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“Cherry!” Joe called out, running up to his childhood friend before his beef with Adam started. There was so much he wanted to say. "Please be careful." "I'm worried." "Don't race him." He knew Kaoru was a capable skater, one of the best there was, but his gut was screaming at him that something was wrong. "Uh-”
“Back off you needy gorilla, you’re smothering me.” That was not what Kojiro had expected. He should have, their banter is part of who they are, an almost twenty year staple of their relationship, but right then he was so thrown off by his overwhelming emotions that he had no retort. “Don’t fret about Adam. I’ll ruin him. You’ll see.”
Hah. Trying to make me feel better, Kaoru. He must really be off his game if his emotions were plastered all over his face, but then again, Kaoru had always seen right through him. “If you lose, I’ll never stop laughing at your ignorance.”
“Do me a favor and don’t get frustrated and work out too much, muscle brain.” There was a bit of lightness to his tone and Kojiro could tell there was the smallest smirk hiding beneath his mask.
“Um, not that it isn’t adorable, but how long does the little comedy act go on? I believe it’s time to start the race.” Adam chimed in, making sure Kojiro and Kaoru were reminded of his presence.
“...Please be careful. Adam is not the competitor he used to be.” Is the worry in my voice showing? Kaoru will never let me live it down. But...
“As if you needed to tell me that.”
The lights counted down. Adam and Cherry picked up speed immediately.
Their match was intense. The sweat began to bead on Kojiro's brow as he watched Kaoru and Adam keep pace with each other. You got this, Kaoru.
Adam stomped on his board and spun it around. Kojiro’s body tensed.
Watching Kaoru expertly dodge Adam's love hug oddly gave him a sense of pride as he watched Kaoru round the curve. His skating was beautiful to watch, each movement the pinnacle of precision. Some people would discount Karou for using AI assistance, but that’s just Karou, needing everything to be controlled down to the millimeter.
Kojiro snapped out of it, and brought his focus back to the present just as Adam began his dance, but something felt… off.
I don’t trust Adam. He’s up to something. It felt almost as if time froze in that moment. Adam jumped off his board, running at Cherry full speed as the board connected with Kaoru’s face. So many emotions flitted through Kojiro’s head. Rage being first. Adam attacked the person he cared about most in this world, and he could do nothing but stand there and watch as it happened. Then, fear. Is Kaoru dying? Brain damaged? Severely injured? Will he be ok? Kojiro’s legs started to wobble and he was finally able to move, dashing downward as fast as his legs would go, not even remembering that he had a skateboard that could get him down twice as fast. He needed to get there. He needed to see if Kaoru was ok.
“Kaoru!!” His body lay there prone, unflinching. Karou’s golden eyes were shut and his cherry blossom hair spread around him in an unkempt way that Kaoru would never let anyone else see, except for maybe Kojiro. “C’mon. Get up.” Tell me I’m a stupid Gorilla and my concern isn’t needed. Tell me you don’t need help from a muscle head. Anything. Just open your eyes!
As Adam spoke the rage took over again. He is a dead man. I am going to rip him limb from limb and stab him through with his own fucking skateboard! The sound of screeching brakes broke him out of trance.
“Hop on! Right now it’s more important to get to a hospital!” Thank you, Hiromi. Kaoru is more important than this piece of shit. I’ll come for him later.
Kaoru’s body felt so strange, it felt like he barely weighed more than a child, but now completely limp like a wet rag. Gingerly Kojiro slid into the back seat, cradling Kaoru’s head, trying to keep his neck straight. Is it broken? Should I have moved him? Kojiro brushed Kaoru’s hair out of his eyes to look upon his lifeless face. Wetness tipped his fingers, stained red from blood from the back of Kaoru’s head.
“Kaoru… Please be okay.”
He felt it then, the wetness on his cheeks as a tear splashed across Kaoru’s face.
—
It had been hours. The doctor said he should wake up any moment and that there didn't appear to be any permanent damage to his brain, but Karou continued to sleep, almost peaceful looking if it wasn't for the bandages wrapped around his sakura hair and the monitors on his pale skin. Kojiro studied his face. He saw a twitch in Kaoru's eyes as they began to flutter open.
“Kaoru!”
“Koji?" It took Kaoru a moment to orient himself, slowly remembering where he was and how he got there. "Hey, you big Ape.” Kaoru said weakly, trying to get his voice to work.
Kojiro laughed softly. “Glad to see you are back to yourself.” He stared at Karou for a long moment, searching his eyes to make sure he was okay, alive, coherent. Without thinking, Kojiro leaned in closer and let his lips meet Kaoru's soft ones. A kiss that was gentle, but full of years of emotion.
Kaoru was still, not kissing in return, but not pushing away.
“Kaoru, I'm sorry, I- I wanted to do that before I lost my chance. I saw today with S, with life even, any moment could be our last.” Kojrio paused, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. “Look, I know you have a thing for Adam, but he is not the same Adam he used to be. He could have fucking killed you tonight!” His anger seeped out as he looked away.
Kaoru placed his hand atop of Kojiro’s that was resting beside his leg and waited until Kojiro looked at him. He put a hand behind Kojiro’s head and pulled him close, lips meeting him tenderly. Kojiro stared at him wide eyed. “You big dumb gorilla.” Kaoru started, but the usual snark wasn’t there. “Yeah, I had a thing for Ainosuke when we were younger, but YOU were the one I was waiting for.”
A loud shuffling noise came rapidly from the hall as small quick steps collided with the sound of stomping elephants. “Cherry!” Hiromi and Miya cried, rushing in.
“Looks like the kids are here.” Kojrio chuckled quietly, unhappy about the interruption, but beaming with the possibility of the future and the time he would now have with Kaoru.
Kaoru was back to his usual self in an instant. “Don’t you ever knock!”