made their way to the room with which they had been provided. It was probably a guest room the Toudous used for personal friends and family, not normally opened for the public like the other guest rooms in the ryokan. Still, it wasn’t a bad room. In fact, there was nothing wrong with it and the team was grateful that their manager was willing to let them stay.Onoda was standing by the door fidgeting, seemingly unsure of what to do.“Onoda, do you need to get back to work?” Kinjou asked.The young man nodded shyly.“Don’t let us stop you, kid,” Tadokoro said. “You help Toudou, we’ll sort ourselves out.”With a polite bow, Onoda slid the door open, only to be stopped as Shinkai called back.“Ah, wait.” The short boy spun around quickly. “Is there… Can we help? Please.”Onoda looked firmly at the redhead. It was intense and Makishima was sure that Shinkai was feeling the power behind the teen’s gaze.“We insist.” Fukutomi added, directing Onoda’s gaze to the captain.Still, Onoda remained silent.“We don’t want to watch him overwork.” Kinjou said.“If there’s something we can do to help out, we’ll be happy to do it.” Arakita added.The teenager studied the six men before turning and leaving the room. There was a beat of silence before a mixture of defeated sighs and tongue clicking filled the room. Arakita was about to say something when the door opened again, revealing Onoda with an armful of dark blue haoris.“Onoda…” Makishima said, pulling on the offered haori.“Toudou-san probably won’t be happy that I’m letting you help, but I…” He looked up at the team, determination burning in his big eyes. “I think this is the right thing to do!”Smiles were shared between the team as they thanked Onoda.“There are a few things everyone can do. Someone could help man the front desk with Imaizumi-kun. Naruko-kun will probably need help in the kitchen, especially around dinner time. Room 9, 10 and 11, need tidying for when the guests return for the evening with Manami-kun. And, someone can help me with the sweeping the sauna upstairs.”The team blinked at the information Onoda just offered and quickly nominated themselves for a job.“Me and Makishima will help with the cooking.” Tadokoro answered, looping an arm around the climber’s shoulders.“Kinjou and I can tidy the three rooms.” The captain said, vice captain nodded in agreement.Shinkai shrugged, “I’ll be happy at the front desk.”“Looks like I’m with you, Onoda-chan,” Arakita grinned at the young man who smiled brightly back up to him.“Great! If you tell Imaizumi-kun and Naruko-kun that I said okay, they should be fine. They’re very nice, ask them anything.” He flashed another bright smile to the team before leading them out, dropping them off at where they needed to work for the next while. Constantly thinking, Toudou hurried from one place to another. His mind going from serving his guests to preparing the next room for those who said they would be arriving later that evening. The largest onsen was scheduled to be cleaned in an hour’s time and he had to make sure that it was ready by the time their guests returned from their outing. While they soaked, Toudou had to set the table and get the food served just before they leave the baths.It was always like that. That was Toudou’s responsibility whenever he was at the inn. And he bared more of that weight now that they were one set of expert hands short of their usual.Violet eyes were always scanning the inside of the inn, making sure to stop in his tracks to greet his guests in a polite manner before hurrying to his destination. With a quick knock on the kitchen door, Toudou pushed it open with his shoulder.“Naruko, Room 2’s dinner order is here,” he placed the list on the counter. “Have it ready by-” He cut himself off when his gaze fell to unmistakeable iridescent hair, tucked under a chef’s hat and a large bear cooking at the hob. It looked like Room 7’s order for stir fry. “What-?!”“Toudou-san!” Naruko suddenly appeared in front of Toudou, making the manager jump in surprise. “What time should we get this order ready by?” He smiled innocently up at Toudou.“Wh- Uhh, 6.” He stuttered briefly. “Ready by 6.” Violet eyes went back to the two cooks who were obviously ignoring him. “Hey, what are-?”But once again, Naruko interrupted him, lightly shoving him out of the kitchen. “Yes yes, Toudou-san, you must be busy.”“Hey! What? Naruko!” Toudou tried to protest but it was futile. The moment his feet crossed over the threshold of the doorway, the door was literally slammed in his face.“Don’t keep the guests waiting!” He heard the little redhead say from the other side of the door.Loudly, Toudou groaned. He would have a word with them later.With heavier steps, Toudou made his way down the corridor towards the lobby. Just as he was about to turn around the corner to where the front desk was, his jaw fell open as he witnessed both Fukutomi and Kinjou carrying folded up futons out of one room and into another.“Welcome.” He heard Imaizumi greet which meant that they had new guests.Momentarily struggling to decide whether he wanted to demand what the captains were doing shuffling in and out of the guest rooms and greeting his new visitors, Toudou gritted his teeth and settled for the latter.Once again, he would have a word with them later.“Ah, Toudou-san.” A middle aged man greeted.“Good afternoon, Teshima-san,” Toudou replied politely, shaking the hand of one of his father’s acquaintances. “It’s good to see you again.”“You’re looking as handsome as always I see,” he joked with a pat on the manager’s upper arm.“You’re too kind.” Toudou smiled back. “Are you with your family?” He asked, leaning to the side to regard his wife. Behind her were two young men, one who was presumably his son, given his dark wavy locks, while the other one was blonde and probably his friend.“Yes, this is my wife,” Teshima introduced, who smiled politely before returning her focus to checking-in in the guest book. “And my son, Junta, and his friend, Hajime.”Offering a polite smile in return, Toudou gave himself a mental high five for guessing right.When they were checked in, Imaizumi fished out their keys before directing them down a corridor to their room. Toudou stood by the front desk with a practiced smile, completely unaware of the other man behind the front desk.“This is some intense business you have here, Jinpachi.”Toudou whipped around in surprise, mouth falling open as he gaped at Shinkai, casually leaning over the front desk while nibbling a power bar.“H-Hayato?! What are you-?”Female giggles and not-so-quiet whispers made Toudou shut up instantly, spinning around to bow respectfully as a couple of girls walked past them and out the entrance. Shinkai smiled sweetly at them while offering a friendly wave.“Oh my god, that was both Shinkai-san and Toudou-san.” They heard the girls squeal as they left.“Hayato!” Toudou hissed once the lobby was clear. “What are you doing?!”“Helping.” Shinkai replied with a shrug.“I thought I told you to stay put!” He complained through his teeth. “I can’t have the team running around. You’re my guests!”“Jinpachi, please, let us-”A couple just walked in through the entrance.“Good afternoon.” They greeted in unison, bowing politely as the two proceeded down the corridor.“Hayato!” Toudou half whined, half complained.“Look, just let us help.” Shinkai nudged Toudou’s chin upwards lightly with the knuckle of his index finger. “You can yell at us and throw us out tonight if you really hate us.”Looking away, Toudou huffed. “I can never hate you guys.”With that, Toudou marched away, noticing that his cheeks felt a little bit heated. The rest of the night was as hectic as always, but Toudou still managed to do everything to perfection. The baths were cleaned, rooms were prepared, meals were served to individual rooms on time and the guests were happy. When the dishes were collected and dropped off in the dish washer, Toudou bid the final guests a good night with Shinkai at the front desk.The shorter man let out a breath, sapping the tension out of his body before he turned firmly to the sprinter, grabbing him tightly by the arm and dragging him away to the back of the inn. Shinkai made a surprised noise but Toudou ignored it, there were too many feelings bubbling inside of him to think properly. The rest of the team were already in the guest room, sitting around the low table with tea and a few biscuits.Maybe Toudou should have been a little more gentle, but he was too emotional. So, instead, he swung open the door a little too forcefully before literally throwing Shinkai into the room. The redhead landing on his ass with an oof!, making the team look up confusedly at their manager.Toudou slammed the door shut before he exhaled harshly.“I want to yell at all of you. I really do.” Toudou started, his voice surprisingly even despite his expression looking borderline murderous. “The moment you step foot into this ryokan, you are my guests. It’s not only irresponsible of me but also incredibly rude to have my guests help. I’m not saying I don’t appreciate what you did. In fact, I’m really grateful because you guys did an amazing job with cooking, cleaning and hosting.” Violet eyes travelled over the faces of his team. “But you have a race coming up. I don’t want you guys to waste your time helping me out when it should be the other way around. I’m your manager!” His fists clenched together. “I should be taking care of you, getting you ready and not have you… work an unpaid job! I feel bad that you did so much today and I can’t even pay you for your services. I…” Toudou huffed, pursing his lips together and looking away. His sincerity was making him feel self-conscious and act uncharacteristically humble. He could also feel a heat settling across his cheeks. “Thank you… for coming today… and sorry, for making you worry. I didn’t mean to.”There was a long silence. It stretched out uncomfortably, Toudou still unwilling to look his team in the eyes. When it got slightly too unbearable and severely awkward, Toudou looked up cautiously, only to see Shinkai dive at him with wet eyes.“Jinpachi!” The sprinter wailed, throwing himself onto Toudou, toppling them over onto the floor. “You’re so cute. I can’t handle it.” He sobbed into Toudou’s shoulder. “We love you, you know that, right? You’re the best manager ever and we wouldn’t ask for anyone else.”“Wha-? H-Hayato?” Toudou felt his cheeks heat up more, whether that was from Shinkai’s sudden attack or the words he said or the fact that he was shedding manly tears all over Toudou, he wasn’t sure. Cautiously, Toudou patted the back of Shinkai’s hair, lightly threading his fingers with curly red locks.“He speaks for all of us.” Kinjou said with a small smile.Fukutomi nodded in agreement.“It isn’t the same without you, Toudou.” Arakita huffed. “Don’t go disappearing on us again.” “And don’t hesitate to come to us.” Tadokoro spoke up. “You’ve been a member of this team the moment you joined. Don’t go thinking you have to tackle everything alone.” “Guys…” Toudou breathed, feeling touched by the words. Blinking a few extra time, he began to feel a wetness in his eyes too.Violet drifted to Makishima who had stayed silent. His lips wore a soft smile and his expression was that of someone looking at something precious to him. It made Toudou’s heart skip a beat.“You’re welcome, Jinpachi.” Makishima replied, being the only one to respond to his words of gratitude moments ago.Out of the sheer need to hide his tears and honest smile, Toudou pressed his face into soft red hair, inhaling the scent of his shampoo and something very distinctly Shinkai. It reminded him of the time he snuggled with Makishima and the thought made his heart flutter once again.Toudou truly loved the team. He loved every single one of them. They made him so happy, so proud and so cherished. Being with them as their manager and friend was the best blessing Toudou could ever ask for.
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With much persuading and encouragement, the team was able to convince Toudou to allow them to stay and help out with the inn until the end of the weekend. Although Toudou was reluctant, the young high school helpers were very enthusiastic about having the cyclists work with them.The next day was just as busy as the previous one, but with the team dedicating time and effort into their particular job, the day went by smoothly.Fatigue was settling in Makishima’s limbs and it wasn’t the same type of tiredness like after a race, it was a light weight hanging from his body which didn’t get fully noticed until the inn quietened and the working day came to an end.Absently, the climber and Tadokoro wiped down the surfaces of the kitchen when the door opened, earning their attention.Onoda slipped in quietly, anxiously peeking over his shoulder before closing the door with a quiet click. He went over to Naruko, speaking ever so slightly above a whisper which had the two cyclists craning their necks to hear.“I double checked and it seems Room 3 will be empty all of tomorrow.”“That’s perfect!” Naruko whispered back, giving Onoda a fist bump.“What’s this?” Tadokoro asked, stalking over to the teenagers with an interested grin.“N-Nothing, Tadokoro-san!” Onoda replied a little too quickly.“Old man, we can’t tell you!” Naruko hissed.“You’re not planning on doing anything naughty, are you?” The bear asked, grin widening dangerously.“No!” Naruko squawked. “It’s just…” Red eyes glanced between Makishima and Tadokoro before he sighed. “Okay, can you keep a secret from Toudou-san?” He whispered with a hand cupping the side of his mouth.“From Toudou?” Makishima repeated, leaning in with interest.Both Onoda and Naruko nodded, to which the older men shrugged and nodded back. “We can do that.”“It’s his birthday tomorrow,” Naruko said, “and we’re thinking of throwing him a party.”Makishima’s eyes widened at the realisation and looking at his teammate, Tadokoro had also forgotten that it was their manager’s birthday.“Shit, we haven’t bought presents,” Tadokoro admitted, scratching the back of his head in frustration.“We’ve got presents!” Onoda perked up. “We’ll just need help with decorating and keeping Toudou-san away from Room 3.”“We’ll help,” Makishima replied. “The others will probably help too.”“That’s great!” Naruko cheered in a hushed voice. “Operation: throw Toudou-san a surprise party is a go!” Word was relayed to the rest of the team that evening and they made preparations for the next day. Early in the day, the two captains called for their presents to be delivered to Toudou-an. Then, just after the busy service of lunch, Arakita and Imaizumi snuck out to buy drinks for the evening (and juice for the underaged). By the start of the evening, Shinkai, Manami and Onoda were decorating the room. And finally, after cooking dinner for the guests, the three temporary cooks made a start on the cake. “Ta-da!” Naruko announced as he threw open the door to allow Tadokoro and Makishima walk in, the former with the large cake in his arms.“Dude, that looks awesome!” Arakita praised, looking at the creation with a grin.“Do you think he’ll complain about it having too much sugar?” Tadokoro laughed, earning a few chuckles from the people around them.However, their laughter was cut off by the sound of the birthday boy himself.“Naruko! Don’t leave the kitchen door… open.” His voice trailed off before he spoke up again. “Naruko?”“Shit.” The little redhead cursed. “He’s coming this way!” He hissed under his breath.“Someone send him the other way!” Arakita ordered, pointing at the door.Makishima was the closest to the door and stepped out almost instantly, seeing Toudou pad down the corridor towards him.“Oh, Maki-chan!” He smiled brightly.“Y-Yo, Toudou,” Makishima greeted, subtly sliding the door to Room 3 closed. “I was just looking for you.” He lied.“You were?” Toudou asked with a slight tilt of his head. “Well, I’m looking for Naruko, have you seen him? Also…” Violet eyes trailed to the door, Makishima had his hand against. “Why were you in Room 3?”“O-Oh, I saw Naruko go, uhh, towards our room.” Makishima ignored the last question.“Your room?” Toudou seemed suspicious, maybe it was because Makishima wasn’t much of a convincing liar.“Y-Yeah,” Makishima replied, tilting his head to the side to avoid eye contact with Toudou and instead, glanced inside the room to see Arakita making a shoo-ing motion with his hand. “We told him that the ceiling was leaking a bit.”“Leaking?!” Toudou squawked, spinning on his heels instantly and marching down the hallway towards the private guest room.Makishima, unthinkingly, followed him. Swinging the door open, Toudou stepped into the guest room, only lit up by the low sun’s rays filtering through the blinds. The shorter man looked around at the ceiling, tilting his head from side to side, trying to find a nonexistent leakage.“Where was it leaking, Maki-chan?” He asked, eyes still scanning the upper surface.“O-Oh, err,” Makishima was struggling to keep up his lie. “Maybe Naruko had already fixed it?” It sounded more like a question than a statement.Toudou huffed before turning to face Makishima with a pout. “There wasn’t actually a leak, was there?”The climber gulped at the piercing violet gaze.“What’s going on? Why are you acting so weird, Maki-chan?” Toudou stepped closer to the taller man. “Actually, everyone has been acting weird. Did something happen?”“W-Well, it’s uhh,” Makishima was internally sweating as his manager stopped in front of him, giving him a hard look. “I don’t think we’ve been acting weird. Are you sure it’s not just… uh, your imagination?”“Maki-chan,” there was a concerned tone in his voice. “I don’t imagine these types of things. Just what is-”A crash from somewhere in the inn made Toudou snap his jaw shut.“Sakamichi-kun!”“Shit, Onoda-chan, are you alright?!”By the time Makishima turned back to Toudou, the shorter man was already making his way to the door.“Wait, Jinpachi!” Thin fingers wrapped firmly around Toudou’s wrist, stopping him in his tracks.“What, Maki-chan?!” Impatience was not only evident in his voice but in his eyes too, even in the dimly lit room. “I have to check what hap-”Soft lips silenced Toudou, making him go rigid at the sudden contact. Makishima wasn’t entirely sure why he kissed Toudou. Perhaps he thought it was a good distraction, pulling his attention away from whatever happened in Room 3 to the climber in front of him.A muffled protest left Toudou as he tried to pry himself away but when Makishima wrapped his long, free arm around the shorter man’s slender waist, Toudou still again. Their bodies were pressed closely together, their heat easily felt through their clothing. The hand against Makishima’s chest balled into a fist, taking the fabric of his yukata into the other’s palm.Blue eyes fluttered open at the same time to see violet eyes blinking at him confusedly. They parted briefly, only to have Makishima press their foreheads together tentatively.“Maki-chan?” Toudou whispered, his breath breezing over the climber’s slightly damp lips. It tickled a little, making Makishima lick his lips, wetting the skin before leaning in and reconnected what he started.His hand also decided to drift downwards, getting a nice handful of Toudou’s ass which elicited a half groan, half sigh from his manager. Ever since training camp where Makishima had dreamt of feeling the ravenhead’s beautiful round ass, then later finding out that he actually did but in his sleep! Makishima wanted to do it again.With a wiggle of his wrist, Toudou freed his hand from Makishima’s grasp only to lace his fingers together with longer, paler fingers. The sound of quiet footsteps padding their way didn’t quite register in Makishima’s mind. So, driven by the heat of the moment, Makishima slid his tongue tentatively over Toudou’s lower lip, causing him to physically shiver, his manager parted his lips. The tip of his tongue barely made contact with the inside of Toudou’s mouth before the door was slid open.Pulling apart instantly, they both stared at Shinkai and Arakita who interrupted them.“Shit, sorry.” Arakita apologized, spinning around on his heel to give them some privacy.Shinkai, on the other hand, did his signature BQN hand pistol, while whistling a low note. “We’re all ready, come by when you’re done.” He added a wink before sliding the door shut, leaving Toudou and Makishima speechless.“Ready?” Toudou asked, looking up at Makishima from where he was held in the other’s arm.“Oh, uhh…” There was a flash of something too quick for Makishima to decipher, but it looked similar to hurt, or maybe, betrayal.“Were you just…” The manager tried to step back and away from the climber but Makishima didn’t let him. “Distracting me to buy time?”There was a painful pang in Makishima’s chest at the question and he wasn’t sure how to answer. Instead of words, the climber leant in again, giving Toudou a sweet, tentative kiss in hopes of dispelling his doubt. “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time.” He admitted, giving Toudou’s ass a firm squeeze to emphasise his point.“Ngghhh~” Toudou moaned quietly, burying his face in the crook of Makishima’s neck. “You already did, before,” he breathed a laugh.“I was asleep. It didn’t count.” Makishima huffed, smiling into shiny, black hair.A cute giggle left Toudou’s lips, tickling Makishima’s neck. “Well,” he lifted his head up so that they could look at each other with fondness in their eyes, before pecking Makishima’s cheek sweetly. “You can have this ass whenever you want.” He wiggled his bottom into the climber’s palm which he responded with another grope.“I’ll hold you to that,” Makishima smirked at the pleasured sound that left Toudou.“So, what’s this you guys have planned?” The shorter man asked, slowly detaching himself from Makishima.“Why don’t we go find out?”Reluctantly, Makishima let go of Toudou’s behind and led him out the room by the other hand, fingers staying interlocked as they proceeded down the hallway to Room 3. With a gentle push from behind, Toudou stepped into the room only to be assaulted by the party poppers, confetti and cheers.“Happy birthday, Toudou!”“Wha-?! Guys?!” Toudou startled. He didn’t get much time to recover before he was ushered in by Onoda and made to sit down in front of a large fresh fruit cake. “What is all this?” He asked, looking around the room in disbelief.The walls were decorated with balloons and banners. Colourful confetti and streamers littered the carpet floor. There were eleven sets of cutlery and plates with Toudou occupying the seat at the head of the table. A skilfully decorated fresh fruit cake sat in front of him with a large knife beside it.“Your birthday party, Jinpachi.” Shinkai smiled.“Surely, you’re not that stupid,” Arakita said, smirking before looking at Fukutomi. “Hey, Fuku-chan, are you going to give it to him?”The blonde man nodded as he rose to his feet to step closer to Toudou. He knelt down beside the birthday boy, holding a package out in front of him.“Happy birthday, Toudou.” He said with his ever stoic face. “This is from the whole team.”Wide, violet eyes looked between the members of the team before he took the wrapped package. He swallowed thickly before smiling the brightest smile the team had ever seen. “Thank you so much, everyone. I’m… I’m so happy right now!” His voice wavered a little and his grip on the package tightened. “Can I open this now?”“Go right ahead,” Tadokoro answered with a broad smile of his own.Picking the wrapping paper open with an odd amount of care, Toudou pulled out a simple wooden box. The team watched as the manager caressed the surface gently before lifting the lid off. A quiet gasp left him as he slowly pulled out the neatly folded jersey.“This is…” Toudou stared at the item of clothing with familiarity. “Your jersey.”“Our jersey.” The team corrected him in unison.“You’re a part of our team too, Toudou.” Kinjou reminded him.Toudou nodded, his violet eyes glistening with tears of joy. “Thank you,” he hugged the jersey to his chest. “Thank you so much.”“That’s not everything,” Makishima said, making Toudou look up briefly before digging into the box again.There was a pair of cycling gloves to go with the jersey as well as a little Ridley bike phone charm and a headband with the word ‘Tokyo’ written across the top, even the colours matched the team jersey.“Oh my god,” Toudou breathed out, looking at the headband with so much fascination. It was incredibly endearing, making the team chuckle quietly as their manager tore off his plain yellow headband, replacing it with the new gift. “You guys are the best. Thank you so much!”“You’re welcome, Toudou,” Fukutomi replied, giving him a pat on the shoulder.“Umm, Toudou-san,” Onoda said as the captain stepped away, giving the young man the birthday boy’s attention.“Glasses-kun?”“This is from us,” he held out a small, wrapped present for Toudou, which the dark haired man took with a soft smile.“Thank you, that’s very kind.”Once again, Toudou picked the wrapping paper apart carefully, revealing a thin notebook. Flicking open to the first page, he read through the message written on it.
