#it is now illegal to drive my car in my city

[shae-la-hyene]

reblog if you too feel persecuted by capitalism

[lokissweater]

a million more novembers

{mlb!megumi fushiguro x f!reader}

summary: its you and megumi’s cute little two year anniversary! a car picnic at a stargazing hotspot in the city— snacks, drinks, your loving baseball man, and gifts galore? yes please!

warnings: MDNI. afab!reader, cursing, FLUUUUFFF GALOOREEEE AWWWUUHHH!!, sexual themes, mostly sfw except for like one steamy part ;), boobie sucking, grinding, soft loving megumi OFCCC, sliight angst but really nothing, all characters are aged up, mentions of reader having ‘pink cheeks’ is only to amplify and over-exaggerate feelings of embarrassment, shyness, and everything in between, and not to be taken literally! this is a work of fiction, and you can imagine many things for yourself :)

word count: 8.8k

authors note: ANNIVERSARY SPEECCCIIAAALLL I AM CRRRYYIINNNGGG!!! i hope you guys enjoy this little side fun mini chapter of sir gumi and reader’s anniversary day, and their endeavors with yuji and readers best friend :333 wanted to give you guys an extra mlb!megumi chapter in celebration of their LUUUUVVV !!! MWAAAHHHHH I LOOOVEE YOUUUU !!! TAKE CAAAREEEE !!! <3333333

i highly advise you to read the other parts of this series or else you won’t be able to understand some of the storyline and references :( you can find my mlb!megumi fushiguro masterlist here!

if you could, you’d fake pass out at this very moment so that way you’d be excused by your professor and get the fuck out of your afternoon lecture right this instant.

but you couldn’t, because attendance was mandatory and you’d lose points upon missing out… and you had an exam next week— which is something you normally just grumbled about and dealt with seeing as it was just a part of being in college, except right now? it was criminal to even think about an upcoming exam like this.

because it was you and megumi’s two year anniversary.

and the only thing you wanted to do was be there with him for the entire day… but because of your classes and megumi having abnormal back to back practices again due to the upcoming world series, you both agreed that you’d drive over to the stadium after your afternoon class and leave together for your little date after he was done.

but even though megumi had practice, you wanted to be at the stadium so fucking badly— watching him pitch and swing and just do what he does best one of your absolute favorite hobbies, the way he plays never getting old and actually illegal to even think that something like that could be a possibility.

you shrunk down in your seat, arms crossed as your professor went over topics about something and guidelines about whatever, you usually paying more attention to the material if it was any regular day but wanting to strangle yourself because the education system was preventing you from being with your man.

your phone lit up suddenly with a notification, you smiling softly to yourself upon realizing who it was and sitting up, grabbing your phone to unlock it.

(gumi <3): how’s class baby

you quickly typed back a response.

(you): do you think if i pretend to pass out right now my professor will excuse me and i can just leave

(gumi <3): lol

(gumi <3): you only have thirty minutes left though right?

(you): okay but gumi what does that have to do with me wanting to pretend to pass out so i can go see you faster

(you): and make fan edits of you while i wait 

(you): I— I MEAN—

(gumi <3): omg

(gumi <3): you’ve made enough of those

(gumi <3): no more

you quietly scoffed in your seat, thumbs rapidly typing away.

(you): gumi i can’t believe you’re not supportive of my extra curricular activities rn

(you): after EVERYTHING i’ve done for you

(you): after all the times i’ve sucked your dick

(you): and i thought you liked my edits :(

megumi took a minute to respond before your phone buzzed again.

(gumi <3): LOL

(gumi <3): i do baby i’m kidding

(gumi <3): and don’t put that image in my head rn

(you): oh??????

(you): and why not???? ;))

(you): boner alert perhaps??? ;))

(you): maybe today during our cute little date you can take me to pound town in the back seat of your car and make me cum and cry all over your dick gumi!!

you shrunk further down in your seat and snickered quietly, funnily shielding your phone to prevent anyone else seated around you in your lecture from seeing the absurd messages on your phone.

(gumi <3): jesus fucking christ

(gumi <3): why are you doing this

(you): because i loooveee youuuu <33

(you): and i can’t wait to seee youuuu <333

(you): maybe i should go to the bathroom rn and send you a boobie pic :P

(gumi <3): please

(gumi <3): fuck wait my breaks over i have to go

(gumi <3): fuck

you mushed a hand over your mouth to prevent yourself from laughing out loud, typing a response.

(you): BAAAAHAHAHAH

(you): OMG IM SO SORRY GUMI

(you): HAVE A GOOD REST OF YOUR PRACTICE OKAY ILL SEE YOU IN A BIT! <3

(gumi <3): do you think if i pretend to pass out coach will excuse me

(you): NO GUMI 

(you): GOOOO

(you): GO PLAY GO PLAY

(gumi <3): god

(gumi <3): fine

(gumi <3): i love you pretty baby i’ll see you 

(gumi <3): and pay attention

(you): i love you too gumiiii !!! <333

(you): NO PROMISES BYE !!!

(you): SMOOOCCCHHHH

you breathed out softly through your nose and set your phone back down, one leg crossing over the other as you impatiently waited and practically glared at the powerpoint slides in front of you, your ankle bouncing and mind drifting off again— double checking over the list of things you and megumi needed for your date instead repeatedly in case you forgot something.

since your anniversary couldn’t be an all day thing, the two of you planned a cute little car picnic date at a star gazing hotspot out in the hills of the city, a place megumi had actually been to before in his childhood with gojo and his sister, and one he said he remembered to be nice and quiet with a good view of the stars, similar to how they looked like when you all went on that trip in the mountains a few months ago with his dad, yuji, and your best friend— the fact only making you overly ecstatic, since megumi suggesting something like that without a little gruff and huff was always a special rare sight to see.

and the only things megumi literally allowed you to bring were the fuzzy blankets and pillows and such, him forbidding you from buying absolutely anything else like snacks, drinks, and the food, saying that he had it and it was okay— simply only chuckling and lightly flicking your forehead when you grumbled and fought with him over it in the hopes that he would let you take care of at least half of the things.

he did not.

“alright i think i’ll stop here for today and let you guys go a little earl—”

you shot up from your desk and shoved your books in your bag, not even letting your professor finish before you were already up and speed walking out of the lecture hall and down your building, thanking the gods above for the thousandth time that megumi’s stadium was only a fifteen minute drive from your campus, and therefore made it so much easier for you to drive on over without difficulties and pretty much whenever the fuck wanted… which was all of the time.

just as you plopped in the drivers seat and chucked your bag to the passengers side, an apparent buzzing vibrated through the right back pocket of your skirt as you reached in to pull it out, your best friend’s name flashing at the top.

“hellooo!” you answered, swinging the door shut and turning on the ignition, the heater unit blasting through the vents and warming up the spiking chilly temperature in your car.

“hi babe!” your best friend greeted. “how far away are you?”

“i just got out of class! i should be there in about ten if i go over the speed limiiit.” you grinned, putting your phone on speaker and setting it down on your lap, backing out of your parking space.

“SHE SAID TEN MINUTES GOING OVER THE SPEED LIMIT MEGU— what?! i can’t— i can’t hear you idiot you’re across the fucking field!—”

you laughed loudly as you drove out of your campus parking lot, zooming down the street and going the usual route to his stadium.

“oh my— megumi ordered and yelled at me to call you to see how far you were babe.” she sighed. “when is this man ever gonna treat me fairly this is ridiculous— WHAT?! TELL HER WHAT?!—”

“i’m about eight minutes away now!” you laughed. “tell him that please i’m almost there—”

“WAIT SHE SAID SHE’S EIGHT MINUTES AWA— oh my god okay megumi says not to go over the speed limit and to park next to him in the players parking lot.”

“tell him i said watching him play baseball is more important than the law i don’t give a—”

“SHE SAID WATCHING YOU PLAY BASEBALL IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAW— oh he’s coming. save yourself and hang up y/n he’s coming— YUJI GET HIM HE’S GONNA TAKE MY PHONE— ARGH STOP!—”

“—go over the speed limit and see what happens.”

a different deeper voice muttered over the line, partially out of breath and one you instantly recognized to be megumi’s as you giggled.

“gumi the speed limit is a social construct and if i don’t get to watch you play for the last thirty minutes of practice i’m gonna gauge my eyeballs out.”

“baseball’s also a social construct.” he deadpanned. “and you watch me play all of the time baby don’t speed you drive like a fucking street racer sometimes.”

“but isn’t it cool and sexy that i do? eehh?” you quipped in a silly way. “and i don’t care how many times i’ve seen you play gumi… i still need to be admitted into a mental facility each time it’s embarrassing.”

he chuckled softly.

“you almost here?”

“yeah! i’m just pulling into the stadium i’m going over to your structure right now.”

“okay.” he spoke. “park next to me please.”

“—megumi i told her that already—”

“can you not eavesdrop—”

“—if it has to do with y/n fuck no—”

“—okay!” you sputtered while shifting your gear to park and turning off the ignition, cutting their bickering off. “i’m here gumi i’m gonna walk to the stadium now.”

“alright i’ll see you baby.” 

“i’ll see you!—”

“your phone time’s revoked asswipe give me my device right now—”

“—can you mind your fucking business for two seconds—”

“NO!—”

you winced and hung up the phone, shaking your head amusedly as you grabbed your keys and stepped out of the car before locking it, walking your way over across the parking structure and to the entrance of the stadium, maneuvering through various hallways and corners like muscle memory and politely saying hello to some of the team’s staff that you recognized as you walked.

you passed through the main hall— megumi’s giant glorious handsome portrait still displayed proudly against the wall amongst his other teammates, prestigious awards and trophies in glass frames and casings littering the room from practically top to bottom as you happily moved through the hall, passing by the same bench that you first unknowingly and officially met megumi in while you were embarrassingly crying your eyes out over him— a treasured memory that you swoon over every now and then at the way he kindly gave you his sunglasses to hide your big fat tears.

you hoped that megumi’s management never replaced that freaking bench, as you wanted to put a plaque on it in commemoration of you and your emo man, knowing that if they ever did you’d be at those stadium doors first thing in the morning to grab and take it home with you to keep.

upon opening the doors to the stadium, you continued on down the steps as you looked on ahead and squinted your eyes, distant hollers and the clanking of bats echoing through the otherwise peaceful atmosphere, several players out on the field practicing and pitching but none being megumi as you reached the bottom and went inside the bullpen, expecting to see your best friend sitting there and possibly still fighting with your boyfriend, but faltering instead.

because megumi was sat there on the bench by himself with his baseball cap on… waiting for you, a bouquet of pretty pink tulips in his arms as he looked straight over the field with an emotionless gaze, his head snapping to you once he heard you coming in and standing up, his face gradually warming.

pink tulips were your favorite.

“gumi…” you spoke softly, astonished and mushy inside as you grabbed the bouquet from him, it neatly tucked in brown paper wrap and pretty pink tule with a little matching bow around the stems to tie it off, the paper crinkling in your arms.

“hi.”

“oh my— these are gorgeous baby thank you!” you gushed, your cheeks hot and you absolutely beaming as you swung your unoccupied arm around his neck and brought him in, pecking his slightly sweaty cheek repeatedly as he huffed out a breathy laugh and pulled you to him.

“you’re welcome.” he murmured, cheek lightly resting against the side of your head as you smiled.

“you really didn’t have to gumi you bought basically everything for today…” you spoke softly, bringing your head back a bit to look at him.

he shrugged.

“so.”

you scoffed. “so? you don’t let me do anything and i feel oppressed.”

he snorted, playfully rolling his eyes and kissing your forehead. 

dramatic.

“it’s fine baby.”

“okay but it’s not.” you grumbled lowly, and the corners of his lips quirked up, taking a tiny step back as he released you and lifted a hand, gently pinching your cheek.

“you look really pretty.”

your pout slid into a cheeky smile, a cute blush rising to your cheeks.

“thank you gumi!” you readjusted the bouquet in your arms and shyly looked away, his direct dark blue eyes on you still nerve wracking even after two years. 

“h— how come you’re not on the field?”

“oh.” megumi’s gaze shifted to his playing teammates. “i wanted to give you the tulips before going back out.”

your eyes softened, chest clenching as you stood up on your tippy toes and gave him a little kiss.

“you’re so nice…” you murmured. 

“i—”

“fushiguro i need you back on the field!”

megumi huffed and rolled his eyes at his coach interrupting his time with you, hands reluctantly dropping from your waist as he took a step back.

“m’sorry baby...” he sighed tiredly, lifting his cap up from his spiky hair and adjusting it back on. “practice is almost over i promise.”

you frantically shook your head. “no gumi it’s okay don’t apologize! go please though i don’t want you to get in trouble.”

he nodded, quickly pecking your cheek before stepping out of the bullpen and back out on the field, turning his body slightly just as he reached the home plate and raising a hand to you as a little goodbye, shifting his attention to his coach and the rest of his teammates once he saw you give him one back.

you walked over to the benches then and sat, your eyes happily watching the mock game unfold as you settled your pretty bouquet carefully over your lap.

“please tell me you guys are done it’s fucking cold up here in the stands—”

your head shot to the side and you instantly smiled, your best friend popping her head in from the bullpen entrance and shivering.

“heyyy! oh my god yes come come—” you scooched over and patted the spot next to you, her trodding over and plopping down.

“let me seeeee!” she squealed and nudged your shoulder with hers, gesturing to your tulips as you lit up and turned the bouquet in her direction, her jaw dropping.

“i hate him but he’s good.” she muttered, shaking her head as you laughed and lightly hit her arm. 

megumi ran through a few bases, passing by the bullpen and stopping at a base closest to it with remnants of brown dirt puffing and swirling through the air, him looking over his shoulder at you briefly before turning back to the game.

“he does so much for me that i feel like a big fat loser that does mediocre for him.” you spoke worriedly, and your girl friend looked at you bewilderedly.

“are you kidding? y/n you being with him is enough jesus that man is an ogre—”

you flicked her forehead and she cackled, pushing your hand away.

“i’m sorry! i’m sorry i’m joking… kind of…whatever— babe you literally do so much let him dote on you like this… that man loves you.”

you pursed your lips to suppress a giddy smile.

“plus after the pain and torture we both went through with your high school boyfriend christ—”

“oh my god don’t remind me.” you mumbled, shifting your attention back to the field. “he sucked so bad.”

she laughed. “and it took you forever to realize that he was a loser y/n… you gave him too much and he gave you absolutely nothing.”

you solemnly nodded, the feeling of miserable regret filling your body.

“granted i think megumi’s also a loser.” she continued, and you playfully glared. “but! he’s a different kind of loser. he’s good for you babe… and you’re super good for him.”

you grinned brightly at her, set your bouquet to the side, and threw your arms around her shoulders, bringing her in a tight hug as she laughed loudly and held you back with just as much love.

“have fun on your anniversary date tonight!” your girl friend exclaimed. “you guys are still going to that stargazing spot right?”

“mhm!” you nodded. “we’re going up in his car and setting up the backseat once we get there.”

“are you guys getting freaky too back there?—”

your head snapped ahead to find yuji leaning against the gate of the bullpen on the other side, your eyes wide and mortified as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestingly.

“h—huh?—”

“eehhh?” your best friend matched her boyfriends expression, her eyes twinkling and mischievous. “valid question yu! what are you wearing under your outfit let me see—”

you yelped as your best friend pulled and tugged at the collar of your chunky knitted sweater, basically shoving her head through to see what you had on and you pushing on her shoulders to try and get her away.

“stop you sicko!—”

“y/n why the fuck don’t you have a lingerie set under here—”

“oh my god shut your mouth right now—”

megumi curiously turned his head over to the commotion by the bullpen, jaw dropping and eyes growing big in absolute dumb struck horror as he watched your best friend basically trying to strip your sweater off of you, and yuji just standing there and watching like a fucking pervert—

“itadori!” he barked, and yuji jumped a whopping fifteen feet in the air, swiveling around to face him.

“oh hey man!— WHAT THE FU—”

megumi hurled a literal baseball at him and yuji dove out of the way, the ball hitting against the gate of the bullpen as you and your best friend jumped at the slamming noise.

“the fuck are you guys doing?!” megumi yelled, arms out in emphasis as he quickly strode over with pinched brows.

he looked to you as soon as he properly reached the bullpen, the collar of your sweater stretched out over an exposed shoulder with your black bra literally peeking out, your pretty eyes wide and downright alarmed as your best friend still had an iron tugging grip on your sweater.

megumi’s gaze hardened, switching to your girl friend.

“get off.”

he looked to yuji, his legs wobbling in fear as he used the gaps of the bullpen gate to lift himself up from the dirt.

“close your fucking eyes—”

“yes sir fushiguro sir!—”

“what?!” your best friend exclaimed. “megumi if you guys are gonna fuck in the backseat she needs to be looking scrumptious—”

his face paled and his cheeks turned a vibrant pink simultaneously.

“why are you guys always like this?” he muttered exasperatedly, stepping inside the bullpen now and pushing her off of you, your girl friend scoffing as megumi pulled your collar back over your shoulder and fixed your sweater for you, your lips clamped shut as you tried your best to refrain yourself from laughing.

“oh my bad. thought the perv in you would thank my services—”

“why the hell would i thank you for stripping my girlfriend in front of the entire fucking team—”

“—y/n i literally think i have a lingerie set in my car i’ll give it to you it’s new i just bought it to show yuji—”

you gasped. 

“wait really?! what color? i wanted to wear one but i didn’t want to show up to class with it—”

megumi’s eyes bulged and shot to you, mouth opening and closing like an idiot.

“i think it’s red but i’m pretty sure your tits are bigger than mine lemme see—”

your best friend yanked your collar again and you screamed as megumi grabbed you and pulled you up against his chest, shielding you away from your lunatic girl friend as she cackled and pointed at megumi.

“megumi’s getting a boonneeerrrr!—”

his eyes frantically switched between her and yuji— his hands still tightly clasped over his eyes.

“what kind of sick fucks are you both?!”

you giggled uncontrollably over his appalled menacing face, your laughter muffling up against his uniform.

“us?!” your best friend yelled. “don’t get me started on you! i saw that text you sent y/n last week asking to send a video of her fi—”

“oh god babe don’t finish that sentence also can i open my eyes now you guys—”

“itadori! fushiguro! huddle up!”

yuji timidly seperated his fingers and looked at the group, hands dropping and a wide smile spreading once he realized you weren’t half naked anymore.

“off we go fushiguro!” he quipped, turning and the dirt crackling beneath his cleats as he walked. “boss man wants us—”

“i heard him.” megumi grumbled, arms loosening from their hold around you as they slid and fell at his sides, his face just plain out annoyed and over it, and you smiled sweetly at him.

“it’s okay!” you poked his cheek. “i’ll wait for you here while you guys finish up? or do you want me to go inside the locker rooms already?”

“go to the locker rooms baby.” he mumbled. “it’s cold.”

you nodded, and he placed a hand on your head with the tiniest smile, heading out of the bullpen after and jogging up to the rest of his teammates for regrouping and final announcements.

your best friend swung a heavy arm around your shoulders and you both made your way to the exit just as you grabbed your bouquet again, walking up the steps of the stands and down a few corridors and pathways until you reached the echoey hallway, the teams locker room coming into view as you pushed the heavy door open and went in.

