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Chase stumbles and twitches, collapsing to his knees as he chokes out, “My memories... Are these... my memories...?”
Heart, do you really want this animal to join us?
It will be fine. He may even help us achieve the Ultimate Evolution.
Then let us begin the modifications.
“That was Secretary of Defense Makage...he's 001?!” Shinnosuke gazes at the projected images, absolute horror slowly overtaking him as pieces of the puzzle fall newly into place, bringing ever more questions with them. My father... the Roidmudes...001... it's all connected...
But there's no time for processing any of it, because as soon as Chase's eyes finally blink closed, he collapses to the ground. Shinnosuke and Kiriko run towards him and Shinnosuke can't help but feel a nagging sense of deja vu.
~episode 13~
“Gou!
Shinnosuke runs after Kiriko as Gou collapses to the ground, calling out to them, “How many of them are left now?”
“88 that we're aware of,” Krim answers as they reach his side.
“Man, that's so many!” he sighs dramatically, talking more to himself than to any of them. “But I'm gradually getting to use Mach for longer and longer...” There's an intensity in his expression and in his words that Shinnosuke doesn't miss. “More and more...more and more... gotta hurry...”
“Gou!” Kiriko exclaims as his words trail off, his head lolling to the side. She has no idea what to make of his behavior and yet finds she isn't surprised by it either. “Honestly... he's such a goofball.”
Shinnosuke slowly paces around the two of them to look down at Gou's unconscious face. “I'm not so sure about that...” he disagrees softly, noting the belt's acknowledging 'Hn'. “I get the feeling he's more than just a reckless thrill-seeker. There's something more going on with him.” Mind racing with possibilities, he tightens his tie and gives Krim a moment to interject his suggestions.
“If Professor Harley trusts Gou and he is Kiriko's little brother...”
“I'm not saying he's not on our side...” But Shinnosuke hasn't forgotten the force behind the fist fight they'd gotten into over Gou causing Density Shift either, or what he'd said just afterwards.
'Who cares what means it takes to get there!'
“Please!” Kiriko interrupts the argument before it can begin, holding up one hand as she reaches for Gou's chin with the other, turning his face back towards them. “Can we worry about Gou's actual condition first? We can't just leave him here like this!”
“It takes an enormous amount of energy to use the Mach Driver and Gou is probably recovering from the toll it takes on his body,” Krim informs them, then falls silent when neither answer him.
Shinnosuke sinks to one knee, placing a gentle hand on Kiriko's shoulder. “I'm only saying we should keep an eye on him, Kiriko,” he attempts a slightly different approach. “Don't you think so too?”
Kiriko nods sharply, her eyes flickering from Shinnosuke's concerned expression to her brother's face and back again. Gou's only just arrived here from America and yet everything seems to be spinning ever more quickly out of control. “Should we take him back to the Pit? I don't even know where he's staying right now.”
“Eh?” Shinnosuke's eyebrows furrow in confusion. “But I thought he was staying with you? You took the day off to clean up your apartment and everything-”
“I could take him home with me,” Kiriko interrupts defensively, her cheeks pinking in embarrassment as she pulls her eyes away from her partner's probing gaze. “As long as we let Mad Doctor check him over first.”
As if on cue, Gou's eyes snap open and he sits up, brushing off his sister's touch with the movement. “Who's taking me where now?” he queries, stretching his arms above his head as if he's just woken up from a long nap.
“Gou!” Kiriko's voice is a mix of surprise and relief and when Shinnosuke stands and offers her a hand, she accepts it, letting him pull her to her feet. “Are you okay?”
Shinnosuke passes Kiriko a skeptical look over Gou's head that he hopes she'll understand, suggesting carefully, “You were unconscious, Gou. So... maybe you should let someone keep an eye on you tonight?”
“Inviting me over for dinner already, Shin-nii-san?” Gou jumps to his feet, letting just the slightest wobble show in his landing, watching the reactions of both his sister and Shinnosuke.