Dear Toudou-san. Thank you for always coming to train with us. You give us a lot of motivation and we always look forward to seeing you at the weekends…
A soft smile pulled at Toudou’s lips as he finished reading Onoda’s message (more like an essay but Toudou wasn’t about to complain). Turning over the page was Imaizumi’s.
Thank you for always taking the time to look after us. We understand that you are busy with your work in Tokyo but knowing that you still make time for us makes me really admire you.
Violet eyes glanced up at Imaizumi who looked away shyly. Toudou continued to smile as he turned the page.
Toudou-san! You are a great mentor. I have learnt so much from you in the past few years and I want to continue training under you. I hope you’ll stick around with us!
Short and sweet. It was very typical of the short sprinter and no matter how many times Toudou reread the message, Naruko’s voice would always be heard loud and clear in those words.Then finally, Manami’s message.
I admire you, Toudou-san. Not only because you are an exceptional climber, someone I have yet to beat in a race to the summit, but also because you, as my mentor, have taught me the joy of riding freely. You have given me-
The rest of the words became blurry as Toudou’s vision shifted and swayed with the build up of his tears. Holding the book at arm’s length to avoid his tears from smudging his juniors’ heartfelt words, Toudou sniffled loudly.“You guys…” He sobbed, placing the book on the table before diving at the younger teens. They all landed on the floor in a bundle of limbs, Toudou having his arms around their shoulders. “You guys are too much. You don’t need to thank me. Oh my god, I love you guys so much.”“Toudou-san, your snot is going everywhere!” Naruko half complained, reaching out for a tissue which Kinjou kindly handed him. The tissue was pressed to Toudou’s runny nose and their mentor responded with a loud blow of his nose.“That’s gross, Toudou-san,” Manami laughed.“Shut up,” Toudou retorted lightly, giving his juniors one last embrace before climbing off them.“Well then,” Tadokoro spoke up as they returned to their seats by the table. “Let’s eat!”There was a chorus of cheers, then a few hard sounds of the bottom of glass bottles hitting the table.“Time to drink!” Arakita called, earning another set of cheers.“No alcohol for the underaged!” Toudou yelled from where he was cutting the cake.“A little won’t hurt them,” Arakita smirked, already pouring a glass for Imaizumi.“No. No alcohol,” Toudou protested. “Hey, listen to me!” In the end, the high schoolers had no more than a glass of alcohol each because a certain mother hen was getting overly protective over their health. The team didn’t mind though. They had long grown accustomed to Toudou’s mothering nature. It was, after all, one of the features for why they loved him so much. “I bet Nee-san is mad that she’s missing out on your birthday, Toudou-san,” Naruko said before gulping down the rest of his bepsi.“Nee-san?” Shinkai asked.“My sister, Haruka,” Toudou offered.“I see. Where is she now?”“She’s recovering in hospital after a fall last week,” Toudou replied nonchalantly but the team couldn’t help but feel like the atmosphere got a little heavy. “She’s alright. She’s been complaining that she actually wants to get back to work but the doctor’s making her rest.”“Yeah! She’s the head of the inn, after all.” Trust Naruko to bring the mood back up. “We work under her normally.”“It’s indirect payment to Toudou-san for helping us train every week.” Imaizumi supplied.“So you kids are working here for the whole summer break?” Tadokoro asked.“Yeah! We work here every break, and weekends too. After training.”“So, is that why you’re never in Tokyo during the weekends?” Kinjou asked his manager.“Yeah, I come back to Hakone to help out at the inn and train with these lot,” Toudou jabbed a thumb in the direction of the younger group.“That’s commitment,” Fukutomi nodded in approval.Toudou laughed lightly. “I enjoy it.” He admitted, swirling his glass absently. “I often wish that I could be in three places at once.” Taking a sip of his glass, Toudou shook his head. “Actually, no. Make that four places at once. I want to be climbing mountains too.”“But Toudou-san, you ride here every week!” Manami argued, slouching over the table lazily.“What? You ride to Hakone every weekend?” Arakita asked.Toudou nodded. “Yeah, from Tokyo to here and back on Sunday night.”“After training with the boys and working at the inn?” Shinkai asked as well.Nodding again, Toudou made an affirmative noise from behind his glass.The team shared a look of awe and respect between them, before turning back to Toudou.“That’s impressive,” Kinjou said, voicing the unspoken words between them.“Wahaha! It’s nothing really! Nothing that the great Toudou Jinpachi can’t do!” He smiled brightly at the people around him but the team knew that Toudou was making it sound a lot easier than it actually was.During weekdays, Toudou was their manager, looking after them to make sure they were in the best of health. In the evenings, he worked alone, planning ahead in order to piece together a perfect and balanced schedule. By weekend, he travelled to his hometown by bike to mentor and teach young cyclists, nurturing them with care. Then he would dedicate the rest of his weekend to helping his family business, elegantly serving his guests with professionalism.In the eyes of the team, Toudou was incredible. They had every reason to respect him, protect him and love him. Simply put, their manager was nothing short of perfect. And they were determined to cherish this precious member of their team.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Stepping out of the coach and into the morning sun, feeling the buzz of the crowd before a race was familiar for the reigning champions. Rarely had Tokyo’s cycling team been placed anywhere but first, so naturally, they would have many supporters and equally as many who came to the race in hopes of seeing an upset. That wouldn’t happen though, the team would make sure of that.Makishima, however, would be lying if he said he actually liked the attention. The other five cyclists never seemed bothered by the cheering of their fans but for the climber, it was uncomfortable having so many pairs of eyes directed his way. When it came to races, he only wanted to ride together with his team until he was instructed to take off and climb the slope as fast as he could, claiming the climber’s checkpoint as not only his own but also the team’s.With a quick peek out to the side to see their coach and manager leading the way through the crowd and to the stage, Makishima expected Toudou to be a little bit withdrawn given this was the first time he was with the team for a race. He expected the pressure to be at least a bit daunting for their little peacock but it seemed Makishima was wrong. Very wrong.Toudou was in his natural environment. The spot light was on him as he led the way in front of their own captain, team jersey handing over his shoulders to show where exactly he belonged. Waving to the crowd as if they had come to cheer for him, Toudou was smiling bright and proudly.“Hey, who’s that handsome cute guy at the front? Is he a new member?” Makishima heard a girl ask her group as they passed by. The reaction was immediate, as if his ears were highly sensitive to people talking about him, Toudou spun around and pointed directly at the girl who spoke.“I’m glad you noticed! I am Toudou Jinpachi, Tokyo’s proud manager and number one most good looking man on the team. We’re going to-”His speech earned a sigh from the rest of the team while Arakita was the one who moved to shut their loud mouth manager up. Wrapping his arm around Toudou’s neck, Arakita dragged the manager away as the team continued forward.“Shut up, Toudou. We need to get to the stage.”“Arakita!” Toudou complained before turning back to face the ladies, smiling brightly with a large wave over his head. “Make sure you cheer loudly for us, ladies! We’ll need the energy of your voices to win!”The team walked away, listening to the high pitched squealing and KYAAA-ing of the girls. The opening ceremony was the same as always. The team had been on the stage so many times that Makishima had lost count, but that still made him no less anxious standing in front of so many people. Within the crowd below, they could easily find their manager. Although a little short, the bright headband with the word TOKYO written on top was impossible to miss. The first time the team saw Toudou wear it after his birthday was that morning, along with the jersey, and seeing their manager use their gifts was already a great boost to their morale.“Hey,” Makishima heard Arakita say from beside Shinkai. “Kyoto’s over there.” He nudged his chin to the side, indicating the other team was.Subtly, the team glanced off to the side, catching sight of the purple jersey they remembered Toudou showing them. The six cyclists were recognizable from the photos they had seen, their statistics already blaring loud and clear after Toudou had analysed the team and reported back. Still, Makishima never thought that seeing Midousuji smiling back at them with perfectly white teeth could be so spine chilling. It was creepy. Drawing his blue eyes back to Toudou, Makishima was partly glad that their manager seemed too excited at seeing the team on stage to notice the glares they were sending to Kyoto. “Oh my god, you guys looked great up there!” Toudou was bouncing like an overly excited puppy while giving the team their last check up before lining up for the race. “But y’know, if I were up there too, then the visual impact would have multiplied by at least ten!”“Don’t be so full of yourself, Toudou,” Arakita growled at their manager who was busy stuffing Shinkai’s pockets full of power bars.“You know I’m right though,” Toudou replied with a wink before crouching down to their bikes to check their water bottles, brakes and gears. The team shared fond smiles between each other while Toudou was busy, but they didn’t miss how his hands trembled a little wherever he touched. “I would steal all the ladies’ attention and they’ll swoon over my good looks.”“Toudou,” Fukutomi spoke up, earning the ravenhead’s attention from where he was crouched. “Are you nervous?”Straightening up, Toudou planted his hands firmly on his hips. “What, me? Nervous?” Toudou laughed. “Wahaha! Why would I be nervous?” He beamed up at the team. “You guys look good to go. Go out there and kick some ass!”Fukutomi nodded dutifully before reaching out to the shoulders either side of him, pulling the team in. A surprised noise left Toudou as Shinkai and Makishima wrapped their arms around his shoulder, pulling his upper body forward as well.“We are champions,” the captain stated. “And we’re not about to retire that title to anyone. We’re winning today.”“Yes!” The team replied in unison, the sound was strong and impactful, and Toudou had faith. “Ready. Start!”With that, the team pushed their foot down on the pedal, bringing their bikes to life. Bearing the single digit numbers, Tokyo led the pack at a steady pace. Cheers were all around them and the competitive atmosphere was familiar and welcomed.Toudou was waving to them behind the barriers but once they set off, he disappeared from their field of vision.“Somehow, this race feels a little different.” Tadokoro commented.“Do you not feel well?” Kinjou asked.“Nah, it’s probably because of Toudou,” Arakita said.“Didn’t expect him to be nervous,” Shinkai chuckled.“Kuha!” Makishima laughed. “Yeah and how he still mothered us right up to the starting line.”“Toudou would make a good mother,” Fukutomi said in his typical stoic voice but that made the statement all the more hilarious.The team laughed fondly, all reflecting on their precious manager and everything that had happened in the two months they had had him.That was until they were interrupted by a chilling voice.“What’s this? You’re laughing? Just before a serious race? That’s gross. Aren’t you taking the race a little too lightly, champions?”All six members snapped their heads around to see Midousuji riding closely behind them.“Midousuji.” Fukutomi greeted.“Oh, so you know me. How perfect.” Kyoto’s captain smiled dangerously.The rest of the team eyed their unwanted guest with coldness and caution while Midousuji continued.“I just rode over here to tell you that my aspiration for this year,” he paused for effect. “is crushing you, Tokyo.”A low growl left Arakita but the team stayed mostly silent.“Well, then,” Kyoto’s captain slowed down and began to disappear in the oncoming teams. “I’ll see you later.”There was an ominous weight left hanging over the team. Their eyes were focused on the front and nobody said anything for a long while. When the end of the parade section was in sight, Fukutomi spoke up in a tone of seriousness, almost like a vow.“We’ll win this.” The race consisted of a sprinter’s checkpoint, a climber’s checkpoint and the goal, all held on the same day. The team had reviewed the course multiple times, deciding to send Shinkai out, then Makishima, then the ace would take their jersey over the finish line. Tadokoro and Arakita made a mean blocking pair for teams who threatened them.True to Midousuji’s word, Kyoto wormed their way to the front of the pack and caught up with Tokyo, racing side by side while throwing taunts to rile the team up. They were, thankfully, aware of this sly tactic of Midousuji and were mentally prepared.With only five kilometres left until the first checkpoint, Shinkai broke away. They expected Kyoto to send out their #4 but instead, Midousuji sped up at the same time as Shinkai. Although the team was confident in their ace sprinter, the fact that Midousuji was personally going after the first checkpoint was oddly chilling. Riding ahead, Shinkai felt confident. His team believed in him, he was their ace sprinter after all. He was going to take the checkpoint and return to them with a third of the day’s victory already at hand. His teammates would be proud, pat him on the back like they always did whenever he proved his abilities as a sprinter. And then there was his manager, the newest member of their team who had made his place in all of their hearts. Bringing back a victory for him was also driving the team forward. The desire to hear his voice laced with pride and joy, to see his smile which shone brighter than the sun, to have him shower the team with praise and love.Shinkai couldn’t help the little chuckle that left him.“Why are you laughing?” Midousuji asked, suddenly appearing in his vision.“Sorry, Midousuji-kun. I just thought of the people who make me really happy.” Shinkai confessed with a smile.Midousuji pulled a face. “That’s gross. Very gross!”Shinkai laughed at his reaction. “It’s a shame you think that. Sometimes riding for other people adds to the thrill of a race.”Pulling ahead slightly, Midousuji repeated, “Gross! Why ride for other people when you can ride for yourself? Other people only slow you down. I mean, that’s why we’re out here at the front, on our own.”“Yes, but I have the team behind me.” And my manager waiting for me after the checkpoint. Shinkai smiled at his unspoken words. “As long as I am wearing this jersey, I ride with and for my team.”Midousuji blew a raspberry. “You’re funny. You say some funny things. But what good are they all the way back there? It’s not like they can help you.”Shinkai put his foot down a little harder on the pedal to gain back his lead but Midousuji weaved in front of him and the redhead hesitated on overtaking his left side.“Oops. Sorry, but you’re not getting past.”With only two kilometre left, a huff of a laugh left Shinkai before he tried again, pushing down the heaviness in his chest the further he continued to ride on Midousuji’s left side.The second he was about to overtake, Kyoto’s ace pointed a short distance away, off to Shinkai’s left side and shouted, “Rabbit!”He felt his heart clench at the word. Flashes of a dark memory instantly surfaced and Shinkai unconsciously pulled the brakes. The distance between him and Midousuji grew significantly. His chest felt constricted and his breath came out short and strained.“So it’s true~” Midousuji sang from where he rode several metres ahead of Tokyo’s sprinter. “Since the day you ran over that rabbit, you’re still hesitant on passing your opponents on the left.”With much effort, Shinkai caught up with Midousuji in the final five hundred metres. He managed a laugh. “The rumours were right, Midousuji-kun. You research your opponents quite thoroughly.”“Well, of course. I did come to crush you, after all.”“I see.” Shinkai had his head lowered, one hand covering the upper half of his face. “I hate to say it but even though your information is correct,” his hand slowly slid down his face, revealing a dangerous red flash in his usually deep blue eyes. “You’re a little outdated!”Instantly, Shinkai sped past Midousuji’s left side. There was a surprised noise from the other cyclist but Shinkai ignored it, his inner demon taking over while his more collected side reminisced back to the time when he was talking to Toudou about Usakichi.
“So that’s why the file says you didn’t pass anyone’s left side for a couple of months.” Toudou nodded after hearing Shinkai’s story. “Are you okay now?”
“Well,” Shinkai rubbed the back of his neck. “Everyone has helped out a lot and I’m better,” he offered a reassuring smile. “But still a little uncomfortable with it so I try to avoid it.”
“Y’know, Hayato.” Toudou looked at him firmly. “Usakichi’s mother is probably really grateful that you came back for her child. I mean, you didn’t have to, you could have just left the baby rabbit to die out there in the wild. But you didn’t. You’ve taken her home, looked after her and still shower her with lots of love.” Toudou smiled brightly up at Shinkai. “So, don’t stand still in one place, Hayato. You’re a sprinter. You’re supposed to move forward. I’m sure she probably doesn’t want to see you held back by the past.”