“do you still want my lingerie set?” your girl friend asked, fixing her hair in front of one of the big mirrors. “we could still try and see if it fits but your boobs are huge compared to mine—”

you laughed and waved her off. “it’s okay babe! thank you though… i don’t think we’re gonna do anything like that out in the open and in the middle of nowhere…”

she shrugged, sending you a little smirk through the mirror. “megumi’s a weirdo. so i think you in fact will.”

you shot her a funny glare and walked to your boyfriends locker while placing your pretty bouquet down on the bench— turning the little knob around and hitting the numbers that made up his locker combination, the metal clinking open and you opening it to organize his clothes and equipment like you usually did.

you dragged his heavy duffel bag out and unzipped it, rummaging around a little to find the clothes that he had packed for your date today— spotting his thick black crewneck and gray cargo pants as you took them out and folded them neatly on the bench in front of you, setting the rest of the things he needed to the side and perking up once you heard distant chattering and banter, several players starting to pile in as you shot a few polite smiles, stepping over the bench and plopping down to wait for megumi.

“i said no.”

“pleeeaaasee!” yuji begged, the two of them emerging from the entryway as you lit up at the sight of your grumpy man, his agitated eyes to the floor as he trudged over. “i thought we were best friends fushiguro. brothers if you will—”

“no.”

“pleaaaseee!—”

“what does he want?” you laughed softly, megumi’s eyes coming up and moving to his tidily folded clothes that you had set for him on the bench, his gaze softening.

“nothing bab—”

“wrestle!” yuji wailed, dramatically leaning his entire weight on your best friend in a hug as she dumbfoundedly reciprocated, patting his back. “i wanted to see who’s strongest…”

“babe go change you’re sweaty—”

“not until fushiguro wrestles with me—”

“no.”

“whyyy?!”

you giggled loudly, hand over your mouth as megumi sent you a small close lipped smile and stepped over the bench to his locker, taking off his baseball cap and hanging it inside.

“because it’s stupid.” he mumbled, and yuji scoffed.

“wrestling is the ultimate sport for strategy, discipline and character how could any of that be stupid—”

“yu change i wanna go homeee!” your best friend whined, trying to pry him off of her. “i’ll wrestle with you.”

yuji sprung up and grinned. “will you actually?! i won’t go easy babe i can’t play favorites—”

“yes now move—”

“if i win can you suck my di—”

megumi flung his deodorant at yuji’s head and rolled his eyes as he cried out and pouted, the little container clattering against the ground.

“gumi!” you gasped. “be nice please.”

he sighed softly through his nose, unbuttoning his jersey as he begrudgingly and briefly looked over his shoulder.

“sorry.”

“oh wait what was that?” you girl friend spoke up. “i think you need to speak up a little megumi! can’t hear you.”

“i said sorry.” he spat, and she smiled, satisfied.

“you’re forgiven! thanks!”

megumi grumbled as he shook his jersey off and long sleeve underneath with it, his little chain with his promise ring dangling out around his collar, and you shamelessly and obviously drooling over his bare toned frame then as he sorted through his clothes and got his things ready for the shower— the locker room emptying out now and only one or two players remaining besides the lot of you.

you extended a hand out, wanting megumi to give you his jersey and long sleeve as he shifted his attention to you.

“what baby.”

“i’ll put it in the laundry bin for you!” you spoke sweetly. “so you can go shower.”

his heart squeezed as he shook his head. “s’okay. just wait for me.”

“gumi the laundry room’s just down the hall.” you laughed, taking his uniform from him. “i’ll be quick.”

he pursed his lips, feeling like you’ve already done more than enough for him and him just dicking around and playing ball for hours this entire time, wanting to get your date started so he could spend time with you and give you the things he wanted to give you, and not be around idiot insane people anymore (yuji and your best friend).

“sit down please.” he mumbled.

your jaw dropped.

“i’m being oppressed again—”

“we’ll see you guys tomorrow!” your girl friend smiled, coming over and giving you a hug as yuji went to put a hand on megumi’s shoulder. “have fun on your date! and happy anniversaryyy!”

“thank youuuu!” you responded kindly, hugging her back and swaying funnily, letting her go after and looking to her boyfriend. “drive safe yuji okay?”

“will do!” he smiled brightly, wrapping a friendly arm around your shoulders and pulling you in. “have fun you guys. and don’t get mauled by bears.”

you snorted, the both of you pulling back and waving at each other with final goodbyes before they turned and began walking to the exit, now the only ones left in the locker rooms being you and megumi. 

“text me if you have sex in the back y/n!”

“oh my god!—” you miserably dropped your head in your hands as your girl friends vulgar sentence literally echoed throughout the hallway outside, anyone within a one inch radius able to hear it as megumi laughed quietly, the doors to the locker room officially closing.

“your best friend is clinically insane.”

you giggled, nudging him away playfully and him catching your wrist just as you did so, tugging you in and wrapping his arms around your shoulders.

“no she’s not.” you smiled cutely, your little cheek pressed up against the warm skin of his chest as he looked at you. “she’s honest. and lovely.”

“and deluded.”

“gumi!”

“sorry.”

he craned his neck down and kissed you, every tense muscle in his body giving away and slowly oozing into a state of peace as your soft lips moved with his, megumi finally having you to himself for the night so he could properly get your anniversary going.

he pulled away and patted your head.

“m’gonna shower really quick baby.”

“okay!” you smiled. “can i sit by the shower with you? heh.”

he chuckled and nodded, interlocking his fingers with yours and pulling you towards the shower room— a spacious and modern area with individual stalls and little plushy sofas across from them, megumi leading you to one as you sat down and took his fresh pair of clothes from him to set on your lap.

“remember when i fucked you in here.”

“gumi!” you gasped as your face grew red. “okay but which time because my favorite time was two weeks ago when you bent me over th—”

he laughed, the boyish sound bouncing off the tile walls as he shook his head with a little faint blush to his cheeks, fingers coming down to unbutton his pants and your hands flying to cover over your eyes, him pausing and looking at you quizzically.

“what.”

“i’m giving you privacy gumi. something you wouldn’t know about in regards to me.”

he scoffed.

“kay fine. i’ll stop asking—”

“no!” you yelled, hands clasping together like a prayer. “don’t finish that sentence i don’t wanna know i don’t need to know whatever it is continue doing it—”

megumi rolled his eyes with a smile, taking off the rest of his clothes and you squeaking as you covered your line of sight again, the sound of the shower running with the door closing an indicator to you that the coast was clear for you to look, hands coming down as they settled over megumi’s clean clothes.

and he literally took less than five minutes to shower… or maybe it was because your little endless chattering made the time go by faster or the fact that you always took close to an hour, but he was out of there with a towel around his delicious waist before you could even realize and on the way out to change into his outfit.

megumi straight from the shower was always an interesting sight to see, for the usual spikes in his jet black hair were nonexistent for the time being as his hair just laid flat, and he almost looked like an entirely different man as you stood on the other side of the bench behind him while he sat tying his shoe laces, you drying his hair with a small white hand towel.

“i’m really excited for tonight gumi!” you cheesed. “oh! and i brought my laptop too incase you wanted to watch a movieeee.”

he straightened up from his hunched over position and stood, turning around to kiss your head in gratitude before taking the towel from you and drying off the last bit of his hair.

“sounds good baby.” he grabbed his duffel bag and swung it over his shoulder, keys hooked from one of his belt loops on his pants as he offered his hand out to you on the way out of the locker room, you happily taking it and interlacing your fingers in the hallway, the both of you walking on to leave the stadium with your bouquet in your arm, making a quick pit stop at the laundry room first to toss his uniform and towels in one of the various hampers, leaving and going through the main hall hand in hand after with the building basically vacant now— not a single player, staff, or management member around as you moved your way down corridors to the exit, entering the parking garage.

megumi grabbed his keys and clicked a button upon reaching the players parking lot area, his shiny black car beeping and flickering its lights and him opening the door to the backseat to throw his stuff in, you catching a glimpse of the piles of grocery bags filled with chips, snacks, pastries and such as you smiled, unlocking your own vehicle and opening your trunk as megumi did his.

he swiftly stepped in and grabbed your blankets and a few pillows, transferring them over to his car and you setting your bouquet down in the back, throwing in a few other things.

“oh gumi!” 

“hm?”

you opened your drivers side door and reached in, megumi peering around from his open trunk to look at you.

“i got us a little lunchbox cake!” you pulled out a small white cake carrier and showed him. “and a number two candle too so we can light it!”

“oh nice baby.” he calmly smiled, reaching into the pocket of his cargo pants and pulling out his wallet.

you blinked.

“what are you doing?”

he gave you a confused look, opening the folds and taking out a few twenty dollar bills.

“for the cake.”

“what?!” you frantically shook your head. “no i got this for us—”

he scoffed, extending his arm out to you regardless with a pile of bills in hand that was way over the initial cost of the little cake, your jaw running slack.

“oh absolutely not sir i’m not taking that—”

“take it.”

“nope!”

“y/n.”

“nuh uh.”

megumi sighed and retracted his hand. “i’m putting it in your purse—”

“if you put it in my purse i swear to god i’m never letting you see me naked ever again—”

he froze and narrowed his eyes at you, you standing there with a shit eating grin as you tilted your head.

“just get in the car.” he grumbled, slamming his trunk shut and doing the same with yours, you cheering in your head and lighting up over your win as you opened his passenger side door and got in, completely unaware of megumi choosing to take his chances and shove the bills in your purse anyways.

the car ride there was a whopping one hour, seeing as the stargazing hotspot was in the middle of the bustling city where megumi’s apartment was around, your boyfriend making frequent stops at various food places to pick up the food he had ordered for the picnic, and you still fighting with him over the fact that he should let you pay at least half, him just laughing at your huffs and puffs until he simmered you down to a mere grumble with a kiss to your cheek.

“i don’t care how many times i’ve done it there isn’t a limit.” 

megumi backed in reverse once he found a good spot for you both on the hill, looking behind through his rear view window with a hand on the back of your headrest.

“but you have to let me pay sometimes gumi.” you sighed softly. “i feel like im freeloading off of your millions and doing fucking nothing.”

he gave you a bewildered look.

“first of all.” he shifted his gear into park. “you do everything so don’t give me that. second of all—”

he unlocked the car and you both got out, the trunk latching open on its own as you walked over.

“you’re not supposed to pay baby.” he stared at you sincerely, a little crease in between his brows. “ever. i don’t care.”

he unhooked the backseats and pushed them down, the trunk now extending even wider and leaving plenty of space for the two of you to set up your picnic, your shoes off and down below next to the car.

“i just—” you struggled, shaking out the blankets and splaying them out. “i worry that it’ll bother you eventually…”

“it won’t.” he responded firmly, yet still gentle. “did your ex-boyfriend make you feel bad about it? is that why?”

you froze.

“no…”

he looked over his shoulder just as he set a pillow down, dark blue eyes staring you down.

“wow i’m so hungry right now gumi are you—”

“i heard what your best friend said during practice about him.” he set a few more pillows down. “she talks like a linebacker.”

you laughed, grabbing the box of fairy lights you had brought and pulling them out, untangling them by sections.

megumi never really asked too in detail about your ex, just because he knew he’d get bitter and bothered by the thought of it, and the only things he really knew was that he was a moron who said you were a blabbermouth and didn’t treat you right at all, your three and a half year relationship with him in high school one megumi wished he could erase entirely.

but now with the way you squirmed and stared off into space in avoidance over this particular topic… he was curious.

just how bad was he?

“did he pay for your dates or did you.”

you fiddled with a little fairy light bulb.

“well— he did… but then we started splitting it… and then i started paying…”

megumi shook his head, reaching for the grocery bags and taking out the snacks he’d bought.

“why.”

you finished untangling the cord and reached up, looping the lights around through the grab handles of the car.

“i don’t really know…” you mumbled. “but i felt bad because he always did initially pay… so i was just giving back. but then—”

you looped it through the last handle and grabbed the battery box.

“i remember one time he asked me if we could split the bill on our anniversary dinner.”

megumi stopped.

“and then every time he did pay for me he would say side joking comments like— ‘are you gonna pay this time? are you gonna take care of the bill? since i bought you dinner are you gonna buy me this?’ blah blah—”

megumi was looking directly at you at this point, eyebrows furrowed and with slightly parted lips as he slowly set up the food and listened.

“and i don’t mess around when it comes to things like money.” you finished off screwing the battery box after putting a fresh pair in, switching the small lever and the fairly lights twinkling to life. “i appreciated so much every time he did pay so i just felt like i was— i don’t know i just felt guilty. his side comments made me feel a little awkward…”

you scooched over and sat back on your ankles next to megumi, helping him with the groceries.

“i remember one time too for valentine’s day, we had gone out to eat dinner and he paid with his usual side comment… but when we got back to his place i had given him his gift and he hadn’t gotten anything for me at all.”

“huh?” he spoke up. “did he give you flowers at least?”

you shook your head, a little sad look on your face.

“he told me my gift was dinner… which again i did really appreciate that he paid. and he never really got me flowers either unless it was for special occasions like anniversaries… so once a year?”

megumi was in complete and utter disbelief.

how in the ever living fuck were you ever with a guy like that for so long? a girl like you whom he literally worshipped the shit out of the ground you walked on, the thought of you being so incredibly sweet and doting and selfless for some dumb fuck who just took advantage of your kindness again aggravating megumi, him chucking the pastries he bought out of the bags one by one bitterly and you blinking at him.

“what a fucking idiot.”

you giggled, nodding in agreement as you both finished setting up, you crawling and sitting down by the mountain of fluffy pillows as you extended an arm out for him.

“that’s why i just get nervous gumi…” you spoke softly, pulling him to lay down next to you as you looked at the beading stars through his open sun roof, the view and landscape of the sparkling city below insane as megumi slid an am around your shoulders, nudging you to lay on his chest. “i don’t wanna end up bothering you or upsetting you about it and repeating the cycle so—”

“oh god baby no…” he looked at you, squeezing your shoulder. “you realize all of that was because he’s a loser right.”

“yeah to an extent—”

“no not to an extent.” megumi cut you off. “i know for a fact he never did anything for you… and for him to do shit like that on top of it is crazy.”

you slid a slow arm across his torso and held him tighter.

“i do what i do because i love you… and because you deserve it. and because i’m supposed to.”

you smiled big, your heart hammering in your chest as you slung your leg across his lap and straddled him then, megumi’s hands instantly coming to settle on your waist as you gave him a cute wicked look.

“i’m tired of talking about him, but you know what else you’re supposed to do?”

the side of his lip curled.

“what pretty baby.”

“make out with me.”

he laughed, a shiny smile on his face as he reached a hand up and brushed your hair over your shoulder, cupping your face after and bringing you down to his level.

“if you tell me you love me.”

you giggled.

“i love you gumi.”

megumi brought you in then and kissed you, light little smacks and wet lips parting and moving as your noses brushed against each other’s delicately, his thumb running gently over your cheek as you readjusted and leaned in, deepening the kiss and megumi parting his lips wider as a result to drink more of you down.

your hips subconsciously rutted downward, him taking a sharp breath in through his nose as he responded and lifted his crotch up, meeting with yours and grinding sensually with every steamy exchange of your soft plush lips on his, both of his hands quickly going down to grab your smooth thighs and knead them.

megumi suddenly slid a fast hand up your chunky sweater to cup your tit, you squeaking and trying to pull your lips off of his so you could speak, but him only chasing after your mouth and trapping you in.

“wait what if— mmph!—” 

“hm?” 

he forced your hips down again and you both moaned at the stimulation.

“what if someone walks by there’s a— fuck— there’s a few cars not too far—”

“don’t care.”

“gumi!—”

he yanked your bra cup down and your tit spilled out, his head diving in under your sweater and popping your nipple in his mouth, both of your hips still grinding and rocking against each others as you dazedly tried to look around for any passing people.

you tried to pull off and megumi yanked your other bra cup down, jerking you roughly to him as your weight gave out underneath you and you basically fell on him, his face fully submerged and stuffed in your puffy tits that he nearly lost it and came in his pants.

lewd slobbering sounds filled the car as he sucked and laid his tongue flat all over your boobs, your shuttering gasps and whines making his dick rock fucking solid in his pants as he continued to make out with your chest, relishing in the feeling of your panties running up and down his crotch and your pretty little skirt exposing your ass.

“baby i’m flashing the city please—”

“m’gonna stick my dick in.”

“no!” you whined, your clit pulsing with every rut from his hips. “when we get home when we get home please it’ll be so obvious we’re having sex if we do—”

he bit the fat of your tit and you yelped.

“it’s our anniversary.”

“i— i know gumi but there’s people!—”

he groaned and let your tits go with a pop, head falling back on the pillows as he looked at you with a dead look— knowing you were completely and absolutely right but refusing to believe it because he was fucking horny, the only conscious brain cell that he had left telling him to just wait and that he’d actually cum in his pants if he kept going.

a tiny smirk spread across his face.

“thought you texted me that i could take you to pound town in the backseat of my car.” 

you blushed, totally forgetting you did that.

“y—yes but—”

“and that you were gonna send me a picture of your tits.”

“i—”

“you lying to me baby?”

“no!” you sputtered. “no gumi we’re still gonna have sex just not here!”

he laughed loudly and nodded, pinching your cheek as he fixed your bra and pulled your sweater down, sitting up a bit.

“i’m kidding s’okay.” he pressed a soft kiss to your forehead. “m’taking pictures of you when we get to my apartment though.”

“huh?!” you exclaimed, your face buzzing with embarrassment but need at the same time. “what— what kind—”

he poked your side. 

“naked.”

your jaw dropped.

“legs spread with—”

“okay i get it i get it!—”

you slapped your hands over his mouth and muffled the rest of his sentence, desperate to get him to stop.

“i have your gift i have your gift open your gift!—”

megumi rolled his eyes and licked his slimy tongue on your palms, you snatching your hands away and giggling as you wiped them on his sweater.

“i told you not to get me anything.”

“too bad!” you grinned, pecking his cheek before swinging yourself off of his lap and reaching into the passengers seat. “close your eyes!”

he sighed softly, a small smile on his face as he complied, hearing slight tissue paper rustlings and things moving before he felt you next to him again.

“okay open!”

his long lashes lifted, eyes growing soft at the ginormous basket you made him— his favorite candies and chips neatly propped up inside with a little baseball teddy bear that had ‘cool baseball man’ embroidered across its jersey, a framed silly picture of the two of you from one of the nights you slept over at his place, various volumes of his current favorite manga wrapped in black tissue paper along with a lego race car set, and a separate shoe box next to the basket— a brand new pair of baseball cleats that he had been specifically eyeing and needing to buy, and knowing that it was ridiculously expensive too as his bulging eyes shot up to your giddy ones.

“baby—” his words got caught in his throat, shaking his head. “baby thank you but you didn’t have to get anything seriously—”

“the fuck.” you snorted. “yes i did! do you likeeee?”

you pushed the shoe box towards him.

“did i get the right ones? these are the cleats you’ve been wanting right?”

he nodded dumbly. “y—yeah but they’re expensive i don’t want you spending this much.”

“gumi money is a social construct.” you smiled. “but my love for you isn’t… it’s bible! happy anniversary!”

megumi looked down and slowly took the little grizzly bear out of the basket, everything you gave him absolutely perfect and filled with the things he loved, but the custom bear with the nickname you always called him— the same one he adored ever since you first said it, somehow pulling at his heart strings more than anything else.