“I – what?” Shinnosuke blinks at him in surprise, even while reaching a hand out to Gou's shoulder to steady him. Gou gives him another quick, bright grin that turns Shinnosuke's stomach over in a strange way.
Too nice. Too easy to take advantage of... “I'm not going to inconvenience my sister, so if that's a no...?” Gou glances from one to the other, noting their equally baffled expressions before brushing past both of them to head towards his bike. It wasn't as if he couldn't find a bridge to sleep under or pick up a random girl in a bar and... “Then I'll just get going.”
Gou doesn't need to look back over his shoulder to know that there's a silent-hand gestures-facial expressions conversation going on behind him and counts down in his head as he gets closer to his escape. 3...2...1...
“Oi, Gou, wait!”
Gou pauses for a moment, listening to the jogging footfall before turning halfway back, eyebrows lifted. “Hm?”
“Stay at my place tonight?” Shinnosuke does his best to be smooth about it, hoping the heat in his cheeks doesn't give away how awkward this feels. “I know Kiriko would feel better knowing you were somewhere safe.”
There's a moment of silence where Gou's lips slowly curve into a smirk and then he lifts a hand, waving past Shinnosuke at his sister. “See you tomorrow, nee-chan~!” Then his hand snaps suddenly, grasping the end of Shinnosuke's tie and tugging. “That worried about me, Shin-nii-san?”
“Are you okay to drive? We could take the Tridoron-” Shinnosuke starts, waving back at Kiriko a bit helplessly, ignoring the nickname and what has begun to feel to him like blatant flirting.
“No, thanks,” Gou cuts him off, holding out his own keys and a bright grin. “But if you're that concerned, you can drive! Besides, aren't you the one that knows the way there?”
“I...” Shinnosuke finds that he can't argue and so he holds out his hand agreeably. “Sure, why not?” Tiny alarm bells are ringing in the back of his mind, but there isn't anything he can do at the moment except...carefully... go along with things.
Gou makes certain that their hands brush when he hands over the keys, amused that he can get under the other's skin so easily, and then watches appreciatively as Shinnosuke swings one long leg over the motorcycle. A pity that Kiriko doesn't seem interested. Helmets on and then, as Shinnosuke revs the engine, Gou slides on behind him, wrapping arms around him from behind, hands spreading easily and comfortably across his stomach. Her loss, my gain?
Shinnosuke swallows hard at the sudden feeling of Gou pressed up against his back and at the warmth of hands through the thin fabric of his shirt. ...what have I gotten myself into?
Shinnosuke manages to get a hand under Chase's shoulder just before his head hits the pavement, his heart hammering with too many emotions to name.
“Chase!” Kiriko's face is a mess of worry and fear and guilt as she kneels down at their sides, smoothing Chase's hair back from his face. Seeing him lifeless like this reminds her too much of finding him under the bridge that dreary rainy night. “The shift car! I had no idea it would – Rinna never said -”
“It's not your fault,” Shinnosuke says to her firmly, shifting forcibly into cop mode again. His feelings are a tangled mess, but it's important not to let them get in the way, not to get overwhelmed, not to... “It's doubtful Rinna had any idea – doubtful Chase himself had any idea.”
Kiriko takes a moment to compose herself, nodding in agreement, then asks tentatively, “Do you think we should take Chase back to the Pit? We can't just leave him here...”
Shinnosuke hasn't forgotten how Kiriko hid Chase from him the first time, even if he's long forgiven her for it, and he appreciates the trust they've formed in each other since then – all the better for making decisions together. “We don't really have any idea what to expect when Chase wakes up...”
“...if regaining his memories will... change him?” Kiriko's voice softens, all the implications of that weighing heavy between them.
Shinnosuke doesn't want to say it either, doesn't want to wonder whether the Chase they know will still be present... and whether he'll consider them friend or foe... whether he'll consider Drive, and Krim, a friend or a foe.
“...I'm going to take him back to my place for the night.”
