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Alternate Tracks 2nd Story in Rivalry Series	By : kurahieiritrJIO Category: +G to L > Initial D Views: 2493 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Initial D, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 11
- 12
- 13
CHAPTER 12

Takumi walked into the store front to hear Keisuke's angry voice snarling. "Look. You blew it hard core with Fujiwara a long time ago. Get over it, and move on."

Takumi frowned as he took off his street shoes and stepped into the main living area where he could see Keisuke holding the phone to his ear. Takumi saw Keisuke's dark expression as he listened to the speaker in the other end.

"Wrong. Your attempts to manipulate Fujiwara won't change his mind, or get you everything you want, baka." Keisuke snorted as he listened to what Mogi said.

"Explain to me where in the hell you got the idea that you have any right to be with Fujiwara?" Another pause as Keisuke's eyebrow began to tic with anger.

The blond snapped, "More like he's on his way to the pro leagues, and it's a known fact that pros make lots of money that your fingers are itching to spend for him."

Takumi felt the color drain from his face. He had a sick suspicion that Keisuke had answered the phone when Mogi called. He could see Oyaji sitting at their traditional table with a cigarette in hand, listening with avid interest to every word.

Keisuke stressed specific words as he snarled into the receiver. "That IS a VALID observation! Your history with Fujiwara makes your motives real clear to the rest of us."

The blond paused as he listened to whatever Mogi was saying. This was the worst case scenario Takumi could imagine. His ex-girlfriend and current boyfriend in an argument over who had right to him was a notion that embarrassed the quiet teenager to his core.

"I found out about your harassment because I'm too stubborn to let a close friend screw up his future. I DRUG it out of Fujiwara. Every time he's pissed off at you, I'm the one that has to get him to get it off his mind so he can focus on training."

Oyaji had dropped his newspaper in his lap. He smirked as he listened to Keisuke's snarling at the object of his aggravation. "Keisuke kun's rather determined to defend you, isn't he?" His father observed.

Takumi shrugged as heat suffused his face.

Keisuke growled, "Fujiwara's been a mental wreck because of your shit. It hurts his chances to get to the pro leagues every time you screw with his head."

Takumi wondered if he could stop this show down before Keisuke said the wrong thing, and Oyaji understood the truth behind the blond's fury. Keisuke would be hard to handle if he tried to take the phone by force. Natsuki would be even worse to deal with because of Keisuke's venomous tongued opposition. Takumi worked up his courage and reached for the phone. Keisuke knocked his hand back with an evil glare that said 'not only no, hell no,' and gave him a sharp shake of his head that left no room for arguments.

Keisuke took up his battle again. "How can you think you deserve his time after the shit you've pulled? Fujiwara's with someone who loves him, and he knows it. That's all the information you deserve."

Keisuke jerked the phone away from his ear with a wince. Takumi could hear the hysterical screech on the other side. "Natsuki loves Takumi kun more than anyone, and I'll prove it! He'll take me back once he sees how much I've changed for him! I know he doesn't love his new girlfriend!"

"You're not some great find even if you'd like to think you are, you stupid delusional bitch!"

"How dare you?! Don't you tell me that I'm not good enough for Takumi kun! I don't subsidy-date any more!"

The teen cringed as he saw Oyaji's cigarette slip out of his mouth with his eyes wide open. He'd heard her words, Takumi was sure.

"I don't care about any excuses you want to give, Mogi. You're threatening Project D's success so I'm going to interfere as often as necessary. I'm also making sure Fujiwara gets his chance to make it into the pros. I'll tell you to get lost, or do whatever else needs to be done to help him get there."

"Stop interfering in mine and Takumi kun's problems!" If possible, Mogi got even louder and more painfully shrill as she screamed at him.

"Forget it. He's my teammate, and friend! You're screwing up his life, so I'm going to interfere. Fujiwara's being too nice for his own good where you're concerned and I know why too!" Keisuke's bellow made the teen jump. Takumi scratched his head as he avoided Oyaji's questioning expression. "You make Fujiwara crazy with your damned, insensitive obnoxiousness, Mogi."