“i love you.” he mumbled. “thank you.”

you beamed, leaning over and pecking his lips.

“because you do everything for me gumi.” you spoke. “i can’t thank you enough for the things you do for me… and i love you.”

a cute pink blush rose to his cheeks as his gaze stayed locked on the bear, feeling his throat closing up from how much you were affecting him at the moment.

he sent you a smile.

“can i give you mine?”

you stopped.

“what? i thought the pretty tulips were my gift?”

he snorted, giving you a look.

“no you dummy.” 

he reached under one of the seats, pulling gift bag after gift bag after gift bag from somewhere as he placed them all in a line in front of you, a shocked look on your face as you looked at the amount of tissue paper and packaging that was in your line of sight.

“holy shit.” you flashed him a growing dazzling smile. “are you— for me? actually?”

he nodded.

“guummiii!!” you flung your arms around his neck and pulled him in a tight hug, rubbing your cheek on his head side to side in a silly way before you let go and sat back on your ankles again, him chuckling at your excitement.

“i don’t even—” your eyes darted around. “i don’t even know which one—”

one by one you unraveled each wrapping and tore open each bag, your lap filling up with things that you fucking loved as you tried not to cry between opening each gift— pretty intricate coquette bottled perfumes that you liked to collect everywhere as you knew they were also a pretty penny (so him complaining about his cleats was dumb), cute mary jane pumps and makeup you needed as well as new that you’d been wanting, silver and gold sparkling jewelry that resided in small boxes and wrapped in pretty pink bows, sweaters and cute tops and just fucking everything as you ended up a crying snotting mess at the end of it anyways, him laughing at you.

because each item were things that you needed, things that you knew he couldn’t have possibly known unless he was truly paying attention to the things you were saying and the things you were looking at… this moment proving that he most definitely was.

and a crazy wicked amount too— because some of the items in front of you were even things you had merely mentioned once and done with, accompanied by others that you babbled on about whenever you could.

“gumi we can have sex right now let’s have sex i don’t care—”

he laughed for the millionth time and shot his hands out, literally trying to pull you off of him as you lunged and leaned your entire weight on him, practically fighting him by the end of it as you giggled and tried to get in his pants.

“you’re harassing me.” he mumbled, and you scoffed.

“like you don’t do this to me everyday of my living life— eek!”

megumi bit your cheek and you pushed on his chest to get him away, him not budging as his nibbling travelled down to your neck as you gasped for air laughing at how much that was tickling you, and him knowing that was what usually set you off into a giggle fit, your stomach aching and him dodging your hits and swings, but both of your hearts full from a days worth of complete and utter unconditional love.

and neither of you would have it any other way as you shared the food and pastries you bought, stuffing your faces full of chocolates and mochi specifically as you both had insane sweet tooth’s and weren’t ashamed of it, chatted on about future plans and your excitement for megumi and the upcoming world series, and you elated for the holiday season too that was fast approaching, your little mind already thinking of gifts and plans and decisions because your boyfriend’s birthday was coming up as well.

and you wanted to do everything you possibly could to make it special.

for he made you feel that everyday.

especially now in this moment, the little heart shaped lunchbox cake you bought with ‘happy 2nd anniversary’ in cursive still looking fucking delicious even after you and megumi had just downed an entire pack of brownies, megumi lightning up the number two candle as you pushed it in the cake, and the both of you sweetly pecking lips as you held up the cake in between the two of you and him snapping a picture with his phone— candid and lovely and everything you’d both ever wanted in your lives rightfully yours right then and there.

happiness. love. 

and your hearts were swelling with everything you had built for the past two years, and swelling in anticipation for the hopes and curiosity of what else the two of you would continue to build… something you only hoped would last forever and ever and that you got to count and spend even more anniversaries with megumi from this point forward.

with nothing less, nothing extra, and just like this.

for a million more november’s to come.

taglist!! <33 (THANK YOU THANK YOU!):

@cupcaketeddybehr @soobiary @roachfun @waterfal-ling @saebaey @reneinii @luvvmae @cake-with-the-cream @pixie-dix @2ukika @cramelmacchiao @hy3phiren @fushigurioo @wil10wthetree @jameinfrau @pancakeszs @drftnzume @k0z3me @saelov3 @dindjarins1ut @starrnai @stilettoheelz @tinyray-lovesfood @iloveoldermenn @dazqa @applepi25 @aria-chikage @rose-tinted-kalopsia @runfrme @unofficialsapphire @dee-writes-anime @megumisluciouslashes @peachyaeger @yourstru1y4ever @yoonights @skendos @babylambdietcoke @yunstarz @dinomdubs @kalulakunundrum @s777athv @sugoroo @wastednightsonyou @miri222 @jayawaya @dazailover4ever @courtneedsleep @kcch-ns @halovianembrace @tsukuhoe @kayamor @lupicalbestwolf @therealkurapikakurta @amarahi123 @poisonharlivy @a-sorrowful-tune @amarraaxd @cheeseburgerr69 @sleepiibunniiii

[sugar-phoenix]

𖥔 . overheating . 𖥔

synopsis: you're out on an operation with Boothill, and after a long battle and a quick getaway, you turn to realize that the cyborg cowboy is...overheating. With all the implications that come with that. tags: f!reader (Boothill refers to reader as "Lady" and "Missy" once), no smut, fluff, light romance a/n: 1.3k words, wrote this in a craze based off of a headcanon that @k9wa and @nvuy posted about! tickled my brain too much!

ao3 link here!

The sound of gunshots rang out in the night. You ducked in your getaway vehicle, a hover car illegally outfitted with nitrogen turbo boosters. Sticking our head out of the car every now and then, you aimed your pistol at the heads of IPC guards, knocking them dead left and right.

Boothill had been inside the IPC base for a while now. It was supposed to be a quick job. He only needed to run in, download the secret data straight to one of the USB ports on his hip, and then run out. Probably nailing an IPC soldier or ten in the head while he was there.

“Boothill,” you muttered, “where are you?”

You met the cowboy only once before this operation — he had sought you out as a fellow Ranger against the IPC for your getaway vehicle.

“’M gonna be lootin’ a pretty big IPC base, ‘n I need some kinda escape route,” he drawled. “You git me?”

You happily agreed. Why not? Anything that would be a loss for the IPC was a win for you.

Not to mention the cyborg cowboy was one of the finer men you’d come across in your travels.

Presently, you shook that thought out of your mind and fired a shot at another guard. It’s better to stay clear-headed when you’re in a shootout. Any unholy thoughts were perfectly fine to sift through in safer, calmer settings.

“Where is that dang cowboy?” you muttered again for the fifth time.

A hoot and a holler rang through the air, and you glanced towards the entrance. As though in answer to your question, Boothill emerged from within the base, running full gallop towards the vehicle.

“Start drivin,’” he ordered as he slid into the passenger seat.

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” you replied as more IPC soldiers spilled out of the entrance. The engine roared as you slammed the gas pedal to the floor.

“Ugh, turn up the A/C,” Boothill groaned.

“Turn ‘em up yourself, cowboy,” you responded. “I’m too busy making sure we’re getting away.”

The cyborg reached towards the dashboard and rotated the knob to the coolest possible setting. He leaned back into his seat, huffing and panting.

“All good?”

“Yeah. ‘S just a lot of fighting. Got me worked up.” He sniffed. “This dang A/C ain’t cool enough for me.”

You shrugged, checking the rearview mirror. The IPC vehicles were hot on your heels.  Thankfully, that wasn’t a problem for you. As an expert driver, you were fully trained in the art of evasive maneuvers. It’s what the cowboy hired you to do, after all.

You sped into the nearby city, a metropolis that conveniently had many twisty alleys and tight turns.

“This’ll be a piece of cake. Don’t you worry, cowboy,” you chuckled. The cowboy didn’t answer, and you were too busy focused on the road to check on him.

Drifting through intersections and jumping across lanes, you managed to throw off the majority of the IPC squadron pursuing you. There were only three small hover vehicles left, chasing you through a single-lane alleyway. You revved your engine to taunt them and cackled as the reverberations echoed off the buildings on either side.

The hovercar drifted, fishtailing as you made a sharp turn to the right. You swore as the sound of screaming metal rang out in the air, signaling that your spoilers had scraped against the walls.

“That’s gonna cost ya, cowboy,” you quipped, smiling as you saw two of the three vehicles crash into the wall behind you.

“Lady, I ain’t at fault for your drivin’ skills.”

You snapped your head towards Boothill, giving him a full-on death glare.

“Not that you drive bad, missy! I was just sayin,” he said, raising his hands up in surrender. It was then that you realized he’d unzipped his jacket, letting it fall lazily off his shoulders.

Heat rising to your cheeks, you snapped your attention back to the road, trying to evade the last IPC hover vehicle. A few quick turns and an IPC crash later, you pulled into a dark alleyway and braked, turning off the car.

“Why are we stoppin’?” Boothill asked.

“They’re probably swarming the city. Best to lie low for now until it all subsides.”

There was shuffling in the passenger seat, and you turned to look.

Boothill laid back against the seat, his limbs sprawled out. His bangs were arranged in wet clumps, and sweat gleamed off his face in the glow from distant neon signs. The rest of his long hair was put up along the headrest behind him, leaving his neck bare. His jacket, bandana, and hat were thrown in the back, leaving his upper torso bare for all the world to see. His pants were shrugged low on his hip, almost revealing his unmentionables (did cyborgs even have unmentionables?). Panting and huffing, he closed his eyes, frowning. You could hear a loud hum emanate from within his robot body.

“Boothill?” you croaked, fighting to speak through the feeling of your brain frying in your skull. It wasn’t just his appearance that was, well, hot, but a boiling heat was radiating off of him. You had hardly noticed in all the earlier action.

“Yes, darlin’?” He groaned. Your heart fluttered at the way he said darlin.’

“What. Are you doing?” You hardly thought the cowboy was one to give in to his darker desires at the drop of a hat, although there was something off about the scene that told you it wasn’t motivated by lust.

He chuckled before answering.

“Told ya I got worked up during that fight. I’m overheatin.’ One of the problems with having a robot body, ya get me?” Boothill breathed out heavily, his breath steaming in the air. “Fudge,” he muttered, closing his eyes and frowning again.

“Are you in pain?” you asked. His stance was akin to a man tortured, impaled from the back with hot iron spears.

“Nah, darlin,’ nothin’ like that. Just… hot, is all. Really fudgin’ hot.” Boothill let out a breath of steam again. “It’ll go away, like it always does. I jus’ need ta’ keep still for a lil’ bit. Let it cool down.”

You leaned over him, trying to ignore how close you were to his hot (both physically and metaphorically) abs, and pushed the passenger door open. It only went so far as the narrow alleyway let it, but you could feel the cold air of the night wash over you both.

“Thank ya’ kindly, darlin,’” he murmured.

“Don’t mention it,” you said, leaning back. You jumped when your arm brushed over his body.

“Did I burn ya?” Boothill didn’t move but his eyes fixed you with a worried look.

“No, you didn’t, it’s just…” You trailed off, not knowing how to end that sentence without embarrassing yourself. A heat creeped over your cheeks again.

“Oh, I see,” he smiled. “You can touch me if ya want darlin.’ I don’t bite.” He punctuated that sentence with a wide grin, showing off his shark-like teeth.

“But not right now,” he said as you tentatively reached an arm towards him. “Not while I’m hot like this. And it ain’t cause I might burn ya sweetie, but with all due respect, I ain’t wanna touch anything right this moment.”

“Got it,” you said sitting straight back in your seat.

A silence filled the car, gently broken by the whir of Boothill’s internal fans and the ambient hum of the city outside.

It was a comfortable, soft kind of silence. You let it soak into your flesh, down to your bones, etching this moment inside of yourself. It was nice.

“’Course, when I’m not overheatin,” Boothill murmured, “you’re free to touch whatever.” He grinned mischievously.

“Stop it,” you said. “You’re gonna make me overheat.”

dividers by cafekitsune

[varpusvaras]

Jason is driving when he gets the message.

It's a nifty little system he has added to his helmet. He gets alerts of messages that are high priority, and he gets them played out by the com unit. The message is from Lian, which means it's the highest priority, so Jason lets it play out as he waits at the intersection.

Jay I need help quick please I messed up

Jason had been on his way to pick up some groceries because it's his turn to make dinner, but those can wait now. The lights turn, and he makes his way to the front of the line, threading between cars, and makes a definitely highly illegal U-turn and starts to head back home.

His makes it to the house in record time after probably making half of the city hate motorists with how he had been driving, and he runs inside while still tugging his helmet off.

"Lian?" He calls as he makes his way through the door.

"Here!" She's calling from the bathroom. Jason runs to the door so fast that he overshoots just a little when he tries to stop.

"Are you okay?" He asks. He drops his helmet onto the floor and tries the handle before noticing that she has the door locked. "Are you hurt? Lee?"

"I'm okay", she says, and Jason is a little less panicked now.

"Okay", he breathes. "Can you open the door?"

"Just don't be mad at me?"

Jason doesn't remember ever being mad at Lian.

"I won't", he promises, still. He hears Lian walk up to the door. There's a moment of hesitation, before the lock turns, and the door creaks slowly open.

"What's going on?" Jason asks, turning his head to see inside, and oh.

"Don't be mad." It's more of a demand now than a request, like Lian is challenging him to keep his promise. Jason isn't paying much attention to her words, however, as he is busy staring at her head.

Her head that is full of very blotchy, bleached hair.

"Okay", Jason says. Then he leans against the doorframe and breathes. "Oh my God."

"Are you mad?" Jason breathes again.

"No", he says against the doorframe. "Just please send me a little less of an omnious text next time. I thought you had burned down the house or chopped your fingers off."

"Oh", Lian says, and Jason can hear the grimace in her voice. "Sorry."

"It's fine." Jason deems that his heart rate is calm enough again, and he straightens up. "So what happened here?"

Lian grimaces again.

"I wanted to dye my hair", she says.

"I can see that."

"And since neither you or dad were here, I thought I could do it now, but it's terrible."

"Yeah, it is." Lian sticks her tongue out at Jason for that. "Why didn't you wait for us to be here too?"

Now Lian crinkles her nose in a slightly guilty manner.

"...I didn't want dad to say no?" She offers.

"I don't think he would've", Jason points out. "He's pretty okay with different forms of self-expression."

He is dating Jason, after all. Compared to whatever Jason did as a teenager? Dyed hair is like a newborn baby smacking you.

He kinda understands it, though. He certainly remembers doing things Bruce would've been completely okay with behind his back, especially back when he had first arrived at the Manor. But he had been traumatised and neclegted by parental figures before, and Lian is not.

Maybe it is just something all teenagers go through. In any case, Jason is taking happily taking this over anything else, and he knows that Roy is too.

"You think he isn't going to be mad?" Lian asks. She glances up at her bangs.

"Over some badly bleached hair? No way."

"...I also bleached the sink."

Jason's inner Alfred wants to come out at that, but he pushes it down fast. Not now, Alfred.

"That sink has seen worse things", he says instead. "....listen. I have Bruces credit card with me that can easily pay for that to be fixed and dyed to all of the colors in the rainbow if you so want to. Let's go find a professional."

Lian grins at him, and Jason grins back.

"I only want it to be blue, though", she says.

"Blue it is, then." Jason nods. "Go get your helmet."

[bakuettes]

Catch My Drift 🏁 chapter 1

Street racer!bakugo x Street racer!reader

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: cursing, douche bakugo, slight misogyny, alcohol consumption, drug use, illegal activities etc

Kanjozoku; The term Kanjozoku is derived from the combination of the words “kanjo” (meaning ring) and “zoku” (meaning group).

Kanjozoku primarily consists of young car enthusiasts in cities like Osaka and Tokyo who have a passion for speed and a desire to showcase their driving skills.

Osaka was the place to be. Not where tourists go to take pictures and try japanese cuisine, maybe pick up a few souvenirs from the large amount of little gift shops that littered the streets but where a community of young adults with the passion for racing congregate. The night was still young, the sounds of tires screeching against the cold pavement and engines roaring was heard over the heavy base of 2000s club music. Girls dressed in scandalous outfits mingling with the guys posted up next to their pimped out rides. You could practically feel the vibrations of the noise in your head.

Three cars lined up with the drivers sitting on the hoods of their prized possession. A bright orange 1993 Mazda RX-7 FD on the far left. The car’s color was comparable to an orange or maybe even the warm sunsets that would settle over japan. The next car over was a 1993 Toyota Supra Turbo Mark IV. The bright colorful lights that surrounded the meet reflected beautifully off the cars mustard yellow chrome. The third and final car was a looker. Silver 1999 Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 with royal blue detailing along the sides and on the hood. A royal blue flexivity rear wing with matching led lights underneath the body.

It was Bakugo’s baby. Spent years modifying and perfecting it. He was a skilled driver sure but having a car like his? Most would be intimidated to challenge him. “Yo Mina, let’s get this race going!” the orange mazda driver shouted. it was hard to find anyone in this crowd but said woman emerged from the sidelines with a confused look on her face. “Woah woah, wait a second.” She looked around the lot, once overing the lined up vehicles. “where’s your fourth at? i’m counting only three.” mina crossed her arms, unimpressed. the yellow toyota driver spoke up first “it was supposed to be joaquin but he caught the grave yard shift man.”

once you were scheduled to race it was a hassle to find new drivers, the time and place was set in stone. it wasnt that often when scheduled racers were a no show but then again many get caught racing outside of meets or their car needed more time to be repaired. It was a waste of mina’s time. she was the flag girl, not their fucking coordinator. “Na, y’all either find a fourth or you don’t race. How’s that sound? Times ticking boys.”

By standers erupted in shouts of anger and disappointment. they wanted to see a race, most of them drove well over an hour to be here! gas wasn’t cheap and neither was Minas time. Hearing the crowds complaining mina sighed and pitched them an idea. “Alright! i hear you guys, relax. How about this, why don’t i find y’all a driver and we settle this now?” bakugo smirked, nodding in agreement. he never said much but he also never needed to. his aura spoke volumes. “bring ‘em on.” he wasn’t nervous, he knew his talents and was confident. resting the palms of his hands on the hood of his car, he tilted his head towards the other racers, waiting to see hear their answers. “Anyone i want?” mina questioned with a grin that would give the cheshire cat a run for his money. “anybody baby!” orange jululis shouted, raising his arms to the side. cocky bastard. mina rolled her eyes and turned away from the drivers, pulling out her phone from her bra. there was a whole list of people she could call but there was only one person she knew who could end this race quickly.

she could hear the static from the other end of the phone. “y/n, you wanna race tonight?” it was quite for a moment before you spoke in to the speaker “i’m always down, send me your lo.” your voice was smooth like silk but sultry like a vixen. it sounded like you’ve been up for a while so mina didn’t feel bad for calling you so late. she knew you came alive in the night anyway. your energetic friend squealed before gathering herself together. “you got 5 minutes hun!” and then the line went dead.

it never took much convincing to get you out. when mina called you it was 12:15 am, meaning you only had exactly 5 minutes to get there. the meet lot was about 20 minutes out. you arrived there in 4, only a minute left to spare. the sound of you engine had heads turning (a certain blonde as well) as you slowly pulled through the crowd, careful not to hit party-goers. the hot pink body of your 2000 Honda S2000 was hard to miss. everyone knew who was inside and that fact alone made them scream louder. you never really cared too much though, it wasn’t like you had vocals like mariah carey. you didn’t have the ability to move like michael jackson. you were just a damn good racer and that was enough for them apparently.

all three racers turned their heads in the direction of the obnoxiously loud honda, tensing up at the sight. well, all except for one of course. bakugo had no idea why everyone was so fucking hyped. who was that? and why’s everyone acting like they’ve never seen a pink car?? “Racers!” mina yelled excitedly “here’s your fourth!”. your black stiletto boots were the first thing he saw exit the car. then it was a black leather hat. he glanced over at the others to study their reactions and they all had excitement swirling in their eyes. maybe even a hint of nervousness? bakugo didn’t have time to be sure because before he knew it, you were leaning back against the hood of your car crossing one leg over the other. “oh shit, it’s y/n.” you weren’t new to this, you were true to this. the air was crisp and cold, you probably should’ve brought a jacket because this top (if it could even be considered one) with this miniskirt wasn’t doing you no type of favors.

from the corner of your eye you could see a blonde headed man with spikey hair almost looking annoyed as he walked over to mina who was standing in the middle of the road. “no offense but i’m not racing a damn girl. you never said it would be a girl.” you rolled your eyes, who the hell does he think he is? a race is a race. why did it matter who was behind the wheel? you best friend looks beyond over this shit, she’s been annoyed her this whole night and she’s about to lose her patience. “you said anyone i wanted, i wanted her! stand next to your car before nobody races.”

