The Ludicrous Escapade Pt.3

Triumph

You had a hand against your forehead in an attempt to try and see past the flurry of wind and snow. "We're almost to the goal."

Johnny took a quick glance behind himself. "Pocoloco's hot on our tail! Higashikata is following him. But frankly, I don't see them as much of a problem! I can tell just by looking at Pocoloco's riding technique, he's a third-rate rider!"

"We can't lose to anyone here, got it?" Gyro needed to be sure that all of you were on the same page. "We've only got three stages left in the race after this! We need to get points this time! (Y/N), how much more distance do we need to cover?"

"About 700 meters."

Gyro nodded and set his gaze ahead once more. "The blizzard's dying down!" Because of that, he noticed the chasm up ahead. "How many throws? Should I throw one ball or two?!"

"You only need to make one throw! Don't slow down, either!" Johnny pointed to the ground. "Golden rectangle Tusk!"

The Joestar shot into the snow and Gyro aimed his steel ball to hit the nails in the ground. This allowed the steel to unravel into a makeshift bridge for your horses to run across the chasm. Needless to say, passing Pocoloco was a breeze after that.

"Gyro Zeppeli!!" Screamed the announcer, trying to be heard above the utterly chaotic crowd. "And following him, Johnny Joestar and (Y/N) (L/N)! The one that conquered the blizzard and the dreaded frozen straight is Gyro Zeppeli! Gyro Zeppeli is in first!"

Gyro's grin shown brighter than ever before as he reveled in the rush of victory. Caught up in the heat of the moment, he grabbed the front of your shirt to pull you toward him. As he passionately connected his lips with yours, it felt to him as if the surrounding crowd had suddenly gone silent. He heard only the soft rustling of your hands as they looped around the back of his neck and became entangled with his hair.

Gyro had almost forgotten that thousands of people were watching when there was a sudden flash of blinding light from a nearby camera. He let out an annoyed huff as he pulled back from you, searching for the photographer amidst the crowd. He pointed at them with one hand while he slowly let go of your shirt. "How 'bout you put that in one of your shitty newspapers!"

Johnny blinked maybe five times, still shocked from what had just happened. "What? Gyro! Knowing them, they probably will!"

"Let them! It'll be loads better than that other crap they decide to publish!" Obviously, he still cared about the last headline he had read. Gyro turned his gaze to the leader board, now waiting to see his name plastered at the top.

You quickly let go of Gyro, having only held onto him in an attempt to ensure you didn't fall off your horse. Of all the emotions swirling around in your head, you were probably more concerned than anything else. You were sure Valentine had witnessed it, and you doubted he'd be pleased.

"Gyro..." You had your face buried in one hand. "Do you remember what I said last time?"

"Hm?" He had to think about it. "Oh... To ask first or something like that? Hey, you aren't mad or anything, right?"

You shook your head, though not necessarily as a response to his question. "I'd just appreciate it if you would actually listen." You wouldn't say anything more. There were too many people around. You would rather not cause a scene.

"Well... at least we won." Johnny attempted to shift the mood back to being more positive.

"Yeah... that's good!" Gyro nodded along. "Let's focus more on that." He unmounted Valkyrie and started leading her over to the nearby trough. "Let's win the next stage, too! It'd be difficult for anyone to catch up to me after that."