Astrophile

036

Shinichirō walked back and smiled as he stared at the product of his work. After pulling an all-nighter and working for another 24-hours for the next day, the bike stood in all it's glory. The outside framework of the bike wasn't as bad as he had first considered, so he had little to do other than repaint the bike with a few new coats of [Favourite Colour].

The bike itself did indeed need quite some work, and after all this work, he finally had the bike ready; your bike.

He had gotten some accessories for you as well. Ever since Wakasa had given you an old book from his youth about stars and planets, you became obsessed with the cosmos. So he decided to get some cute astronomical charms for you.

You would talk about it to Wakasa all day long while working in the shop. Sometimes, the others felt left out as you two would chatter away about the fascinating details about the universe, often presenting theories of your own in search for answers to unexplainable questions.

Takeomi and Keizo could only watch in jealousy as their blonde friend talked with you. Noticing their glare, Wakasa turned over to look at them, shooting them a lazy, smug grin when he realised that he's got all of your attention. Shinichirō was behind the shop, making the final adjustment to your bike.

The shop owner let out a shaky breath in anxiety. He didn't know if you'd like it or not. Wiping his sweat with the towel around his neck, he got up and decided to change his clothes.

Since he wanted you to test it out after receiving it, he would probably look weird if he was wearing his dirtied uniform. Tugging down his new shirt, he got out of the small room at the back of the shop and walked over to you guys.

Hearing you and Wakasa talk about the recently discovered star, Stephenson 2-18, and about how it was considered the largest star yet discovered.

"Alright geniuses, we get that you guys are a bunch of nerds..." Shinichirō spoke up as he walked up to you guys, "Shinichirō-niisan!! Are you trying to avoid us or something?" You asked with your eyebrows furrowed.

He shook his head with widened eyes, "What? No!! Where did you even get that idea?!" You pouted and played with the wrench a bit, shooting some glances to Takeomi. Shinichirō felt his eyes twitch as he strode over and slung an arm around the culprit's shoulders, "Well, Takeomi-kun~ You got something to say?!"

The man was sweating bullets as he turned to Keizo for help, but the giant man suddenly got very interested in the white walls of the shop, "-I would love to hear some more of your juicy theories, Takeomi-kun~" Shinichirō sung sweetly, making his friend shake his head.

"O-Oh come on!! I was joking, right [Name]-chan?!" You blinked, smiling slightly before turning to Wakasa and started talking about the American astronomer who had discovered such a ginormous star; Charles Bruce.

Takeomi had never been betrayed as such as today. He felt his soul leave his body when he faced the smiling figure of his ex-leader. As harmless as Shinichirō was, he was very scary to deal with, once angered.

And certainly, Takeomi did not want to die just yet....

To his surprise, Shinichirō let out a sigh and unwrapped his arm around his shoulders, "[Name]..." The ravenette shop owner called out to you, making to turn to him with your characteristic smile, "What is it, Shinichirō-niisan?"

He smiled softly at you and ruffled your hair, "I need to show you something, so come with me..." He took your arm and pulled you up from your seat to your feet. He suddenly placed his hands around your eyes, "Nii-san!! What-" He chuckled before starting to walk, making you walk with him, "Trust your Big Brother, will you?"

You subtly nodded, making him grin at how cute you looked. The others followed him with a smile, knowing that it was finally time for the reveal.

He led you to a spot behind the shop and stopped a few feet away from the bike, "Alright..." Removing his hands, you blinked slightly due to the sudden sunlight, but the minute your eyes landed on the beautiful [Favourite Colour] Yamaha YZF R1, you let out a gasp.

Everyone turned to you with a grin, waiting to see your full reaction as you walked slightly close, bending slightly to get a good view, "It's beautiful, Shinichirō-niisan!" He grinned and leaned over, as if he were expecting something else.

"And?... Is that all?!" The others turned to you expectingly as well, "Yes, it's beautiful!! Though I'm not sure about the colour..." He looked surprised, not expecting that as your answer, "I thought you liked [Favourite Colour]?"

The air was tense and the three gang members could feel the tension, "Yes, but Manjirō doesn't..."

"What does this have anything to do with Manjirō?!"

You turned to look at him in surprise, "It's Manjirō's bike, he's supposed to like it, right?" The others let out a sigh of relief along with Shinichirō, who was chuckling.

"Why are you laughing?!" Now you were genuinely confused. What was so funny about giving your opinion for your friend's gift?!

"You're so dense, it's adorable!!" The shop owner came over to you and squished your cheeks, a bright grin on his face, "What do you mean?!"

"This bike is for you!!"

You froze in shock.

"W-What?!" You muttered as he pinched your cheek before stretching his arm towards the bike, "She's all yours, [Name]-chan...."

You stared at it for a good few minutes, eyes wide in shock. Suddenly, you felt tears roll down your cheeks and sniffled slightly. They were all surprised as Shinichirō rushed to you, "H-Hey!! Are you okay?!"

You didn't answer, but instead just crouched down and cried out loud. You felt like you were gonna explode with all the emotions that you were feeling.

Happiness, excitement, shock, everything was jumbled inside of you.

In the midst of the sobs, your words reached Shinichirō that eased him, "Thank you..."

He smiled gently and ran his fingers through your hair, everyone gathered around you and placed their hands on your shoulders. You quietly buried your face in Shinichirō chest, inhaling the scent of cologne and petroleum.

He held you softly and let you sob your heart out, "Thank you so much.... I don't deserve all of this..."

Even though your words saddened him, he held himself from frowning in order to not ruin the mood. Instead, he simply reached his hand to the side of your head, pushing a strand of hair behind your ear.

"Yes, you do...."