Rules Were Made to be Broken

‣ scene 13 [browari code]

"When exactly did you come in?" He asked to distract himself from that embarrassment. "He told me that he paid you to take me home."

Akane laughed again and slapped him on the back.

"Yep. I got'im to gimme twenty bucks. He woulda taken ya himself, but he'd promised the dog sitter he'd be home by a certain time and didn't have time to go on some side mission. I didn't feel like draggin' some drunk back to his apartment, so he hadta pay up!"

Kiyotaka sighed as she howled with laughter at the memory. She sat with her legs awfully far apart, he noticed, and ate her lunch rather sloppily. She really behaved more like a man than a woman. Enormous breasts aside.

"...Regardless of your motivations, I do owe you my thanks. I don't know what I would have done without the two of you looking out for me."

"Hey, man, it's no problem. You don't hafta be so formal." She studied him for a second with something searching in her gaze that Kiyotaka didn't like. Then she smirked. "...Y'know, I guess you are kinda cute. Can't really blame 'im."

"I beg your pardon?!"

She didn't elaborate on that point. Kiyotaka convinced himself that he'd misunderstood her as she tried, in vain, to muffle her giggles.

"...O-Oowada is awfully fond of you," Kiyotaka managed after a minute, trying desperately to change the topic of conversation. Akane grinned at that.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yes. He describes you as his favorite coworker and a good friend of his."

"Well, I should hope so," Akane replied with a casual shrug. She'd finished her bag of potato chips and tossed them on the ground beside her before opening up a bag of pork rinds. Kiyotaka tried not to recoil from the stench of them. Was several bags of greasy and fried snacks really a lunch? "We spend, like, every weekend together."

"You enjoy spending time with him?"

"Hell yeah. Mon's really cool, n' I like hangin' out with him. ...I'd take him over any'a these other guys, anyway."

"Why's that?" Kiyotaka's brow furrowed. Did she like Mondo or something? There was a devious look in her eye, but then, that had been there from the moment she spotted him, so he didn't know what to make of it.

Akane grinned, and then, to Kiyotaka's horror, she gave her own breasts a quick squeeze for emphasis.

"It's nice talkin' to a guy who doesn't spend the whole night gawkin' at my tits."

Kiyotaka opened his mouth to respond, but only produced a squeak. Akane laughed harder than she ever had before and gave him a slap on the shoulder so forceful that it hurt. He was almost thankful when he heard Mondo approaching them. Even if his sullen expression didn't give the impression of good news.

"Hate to be the one to break it to ya, Taka, but your car's pretty torn up. We'll hafta keep it at least a couple of days, and that's assumin' we can fix the damn thing at all. The brakes and the steering mechanism in that thing were..." He trailed off to mull over his next words. He gave Akane a look that she seemed to understand, and she looked surprised. "...Tell me, did ya get the car cheap? A little too cheap?"

Kiyotaka had been dreading this kind of conversation. He'd known the deal was too good to be true.

"...My father recommended a dealer and got me a discount. He said he knew the man who sold it to me. Why do you ask?"

Mondo hissed through his teeth at that answer. Kiyotaka would have been more annoyed with him if it wasn't for the fact that he'd removed his jacket and tied his hair all the way back and was now in nothing but a grease-stained undershirt up top, and using a small towel to wipe motor oil from his big hands. His arms and collarbone glistened with sweat and shone in the flickering fluorescent lights.

"That car is shady as fuck. I dunno any other way to put it," Mondo explained bluntly. "Halfa the parts inside are all wrong, and a lot of shit is outdated, plenty'a wires are crossed, cheap materials... Pretty sure it's a knockoff of some kind. These cars look like the real thing up front and have all the modern bells and whistles, but they're a mess on the inside. An explosion waitin' to happen."

Kiyotaka groaned and smacked his head against the wall. Akane patted his leg in silent apology. He hated his cheapskate of a father at the moment.

"Just my luck, I suppose. Thanks for trying, anyway."

Mondo cracked a little smile that only tilted up one corner of his lip. A sheepish kind of smile.

"We'll do our best, but you'll need a rental in the meantime. I checked, and there's one place still open. It's a bit of a drive, though. Ya won't get there til eleven or so."

Kiyotaka sighed and moved to retrieve his phone from his pocket.

"Guess I'll call a cab, then—"

"Nah, I'll drive ya there," Mondo insisted. "My shift ends in about a half hour anyway, and I'm sure Akane doesn't mind coverin' me. ...Do ya, Akane?"

He stared the woman down. It took her an uncomfortably long time to get what he was trying to say. It seemed like she wasn't the brightest girl around. When it clicked, she shook her head.

"N-No, that's cool. I'll cover ya. You two just head on out and get that rental." She crumpled up the remains of her lunch and took them with her as she stood up, and she helped Kiyotaka stand. He waved his arms in protest as soon as he was back on his feet.

"Th-That really isn't necessary! You've done more than enough for one day!"

"A cab is gonna charge ya out the ass at this time of night," Mondo argued as he threw his jacket back on. He tossed Kiyotaka a little canvas bag containing everything that had been in his car. "N' I seriously don't mind. It's on the way t'my place anyways."

That last bit couldn't possibly be true, Kiyotaka knew, or else he wouldn't run into the man at the grocery store and the gym.

"B-But—"

Akane suddenly had a hand on his back and her other on Mondo's, and she pushed them both towards the door.

"Go. I insist. It's no problem."

She was horrifyingly strong. She had Kiyotaka back outside before he knew what had hit him, and he swore he saw her high-five Mondo through the door before she slammed it shut behind them.

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A/N: PSA AKANE IS THE BEST BRO/WINGMAN AND SHE AND MONDO MAKE A REALLY CUTE TOP TIER FRIEND DUO also i make no apologies for the chapter title