“you scared spikes?” he turned his head to the side, watching you push yourself off the car and strut to the middle where he and mina stood. he sized you up, shamelessly checking you out. “what the hell did you jus call me?” he wasn’t scared. why would bakugo be scared of some princess nobody? “can you even drive with those heels on?” your outfit was impractical he thought. a miniskirt that just barely covered the expanse of your ass (not that he really minded) and what looks like a triangle bikini top. if you were to bend over then— no. now’s not the time to thirst over you. even if he did think you were hot.

“i’m just askin.. why wouldn’t you wanna race me if you weren’t scared?” you’ve dealt with his type before, cocky, thinks they’re better than everyone and so on. he’s got sharp red eyes with a piercing gaze. you let your eyes trail away from his face down to the hardened muscles on his chest. clearly well built and his black tshirt was doing nothing to hide it. “man whatever,” your eyes moved back to his hearing the sound of his voice. “i’m not doin this, find somebody else.” he wasn’t scared, he just felt that he could be using this time to race against someone on his level. why’s it that the egotistical men somehow always find you? you would’ve just let him go but you hated the feeling of being looked down on. he’s no better than you, he doesn’t even know what you have to offer. do you did what you do best, you uped the ante.

“15 grand.” you raised your voice a bit. silence fell over the crowd. “i’ll give you 15 grand if you agree to race tonight and win, that applies to the other racers too” you say to the other two drivers still next to their cars. that made him stop dead in his tracks. were you insane? you’re acting like that’s pocket money. fuck, he doesn’t know if he should do it. he didn’t need the money, but his sister did. he tries to help his mother out the best he can, this would cover at least two months worth of bills. gritting his teeth he turns around starting directly at you “don’t start to regret this when you lose ma.” got ‘em, you thought with shit eating smirk.

you walked past him, shoulder checking the man who’s name you still don’t know. he looked at you, staring at your ass as your skirt rode up with every step you took. you must’ve felt bakugo’s stare because your hands grab them hem of the denim and pull it down, throwing him a flirty smile over your shoulder. the tips of his ears turn a shade of pink. he quickly looks to the side, licking his lips attempting to play it off as if the whole meet did see the interaction. all the racers start getting into there respective cars, starting them up. mina struts to the middle of the street once again only this time with a checkered flag. her brown skin was glowing, the lights reflecting off the body glitter she wore.

“Racers!”

mina exudes confidence. you hand your left hand on the wheel, the other hand tightly gripping on to the gear shift. foot tapping on the gas a bit. you were high off adrenaline, you lived for moments like these.

“Start your engines..”

bakugo couldn’t help but stare at you. the look in your eyes. ‘s like you got off on this, the wicked smile on your lips doing nothing to make him think otherwise. he wasn’t fazed though, he had this in the bag. maybe even after he wins he could take you out but that was something he’d ask later, he needs to focus. the flag drops.

“GO!”.

and you were gone.

𝐀/𝐍!!: okay why was this way harder than i thought? 😭 please bare with me ik im not that advanced in writing. i also don’t know a lot about cars but i research by chapter. lmk how u like it so far and i promise to produce better work as time goes on!

[thisisjustfanfic]

Cleaning up the Timeline

{Xavier takes you shopping and comes to a realization. Zayne has a nightmare. And Rafayel gets a treat.}

Read on ao3.

Tags: Reader/L&DS Men, Romance, Maid AU, Eventual Smut. SFW (For now)

Chapter 5: Shopping

Saturday finally comes, to your palpable relief. You’ve never been so excited to go grocery shopping– or at least, you were. Until you see a neatly hand-written note left for you on the kitchen counter.

Y/N,

I apologize but one of my patients needed emergency surgery early this morning. I won’t be able to accompany you shopping. Please allow Xavier to chaperone. I will see you for supper. 

Zayne

You sigh and fold the note, putting both it and the credit card with it into your pocket. Zayne’s penmanship is hasty but legible, and so distinctly him. Especially when doctors have that bad rep for having illegible handwriting. 

You’re not sure what the game plan is. Should you look for Xavier? Or should you take some initiative and go to the store by yourself? Zayne texted you a list the day after you started here and you’ve added a few things in the short time you’ve been working. It’s funny to see the favorite for each of them listed, and you spent one of your breaks trying to guess which one of them ordered what. 

You assumed the tea and peppermint candy is from Zayne. The spicy chips and ‘ Chilean Sea Bass (NOT FROZEN)’ and the three other types and very specific fish are Rafayel. Xavier and Sylus are harder to guess for, but you assumed the protein powder was for Xavier (he’s a hunter after all. Needs the protein). And the chunky peanut butter must be for Sylus. 

It’s just guesses, but it makes you feel a little closer to these new roommates– employers? What are they to you exactly? Certainly not friends, though Rafayel likes to play hot and cold enough that maybe he’s an enemy. 

You put on your coat, the borrowed gloves and scarf, and tap away on your phone in search of the nearest store. 

Unluckily for you, it’s over a twenty minute one-way walk, and that’s to a convenience store. Not even a proper grocery. You scowl, remembering the frigid temperatures and that your bike is still parked on the other side of the city. Not that you could do a good grocery haul on a motorbike anyway. It’s not too far of a walk for nicer weather, but you worry about the state of your toes and lugging all the food in the snow. 

Luckily, for you, Xavier appears. Tucking a coat over his shoulders and adjusting the collar. He wears a deep grey-blue coat that’s cut just below the waist with shiny gold buttons.His gloves are white, along with his scarf, and you ponder– who is styling these men?

“Are you prepared?” He asks like you're heading into battle. 

“Where do you normally shop? I found a convenience store but it’s over twenty minutes walking.” 

 “I can drive us.” He answers as he pressed the elevator button. “There’s one store that the others insist on. It’s called…” He pulls out a piece of paper from his coat and reads it, “...Harrison’s Grocery.”

“Did Zayne leave you a note too?” You chuckle as the two of you descend to the garage. 

“He wanted to make sure I took you to the right place.” Xavier lets you exit the elevator first and you turn to wait for him. His expression is passive, neither seeming irritated nor pleased to be assigned your babysitter for the day.

“I appreciate your help. I promise when the weather is nicer I can go myself.” You assure, waiting for him to show you which car is his. 

“It’s fine.” He replied, sliding up to a sleek chrome number, the most modern of the collection. A sleek silhouette with little breaking up the single line from bumper to bumper. 

Xavier barely beats you to the door handle, opening it for you. You’re a little startled by the chivalry but smile gratefully as you climb in— he even hovers his hand near your head to make sure you don’t hit it. Such a subtle action, but it makes your stomach flip. 

When Xavier starts to drive, you're grateful to see the snow has finally stopped. The car is eerily quiet, and the soft whirring when he accelerates tells you it’s entirely electric. A stealthy vehicle for a peculiar hunter. 

While the days of petrol and diesel engines are gone, a fully electric vehicle is almost vintage. Hyper-efficient hydrogen engines are the norm now, or vehicles that run on protocore synthesized fuel. 

It takes almost fifteen minutes to get to the grocery, and you take note of the turns he takes so you can take them too. And when you arrive, you open your GPS on your phone and tag it. It’s a family-owned store. The reviews that pop up under the GPS listing rave about the friendly atmosphere and its owner. 

Xavier opens your door too and you thank him. The store is larger than you’d thought it’d be for a family-owned grocer, but it’s nice. When you enter and see the diverse selection of produce and the huge meat and seafood section, it makes sense. 

You open the list, grab a cart, and get started. Mumbling along as you grab things with Xavier hovering over your shoulder. He doesn’t comment much as you walk through the store, adding something here and there that isn’t on the list. You only grin at him– perks of being the babysitter, you get treats. 

You’re in the meat section, browsing the cuts in the display while you wait for the butcher. The greying man behind the counter approaches, and you read off from the list the half dozen cuts that are there. 

Xavier steps close to you, suddenly in your space and looking at you with a serious glint in his eyes, “Can you cook steak?”

Your brow creases, “Yeah? I mean, I guess? What kind?”

“Yes.” Xavier replies, and turns back to the butcher, “Three more sirloins, and a pound of skirt steak, please.”

“You like meat, I take it?” You ask as the butcher gets started on your oversized order. Xavier places his hands on his hips and nods, the soft feathery ash-blond hair bouncing. 

You collect the paper wrapped order and place it into the cart, having saved this for last before you check out. It takes a few minutes to get through everything, and you're hoping next week won’t be such a big haul. Stocking up on the longer term storage necessities they were lacking. 

“I saw a recipe for marinated skirt steak in an article not too long ago.” You say to make conversation while you check out, “How does that sound?”

“How long does it take?” Xavier asks, handing you a loaf of bread and then a box of pasta. 

“Usually overnight, but it can only be a few hours if you’re really hungry.”

Xavier opens his mouth to answer you, but a shift in the air pulls his attention. His brow’s knit together, and his expression turns stony as he looks out the open windows just beside the checkout. 

You turn to, halting in place as you wait for whatever it is that caught his attention. There was no sound. No rumble. But now that you paused, you could feel it. The tiniest shimmer in the air, like static electricity. 

A Wanderer? You have just enough time to think before the sudden rush of energy shudders through the parking lot and rattles the windows. The patrons in the store shout and startle, jumping back as a pair of rocky knaves and a glowing violet obscurum terror through the lot, crawling over cars and crushing them. 

Reflexively your hand goes to your hip, expecting the familiar weight of your firearm but finding nothing. An empty pocket and a reminder that you're not a hunter right now. 

“Stay here.” Xavier’s low command hums in your ear, as he slides past you, rushing out of the store to face the sudden threat. His gloved hand slides across your back. A physical touch to reinforce his order. 

Tossing the bread back into the cart, you decide to immediately disobey. Instincts you had thought dormant come rushing back, and you search for a weapon. An aisle with kitchen utensils is the best bet, and you find a pair of long, steel knives. Breaking open the packaging you grimace at the poor excuse for a weapon– especially against a Wanderer– but beggars can’t be choosers. And you’ll pay for the knives later.

Outside the store, Xavier– though you don’t know where he was hiding it– has a long narrow blade only pausing for a single moment before he lunges forward. The three Wanderers roar at him, howling as Xavier’s sword finds its mark. He’s nothing but a streak of light– a careening asteroid causing precise destruction. 

Wielding your pair of kitchen knives, you jump into action, heart pounding and head rushing in that delicious elixir of adrenaline and endorphins. The thrill of danger and of purpose. 

Xavier elegantly slashes at one of the knaves as the round obscurum attempts to lunge at him from behind. You leap forward, crashing into the beast with your shoulder and rolling to slice at its hardened hide with your knives. 

Xavier looks over his shoulder as the knave disappears into the stardust, and gapes at you and your little knives. You realize you must look insane. Neither dressed nor armed for battle, but brandishing some kitchenware like a straight-to-streaming slasher flick. 

“I can’t finish them with these!” You bark as you flip them in your hands, pointing the blades back to give you better leverage to shove the blades downwards onto the remaining knave's head. 

If Xavier replies, you don’t hear him. Only the song of his blade as it finds the obscurums weak point and banishes it back to the ether. 

In an effort to be helpful, you keep the knave busy. Preoccupying it with your ineffectual weapons. When the steel of your knives skid off the armor of the Wanderer for the third time however you toss them aside, dropping low and side stepping as it slashes at you. You manage to get around it, and you jump onto its back. It’s the more humanoid looking Wanderer’s but it’s big. Big enough to make climbing its back a challenge, but not so big you can’t get your legs around its middle and get into a makeshift headlock. 

A high pitch screech leaves, more enraged than hurt. With all the strength you can muster, you force the hollow head of the knave backwards, exposing the crystalline orb in its chest to Xavier’s front lunge. The tip of his sword cracks through the violet orb and the Wanderer releases an earsplitting howl and you feel the solidity of it begin to crumble. 

It dissolves into nothing but specks of light, scattering in the wind like forgotten dust. You jump back and onto your feet, brushing yourself off as you pant wildly. 

“Are you alright?” Xavier asks as he tucks away his sword and approaches you. Unlike you, he’s not breathing heavily in the slightest. 

You look up and can’t help the manic grin on your face, “That was some great teamwork!” You cheer, “Remind me to bring a gun next time though!”

Xavier just stares at you. His eyes are slightly wide and his breath is still. He looks frozen, and you tilt your head with a sheepish grin. You take his hand and shake it, though his grip is loose. 

“Good work, partner.” You say as you begin to walk back to the store, hoping to finish the trip you’d started, “Let’s finish up and head home.”

It takes him a minute to follow you, and he’s quiet the rest of the trip. Silent as you check out, wordless as he helps you put the groceries in the car, and the ride back is spent with nothing but the soft whirring of the car and the low volume of the radio. 

Anxiety gnaws at you, a corrosive pit in your stomach. Had you upset him? His hands are tense on the steering wheel– aggressively so, but he doesn’t say anything. Is he mad you defied him? Angry you stepped in? You thought you’d been helpful, given the circumstances, but maybe he didn’t see it that way?

It made the ride back a thousand times longer, and unloading the car painfully awkward. Xavier was silent as he set the last of the bags on the countertop, and he was walking away before you could even open your mouth to awkwardly thank him. You watched his back as he escaped down the corridor, and before he left your sight completely you noticed something. 

Were his hands shaking?

You tried to not let your mind speculate as you put away the groceries, making a mental list of everything and a meal plan for the upcoming week instead. The reactions from these men were so peculiar. Did they like you? Or not? 

The only one you felt even halfway certain about as Zayne, and that relationship was becoming harder to define the longer you lived here. 

As you put the last of the pantry goods away and sighed for the umpteenth time, you heard footsteps entering the kitchen. 

Xavier had returned. Dressed in a soft knit ivory sweater and jeans. In the soft midday light he looked almost ethereal. All soft edges and sugar coating. But his face was deadly. A look sharper than his blade that stared you down as he strode forward. Pressing into your space and pressing his hands to the sides of your face. 

He moved your face upwards, forcing you to look at him. He wasn’t bulky so the strength behind his gesture was surprising, because when you tried to pull away you didn’t manage to gain an inch of distance. 

“Look at me.” His voice was low, hushed growl. The warning of a wild beast that you hear before you can see it. 

Unlike his last command, this one you obeyed. Meeting his celestial eyes and the ravaging storm in them. His light colored brows were furrowed, barely tempering a rage swelling behind them. You blinked owlishly under this unexpected attention, unable to even wonder what he was doing, or why.

So, you just stood there. Hands out at your sides, unsure of where to put them as Xavier kept you pinned with his hands at your cheeks. He was searching for something. Scoring your face and your eyes like a message in disappearing ink may reappear if he focused hard enough. 

Once the initial shock of it had passed, you decided to wait. Maybe this was some kind of punishment? Some hazing to reinforce the pecking order because you’d jumped into a fight that should have been his?

“Is this because of–?” Your voice is barely a whisper when you finally find your voice, but he presses his thumbs into your cheeks firmly and shakes you ever so slightly. 

“Hush.” He mumbled, some of the sharpness leaving his expression. Whatever he was looking for, he wasn’t done, and he seemed keen to keep you there until he was satisfied. 

“Don’t tell me to hush.” You hiss back, irked. 

“I’m looking for something.” He explained, like that was get-out-jail-free. 

“Is it personal space?” You quip, tilting your chin down to sneer at him, “Or manners?”

Xavier blinked once, and the interrogation swimming in his eyes melted away. He’d found it. Whatever it was. Without the crease in his brow and his mouth pressed in a firm line, he looked so young. Boyish almost with those soft baby blue eyes and youthful blonde hair. His hands didn’t let go at first, and it felt like he was suddenly seeing you for the first time. 

“Is this because of the Wanderers?” You asked, continuing your earlier interrupted thought. “I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. I know I wasn’t much help but–”

“Where are your weapons?” Xavier asked as he finally released your face. You expected him to take a step back but he didn’t, remaining inside your personal bubble like he belonged there. 

“My firearm is upstairs, locked up.” You explain, “The others are in storage. I didn’t think it was appropriate to bring them all here– since it’s not my home.”

Xavier looked pensive, eyes drifting away from you in thought before he nodded and right back to you they went, “We’ll go get them in a few days. I’ll take you.”

Your stomach did a funny little flip, twisting in something similar to nervousness but also fluttery, “Why?”

“A Hunter should always be ready and armed.” Xavier explains, parroting a sentiment given to trainees in school, “I’d feel better knowing you followed that statue, especially if you’re so prone to jumping into battle so recklessly.”

“I was armed.” You argue, but realize it’s a poor one. “I even paid for the knives afterwards.”

“How are you here?” Xavier almost laughed, and sounded almost wistful. Like he was asking you how you’re here as in “how are you real?”.

You take a step back and cross your arms, “I needed some help, Zayne needed a housekeeper. I thought he explained that to you.”

It still stung, remembering the circumstances of how you got here. The pit of nothingness you’d fallen into that had led to your suspension and ultimate eviction. It wasn’t anyone’s business besides yours and Zayne’s, and it was too embarrassing to just blurt out to these strangers.

Xavier scoffed in a soft laugh and smiled lightly, “Right. Right he did. Well, you shouldn’t go too long without training. Maybe we could go together sometime?”

You felt like you might get whiplash. “Seriously?”

“You’re not planning on staying a housekeeper forever, right?” Xavier probed, tilting his head slightly, “You need to keep your skills sharp.”

You turned away from him and opened the fridge, fiddling with the organization of the fruit so you didn’t have to look him in the eye. “I guess I wasn’t really thinking about it. I haven’t….I haven’t trained in a while.”

You hadn’t done anything but the bare minimum for months. No extra training or exercises. No picking up extra shifts or patrols. Clock in. Shoot at Wanderers. Clock out. Rinse and Repeat. Until slowly but surely uo hadn’t held your gun for over a month, and hadn’t seen a protofield for two. 

“We can train together.” Xavier’s voice was feathery soft, full of something warm and syrupy that it hadn’t had before. “How about Monday morning? Before I go on patrol?”