“This is a nice space you've got! They must pay cops pretty decently!” Gou brushes past Shinnosuke as he unlocks the door, kicking off his sneakers before inviting himself straight on a tour of the rest of the apartment.
Shinnosuke locks the door and removes his own shoes, hanging up his jacket before following Gou inside. “I wish it was a little bit bigger,” he shrugs, loosening his tie and unbuttoning the top two buttons of his shirt. “But it's close to the train, the view's nice... and there's a really good pizza place two blocks away.”
“Pizza?!” Gou sticks his face back into the hallway from the living room with a bemused expression. “That's not very Japanese of you.”
“I just happen to like pizza a lot!” Shinnosuke's cheeks flush in embarrassment and he tries to detract from it by rolling up his shirt sleeves.
“I like pizza too – do they deliver?” Gou laughs and resumes examining the contents of Shinnosuke's bookcase, his bag and jacket already dumped carelessly on the nearest chair. “You own a lot of American movies too!”
“Yeah, they deliver,” Shinnosuke answers, trying not to feel unnerved as Gou continues to explore. He can't honestly remember the last time he had someone in his apartment. It was probably Hayase, which means it was more than six months ago, and... Shinnosuke doesn't want to think about that. Now is not the time to get dragged back down into that pit of molasses...not when he's finally in gear again. “The menu's on the fridge...” Besides, he should be using this time the same way Gou already is – as an opportunity to get to know each other. An opportunity to figure out what he's hiding.
Gou follows Shinnosuke into the kitchen, noting that he's already counted six empty candy boxes, four empty pizza boxes, a basket of clean but entirely wrinkled laundry... and the confirmation that Shinnosuke definitely lives alone. Staying here for a night... or two... might be a nice change of pace from constantly being on the move. Snatching the menu off the fridge, Gou leans against the counter, studying it. “Got any favorites? Or anything to drink?”
“Umm... Supreme?” Shinnosuke yanks the fridge open, bending over to peer at the contents as he continues to speak. “Anything with corn on it, really... and there's not much in here right now, sorry – water bottles, beer, a bit of orange juice, I think the milk's expired, actuallyyyyyaaahh!”
The last word trails off into a yelp of surprise as Gou's hand lands on his ass and the younger boy leans past him to grab a can of soda off the shelf. “You should just order whatever you want – I'll try anything once~!”
Shinnosuke straightens up too fast, bumping his head on the edge of the refrigerator and giving Gou a look that's somewhere between incredulous and exasperated. “Did you just grab my ass?!”
“Why are you asking me a question you already know the answer to?” Gou grins, taking a step back to lean against the counter as he cracks the can of soda open. “Well? Gonna call the pizza place?” It's entirely too much fun to watch the changing expressions on Shinnosuke's face, even if the ass-grabbing had been entirely impulsive on Gou's part. ...it's a cute ass.
“I... you...” Shinnosuke just stares at Gou for a moment as he casually takes a sip of the soda and then pulls his phone out of his pocket with a sigh. The place already knows his default order, so it only takes a moment, but the entire time he's on the phone, his eyes never leave Gou's and the playful smirk never leaves Gou's lips. “Pizza ordered. Happy?”
“Hungry,” Gou answers with a shrug, waiting to see what Shinnosuke will do next.
...what a little shit. Shinnosuke's temper flares just a little, suddenly determined to call the kid's obvious bluff and he crosses the kitchen in 1-2-3 long steps until he's right up inside Gou's space. Looking down at him from the advantage of height, he musters some nerve through his embarrassment and asks him, half-coy and definitely suggestive. “ Hungry ... for what, exactly?”
Gou's eyes widen comically in genuine surprise when Shinnosuke flirts back at him and he's momentarily frozen, uncertain whether to take the advance seriously or not. Well, easy way to find out... Setting the can of soda down on the counter beside him, he wraps one hand into Shinnosuke's tie. Leaning up as he yanks downwards, Gou smashes their lips together in a graceless kiss.
