Disclaimer: Initial D, Takeshi, and Wataru all belong to Shigeno Shuichi. They're not mine, more's the pity, otherwise you'd see them doing a lot more than racing cars and looking pretty. ^_~
Author's Note: This is a birthday ficcy for Kouji no Miko. She asked for something with Wataru, since there isn't a whole lot with that boy. *sweatdrops* This is the best that I could do. ^^; As for the title... *sweatdrops* I've got Erasure on the brain lately.

Then, he'd found out that the reports for his presentation later that day that he'd sent to the printers had been bound incorrectly. So, he'd had to reprint all twenty of them and take them back to the printers to be bound again. The printers had informed him that due to their own workload, the reports wouldn't be ready until an hour before his presentation. Wataru had wanted to bash the idiot clerk's head in, but he'd controlled himself. An hour would give him just enough time to pick up the reports and bring them back to the office for the meeting.

He'd gotten back to his office to work on another project he had due in the next week, only to find that his boss had fired one of his co-workers. Granted, the numbnuts had been utterly useless and a pain in the ass to work with, but the boss had dumped his ex-co-worker's workload off on *him*. He'd skimmed through the files and been horrified to find that he now had a meeting the next day and that the report necessary had barely been started. Luckily, he'd worked on a similar project a month ago and had been able to use the research from that to cobble something together that was at least marginally presentable.

Exactly an hour before his meeting, he'd gotten a call from the printers, so he'd grabbed his keys and hauled ass to go pick up the reports. Driving like a maniac through the thankfully light traffic, he'd made it to the printers in half the usual time. With the reports safely stowed in his backseat, he'd started to haul ass back to his office. Almost immediately, he'd been pulled over by a cop for speeding. All the time that he'd saved on the way to the printers had slowly been taken up by the cop; alternatively writing his ticket and lecturing him on driving safety.

Finally, the cop had finished his speech, handed him his ticket, and rode away to catch some other poor slob. Less than a block later, his front passenger side tire had blown when he'd slammed on the brakes to avoid the small child that had suddenly wandered onto the street in front of him.

Damn... he thought, kicking his flat tire. This day fucking sucks.

It wouldn't have been so bad if he'd had his spare, but he'd taken it out last weekend to light his car for a race. He hadn't put it back in figuring that the chances of him getting a flat before he put it back the next weekend were pretty slim.

Fuck.

Wataru sighed and checked his watch. There was no way that he was going to be able to make it to the meeting with his client, even if he took a bus. Seemed like he'd picked the wrong week to stop smoking. Wataru kicked his tire again and reached for his cellphone to call his office and inform them that he wouldn't be able to make the meeting. When his hands met nothing but the lint in his pockets, Wataru remembered that he'd plugged it into his recharger at work - and left it there in his hurry to get to the printers.

"I hate my life..."

He moved to the curb and collapsed into a dejected sprawl, hanging his head and burying his fingers in his hair. He stared at the small snail making a wet trail between his sprawled legs and wondered what his life would have been like if he'd been born as a snail.

"Akiyama?"

Must be nice not having to worry about anything except where to get the next bit of food.

"Hey, Akiyama."

But you can't go very fast and you always have to watch out for- A foot appeared in his line of sight and squished the object of his attention with a loud *crunch*. -getting stepped on...

"Oi, Akiyama, you alright?"

Wataru blinked and looked up to find Nakazato Takeshi of the Myougi NightKids peering at him in concern. The Myougi team leader hunkered down into a squat and cocked his head in question. Wataru continued to stare at him, his mind not quite processing what he was seeing.

What the hell is Nakazato doing out of Gunma? He took a quick look around.

"Where's your car?"

"Around the corner. Why?"

"What the hell are you doing in Saitama?"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Wataru wanted to kick himself. Just because he was having a bad day was no reason to take it out on the other driver.

Instead of taking offense at Wataru's words, Takeshi merely laughed, "I had a meeting with a potential client. The old windbag didn't let me out until just a little while ago so I walked to the corner to get some smokes."

Takeshi took a closer look at him and held out a pack of cigarettes. "You want one? You look like you need it."

