Ship: Makishima Yuusuke/Toudou Jinpachi Fandom: Yowamushi Pedal Major Tags: None Other Tags: None Word Count: 663
miyu wants to go to paris too~ congrats on engagement, toumaki!!
***
The Arc de Triomphe was a majestic sight, or it would have been, if he had time to sightsee. Toudou's head was bent low over the handlebars, his breath coming short and ragged. The sun beat down mercilessly on the curve of his back. Sweat ran in rivulets down the back of his neck, dripping off his chin, soaking into the thin material of his jersey.
It was the final stage of the Tour. Toudou was exhausted, more bone tired than he'd ever felt from the Inter-High. He could feel imperfection creeping into his form, the slight wobble in his wheels here and there, the slow reaction time as he corrected himself. He was ready for the race to be over. And Toudou knew it was just for show at this point, that the overall placings had already been settled and that his proud team from Japan had already lost to a tenacious group of cyclists from Germany, but. Putting on a show had always been his specialty.
Toudou straightened and forced a dazzling smile as he rounded the corner, past a gaggle of reporters with cameras flashing. The sidelines were packed with people as they entered the famous stretch of the Champs-Élysées. Spectators cheered for him in French and English he barely understood, but adoration was adoration in any language. He struck a pose for them, pointing directly at the rolling camcorders as he pedaled on.
A wave of dizziness forced his head down again. He had already drained his water bottle. He just had to endure the sun a little longer. Toudou pulled his zipper down a few inches, exposing a patch of skin and a small chain with a ring on it. He pedaled on mechanically, following the flow of the peloton, fingers straying to touch the slim necklace for support.
He remembered with a sudden, fierce fondness the gold chain he'd worn in high school. That necklace had been a heavy, gaudy thing, meant to be flashy and eye-catching so that people would ask where he got it. He would always laugh and coyly tell his classmates and fan club that "it's a secret," but he'd wear the same helplessly proud smile he did every time he saw Maki-chan actually texted him back. He couldn't imagine it was ever actually a secret, especially when they stopped being just rivals and started being something more.
He remembered with a crinkle of his nose how Arakita had found the photo in his clubroom locker of him and Maki-chan wearing the matching necklaces together. Arakita had teased him so mercilessly about his crush that Toudou stopped wearing it, at school at least. He had been easier to fluster back then, he supposed. That old necklace was in a box of keepsakes now, along with his first flip phone, his Hakogaku jersey, an envelope of train tickets and airplane boarding passes, and all his other memories.
His fingers curled around the ring, squeezing it tight, renewing the strength of its promise as he forged onward.
The little glimpses of Paris Toudou saw as they lapped the city looked beautiful. He was looking forward to spending a few days here once Maki-chan arrived from London for the closing ceremonies. They planned to see the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Notre Dame Cathedral. They would walk the streets together, hand in hand, in the brief window they'd carved in between responsibilities and schedules and distance. His heart soared with anticipation, more excited for their vacation than he was to see the finish line of the race.
And most exciting of all, Toudou would move the ring to his finger where it belonged, and it would be in all his Tour de France photos. If anyone asked who gave it to him, he could smile the same helplessly proud smile he always did, because he couldn't quite believe it was real either. But now it wasn't a secret anymore, and he would show the entire world.
FILL: Team Aoyagi Hajime/Teshima Junta, G
Fandom: Yowamushi Pedal
Major Tags: None
Other Tags: None
Word Count: 663
miyu wants to go to paris too~ congrats on engagement, toumaki!!
***
The Arc de Triomphe was a majestic sight, or it would have been, if he had time to sightsee. Toudou's head was bent low over the handlebars, his breath coming short and ragged. The sun beat down mercilessly on the curve of his back. Sweat ran in rivulets down the back of his neck, dripping off his chin, soaking into the thin material of his jersey.
It was the final stage of the Tour. Toudou was exhausted, more bone tired than he'd ever felt from the Inter-High. He could feel imperfection creeping into his form, the slight wobble in his wheels here and there, the slow reaction time as he corrected himself. He was ready for the race to be over. And Toudou knew it was just for show at this point, that the overall placings had already been settled and that his proud team from Japan had already lost to a tenacious group of cyclists from Germany, but. Putting on a show had always been his specialty.
Toudou straightened and forced a dazzling smile as he rounded the corner, past a gaggle of reporters with cameras flashing. The sidelines were packed with people as they entered the famous stretch of the Champs-Élysées. Spectators cheered for him in French and English he barely understood, but adoration was adoration in any language. He struck a pose for them, pointing directly at the rolling camcorders as he pedaled on.
A wave of dizziness forced his head down again. He had already drained his water bottle. He just had to endure the sun a little longer. Toudou pulled his zipper down a few inches, exposing a patch of skin and a small chain with a ring on it. He pedaled on mechanically, following the flow of the peloton, fingers straying to touch the slim necklace for support.
He remembered with a sudden, fierce fondness the gold chain he'd worn in high school. That necklace had been a heavy, gaudy thing, meant to be flashy and eye-catching so that people would ask where he got it. He would always laugh and coyly tell his classmates and fan club that "it's a secret," but he'd wear the same helplessly proud smile he did every time he saw Maki-chan actually texted him back. He couldn't imagine it was ever actually a secret, especially when they stopped being just rivals and started being something more.
He remembered with a crinkle of his nose how Arakita had found the photo in his clubroom locker of him and Maki-chan wearing the matching necklaces together. Arakita had teased him so mercilessly about his crush that Toudou stopped wearing it, at school at least. He had been easier to fluster back then, he supposed. That old necklace was in a box of keepsakes now, along with his first flip phone, his Hakogaku jersey, an envelope of train tickets and airplane boarding passes, and all his other memories.
His fingers curled around the ring, squeezing it tight, renewing the strength of its promise as he forged onward.
The little glimpses of Paris Toudou saw as they lapped the city looked beautiful. He was looking forward to spending a few days here once Maki-chan arrived from London for the closing ceremonies. They planned to see the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Notre Dame Cathedral. They would walk the streets together, hand in hand, in the brief window they'd carved in between responsibilities and schedules and distance. His heart soared with anticipation, more excited for their vacation than he was to see the finish line of the race.
And most exciting of all, Toudou would move the ring to his finger where it belonged, and it would be in all his Tour de France photos. If anyone asked who gave it to him, he could smile the same helplessly proud smile he always did, because he couldn't quite believe it was real either. But now it wasn't a secret anymore, and he would show the entire world.