Before he realised it, Shinkai had claimed the checkpoint. Pumping a fist firmly into the air, he looked up to the Heavens.“Did you see that? I’m moving forward.” The redhead said quietly, voice barely heard over the roaring cheers of the crowd, but Shinkai was sure that she heard him loud and clear. The team had caught up with their sprinter before long, patting Shinkai on the back for his hard work as they made their way to the resupply point before entering the mountains.“Hey, over here!” They heard a familiar voice call out to them as the white tents came into view.“As loud as ever, huh?” Arakita said, smirk evident in his voice.Toudou was waving a bottle of water in each hand with a bag hanging at his elbows. The sight of their manager put a smile on the team’s faces. Beside him, both Kanzakis were there with the supplies ready too and after passing them to the cyclists, they all cheered and waved as they continued their race.After taking a swig, Arakita noticed something written on his bottle. He frowned down at the words, trying to decipher what was written.
Give me your best howl, Wolf Boy~
Throwing his head around, he glared back at his manager who was still jumping and waving at the team from the resupply tent.Holding the bottle in the air, Arakita yelled at the top of his lungs. “FUCK YOU, TOUDOU!”Normal people would probably be offended but this was Toudou. He only smiled wider and waved more frantically at the response.Arakita turned back with a huff.“What did he do?” Tadokoro asked.“This.” Arakita held up the bottle with the words scribbled over it.“Hey, I’ve got a message too,” Shinkai said, only just noticing the black marks on his bottle too. “Good job with the sprint.”“Did he write one for everyone? I’ve got Thanks for pulling the team,” Tadokoro read, huffing at the message before taking a sip. “I kinda don’t want to throw it away now.”“Don’t get sentimental, Jin-kun.” Shinkai chuckled.“Get our ace to the goal,” Fukutomi replied.The two captains shared a nod, before Kinjou read his message. “I’ll be waiting at the finish line.”“Why did he write nice things for everyone else?” Arakita scowled. “Hey, Makishima, what did he write for you?”“Uhh,” the climber looked away briefly, itching the side of his face. “G-Go show them your spidey skills…”“Ha! At least I wasn’t the only one.” Arakita seemed satisfied that he wasn’t alone when it came to Toudou’s shitty messages.“What did yours say, Yasutomo?” Fukutomi asked.“I’m not telling you, Fuku-chan!” It was uncertain whether Kyoto was going to catch up with them again when they entered the mountain stage but once Makishima broke away, their question was quickly answered by the blur of purple which suddenly overtook the rest of the team.“Midousuji?!” Arakita shouted as he registered who the cyclist was. “But didn’t he just race Shinkai?”“Yasutomo, focus.” Fukutomi said from behind him.“Makishima will be fine.” Kinjou reassured.“I know that.” The other climber huffed. “It’s just weird that Kyoto is sending Midousuji again.”They all knew it was weird but what mattered in that moment was for Arakita to draft for the team while Makishima took the mountain checkpoint. The road up to the mountain was clear and Makishima was free to climb it as he wished. Being so far ahead of all other cyclists, the air was quiet, occasionally carrying a light breeze which ruffled the trees around him, threading through his hair and making it sway even more.Sometimes Makishima wished that he had a rival on these climbs. Someone he could compete with and race with all his might. Arakita was a skilled climber but Makishima could tell that his ability truly shone as a puller on all terrain, not just for the uphill. What Makishima wanted was someone who could push him past his limits and maybe even had a strange technique of his own. Someone like Toudou.At first when his manager told him about his way of riding was silent and 100% efficient, Makishima thought he was lying. In fact, the whole team thought he was joking around and fluffing his feathers up for show. But then he joined the team training one time and they saw firsthand Toudou’s silent climb.
Noiselessly, the rest of the team watched as Toudou accelerated right up behind Arakita who was riding ahead.
“Arakita.” Toudou said from behind, like a whisper in the wind.
“The fuck?!” Arakita turned around and even though he only saw the team a few metres behind him, everyone else witnessed Toudou shift to the other side before overtaking.
“Wahaha, you fell for it, Arakita!” Their manager laughed, turning around to point at Arakita in triumph.
“Toudou! What the fuck?! When did you-?”
“Do you believe me now? I am the Mountain God, blessed thrice and also dubbed Sleeping Beauty.” He announced proudly, chest puffing out confidently. “So, what do you think of my sleeping climb?” He looked back at the team, eyes sparkling at the expected praise.
“That’s kind of creepy,” Shinkai admitted.
“Like a ninja.” Fukutomi said.
“Yep, definitely a ninja.” Tadokoro agreed.
“What?!”
“Kuha! Looks like you’re a creepy ninja now, Toudou.” Makishima laughed, masking the way he truly felt.
“You’re so mean!” Toudou pouted. “I’ve never once said your dancing was creepy! Come on, you have to admit Maki-chan’s dancing is creepier than mine!”
“…”
Silence.
“You’re kidding me?!” Toudou deflated, falling back into place behind Kinjou. “I read how other people kept saying Maki-chan’s dancing was weird so I was being considerate by saying that it was unique and very Maki-chan-like! So why don’t I get the same treatment?!”
He continued to pout until the end of training, sulking about how apparently no-one knew how to appreciate true beauty.
It was uncertain whether Toudou knew at the time, but in fact, no-one was unimpressed by his technique. It was, as he said, silent and efficient. There were no wasted movements and therefore no wasted energy in producing sound. If he were to race competitively, Makishima didn’t doubt that Toudou would be one of the best climbers in the nation.
“Don’t tell me you’re daydreaming in a middle of a race?”The sudden voice made Makishima snap his head to the side, eyes widening a little at his company. Had he really been so lost in thought that he didn’t notice Midousuji ride up beside him?Makishima tried to laugh but it only came out as a weird, nervous sound. “I didn’t think anyone would catch up.”“Oh, Tokyo has become arrogant from their continued victories.” Midousuji said, dramatically throwing his hand over his forehead. “Perhaps I was mistaken for considering them worthy opponents.”“Kuha! Think what you wish.” Makishima was usually a patient person but when it came to Midousuji’s nonsense, the climber found himself wanting to leave as quickly as possible.Rising off his seat and tapping to change gears, Makishima leant his bike far to the side, angling it impossibly low towards the ground as he sped up on the incline, swaying his body from side to side.But he didn’t quite shake the other cyclist off, Midousuji caught up in a matter of seconds.“You dancing is weird.” Midousuji commented. “Actually, it’s gross. It’s gross! Don’t you know how to ride a bike?”“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.” Makishima shrugged, having heard that his dancing was gross for long enough.“Gross! You’re just as bad as your teammates.”“Kuha!” Makishima laughed. “So what? We’re a team, after all.”With that, Makishima put his foot down hard on the pedal, determined to put a decisive distance between him and Midousuji.
“Maki-chan, you’re dancing is so unique! It’s just like you!” Toudou smiled brightly up at him. “Don’t listen to anyone who says otherwise. It makes you fast and it makes you win, so you should be proud of your technique! Because it makes you you.”
Thanks for the reminder, Jinpachi. Makishima thought as he remembered Toudou’s reaction to seeing his dancing the first time. It was nerve-wracking at first. He didn’t want to creep out his new manager in the first week of meeting him but after showing him, and Toudou seemed nothing short of impressed, Makishima felt a little more at ease.It was the following weeks after that which made Makishima truly see Toudou’s worth as their manager. The love he had for the team was certainly reciprocated warmly and honestly by the whole team. And perhaps, there was a different type of love Makishima found himself giving as well. Uncontested in the final kilometre, the climber’s checkpoint was claimed by Makishima and that marked the end of the mountain stage and the start of the final stage of the race.Pulled by Arakita, the team caught up to Makishima before long. They didn’t slow down to catch their breaths after the climb, instead, they had their eyes solely focused on the goal line.“Why, why are you like this?” Midousuji’s voice came from behind them.Kyoto had kept up with them for the duration of the downhill section and it appeared that they were going to challenge them for the goal.“What do you mean?” Fukutomi asked, giving Midousuji his typical stoic expression.“You’re champions, yet what drives you all forward is something as weak as teamwork and friendship? That’s ridiculous!”“You don’t understand, Midousuji,” Tadokoro spoke up, riding to the front to relieve Arakita of pulling. “There’s more to it than teamwork and friendship here. We agreed to fulfil something at the start of the race and we aim to do exactly that. There is someone waiting for us across the finish line, that’s why we want to get there as soon as possible and before anyone else.”“Something and someone?” Midousuji frowned.The team shared a knowing smile between each other before rising off their seats in practiced unison before powering forward.“Let’s not keep him waiting any longer!” Fukutomi called, followed by the affirmative shouts of his teammates. Bouncing on the balls of his feet, Toudou waited behind the barriers only a foot beyond the goal line. Every few minutes, he would stretch his neck far out to see whether there were any incoming cyclists. The radio said that Tokyo was leading by a relatively safe margin from the next team, Kyoto, but Toudou still couldn’t be completely relaxed until he knew that the entire team was over the finish line and safely in their tent.Flicking open his phone, he checked the time only to have his attention drawn down the road as the crowd erupted in cheers.“It’s Tokyo’s ace!”“Kinjou!”Toudou was leaning so far out that the barrier underneath him was creaking under his weight. However, he didn’t care. His violet eyes were fixed to the vice captain, riding alone towards the finish line.“Kinjou!” Toudou called, earning said cyclists attention and smile.At that point, Toudou was literally jumping up and down in uncontained excitement and happiness. He held his hand out and the moment Kinjou’s front wheel crossed the line, their hands were in reach, the distinct sound of a high five rang loud and clear with the crowd’s cheer following shortly after.“Tokyo wins! The first rider to cross the finish line is Kinjou Shingo, Tokyo’s ace!”The announcement continued but Toudou was already leaping over the barrier, sprinting over to the vice captain who was still catching his breath. He watched the cyclist wobble a little before reaching out to steady his shoulders.“Kinjou! Hey, are you alright?” Toudou asked, frantically digging in his bag for a towel as he registered the amount of sweat on the other’s face.Kinjou threw his leg off his bike, Kanzaki catching the vehicle before it clattered to the ground, the winner supported himself on Toudou. Taking the chance to lower Kinjou to the ground, Toudou unbuckled his helmet and then proceeded to wipe his face of sweat.Green eyes behind pink tinted glasses blinked up at him and when they met violet, Kinjou offered a smile.“I’m back.” He said simply and the smile he received put the sun beating overhead to shame.“Congrats on winning!” Toudou beamed. “And welcome back!” Fukutomi’s arrival was announced not long after taking Kinjou to their tent. The blonde didn’t seem as exhausted as their vice captain but Toudou still proceeded with his mothering.“We did it, Toudou.” Fukutomi said, earning an enthusiastic nod from Toudou.“You did! Just like you said you would!”Their hands raised to the air and high fived in celebration. The rest of the team finished the race together, joining their captains in the tent as winners of the day’s race.“Welcome back, everyone!” Toudou cheered, leaping at the team with his arms wide, tackling them into a hot, sweaty bundle of tired limbs.“Jesus, Toudou! Get off!” Arakita complained, lightly pushing the weight off him.“But I’m so happy! You guys were amazing out there! You did so well. I can’t express how proud I am!” Even in their arms, Toudou was vibrating like an overly excited child.“This isn’t the first time we’ve won, y’know,” Tadokoro laughed, petting Toudou’s head as he turned to nuzzle into Makishima’s shoulder.“I know that! But it’s the first time for me!”“Oh, yeah, Jinpachi.” Shinkai reached his hand out and pointed to the bench while still half stuck underneath Fukutomi. “We bought these back.”Toudou looked up to see the six bottles he wrote on earlier in the day all lined up.“Wha-? Why?” He looked confusedly at his teammates. Surely, it was unnecessary to carry it all the way back with them.“We’ve never received something like that at the resupply point before,” Kinjou informed.“Wahaha! It’s just a bottle, guys.”“It’s a bottle you graffiti-ed on!” Arakita corrected, earning a laugh from the team.“It was special,” Makishima shrugged the best he could with Toudou half splayed over him.“So we thought to bring them back and keep them,” Tadokoro finished, offering a smile of his own.“Ha! You can keep yours.” Arakita laughed. “I only brought mine back to do this…” Quickly, he snatched up his bottle and whacked Toudou’s head with it.“Ouch, that hurt!” Their manager cried out, massaging the sore spot on his head.“That’s what you get for writing such a shitty message.” He huffed. “And don’t call me wolf boy!” He added, making the team laugh together again.By the time their laughter had subsided a little, Toudou carefully climbed off the exhausted cyclists. He looked out of the tent to see the remaining riders cross the finish line only to catch a glimpse of Midousuji looking right back at him. Toudou stiffened, but otherwise did nothing. Kyoto’s ace turned his back on him a second later anyway but violet eyes continued to watch that elongated back until it had completely disappeared into the crowd. The closing ceremony had the typical flowers and photos at the end, forcing the team to be alert for a little while longer. However, by the time they were on the coach back to Tokyo, every one of them was fast asleep. Toudou found himself smiling at them with fondness, truly proud from the bottom of his heart.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Through the fogginess of sleep, Makishima could make out the voices of his teammates speaking in hushed voices close by.“Hey, isn’t this Toudou’s place?” Arakita asked.“Didn’t you hear Juichi yesterday?” Shinkai replied. “He said we’re staying at Jinpachi’s for the next few days.”That made Makishima blink open his eyes. The ceiling was familiar and if he didn’t already know that he was at Toudou’s ryokan then it may have taken him longer to figure out where he was. He wanted to push himself up into a sitting position but his body protested, achy limbs crying out and wanting to stay still.“Oh, he’s awake.” Shinkai noticed, smiling down at Makishima who returned it, albeit a little sleepily. “Did you sleep well?”“Who wouldn’t after a race,” the climber replied with a laugh.“Ha! That’s true,” Arakita laughed. “Look, the bear’s still snoring away.”Finally, Makishima mustered the energy to push himself up into a sitting position to see Tadokoro lightly snoring.“Why are we here, anyway?” Makishima asked.“Jinpachi asked Juichi whether we’re happy to spend the night here so we could use their onsens and recover. Juichi did ask us and we all replied with a yes, so here we are.” Shinkai answered.“I don’t remember agreeing.” Arakita mumbled.“Me neither.” Makishima said.“Well, you both nodded,” Shinkai smiled.“We were asleep!”“I don’t mind so much though,” Makishima shrugged. “Their onsens are really good.” Neither Shinkai nor Arakita disagreed with that. “Say, where’s Kinjou and Fukutomi?” Makishima asked after noticing that they were two captains short.“Don’t know,” Arakita shrugged. “They were gone when we woke up.”“Maybe,” Shinkai got up with a quiet groan, no doubt his body was also wanting to rest. “We should go look for them.”The three of them stepped out of the private guest room and made their way to the main building. They didn’t go far when they saw Toudou trotting down the stairs with an empty tray, dressed once again in a yukata with the staff haori over the top.“Oh, Maki-chan, Hayato, Arakita.” Toudou greeted, padding down the corridor to meet half the team. “Did you sleep well?”“We did, thank you, Jinpachi,” Shinkai replied with a smile. “Are you busy?”“Not really.” Toudou shook his head. “It’s that time of year where it’s a bit more relaxed. Follow me, I’ll take you to breakfast.”Again with grace and professionalism Toudou only showed when he was working at the inn, he directed the cyclists to a different lounge from last time.They walked in to Fukutomi and Kinjou setting the table.“Good morning,” the captains greeted in unison which the team members replied with a greeting of their own.“I’ll get everyone some tea,” Toudou said, sliding the door open just as a woman stepped into view.“Oh, more are awake,” she smiled. “I brought tea.”It took Makishima a moment to blink between the woman and Toudou, because for a moment, he thought he was still dreaming. But no, he was in fact awake and there stood two Toudous who shared many identical features. Shiny, dark hair, violet eyes and bright smile. She appeared taller than his manager, but not by much, dressed similarly to Toudou, with the staff haori over her yukata.She set down the tray which carried a teapot and seven empty cups.“Jinpachi, would you mind waking up the last one?”“Sure, I can do that.” Toudou bowed politely before leaving the room.“So, as you may have guessed, I’m Jinpachi’s sister, Haruka, also owner of this ryokan. You can just call me nee-san.” She winked, pouring them a cup of tea each. “So tell me, has he been well?”The team looked between each other before nodding at her.“He’s been doing a fine job.” Fukutomi replied.“More than just fine,” Kinjou corrected.The captain nodded in agreement. “He works hard and does more than enough. We’re lucky to have him, really.”“I’m glad to hear that,” Haruka smiled. “I’m also glad to have you lot here! When Jinpachi called yesterday evening and asked whether the team could stay, I couldn’t say no. It’s like asking me whether I wanted to meet celebrities,” she tossed her head back in a familiar laugh which made the team smile in response. “Really, it’s a pleasure to meet you all. I’ve wanted to ever since I heard about everyone helping out at the inn.”“Thank you for having us,” Kinjou bowed respectfully.“No no,” the innkeeper bowed in return. “I should be thanking you… for a lot of things.” The tone she ended that sentence in was quiet and slightly sad.The team exchanged questioning looks between them before looking back at the innkeeper.“Please, continue to look after him. He’s a lot happier now that he’s found the team.”“You can count on us,” Shinkai said softly.“But what do you mean by ‘he’s… happier now’?” Makishima asked carefully.Haruka chuckled lightly behind her hand but the smile she wore was sad. “If it weren’t for me, you may have met Jinpachi as a competitive cyclist. He had every potential to go pro but I took that away from him.”The team remained silent.“I don’t know whether he told you, but in his last year of high school, he was supposed to be Hakogaku’s ace climber at Interhigh.”“Hakogaku?” Arakita asked quietly.“Oh, that’s the high school he went to. It’s also the place he mentors every weekend.” Toudou’s sister answered, before continuing. “But, because I wasn’t at all ready for the responsibilities of taking over the ryokan, and because that idiot being too loyal for his own good, Jinpachi pulled out of the competition to help me here.”Makishima glanced up to see two shadows behind the screen door, their figures were easily recognisable and due to the innkeeper having her back to the door, she didn’t notice. The climber was about to say something when he felt Kinjou place a hand over his, drawing his attention to the vice captain. Kinjou only shook his head before looking back at Haruka.“He worked here after graduating and helped out the cycling club at Hakogaku. He never said it out loud but it was obvious he couldn’t let cycling go. And honestly, I don’t want him to. It makes him happy and gives him a place more than the ryokan ever can.”Makishima couldn’t help but anxiously look up at where Toudou stood only a few feet away from his sister.“So, when I heard that he was accepted as a manager for your team, I was overjoyed, but also a bit nervous for him. I wanted him to find a good place and have good people by his side, especially after all the trouble I caused him.” She sighed. “Not to mention after starting his work for no more than a month, I decided to collapse and take him away from something he was only settling into.”“You can’t blame yourself for that,” Shinkai said, trying to alleviate a bit of her self-deprecation.“I’m sure Toudou doesn’t blame you either,” Arakita added.“He’s not the type to do that,” Fukutomi nodded in agreement to his teammates.“You guys are very sweet,” she was smiling again. “As a selfish request from his sister, please keep that smile on his face. He loses 80% of his charm without it.”The atmosphere of the room was lightened by that last sentence, giving the team the ease to let out a laugh. They promised her that they would keep Toudou happy and safe, and she offered the team a bright smile which only a Toudou could give. The conversation moved on before Toudou and Tadokoro made their presence known. Breakfast was served during which Toudou told them the plans for the next few days.“A hike?” Arakita asked.“Yeah! I’ll take you to the back of Mount Hakone and we’ll hike up the old footpath that my parents used to take me.” Toudou offered. “It’ll be a nice change from cycling and it isn’t a difficult walk.”“And this will help with our core, I suppose.” Fukutomi said, to which Toudou nodded.“I don’t want to go on a hike! I’m still tired from the race!” Arakita complained.“That’s why the hike is tomorrow!” Toudou pouted. “Rest up today and we’ll climb tomorrow. Weren’t you the one who said you wanted to go to the mountains if we ever had a day off?”“The hell? You remember that?” Arakita was surprised that their manager still remembered one of the first conversations they ever had with him.