You closed the fridge, the cool air cutting off and leaving you under the warm gaze of this beckoning friendship. 

That tired part of you didn’t want to. Didn’t want to train. To fight. To keep moving forward with pep and a smile. All that part of you wanted to do was sleep. But you were tired of indulging that venomous part of your mind. That tar pit of despair that had been slowly but surely consuming you. 

“Sure.” You forced yourself to say, despite the pit in your stomach. “Do you train here?”

Xavier nodded, “If you haven’t trained in a while, we’ll just do some basic workouts. Is that okay?”

“Yeah,” You say, a little relieved. The idea of running through the training that academy had put you through sounded like torture. The battle simulations and evol training until you felt worse than a threadbare wrung out rag. 

Baby steps, you told yourself. Get back into training. Get another hunter to vouch for you and you’d be back to work in no time. Xavier had offered you asn express ticket back to your old life. 

Although, why did it feel so horrible to accept it? It felt like going back to a home with no one there. To a place that was now nothing but rubble and ash. Where you were greeted with memorial portraits instead of smiling faces. 

Baby steps. You repeated in your head again. Baby steps. 

Xavier spent the rest of the day lingering in the living room. The TV was on, and some quiet-spoken cooking show was playing, but he wasn’t paying attention. He was listening to you. He’d resolved to not follow you around the house like his mind had initially wanted, and settled for glimpses of you as you bustled about. 

He could hear you hum as you dusted the stairwell, and watched you from the corner of his eyes and you swept the hallway and mopped it. It felt wrong to watch you do menial work like this while he just watched, but something told him you’d shoo him away if he tried to help. 

Xavier couldn’t decide what to do now. What do you do when you realize something that shouldn’t exist not only does exist, but is dropped onto you like Newton’s apple. This was an impossibility. The four of them had agreed it was impossible, and they’d made their peace with it.

Resigned to a reality without you in it. Sentenced to exist with each other but without that which tied them together– an archway missing the keystone. A painting missing the centerpiece. An unfinished puzzle with the remaining pieces stolen from them. 

Things weren’t adding up. The puzzle had always been askew, and they’d made assumptions based on the information that they had. But now? Now they needed to start from scratch. Rethink everything they thought they knew. 

Only there was a problem. It’d been over a year since they’d spoken openly about their predicament. It wasn’t ideal– their living arrangements, but it was better than the alternative. Better than isolation. Better than falling into whatever pre-woven fate had been made for them. 

Getting them to convene again would be tricky, especially without proof. Speculation was a honey-trap of hope that would be undue punishment for those who were still hurting. Each of them had suffered in this reality. In this new life. All they had was each other, or that’s what they’d thought.

Sylus and Rafayel were animals. Wounded beasts licking at their wounds and wasting time with different exploits. 

Zayne was…Zayne. 

The sound of you in the kitchen pulled Xavier from his thoughts and he realized he’d dozed off. Lifting his head, he turned to see you pulling food from the fridge to start cooking. 

It was painfully, gut-wrenchingly domestic. An image he hoped he could burn into the back of his eyelid so that when he slept it was you that he saw. 

It's been so long. He didn’t even know how many years it had been. This life…this reality. It had taken so much time to find his way here that his mind was too full and his heart too old. It forgot what it felt like to be near you. So when it happened again, the sensation was so foreign he didn’t recognize it. 

But when you’d turned to him, sweat on your brow and the thrill of a battle won humming in your evol, he’d known. He recognized you like one recognizes their own reflection– changed, different, but unmistakably his. 

Xavier rose and decided to help you, even if it was just holding vegetables or stirring a pot. The distance between here and there was too much, and he wondered if his heart kept up this rapid pace if it might actually give out. 

Talking to the others could wait. They were likely to come to their own conclusions soon enough– his talk with Sylus had made that clear. 

For now, Xavier would relish in this realization and pretend that nothing else existed. No past life and sacrifice. No alternate reality. No separation. No death. No Astra. 

Rafayel was wandering around the darkened house in the wee hours of the morning. The rest of the house had been asleep for hours, even Sylus was back– probably crashed onto his bed still covered in gunpowder and rubble like when he’d walked in an hour ago. 

The house seemed….warmer somehow. And he didn’t need to ponder much on the reason why. Rafayel knew the reason the minute he’d walked into the living area to see you and Xavier scrambling over a smoking pan like a pair of startled wrasse. 

Xavier knew. Rafayel saw it in the way the blue-eyed man moved , orbiting around you like a lost satellite. A long-forgotten star he was finally able to see again. It would be cute if it wasn’t almost pathetic. 

Rafayel was bitter. Something in him shriveled up. Seeing your face didn’t spark the awe or rush of sentimentality he thought it would. It just…hurt. 

Ached like a wound that would never truly heal. Nerve damage and corroded bone making sure he’d feel that pain with every step. With every breath.

Pathetic. That’s what he’d thought when he’d seen Xavier all starry-eyed and gooey, but was he any different? Rafayel scoffed at himself and his own unfortunate circumstance. He was just as pathetic. Just as lost. A little boat lost at sea unable to stop itself from following the current of the ocean, drifting towards you without a paddle to even fight back from. 

He could pretend his heart was closed, and that he was just playing. Nothing real. It wasn’t real, he’d tell himself, but that was a lie. It was as real as the insignia burned into his chest. As real as the ever shifting tide, he was the ocean and you were the moon. Waters chasing after you in a perpetual, impossible dance. 

A crash from down below broke him from his swimming thoughts, and Rafayel’s brow furrowed. An intruder? Not possible. 

Another sound and Rafayel decided to check it out, for curiosity’s sake of course. 

He passed by your bedroom, slowing to see if you’d woken, but found it was silent within. Satisfied you were still asleep, Rafayel descended the stairs and went to find the source. 

The hall was dark, only a low light in the kitchen giving off any sort of illumination. Another low thud sounded and Rafayel entered the living room. 

Zayne was near the windows, hands pressed flat against the glass with his head hung low. He was panting, ragged frightened breaths that sounded painful and rough. 

Rafayel paused, waiting. 

Zayne, noticing the new presence turned, eyes blazing as they landed on the dormant sea-god. 

“Y-you…” Zayne rasped, voice strangled and hoarse. “Raf–yel.”

Rafayel relaxed slightly. Good, it was one of the versions of Zayne that remembered him. Which one though? 

“What’s going on?” Sylus was there, having come up the back staircase and waiting at the edge of the room just as Rafayel was.

“It’s another nightmare.” Rafayel explained, “He remembers me, so that’s good.”

Sylus looked over to Zayne with a stern expression, “Not Dawnbreaker then. That makes this easier.”

“Still sore from that?” Rafayel prodded with a chuckle, but Sylus didn’t seem to be in a joking mood. Recalling the last nightmare Zayne had had and the vengeful and dangerous Dawnbreaker demanding answers they didn’t have and lashing out at whatever moved. Funnily enough, of all of them, the only one Dawnbreaker remembered was you.

“Zayne,” Sylus said, voice almost a coo, “It’s alright. Calm down.”

The silver haired man approached the man in distress. Zayne clenched his eyes shut and shook his head, fighting something unseen in his mind.  He groaned and slumped further down the window, looking out through them like he might recognize the clearly foreign scenery. 

“Where am I?” Zayne was ragged, confused and frightened. He stood up taller and gripped the side of his head, “Where…where is she?”

Sylus kept a safe distance, but approached like one approaches a rabid dog– anticipating the inevitable bite. “She’s safe. She’s asleep. She’s here.”

A moment of clarity crossed Zayne’s face, and he turned to Sylus in disbelief. “Here? She’s alive? She’s here?”

Sylus nodded, reaching out, “This isn’t the world you know. It’s different. Your plan? It worked. We escaped.”

Another wave of pain nearly sent Zayne to his knees, and Rafayel stepped forward just a step behind Sylus– ready to help.

When Zayne looked back up, his flickering eyes shifted from Rafayel and then over to Sylus, “Sta–Stary–”

Sylus took Zayne’s offered hand and pulled him into him. The dark haired man all but collapsed against him. “It’s me. I’m here. We’re all here. You can rest. It worked. It worked.” 

Zayne shuddered in an exhale and gripped at Sylus’ shirt. “It worked,” Zayne chanted breathlessly.

“They won’t find us,” Rafayel said as he stepped forward, placing a hand on Zayne’s shoulder and squeezing. “Rest, Foreseer. Let us carry on now.”

Zayne sighed and relaxed, the fight of his warring spirits finally easing, and Sylus only had a single moment to catch him before he collapsed.

“Get his feet,” Sylus said as he lifted Zayne’s shoulders as gently as he could, “Let’s get him back to bed as quickly as we can.”

A soft rumbling overhead made them both freeze. Footsteps in the bedroom above. You were awake. 

“Dammit.” Sylus cursed.

“She can’t see him like this.” Rafayel hissed. “Carry him back, I’ll put her back to bed.”

Sylus’ eyes narrowed a bit but then he nodded, crouching down to unceremoniously toss Zayne’s limp body over his shoulder. Gentle and easy would have to wait. You couldn’t see them like this– too many questions. Not enough answers. 

Rafayel rushed back upstairs, making it to the hallway just as he saw your door begin to open. Scrounging his mind for a plan, he found himself freezing, words rushing in mind but none finding his lips. 

“Rafayel?” Your sleepy voice was slightly hoarse and you were even rubbing at your eye when you spied him. 

“Hey cutie…” Rafayel whispered, “I can’t sleep. You too?”

You were half-asleep. Eyes barely open and one of the straps from your sleep shirt had fallen down your shoulder. The curving line of your neck from your jaw down to your clavicle and over to your shoulder is a serpentine temptation. 

“I thought I heard something. Got worried.” You hummed, eyes practically drifting shut. “What’s wrong? Nightmare?”

Rafayel could eat you up. A sleepy little morsel he could swallow whole before you even had the awareness to know you were between his teeth. You were gluttonous supper before a starving supplicant, divine and not to be touched. 

And what a perfect, innocent opportunity you had presented to him. A test of his morals and willpower. Placing sugar candy upon your fingertips and expecting him to not lick it clean?

“Yeah, a nightmare.” Rafayel’s voice was rougher now, thicker with the rumble of a predator. “Can I lay with you for a while?”

Perfect, innocent sacrifice. Perfect devout follower. You rubbed at your face and looked at him with pity before nodding and turning to let him in. “For a little while.”

Rafayel slid past you and into your room, a wolf slipping through the cracks of the fence into the pasture. His little lamb climbed into her bed and nestled beneath the blankets unsuspecting and warm. 

With all the willpower he could muster, Rafayel did not pull back the blankets and invite himself inside. Your hazy mind would likely barely remember this interaction in the morning, and he wouldn’t take advantage…well, more than he already had. 

“What did you dream about?” You're asked, partially muffled by your pillow as Rafayel lay down next to you. 

Rafayel felt his heart pounding like the thunder of a war drum. Boom Boom Boom. It charged like a horse into battle, but his body remained still. Your eyes were closed and your form relaxed, sinking into the mattress and over abundance of plush cushion. 

He stopped himself from reaching out and touching you. Like a valuable work of art only to be admired and not sullied. Fingertips left marks, and he couldn’t…he wouldn’t. 

Not yet. 

Rafayel took a deep steadying breath. This was not how he thought this night would go, but what a fun turn of events. Zayne and his…affliction. You and your endless temptation. 

He considered your question for a moment, and answered even though he knew you were already asleep. “Drowning.”

[paradiseismine]

Hey, can I request a trevor spengler x fem! Reader who has electricity powers? Could be fluff, could be smut, I dont really mind

(I love your fics, but I was wondering why you always use -something someone says- instead of "something someone says")

Electric feel - Trevor Spengler x reader

Pairing: Trevor Spengler (Ghostbusters Afterlife/Frozen Empire) x f!electricity powers!reader

Warnings: lots of smut, car sex in multiple ways, slight imprudent driving (?), boyfriend Trevor.

Love note from Nina to @ghostlyaccurate: in English, dashes (-) are not used to infere dialog, only quotation marks, and I simply didn’t know that, lol. In my native language, both are used, so I had no idea. Sorry for the confusion, I’ve started using quotation marks ever since then, ok? 💕 hope you enjoy this fic!

Trevor knew about your powers ever since you met him. Lucky had dragged him to the same house party you were attending with some friends a few months ago, and well, you very much saved his life that day.

He accidentally drunk out of someone else’s glass, and that drink was severely spiked with some kind of drug. You found him passed out in the bathtub, and using your electricity powers, defibrillated him back to consciousness. You called for help and Trev soon got better, but he couldn’t thank you enough for saving him that day. Someone gave him your number and ever since then, you were inseparable.

You two had been together officially for three months now, and going for a picnic on a more reserved area, just out of town, to celebrate. Trev was driving calmly through an empty road. He had one hand on the steering wheel and the other on your thigh, as usual.

His jet black hair blew softly across his forehead, as the windows were down because of the heat. You also loved the sunglasses he had on, they made him look like a rockstar as he gently hummed along to the songs on the radio. Ugh, Trevor was so sexy doing pretty much anything, that should be illegal.

Your gaze lingered on the hem of his jeans, so easy to unbutton underneath that flimsy white T-shirt… Your thighs would start sticking to each other soon, ‘cause the dirtiest thought just crossed your mind.

Without any further ado, you downed your head and put both your hands to Trev’s jeans, unbuttoning it and opening its zipper in a quick move. Of course, that didn’t go unnoticed. You could feel the car’s speed decreasing slowly, so you reached underneath his black boxers as swiftly as you could.

“Babe” he chuckled, initially oblivious to your intentions. “Babe, what are y-“ his voice broke and the words got lost in his lips halfway through the sentence.

You took his cock in your mouth hungrily, suckling his shaft as you felt it harden between your lips in merely a few seconds. Trevor hissed and moaned as you kept bobbing your head up and down, fitting most of his length down your throat.

“Love, I’m… I’m driving” he said softly, his breathing slightly quicker, his hand in your hair to keep it off of your face.

Your mouth let go of his cock with a pop, and your eyes met his with your naughtiest gaze.

“Keep driving, then” you replied, nonchalantly putting your mouth back to his cock.

He moaned your name, trying not to take this attention fully off the road. “Just… ah, just let me park the car, I’m afraid I-“ he panted, barely able to finish a sentence. His right hand gently guided your face away from his throbbing erection, leaking with precum already.

“Fine” you pouted. “But once we get to our spot, I’ll get you, Trevor Spengler” you said, staring devilishly into his eyes, threatening him with a good time.

Trevor catched his breath after a few moments, his heart still beating like a drum. He fixed his pants and kept driving for what seemed like forever, but in reality, it was just a few minutes.

He parked the car under a beautiful blooming tree, on the top of a hill, overlooking the city and a breathtaking sunset. You had brought all the picnic supplies on the backseat, but those were the last thing on your mind right now.

“Now, do I get to finish what I started?” you grabbed his chin to turn his head towards yours, leaning in for a kiss and lightly rubbing his erection over his jeans.

You seemed to have unleashed something wild within Trevor’s mind, ‘cause his next move was to bite your lip gently, grabbing your neck with one hand and your thigh with the other.

“Get out of the car” he said in a lower tone. You knew what it meant when he spoke like that. “And I want those panties off right now, did you hear me, baby girl?”

“Yes sir” you responded, licking your lip in excitement. Trevor got out of the car and slammed its door, while you quickly disposed of your panties in the glove compartment (just a little surprise for him to find later). Now, it was just you and your thin little sundress.

You got out of the car and closed its door gently, but as you turned around to look for your boyfriend, you felt a set of arms wrap around your figure instantly. Trev swooped you off your feet and sat you down on the car hood. It was a bit warm from the sun, but not too hot. His hands lifted up your dress in a brisk movement, fingers immediately reaching for the sides of your hips.

His lips met yours in an urgent, deep kiss, his tongue entering your mouth unceremoniously, his hands groping your hips and thighs possessively. It didn’t take long for his fingers to slither into your pussy, two of them entering you quite easily, due to how soaked you were - and Trev immediately took his drenched fingers up to his lips.

“You’re already so wet for me, aren’t you, princess?” he sucked his fingers clean. “Such a sweet pussy, I just love the way you taste” he went for your ear, nibbling on your earlobe. “I can’t wait to fill you up really good, I want you filled to the brim and leaking with my cum, baby girl”

You gasped and brought your hands to his hips, unzipping his jeans and lowering them just enough. As his erection sprung free, you aligned it with your core, rubbing his cock’s pink tip up and down your slick folds.

You could hear as Trevor lightly pulled air in between his teeth, nails digging into your thighs. He thrusted forward slowly, making sure you were not feeling any pain as he entered you. Usually, it would take some patience to get his cock all the way in, as it is quite thick, but you were so wet and lustful, it entered rather easily.

Trev held on to your hips as his thrusts gained cadence, your drenched hole coating his length in arousal. One of his hands went for your hair, grabbing it into a ponytail to the back of your head, so your ears were exposed and defenseless.

“Such a naughty little slut, sucking my cock while I was driving” he whispered in your ear, biting and kissing your earlobe. “You teased me way too much, love. Now I gotta put you in your place, as you seemed to forget who's in charge here"

You moaned his name faintly, getting even wetter than you already were, his thrusts getting stronger and making your thighs tremble uncontrollably.

“Fuck” he panted, his voice low and raspy. That voice could make you do nearly anything. He grabbed your neck, squeezing it softly before speaking again.

“Look at me” he ordered, and your eyes immediately shot up at his. He grabbed your chin harshly. “You’re mine. All mine, you understand that?”

“Yes” you moaned, your eyes rolling as he thrusted so deliciously into your soaked core. “All yours, my love… You do whatever you want to me, I’m yours”

“Yes, you are” his face was now mere inches from yours. “And you do as I say. Now, give me that electric feel only you know how to do, won’t you?”

You knew what he meant. It was an accident the first time it happened, but he loved it so much, you actually learned how to do it on purpose and how to control it.

You squeezed him tightly with your cunt, releasing small shocks onto his length as he sunk himself into you again and again.

“Ah, yes, just like that” he moaned, his red lips bitten down and eyes rolling in pleasure. His thickness throbbed inside you, your pussy drooling over his cock and down your thighs, Trev managing to hit the sweet spot inside you just right with every thrust.

“Look at me when you cum, I want you to know that I own you” he ordered, hand still on your neck, forcing you to look up at him.

He thrusted impossibly fast now, getting the knot in your stomach tighter as ever, and as you released a stronger shock to his core, you came undone. Your cunt squeezed his cock as your orgasm ripped through your body, and he couldn’t keep it in any longer. Your eyes were on his the entire time, looking at him narrowly, as you could barely keep them open.

Trevor let out a string of moans and grunts as that delicious warmth seeped through your insides, and he pumped you full of his cum. You’d never get tired of that feeling.

“I swear you got the most perfect pussy in the world” he panted, coming down from his high. “Are you ok, my love?” His hand had gone from your neck to your cheek, caressing your face gently as he spoke. Trev’s dom persona was satisfied, so now his caring boyfriend persona could resurface.

“I’m great, baby” you panted, satisfied. Your head was still light and dizzy from such an intense orgasm, but you managed to remember what you two were there for in the first place. “Should we get the basket and set the picnic blanket on the ground?”