"I've changed!" Mogi screeched loud enough to deafen Keisuke. Takumi watched as he moved the phone farther away and used his free hand to massage his eardrum.

"Your shit has caused him to blow an engine, plus get into a wreck! Those aren't good changes if you ask me!" Keisuke's return salvo was as vicious edged as his irritation became more unruly.

The teen knew Keisuke's eardrum hurt from Mogi's shrilling voice. He thought about offering Keisuke some aspirins to ease the headache her yelling was bound to cause. Takumi tried to infuse his voice with authority as he reached for the receiver a second time. "That's enough, Keisuke san. Natsuki's my problem."

Keisuke covered the mouth piece as Natsuki continued her loud tirade about how he was dating another girl out of revenge. Keisuke's eyes turned a brighter blazing blue as he got much angrier, if that was possible. He answered Takumi in a quiet voice. "You'll be an even bigger mess than last night if you talk to the whiny little whore. Aniki and I didn't bring you into Project D so Mogi could ruin everything, Fujiwara. I'm going to stop her before she pushes you over the edge."

The blond directed his fiercest glare at him. Takumi stepped back in alarm, then sighed in defeat. Keisuke snapped off another volley of annoyance. "Mogi, you're delusional if you think that's the reason Fujiwara's found a new love! You have a pretty fucking low opinion of Fujiwara to accuse him of being that kind of asshole. He would never lead someone on to fulfil some sick agenda to hurt your feelings!"

"I didn't say Takumi kun was getting even with me on purpose! I hurt Takumi kun so he's seeing someone else to try and get over the foolish things I did. But, I know he'll come back to me because I love him more than his new girlfriend ever will!"

"Bull shit! First you claim you love Fujiwara, then you disrespect him by saying he'd do something so dishonorable as punish you by dating someone else. You have the worst opinion of Fujiwara imaginable. There's not a chance in hell anyone can believe you love Fujiwara after hearing the things popping out of your mouth. You don't really know how to put others first, do you? If you did, you'd support what Fujiwara kun is doing. You certainly wouldn't be screaming at him to take you back when he needs to focus on his driving."

"I do support Takumi kun. I think it's awesome that he wants to become a professional racer."

"Then give him space to breathe, instead of ruining his chance to get somewhere by pissing him off every day. If you actually supported Fujiwara, you'd listen to everything he says also and accept him at his word!"

"I do listen, but I need to make things right with Takumi kun! He's the one who's not listening to anything I've said!"

"Wrong again! You wouldn't be doing this shit if you listened to Fujiwara. You're too busy feeding your ego by trying to get Fujiwara back because he dumped you, Mogi!"

"Takumi kun will come back after I make things right with him! I know he loves me because he said part of his problem is because I didn't love him the way he wants me too." Takumi heard Keisuke's molars grind together as he glared at him over Natsuki's high pitched shrieking.

Takumi's eyes widened at the anger he saw in Keisuke's eyes. He shook his head in frantic denial as he looked at his irate lover. "I told you about how Mogi twists everything I say to her, Keisuke san." Takumi found himself frightened that Oyaji would figure out their relationship by the way Keisuke was reacting, and his panic laced replay.

Keisuke gave him a nod and barked into the receiver, "You're wrong again, Mogi! I know for a fact that Fujiwara loves the person he's with now!"

"I don't believe you. Takumi kun would have told me if he loved his new girlfriend!" Mogi's voice piped into the room clear as a bell.

"Fujiwara doesn't have to tell you shit about his personal life! You obviously don't listen, so he'd be wasting his breath if he tried. He's mentioned that you twist his words to fit your grand delusion, Mogi." Keisuke's voice dropped to a deep bass growl.

Natsuki's tone was far more strident than Keisuke's when she responded. "I'm not delusional! Takumi kun said he felt something was missing when we dated because I didn't love him the way he wanted me to. I know everything he said to me yesterday! How can you be so sure you know so much about Takumi's new girlfriend anyway?"