“Of course,” Toudou smiled proudly. “And then we’ll go to the beach the day after. Does that sound good?”The rest of the team nodded and that settled their schedule for their three days of rest. In the humid air, under the sparse leaves of the trees that towered overhead, even for a climber like Makishima, hiking Mount Hakone was a whole different story. Riding up a slope seemed far easier than walking an incline which was unbalanced and muddy. More than a few times, Makishima reached out with his long arms to grab a branch of a nearby tree in order to steady himself.“Not a difficult hike, my fucking ass.” Arakita cursed from behind Kinjou. The climber was having a hard time, along with Tadokoro who was at the back of the group. Even with the use of hiking sticks, it was doing little to help the natural sprinter up the mountain by foot.Shinkai wasn’t doing too badly behind Makishima, but even though they were leading the rest of the team and following after Toudou, they couldn’t catch up with their manager, who was leaping up the old footpath like a mountain goat had possessed him.“Yasutomo! Jin-kun!” Shinkai shouted from ahead of them, tossing a power bar to them each. “Eat up.”“Thanks, Shinkai,” Tadokoro replied, peeling open the packet before biting down on the snack.“How much further?” Kinjou asked, but his voice didn’t quite reach Toudou who was several metres ahead.“Hey, Toudou!” Makishima called, making the ravenhead turn around with a questioning tilt of his head. “How much further?” “Not very!” Toudou shouted back with a big wave over his head. “There’s a flat bit up ahead where we can take a food break.”“Oh my god, flats!” Arakita cheered, speeding up and overtaking the two captains.“How is he a climber, exactly?” Tadokoro laughed, to which Fukutomi only shrugged. When they reached a small clearing with a few empty benches, the team scattered to occupy their own space to catch their breath.“Wow, how are you guys so tired already?”“Damnit, Toudou!” Arakita lunged at their manager, pulling him into a headlock. “You didn’t have a race two days ago. Plus, we’re cyclists! We don’t hike!”“Hey! Not the hair!” Toudou complained when Arakita started ruffling his hair roughly, dislodging his headband out of place.With a huff, Arakita let Toudou go. The manager was pouting, fixing his headband and soothing down the strands which were sticking out.“Anyway, where’s the food?”“Huh? They should be in your pack.” Toudou responded, but when everyone looked at him in various degrees of confusion and blankness, violet eyes widened in realisation. “Wait, you didn’t bring anything with you?”The team shook their heads in unison.“What?!” Toudou gaped. “I had them lined up on the table. You didn’t take them with you?!”“Oh, so that’s what they were.” Tadokoro commented.Throwing his head back, Toudou groaned. “I can’t believe this. What were you thinking?! Did you think I was going to bring the stuff for you?”Toudou was met with silence.“Who do you think I am, your mother?!”Slowly, every member of the team nodded.“Oh my god, you guys!” Toudou swung his backpack over his shoulder and then threw it at Arakita.“What-?!”But Toudou interrupted him. “There’s two bottles of water in there, a few snacks and some fruit. Share it between yourselves and meet me by the road, two kilometres from the peak. I’ll bring your supplies.” Toudou turned to make his way down the way they came up but Fukutomi called him.“We don’t know the way though.”Then, something was tossed towards Makishima who had to scramble forward before the item hit the ground. He managed to catch it one-handed before realising that it was Toudou’s phone in his grasp.“Follow the route on there. Password is ‘Maki-chan’.”And with a wave, Toudou was leaping down the mountain like a goat, leaving the team in a daze.“His password’s your name?” Shinkai smirked at Makishima who ignored the redhead in favour of flicking open Toudou’s phone and accessing the map.“Hey, Fuku-chan,” Arakita called, earning his captain’s attention. “Apple.”“Thanks,” the blonde replied, catching the fruit before taking a bite. They shared the food out, as well as the water, resting their legs before they continued their route to the edge of the road where Toudou said he would meet them.“So this is where Toudou used to hike when he was younger.” Kinjou stated more than asked.Fukutomi nodded. “If he walked this path regularly, his body would be well trained.”“It probably explains why he’s got good body balance,” Shinkai said. “Y’know, how he rides without making a sound.” Through the trees, they could hear the distinct sound of vehicles driving along the mountain road. By following Toudou’s phone, they made it to viewpoint on the mountain side. The clearing looked out to the town below and offered picnic tables where two families were eating lunch.The team took a moment to admire the scenery before they were startled by a sudden voice behind them.“It’s pretty, isn’t it?”“Toudou?!” They spun around to see said man leaning casually on his white Ridley, with a larger backpack over his shoulders.“How did you get back up here so quick?” Arakita asked.“How else do you think?” Toudou smiled proudly, “I climbed!” But when he received nothing but questioning looks, Toudou seemed to hesitate. “On my bike?” He patted his handlebars as if emphasising his point.There was a pause as the team registered his words. Toudou had made his way down the mountain, gone back to the inn, retrieved their supplies before mounting his bike to climb the distance from the foot of the mountain to where they were standing two kilometres from the peak... Not anyone could do that so quickly but here he was, their manager, standing over his bike, unknowingly proving something amazing.“Wow…” Shinkai whistled.“What?!” Toudou looked between the team in confusion.“You’re incredible, you know that,” Tadokoro laughed, throwing a thick arm over Toudou’s shoulders as he continued to chuckle.“Wha-? What’s that about?” Toudou asked, squirming under the weight over him. “Of course, I know I’m incredible. I’ve been blessed thrice by the Mountain God. But why bring it up now?”The team shared light shakes of their heads and smiled.“Good job getting back to us, Toudou,” Kinjou said.“Welcome back,” Makishima added with a small smile.Toudou looked between them, still a little confused but he smiled brightly back anyway. “Good to be back!”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The moment Toudou’s foot stepped off the coach, someone dived at him, pulling the ravenhead into a tight hug. At first, Toudou wasn’t sure who it was but a familiar, black cropped head was in his vision and when he spoke, a wave of nostalgia smacked him around the face.“Jinpachi! It’s been forever! How have you been?”“Shuusaku!” Toudou returned the embrace, smiling brightly at his middle school friend. “I’ve been great!”Pulling apart, they kept their hands on each other’s shoulders, beaming at one another. “It’s so good to see you!”“You too!”Behind Toudou, he could hear the rest of the team filing out of the coach and he thought to introduce his friend to everyone. Detaching himself, the manager turned to the side with a smile.“Guys, this is Shuusaku,” Toudou introduced. “My friend from middle school.”“H-Hello!” Shuusaku squeaked, making Toudou look at him with concern. Standing rigidly, his friend seemed to pale a little at the presence of the team. Toudou didn’t understand why but he continued with the introductions anyway.“This is Fuku, our captain. Vice-captain is Kinjou. That’s Makishima and the bear, and Hayato and Arakita.” He sped through the names with his arm gesturing at said person. Shuusaku nodded dumbly as Toudou continued to talk. “Let’s get our stuff and go!”He pumped his fist in the air, gathering their belongings before heading towards the beach house where Shuusaku worked. “It’s been a while since I last came here. I heard the beach house has been redone.”“O-Oh, yeah!” Shuusaku shook his head to snap him out of whatever he was in. “Minami-san had the place redecorated and extended last summer.”“Is that so.” A devilish grin appeared on Toudou’s face as he threw an arm over his friend’s shoulders, whispering not so quietly, “So how’s it going with you and Minami-san, hmm?”The blush on Shuusaku’s face erupted immediately, pushing Toudou away from him. “Shh, what are you-” He peeked over his shoulder to see the rest of the team following them in silence. “Not in front of your team!” He hissed.Toudou raised a questioning eyebrow. “What? Why?” He glanced over his own shoulder, flashing the team with a bright smile before turning back to his friend.“I feel like they’re going to judge me!” Shuusaku cried under his breath.“What are you saying? They’re not like that.” Toudou couldn’t understand why his friend got that impression from the team.“Jinpachi, are you serious?” His friend attempted another glance over his shoulder, ducking towards Toudou to make sure they weren’t overheard. “They look like they’re gonna kill me if I do something wrong. How do you work with people so intimidating?!”“Wahaha!” Toudou threw his head back in laughter. “Nonsense, Shuusaku! You’re worrying too much!”Unconvinced, his friend only pouted as they entered the lobby of the beach house.Suddenly, as if the switch inside Shuusaku had been flicked, he turned around to the team with new found confidence. His arms were spread either side of him as he announced, “So, welcome to Minami-san’s family beach house. She’s the lovely and passionate keeper of this-”Unfortunately, Shuusaku’s speech was interrupted by a loud call of a female voice.“JINPACHIII!”For the second time that morning, Toudou was tackled into a tight embrace, his face suffocating in something soft and- Oh! Toudou felt his cheeks heat up at the realisation and even though, he was near to certainly gay, he could still appreciate the pillow-like feeling of female breasts.“It’s so good to see you! You’ve grown up so much! You’re like a real man now. Oh, I’ve missed your handsome face!” The young woman was bouncing up and down as she spoke, making Toudou faceplant continuously into her chest.“M-Minami-san…” Shuusaku’s voice came from beside them, sounding oddly like he was about to cry.“Oh, sorry!” She pulled away abruptly, releasing Toudou from his potential death. “I just got too excited,” she laughed. Taking a step back, she thrust a thumb towards herself and introduced, “I’m Minami. I run the place and provide only the best service to all holiday-goers who come to the beach.”The team bowed politely, thanking her for her hospitality before she turned back to Toudou.“Thank you for having us,” Toudou also bowed in gratitude.“Aren’t you the sweetest~” Minami chuckled, reaching her arms to Toudou’s shoulder to give him a more normal hug. Being prepared this time, Toudou returned the gesture. “Still sporting the headband, I see,” she commented, tracing her hand over the red headband sat atop shiny black hair.“Wahaha!” Toudou laughed. “Thanks to you, I can’t live without them now.”They shared a smile between them before pulling away.Turning to the team, her previous professionalism was back and she did a quick rundown of the rules and schedule of the beach house. The team nodded obediently and when all the introductory speeches were made, they were given keys and directions to their room. “That kid looked like he was going to shit his pants the entire way here,” Arakita said, flopping backwards onto his bed, bouncing a little upon impact.Shinkai chuckled in response. “It’s probably because you looked ready to kill.”“Only because he attacked Toudou the moment he got off the coach!” Arakita defended.With a shrug, Shinkai took a seat by Arakita’s side, reaching out to soothe over the other’s dark bangs.Arakita sighed at the gesture, relaxing under Shinkai’s gentle touch. It was uncertain how much time passed when they heard a knock on their door.“Shinkai. Yasutomo,” came their captain’s voice and they both straightened up.“Come in,” they called together.The door opened, their two captains stepping in. “Is your room alright?”“It’s good,” Shinkai nodded. “No problems at all.”Fukutomi returned a nod before saying, “Toudou said to meet in the lobby in half an hour, then we’ll go down to the beach.”“Half an hour,” Arakita repeated. “Got’cha. We’ll be there.”They watched their captains leave, turning out of their door and towards Makishima and Tadokoro’s room. There was a knock on their teammate’s door before their own door clicked shut.“Don’t you think Toudou’s still working too hard?” Arakita asked, Shinkai having already stripped off his top and rummaging for his towel and swimming trunks.“You mean with organizing the trips and stuff?” Shinkai asked, looking over his shoulder at his teammate still lying on the bed.“Yeah, I mean,” he turned to the side, gaze travelling up and down Shinkai’s bare back, appreciating the lines of defined muscle. “We’re relaxing and supposedly recovering from the race but he hasn’t stopped working.”Shinkai hummed in response, ignoring the way Arakita’s eyes were wandering all over his body. “Yesterday was kind of our fault. Y’know, for forgetting to pack food and drink but today, Jinpachi will get some down time while we’re on the beach. He won’t be working then.”“I suppose you’re right,” Arakita sighed, pushing himself off the bed to get changed. Half an hour later, Makishima and the team were dressed in nothing but their swimming trunks and sandals.“Is everyone here?”The team turned around to see Toudou dressed similarly to them, with a hat over his head and a backpack over his bare upper body. It was the first time they had seen Toudou without a top and although they knew he was built, they didn’t expect Toudou to be that fit. His small frame was tanned and carried toned muscles, the waistband of his trunks hung comfortably against his hip bone, covering up most of his thigh which were no doubt powerful from his experienced climbing.Handing one umbrella to Fukutomi and another to Tadokoro, Toudou led the way out of the building, either having not noticed the team’s appreciation of his body or having chosen to remain silent about it. Most likely the former because if he had noticed, they were sure he wouldn’t shut up about it. The moment Toudou laid out a beach mat and stabbed an umbrella angled perfectly over the material, Makishima made himself comfortable by sitting down. The sun was high in the clear sky, beating down on the half dressed beach-goers, running around, playing volleyball or swimming. The environment was warm and even though he knew he was highly susceptible to sunburn, Makishima enjoyed beach trips.“Shinkai, I’ll race you to the water!” Arakita said, tossing his beach towel onto the other mat Kinjou had just laid out.“You’re on, Yasutomo!”“Wait-!” Toudou tried to protest but the two cyclists had already begun their race. “Ugghh, they haven’t put sunscreen on yet!” Toudou groaned loudly, throwing his head back before rummaging for something in his backpack. He pulled out three bottles of sunscreen, tossing one to Kinjou then another at Tadokoro. “Put that on, now.” He ordered. “I don’t want anyone to get burnt today. You’ll ruin your skin.” Muttering in frustration, Toudou knelt down behind Makishima, bundling his hair together before tying it into a ponytail.“Hey, what are you-?” Makishima protested.“Hold still, Maki-chan.” Toudou scolded. “I need to get your hair out of the way so I can apply sunscreen.”“No, that’s… I can do that myself.”“Not happening.” Toudou argued. “You’re the palest one here. If you don’t protect yourself properly, you’re going to end up looking like a tomato by the end of the day. Then you’re going to start shedding like you’ve got some horrible skin disease and that won’t do!”Makishima heard the cap of the sunscreen bottle open, a squirt of liquid, then the cap closed again. There was a slippery, coldness applied to his shoulder blades, making him shiver momentarily before Toudou went to work with covering every inch of his body with lotion.With a glance to the side, he saw his other three teammates applying their own sunscreen, smiling a knowing smile which had become a regular thing since Toudou joined them.Makishima hadn’t realised Toudou had removed his hands, too busy bathing in the warmth of the air surrounding him. Then, when he heard a shuffle from behind, he tilted his head back to see Toudou standing over him with a large smile on his face.“You like what you see?” Toudou teased and it took all of Mkaishima’s will power not to nod dumbly because yes, he very much liked seeing Toudou topless and showing off his muscles.“Kuha! You’re imagining things,” Makishima managed to lie, earning a cute pout from his manager.“So mean! This is the last time I’m going to be half naked in front of you, Maki-chan!”Something deflated inside Makishima, a feeling of disappointment that Toudou might actually be serious. Well that wasn’t what Makishima wanted. He wanted to see Toudou half naked, maybe even a bit more naked. But before he even collected himself enough to begin thinking of a reply, Toudou had hastily applied sunscreen on himself. Within seconds, he was dashing out into the direct sun, charging down the beach towards where Arakita and Shinkai were splashing around like overgrown teenagers.The rest of them watch as Toudou charged towards the water, waving his hands aggressively before stopping and pointing at Arakita. They yelled at each other for a little while, only their distant voices made it back to Makishima and the others. In the end, Toudou had Shinkai’s hand in his, tugging him back while the redhead’s other hand was attached to Arakita. The two cyclists were brought under the large beach umbrella before long, having a bottle of sunscreen thrown at them which they applied without further delay, one being more begrudging than the other. The team found themselves lounging about for most of the afternoon, enjoying the warmth and sunshine while the remaining fatigue from the race began to dissipate from their bodies.They had a mini sand building competition where several individuals showed off their creative talents. Shinkai built a small but equally adorable recreation of Usakichi. Fukutomi managed to stack up six sand-made apple pies into a pyramid. Makishima made a mini gravure model, posing obscenely which had several passersby whispering behind their hands. Tadokoro shaped a bear the size of a child which put Toudou’s foot tall sand mountain to shame. In fact, what Toudou created was nothing more than a stack of sand, crumbling away every time a breeze came along. The team couldn’t help but laugh at Toudou’s poor sand sculpture skills, making him pout childishly as he stalked back to where Kinjou and Arakita sat under the umbrella. After accumulating so many things to be impressed about Toudou, finally finding something he wasn’t so good at was oddly refreshing. Toudou, on the other hand, continued to pout even when the team tried to console him. With their shoulders pressed lightly together, the team watched as the beach began to empty of people. The sun was gradually getting closer and closer towards the horizon, casting the previously blue sky into an autumn glow, fitting of the incoming season. It would have been a romantic setting, strolling along the coastline, hand in hand with the person they loved… But in reality, it was just seven buff guys, sitting together and watching the day end with satisfaction.Blue eyes did glance to the shorter man beside him, knees tucked neatly under his chin with his arms wrapped around his tanned legs. The brightness of the sun reflected in his violet eyes, sparking a glow in the usually mysterious, yet very honest colour.At that moment, Makishima wanted to do a few things. He wanted to continue staring into Toudou’s pretty dark eyes. He wanted to reach out and grab his hand, lacing their fingers together and watch the sun drop below the horizon. He wanted to push the other down onto the beach mat and kiss him like he did at his family inn several weeks ago.Has it been that long since his birthday? Makishima thought. Thinking back to the dimly lit room, with Toudou in his arms and kissing him so deeply and affectionately. He felt his hand twitch as he remembered the feel of Toudou’s ass against his palm, the perfect way it fit into his hold.What snapped Makishima out of his daydream was said man with the perfect ass making a move to stand up. Blue eyes followed the short man’s movements, watching as tanned hands patted sand off his trunks, before addressing the still sitting team.“I’m going to get dinner ready. Come back in an hour, okay?” He smiled.“Oh, Jinpachi.” Shinkai spoke up. “There’s a cave around here, right? Do we have time to go exploring?”“Of course!” Their manager smiled, trotting back to his backpack to pull out two torches. “Here,” he handed one to the redhead and the other to Fukutomi. “Be careful of the tide though. I don’t know when it’s due to come back in.”“We’ll be fine,” Arakita waved him off, already on his feet. “C’mon, I want to see this cave.”The team followed and Toudou waved them off, packing the beach mats and umbrellas away while reminding them to be back in an hour. The cave wasn’t difficult to find and according to Arakita, the tide was out for the next few hours so it was safe for them to delve into the dark cavern. The light from the sun only did so much and before long, they had to switch to their torches, illuminating the damp walls with artificial light.It seemed that either the cave was manually reinforced or that it had been worn down so much by tourism, there was a distinct path leading further into the darkness.“How far does this go?” Tadokoro asked, peering over Arakita’s shoulder to see the never ending tunnel ahead.“Who know,” Arakita shrugged. “I just want to see what’s at the end.”“Some girls were saying that it’s haunted down here,” Shinkai chuckled.“H-Haunted?” Fukutomi repeated, voice uncharacteristically quiet and unsure.Shinkai laughed warmly. “Don’t worry, Juichi. We’ve got Arakita to fend off any ghost and ghouls.”“Hey! What does that even mean?!” Arakita growled, snatching the torch off the redhead before continuing further into the cave. They weren’t sure how long they had been going when they reached a large open area at the end of the tunnel. The roof was high and rounded. Water dripped from above, landing in the small pool in front of them. Each drop made the sound echo loudly around the silent space, reflecting off the shiny walls.“Wow~” Shinkai said, looking around in fascination.“Ha! It’s quite average, really.” Arakita huffed, shining the torch around to see if there was anything a little bit more interesting.“Hey, did you see that?” Tadokoro suddenly asked, making Fukutomi stiffen beside him.“What is it, Tadokoro?” Kinjou asked, placing a comforting hand on the captain’s shoulder.The bear hummed for a moment. “Fukutomi, lend me the torch for a bit?”The blonde gave the device to Tadokoro who shone the light against the wall. Silently, they watched the sprinter give the wall an intense stare before shaking his head. “Nah, never mind. I guess I was just seeing things.”Arakita laughed. “Ha! And here I thought we found something interesting!”“Yasutomo, this cave is pretty interesting, isn’t it?” Shinkai reasoned with a smile.“Well, I was expecting something… y’know, more.”“Maybe there is more.” Tadokoro suggested. “We haven’t looked all the way around yet.”