“Sure, I’ll get the drinks from the icebox”

And you two sat down for a romantic picnic with a gorgeous sunset as a background. Trevor desired you with an intensity he had never felt before, but also loved you with all his heart. Three months was just the very beginning for the two of you.

[licityvibes]

Limitless (through the night)

Author: orshii

Pairing: biker! Choi San x female reader

Warnings: cursing, brief mention of death

Word count: 11,5 k

Summary: You have broken the rules, again. The punishment? You’re moving in with your father, sent back to your hometown which you had grown to be a stranger to. What happens when old affairs return in the form of Choi San? The only guy you wished to forever avoid, the guy who was a menace and always knew which buttons to push.

Will he put aside your differences and help you out when you get in trouble again?

A/N: Wow, I guess I'm here again...Ever since I saw these pictures of San, I'm obsessed with it, so a story kinda popped out of my mind lol. Like, I'll just never get over biker San pls, he drives me crazy, and I don't like it (lie). Anyways, thank you for my talented bestie @bvidzsoo for helping me a lot. I'm really a newbie to this whole writing and Tumblr world so, ly bestie hehet. Please, enjoy! I'mma be back soon, with a Hongjoong series too, lmao. Okay, byee, xoxo, orshii. (divider)

Moving to a new place could excite you due to all the new opportunities coming your way, alongside with new people, which may become your new friends.

In my case it wasn't like this. I was moving back to my hometown, which I have left almost ten years ago, leaving behind my father and all the people who I was once close with.

Now, I'm on my way back to my father, back to the house where we once were a happy family. My mother left my father, because it seemed like my father cheated on her. But the actual truth was that she just wanted to escape from this little town. She had no opportunities here, so she just blamed everything on him to have a reason to leave this shitty little town behind, alongside with me. I was only 10 years old, I did not understand back then what the hell was happening, so I just went with her. We moved to a bigger city, which was full with people. I never liked it, I hate crowds, I hate how the city is full with life.

After a while, my mother met someone and he was rich, so, we moved into a bigger house, which looked like a castle. I did not like it; I like simple things. I liked our old house, where the walls were cracked like a river spreading through the map. It was beautiful in its own way.

So why am I going back again to my hometown? I look to my left, where my mother is driving. She looked tired and mad; she was continuously frowning while she was driving. Maybe she was thinking about how she could bring a child like me into this world. Of course, I was the cause of going back to my hometown. It was my punishment.

 I'm going to be honest, lying isn’t something I do often. Since I was little, I adored motorcycles. They are so beautifully shaped and their sound is simply music to my ears. I love watching them through the TV, the bikers riding their fancy motorcycles and competing against each other, going in circles like Formula 1 cars on the circuits.

 My dad had owned an old Yamaha, it was beautiful. He noticed that I adored it, and so, he taught me everything about motorbikes; which part of the bike belongs where, he even taught me how to repair some broken parts. That was the moment I fell in love with motorbikes. I could not wait until I grew up and finally got my license. I had one purpose in life, and that was it.

And after a lot of patience, I finally got my license, but I had no motorbike. This became my next goal. To buy a bike. I succeeded doing that too, and I was proud of myself.

I looked back, where my beautiful matte black Yamaha R6 was tied safely onto the trailer. After I bought Toothless—I have named it that—I naturally joined a motorbike gang and slowly got into the world of racing. But these were illegal affairs, illegal races. You’d rarely get caught, so I didn’t worry about it. But one day I made a very bad mistake and I was left to face the cops. I was alone, the others—whom I considered my friends—left me there, letting me face the repercussions all on my own. As soon as my mother got me out of the police station and we got home, she started packing my things, saying 'You're moving in with your father.' My opinion did not matter, it was settled, and I just needed to obey. I did not care about anything at that point, so I just went with it without a word. Since that incident I did not want to make any friends, I did not trust people anymore, not even my mother. She betrayed me by sending me back to our hometown, treating me like I was a nobody to her. I never felt like I belonged anywhere, I am used of being passed around by others.

As soon as we drove through the streets of my hometown, little memories started resurfacing and I smiled. It was good to be back, to be honest, I have always loved this area. I never actually wanted to leave it behind, I just really had no choice but to do otherwise.

When we finally arrived to the house where we had once lived, a whirlwind of emotions hit me like a truck. My father stepped out from his car service, wiping his oily hands onto a used black cloth, which was once white. He looked tired and worried, mimicking the same expressions reflected on my mother’s face.

I stepped out from the car, looking around a little bit. Nothing has changed since I had last been here, and that was a long time ago. We never came back after the separation, my father used to visit us when he had the time, but it was rare, and our relationship went from having a happy father-daughter connection, to a shallow 'How's school? Good.' connection.

As I looked around, my parents were talking quietly just so I wouldn’t overhear them, but I knew they were talking about me. They were talking, and then suddenly my mother was moving, giving me a kiss on my cheek and saying 'Don't get into any trouble', leaving me there like I was an abandoned cat, handed back to the streets because it kept causing trouble. She chose the easier way, passing me into the hands of my father.

I pushed my bike into the garage and covered it with a blanket, I did not want Toothless to be dusty from all the dirt flying around the air. My dad showed me around the house acting as if I was there for the first time. I stepped inside my old room; everything was just how I had left it. The old drawing in which I had drawn our once happy family, and even my little pink shoes, which I had cried about leaving behind accidentally. Everything was the same, except me.

I got enrolled into the local University. I wanted to learn still as I had nothing to do; I needed to keep my mind busy. As I was headed to the new University on my bike, I felt anxiety crawling up through my body. I never liked new places, and besides, this was a little town, everyone knew everyone. And so, I was the new girl in town to them. The girl who came back after years of being gone. I don't really think anybody is actually aware of who am I. I had changed.

I arrived to the parking lot of the university, and cut the engine of Toothless. I sighed before I got off my bike, taking off my raven black helmet with red lines on it. My anxiety had finally crawled through my body, managing to reach my mind and thoughts, clouding them and keeping me locked in, not letting me go for even a second. My thoughts had always been my biggest enemy. Overthinking made me feel anxious about even the littlest things. It wasn’t good as this influenced my behavior, all the time. I tried to gather myself, not having noticed that somebody was watching me.

"Princess is back in town and has a little motorcycle, I see." I jumped at the sudden deep voice coming from behind me.

I turned around and saw a very familiar looking, handsome, guy in front of me, but I did not remember his name. He was smirking at me, his eyes sharp like a knife, glaring at me like he was a predator and I was his prey. He was wearing a black hoodie that hugged his broad shoulders perfectly, with black shorts that reached his knees, pairing with red Jordans.

"And who are you?" I asked frowning; I really did not know him, he looked familiar, but I could not place a name to his face.

He just tilted his head, looking at me sharper than before, "You don't remember me? I'm Choi San."

He was frowning his thick eyebrows, a little cut in his left eyebrow making his glare more intense.

Choi San, the mayor's son. Now I knew who he was, and I did not fucking like him. He was always the annoying rich kid from school, always stuck-up, acting all-mighty due to his family being rich. And he didn’t like me either anymore. At the beginning we were friends, but then shit started happening at home—my parents arguing constantly, not even noticing me anymore—and so, I closed myself off, not wanting to befriend anyone. I was just a child, my parents constantly arguing was a big enough trauma for me to stop caring about other things. So, I pushed San away, who, I assume, took it to heart since he started hating me and acting like a total jackass, not letting me live. It was like that until I left my hometown, leaving everyone behind.

"Oh, well then, I don't care." I said while grabbing my helmet from my bike and turning around to leave. I did not have the energy for this arrogant prick, he didn’t change at all, I could tell by his one little sentence.

He laughed, "Princess is mad, huh? Is that a Yamaha R1?"

He had asked while pointing at my bike, not letting me leave quite yet.

I sighed and turned around looking at him annoyed, "No, it's an R6."

My answer was short and snappy.

"That's from one of the newest series. I bet you begged on your knees your rich stepfather to buy it for you." He laughed sarcastically, and it sounded like an engine that needed an oil change. I sneered at the thought.

It hurt, it hurt because he didn’t know how many days I didn’t sleep because I had shift after shift, working my ass off. My stepfather and mother didn’t want to buy me a bike, actually they hated just the idea of it, but I didn’t care, so I took as many jobs as I could, and after three years of hard work, I finally get to buy this beauty. It had nothing to do with my stepfather. San was just being his old self, being an asshole, judging even though he did not know anything at all.

"Just fuck off, San." I snapped before walking towards the building. I was starting to get annoyed, but I didn’t let it show because I knew that was what he wanted out of this exchange. To piss me off, get on my nerves.

I finally stepped inside the building. I was a bit lost; I didn't know where I was supposed to go now.

"Let's race someday or are you scared, baby?" But San suddenly stopped next to me, looking at me arrogantly, not leaving me alone.

I laughed at the nickname, it was cringe, what the hell was he thinking? "I don't do shit like that."

I didn’t even spare him a glance.

"Then why do you have a motorbike?" San asked, looking at me like the police officer had when he was interrogating me.

"I obviously use it to go to church." I rolled my eyes as I started walking down the corridor. I got a lot of curious looks from the other students littered around in the hallways.

"I bet you raced in that big town of yours." San said, of course, following me.

I suddenly stopped in my tracks, and looked at him with deadly eyes, "Can't you just go and fucking annoy somebody else?"

"Princess is being mean for what? I just wanted to welcome you back in town." He said with a smirk on his lips.

"Oh, how humble" I said ironically, "Thank you for your kindness."

I smiled at him and saluted him before turning around. I did not have the energy for this egoistic guy.

I somehow found the director's office. He handed over my schedule and wished me good luck, and I was abandoned again in the empty corridor.

I was looking at my schedule, trying to figure out which classroom I needed to get in.

 "Hey, new girl, are you lost?" I heard a voice calling out to—me— I had assumed.

I looked up and I found myself standing in front of a tall, black-haired boy, with the kindest smile I had ever seen in my entire life. He was wearing bright colors, which highlighted his bright smiley face, he looked like a walking sunshine.

"Hi, yes, a little bit." I said while looking at my schedule confused.

"Let me see." He took the paper from my hands and looked at it humming, "Oh, you are in the same major as me. I'm headed to that class; I can show you the way."

He offered me up with a sweet smile.

"Oh my god, thank you, you saved me." I huffed the air out from my lungs.

"This way." He pointed out the direction with his finger, and we started to walk towards the classroom.

"By the way, I'm Yunho." He said, reaching his hand out towards me.

I smiled while shaking his hand, "Y/N, nice to meet you. How did you know I am the new girl?"

I had asked him curiously.

"Everyone knows, it's a little town, the rumors here spread like the plague." He shivered with a smile.

I chuckled, "Oh, I see. Too bad, I just wanted to remain unknown."

"Your dad is quite famous in town, did you know? So, I assume he told someone you are coming, and puff, the rumors are everywhere." He gave me a side glance as he smiled.

"Yeah, maybe." I said, thinking about the fact that my father has a car service, which, I assume, is the only one in town. Therefore, people meet up with him constantly, thinking more of it, it isn’t a surprise that people know who I am, in the end it, it is a little town. We arrived to the classroom, and headed in.

The day went by quickly. I was glad I met Yunho, he was a funny guy, and he led me around the University, making funny comments about some students. I really needed him in order to integrate into this new community, which I was once part of ten years ago. It was as if I had to relive the past, as if I was walking down the same path, I had done so ten years ago, a path which might have changed during my absence. It felt like I had to start everything from the very beginning.

  The days passed by quickly, and I just tried to avoid being in the spotlight as I found out everyone knew me, but I knew nobody, because who would remember the people they had met while being just a little kid? As I was randomly walking on the street, headed to get some groceries, random people would say hello and even ask how my mom was. I just quickly answered them, but I didn’t know who they were.  I didn’t like the attention, when all the eyes were on me, so I tried to lay low, live my life quietly.

Then one day, as I had gotten closer to Yunho, he somehow convinced me to attend a party held by some guy named Song Mingi. I wore casual clothes, meaning simple black ripped jeans paired with a black crop-top, and a leather jacket. I am a biker, so the leather jacket is a must, even when you have to leave your bike behind, as I had done now. I felt like drinking something. I hadn’t gotten drunken in a while, not that this was my purpose for the night.

Yunho came to pick me up with his navy-blue Nissan GT-R. The car was beautiful inside out. And that is when I found out that Yunho used to do street racing, held by some local racing company. That's another reason as to why we became friends so quickly, as we were interested in the same things.

  When we arrived to the house where the party was held at, it was already crowded. Luckily, there was the opportunity to stay outside, next to the pool, and so, I told Yunho I didn't really want to go into the crowd. He stayed with me, and to our luck, we found some alcohol outside too. There was a table next to the pool, and there were a whole bunch of alcoholic drinks on it, so, we took some tequila shots. As we were talking about some of Yunho's street races, I heard someone approaching us.

"Where did you leave your expensive bike, princess?" He clapped his hands together, reaching for a can of beer, opening it quickly with his thumb. He was wearing dark jeans, a white T-shirt, and on top a leather jacket. At least he knew the unsaid rule of the bikers. Leather jacket is a must, like I have said.

I looked at him with a glare, "I left it at church since I got drunk on the communion wine."

I said annoyed as it was my last wish to meet him tonight, “Just leave me alone, San.”

"Where's the fun in that?" He leaned close to my face, bending down to be at the same height as me, whispering it in my face.

"The fun must be where you brain is, which you seem to be lacking in." I pointed at his head.

He laughed loudly, "You'll see where is the fun when I beat you at the race."

He glared at me with his typical sharp gaze. It whispered danger. And I liked danger.

“I said I don’t race; do you have issues with your long-term memory now?” Despite meaning to be teasing and unabashed, my voice came out a little angry as I frowned.

“I saw the news about your little incident. You can’t be fooling everyone and telling them you nearly got arrested, princess.” He spread his arms, as he raised his voice, so everyone could hear it who was outside. I felt everyone’s eyes on us, coming closer, way too interested in hearing what the whole fiasco was about.

My blood had started boiling and I clenched my fists together, until my knuckles turned white. I was blinded by my sudden anger towards San, I just wanted to wipe that annoying, arrogant, smile off of his face. I stepped closer to him, my face inches away from his, as his back was facing the pool. He just needed a little encouragement for a swim, and so, I strongly pushed him towards the pool, and before he could fall in, I quickly whisked the beer out of his hand, and lifted it into the air.

“Have a good swimming, Choi San.” I placed the beer down on the table. That was my que to leave him there. I could feel his glare pointed at my back from the pool as he swum to the surface. I could feel his annoyance, that he felt embarrassed. I smirked to myself, Choi San, you have no idea whom you’re trying to annoy. Yunho came after me quickly and gave me a high-five for the move I had just pulled off.

  The next hours at the party were spent by drinking and dancing, as I went into the dancing crowd. I just wanted to disappear in the crowd and feel good. I tried to avoid San the whole night as I didn’t want to see his furious side, San, who got humiliated by me. It was funny, I had to smile the whole time as I remembered his face when I pushed him into the pool, amused by the whole ordeal. I also got to know the guy who threw the party as Yunho introduced us to each other. Mingi was a tiny bit shorter than Yunho, but you could barely notice. He had a buzz cut and rocked his blonde hair; his sharp nose completed his small eyes well. He wore a black T-shirt with some silver necklaces around his neck, and black ripped jeans. His nails were painted black with some rings on his fingers. I am not going to lie; he was hot as hell. And I also found out that he races alongside with Yunho. He owns a Toyota Supra, and that nearly made me faint when he told me about it, because it’s a rare car. He then proceeded to show it to me. It was so beautiful and unique due to its painting. It was kind of a papaya orange with some words on it painted on it, 'Fix on' and 'Youth'. I really liked it.

I had asked the boys about what kind of race San spoke about, and they said it’s an illegal motorbike race, which happen to be very rare here. I quickly tried to forget about it. I didn't want to cause trouble again; I had promised my mom and also myself to stay low, to be better. San was just provoking me; I wouldn’t fall into his trap.

  The next day at university as I was walking down the corridor, headed to the cafeteria, something immediately caught my eyes. It was a poster with a motorbike on it, of course it caught my eyes. I went closer to read it. It said that a motorbike competition was to be held, and the prize were some new parts to upgrade your motorcycle. This was the competition San was talking about, and it's going to be held tonight on the deserted streets of the city. I'm not going to lie; it piqued my interest. I miss speeding down the roads, the adrenaline coursing through my veins every time I race. And my bike is in urgent need of an upgrade, because these past days it felt like something was wrong with it, but I couldn’t figure out what it was exactly. For now, I'm going to let it go, but I still took the poster with me…just in case.

Evening came and I was in my room, I barely talked to my father all day, nothing unusual. Sometimes when I'm alone, and that happens a lot recently, I just start thinking about useless things that make me feel weak. I have never opened up to anyone before, I was never that kind of person, and besides, I always thought it's useless to open up to someone, because in the end they never truly care about me. And the fact that I was betrayed by my own "friends", it just confirms that I really should just stick to myself. I'm not going to say that it didn’t hurt when I saw my friends running away from the police, pushing me straight in front of them, telling me, "You are the new girl, handle it." Funny, I'm the new girl everywhere, I'm not going to belong anywhere, I am always going to be the new girl. They thought it was a nice joke, it wasn't; it ruined me. I started to think that the problem was me, that I deserved this, that I am not enough. As some time went by, I realized it wasn't my fault, but these thoughts still remained deep in my heart. And I will carry it with myself for a long time.

Here I am again, thinking about these things. These are those moments, when I need to clear my head. My solution for it is going out into the chilly air with my bike, cutting through the wind with the highest speed my bike can handle. The feeling of it being night, and I'm alone with Toothless, speeding through unknown streets, I feel like it's just me and my bike in this whole world. It’s like therapy for me. It just…understands me, just like the feeling you get while listening to music; sometimes you listen to a sad song, it makes you sad, it just describes your feelings, but if you are happy and you listen to that exact same song, it'll bring happy tears out of you.

  I was going around the city aimlessly, when suddenly I saw a bunch of bikers headed somewhere. That's when I realized they were going to the competition. My heart started to beat quickly. I started inhaling and exhaling slowly, just the thought of racing made my blood boil, my skin itch, awakening my body like nothing else.

And as I kept following after them, suddenly I realized I arrived to the location of the competition. It was really my subconscious taking over, driving me here. I slowed down a little. There were a lot of people around crowding the bikers, watching their unique motorcycles. Some background music accompanied the sound of the engines as it melted together, creating an intriguing melody. The atmosphere here were totally different compared to the one in the big city. Back there it was just serious faces, who hated each other. But here, I only saw smiles and laughs even between the racers as it seemed like everyone looked at each other friendly, not viewing the other as the enemy.

I stopped my bike, turning the engine off after having parked it. I noticed some curious eyes on me. I didn't know what to do now, I was totally alone. I didn’t know anyone, but I needed to fight my anxiety as I took my helmet off. My helmet always gave me safety, kept me unknown, and that's what I always wanted.

When I stepped next to my bike, someone immediately caught me into a hug. It was Yunho. He lifted me up in the air and smiled.

"Oh my God, you are here, Y/N!" He said excitedly, putting me down.

I laughed, "Yes, I am. I don't know how exactly, I was out for a ride, and then I found myself here."

I said placing my helmet down on my bike.

"I am so happy you are here." Yunho said, his smile never disappearing.