"I know the person Fujiwara's going out with now. His sweetheart's willing to do whatever it takes to make their relationship work. They aren't getting in Fujiwara's way by telling him to lose battles. They believe in Fujiwara's Kami-sama given talent as a racer, and comprehend that there's not any excuse for him to crash unless there's a catastrophic mechanical failure that prevents him from controlling his hachi roku!"

Keisuke's sarcastic tone made Takumi flinch. His older lover gave him a measured look that Takumi interpreted with ease. Keisuke was thinking about his exhaustion-induced accident. Mortification and heat flashed through his system as Takumi fidgeted beside his fuming boyfriend.

"Takumi kun always tells me everything on his mind. He hasn't said he loves her to Natsuki!"

"Of course he hasn't told you! You refuse to listen. Fujiwara knows it's a waste of time telling you a damn thing about the love of his life, Mogi! There's a huge difference between hearing someone, and paying attention to everything they're saying to you. Get a clue and learn the differences, baka no onna!"

"Gomen, Oyaji. I never meant for this to happen." Takumi wanted to vanish through the floorboards as he glanced at his obviously entertained father.

"You look pale so sit before you fall over. Since this onna's trouble, let Keisuke kun speak his mind. Seems someone's got to tell this troublemaker off and make it stick."

Bunta chortled, as he listened to Keisuke's growled replies, and the shrill, tin-toned screeches that flashed across the phone line.

"I didn't know Mogi was behind your exhausted a few weeks ago. I'll tell her to quit calling you too. Keisuke kun's right. You need to focus on your career. You'll be good enough to deserve a spot in the pros some day if you keep training like you are, musuko."

The teenager could hear Mogi's viperous reply as Keisuke held the phone away from his ear again. "How dare you keep saying Natsuki doesn't love Takumi kun! Just because I want to make things right, you insist I don't love him! You tell me I'm not listening, but it's you and Takumi kun that aren't letting me say things that I need to so I can fix our problems! Do you know anything about love, you jerk?"

"I know a lot about love. It's got nothing to do with the size of someone's wallet, or how much control you have over someone, Mogi! I learned that a long time ago!"

"I'm not after Takumi kun's money. I have a job. I'm not trying to control him either. I want Takumi to be happy and stay safe. That's not the same thing as trying to control him."

"I know your type, onna. You want an easy ride and once Fujiwara goes pro you plan to be there to enjoy the rewards from all of his hard work."

How dare you!?"

"You found it easy enough to subsidize your pocket book before. Fujiwara's a smart man to avoid long term relationships with an onna like you! I bet you don't even think you hurt anyone by doing something so low as stringing Fujiwara along while you were banging that old man in the Benz. So, how much is your going rate in Tokyo?"

"Don't you dare judge me that way! I didn't have any choice."

Takumi could hear the fury that echoed through the room from the phone's receiver. He hid his head under his arms as he laid his head on the shallow table. The teen prayed this verbal war would end because he was not certain he could cope with the eventual fall out from his ex and his current lover's bitter feud.

"I'm one of the men that onna's like you chase the hardest."

"With your bad attitude who would want a bastard like you?"

"I'm rich. Having money has given me lots of experience with onnas like you!"

"Takumi kun's not rich! I love him for himself."

"Fujiwara's going to have plenty of money soon, and you smell it! Don't you, Mogi?"

Takumi had to give both credit for stubborn determination as they quarreled without let up. He muttered under his breath, "My rotten mood over yesterday's fight with Mogi must have really gotten on Keisuke's last nerve."

"Keisuke kun said you took off on a mad dash into the wilderness, and got you both trapped on the mountain after dark. Said he had to make you stop. Smart move." Takumi's head shot up as he registered Oyaji's reply.

Oyaji continued to talk as Keisuke growled in the background. "Neither one of us thinks things through when we're really pissed off. I remember your 'Kāsan made me so mad that I'd do crazy things too."

Oyaji rarely spoke so much the teen noted as he recovered. "Nani?"