Maki-chan…
The green haired climber spun around, thinking that he heard Toudou’s voice. It was unreasonable to think that because their manager was at the beach house. Had Toudou come to get them? An hour surely hadn’t passed by that quickly.“H-Hey,” Makishima spoke up. “Did anyone else… hear something?”“Oh my god, why is this turning into some shitty teenage horror movie?” Arakita scoffed.“Well, I’m just thinking maybe it’s time to head back up to the surface.” Makishima suggested with uncertainty.“C’mon, Makishima,” Tadokoro slung an arm over the climber’s skinny frame. “Since we’re here, we might as well have a proper look around.”“R-Right…” Makishima was pulled along by his teammate. Glancing back over his shoulder in the direction from which they came, the climber had a bad guilty feeling he couldn’t explain. On the other side of the pool of water there was nothing. It was just a large circular cavern which was bland, boring and a complete waste of time, according to Arakita.The team made their way back up the way they came, careful not to slip on the damp rocks which were littered around the eroded path. Only the last rays of light were seen peeking over the horizon which indicated they had been in that cave for more than an hour. Makishima wasn’t sure whether the others realised this fact yet, but before he could point it out, all their phones sounded.Pulling out their respective devices, they all noticed varying amounts of missed calls and worried messages from their manager.
7 missed calls from Toudou Jinpachi.
8 messages from Toudou Jinpachi.
2 hours ago
[Toudou]: Dinner is ready~[Toudou]: Where are you?[Toudou]: Hey! Don’t ignore me![Toudou]: Can you find your way back?
1 hour ago
[Toudou]: Why aren’t you picking up?[Toudou]: Are you still at the cave?
26 minutes ago
[Toudou]: I’m outside the cave. Where are you?
12 minutes ago
[Toudou]: Please reply! After reading the messages, the team looked at each other in varying levels of guilt, distress and urgency. Quickly, they turned towards the beach house. Fukutomi dialled Toudou’s number, putting his phone to his ear and listening to it ring. They didn’t make it past the third ring when they saw said manger running towards them.A breath of relief left them as Toudou closed the distance, his strong legs carrying him at top speed towards his team.Top speed?Makishima didn’t have enough time to react or brace himself when he registered that their manager had no intention of slowing down when he neared them. Crashing rather painfully into Makishima, the climber stumbled backwards into Tadokoro from the impact.“What the fuck, Toudou?!” Arakita yelled after being barged out of the way.“Are you alright, Makishima?” Kinjou asked in concern.“You’ll hurt yourself if you-” Tadokoro began to scold only to be silence by Toudou’s voice.In fact, Toudou’s voice silenced everyone. It came out strained and hurt. Words forced out through a sob which clenched painfully around the team’s heart.“Idiots! All of you are idiots!” Toudou cried, pressing his face firmly into Makishima’s chest. “Do you know how worried I was?!” He hiccupped violently, Makishima feeling a wetness against his skin as he hesitantly wrapped his arms around Toudou. “What if… What if something happened?! I couldn’t contact you! I couldn’t do anything!”“Toudou, we’re-”“I nearly called the police! I didn’t know what to do!” Makishima tightened his hold on Toudou as their manager continued to scold them while sobbing uncontrollably. “I… I can’t lose you guys!”“We’re okay, Jinpachi.” Shinkai tried to placate. “We’re fine, see?”“I DIDN’T KNOW THAT THOUGH!” The ravenhead yelled into Makishima’s chest. “I didn’t know whether you were okay or not! I didn’t know whether you were lost, or someone was injured. I didn’t know anything! And I… I…”“Jinpachi…” Makishima hushed their manager quietly, tucking the other’s head under his chin.“Don’t do that again.” This time, Toudou looked up at the team. Tears stained his cheeks, violet eyes were flaring angrily, the skin underneath was red and irritated. “Promise me, you’ll never disappear like that again!”Just like Haruka said the previous day, without his smile, the ravenhead lost 80% of his charm. What made it worse was that those tears were shed because of them. Toudou’s smile was replaced by a heartbreaking expression, and it was the team that caused it. It was the team who Toudou had worked so hard for, had showered so much affection on, had held them so dear and made them feel special…To say the team felt horrible and guilty was a massive understatement.“Sorry, Toudou.”“We promise, we won’t do that again.”“We’ll stay right here.”“Forgive us.”“We didn’t mean to make you worry.”Violet eye looked sternly at each of them. Unshed tears danced in front of his irises like waves, making them glisten in the evening glow surrounding them. Toudou’s gaze drifted to the side before he dropped his head onto Makishima’s shoulder, the tension in their manager’s body seemed to have alleviated a little but the team was still too afraid to say anything.“Dinner’s getting cold…” Toudou mumbled quietly, making the team look between them uncertainly.“Let’s head back then,” Kinjou said. But when their manager showed no intention of moving, thus making Makishima hesitate, the vice captain rephrased. “Thank you for making dinner, Toudou. We’ll head back first.”There was a light nod from the ravenhead, making Makishima and Kinjou exchange a glance. There was a silent conversation between them before the vice captain directed the rest of the team away, leaving Makishima alone with Toudou.The green haired climber watched their backs retreat further into the distance before dropping his attention to the man still clinging onto him as if his life depended on it.“Jinpachi?” Makishima tried, threading his fingers with the longer strands of hair which fell against Toudou’s neck.The response he got was a cute little noise of protest, pulling Makishima closer against him.A quiet chuckle left the climber’s lips as he copied Toudou by dropping his own head onto the shorter man’s shoulder. The feel of Toudou’s warm skin against his cheek was a pleasant feeling and he found himself nuzzling into that warmth, burying his face into the crook of the other’s neck. Maybe Toudou wouldn’t notice if he planted a kiss to the bare skin there.“Maki-chan.”Looks like he noticed. Makishima thought with an amused smile.“What are you doing?”“Nothing.” The taller man lied, giving Toudou’s neck another kiss.Pulling away slightly, his manager gave him a sideways look, previously angry violet eyes blinked tiredly.“Are you okay?” Makishima asked, straightening up so that he could look at Toudou more directly.“No,” was Toudou’s reply. “I’m still mad at all of you.”A sad smile pulled at Makishima’s lips. Leaning forward, he pressed their foreheads together tentatively. “Sorry. We really didn’t mean to make you worry. Or to make you wait, for that matter.”Toudou’s eyes were fixed to a point to the side. It looked like he was really struggling with a response, whether that was forgiveness or another angry outburst, Makishima wasn’t sure.“Jinpachi.”He looked up to blue eyes just as the climber began to lean forward. It was deliberately slow. Slow enough that Toudou could have shifted away if he didn’t want the kiss. But he never did.Their lips slotted together a lot more tentatively than the first time. It was simple and sweet. Pale fingers travelled up the expanse of tanned skin, feeling the strong muscles on his back before finding their way to dark hair again, twirling the locks around before tugging lightly, causing Toudou to moan quietly from the back of his throat.As much as Makishima wanted to continue, as much as he wanted to get further than they got on Toudou’s birthday, which in his opinion wasn’t far enough!, the climber pulled away. He hadn’t yet lost himself in the kiss to forget that they were still very much in the open and in public.Detaching himself to once again gaze into Toudou’s dark violet eyes. Makishima said, “Let’s head back.”Toudou’s hands trailed down long pale arms before lacing a hand with Makishima’s fingers. “Sure,” his manager replied, smiling a soft smile for the first time in what felt like too long.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Before long, a month had passed since their race. Both the team and Toudou were back to their regular schedule and everything was going well. Shinkai and Tadokoro took first and second place at an individual sprinter’s race and Makishima claimed yet another mountain. All in all, the team was in a strong position leading up to the next national race in three weeks’ time.Not to their surprise, their manager was hard at work researching the course and participating teams. Perhaps working a little too hard… Having completed their morning route around town, the team entered the gym for their lunch break. They were momentarily wary because there wasn’t a certain ravenhead leaping at them instantly, mothering them like he had been for the past couple of months. But their concern vanished after noticing that Toudou was sitting at his desk, scribbling away and seemingly unaware that the team had returned.“Toudou,” Fukutomi called out to their manager. “We’re back.”“Already?!” Toudou stood up in surprise, staggering a little which made the team unconsciously rush to his side in case he fell. Thankfully, Toudou found his footing. “I-I’ll get lunch ready. Sorry, I lost track of time.”Kinjou held his shoulder, preventing Toudou from walking away. “We can do it ourselves if you’re too busy.”“I’m not too busy,” Toudou smiled brightly. “I can at least-” A yawn interrupted Toudou, making the team glance around at each other. “Make you some food.”“Jinpachi,” Shinkai spoke up. “Have you been sleeping much lately?”At that question, the team searched Toudou’s face for any signs of fatigue. From afar, it would be impossible to notice, but when they’re so close to their manager, they were able to make out the dark circles under violet eyes, very well hidden under a light appliance of make-up.“I’m fine,” Toudou waved them off. “Don’t worry about it.”He made a move to leave again but Kinjou’s firm grip on his shoulder tightened, not only forcing Toudou to stay but also pushing him back onto his chair.Their manager landed on his seat gracelessly.“Kinjou? What are-”“Close your eyes for ten seconds, Toudou.” Fukutomi interrupted, the team moving to form a semi-circle around their manager.“What? Why?”“Just do it.” Arakita growled.Toudou did as he was told. He closed his eyes and waited.“One~” Shinkai counted.More than a second later.“Two~”Again with a very long second.“Three~”“You’re not counting your seconds right!” Toudou argued, although he did keep his eyes shut.“Jinpachi, you interrupted me!” Shinkai whined childishly, receiving an eyeroll from Arakita and exasperated smiles from the others. “I’m going to have to start again.”“What?!” Toudou squawked, but the redhead had already started his count again.“One~”“Two~”“Three~”On the fourth, Toudou’s head began to dip forward.On the fifth, the team watched as their manager leaned further and further forward, dozing off to the slow seconds.On the sixth, Toudou’s head dropped forward and then snapped upwards, eyes wide and alert.With that, the team knew just how much Toudou was sleeping and the obvious answer was, not enough.“Toudou, you’re going home for the rest of the day.” Fukutomi said.“What?! No, Fuku, I can-”“Go home, dumbass!” Arakita scolded. “Go home and sleep.”“But-”“Toudou, we can handle things here,” Tadokoro reassured, flashing the manager with a big smile.“Get some rest, Jinpachi. No more working today.” Shinkai added.They watched as violet eyes drifted from one cyclist to another. When his landed on soft blue eyes, Makishima gave him a quiet nod and Toudou knew he wasn’t going to be able to argue against the team.“Okay,” Toudou conceded. “Will you really be okay for the rest of the day?”“We’ve managed before.” Kinjou said, placing a hand to Toudou’s back, guiding him to the door.“Well, uhh,” Toudou shuffled a little. “Good work today!” He said with a bow. Straightening up, he smiled his usual bright smile at the team before turning and leave.The team waved goodbye to their manager when he suddenly turned around and pointed. “Don’t use today as an excuse to eat junk food! I won’t forgive you if you do!”“Go home already!” Training went by as normal after sending Toudou home for the day. What Makishima wasn’t expecting was to return to the locker room to see his phone flash, indicating a missed call or message.
3 missed calls from Toudou Jinpachi
5 messages from Toudou Jinpachi
1 hour ago
[Toudou]: Maki-chan! I left my folder in the desk draw![Toudou]: Could you get it for me, please?