"Thanks," Wataru said as he took one and put it to his lips. Takeshi fished out his zippo, lighting first Wataru's and then his own smoke. He moved to sit next to the Levin driver and they puffed in silence for several moments.

"Bad day?"

Wataru snorted, "Bad doesn't even begin to describe it."

Takeshi pointed to the white Levin in front of them with his chin. "Need some help?"

"Yeah. I took out my spare last weekend and forgot to put it back on."

"Race?"

Wataru nodded.

"I'd lend you mine, but it wouldn't fit. My GT-R wheels have 5 bolts, and yours only have four."

The Levin driver sighed, "It's alright."

"You need a ride somewhere?"

Wataru turned to Takeshi and blinked. "Don't you need to get back to work?"

Takeshi shrugged. "Nah. This meeting was far enough away that my boss gave me the rest of the day off."

"I don't want to be a bother. . ."

"It's no bother. Besides, I don't want to start back to Myougi until the traffic dies down."

Wataru regarded Takeshi in surprise. The Myougi team leader had quite a reputation for being bad-tempered, but so far, he'd been nothing but helpful. He smiled, "Sure. Thanks."

"No problem. You looked like you needed a hand."

"What I needed was a fucking miracle."

Takeshi laughed. "Well, what you got was me, so you'll just have to be happy with that."

Wataru's smile grew bigger, "Believe me, I'm happy with what I got."

* * * * * *

"All done?" Takeshi asked as he looked up from Wataru's computer, where he'd been playing Minesweeper and waiting for the Chichibu driver to finish so that he could drive him home to get his spare and then back to his turbo-charged Levin.

"Yeah," Wataru answered. "Thanks for waiting."

"It was no problem. Ready to go?"

Wataru grinned, "Oh, hell yeah."

"Cool. Then let's make like a cookie and go."

Wataru blinked, "What?"

Takeshi started to blush, "Sorry. It's a joke a Korean friend of mine uses all the time. See, in Korean, the words for 'cookie' and 'let's go' sound very similar..." Seeing the dubious look on Wataru's face, Takeshi blushed even more. "Ah, nevermind. It was a stupid joke."

Wataru waved a hand, "It's alright. Hey, you hungry?"

Takeshi nodded, "Yeah."

Wataru slung a companionable arm around the Myougi driver's shoulders, "Let me buy you dinner then, for helping me and all."

"Free food?" Takeshi grinned, "Sure. Lead on."

"What do you feel like eating?"

"Food."

"That's a real help."

"Hey, you're the one that lives here. Surprise me."

"Fine, but don't blame me if you hate the place."

"Compared to some of the places Shingo's dragged me to, I'm sure it'll be fine."

Wataru looked surprised. "I didn't realize you and Shouji were friends. Word always had it you two hated the sight of each other."

Takeshi snorted and shook his head. "Friends isn't quite the word I would use. What we have is a mutually beneficial dislike of one another."

Something in the Myougi driver's face and tone made Wataru think that there was more going on between the NightKids team leader and downhill specialist than what Takeshi was letting on. That same something also told him that Nakazato would not be more forthcoming. Then again, it wasn't like he and Takeshi were bosom buddies, so it was no matter to him.

Yeah, Wataru snorted to himself as he led Takeshi out of the office, keep telling yourself that, and maybe you'll start to believe it.

"So what do you want to do first? Get the spare for your car, or go eat?"

Wataru's stomach chose that moment to start growling and Takeshi laughed. "I guess that answers that."

Wataru flushed and his lips quirked into a sheepish grin, "I guess so. You like sushi?"

"I'm Japanese aren't I?"

"Then sushi it is."

"Alright! Free fish!" Takeshi grinned and pumped a fist into the air, ignoring the odd looks they were receiving from the workers in the office. "Scallop rolls, here we come!"

* * * * * *

"Then he had the gall to accuse me of cheating!" Takeshi took another swig of his beer and slammed the now-empty glass on the table.

Wataru refilled the glass and asked, "Were you?"

"Of course, I was," Takeshi said with a snort. "But only because the rat bastard was cheating, too."

"Hey, at least you won."