Takumi knew he sounded embarrassed to his toes. He had not realized his muttering would be overheard by his otosān.

"You both had tree needles in your hair when you got in this morning. That summed up that you did something stupid. Practice wouldn't leave bruises, and scrapes all over your arms, or leaves and such in your hair."

"We had stuff in our hair?" Takumi felt his eyes widening as he stared at his father in shock.

Oyaji nodded as he lit a second cigarette and took a contented puff. "Whatever it takes, put that onna out of your mind. You don't need the trouble. Your okāsan left us because she needed money more than us. Sounds like this onna's the same type."

It was rare when Oyaji spoke in complete sentences. His father rarely passed out anything that could be considered sage advice. This was very different from the 'think till your head hurts,' variety wisdom his old man was prone to share. Takumi was thankful that Keisuke had come up with a good excuse to explain their messy appearance. The teen rubbed his forehead as sharp twinges sliced through his temples. If not for Keisuke's quick thinking Takumi knew he would have been facing unbelievable fury.

"Domo, Oyaji. I'll keep that in mind."

"iie! We've both said everything there is to say. I'll talk with you again if you don't leave Fujiwara alone. You're causing too many problems, so stop stalking him on the phone lines! GOODBYE!" Keisuke slapped the receiver in place and stomped to the low table.

Takumi spoke softly. "You didn't need to get involved, Keisuke san."

Keisuke turned to Oyaji as he dropped beside Takumi. "Sumimasen for being rude, Oyaji san. I can't sit by and let that onna continue to mess with Takumi kun." His father nodded without comment. Keisuke turned to him and continued without pause. "Takumi, you can't handle that gold digger any longer. When you talk to her, you snap at me because of her guilt trips. You don't have any business accepting calls from that bitch. She's not worth the headaches you keep having!"

Keisuke was visibly shaking, with his fists clenched hard on the table top. Takumi wondered if he had noticed him rub his forehead, and was commenting on the action. Then again, Keisuke's ear had just suffered the same abuse his had been subjected to countless times which was one reason for his observation. Keisuke had a valid point. Mogi did wound his conscience when she turned on the tearful pleas.

"I should get you back to your car, Keisuke san."

Takumi was vexed. He wanted to rant about Keisuke's hotheaded actions. This was not the place to fight with his boyfriend. His tongue was on the verge of coming unglued, and the truth would cause a disaster. The teen gave silent thanks to whatever deity had managed to curb Keisuke's tongue that he was Takumi's new love. The youth jumped up and nabbed his keys off their hook with a motion for Keisuke to follow.

"I'll be back later, Oyaji." Takumi flung over his shoulder as he put his shoes back on.

"Take your time." Oyaji replied with a crinkle of his newspaper as the duo headed out of the house.

Takumi's emotions were strung taut as he slammed his car door and started his hachi roku. Once they were on the road, Takumi vented. "I wish you'd think before you fight with my ex girlfriend."

"I did think about it. I shredded her because she makes you so damn miserable." Keisuke's tone was flippant.

"You could have tipped Oyaji off! Oyaji was saying you told him I took off into the mountains on some kind of mad dash?!"

"He knew something was up when we came in with needles and leaves in our hair and on our clothes. I noticed a couple after I woke up this afternoon."

"Damn. We should have checked for evidence this morning!" Takumi glared at the red light.

"It was too dark to see anything. I covered things, so chill out."

"Did Oyaji ask you about the leaves?"

"Oyaji san asked if we got into a fight last night."

"Naze would he ask something like that?" The light changed and Takumi moved forward into main road traffic.

"We both have bruises, and scrapes on our arms." Takumi glanced at his arms, and noticed thin welts from the canyon trip. He hadn't truly noticed them until Keisuke pointed them out. The blond put his arm out. A tug on his shirt sleeve showed that he also had two distinct scrapes on his lower arm, and a bruise close to his wrist.

"Damn! I really screwed up." Takumi grumbled as he turned his eyes back to the road.

"I told him you were pissed, and took off to blow off some steam through a hard hike."