38 minutes ago
[Toudou]:!!![Toudou]: Maki-chan!![Toudou]: Pleeeaaaassseeee???? Pinching the bridge of his nose, Makishima typed out a reply.[Yuusuke]: Didn’t we say no working for the rest of the day? The reply came instantly.[Toudou]: !!![Toudou]: It’s only a little thing, Maki-chan! Please? Makishima huffed.[Yuusuke]: Fine. What does it look like? [Toudou]: It’s the blue one in the first draw[Toudou]: Thank you, Maki-chan![Toudou]: Can you bring it to my place? [Yuusuke]: Sure. Give me your address. I’ll be there soon. After bidding the rest of the team a good evening, Makishima went to Toudou’s desk and pulled open the first draw. The folder was sitting at the top so it wasn’t difficult to find. Once it was tucked away in Makishima’s bag, he slung it over his shoulder and made his way to the bike rack. Climbing on his Time with fluid movement, he punched in Toudou’s address and had his phone lead him to his manager. When on his bike, Makishima gained an intense amount of confidence which fuelled his cycling. More often than not, the climber prayed for that confidence in regular everyday life situations, most having some form of socializing involved. But now, standing in front of Toudou’s apartment door, he found himself praying once again for confidence which could drown out the nerves which invaded his body. Earlier, he didn’t think much about dropping the folder off at Toudou’s place. A simple detour and quick delivery was what he imagined, but something told him that it wasn’t going to play out like that.With a hesitant hand, Makishima knocked twice before hearing thundering footsteps from the other side. The door swung open, revealing his manager, dressed casually in a plain t-shirt and slightly too large sweatpants.His mouth suddenly felt a little dry.“Maki-chan!” His manager greeted, smile as bright as always. “Come in, come in,” a hand reached out for Makishima and the climber didn’t have any time to refuse before he was ushered in, front door clicking shut behind him. Yep, things didn’t play out as he imagined at all. “How was training? Did everything go alright? What did you eat for lunch? Have you had dinner yet?”“Uhh,” Makishima started, slowly processing the many questions as well as trying to get his shoes off his feet. “Training was… normal. Everything was fine. Lunch… We had pasta and no… I haven’t had dinner yet.” With a lot of effort, Makishima managed to answer everything while the rest of his brain continued to flail in panic about being in Toudou’s apartment!“Hmm,” Toudou hummed in thought, already making his way into his apartment with Makishima following, looking around at the interior of his manager’s home. “That would mean you’ve exceeded today’s carb intake… So maybe we should change up tomorrow’s menu...” Toudou pondered, seemingly unaware or unbothered by Makishima looking around his living space.The apartment was compact. The main room was half split into a living room and half a dining room, where the kitchen was connected to the latter over the counter. Toudou’s laptop and several sheets of paper covered the low coffee table in the living area while everywhere else was tidy and spotless. There were two other doors, presumably the bedroom and the bathroom.However, what stood out the most in the apartment wasn’t the layout and design, it was the wall of photos, trophies and certificates. Sauntering over to the display, Makishima looked closely at the many awards Toudou had achieved. Some were first place gold awards, others were first place, new record holder awards, all of which were individual climbing races and all of which had Toudou smiling brightly at the camera with a trophy or medal, and a bouquet of flowers.“I look great, huh?” Toudou appeared from behind him with an equally bright smile as his photos.“Sure,” Makishima replied with a bit of sarcasm. He knew he didn’t fool himself because Toudou did look good in those photos and even better in person, but Toudou didn’t need to know that.“Hey! I worked hard for those!” Toudou pouted. “Do you see why they called me the Mountain God? That was when I dominated ever climb I went on. Wahaha!”“And yet, I had never heard of you before,” Makishima smirked.“That’s just because you weren’t well informed, Maki-chan! Mr Pierre knew who I was straight away.”“He just read your resumé.”“And he hired me because he realised just how amazing I am!”“Kuha! Of course, he did.” Makishima laughed, turning to face Toudou properly only to remember the reason why he was there in the first place. “Oh, right.” He said, swinging his bag to the side so that he could pull out the folder. “Here,” he handed the item to Toudou who took it tentatively.“Thank you, Maki-chan.” He replied with a soft smile, before quickly turning away towards the coffee table.Makishima followed the shorter man to where his work was splayed out.“You’re going to work again?” The climber asked.“Yeah, just for a little bit.”“Did you even rest today?”“I did!” Toudou defended. “I went to sleep the moment I got back. Then, I had an idea and woke up.”“How did you just wake up from an idea? What?” Even though it sounded ridiculous, Makishima could imagine Toudou being capable of doing such a thing.His manager just shrugged before turning his attention to his work.“I guess, I’ll make dinner then,” Makishima said, glancing at the clock to see that it was more or less about time.“Wait, no!” Toudou protested. “I’ll make dinner, you can-”“You said you wanted to work, right?”Toudou hesitated.“It’s fine.” The taller man offered a reassuring smile. “You finish what you’re doing and I’ll make dinner. But no more working afterwards.”“Okay,” Toudou agreed quietly.It was obvious Toudou was reluctant and the cute pout he wore reinforced that. So, out of instinct, Makishima leant down to press a gentle kiss to Toudou’s cheek before turning away towards the kitchen to hide the blush settling against his cheeks. In contrast to Makishima’s kitchen, Toudou’s was stocked with food. Deciding what to make was more challenging than actually cooking it. In the end, the climber settled with a simple curry, filling the room with its spicy aroma.“Maki-chan~” Toudou said, silently appearing beside Makishima thus making the climber startle in surprise. “That smells really good~”“God, Jinpachi! Don’t do that!” Makishima scolded, trying to calm his raging heartbeat.“Whaat~? Did I make Maki-chan’s heart go Doki Doki?” The ravenhead teased, propping his chin on Makishima’s shoulder.“Get off. You’re in the way.” Lightly, he shrugged the other off.“So mean! Maki-chan, is this how you treat a beautiful-?!”Toudou didn’t get a chance to finish whatever he wanted to say when a spoonful of curry was shoved into his mouth. At first, there was surprise on his face but as the flavour hit, he lulled his head from side to side, tasting it before his eyes sparkled.“That’s really nice! Wow, Maki-chan, I didn’t know you could make something so good!”“Kuha!” Makishima laughed. “It’ll taste better later when it’s done. Now, get out of here.”Partly by accident, Makishima swung his arm to shoo Toudou away only to have his palm land squarely on the other’s ass. Toudou squawked at the light slap, stumbling a few steps towards the doorway.They looked at each other for a solid few seconds, noticing the blush which crept over their cheeks before turning away quickly and going back to what they were doing. They chatted idly during dinner, Toudou doing most of the talking as well as dropping a few compliments here and there about the food. It was comfortable. Maybe even a little domestic and Makishima felt himself smile at the thought. “Are you going to stay the night, Maki-chan?” Toudou asked as he rinsed the last glass of bubbles.“I don’t plan to,” Makishima admitted despite how tempting the offer was. “I don’t have a spare change of clothes or anything.”“You could borrow mine,” Toudou offered, handing Makishima the glass to dry before putting his hands under the tap to wash off the bubbles there.“I don’t know, I- Hey!” The climber was interrupted by a sudden attack of little water droplets. After placing the glass on the table, Makishima spun around to see Toudou grinning at him mischievously. His dripping hands were hung in front of him and before Makishima could get a word in, Toudou flicked his fingers, sending water at the taller man again. “Hey, quit that!”“Wahaha!” Toudou laughed, throwing his head back, completely missing how Makishima turned the tap on and had his hands cupped under the stream of cold water. “Maki-chan, you’re all we-!”A handful of water splashed at Toudou’s face, effectively interrupting what he was saying.“Gah! My face!” He yelled, fingers pressing into his eyes to clear them of water.“Kuha! Who’s wet now?” Makishima teased.Toudou’s eyes snapped open but water was still running down his face, collecting at his chin, while a few droplets dripped off the few stray stands of hair that hung over his face. Something inside Makishima stuttered at the sight.“You can spare my face, Maki-chan! You’re lucky I took off my make-up from earlier otherwise-”One swift step had the taller man closing the distance between them. A long arm wrapped around Toudou’s slim waist as Makishima leant his face close to the other. Violet eyes stared back at him in half surprise, half confusion. Then, the climber’s gaze fell to the droplet of water stationed against Toudou’s cheekbone and the urge to lick that little bead was strong.“Ah-!” Toudou gasped as Makishima’s tongue swiped over his cheek, lapping up the water there. “M-Maki-chan?”But the climber didn’t stop there. Following the trails of moisture running down Toudou’s cheek, Makishima pressed a stream of light kisses all the way to his jaw line before continuing down to the other’s chin. Toudou’s breath was stuttering under him and it was satisfying to listen to. He could feel Toudou’s hands ball into fists against his shirt and that only stirred Makishima on.Kisses continued to the other’s tanned neck, peppering the skin and making Toudou squirm in his hold. Pulling the other man closer, Makishima’s free hand gravitated behind Toudou.“Ah-!” Toudou gasped again when Makishima grabbed his ass firmly, kneading it with fervour. “M-Maki-chan,” his manager breathed out hot and steamy against pale skin.Pressing one firm kiss to the crook of Toudou’s neck, Makishima pulled back just enough to gaze into dark violet eyes, looking expectant with the evident signs of lust.Two strong arms wrapped around taller shoulders, pulling their bodies closer before Toudou sealed their lips together. Blue eyes slid shut almost immediately, kissing back with an urgency he couldn’t explain. A swipe of Toudou’s tongue was felt along his lower lip and Makishima granted his manager entrance. The first swirl of their tongues together had both of them moaning into the other’s mouth.Sliding his other hand down, Makishima had both Toudou’s cheeks against his palm, kneading them firmly and eliciting more pleasant moans from the shorter man. Their crotches grinded together, making Makishima moan softly as he rolled their hips in sync.In that moment, he wanted one thing. That was to strip his manager bare so Toudou’s beautiful body was on show for only Makishima’s eyes to see.Pulling apart for breath, they gazed into the other’s lustful eyes. They weren’t sure how long they made out in the kitchen. Honestly, neither really cared. All Makishima knew was that he didn’t want to stop there.“Maki-chan,” Toudou said, voice barely above a whisper. His breath caressed Makishima’s damp and swollen lips, making his tongue dart out briefly to lick the tickling sensation away.“Jinpachi,” Makishima responded before slotting their lips together in a long, deep kiss. That one wasn’t as heated as before, it was intimate and loving.Toudou moaned into the climber’s mouth, returning the kiss with equal amounts of affection.Breaking apart before long, the shorter man tugged at Maksihima’s sleeve before guiding him out of the kitchen and into his bedroom. The climber didn’t have much time to look around, but then again, he didn’t really want to take his eyes off his very attractive manager.Spinning Makishima around, Toudou made the taller man sit on his bed before climbing on top of him, straddling his long, spidery thighs. They could really feel the hardness of their erections in that position.“Maki-chan-”Toudou was probably about to say something but Makishima didn’t have the mind to listen. His hands instinctively went for his ass again, pulling their bodies flushed together as he reconnected their heated kiss. Their moans were getting progressively louder and Toudou’s grinding wasn’t helping the situation. But they were still grinding through their clothes.That was when Makishima had had enough. He pulled away from the kiss, causing a shocked sound to leave Toudou as long fingers reached for the hem of his manager’s top. Tugging at it, blue eyes looked up to Toudou, silently asking for permission. The ravenhead responded with a nod before raising his arms and Makishima pulled his top up and over his head, displaying a breathtaking expanse of tanned skin, toned and defined muscles from years of exercising and training.Too busy trailing his fingers over Toudou’s muscles, Makishima missed how his manager had unzipped his jacket and was tugging it with a pout.“Maki-chan~” He whined, making the climber smirk.Pressing a light kiss to the other’s lips, he threw his jacket off to the side, giving Toudou free access to his upper body. Without delay, Toudou pushed Makishima down onto the bed, hovering over him as he peppered the expanse of pale skin with light kisses, fingers ghosting over his muscles before settling on his nipples.Makishima sucked in a sharp breath as Toudou began to run the pad of his finger over the sensitive nub. It sent a shiver up the climber’s spine and he could feel the way Toudou smirked against his skin.It didn’t last because before long, Toudou was facing Makishima again. His arms were braced on either side of the climber’s head before he dropped his head down onto the mattress beside Makishima’s head.“Jinpachi?”“Maki-chan, I want to put it in.” Toudou mumbled against the mattress but by being so close to Makishima’s ear, it was impossible to miss.With a brief closing of his eyes, Makishima turned to the side to give Toudou a quiet peck on the cheek. “Go ahead.”Toudou’s reaction was instant. He bolted up to look directly at Makishima’s eyes. Violet eyes weren’t excited or lustful as he expected, but they were of concern and hesitation.“I can’t.”“What?” Makishima wasn’t sure whether he was hearing right.“I… I’ll probably get carried away and you still have to train tomorrow and you can’t do that if… if I make your butt sore!”Makishima didn’t know whether he wanted to laugh or groan. Either way, Toudou had thoroughly destroyed the atmosphere they had built up.“Jinpachi, if you want to put it in then put it in.” Rising onto his elbows, Makishima gazed up as Toudou shook his head.“No, I’m… Not when you have training the next day.”A sigh left Makishima as he pushed himself all the way up to kiss Toudou gently on the lips. Maybe there was the slightest bit of disappointment in his gut but Toudou was only being considerate of his condition which he should be grateful for. Plus, Toudou looked pretty disappointed in himself anyway.Then, an idea came to mind.“Jinpachi,” the climber said, earning the other’s attention before pressing their lips together. Makishima was determined to get things heated up again.“Mmmh-!” Toudou pulled away. “Wait, Maki-cha-”Taking advantage of Toudou’s slight imbalance, Makishima flipped them over, reversing their positions and pinning Toudou to his bed. Violet eyes looked up at him in surprise and confusion, but Makishima didn’t stop there. He mouthed along Toudou’s neck, fingers fluttering over his bare chest while rocking their hips together. Skin flushing, Toudou was breathing hard under him.“You wouldn’t mind being on the receiving end then?” Makishima asked, looking down at Toudou with a smirk.“What…?” Toudou asked, brain obviously being slow from arousal.“Since you don’t have training tomorrow,” Makishima paused to palm Toudou’s erection through his pants, causing a groan to leave his manager’s throat. “I’ll put mine in. Is that okay?”Toudou only nodded enthusiastically before Makishima went to work to strip them of their remaining clothing. It was strange. Makishima didn’t remember ever waking up to this particular scent, or a comforting warmth radiating off the pillow he had pressed to his face. Still, it was pleasant and it only made him want to sink further into its softness.However, that only made the pillow he was holding vibrate.Vibrate?“Maki-chan, that tickles~” A voice above him giggled, making Makishima freeze and wonder whether he was still asleep and dreaming. Was it weird to dream that his pillow could giggle and somehow share the same voice as his really good looking manager?Then the events of the previous day dawned on him and he relaxed against the body (not pillow) he had in his arms. Blue eyes blinked up to see Toudou flicking quietly through a small stack of paper.“Working already?” Makishima asked, voice groggy from sleep.“Not work.” Toudou replied without looking away. “These are for Manami’s lot.”“What about them?” Closing his eyes, Makishima snuggled closer to Toudou’s side.“I’m thinking of making Naruko an all rounder.”At that, Makishima cracked open an eye. “Really? Why?”“Well, he actually has a talent for climbing…” Toudou admitted. “I’m just not sure how to tell him. I doubt he’ll react well to it.”Makishima hummed.“It’s his decision in the end, but I just want him to consider it.”“If you explain all reasons why and give him time to think about it, I’m sure he will.” Makishima reasoned, pressing a kiss to Toudou’s hipbone. “He’s stubborn but he’s not the type to ignore the words of his mentor.”Toudou only hummed in response.“What’s the time?” Makishima asked after a while of feeling himself doze off again.“Uhh,” Toudou leant away for a brief moment, making Makishima whine at the loss of comfort and warmth. “Quarter past six. We still have half an hour.”Another hum left Makishima before his brain did the calculations. “Wait.”“Hmm?”“You… Is that the time you go to the gym every day?”“Yeah.”“…”“What?”Makishima didn’t reply. He just snuggled closer to his manager, adding yet another point to his ever-growing mental list of Amazing Things About Toudou Jinpachi.
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“Wish the team good luck for me, Jinpachi~” Haruka said over the phone.“I will,” Toudou replied, looking over his shoulder to see his team warming up on rollers. “Well, I guess I’ll-”“Nee-san! Where do I put these?” An unfamiliar voice came from the background on the other side.“Oh, could you leave them on the front desk, please?” His sister replied, slightly muffled from no doubt having her hand over the receiver. “Sorry about that. What were you saying, Jinpachi?”“No, I was just about to say I’m hanging up. Who was that?”“Oh, that was Mizuta-kun, my new trainee.”“I see,” Toudou nodded.“He’s a good kid. A little clumsy but everyone’s like that when they first start working here.”“Yeah,” Toudou agreed, unable to keep the smile from his face at remembering the first couple of weeks after Manami and the other high schoolers began helping out.“He has a really cute accent as well,” Haruka continued.“Really?”“Yeah! He’s from Kyoto.”“Kyoto, huh…” Toudou repeated, glancing over to his team again. “Anyway, it was nice talking to you. I should probably go.”“Alright, good luck!”“Thanks. I’ll talk to you later.”“Bye~”With a snap close of his phone, he turned back to the team who were working up a gentle sweat just before their three day race. Even though, Toudou was present for the last team race, he couldn’t help but feel a new level of anxiety.“Haruka wishes you guys luck, by the way,” he said, offering a smile which was returned with either another smile or a nod.“How much longer until the ceremony starts?” Fukutomi asked, making Toudou double check the schedule and his watch.“Hmm, in twenty minutes. Are you guys all warmed up?”“Yeah,” Tadokoro replied, stepping off the rollers. “We should probably save our stamina for now.”The team nodded in agreement, hopping off their bikes before taking the offered towel and water bottle from Toudou. After the team came back from the ceremony and had their equipment checked over by Toudou, they pulled each other into their routine team huddle again. This time, Toudou didn’t feel as nervous. In fact, he felt safe in the arms of the team. Their determination and desire to win was pouring into him with intensity.“We are champions,” Fukutomi began. “And we’re not about to retire that title to anyone. We’re winning today.”“Yes!” The team responded in unison, announcing their declaration loud and clear before they lined up at the front of the pack. Bouncing up and down behind the barrier several metres ahead of the starting line, Toudou waited for the parade run to start. From a distance, he could see the familiar jersey of Tokyo, worn by six cyclists who had become like family to him. A warmth bloomed in his chest at the thought and he couldn’t keep the smile from stretching across his face.An arm was raised into the air, starting pistol in hand and in his anticipation, Toudou sucked in a breath. The distinct sound of a shot fired rang sharply before the mass of cyclists surged forward. The incoming wave should have been intimidating, if not, even terrifying, but when the pack was led by none other than the team he worked for, managed and loved, he only felt affection erupt from inside him.“Good luck!” Toudou yelled as they rode past.He didn’t expect a reply. They were riding through two kilometres worth of spectators so missing a single person like Toudou amongst the crowd was not surprising. However, they didn’t miss him. They received his wish of luck loud and clear as all six of them raised a hand into the air, displaying a single thumb up to signal to Toudou that they had heard him.Toudou felt like crying. Waiting by the tent at the resupply point, Toudou rocked back and forth as the sprinters neared the result line. His hands were laced together, tightly held as the reporter announced the winner of the first stage. The first bib of the race went to Tadokoro of Tokyo!A burst of pride sparked inside Toudou, lips spreading into a massive smile. Slipping out of the tent and away from the disappointed groans of supporters, Toudou made his way back to the van.“They won! The bear won the sprint!” Toudou relayed the news to Kanzaki who smiled.“That’s great! We should probably get their refreshments ready.”Just when they opened the back of the van, a distant voice called for Toudou. It made him straighten up in confusion because he knew that voice. And the owner of that voice should be at training. “Toudou-san!”“Glasses-kun?!” Toudou called back after spotting the short climber make his way up the road. Hopping off his bike, Onoda tackled Toudou into a tight hug without even waiting to catch his own breath. “Why are you here?”“I wanted to see you, Makishima-san, Arakita-san and everyone else!” Onoda beamed up at his mentor.“Wahaha!” Toudou laughed. “It’s good to see you too,” he ruffled short, sweaty black hair before asking, “but what about training?”“We called it off because Manami said he didn’t feel well and Naruko-kun said he’s going home for a little while. He said he needed to think about something.”Toudou silently nodded, knowing exactly what the latter had on his mind. “And Imaizumi?”“He’s doing individual training and told me to keep him updated with your race!”“I see,” Toudou nodded again. “Well, you can help me with getting everyone their supplies.”Onoda detached himself from Toudou, bright smile never leaving his face. Capping the felt-tip pen Toudou used to write on the water bottles, he straightened up with the remaining two bags of supplies.