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Touya tossed his bags into the passenger seat and almost tossed the beer inside too, but remembered they were bottles — not cans — and set them carefully on the car floor instead. He can’t even remember what kind it was, as Enji had asked him for it. The only time he used to drink regularly was when he was trying to get drunk in college.
When he started up his car it sputtered and the engine kept clicking. Touya sighed, took the key out, counted to ten, and then put the key back into the ignition. The car finally started, though, “started” was honestly generous for the way it coughed to life.
Long story short, Touya’s car was shit. Before he could apply to law school, Touya dropped out, so in retaliation Enji took the car he’s had since high school, selling it as punishment for being a “useless brat”. Touya didn’t have much money himself, as he wasn’t working during school other than sporadically at the Taco Bell on campus, so when it came to getting his own car he turned to a Craigslisted Toyota Corolla that was already on its last leg when he picked it up.
The A/C was busted, the muffler had been replaced twice, the backseat was stained with something that definitely wasn’t soda. It didn’t have an extra donut tire, and the right side windows didn’t roll down despite the previous owner saying the car hadn’t been in an accident before.
Beers safely resting on the car floor, Touya made his way home. He thought the false start would be his own trouble today but as he came off the ramp to the highway, his steering wheel began to vibrate. He took his hands off it and felt the car wobble.
“That’s not good.” Touya sighed, but he continued driving. He hoped the car could at least make it back home, as his house was only ten minutes away if that.
The car jumped as he tried to accelerate onto the highway. Usually, the car took way longer than it should to get up to speed, but it almost felt like it was chugging to get to 60 miles per hour.
Touya pressed harder on the gas and the car did nothing. His heart jumped into his throat as he realized the car was definitely stalling and he only had control over the wheel at this point. He spat out curses as he turned the wheel to get onto the shoulder, thanking every god above that he was still in the exit lane as he slowed down to a stop on the side of the highway.
Once he was out of the way of traffic he turned on his hazards and recollected his thoughts. His car has stalled before but the way it refused to start was making Touya nervous.
Touya shut off the car and climbed over the console to exit out of the passenger side door. His head knocked on the top of the door before he stumbled out of the car and onto the highway.
The cars rushing by made it hard to think as he came over to the hood and popped it open. Nothing was smoking, which was usually a good sign judging by what Natsuo had told him about cars. Touya checked the dipstick on the oil and found plenty of oil to keep the car running (one time he drove with no oil in his car for two weeks before Natsuo told him his car could literally set on fire).
Touya groaned, putting his hands on his hips. Since he couldn’t see anything immediately wrong with the car his only guess was that it finally died its deserved death.
He watched the cars pass by in thought, the force of them driving whipping his hair around and his bangs off his face. Natsuo was still out of state for college, Fuyumi was at work, Shouto doesn’t know how to drive and Touya would rather tap dance on hot coals than call Enji to pick him up.
Oh, he did have one other person.
“Hello?”
“Hey, babe.” Touya smiled to himself as his boyfriend picked up.
“Is...something wrong?” Keigo asked hesitantly.
Touya scoffed as he leaned against his car, rolling up the sleeves of his black hoodie as he was starting to bake in the June sun. “Why does there have to be a problem for me to call you? Maybe I’m just calling to say I love you.”
“Touya, the last time you called me while I was working you locked yourself out of your house and both Enji and Shouto were going to be out until the following morning.”
“I don’t see how that was a problem? Remember that night I made you c—”
“Don’t!” Touya heard Keigo sigh and no doubt pinch the bridge of his nose. “What do you need, Touya? I need to get back to work.”
Touya suddenly became bashful as he looked down and kicked the toe of his converse into the gravel. “My car stalled...I think for good this time.”
Keigo immediately started scolding him. “I told you you needed to get a new car before it fully died! I offered to help pay for the down payment and you refused and now you’re stuck—“
“On the side of the highway.” Touya supplied.
“—on the side of the highway with your shitty Corolla with those fucking “Coexist” and “Honk If You Support Extortion” bumper stickers looking like you know jack shit about literally anything!”
Once Touya figured Keigo was done he spoke again. “So...can you pick me up?”
“You are insufferable! Where the fuck are you?”
“Right off the entrance ramp on 95th street.”
“Jesus Christ.” Touya heard keys clinking as Keigo stood up from his desk. “I’ll be there in ten minutes. Do not move.”
Keigo then hung up without a goodbye.
At first, it had been amusing that he had to be picked up off the side of the highway, but he was slowly realizing how irresponsible he was and Keigo’s rant only proved that point further.