"Yeah, I can see that." I chuckled looking at his bright face.

"Will you sign up for the competition?" He asked me with curious eyes.

I sighed, "I'm here so—I guess?"

I lifted my hands into the air, shrugging.

"Yes!" Yunho fist bumped the air happily, making me chuckle.

He then led me to a person at which I needed to sign up for the competition. I didn't know who I was going to compete against, just until Choi San came to sign up as well. I had already finished signing up as I stood aside with Yunho, while he leaned towards me and quietly started to introduce each racer.

"Did you know that we are going to race against each other, princess?" San said, throwing a quick glance my way with his sharp eyes, signing the paper in front of him. I checked him out very quickly, hoping nobody would notice. He was wearing his typical leather jacket but with a black T-shirt underneath, and ripped jeans this time. His black hair fell into his eyes as he finished filling out the paper. Every woman very noticeably thirsted after him, and I wasn't an exception…he’s fucking hot. What a shame he has a shitty personality.

I rolled my eyes and ignored him, tuning to face Yunho, who was talking to some guy I didn't know. Did San really not understand that I didn’t want to talk to him?

"I want to race against her." I heard San's voice coming from behind me. I turned around to look at him annoyed.

"You can’t get rid of me so fast." He winked at me, that fucker.

"I will, on the track." I smiled at him sweetly, turning around again as I went back to my bike with Yunho, adrenaline slowly starting to course through my body. I had to win this, I had to wipe that confident smile off of San's face.

The race started, it was a drag racing, meaning three bikers were lined on the starting point, it was a shorter straight section, then as the lights turned green from red, you just needed to shift the gears up as perfectly as you could. The first who reaches the finish line wins. Speed mattered only here, and how detailed you are about the gearing.

A few bikers were already done with the race, and I watched them curiously. Slowly, it was our turn to race. People were loud and they cheered whenever their favorites won.

I rolled over to the starting point. One guy was already there and I found out that I'm going to race against San and a guy named Hongjoong, whose nickname was the Devil. I didn't know him, but Yunho said he is one of the most well-known bikers in the town. He had a Honda CBR. His bike was sick, it was bright red and the owner sitting on it with his red helmet really looked like the Devil himself, I get why they call him that.

As I rolled next to him, I glanced towards my right as he was there. He looked at me and bowed his head, I did the same. It was a sign of respect. I liked the guy already.

San arrived to my left side with his Suzuki GSX, painted also with a very dark red, reminding me of blood, mixed with some black. These guys weren't playing, their bikes were absolute monsters. I could almost hide with Toothless, but my bike was almost on the same level as theirs, so I saw hope in winning this.

When the announcer spoke, saying our names and a few things about our motorbikes, I slowly started to focus on the task at hand. I did not hear anything else, just my fast-beating heart. I fixed my eyes ahead, breathing in and out. The engine sounds pushed away the crowd’s noise. The red light suddenly switched green, and I quickly lifted my left foot off the ground, concentrating on the perfect timing of the gearing, bending over a little to adjust with the speed. From the outside it looks like three bikes quickly reach the finish line, but when you are the driver, it feels like the longest minutes of your life.

At the beginning the three of us were head-to-head, then I was the one who was leading. I could feel the victory coursing through my bloodstream already. But suddenly, I heard a puffing noise from my engine, and it stopped without any warning. My bike started to slow, the thoughts of winning long forgotten.

'Shit, shit, no, no, no, no, no!' I mumbled to myself. I could barely stop; my bike was still resonating.

The two other racers quickly passed by me, leaving me with my broken bike. I glanced forward and saw San reaching the finish line first. I was so fucking close. I hit my bike angrily, and got off it to push it over to the side. This is the worst feeling ever, when you are so close that you can already feel the win, but then something out of your control happens and it’s not your fault, you can’t do anything about it, you’re only left with cursing the world, asking, 'Why me?'

I could feel something was faulty with my bike, but I didn't think it was this bad. I heard someone running my way. It was Yunho, and when he reached me, he leaned his hands on his knees, catching his breath.

"Fuck, what happened?" He asked straightening up, still breathing quickly from running.

"I don't know, the engine just stopped working." I kicked my bike. I loved Toothless, but when it did things like this, I felt like I was going to throw it out.

Yunho came closer to my bike, to try and see what the problem was. He crouched down to take a closer look as I stood next to him, using the flash of my phone to help him see better. I heard an engine slowing down next to us. Of course it was San, he took his black helmet off, smiling at me deviously.

"Daddy's money wasn't enough for a normal motor? It’s called karma, princess.” He said with a death glare, smirking annoyingly. “This is because you fucking pushed me into the pool."

Why the hell did he enjoy spitting out words that made no sense at all?

I could feel my blood boiling, my biggest desire at the moment being the want to punch that confident smile off his annoying face. I was so close doing it, I swear to God, I was ready to punch him hard, but that little sanity I was clinging on to did not let it happen. I always had problems controlling my anger. But slowly, I learned to handle it. I learned how to manage these feelings, so I just let it bounce off of me.

"Next time I’m going to push you into the sea, if you don’t stop being an asshole. Go, celebrate your fucking win, you really deserve it." I said, staring at him with deadly eyes.

"Your wish is my command, Princess." He saluted with a smirk, and then placed his helmet back on, driving away with his annoyingly loud engine. I scoffed as I watched him roll away.

"I think I'm going to call my dad, there's no hope in fixing it." I sighed. I'm going to get into so much trouble now. I was forbidden from racing, my dad won't be happy, I'm sure. But it is what it is. At least the cops didn't show up this time.

I called my dad and told him what happened. I was nervous of how he would react. To my surprise, his first question was about my well-being. He said he was coming.

While I was waiting alone for my dad—I told Yunho that he could since my dad was coming— Hongjoong stopped by my side, taking his helmet off. His blonde hair fell into his face as he ruffled his hair. He was damn handsome, he looked so soft, the opposite of his nickname.

"Everything alright?" He asked, his eyes full of understanding.

"Not really, my engine is broken, so yeah…" I said with a sad smile.

"Can I help you with anything?" He looked at me as if he really understood what I was feeling right now.

"No, thank you, I'm waiting for my dad to pick us up." I pointed at my bike.

"Okay, such a shame this happened. It was a good race." He smiled at me and then reached his fist towards me.

"Yeah, it could’ve be a good one." I fist bumped him, smiling.

"Next time perhaps then." He winked at me sweetly, "If you need any help, I'mma be around." He put his helmet back on.

"Okay, thank you." I smiled at him sincerely.

He rolled away quickly, leaving me there with my thoughts. Now, that's what I'm talking about. Why aren't there more people like him on Earth? He looks like an angel, not like the devil I suppose he is—on track. I was intrigued, I wanted to get to know him better. San could really learn a thing or two from him.

  My dad arrived after a few minutes and we quietly placed my bike up on the trailer. As we were headed home, silence settled around us. I could feel he was pissed.

"I'm sorry." I said, looking straight ahead at the road, not wanting to see his disappointed expression.

"What did you think?" He started, "That you would race and I wouldn’t ever find out about it? It's a little town, Y/N, you already know how fast rumors spread here."

He glanced at me for a second.

"I know, I didn’t think, I just miss racing." Tears appeared in my eyes. "Please don't tell mom. She will send me to Azkaban after this."

Call it a defense mechanism, a trauma response, but I had always been like this…joking in serious situations.

I glanced at him and saw a very small smile appear on his lips, "I won't tell her, but it was very bold of you to race again. You can't do that, you know it, it'll have consequences."

He lectured me.

"Yeah, I know. Thank you for not telling mom." I said, relief spreading through my body.

"But you're still punished. You have to help me in the car service after school." He said glancing at me with a serious look.

"Okay, and maybe we could fix my bike too?" I said, glancing at him with a smile.

My father smiled back, "Maybe after we fixed some cars, we could check it out next week."

I clapped happily, "Thank you!"

The rest of the ride until we got home was quiet, I was happy my father was this understanding. I thought as soon as he finds it out, he'll send me back to mom, passing me between each other like I was a tennis ball. But to my surprise, it was the opposite, and I really didn't mind working in the car service. At least we could spend some more time together. I hoped we could fix our relationship, alongside with the cars, of course.

  My days went by and they all were quite the same. I attended my classes at university, then my whole afternoon went by fixing cars with my father. He managed to teach me a lot of things about cars, even though my world was all about motorbikes I was always interested in cars too. I was planning on buying a car, but I needed to put that aspiration aside for a while. My priority was fixing my bike so I could finally ride it.

We checked out my bike and we found out that my engine was overheated, and that's why it shut down. An engine upgrade was needed, and we changed the turbo as well while we were at it. It was going to be even more powerful than before; I was so excited to finally try it out. On some days, Yunho and Mingi would come by the car service to check on me, and they even started helping me out in fixing my bike. We started getting closer, we laughed a lot in between the late-night repairing.

Yunho and Mingi invited me to watch their races, which were going to be held today. I had never been to races like this one before, so I happily accepted the invitation. I could finally try my bike out as I was headed to the race. It felt so good riding it again after a while. I felt like I could breathe again. I think I had gotten addicted to this feeling.

The race was held at the race track of the town, in the afternoon. The sun was slowly going down as I rode my bike, painting my black bike and helmet with the shade of dark orange.

When I arrived to the track, there were lots of people being excited about the race. It was a drag race again, but with cars this time. I looked around and I saw different types of cars, each looking very sick and unique. I started to feel excited as I was rolling down between the cars, searching for Yunho's parked car.

Then, I suddenly recognized someone with a blonde hair. He noticed me and started walking towards me with a smile. I stopped and took off my helmet.

"Fixed your bike, huh?" Hongjoong approached me with a genuine smile.

"Yeah, finally." I pet my bike with a smile.

"I'm glad, we shall try it out some day." He said with his white teeth flashing.

"We shall." I smiled back at him. I would wholeheartedly race with him again.

"Are you racing?" I asked with a frown.

"No, I came to watch, I won't betray my beast." He laughed sweetly. I swear to God, his laugh was like music to my ears, "You came to watch too?"

"Yeah, I've never been to races like this one before." I said, feeling excited.

"We can watch it together; I know the best place where we can watch it from." Hongjoong offered with a sweet smile.

"Okay." I accepted his offer quite easily, "But first, I want to wish Yunho and Mingi good luck."

"Come, you can put your bike down there, I’ll show you where they are." He pointed towards my right, where I could park my bike.

I pushed my bike to the designated area, and brought my helmet with myself. I did not want to leave my treasure there. Hongjoong lead the way to where Yunho's blue GT-R was parked, next to Mingi's orange Supra. These two cars next to each other looked so good. I was very tempted to take a picture of them.

I approached Yunho and hugged him from behind, surprising him. He laughed, "You came, finally."

"I would never miss it." I smiled looking up at him. He was wearing his racing suit with colors that matched his car. His hair was lazily brushed over his forehead, almost reaching his eyes.

I hugged Mingi too, the top part of his orange racing suit lazily hung around his waist, a white T-shirt underneath. This orange clothing suit him very well, highlighting his blonde buzz cut. They looked handsome. What is it today, everyone is looking so good?!

"I'm going to be in the crowd, watching you guys, good luck. Fighting!" I smiled and hugged them both again. Hongjoong also wished them good luck, resorting to giving them high-fives.

"Thanks, we'll try." Yunho said laughing.

We then walked to the spot Hongjoong mentioned before. It was really a good one, we could see everything from here. The crowd started to cheer as the first cars appeared on the track. It was a 2v2. Yunho was the first one, competing against a Mitsubishi Lancer. It was going to be hard to beat that car, but Yunho did not disappoint, and he won with a lot of advantage. Every minute counted here; they were measuring the time up until you crossed the finish line. Time mattered here as it could beat your opponent.

After a lot of quick races, the sun went down, street lamps were lighting the track up, the crowd cheering loudly. We laughed a lot with Hongjoong, and he explained the rules of the races we were witnessing. I finally felt happy after a long time, I loved the atmosphere here.

That is until someone sat next to me.

"Now you’re into cars too? Tell your stepdad to send you a car, a broken one perhaps." San said, looking at me with those fucking annoying sharp eyes of his.

Every time he appears, my mood is fucked, "I will, now leave me the fuck alone."

I had said not looking at him.

San laughed, "Not until we're racing with equal chances."

"Oh, so now you admit it wasn't a fair win for you?" I looked at him with a glare.

"No, I would've won anyways. I just wanted to see how much you could push. But your bike said, nah. I bet it'll fall apart again." He said, leaning closer to me.

My blood started boiling, it was one thing if I was the one saying shit about Toothless, but him spitting out these words about my bike were not allowed. Ever. San was provoking me, and I knew it, I fucking knew it, yet…

"Come, I'll fucking beat you this time." I looked at him with blazing eyes, starring at him sharply.

He stood up smiling, "It'll be my pleasure, princess."

He put his right hand on his heart and bowed.

Oh, how I would hit him in the face, I had nightmares about that fucking confident smile.

I stood up, Hongjoong grabbed my hands to make me look at him, "It's not the best time going out there, Y/N."

He said with concern in his voice.

"I don't care, I want to wipe that confident smile off his face." I was long gone, there was no chance of anyone convincing me doing otherwise.

Hongjoong stood up, looking at me with concern, "But please be careful, call me if anything happens."

He held my hands, he really looked concerned.

"Don't worry, savior. I'll keep her safe." San glared at Hongjoong with the deadliest stare I've ever seen.

Hongjoong stepped closer to San, letting go of my hands. "If anything happens to her because you’re a fucking idiot and your ass is just itchy, you'll regret it, I promise."

Hongjoong stared back at San, and in this moment, he really looked like the Devil. I stood between them as they were eyeing each other, glaring with their noses flared.

Whoa, whoa, hold on a second, what was happening right now—

"Okay, guys, stop! Let's not waste any more time and get this shit over." I looked at San, losing my patience.

He winked at me and then smiled, his dimples appearing. Did I just notice he has dimples?

He did not wear his usual black leather jacket tonight; it was a leather jacket with some red on its sleeves and on the waist with white lines. On the front there was a writing 'SUZUKI', referring to his motorbike being the same brand. I’m not going to lie; he looked hot as fuck.

We walked over to our bikes, which were parked next to each other. I sat on my bike.

"So where are we going? You know this town." I looked over to my left side to meet San's gaze.

"There's a freeway not far from here. There’ll be traffic, but it’s more exciting that way." He smirked.

I started my engine and reached my hand out, motioning to him to show me the way. We both placed our helmets on, and then it was game on from there on. There was no turning back anymore.

I followed San, turning on unknown streets, it was barely a five-minute ride. We stopped where the freeway began.

"The winner is who gets to the end of the freeway first. It's not that long." He told me through his helmet, being on my left side.

I just nodded, it was late into the evening, but the cars ahead of us were countless. It was a three-lane road, people might’ve been going home from work, because there were a lot of cars. We lined up at the side of the road, in front of the red light. San pointed at that, signaling that if it turns green, we start. I started to reeve the engine, my legs in starting position with my eyes focused on the road ahead of me, counting the cars, and analyzing how could I pass by them. Adrenaline crawled through me; my skin covered in goosebumps. I have never felt like this before, I was so hyped about winning this. I had to win this.

The red light suddenly changed to green, and I quickly lifted my foot off the ground, bending over my bike and shifting up. We slid through the cars like the river runs through the rocks. We were two quick arrows passing by the cars, wheezing from left to right. At first, we were head-to-head, but I got lucky and I could pass by a big truck very quickly. San wasn't that lucky, he stayed behind a little. We arrived to a tunnel; sudden strong light hit my eyes. Traffic was lesser here, so, San quickly caught up with me. The sound of our engines were so loud that its echo bounced of the tunnel’s walls. It was like music, the two-engine sound melting into each other. I'm not going to lie, I was enjoying it so much as I have never felt like this before, it was the definition of freedom. I quickly glanced at San and he lifted his arms, giving me a thumps up, then quickly passed by me. But I did not let that happen, I went after him. We arrived to the end of the tunnel, sudden darkness hitting me now, my eyes needed a few minutes to adopt to the dark again. As cars were in front of us, I quickly took the chance to go in between two cars, and I was leading again. Until I suddenly saw red and blue lights flashing from behind.

Shit, shit, no, not again—

It felt like my heart was about to jump out of my chest, it was beating so fast. I can't get caught again, no way. I started to panic, and suddenly all strength escaped my body as I started to slow down. I couldn’t think straight as all thoughts left my mind seeing those colors again, getting flashbacks of that night. The lights, then being pushed straight into the cop’s hands, my friends running away, leaving me alone. San was suddenly next to me.

"Hey, Y/N, don't slow down, we need to lose them! I know a shortcut, follow me!" He yelled over the sounds of our engines and through his helmet, as I suddenly was back from the flashback as I looked behind me, seeing as the cops getting closer and closer.

I just nodded, suddenly feeling my strength coming back to me. There's no way they will catch me again. I quickly followed after San, passing by the cars, the police still following us, getting closer. San turned right onto a street, then left. We went through alleys and little streets, where only a bike would fit. I had no idea where were we, but I didn't care, because it seemed like San's plan was working and the red and blue lights were now far away from us. Suddenly, San turned left and went inside an abandoned factory's court. He quickly stopped and turned off the engine, signaling for me to do the same. I rolled next to him, and switched the key to turn off the engine. I glanced behind my back, I didn't see any signs of the police, but I still felt like I couldn’t breathe. I took off my helmet quickly, starting to inhale and exhale quickly.

"Fuck." I ran my fingers through my hair stressed, pulling it away from my face.

"Come, let's go inside, bring your bike too." San said, getting off his bike as he started pushing it towards the building.

As I got off my bike, I was shaking, the adrenaline was still in my blood. We brought our bikes inside and I needed to sit quickly. I sat down, pressing my back against my bike, lifting my knees up to my chest.

"I think they're gone." San sat down, doing the same as me.

He glanced over me, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." I said, still not looking at him.

"Are you really that scared of the cops?" I could hear it in his voice that he was smiling.

"San, this is really not the time where you can say shit like that." I glanced over at him. I guess he saw my expression, because his face changed.

"Sorry, I didn’t—" We lifted our heads up as we heard the siren sounds. The red and blue lights lit the walls of the factory, and my heart dropped to my stomach.

"Shit, shit, they are coming here." I stood up, San did too. But suddenly, I heard the sirens getting further and further away. I let out the big breath I was holding this whole time.

"They just passed by, idiots." San laughed.

I glanced over at him in disbelief, and sat down again next to my bike.

San mirrored me, "We need to wait a little, though, so they will give up searching for us."

"You were in these kinds of situations a lot, huh?" I asked San, staring ahead into the darkness.

"Kinda, that's why I knew what to do." He said sighing. Quiet fell over us as we both were thinking, probably not about the same things as he spoke up, "But I don't get it. What did you do that you got almost arrested? Did you crash your bike and kill someone?”

He looked at me frowning. I scoffed at him; I really couldn’t believe he was like this.

"You don't know anything about me, so please stop assuming things when you don't know shit." I stared at him angrily, "It's making me feel sick, San. I'm so fucking tired of your comments, what did I do to you for you to behave like this with me?"

I asked him, looking his way then at my hands, "I was just fucking racing because I love to do so. Why is that so bad? Don’t you do the same thing, San? I’ve got arrested because my friends left me there, so I was blamed for that whole mess, on my own. So, please, ask before you talk shit."