“They should be here soon,” Kanzaki informed, as Onoda peered eagerly out of the crowd and down the road with anticipation.The distant cheering of the crowd was slowly moving in their direction and before long, the familiar Tokyo jersey was in view. Like always, Toudou bounced up and down with enthusiasm, signalling the team towards where Onoda, Kanzaki and himself were holding out their bags of refreshments.“Keep it up!” He called as they snatched up their bags with smiles and thanks.They watched as their backs retreat into the distance as quickly as they appeared.“Well, let’s go meet them at the finish line.” Kanzaki said, patting Toudou on the shoulder before making their way back to the van. The first day was entirely in their favour. They had not only claimed the sprint stage, but also the mountain and the goal. All three coloured bibs were theirs and Toudou couldn’t praise them enough for their hard work.While the team was relaxing and recovering for the night, Toudou went to check their equipment again. Crouching down to their bikes, the manager made sure that there were no cracks in their tires, that they had enough air in them, the brakes were functioning perfectly and that their chains were well oiled and secure.Maintenance continued late into the evening and by the time Toudou went back to their room, he had expected the team to be asleep. He was, however, proven wrong. All six cyclists were sitting in a circle on their futon, chatting away idly as if they weren’t in the middle of a serious race.“Oh, Jinpachi!” Shinkai waved at their manager, happily munching away on a power bar.“Why aren’t you guys asleep yet?” Toudou asked, quietly sliding the door shut behind him.“We were waiting for you,” the redhead replied with a smile.Everyone else nodded in agreement.“Wahaha! I know you missed my face and all but you need to sleep.” Toudou scolded, sauntering over to the team where Makishima and Tadokoro shuffled aside for Toudou to slot in between them.“C’mon, let’s chill for a bit first,” the bear said, slinging an arm over their manager as the light conversations continued.Toudou didn’t mind staying up for an extra few minutes to listen to the voices and laughter of the team. The second day commenced with Tokyo at the front again, taking control of the race as the rest of the teams proceeded after the initial wait time.“We ready to go?” Toudou asked Kanzaki who was checking over the supplies at the back of the van.With a nod, Kanzaki closed the back and made his way to the driver’s seat. “All good. We should probably get there before the crowd.”“Yeah,” Toudou agreed, hopping into the passenger seat with Onoda at the back. The manager was about to close the door when someone jogged up to them.“Excuse me!”If Toudou were to hazard a guess, it would be Kyoto’s manager. He wore the purple jersey over his top, with slick back hair with a loose tuft hanging over his forehead. What did he want with Toudou?“Yes?” Toudou asked, widening the door so that the other man could talk to him directly.“You’re Toudou-san, right?”“I am…” He replied carefully.“Okay, err, please don’t be too alarmed,” the other man began, making Toudou raise an eyebrow warily. “But I… I overheard some of the overseers say that your mother was caught in an accident.”The words were slow to process in Toudou’s head, completely missing how the other man had his eyes shut and head slightly bowed as if he didn’t want to relay those words. Suddenly, Toudou felt cold. Shivers spread across his body like silent ripples. It made his chest constrict and made breathing feel horribly difficult.His mother? There was no way. She and his father were supposed to be on holiday. They were supposed to be enjoying a trip in Okinawa and spending their retired days happily and carefreely while Haruka ran the ryokan and he was following his dream… So why...Toudou snapped his head to Kanzaki. The older man’s face was serious and that didn’t help Toudou’s internal turmoil.“Toudou, go check what happened.” Kanzaki said, placing a firm hand on Toudou’s shoulder.“But-”He wasn’t sure what he wanted to argue. Was he going to say he wanted to stay with the team? Was he really about to throw his family aside for a single race? That wasn’t how he was brought up. He was raised as the eldest son of a well respected family in Hakone. He loved his family. They gave him so much. Yet, here he was, actually having to think about what should be an obvious decision! The team would understand, right? They wouldn’t hate him for being absent for a little while. This was urgent, after all. Plus, they were a strong team. Fukutomi always said they were strong. They could race without a manager, right? As long as they got their supplies, then there’s nothing to worry about. Toudou could step out for a little bit, right?“Leave the team to us, we’ll meet them at the resupply point.” Kanzaki’s words were a promise, even Toudou could hear it through his panic. Looking between Onoda and Kanzaki, there was obvious worry but also a reassurance which forced Toudou to nod hesitantly.Hopping out of the van, Toudou simply bowed to the others as they drove off before rushing off to the overseer’s tent in barely contained distress. Pulling his phone out and dialling Haruka’s number, Toudou waited with nausea pooling deep in his stomach as he neared the overseer’s tent. To put it simply, it was mayhem. There was a massive crowd swarming the people in charge and Toudou didn’t understand why there was such a commotion. His phone continued to ring against his ear. Why wasn’t Haruka picking up? She normally answered his calls instantly. She was available only yesterday! So why now? After the second call attempt, Toudou was shoved aside by the desperate crowd. He seethed under his breath as he punched in the numbers for the inn. Pressing his phone to his ear again, it rang once, twice, three times… Why wasn’t there anyone manning the front desk?! This was horrible service! With an angry snap of his phone, Toudou focused his attention back to the situation at hand. He was stuck in the middle of a mass of spectators, all pushing and shoving each other in order to get to the overseer’s desk. It made no sense why they were there and in the way of Toudou’s emergency. But when he paused and listened, he could actually make out the distress not only in his voice but also in the voices of other people.“What do you mean there was an accident?!”“Who’s been hurt?”“Can you find my daughter?”The panic inside Toudou reared its head as the manager began to suffocate in the desperate questions tossed around. He wanted to know what happened. He needed to know! What was happening?!“Please, calm down!” A voice boomed from the overhead speakers. “I will explain what has happened. There has been a minor accident on the mountain road leading up to the first resupply point. There are only two with minor injuries reported, everyone else is safe. However, please be aware that there will be significant traffic along that road.”Relief washed over the mass of people around Toudou and they began to filter out of the tent. Toudou, however, was still dying of internal panic. It may have been good news that the accident wasn’t anything major but that didn’t confirm the safety of his mother.When the spectators cleared out of the tent, Toudou slammed his palms down on the desk, startling the overseers as he demanded, “Is that the only accident you have to report?”“Uhh,” one of the overseers hesitated as he scrolled through his newsfeed. “It appears so…”“Is there anything about Okinawa?!”“Okinawa…?” He repeated, typing in the place and pulling up the most recent news of the islands. “No, sir. Nothing has happened in Okinawa.” With a breath of relief, Toudou felt the intense build up of tension drain from his body. He gave the overseers a nod in gratitude before stepping out of the tent, feeling horribly tired from his emotional turmoil.He dialled Haruka’s number again in hopes of telling her that if she heard anything like an accident in Okinawa, then there was nothing to worry about. But when his phone rang and rang, only to go to her answer phone, he had a sinking feeling that something was wrong. He wanted to believe that it was just the left over feeling of worry about his mother.Giving up on calling his sister, Toudou went through his contacts to call Onoda to tell him that everything was alright and it was just a false alarm. What he didn’t expect was to receive a call from said teen at that very moment.“Hey, Glasses-kun! I was just about to-”“T-Toudou-san…” The teen’s voice was trembling. He sounded scared and it made Toudou bristle. “I… I don’t know whether you’ve seen the news but… but…”“But what?!” Toudou pressed, feeling the vice grip around his heart tighten again, feeling his breathing cut short and his body tense.“T-The ryokan… Toudou-an has…” It was like the loudest pin drop in the quietest room.It was like the most devastating bomb in the most peaceful land.It was like the sound of his heart shattering. “Toudou-an has… burnt down.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The call suddenly dropped dead. Onoda removed his phone from his ear with shaky hands. Tears were stinging his eyes as he absently scrolled through the news which read, “Toudou-an, famous ryokan in Hakone gone up in flames!”“K-Kanzaki-san…” Onoda asked, voice weak and still trembling. “What… What do we do now?”“We keep our promise to Toudou.” His voice was firm. “We’ll support the team in his stead.”“When should we tell them…?”Kanzaki didn’t reply straight away, focusing on the road for a little while before answering, “They’ll find out tonight.” The rest of the journey remained relatively silent. Onoda was worrying about his mentor and negative thoughts kept invading his consciousness. He didn’t want to think of the worst but it seemed his mind wanted to do only that. “You’re kidding…” Kanzaki breathed out, leaning out of his window as the van came to a halt. Jostling out of his thoughts, Onoda looked out of the window, only to see a long queue of vehicles to the top of the mountain.“Are they all heading to the resupply point?” Onoda asked, nervously looking around.“Most likely,” Kanzaki replied, letting out a frustrated breath. “The team’s going to be there soon…”“I’ll go!” Onoda said without thinking.“What?”“I’ll take the supplies up to them!” Already, he was unbuckling his seatbelt, moving to the back of the van to stuff his bag full of supplies.“Wait, if you run up there, you’re not going to-”“I’ll climb.” Onoda said, turning around with a hand over his bike. It seemed like Kanzaki had momentarily forgotten that Onoda rode to the starting line the day before and had his bike in the van.“That… That might work.” Kanzaki replied, placing a hand over his mouth as he considered the decision. “Okay, Onoda, fit as much as you can into your bag. Likeliness is that you’re only able to carry supplies for three people. Damn it, I want to help but I can’t leave the van.”“It’s okay, Kanzaki-san!” Onoda slung his oversized and overweighted backpack over his small frame. “I’ll take these to the team.”“I’m counting on you, Onoda!”Leaping out of the back, Onoda mounted his bike and began to pedal up the slope. His body felt heavy with the additional weight, but he knew he couldn’t complain. He had a job to do and that was to deliver the goods to Toudou’s team. The team he worked so hard for, the team he loved so much. Onoda wasn’t going to let him down.The line of vehicles was unmoving. Onoda passed by two police cars and a damaged car which was in the process of being towed away. However, the young climber didn’t stop to observe the scene or message Kanzaki about the cause of the delay. He simply pedalled as hard and fast as he could to the very top, turning into the car park which hosted only a handful of spectators, no doubt the majority were stuck in traffic.Rushing over to the edge of the road, Onoda barely had the time to register the approaching team. “Hey, I don’t see him,” Arakita said, slowing down while tilting his head slightly over his shoulder but never taking his eyes off the small crowd of people at the resupply point.This made the rest of the team behind him stretch their necks out and around to search the crowd for their manager.“What about Kanzaki-san?” Makishima asked.“No…” Fukutomi replied. “I don’t see anyone…”“Maybe something came up?” Shinkai suggested hesitantly.The team remained silent, unsure what may have caused Toudou to not be at the resupply point. It wasn’t like him to not show up. Something wasn’t right. And Makishima had a bad feeling settle in his stomach.Just when the team was nearing the crowd of people, their pace completely slowed to buy Toudou and the others some time, a familiar short teen came charging out to the side of the road.“Onoda-chan?!” Arakita called as said teen dropped his backpack to the ground, rummaging through it and pulled out three bags of supplies.Three…?“I’m sorry, these were all that I could bring!” Onoda apologized, bowing his head as he raised the bags up to the incoming team.“Where’s Toudou?” Fukutomi asked the question everyone wanted to ask.However, Onoda didn’t reply. They rode up to him, collected the three bags he offered before big, teary blue eyes looked up at them.“He’s… He’s not here,” he choked out, unable to keep his voice steady as the team continued forward.“What?” Tadokoro asked, turning his head to regard Onoda’s pained expression. “What does that mean?” The sprinter directed the question to the rest of the team.Makishima pursed his lips together as Arakita growled in frustration. The two captains fished out a few supplies for themselves and shared out the rest. There wasn’t enough for all of them. Of course, there wasn’t enough. They had half the amount of their regular supply of food and water to last them the rest of the second day. This… was a dangerous problem.“What’s this? You’re sharing the refreshments?” An annoyingly familiar voice blew a raspberry behind them. “What is your manager doing, I wonder? Making his team ride with insufficient supplies.”Makishima was sure he wasn’t the only one feeling irritated by the taunts of Midousuji. At least, Arakita made it clear that he was seething under his breath.Kyoto’s captain gasped dramatically. “Could it be that he’s abandoned you?”“What are you-?!” Arakita began but Fukutomi interrupted him.“He wouldn’t do that.”“Oh, you have so much faith,” Misousuji laughed. “But you can never be sure since you’re here, and he’s…” he paused and pointed in the direction behind them, back towards the resupply point. “Over there.”Makishima looked back over his shoulder. He wasn’t sure why he did it. He knew they had long passed the resupply point. Maybe it was the slightest bit of hope that Toudou may just suddenly appear behind them.“Pffff,” Midousuji laughed. “You actually looked back. How precious!”The line of Makishima’s lips was pressed thinner together.“Do you love your manager that much? That’s so gross!” He continued to taunt. “Will you still love him even after finding out that he’s left you for something else. Something else more important?”The team remained in disciplined silence, letting Midousuji run his mouth even though it was making their blood boil. However, all things considered, they believed in Toudou. And getting worked up would only benefit Kyoto. Plus, they had limited supplies so they couldn’t afford to waste their energy on trivial matters.“Well, since you lot don’t seem to be in the mood, I’ll leave you alone,” Midousuji shrugged, turning back to his team. “Move onto the next phase, we’ll be taking the mountain checkpoint.”With a devilish smile, Kyoto sped up and overtook Tokyo.It had been a long time since Tokyo hadn’t ridden at the very front in a race, but the team had something else they were more concerned about. The team spirit was wavering, Makishima could tell but it wasn’t like he was any better. Worry, concern, confusion. The feelings were tangible among his teammates but there wasn’t anything they could do.“Hey,” Shinkai spoke up. “Do you remember that time we went to the beach? And how we went down to the cave and were late to dinner by an hour…”“Yeah…” Tadokoro replied.“Do you think this was how he felt? This horrible churning from not knowing what happened to us and from being unable to contact us.”Makishima chanced a glance back at Shinkai who had his hand gripping the fabric of his jersey over his chest, his head downcasted, making the image of their ace sprinter look painfully fragile.“Most likely,” Kinjou replied.They continued forward in a tense silence, still trying to keep enough of their attention on the race and not on their missing manager.“Shit…” Arakita cursed. “Can we… I don’t know, like, do something? This is killing me.”“What is it that we can do?” Makishima asked. “We can’t pick up the pace because we’re low on supplies and about Toudou…” He trailed off, partly hating himself for saying what needed to be said. “There’s nothing we can do.”“Fuku-chan, Kinjou.” Arakita turned to the two captains. “Say something!”There was a long pause where no-one spoke, the tension growing heavier with every second.“Makishima’s right,” Fukutomi spoke up. “There is nothing we can do while we’re still riding. We’ll finish ahead of the pack and trust Toudou to come back to us. He always does, after all.”There was an affirmative from the rest of the team before they continued forward at a steady pace. In the end, Tokyo conceded both the second day’s mountain checkpoint and the goal to Midousuji. But it was the least of their concern when Onoda and Kanzaki reported what had happened earlier that day. From Toudou’s mother being in an accident to Toudou-an catching fire then the traffic jam up to the resupply point. It made the team even more anxious.Several calls were made to Toudou’s phone but not once did he answer. Dinner was forced down through their worry, knowing that if they didn’t eat enough, not only would their bodies complain but their precious manager too.It took until the late evening, after everyone was pretty much settled onto their futon that their call connected.“Toudou!” Makishima basically shouted into his phone, alerting the rest of the team who scurried to his side. The climber instantly put their manager on speakers.“Maki-chan, you didn’t have to scream at me~” Toudou whined but he sounded tired.“That’s because you haven’t picked up all evening!” Arakita growled into the receiver.“Wahaha, is everyone there?”“We are,” Fukutomi replied, nodding even though Toudou couldn’t see them. “How are you, Toudou?”“I’m fine~ Just… y’know, a bit busy.” There was an awkward laugh at the end which made the team wince at the fake sound.“Is everything alright?” Makishima asked tentatively.“I’m…” He hesitated. “I’m fine…” He repeated, but it was unconvincing. “The inn’s… a little burnt. We’re going to need a lot of repairs but the guests are fine. That’s the important thing, right?”“Toudou-” Fukutomi tried to interrupt but their manager just continued talking.“And so are the staff, everyone’s okay. Oh, and my mum wasn’t in an accident either. That was just a false alarm and-”“Toudou!”“Jinpachi!”The team interrupted in varying levels of volume.“Ouch, that… hurt my ear…” Toudou confessed, sparking minor guilt in the team.They exchanged a look between each other before Shinkai spoke up. “Jinpachi, are you… really alright?”“I’m…” He hesitated again. “I’m fine, Hayato.”Arakita growled in frustration but said nothing. The team felt the same way. They didn’t understand why Toudou was putting on a brave face in front of them. Even though it was obvious how he felt. He was a terrible liar after all. The team just wanted him to tell them himself.“So…” Toudou said from the other side. “How did the race go?”“Uhh, we…” Tadokoro started but he held back whatever he wanted to say.Kinjou covered for him. “Tadokoro won the sprint but Midousuji took the mountain and goal.”“O-Oh…” Disappointment was obvious in Toudou’s voice, even if he didn’t want to show it. Still, it left a sour taste in their mouths. Not hearing Toudou’s praises was surprisingly dispiriting.“We’ll win tomorrow,” Fukutomi declared, making his teammates smile at him in agreement.“Yeah, you can count on us, Jinpachi,” Shinkai added.“Don’t worry, we’ll handle things here,” Tadokoro said.The rest of them made affirmative noises but they weren’t expecting the response to be a wet sniffle from Toudou.“I’m… That’s great!” Toudou replied, evidently forcing the words out of him. “I’ll be wishing you luck the entire day tomorrow, so… Yeah, go win!” The team shared smiles between each other only to have their attention drawn back to Makishima’s phone as Toudou continued. “Also, you guys should sleep. It’s getting late.”“Of course, Toudou,” Kinjou replied. “We’ll need our strength tomorrow, right?”There was a collected laugh between the team, followed by Toudou whining through the receiver.“Quit worrying, mum. We’re going to bed.” Arakita teased, already walking away.“Did you just… Did you just call me ‘mum’?!”“Good night, Jinpachi!” Shinkai called.There was a huff from Toudou and Maksihima only snickered at the exchange, putting Toudou off speaker before pressing the device to his ear.“Hey, I’ve taken you off speaker,” Makishima said as he made his way to the door.“You should sleep too, Maki-chan,” Toudou replied as the climber made his way to the lobby, leaning back on one of the couches.“And what about you?”“I’m… I still have work to do,” Toudou sighed.“Hey, you’ll manage, right?” Makishima tried to reassure. “You always do.”“Maybe.”There was a brief pause between them.“Be honest.” Makishima started. “Are you really okay?”“That’s mean, Maki-chan.”“How is it? It’s just a question.”“A question you know the answer to.”“Jinpachi…”A shaky breath was heard and the sound made Makishima’s chest tighten. “I’m not okay, Maki-chan…” There it was, the first sobs. “I was so worried and scared. I didn’t know what to do….”Makishima stayed silent, waiting for Toudou to let out what he had been bottling up for the majority of the day. Knowing him, he probably hadn’t allowed himself to cry until just now.“I was so torn about leaving you guys, only to find out that my mum was safe. And then this happened! I was… I was…” He choked on a sob and it took all of Makishima’s willpower not to run out of the building, hop onto his bike and ride to Hakone to wrap himself around Toudou. “This is too much, Maki-chan.”“You can do it.” Makishima replied, not knowing what to say apart from the typical words of sympathy. “We’re here for you.”His manager didn’t reply. He just sobbed more into his phone. Heartbreaking noises invaded Makishima’s being, chipping away at his self-control bit by bit.He didn’t know how long Toudou cried for, but never once did the phone leave Makishima’s ear, the sounds burnt into his eardrum and continued to ring even after Toudou’s sobs had subsided.“I’m sorry you had to listen to that, Maki-chan,” Toudou apologized after a long while, voice a little hoarse.“Don’t apologize. I did just offer being here for you, right?”Toudou made an affirmative noise, followed by the sound of him blowing his nose.“Thank you.”Words of gratitude were normal, even for someone like Toudou, but it wasn’t often that they were spoken in a quiet, sincere manner. And it was these precious moment that Makishima cherished the most.“You’re welcome, Jinpachi.” Makishima replied, rolling the next few words over his tongue before deciding to just say them. “I love you.”Toudou made a weird noise on the other end of the phone and Makishima willed himself not to hang up and bury himself in a hole. So he waited. And waited…“Uhh… Jinpachi?” Makishima asked hesitantly, actually having to pull the phone away from his ear to check that they were still connected. They were.“Maki-chan…” Toudou whined. “You’re not fair…”“S-Sorry, I just-”“I love you too.”And it was actually Toudou who hung up, leaving Makishima to process the abrupt ending. He found himself smiling down at his phone as he sent Toudou a simple message. [Yuusuke]: Good night, Jinpachi. [Toudou]: Sleep well, Maki-chan!! <3 xxx