He really hated bothering him with this kind of stuff especially after they started dating because even though he knew that Keigo had seen him at his absolute worse (throwing up in a rose bush after drinking way too many mixers that probably didn’t even have anything consumable in it) he still wanted to do everything in his power to not scare him away.
Touya was already a dropout living at home with no steady income while his boyfriend had a well-paying job at a law firm. He really needed to pick a struggle.
Touya sat on the hood of his car as he tried and failed to not feel like a nuisance and burden to everyone in his life as he waited for Keigo. True to his word, he didn’t show up much more than ten minutes later. Touya watched as his much newer and nicer red Jetta pulled over behind his car before he shut it off and climbed over the seat to get out the passenger door the same way Touya had.
Keigo shut the door and walked towards Touya. If Touya wasn’t feeling like the scum of the Earth it’d be a bit amusing to see Keigo stalking up to him with so much vigor in a button-up, tie, and standing at only 5’6” to Touya’s 6’.
“Hey, babe,” Touya said coyly to hopefully loosen up the tension.
He had expected him to immediately start yelling and telling him how stupid he was, but instead, once Keigo made it in front of him, he cupped his cheeks and planted a kiss on his lips.
Touya hooked his thumbs through the belt loops of Keigo’s slacks and kissed back. Once they parted Keigo finally spoke up.
“Are you okay?” He asked, thumbing over the scars of his dimple piercings.
“I’m fine, I pulled over with little fanfare.”
Keigo visibly relaxed as he rubbed Touya’s tattooed arms before letting go of him and looking at the car. “Did you find out the problem with it?”
Touya shrugged. “Nothing I could have noticed, I just think that it’s finally done for good.”
Keigo studied the car for a bit longer before turning back to Touya. “Get anything you need out of it and let’s go.”
Touya nodded and grabbed the grocery bags, also grabbing his CD organizer from the visor as a last-minute thought. Keigo walked him back to his car after Touya had locked it and opened the back door for him to put his stuff inside. Keigo climbed back over the passenger seat and console before Touya got in as well.
Once he turned on the car, Keigo loosened his tie and sighed as they both stared at the bumper sticker littered back of Touya’s car.
“You’re not mad , right?” Touya asked hesitantly.
Keigo sighed again. “No I’m not actually mad, I was just irritated that I had to leave work two hours early but I’m over it now. It’s Friday anyway.”
Touya nodded before Keigo spoke up again. “You should call 911—er do you guys have Triple-A?”
Touya nodded again and took out his phone to call, supplying them with the needed information and where the car was before hanging up. He looked back at Keigo who was messing with the A/C vents before he returned Touya’s gaze.
“We good to go?” Keigo asked. Touya replied with a simple yes before Keigo watched his blind spot and maneuvered back onto the highway.
“I bet you can convince your dad to buy you another car,” Keigo said a while later. “I know you don’t want to drive his stupid truck.”
Touya chuckled and played with his black ring. “I’ll give him the full cost-benefits analysis of buying me a working car. Number one: I’ll be out of the house more often.”
Keigo smiled, his dimples showing. “Number two: you’ll just be at my apartment more often.”
“Number three: I’ll actually take Shouto to swim practice.”
They both laughed.
Meanwhile, Enji did not buy him a new car.
Instead, he blew up at Touya when he came home from work for calling Triple-A and how Enji just knew the car wouldn’t last for more than two years.
It lasted two and a half actually, but it’s not like Touya was counting.
Touya wasn’t too disappointed in not getting a new car. He just kept bugging Enji to borrow the truck when he needed to go out to Tenko’s or Keigo’s. It worked for like a week until Enji inevitably lost his shit again.
Touya knocked on the doorframe that led to the kitchen as he swung in. “Hey, can I borrow the truck?”
He could see Enji was already busy trying and failing to make dinner for him and Shouto. “What for,” He asked.
“I’m going over to Keigo’s,” Touya replied, opening the fridge and eating a pickle straight from the jar.
Enji grimaced at him before asking again, “I already started dinner, what are you gonna do there?”
Touya crunched on the pickle. “Gonna have hot steamy sex.”
Touya bit his tongue as he tried not to burst out laughing at the way Enji flinched and gripped the handle on the wooden spoon.
“Could you not,” He grunted.
“You rather I have hot sex with your mom?”
“Touya Todoroki!” Enji yelled. “If I get you a car will you quit bothering me?”
Touya grinned. “Oh for sure, Officer Todoroki.”
Touya heard him curse under his breath before he waved his hand. “Then take the truck and go, we’ll go to the dealership tomorrow.” Before Touya could sing his praises Enji stopped him again. “But! You have to get a job.”
Touya saluted him and made his way out with his pickles.
He did eventually get a car, but he definitely did not get a job.