"Damn right, I did," Takeshi said with a grin as he held his glass up and clinked it with Wataru's. After taking a large swallow of beer, the Myougi driver searched the table for any edible scraps left. Wataru took the opportunity to admire the profile of the other driver. With his large, heavily lashed eyes and strong features, it really was no wonder that Nakazato was drawing more than his share of attention from the women at the restaurant. Add to that the smooth deepness of his voice and lean form, it was no wonder that Wataru himself was paying more attention to the Myougi team leader than was necessary. Or appropriate, for that matter.

If he knew what I was thinking, he'd probably kick my ass, Wataru thought, his lips quirking as Takeshi's search for food unearthed a couple pieces of ika sashimi hiding under some lettuce. Then again...

The look that had sometimes crept onto the Myougi driver's face when talking about Shouji made Wataru wonder. ...it's probably wishful thinking.

The two of them had been meeting for dinner once or twice a week for the past month now. Improbable as it sounded, they were slowly building the beginnings of a strong friendship. But mere friendship wasn't quite what Wataru was hoping for. Wataru sighed and took another swallow of his beer. Takeshi looked up at him and quirked an eyebrow, offering him the last piece of squid.

What the hell, let's go for broke. It's not like it'll be all that hard to avoid him later if I'm wrong. He ignored the twinge he felt at the thought of severing all contact with the Skyline driver across from him.

Keeping his gaze locked on the Myougi driver's face, Wataru simply opened his mouth. Already slightly flushed from their drinks, Takeshi reddened even more. Wataru continued to keep his mouth open and started to feel stupid. Damn. I *was* wrong... Just as he was about to offer a joke to ease the sudden tension, Takeshi placed the slice of squid on his tongue, his eyes wide and searching Wataru's own.

Wataru took his time chewing and swallowing, watching Takeshi's expression. The Myougi driver dropped his gaze after a few moments, still blushing. He looked up again within seconds in challenge.

"What? Do I have something stuck on my face?"

Swallowing the last bit of squid in his mouth, Wataru shook his head, still watching Takeshi. "Just appreciating the view. If you want me to stop, I will."

"You can look," Takeshi said shaking his head, "But only if I can return the favor."

Yes! Wataru grinned as the Myougi driver's blush grew all the way to his hair, "You still hungry?"

Takeshi's lips quirked, "Always. Ready to go?"

Wataru raised his hand and motioned for the check, "Definitely."

He paid the bill as soon as it arrived, not even wincing at the price. For someone with such a lean figure, Nakazato really could pack away the food. Takeshi picked up his suit jacket and slung it over his shoulder. They walked out of the restaurant side by side and Takeshi offered Wataru a cigarette as they made their way over to Takeshi's car.

Wataru took the proffered smoke and then grabbed hold of Takeshi's hand before he could lower it, pulling the Myougi driver closer. He raised a hand to Takeshi's chin, moving slowly to cup the back of the startled driver's neck as he leaned down.

Takeshi's lips were soft under his and Wataru took his time to savor the feeling. He pulled back slowly and Takeshi's big brown eyes blinked up at him once, twice, before darkening. The Myougi driver reached up with his own hand to tangle in Wataru's hair and pull him close once again. The kiss was much harder, and much more demanding than the first. Wataru could taste the smoothness of the beer they drank for dinner in Takeshi's mouth and traces of the sinus-clearing wasabi on his tongue.

When they parted, Wataru found himself pressing Takeshi's warm body against the Myougi driver's pitch-black Skyline with his entire length.

"Wow," was all that his short-circuiting brain could produce and Takeshi grinned. Wataru's lips quirked up as well and he chuckled as he brushed his fingers against Takeshi's cheek.

"Want to let me up?"

"No, not really," Wataru said with a grin.

"You do know, if you let me up, we can get in my car and go to your place where it'll be more comfortable." Takeshi pointed over Wataru's shoulder, "Not to mention, more private."

Wataru took a quick look behind him and raised an eyebrow at the group of gaping girls standing in stunned shock. He started to blush as they burst out in raucous cheers and felt his ears burn at some of the 'helpful' suggestions they were shouting at him.

He turned back to Takeshi and buried his face against the Myougi driver's neck. "You do have a point," he said and pushed himself from Takeshi's warmth. With a smile, the two young men got into the black Nissan muscle car and drove away.