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It felt weird not being the first ones to ride off on the last day. Standing at the start line, they watched as Kyoto kicked off the ground and took the front as victors of the second day. It had been a very long time since Tokyo came anywhere but first.Despite that, the team felt calm. They had a clear goal ahead of them and even if their opponent had an advantage, they would catch up and take back their lead. They were champions, after all. True to their word, Tokyo’s jersey was the first to cross the finish line. Kinjou’s arm was pumped towards the sky, panting heavily as sweat dripped from his chin. Beside him, Midousuji had his head bowed in defeat, suffocating in the roars and cheers of the crowd either side of them.Although they had driven some of their own teammates to exhaustion, their sacrifice was not in vain. As the news reached the rest of the team, they all raised their fists into the air in victory, smile spreading across their faces in varying degrees.They did it. They won. They kept their promise.Now, all that was left was to go see their manager. “Kanzaki-san, we’re leaving.” Tadokoro said, fastening his bike to the back of the van.“What?!” The mechanic looked taken aback. “What about the closing ceremony?”“Forget that,” Arakita waved him off.“But-”“Kanzaki-san, please take us to Hakone,” Fukutomi said, expression as serious as always.“Hakone?” To say that Kanzaki looked confused was probably an understatement. He glanced between the team but seeing how they all looked just as determined as each other, he couldn’t refuse. “A-Alright, just… Uhh, get everything packed up then.”“Yes!”Quickly, the team swiped up their belongings, tossing everything into Kanzaki’s van before climbing in and fastening their seat belts. Jostled out of a dreamless sleep, Makishima blinked open his blue eyes to see other vehicles drive by on the highway. Groaning a little from the stiffness in his neck and the ache in his body, he readjusted his posture only to notice a light weight against his arm. Glancing to the side, Makishima smiled lightly at Onoda who had fallen asleep against the taller climber.“You’re awake?” Perking up, Makishima looked up to catch Kanzaki’s gaze from the rear-view mirror.“Yeah,” Makishima replied through a yawn. “Where are we?”“About forty minutes from Hakone.”“I see,” the climber nodded, looking around the van to see everyone else sleeping quietly.Arakita had his head leaning on Shinkai’s shoulder and in return, the redhead had his cheek pressed against the other’s black locks. Craning his head behind them, the two captains were out like a light too. And without even looking, Makishima knew that Tadokoro was asleep, if his snores were anything to go by.Quietly, without stirring Onoda from his rest, Makishima reached into his bag with his long arm to pull out his phone. [Yuusuke]: Hey, we’re going to drop by your place within the hour. Hope it isn’t an inconvenience. Perhaps Makishima was too used to Toudou replying within a couple of minutes of receiving a text. He found himself checking his phone every so often in hopes of getting a response, but when ten minutes of silence passed, the climber gave up, opting to scroll through the previous conversations he had had with his manager. Some dated from months ago when Toudou had only just joined the team.The months they had spent together had blurred by. A lot had happened since the start, a lot had changed and a lot of it involved their feelings towards their manager. Makishima was sure the team felt the same. Toudou had grown on them greatly, becoming somewhat of an essential part of their team, their family. Like previous times without him, it felt like there was something missing, something important, a constant presence, a constant sound…Even though it had only been a day, Makishima found himself missing Toudou. Pulling up outside Toudou-an, the team saw Toudou and his sister bowing to a family outside their ryokan. The front of the inn looked fine but they could see the remnants of a large fire, painting at least half the building in charcoal black. And that was only the damage on the outside… They didn’t want to imagine the devastation which lurked within.The family turned away from the Toudous, the mother ushering her weeping child away from the inn. Violet eyes caught the gazes of the team the moment they looked up again, and even from a distance, they could see a flash of emotion which beckoned them forward.Their manager hurried towards them, his yukata swaying against his body while his geta clopped against the ground with every step.And the team met him half way, tackling the short man into a group hug.“Guys…” Toudou sobbed quietly, burying his face into Makishima’s shoulder while the rest of the team surrounded him, wrapping their arms around him in comfort.“We’re here.” Fukutomi said, pressing his forehead to the side of Toudou’s head.“God, you’re such a crybaby.” Arakita huffed but everyone heard how there was no bite in his voice.They waited until Toudou’s tears subsided before he spoke up.“How did the race go?”“Do you really need to ask?” Tadokoro replied with a soft laugh.“We won, of course.” Kinjou informed, earning a smile only a few of them saw from where Toudou was hiding under Makishima’s jaw.“I knew you guys could do it.” There was a small pause before he added, “Congrats.”Shinkai made a weird strangled whine in response, making Toudou snort into Makishima’s collar bone.“What type of noise was that, Hayato?!”But little did Toudou know that the rest of the team heard Shinkai’s unspoken words loud and clear. Silently, they all agreed. Toudou really was the cutest. Despite their aching bodies and overly fatigued limbs, the team still offered to help Toudou with the repairs. Of course, their manager refused and told them to go home for the day. And not to anyone’s surprise, the team stubbornly demanded to stay.Perhaps they were becoming overly spoilt by Toudou. “So here’s the layout of the inn,” Toudou rolled out a map of the ryokan, an identical copy to the one which was displayed in the lobby. “We’re thinking of keeping everything from here,” he pointed to Room 7 before drawing a line with his finger to the end of the corridor to Room 12, “to here, the same as before. We’re also planning on making an extension to offer more rooms but we have to talk to mum and dad first. The kitchen will be redone and we’ll equip it with additional fire safety measures for the future.”“What idiot decided to burn down the kitchen?” Arakita asked, tapping a finger to where the kitchen was on the map.“It was an accident.” Toudou shrugged. “Mizuta-kun was still pretty new to the place so these things… happen, sometimes.”The team almost winced at how forced those words sounded.“Where is this Mizuta-kun now?” Shinkai asked.“He quit after the incident, probably back in Kyoto. He said he’ll pay us back for the repairs but he’s… Y’know, he isn’t rich so we-”“You didn’t just let him go, did you?” Tadokoro asked, somewhat bewildered by Toudou’s decision. “Even if it was an accident, this is-”“You said it yourself, Toudou. This ryokan is historical.” Makishima added, unable to stay silent.“We haven’t decided anything yet!” Toudou defended. “He’s contacting his friends to borrow money. We just haven’t given him an amount yet.”“You’re too soft,” Arakita growled. “And how do you know his friends are going to do anything?”“I… I don’t know…” Toudou admitted.“The kid’s probably thinking of running away without paying a single penny.” Arakita glared at Toudou and the latter looked away from the intensity. “Can he be trusted?”“I think so…” Violet eyes were still directed elsewhere and his posture grew defensive under the team’s gaze. “He’s a little weird, but I think he’s a good kid. He works hard and tries his best, always curious to learn about things outside of the ryokan. I think he quite liked me too,” Toudou laughed awkwardly. “During less busy times, he would follow me around and ask things about my work and about you guys.”“He cycles?” Kinjou asked.Toudou nodded. “He said he has a few friends who went pro and-”“Jinpachi!” Haruka called from somewhere in the inn.“Ah,” Toudou stood up from his seat. “I’ll be right back. Look over the plan because if you really intend to help, you’re going to be chopping a lot of wood to fix those rooms.”With hurried but silent steps, Toudou left the room.The team remained silent for a moment, giving each other critical looks before Arakita spoke up.“Okay, so I don’t want to be making assumptions here, but something smells really fishy about this Mizuta kid.”No-one made any move in responding.“I mean,” Arakita continued. “I could be completely wrong and about to accuse some people of doing something they didn’t do,” he exhaled harshly. “But there’s only one pro team per prefecture. This kid cycles and he’s from Kyoto. He probably went to school there and so his friends-who-have-apparently-gone-pro are likely to be… y’know, on Kyoto’s professional cycling team.”“We don’t know that,” Fukutomi reasoned however everyone knew that what Arakita said had its possibility.“Let’s focus on helping with the repairs first,” Kinjou said, tapping the map for attention. “We should leave Mizuta to Toudou.”There was a huff from Arakita but he didn’t say anything else. The rest of the team replied with an affirmative before going back to the issue at hand. Builders and construction workers came throughout the week to help with the repairs. The team did as much as they could to be of assistance while Toudou and his sister directed the rebuild. Their parents had agreed for an extension and said that they would return to Hakone at the end of the week which made Toudou horribly nervous.“Okay, so when you meet my parents, please don’t do anything stupid.” Toudou said one evening. “I don’t want them to think that I work with a bunch of idiots.”“Stop treating us like damn brats!” Arakita snapped, pinching Toudou in the cheek, making his manager whimper in protest.“’m sowie, Awakita, le’ go o’ ma wace!”The rest of the team laughed at the exchange, earning a pout from Toudou who massaged his sore cheek after Arakita released him.“Don’t worry, Jinpachi,” Shinkai smiled. “We’ll behave.”“You better…” Toudou mumbled, pout still cutely present. Meeting Toudou’s parents wasn’t at all as difficult as their manager made it seem, however, it was what they requested afterwards that made the team a little more than unwilling.“We appreciate your help but this is our job to do. We don’t want to bother you with such a laborious chore.” Toudou’s father said, making their manager purse his lips firmly together from where he sat beside his mother.“It’s no bother,” Fukutomi tried, but it didn’t seem like Toudou’s parents were very fond of the idea of the team helping.They bowed politely. “Please, we insist that you focus on yourselves and leave the repairs to the builders.”Hesitantly, the team looked between each other. They didn’t want to, that much was obvious. But seeing how Toudou himself had his eyes diverted and unable to look at the team, it was assumed that he had already tried to persuade his parents to no avail. It was only right to back away.“We understand,” Kinjou answered. “We’ll get our belongings together and return home.” The look on Toudou’s face as they were about to climb into the van was sad and uncharacteristically honest. They expected him to pull on a brave face and force out a bright smile even when he obviously didn’t feel like it. The expression squeezed the hearts of the team but at the same time, they were partly happy that Toudou wasn’t putting on an act.“Will you be okay here?” Makishima asked, smoothing over Toudou’s hair, not minding that the team was with them because they probably knew about their relationship anyway.Toudou only nodded in response.“We’ll keep you updated with training,” Fukutomi said, holding up the schedule Toudou gave him for the next week.Again, Toudou nodded.“Stay strong, Toudou.”“We’re only a phone call away.”Words of encouragement were answered with silent nods from their manager. It was unsettling, making the team look between them once again. An unspoken conversation took place before the team gathered Toudou into another group hug, offering the shorter man the best comfort the team knew how to give.“Thank you, everyone.”It was quiet but the team heard him nonetheless. No-one verbally replied, they only stayed together for a little while longer before detaching themselves one by one.“We’ll see you again soon, Toudou.”“Take care of yourself, Jinpachi.”Everyone but Makishima climbed into the van after saying their parting words. It wasn’t like Toudou was going to stop being their manager but given his situation, they weren’t sure when he would be back with the team. They wouldn’t let him go. That much was obvious. But that didn’t tell him when they would next see Toudou again.“Jinpachi,” Makishima said, cupping Toudou’s cheek in his hand and directing violet eyes up to meet his gaze. “Don’t hesitate to contact me or anyone else on the team, okay?”Toudou nodded again before the climber leant in to seal their lips in a quick little peck.“I’m going to miss you,” Makishima said as he began to pull away.Toudou, however, wasn’t satisfied. Throwing his arms over slightly taller shoulders, he smashed their lips together in a clumsy kiss. It took a second for Makishima to recover and when he did, he naturally wrapped his arms around Toudou’s waist, bringing them closer together as they kissed deep and lovingly.“I’ll miss you too, Maki-chan.”Makishima smiled at the reply, noticing the soft smile Toudou returned. It felt like too long since those lips curled upwards.Reluctantly, Makishima pulled apart. And even more reluctantly, he climbed into the van after bidding Toudou goodbye. The team waved to their manager as Kanzaki drove them away from Hakone and back towards Tokyo.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It was like that time Toudou left to help out at the inn after his sister’s minor collapse. The gym was eerily quiet upon the team’s return from training. They had to look after themselves and follow a written down schedule instead of hearing it from a voice which was more reassuring than annoying now. Still, the team pushed through. They had faith in Toudou and they didn’t want to waste time moping over being manager-less when said man was working hard to rebuild the pride of his family.Contact was minimal, maybe a total of only a few replies from Toudou by the end of the day, but it was enough. At least they got a reply. So, when Makishima returned to his locker to find no messages from Toudou but sixteen missed calls from Onoda instead, he felt a stir of something uncomfortable inside.After pressing to return Onoda’s call, Makishima pressed the device to his ear as he stripped out of his jersey.The young teen picked up by the second ring.“Sakamichi, what’s the-”“Makishima-san!” Onoda all but screamed into his ear.“Y-Yo…” The climber greeted awkwardly.“Have you been able to contact Toudou-san today?” He asked urgently.“No…” Makishima turned to regard his teammates only to see them all looking at him questioningly. “Isn’t he at the inn?”“No. He only left a note saying that he’s heading to Kyoto and left. I thought maybe you might know something.”“To Kyoto?” Makishima repeated, earning several glances from the team. Quickly, Makishima pulled the device away from his ear and put the young climber on speakers.“Yeah, it doesn’t say much,” there was a rustle of a piece of paper. “Oh, wait. There’s an address on the bottom.”“Give it to me,” Makishima demanded, Shinkai already pulling out his phone to punch in the details.There was a heavy silence after Onoda had passed over the information. The team stared at Shinkai’s phone, at the red dot on the map which marked where Toudou was headed.
Kyoto professional cycling team’s private training centre.
“Makishima-san?”“We’ll get him, Sakamichi.”“Eh?”“I’ll call you back.”With that, Makishima hung up and saw that the team wore a serious expression.“I knew it!” Arakita growled. “That little, Mizuta, shit was with Kyoto.”“Are you ready to go?” Fukutomi asked, already at the door. “We’ll get the next train. Get your bikes.”Throwing everything aside and only bringing what they needed, the team rushed out of the building. The bike ride to the train station was a high speed sprint, getting them on the next available train to Kyoto. Charging into a professional cycling team’s facilities without permission was probably a bad idea but it seemed like the team always ended up doing unreasonable things when it concerned their precious manager.The poor woman at the front desk was trembling when Arakita howled at her, demanding the location of Toudou. It was no surprise why people labelled Arakita as a wolf. He sniffed out the meeting room where Toudou was with ease, leading the team like a hungry pack of predators.Throwing the door open, Arakita yelled. “Toudou!”Inside, there were two couches on either side of a coffee table, tea pot and three cups placed in front of their respective drinkers. One occupied by their manager, thankfully unharmed but seemingly shocked by the sudden appearance of the team, while the other sat two men, one casually dressed while the other wore a Kyoto jersey over his shoulders.“Arakita?!” Toudou squawked. “Guys?!” He was rising to his feet but the team were too busy glaring daggers at the other two men.“What business does Kyoto have with our manager?!” Arakita growled.“Wait, please calm down,” the one in the Kyoto jersey stood up with a placating hand in front of him.“Calm down?! You planned this all, didn’t you?! You wanted to-”“Arakita!” Toudou had rushed in front of Arakita, placing both his hands firmly on his upper arm as if restraining him, in fear that he would lung at Toudou’s company. “You’re misunderstanding!”“How?!”“They called me here to apologize!” Toudou yelled back, desperately trying to calm the other down.There was a beat of silence, during which the young man in casual clothing stood up as well. The two nameless men then bowed and introduced themselves, the first being the one in the jersey.“My name is Ishigaki. I’m the coach for Kyoto.”“And I’m… M-Mizuta. I asked Toudou-san to come here to repay him for the damage I did. I didn’t mean to-”“What’s all the racket up here?” A horribly familiar voice interrupted from the other side of another door on the other side of the room. The team instantly bristled as the door creaked open to reveal Midousuji, a fresh layer of sweat covering his skin.Their gazes met in varying levels of surprise and caution.“What’s this?” Midousuji asked, tilting his head grossly to the side in question. “Why is Tokyo here? Who let you in?”“You know why we’re here,” Arakita seethed, stepping forward only to have Toudou hold him in place.“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kyoto’s captain replied. “I don’t remember-”“Midousuji-kun.” Ishigaki spoke up, bowing to the captain. “I apologize for disrupting your training. Please, do not mind them, I will handle things here.”“Huuuuh.” Midousuji sung, drawing out the sound tauntingly. “Well, whatever,” he turned and waved an arm. “We’ll come to your place and laugh at you when we take the crown off your head next time.”It was a declaration of another heated race. The team silently accepted, but that wasn’t their priority at that moment. They turned back to Ishigaki, seriousness never leaving their eyes.“Sorry about that,” the coach apologized before gesturing to the couch opposite him. “Please, have a seat. We’d like to explain ourselves.”It was a cosy fit on the couch, Toudou being sandwiched between Makishima and Shinkai while Arakita perched on the arm rest beside the redhead. The other three stood behind them, leaning over their heads protectively.“So, as you probably know,” Ishigaki began. “Nobu was the one who left the stove on and cause the fire at Toudou-an.”“On purpose.” Arakita added which had two people shout at him in correction.“NO!” Mizuta and Toudou replied, the former being the one to continue talking. “It was an accident! I swear! I would never do something like that on purpose! Even if I was sent there to get information out of Toudou-san, I wouldn’t do something like sabotage.”“You worked for Toudou to scout us?” Tadokoro picked out.Mizuta visibly swallowed and lowered his head.“He did.” Toudou answered instead.“You knew?” Shinkai asked from beside him.“I didn’t. But he told me before you guys barged in.”“He really was supposed to be there for scouting purposes.” Ishigaki confirmed. “However, my telling of Toudou’s mother being in an accident was on purpose.”“You-” Arakita snarled, but Shinkai rested a hand on the other’s thigh, halting his snap.“Did Midousuji tell you to do that?” Fukutomi asked, to which Ishigaki only looked away in shame.“That’s low.” Arakita said, eyes looking dangerous and threatening.Kyoto’s coach bowed again. “It was wrong. I’m sorry.”“You already apologized.” Toudou sighed. “I can’t say I forgive you because what you did really…” He released a breath. “It shook me up. And not only that, you affected the team.” Violet eyes gazed up at Ishigaki, an intensity and threat in his eyes which they had never seen before. “If you hurt them,” his gaze shifted to Mizuta for a moment, making the young man straighten up stiffly. “I won’t be so forgiving.”Both men from Kyoto nodded dumbly.“That goes for us too.” Tadokoro added.“If you mess with Toudou again…” Kinjou trailed off.“You’ll regret it even in the afterlife,” Arakita finished menacingly.Again, they received stiff nods.“We’ll show ourselves out.” Fukutomi said, making the team stand.They were filing out the door when Ishigaki called back. “Next race!”The team turned around.“We’ll challenge you fair and squarely in the next race.”At those words, the team offered a smile.“We look forward to it.”“Don’t think you can win so easily.”With a casual wave, they left the room, their manager following behind only to be briefly stopped once again.“Toudou-san.”“Hmm?”“You have a wonderful team.”A genuine smile pulled at Toudou’s lips. “I know.” Retrieving their bikes from where they had chained them up haphazardly to the rack, the team led the way towards the train station.They paused, however, when Toudou stopped walking behind them.Turning around, they saw their manager was stood still, head slightly downcasted as if the ground was suddenly very interesting.“Toudou?” Fukutomi asked.“Thank you, everyone.” He said, looking up at the team with sincerity. “For coming here today.”A smile was exchanged between the team as they waved off his words.“No need to thank us,” Kinjou replied.“We were happy to be here,” Fukutomi reassured.“It’s only natural for us to pick up a member of our team,” Tadokoro laughed.“You need to stop running off on your own, damn it,” Arakita huffed.“We just wanted to see you again, Jinpachi.” Shinkai smiled.If they weren’t holding their bikes, they would have most certainly tackled Toudou in a group hug which they had been throwing out in recent weeks.With a hand out, reaching to Toudou while his other held onto his bike, Makishima said, “Come on, let’s go home.”His lower lip quivered momentarily before he sucked in a composing breath. With a bright smile, taking Makishima’s offered hand and lacing their fingers together, Toudou replied.“You guys are the best.”