#but i did consult someone from tokyo revengers fandom and i think that is enough

[silversoulstardust]

I had a vision about Eddie and Steve as motorbike riders a couple of months ago, so I decided to write it as a countdown to valentine's :)

word count: 1.3k

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If there was one thing that wouldn’t disappoint Steve, it would be his girl. She would let him ride her from dawn till dusk and dusk till dawn. She helped him mend his broken heart, that happened more often than not. Let him hug her gentle curves  as he glided down the open road, splitting the air as he rocketed his way to his destination. His ever faithful Italian girl, his bobber bike, a Benelli 900 Sei. A manufactured beauty she was, sleek black with strong metallic frames that fit just right under him. 

And right now, she was the best company he could ever ask for. As Steve took a particularly curvy road, he swayed to one side so close to the road his knee was touching the tarred ground, friction burning hot on the jeans against his skin. This was good. The adrenaline rush paired with the need to concentrate of the safety of his ride were taking Steve’s mind off his latest relationship endeavor. A failed one, at that. 

This time it lasted well over three months, and it could have been perfectly in line with Valentine’s celebration, their third monthsary, if Steve hadn’t caught her kissing another guy when he came by to her workplace to drop her a surprise lunch.

He calmly broke up on the spot with a simple we’re done, and in the bin the carefully packed lunch went. Steve was taking Robin’s advice to simply cut things off if it wasn’t  serving him purpose anymore, and someone who cheated on him barely three months into the relationship wasn’t someone he wanted to keep in his life.

So here he was now, on his best girl riding to nowhere, just so take his mind off things.

Steve exited the highway to take the less traveled road, opting to get lost for half the day before heading back after getting a hearty meal at a random restaurant, whatever that struck him fancy. Sometimes he asked for recommendations from the locals, other times he picked it because the signage looked interesting or the name of the restaurant sounded funny. There was no pattern to his choosing.

But as the splash of the first bout of rain hit his visor, Steve could tell it would derail his plan for the day. He tried to resist. He continued riding in the heavy rain, droplets of water hitting painfully against his leather jacket as he sped ahead. But a gust of wind that came with the torrential rain almost sent him sideways, and he knew fighting mother nature was futile. 

He slowed down as an overpass road came into view, with the shaded area underneath it looking inexplicably welcoming, a perfect spot to hide. His bike slowly came to a halt.  He hopped off it and pushed it to the side to have it parked away, and it was only then that he realized he wasn’t alone, his sight fell upon another beauty parked on the dirt by the side of the road. 

Steve was immediately enticed. He couldn’t help but reach out, ghosting a touch upon its purplish black body, with white fiery murals on its sides bringing it to life. It was a foreign model to Steve, and now his body was itching to learn all about it, to have it under him and ride it. 

“Gorgeous, isn’t she?” A melodious voice emerged from a shadowed area underneath the overpass, and slowly the owner of the voice materialized. With one swift move he took off his helmet, whipping his long hair back and forth a couple of times like he just stepped out of a goddamn shampoo commercial, and a smile playing by his lips. “Hi.”

It left Steve's jaw slightly agape. Thankfully, it wasn’t visible thanks to the helmet and visor. He blinked a couple of times, and swallowed hard at the sight of a beautiful man before him, with curly hair framing his sweet grinning face as he spoke about his girl. He was rocking on his heels as he tucked his hands in his black leather jackets, looking mighty excited when Steve was showing interest on his ride. 

“Hi,” Steve finally managed, after forcing his brain to come up with something. After pulling off his helmet, he ran his fingers through his hair and returned a smile to the beautiful man before him. “She really is gorgeous. All yours?”

“Yup,” he answered. He then suddenly shifted his gaze to the sky behind Steve, looking at the ever growing rain that splattered as a gust of wind blew the water stream towards them. He quickly reached out to wrap his hand around Steve’s wrist and pulled him deeper underneath the overpass. “The rain’s getting heavier. Don’t want you to get wet.”

Steve shrugs. “I’m already wet,” he gestured at his thoroughly soaked jeans. He was pretty sure he could fill a bucket with water if he were to wring out his jeans. “I’m Steve,” he introduced himself.

“Eddie,” the other guy replied, and gestured at his motorbike with his chin. “She’s Belladonna.”

Eddie patted the clearing next to him for Steve to sit. At times like this, even the slightest proximity to heat wouldn’t go unappreciated. “That’s a beautiful name. And I’ve never seen one like her before.” Steve commented, gazing at it from a distance after settling by Eddie’s side. “Is she foreign?” 

“The name came from a poisonous plant, and yeah, she is foreign,” said Eddie as he pointed at the bike. “Made in Japan. It's a Suzuki 800 Intruder. At par with some smaller version of Moto Guzzi or Ducati cruiser with a fraction of the price. Well, minus the import duty, that is, but I know a guy from work.”

“Wow. Engine?”

“V2 twin. Perfectly balanced.”

“Sounds like a sweet ride,” Steve chided.

Eddie was grinning proudly at that, eyes practically twinkling, and Steve thought he looked really cute. And wasn’t that something? He thought he was out here riding in the rain to mend a broken heart. 

“ I just got her a couple of weeks ago, and I’ve only got a day off today to finally ride her. Heading upstate to visit my uncle, but, well, you know the rest of the story,” he gestured out at the heavy downpour, with a thunder splitting the sky. 

The afternoon suddenly got a whole lot darker, and Steve shuddered at the sudden loud sound that was booming above them. After sitting still for a while, the chill from the surroundings started to get to him. He rubbed his hands over his arms up and down to generate heat. When that failed, he shoved his hands in his brown leather jacket, and that at least prevented his fingers from freezing and falling off of his hands. When he turned to face Eddie again, Eddie was already scooting close next to Steve. “Maybe this will make you feel less cold?” 

“Thanks,” stuttered Steve as he get adjusted to the sudden close proximity between them. He could clearly see the brown of his doe eyes that was staring deep into Steve’s own, his fogged up breaths filling the space between them with each word leaving his mouth. 

Steve could feel his cheeks heating up. “I really didn’t expect it to rain today.” He paused for a moment. “Actually, I didn’t really plan to ride today. Just needed to clear my mind, and suddenly, the key is in the ignition, and off I go. Not even sure where I’m headed. Was just thinking of getting one good meal at some random stop, and then turning back before going home. But at this rate…”

“Well you’re in luck, then,” replied Eddie as he kicked up the dirt and pointed at the road beyond the overpass with the toe of his boot. “There’s a small town up ahead and there’s a restaurant down the main street that sells a really mean stew.”

Steve saw an opportunity and seized his chance. He realized he quite liked this stranger, and maybe a meal before they parted ways wasn’t such a bad idea. “Well that’s it then. I have got to try this mean stew before I head back. You’re showing me the way, right? We can have a late lunch together as I tell you about my girl?”

Eddie seemed to be hopping on to the same line of thought, and it didn’t take long for the curve of his lips to morph into a teethy, dimpled grin. A gleam of excitement was reflected in his eyes. 

“My greatest pleasure, Steve.”

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Part two here :)