"Naze?"

"Would you rather he figured out the truth?"

"Hell no! Oyaji'd kill me if he found out I was sleeping with you in my little canyon last night!" Takumi shook his head.

"Then calm down. He bought it." He felt Keisuke's glare without turning his head.

"I still wish you had come up with something else."

"Oyaji san said when you get angry, you can be hard to handle."

"I am not. I go for a walk, or stay in my room until I calm down."

"Really? He said that when you get real mad, you kick ass hardcore."

"Nani?" Takumi frowned at the car in front of him.

"I thought it was cute. Oyaji san told me you got suspended because you beat the shit out of an upper classman that pissed you off."

A glance showed Takumi that Keisuke wore a smirk. Takumi glared at the road. 'Leave it to Keisuke to think that beating the crap out of someone qualifies as cute.'

Takumi's fingers tightened on the steering wheel. He snapped at the older man in his passenger seat. "Your temper's a lot worse than mine."

"Not really. You just hide yours while I don't bother."

"I'm surprised you didn't tell Mogi you're the one in love with me!"

"I'd love to, but I don't want you in trouble with Oyaji san." Keisuke shifted in the passenger seat as they passed the gas station where Takumi used to work.

"I hope Oyaji doesn't put things together."

"He won't. I told him about how Mogi's messing with your head. He heard you arguing with someone on the phone right before you left to meet me so he knows I was telling him the truth."

"Exactly how did you explain things to Oyaji, Keisuke?"

"I told him that Aniki and I are worried about you. Then I let him know that Mogi's shit was behind the blown engine, and the wreck you had a couple months ago."

"Nani?"

"It's the truth, and we both know it! Your exhaustion and skipping meals is due to Mogi stressing you out so much you can't eat. I've noticed your lack of appetite after she's screeched at you over the last three weeks, Takumi. I know I'm right." Keisuke's voice rumbled with repressed fury.

"Oyaji didn't need to know about Mogi, Keisuke."

"He has the right to know the reason Aniki and I've become so worried about you. Mogi's the reason your driving performance is in trouble, Takumi."

"Hey, I haven't lost any battles."

"You got into a damned wreck, and scared the shit out of me instead! The isha san said a couple more weeks of your meal skipping, and you would've been seriously ill! He warned you that you have to get rid of your excess stress or rick your ulcer bleeding into your guts and killing you!"

"I learned my lesson. I eat regular meals, and get enough sleep now. So don't bring that up!" Takumi's irritation flared.

"You try to eat, but after a row with Mogi, your appetite needs a lot of improvement. At any rate, Oyaji san believes Project D's the only reason I took the phone from him."

Takumi annunciated each word as he fought the urge to explode in the confines of his car. "You, . . . took, . . . the phone?"

"I heard him say her name Since I got up and walked over he told her to talk to me and handed over the phone."

"You got in a fight with Mogi because you're jealous. I'm not that stupid!"

Keisuke leaned forward and snapped back. "That's not it, Takumi. She's harassing you. I'm going to stop her since she won't listen to you. You can't control her, and she may get worse like you said last night. You even said she's thinking about coming back here so she can harass you in person."

"I told Mogi to stay in Tokyo and I believe she will. You either need to believe I'm with you, or tell me flat out the things I'm doing that make it impossible for you to trust me! I know where I belong, Keisuke!"

The blond's voice shifted to a softer tone. "I know you're with me, Takumi. I do trust you, so that's not a problem."

"The hell you do! You said I can't handle Mogi!" Takumi could not let his boyfriend get territorial without opposition. Before Keisuke could respond, Takumi continued his tirade. "I know I've been a basket case for the last seven weeks, but I figured out my problem! I've had a lot more stress from trying to get past my fear of you leaving me than I've ever had because of Mogi's guilt trips, Keisuke!"

Keisuke felt insecure about their relationship, and had genuine reasons for feeling that way. He planned to insure that his boyfriend's insecurity died a fast death, but the teen still felt he had to object to the actions Keisuke had taken.

