Major tags: None Additional tags: Nonbinary character Words: 481
"I thought," Teshima forces out, even as another bump in the road makes their head collide against the ceiling, "You'd be able to afford a better car." Their hand tightens against the bottom of their seat, ripping through the pre-existing hole to more of the cotton inside. "Considering that bike of yours."
Manami hums, too casual for the way it has to stick its hand out the window to keep its door from flying open with the winds.
"How much did that thing cost you?"
"Dunno." The car passes a sign, marked with a faded speed limit. Teshima glances at the speedometer, cracked as it is, and their feet go cold. Manami goes on, "My mom got the frame for me," and it pauses to laugh. "She didn't really have anything to do with this thing."
It swerves, over literal nothing, and Teshima's face bounces against their door window. "What," they begin to yell, before pulling themself back to a more casual tone through all their shaking, "Was that for?"
"I thought I saw something." It rubs its eyes. "It happens."
"Great." Teshima slumps in their seat, mourning the half broken seat belt they were left with. "Glad I have to get across country with you."
Fingers drumming against the steering wheel, it answers, chipper, "If you don't want to, then I suggest you get out of my car right now." It turns its head just to give them an enormous smile. "I understand how unsafe it is." It spoke to them, so often, as though they were an unwanted suitor. "You shouldn't endanger yourself." But it never actually told them to leave entirely.
Teshima is aware of how right it is, and just how much of this ride is their own fault to begin with, but they flourish a hand, forcing a laugh. "It's sweet of you to worry about me, Manami, but I've been wanting this trip for too long to back off now." Looking out the window, they grin a little more sincerely. "And you'd get totally lost on the way south if it wasn't for me."
It hums another affirmative, high pitched, sarcastic.
"Ah ..." It sounds like it remembered something, and their ears prick up, involuntarily. "And of course, because no one else you knew with a car would be willing to sit with you for that long. We shouldn't forget that."
"That's not true."
"Oooor, you refused to accept it!" It grinned. "Because someone like you loathes seeming weak to all those people who think you're so capable, right?"
They smack a hand against its arm, sending the car awkwardly swerving again. "And no one else would climb into this shitheap and be willing to pay half the whole way, with you." No one should have to, either, even if Manami wasn't the monster they pretended half the time. "So it looks like we're even."
FILL: TEAM AOYAGI HAJIME/IZUMIDA TOUICHIROU, T
Additional tags: Nonbinary character
Words: 481
"I thought," Teshima forces out, even as another bump in the road makes their head collide against the ceiling, "You'd be able to afford a better car." Their hand tightens against the bottom of their seat, ripping through the pre-existing hole to more of the cotton inside. "Considering that bike of yours."
Manami hums, too casual for the way it has to stick its hand out the window to keep its door from flying open with the winds.
"How much did that thing cost you?"
"Dunno." The car passes a sign, marked with a faded speed limit. Teshima glances at the speedometer, cracked as it is, and their feet go cold. Manami goes on, "My mom got the frame for me," and it pauses to laugh. "She didn't really have anything to do with this thing."
It swerves, over literal nothing, and Teshima's face bounces against their door window. "What," they begin to yell, before pulling themself back to a more casual tone through all their shaking, "Was that for?"
"I thought I saw something." It rubs its eyes. "It happens."
"Great." Teshima slumps in their seat, mourning the half broken seat belt they were left with. "Glad I have to get across country with you."
Fingers drumming against the steering wheel, it answers, chipper, "If you don't want to, then I suggest you get out of my car right now." It turns its head just to give them an enormous smile. "I understand how unsafe it is." It spoke to them, so often, as though they were an unwanted suitor. "You shouldn't endanger yourself." But it never actually told them to leave entirely.
Teshima is aware of how right it is, and just how much of this ride is their own fault to begin with, but they flourish a hand, forcing a laugh. "It's sweet of you to worry about me, Manami, but I've been wanting this trip for too long to back off now." Looking out the window, they grin a little more sincerely. "And you'd get totally lost on the way south if it wasn't for me."
It hums another affirmative, high pitched, sarcastic.
"Ah ..." It sounds like it remembered something, and their ears prick up, involuntarily. "And of course, because no one else you knew with a car would be willing to sit with you for that long. We shouldn't forget that."
"That's not true."
"Oooor, you refused to accept it!" It grinned. "Because someone like you loathes seeming weak to all those people who think you're so capable, right?"
They smack a hand against its arm, sending the car awkwardly swerving again. "And no one else would climb into this shitheap and be willing to pay half the whole way, with you." No one should have to, either, even if Manami wasn't the monster they pretended half the time. "So it looks like we're even."