Tales from Junjou Romantica

The Driver's Seat

"Shinobu-chin, what the hell are you doing?" Miyagi swatted at Shinobu's hands which gripped his arm tightly.

"Please, Miyagi? Why won't you teach me?"

"I already said no, now let go of me!"

"Why not? I'm well over the legal age, and I know I'll be good at it. I'm good at everything!"

"It's too much of a liability for me. Find someone else to help you," Miyagi was released from Shinobu's grapple. Sauntering off from the living room to the kitchen, Miyagi noticed the relative similarity of his and Shinobu's apartments; although he had lived in the building for a substantial ammount of time, he'd never before visited any of the other units. 'When I bought the place, they assured me the unit was one of a kind. Yet here I stand, in a near mirror replica of my apartment. Even while Risako and I were still together, I was never home enough to mingle with our neighbors, let alone become good enough friends to be invited into their homes.'

Spotting the refrigerator, Miyagi scoured through its contents, settling on what appeared to be a beer taken from him by Shinobu, and a thoroughly ripened banana. "Stop stealing alchohol from my house, I don't want to lose my job because I'm suspected of selling alchohol to minors," Miyagi popped the lid to the bottle, taking a small swig before setting it down on the island countertop.

"That would be the least of your worries," Shinobu taunted, "Are you hungry, I can make something if you'd like."

"You don't have anything here but my beer and a few rotting pieces of fruit. How are you still alive?"

"I've found that gas station lunches can be quite nutritious."

Miyagi furrowed his brows, massaging his temples deeply, "Alright, let's go out somewhere to eat. It'll be on me. After all, I can't help but feel responsible for your well-being."

"Why, because I'm just your boss' kid? Because I'm your neighbor?"

"Shut up and stop acting like a brat, just take my keys and get the car started, I'll be down shortly, but first I need to finish a quick report for my assistant, Kamijou-kun."

"Whatever."

MIyagi watched as Shinobu's slender frame disappeared behind the elevator door before retreating into the depths of his own apartment. 'What could Shinobu be thinking, saying that I only care about his welfare because I'm his father's subordinate? Has he completely forgotten how I feel about him?'

...

Nearing his car, Miyagi noticed Shinobu sitting in the passenger side backseat, pouting, undisturbed by Miyagi's appearance. Miyagi's hand shot up to his mouth to muffle his laughter. 'This is ridiculous, I can't believe I'm seriously so in love with this kid.' Taking a deep breath, Miyagi planted himself in the passenger side seat in front of Shinobu in preparation for what came next. "Okay, Shinobu-chin, wipe that childrish look of chagrin off your face, you're driving us to the restaurant."

Shinobu looked at Miyagi through the rearview mirror, "Are you being serious?"

"You said you wanted me to teach you, and now seems like the perfect time."

"I thought we'd be starting out in an abandoned parking lot or somewhere that I couldn't kill anyone."

"You're the one that claims to be good at everything. I could always drive if you're not feeling up to the task."

Shinobu's posture became erect, and his eyes narrowed, "I'll drive." Plopping down in front of the steering wheel, Shinobu became suddenly aware of the distinct height difference between Miyagi and him. 'How the hell do I push the seat up? Shouldn't there be a button around here somewhere? And does the wheel need to be this high?' Shinobu's hands ran down the length of his thighs, while miniscule beads of sweat formed above his brow.

"Something wrong?" Miyagi interrupted.

"Nope, everything is just great, but hey, would you tell be how to adjust the seat... and the steering wheel? Also, which petal does what?"

Miyagi grinned apprehinsively. 'Oh boy, what have I gotten myself into?'

...

"SH-SHIT, SHINOBU SLOW DOWN! WAIT, INITIATE YOUR BLINKER BEFORE TURNING! WAIT DON'T GO, THIS IS JAPAN, WE DON'T TURN RIGHT ON RED LIGHTS!" Miyagi seized the safety handle on the door, bracing himself for what he feared would be an undeservedly early end to his tragic life.

"STOP YELLING YOU'RE DISTRACTING ME!"

"I WOULDN'T NEED TO YELL IF YOU STAYED IN YOUR OWN LANE!"

"YOU KNOW WHAT, IF YOU HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY, THEN WHY DON'T YOU START BY GIVING ME DIRECTIONS TO THE DAMN RESTAURANT?" Shinobu stopped abruptly in the middle of traffic on a bustling boulevard, drawing out the clamorous shouts of a million car horns.

"JUST PULL OVER. QUICK, THERE'S A PARKING GARAGE!"

The car skittered into the opening in a large concrete garage, halting all movement merely seconds before breaking through the red and white, striped gate. Flying out of the driver's seat, Shinobu stomped toward the passenger door, yanking it open before exchanging places with Miyagi. "Let's go."

Pulling into traffic, MIyagi made for the restaurant, but as he examined Shinobu in the rearview mirror, his heart became heavy. The defeat in the boy's eyes nagged at Miyagi relentlessly. 'I know all he wanted was to learn to drive like everyone else, but did he really think it would be all that simple? It takes more practice than it seems. My yelling certainly didn't help the situation either. Should I apologize?' Miyagi opened his mouth to speak, but his tongue was dry, arid, devoid of words. 'That's it, I need to fix this.' Miyagi laid his lead foot to the floor, sending the car flying down the road at breakneck speed, stopping only once while Miyagi charged into a corner convenience store. Before long, the car pulled into a seemingly empty shipyard, far from what Shinobu considered to actually be Tokyo.

"What are we doing here?" Shinobu surveyed the area surrounding them through the car windows.

"You said you wanted to learn, so here we are. But first, we're going to go over the basics," Miyagi's stomach roared, demanding the attention of both men in the car, "Also, we are going to eat these sandwiches."

...

"Okay, so do you think you've got it now?"

"I think so: the right petal controls the acceleration, the left petal control the brakes, and the little knobby here controls the blinker."

"Perfect. I think you're ready to try again," Miyagi assured Shinobu, staring into the boy's cloudy blue eyes. Patting him on the shoulder, Miyagi gestured for the two to switch seats and begin the lesson. Miyagi held the driverside door open for Shinobu as he walked around the shiny, black hood of the car. However, Shinobu stopped before sliding into the driver's seat, inhaling deeply and clenching his fists solidly at his side. "You okay, Shinobu-chin?"

Without an answer, Miyagi feared that the whole experience might have been too overwhelming for Shinobu, but even so, he refused to give up on his pupil, especially when it was someone who meant so much to him. 'I need to calm him down. If this goes like last time, I hate to think that he may give up entirely.' The sunset illuminated the vacant area, and the fiery colors of the sky invigorated Miyagi. 'I know exactly what to do.'

"Shinobu-chin," Miyagi stepped in front of the slim, blonde boy, tilting his chin slightly upward, and kissed him passionately before guiding Shinobu into the driver's seat.

"Miyagi?" Shinobu's eyes glimmered in the light, soft tears taking shape in their corners.

Miyagi strode around to the opposite side of the car, entering finally, "Don't worry, you'll do fine. After all, you had me for a teacher, right?"

"But-"

Miyagi cut him short with another kiss, "I believe in you."

Shinobu's cheeks danced with flaming color, and he rolled the engine over, "Okay, let's go."