"I know you've been aggravated by your panic attacks, but Mogi's becoming an even bigger problem, Takumi."

"I told you about the panic attacks. She's not part of that."

Keisuke grabbed his upper thigh in a vice grip. "You've had so many headaches that I'm worried about your health, Takumi. You can't eat when the pain gets bad enough to make you nauseous. If you try to eat when your stomach's roiling, you throw up. We both know that's her fault because of how high pitched her shrieking gets. I wish you'd see an isha san, or at least take pain relievers instead of suffering all the time!"

"Mogi isn't the only reason I've had these damned headaches. My panic attacks are as much to blame for them as her screaming in my ear."

"I'm not going to let her pressure you, Takumi. You have too much on your mind already. She makes you crazier than adjusting to me ever will."

"Promise me you'll leave Mogi alone from now on, Keisuke."

"I'll only promise to not make any waves I can't control, Takumi."

Keisuke's tone held a wealth of frustration. The blond had his head tilted at a stubborn angle as he replied, Takumi noted from the corner of his eye. The teen drove toward Lake Akina with his eyes returning to Keisuke every few seconds.

"Keisuke, I mean it. Leave Natsuki alone. I'll deal with her."

"I can't ignore her shit! Ask anything else of me, but that."

Takumi sighed. It was impossible to get his boyfriend to listen. "Keisuke, . . . ?!"

"I said I won't make waves I can't control."

"If Oyaji realizes I'm involved with you, I won't live long enough to worry about anything ever again."

"I told you about my plans to keep Oyaji from being a problem for us, didn't I?"

"I'm not ready to even think about something that major yet. I've got things I need to get sorted out in my own head first, Keisuke. It's too soon to talk about living together when I'm still trying to get over the mess in my head. You're being impatient again."

Keisuke's grip on his thigh eased. The blond's fingers were strong enough to make his thigh throb from the painful pressure to which it had been subjected.

"Maybe it seems to soon to you, Takumi, but I know you're all that I want. You can say that I'm being impatient if you want to, but, I know we're perfect for each other. I also think that if we're living together it would stop you panicking that I'm going to dump you. If we're under the same roof, I'm obviously not going to bail."

"We've only been together for seven weeks, Keisuke." Takumi felt cornered.

"My ryōshin got married a month after they met."

"A month?" Takumi was stunned. He wondered if they had met through a professional matchmaker, but refrained from asking.

"Hai. So don't even tell me there has to be set time frames. My ryōshin knew they belonged together within two weeks of meeting each other. I know we belong together in the same way they knew. I love you so I want to be with you for the rest of my life, Takumi. At least, I'm hoping you'll decide to stay with me that long, as my life partner."

The teen glanced over at his boyfriend. It almost sounded as if Keisuke was proposing that they get married in an offhanded way. Same gender couples could not marry so the idea seemed a bit absurd as it flitted through his mind.

"You'll need to be more careful around Oyaji, or my lifetime might get cut really short then." He grumbled about his major concerns of that moment.

Keisuke gave him a smug grin. "He chuckled when I ripped into your ex today. I think Oyaji san likes my style."

"Damn it, Keisuke. That's not the point! Oyaji will kill me if he finds out I'm in love with you."

Takumi was getting exasperated with how Keisuke sidestepped the issue of his being territorial so easily. The nineteen-year-old felt he had to keep the two people most interested in him separate for his own sanity, if nothing else.

"Oyaji san doesn't know anything. Would you calm down?!"

"Stay away from Mogi!"

"She's my problem too!"

"iie, she isn't. She's always been my problem."

"She wants to break us up! That makes her my problem too, Takumi."

"I'm not going to let that happen, Keisuke. Do you have to be so stubborn?"

"Look who's talking?!"

"This is getting us nowhere, Keisuke."

"No shit!"

"I know I gave you reasons to worry while I was panicking the last few weeks, but that's over now. I know the cause so I can control it now."

"You've needed time to adjust to being in love with a man. That hasn't been a problem for me."