Shinnosuke gives a muffled noise of surprise, but doesn't pull away. Instead, his hands snap to Gou's hips as they kiss, hard and sloppy until Shinnosuke sinks his teeth into Gou's bottom lip. Letting out a sound that sets Shinnosuke's blood boiling, Gou lets go of the tie to slide his hands around to Shinnosuke's ass instead, grinning against his lips.
Lost to heat and chemistry and competitive spirit, Shinnosuke rolls Gou's bottom lip between his teeth before running his tongue over it and up into Gou's mouth tentatively. Gou more than takes the invitation, twisting his tongue roughly against Shinnosuke's, fingers digging into his ass until their hips meet.
The height difference is just enough to be annoying, though, and without even taking the time to think about it, Shinnosuke slides his hands under Gou's ass in return, lifting him up and onto the counter. Gou's hands move to pull Shinnosuke's shirt free from his pants, nails scraping against bare skin as he lets Shinnosuke push his knees apart.
Shinnosuke gasps into the kiss as their hips collide a second time, grinding against each other in a much more pleasing way, and catches Gou's tongue, sucking on it hard enough to drag a whimper out of the other boy. Gou's legs are wrapped around Shinnosuke's hips and Gou's hands are up the back of his shirt and his own hands have found their way under the back of Gou's shirt in return, cross-crossing against warm skin.
The noises Gou is making into their kiss are decidedly obscene and Shinnosuke can't help but respond in kind, kissing and biting and grinding until they're both panting and a little delirious-
And then the doorbell buzzes.
Gou laughs.
Shinnosuke is red all the way to the tips of his ears as he and Gou quickly disentangle themselves and he darts off to answer the door without another word. Gou picks up his half-finished soda and takes another sip, startled at himself and how worked up he feels... for someone so seemingly straight-laced, Shinnosuke has definitely surprised him. This isn't how he'd imagined the night going, but he's flushed and pleased and can't find a good enough reason to not just enjoy himself.
When Shinnosuke returns with the pizza, he seems to have also collected his common sense, because he sets it down on the stove and stands several feet away from Gou. “Pizza...”
“Pizza,” Gou agrees, hopping off the counter and taking a step towards Shinnosuke.
“This is a bad idea,” Shinnosuke holds up both hands defensively, willing to let Gou declare himself the winner of this round of... whatever this was.
Gou's eyebrows furrow and he ignores the pizza, taking another step towards Shinnosuke, both amused and annoyed when he takes a step backwards in return. “Didn't seem like a bad idea a minute ago.” His eyes shift pointedly downwards to where Shinnosuke's dick is quite obviously still hard.
Shinnosuke isn't sure he's ever been so mortified while so aroused in his life and he isn't sure what to do with it. “I... you're... Kiriko's my partner, Gou!” he protests, taking another step back only to find himself backed into the refrigerator. He's been treating Gou like a pesky kid, like someone he shouldn't take advantage of... but... clearly, that isn't the case.
“You think I'm gonna tell my sister?!” Gou laughs sharply, shaking his head, advancing one more step and grinning up at Shinnosuke. “I'm not going to tell my sister – and neither are you.”
“I...” Shinnosuke hesitates again and he knows it isn't because of Kiriko, but... because of his former partner. Because he hasn't been with anyone since Hayase, because he hasn't felt anything like this since Hayase, because he wants to do this and that feeling is... terrifying. “Gou...”
Gou can sense that there's something else underneath the desire written plainly on Shinnosuke's face, but he doesn't want to ask... but he also doesn't want to let this go. For some reason he can't quite discern, it matters a lot more to him that it ought to... but feelings are not Gou's strong point. “I'm not asking you to marry me, Shin-nii-san,” he says flippantly, boldly palming Shinnosuke through his pants. “I'm asking if you wanna fuck.”
All the air leaves Shinnosuke's lungs in a rush as Gou's lips find his again and he breaks the kiss only to mutter. “Not here...” Grabbing Gou by the wrist, he hauls him out of the kitchen and they stumble their way down the hall to Shinnosuke's bedroom, shedding clothing as they kiss and grope and knock into the walls.