Takumi's mind replayed Keisuke's sleep drugged words from that morning. He felt a flash of guilt tighten his shoulders. "It has too, Keisuke. Don't lie to me. It's becoming a very real problem. I already know how big too."

Keisuke frowned as he turned his head to look at him with a demand for an answer in his eyes."Where the hell did you get the idiotic idea that I've had a problem with you getting used to me?"

"The things you said when I tried to wake you up this morning."

"Nani? Matte! I said something in my sleep?"

"Hai. You said you couldn't stand to lose me, and grabbed me around the waist so hard I could barely breathe, much less move, Keisuke. I thought I was the only one that felt that way, but now I know better."

"I said that?" The blond looked uncomfortable as he shifted in his seat before his face settled back into his habitual stern glare.

Takumi nodded his head once. "Hai. I'm not going back to Mogi, Keisuke."

Keisuke's voice was thoughtful. "That's not the reason I hate Mogi so much."

"Naze?" Takumi asked while glaring at the road.

"She's really reminding me of Akiho."

"Oh."

Takumi didn't know much about Keisuke's ex girlfriend, and resisted the desire to pry. Kenta had said Akiho had tried to control Keisuke. She had made his life miserable when he had been with her. Mogi made him miserable. Takumi could see why Keisuke would think the two were similar.

"Takumi, I've got your back. So get comfortable with the idea. I'm not trying to get rid of Mogi because I'm afraid you want to go back to her. I don't want you to suffer like I did." The blond rested his hand on Takumi's thigh again.

Takumi sighed as he took the turn off he needed. He could not stay mad at Keisuke for his territorial reaction. The blond had struggled with hard insecurities for much longer than the seven weeks they had been together. Takumi knew he had given Keisuke many reasons to be concerned about whether or not they would stay together since they began this strained romance.

"I guess I can understand how you would feel like that. Just try to remember that it only takes one slip up for others to know our personal life, Keisuke." Takumi relented in part.

"I'm not going to tell anyone about us being together unless you agree that it's fine with you, Takumi."

"Arigato for understanding that our relationship is our business alone. I know Ryosuke san and Kenta both know, but that's as many people as I can handle knowing about us." Takumi kept his eyes on the road.

His older boyfriend ran his hand along his leg. The warmth of Keisuke's fingers distracted him, but he was unwilling to ask for the contact to end. The way Keisuke's hand moved was a distinctive caress that made Takumi's mind shift back to the previous night.

Keisuke's hand lingered on his thigh as he answered in a soft voice. "I understand. Nobody finds out we're a couple before you're comfortable telling them, my own."

"I know you feel you have a right to tell Natsuki off. But, I'm not going to change my mind about her. I'm where I belong, Keisuke."

"Takumi, I can't stand seeing you like you were yesterday when I first drove up. I'm not concerned about you going back to her. Never mind about her, Takumi. I can't explain the bad feeling I've got about her right now."

The teen frowned at the road as he wondered about the last comment. Keisuke's hatred was blatant enough that there was no need for any explanations. "I didn't mean to snap at you yesterday, Keisuke."

"I know that. I think Mogi may be so delusional that she needs a psychiatrist, Takumi."

"I should have told her that I love you yesterday, but she keeps saying my girlfriend, and you aren't a girl by any stretch of the imagination. With Oyaji around I don't dare tell her I'm in love with you. Anyway, domo for the quick thinking this morning, Keisuke. I wouldn't have thought to use so much of the truth to explain the leaves. I would've been busted."

"Edit out the intimate details and facts Oyaji san shouldn't know. Remember, I'll always have your back, dearheart."

Takumi focused on the road without comment. No one would succeed at sidetracking Keisuke from his single-minded devotion. His boyfriend had built in living arrangements before he thought to ask whether Takumi even wanted to live with him. The teen pulled in beside the yellow FD and killed the engine. With that in mind Takumi decided to apologize. He started to formulate the right words to say, only to be pounced on.

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Alternate Tracks 2nd Story in Rivalry Series