It's only after they reach the bedroom and Shinnosuke kicks the door shut that Gou pins him up against it, kissing him again before abruptly sinking to his knees. Shinnosuke's eyes are dark with desire and he feels his legs go weak as he watches his dick disappear between Gou's lips. “You've... done this before?” Shinnosuke gasps out, burying his hands in Gou's hair.
Gou swirls his tongue around as he hums an affirmative that sends Shinnosuke's hips jerking forward in hard little thrusts he's too obviously trying to control. Taking Shinnosuke in deeply, Gou swallows until the older boy moans loudly, slumping, and then he pulls slowly away. “You have too,” he accuses playfully in response, looking up until their eyes meet. He's pretty sure he could swing their encounter either way right now if he wanted to, but he can't get the feeling of his legs wrapped tightly around Shinnosuke's hips out of his mind. “...I'm not a kid, Shin-nii-san.”
“...can see that...” Shinnosuke mumbles, his own heartbeat painfully loud in his ears.
“This is my choice too – so I'm gonna keep going unless-”
“Unless?”
“Unless you want to fuck me.”
“Is that what you want?” Shinnosuke grabs Gou by the arm, hauling him back to his feet and searching his eyes, but all he can find there is a glassy-eyed mirror of his own wants.
“Yes,” Gou says, perhaps more seriously than he's said anything so far. “If you think you can keep up with me... officer.”
The insinuation draws wide eyes and a growl out of Shinnosuke and he tosses Gou roughly onto his unmade bed, declaring “I don't have any doubts about that at all.”
Gou only laughs again, rolling onto his back and folding his arms behind his head as Shinnosuke rustles in the drawer beside his bed. “Oh~?”
Shinnosuke tosses himself onto the bed between Gou's legs. “But you're not going to get what you want until you learn to address me properly.” Using his height to his advantage now, he bends over Gou to cover that grinning mouth with his own, while at the same time, slipping one slick finger inside him. Gou shudders hard against him, a whine slipping out as he breaks the kiss to speak.
“Sh...Shin-nii-san....” he pants, rolling his hips into the touch, begging for more.
“Mm...nope,” Shinnosuke shakes his head, inserts another finger, and smirks devilishly down at Gou. “Try again.”
“...T-Tomari-san?” Gou gasps, suddenly wondering if he's the one who's gotten in way over his head.
“In bed? Really?” Shinnosuke admonishes him, withdrawing his fingers and slicking his dick, trying to cover up just how shaky and rattled he actually is. Are we really about to...?
Gou can't tear his eyes from the sight of Shinnosuke stroking himself and he finally whines, his hands reaching up to grip Shinnosuke's arms. “...Shinnosuke.”
o/~ I'm ready to go
Get me out of my mind ~/o
Shinnosuke suddenly grins and Gou's eyes widen in surprise... and then roll backwards into his head as Shinnosuke pushes inside him with one hard thrust.
Gou is loud, moaning and meeting every single thrust, wrapping his legs around Shinnosuke to pull him as close and as deep as possible. It's hard and fast, a relentless pace they both push for, and it's been so long that Shinnosuke knows he won't last long at this rate. Gou's hands are probably leaving bruises on his arms and when he starts to shudder uncontrollably, Shinnosuke slows their pace just enough to wrap a hand around his dick, determined not to finish first. His stubbornness is rewarded when he gets to watch Gou fall apart underneath him... and the sight of ecstasy on that usually smug face sends Shinnosuke crashing into orgasm, and into exhaustion, with him.
It's the first time Shinnosuke has slept with a warm body curled against his in a long time... and his first night without nightmares in months.
Gou is gone before he wakes up and so is half of the pizza.
Neither of them tell Kiriko, even after she witnesses their conversation over lunch -
“You really think you can keep up with me, Shin-nii-san?”
“If I let some brat leave me in the dust, it would ruin my reputation as a driver.”
- and she doesn't say anything when they leave work together that night, riding off on the back of Gou's bike again.