There was a minute of silence, "Fuck, I didn't know, Y/N. I don't fucking know why I'm an asshole with you. It is so easy to piss you off."

I glanced at him; he was staring ahead as he ran his fingers through his raven black hair.

"And you are enjoying this?" I scoffed at him in disbelief.

"Of course I don’t, it’s just—" He turned my way, "Lately I did it just because I wanted to race against you and I thought if I provoke you, then you'll come. I know it sounds stupid, but don't say you didn't like it."

He seemed nervous a little. Choi San being nervous, interesting.

"I did enjoy it, San. But what the hell, why couldn't you just ask me nicely if I wanted to come with you? I would've, if you weren't such an asshole.” I looked at him, “And our bickering or whatever did not start here.”

"Yeah…I know." He looked down at his hands, "When we were kids you suddenly just got cold and pushed me away like I was some garbage. I was a little kid, it hurt."

He admitted. I didn’t recognize this San, this softer, nicer, side of him was strange to me.

"I was a little kid too. Kids are mean, you just had a weak heart." I said to him, "That does not mean you have to be an asshole your whole life, because I mistreated you when we were fucking kids. This is it, San. You need to adapt to some situations; you have to let go of foolish things at times."

I looked at him seriously.

"Forgive me for being such an asshole, you did not deserve it. I just tried to blame other people for my weaknesses." He admitted, and for a second, he looked vulnerable. But it vanished away quickly.

And suddenly we started sharing about our lives, the cops long forgotten, things that we didn't know about the other. I could see the side of him, which he rarely let anyone see. He could be really goofy, we laughed together, trying to recall the ridiculous situations we were in when we were just kids.

"And just so you know, I bought my bike, not someone else. I worked for it, for years. I took shift after shift, because I wanted something. You know…it hurt when you said those things to me." I suddenly felt like I had to tell him how much he stabbed a knife into my heart that day.

"Fuck this, this whole situation is ridiculous." He scoffed, his voice getting weaker. "I'm so fucked up. I'm so fucking tired of adapting to what people expect of me. I did this my whole life."

I looked at him as he buried his face into his palms.

Silence fell over the chilly air as San seemed to be on edge, while he quietly sniffed. I couldn’t believe that San was crying. It came out of the blue; I did not understand the cause of it.

Suddenly, I slipped next to him. I just wanted to hug him, he looked so broken. So, I went closer to him, still sitting on the ground, and hugged him tightly as he scooted closer to me and buried his face into my neck.

"It's okay, San. Sometimes life can be too much. Just let it out." I stroked his back patiently. I felt some tears falling onto my neck.

 I couldn’t believe I was hugging Choi San right now, but I have always been like this. I don't care if he harmed me, if he needs a shoulder to cry on in his most vulnerable moment, then I’m going to be there for him because no one deserves to be alone in these moments.

"I'm so tired, I'm sick of this pain…" He mumbled into my neck, sobbing a bit, "After my mom died—"

"Your mom died?" I lifted his head from my neck, cupping his face with my hands. I looked at him with round eyes. I didn't know his mother died; I was shocked.

"Yeah, right after you moved away..." He said, looking into my eyes with his puffy ones. He seemed empty, he seemed like he wasn't feeling anything at all, "She had cancer, she…She struggled a lot…and I was alone, I needed someone to be there for me, I tried…I really tried." He said, his voice getting quieter.

I did not want to believe what I just heard, his mom was an angel, everyone liked her when she stepped on the stage alongside with the town’s major. They looked like true leaders. I always looked up to her, and now she’s gone.

"Oh my God, I didn't know, San. I'm sorry for your loss.” I blinked away my own tears as I wiped away his, “If I would've known—"

I felt a bit overwhelmed.

Suddenly his expression changed, it seemed like he had realized what he had done in the last few minutes. He locked his feelings away, again. He thought he showed too much of his weaker, softer, side and suddenly, he started closing off, just like I used to do. The old San was coming back. He pushed my hands away from his face aggressively, not looking at me.

"Whatever, I don't need your pity." He stared ahead, and leaned back against his bike, lifting his knees up to his chest.

I scoffed, "What did I do now?”

I blinked at him, not understanding the sudden mood change, “Okay, you can't be helped. I tried, I really tried to be nice with you, but you are impossible."

I stood up, "I think the cops are long gone, let's get the fuck out of here." I pushed my bike outside not waiting for San. I sat on my bike, starting the engine. San arrived next to me, with his bike.

"I'm sorry, Y/N." He looked at me with sincerity, but I did not fall for it.

"Yeah, me too, have a good night." I said with a disappointed look and I put my helmet on to drive away quickly. I just needed to get as far away as possible from him.

  Weeks passed since that night. I tried to avoid San as much as I could. I just couldn't face him; I was so tired of his games. There were a few occasions when he tried to talk to me, but I just ignored him. It's not that I don't understand him, I do, I know what he's been through…at least I can imagine. That night, I tried to see his good side, but he did not let me in. And it hurt, because I knew he needed someone, and I would've been by his side. But he suddenly decided to push me away. He closed himself off, stayed in the dark, not allowing me to light his path for a way out. I really felt hopeful for a second that he could change, that he would lower his walls and let me in. But no, he'll just never change, so I gave up on hoping. At least I thought so, but these past days I just couldn't get him out of my mind. When I closed my eyes, I saw him as he smiled at me in for that few minutes when we were freely talking about ourselves. I'm not going to lie, I liked that side of San, it was so pure. And I would've never thought I was going to say such things about Choi San. But he made me feel strange things.

It was late into the night when I was still in the car service. A car needed to be fixed by tomorrow and I told my dad he could rest, he has worked all day long and I could see he was really tired, so I wanted to fix this car by tomorrow. The weather seemed like it would rain soon, lighting striking every few minutes.

Suddenly, I heard an engine sound from outside. I frowned, who it is this late? I opened up the garage door and I found myself facing a soaked San, getting off his Suzuki, staring at me the whole time. His clothes were starting to soak through, the raindrops falling off from his leather jacket. It had started pouring badly; I haven’t even realized it. My heart was beating fast. He took off his helmet, his hair immediately getting wet. San ran his fingers through his hair.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him without any emotion.

"I just want to talk to you, Y/N. Please, let me take you to a place." He looked at me with pleading eyes.

"In this weather, San, seriously?" I pointed out, still standing under the garage, safe from the pouring rain.

"It'll stop in a few minutes." He said his, black clothes soaked now, waterdrops falling off his face. 

"How do you know? Are you a weather expert now too?" I asked frowning. I was just as hostile as he once was towards me.

He chuckled and ran his fingers through his hair again. "I deserved that. Just like the pool."

He looked at me again. I could see a lot of regret in his eyes.

"That night, I closed myself off because your face reminded me of all the people who pitied me back then, when she died. I was only 11 years old, and I got sick of seeing those faces, it always reminded me of her death."

He started to tear up, his voice getting weak again, "Please, Y/N, forgive me. I know I fucked up everything, I just—you—you drive me crazy and I can't behave around you. I feel like when I'm near you I’ll lose my mind, like I’m not myself anymore. I said a lot of shitty things to you, and I judged you a lot even though I didn't know anything about you. I want to change that, I want to know you better, Y/N. I want to let you in, I'll do that if you also want it, but I hope you won't be scared of what you'll see."

I saw as teardrops fell down on his face, but the rain immediately washed it away, his voice cracking from the flow of emotions.

My heart wanted to jump out of my chest. I didn't except him to say things like these to me, "I'm not scared, San, to see your dark side. I never was, and I never will be."

Tears started to appear in my eyes, to my surprise, "You said some hurtful things to me, but I get it, I really do. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, but I was just so shocked, I didn't know…I didn't know, San."

I started to sob, tears falling from my face.

"I know, I know, baby." He stepped closer to me as he reached out for my hands pulling me out into the rain, into his chest. I cried into his chest as he rubbed my back up and down, my clothes and my hair soaked. I should’ve been the one comforting him, but in the end, I was the one sobbing like a little girl into his chest.

We stood in the heavy rain; our clothes wet, my hair sticking to my forehead yet he still hugged me like he never wanted to let me go. Caressing my back, he kissed the top of my head. I tried to inhale and exhale, so I could finally speak.

"I forgive you, and also I'm sorry." I whispered to him, lifting my head up from his chest.

He didn't let me go, his left hand was on my waist and he reached his right hand up to my cheeks to wipe off my tears, but they were wet again with tears and raindrops. "It's okay, don't cry, please, because then I'll cry too."

He smiled at me with the sincerity I've never seen before. His eyes were saying so much, it hurt. He finally let me in, allowed me to see his real self.

I laughed at that, and he followed suit, laughing together at this predicament, "Look at us, soaked like wet rats."

He smiled at me, never taking his sharp eyes off me.

Then suddenly his expression became serious, he stared at me as if I was his treasure, wanting to bury me, so no one could take me away, "I want to know you better, I want to know everything about you. What you like, what you don't, what is your favorite color, what do you like to eat, what you did while you were gone from here, what does it feel like to ride your bike…I want to know you, and never let you go."

He said, his hand still on my cheek, accompanied by his other one.

I smiled at him. I felt so happy at that exact moment, I didn't care if I was soaked, I only saw him, "Me too."

I said quietly.

He leaned closer to me, his lips almost touching mine, "Can I kiss you?"

He whispered against my lips sweetly.

Chills ran through my body. I never wanted anything more than him kissing me. I just nodded; words long forgotten. He closed the distance between us, and when our lips finally met, there was a loud thunder rumbling the world, lighting flashing around us and rain pouring from above, washing away our past where we said a lot of stupid things to each other. We could start with a clear page, melting our futures together. Our lips never stopped moving, it felt like heaven and hell met with each other as our lips moved against the other’s, just like when we were racing, both of us tried to win the other over. I welcomed San's darkness wholeheartedly and tried to scare it away with my light.

Then suddenly the rain stopped, and we separated from each other, looking up at the sky. The clouds were gone and the full moon was shining so brightly it looked like it was almost daylight.

I chuckled looking up, "You should apply to be a weatherman."

San was gazing at me so lovingly I felt like I was going to melt right there, "See? Now you can come with me, I want to show you something."

He held my hands.

"Okay, I should bring my bike then." I smiled at him, feeling as happiness crawled into my chest.

"It would be more proper if I was the one taking you there, but I want to race you." He held my waist and pecked my lips a few times. I still needed to get used to this San. I really liked it.

"I'm going to beat you." I scrunched my nose cutely.

"Okay, princess, but first, go change. I don't want you to catch a cold." He caressed my cheekbones.

"I'll bring you some clothes of dad’s, you'll catch a cold too otherwise." I kissed him quickly and then went inside the house, smiling like a fool, to grab some dry clothes.

  It was the middle of the night, but two engine sounds cut through the late-night life. We were going up on winding roads, forests covering both sides of the road. I was laughing beneath my helmet as San goofed around, slowing down and then speeding again. I think I have never felt more happier than right now. It was pure freedom going through these curvy roads, racing against each other. But in the end, it was just the two of us sharing our passion, riding our motorbikes, the moon shining upon us brightly, guiding our roads, showing our future ahead of us.

I finally knew I belonged somewhere, to someone. It was my hometown, and Choi San.

[captainsophiestark]

Power Couple

Tristan Flynn x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for Fictober 2024!

Fandom: Crescent City

Day Twenty-One Prompt: "We've done worse."

Summary: Tristan and his SO are in the van working together to help Lidia, Ruhn, Hunt, and Baxian escape. It's the mission of a lifetime, and they can't afford to fail.

Word Count: 2,534

Category: Fluff, Humor, Angst

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

"Alright, are you two set?"

I leaned forward and picked up the radio on the dash, holding down the button to reply.

"Set."

"Good. They're on their way out now. I'll give you a signal when they clear the gates."

"Copy."

I set the radio back on the dash, then took a deep breath and started the car. A moment later, I felt a warm, familiar hand resting on my thigh.

"I heard what you said to Dec, but I feel like it's my job as your boyfriend to ask: you ready for this?"

I huffed a laugh and turned to look at Tristan Flynn, sitting in the passenger seat of the van next to me. We'd been here for the better part of an hour now, doing my least favorite part of a mission: waiting.

Our friends had been captured by the Asteri, and we'd finally figured out a way to get them back. It wasn't going to be easy, but it was a chance, and not one of us had hesitated to take it. For Tristan and I's part, we'd be providing support for our friends' getaway car. Tristan would put his Aux training to the test and provide firepower, while I'd be living up to my driving reputation behind the wheel.

If things were going according to plan, Lidia would be on her way out of the Palace of the Asteri with our friends in tow. They'd be racing through the city streets in moments, and we'd meet them there. My heart raced, mostly at the thought of everything that could go wrong, but I nodded anyway as I laid my hand on top of Tristan's.

"Yeah... yeah, I'm ready. Just... worried."

"About?"

"Something going wrong when we're still too far away to help."

I turned to face Tristan as he nodded, giving my thigh a little squeeze. We shared a small smile.

"I know how you feel. We've just gotta trust them to take care of themselves until they can get to us. And then nobody coming after us will stand a chance."

I huffed a laugh, the smile on my face growing a little more sincere. Tristan never failed to make me feel better, even in the face of ridiculous life-threatening situations that had become all too normal in the past few weeks. I shook my head.

"I can't believe we're about to go racing through the streets of the capital city as part of an insane jailbreak from the most fortified jail in the world." Tris just shrugged.

"We've done worse."

"Babe. Literally what have we done that's worse than this?"

"How about the time you came as my date to a Lord Hawthorne function and had to sit through dinner with my entire family?"

I snorted. "Okay, that was worse."

The two of us shared a smile and a little laugh, the moment fading to something slightly more sincere as we held hands, staring into each other's eyes waiting for Dec's signal. We both knew what was at stake if something went wrong today. Not just for our friends, but for each other. The Asteri were brutal, and I wasn't going to let them get their hands on my boyfriend.

The radio crackled to life. "Alright, Daybright's heading to the gate! She got everybody out, but they've already got people trying to take them out. They'll be on you in a minute, get ready to go!"

I snatched up the radio and gave Dec another "Copy" before taking the car out of park and shifting into gear. Tristan leaned over, gently grabbing my chin and pulling me in for a fast, hard kiss. He pulled back, his eyes holding mine for just a moment, his expression unusually serious.

"We've got this, sweetheart. Let's show those bastards just who they're messing with."

I nodded, heart racing in my chest, and Tristan climbed into the back of the van. I heard him getting his gun ready and moving towards the van's sliding door, ready to provide support when we met up with Lidia and the rest of our friends. I took a deep breath, getting my head in the zone.

Right on cue, I heard an engine roaring from around the corner of the alley we were hiding down. I timed my exit perfectly, tearing out onto the street and falling immediately alongside Lidia in her jeep. I nodded to Lidia as I pulled alongside her, then a little bit ahead. I heard the sliding door of the jeep open.

"Where the fuck is your hand?" Tristan shouted. I could barely make out the words over the road noise and gunfire, and frankly, I didn't really want to know who his question had been addressed to.

Even if I'd wanted to, I didn't have the extra bandwidth for it, either. A pedestrian stepped out into the street, and I had to swerve to avoid them. I popped down a side street, not exactly our planned path, but not one that would be a problem either. We ended up flanking some of the forces on Lidia's tail, and Tristan took them out one by one.

A moment later, the radio crackled to life, the next part of our plan ready to go. I took a deep breath and redoubled my focus on the road ahead of me, buildings and people flying by. We were about to burn down the Spine, starting in the Eternal City; things were going to get a little wild.

I managed to fall into line with Lidia again as we neared the end of a massive street heading straight out of the city, explosions echoing in the distance. I heard Tristan shouting again, making sure our allies knew the plan.

"We'll cover the highway. Get to the port!"

After a moment, the van door slide shut again. Tristan was climbing his way back to me, but I didn't even glance at him. My attention was otherwise occupied.

Based on Lidia's intel, Mordoc and his dreadwolves, the biggest threat to our group's success, would be coming out of the southwestern gate. Now that Tristan and I had helped with the firefight through the city, we were going to try to make some trouble for the dreadwolves.

I took a deep breath as I hit another open road, only to find the southwestern gate closing quickly ahead of me. I swore under my breath and floored it, while Tristan rolled down his window and took a few shots at the people in the gate's guard station. I grit my teeth as we neared the rapidly-closing steel. It was going to be close, but we had to make it out of this city.

"Holy shit," Tristan breathed as we squeezed through the gate, steel scraping against the roof of our car and pushing our van down to the limit of the shocks. Our back bumper hit the road as we just managed to clear the city wall, and next to me, Tristan let out a whoop. "That's right! Nice work baby!"

I laughed, unable to stop a grin at getting through our near miss. We were nowhere near out of the woods yet, though—I had a pack of dreadwolves to catch.

"How did he look?" I asked, sparing just enough attention to glance at Tristan. "Ruhn."

"Bad. But he'll survive."

I let out a little sigh of relief. I'd come to care a lot about Hunt and Baxian, too, but Ruhn had been in my life a lot longer. Almost as long as Tristan. He was like a brother, and I felt a weight ease off my chest with the knowledge that he was going to be okay.

Assuming we could all make it back to the Depth Charger alive, of course.

"Alright. Time to lap these fuckers," I said, locking back into the zone and racing down the highway ahead of us. I didn't need to look at my boyfriend to know he was grinning.

"Go get 'em, babe."

The rest of the world faded out around me as I focused on driving as fast as possible, closing distance on the dreadwolf guard ahead. We had a limited window to slow them down before we had to peel off and make our own escape, and I wanted to make the most of it.

Lo and behold, I rounded a corner and exited flat out, and the tail end of the dreadwolf pack came into view on the road ahead.

"There we go! Holy shit, I love you," Tristan said next to me. I laughed, still not taking my attention off the road.

"I'm glad you're into this. My driving scared off a couple of people before you."

"Ha. Wimps."

I smiled, working to close the gap ahead enough for Tristan to get a clear shot. We only had another few minutes before we'd need to peel off for the sub. I needed to make them count.

About thirty seconds later, we were in reasonable range for Tristan to do his part. He popped out of the sunroof, bracing himself on the seat as he held his rifle up to his shoulder. I did my best to keep the car steady and in a straight line, and a moment later, I heard the bang of Tristan firing above me.

I kept my eyes on the cars ahead. Mordoc was running with a convoy of four cars, but if we could even take out one of them, it might make the difference for our friends' getaway.

Right on cue, I saw both back tires blow on the car closest to us. I moved to one side so we could pass them, and Tristan ducked down to avoid a few errant bullets as we sped by. Luckily for us, as planned, Mordoc had decided Lidia and our friends were the bigger prize. He didn't even slow down, although he couldn't have missed the loss of one of his cars.

"Time?" Tristan shouted down to me over the wind. I screamed back up at him to make sure he could hear me over the noise outside the car.

"Our turn's coming up fast! This is your last shot, so make it count and then get back in here!"

Tristan didn't respond. We were a little closer than we'd been to the remainder of the dreadwolf pack, and we'd taken out one of the four cars. Mordoc was obviously still untouched in the lead, but he'd at least have fewer numbers trying to catch up to Lidia.

I heard Tristan's gun fire two more times, and the back tires of the third car exploded. Unlike the first car, this one knew they were under fire and started swerving the moment their back end hit the road. They were trying to take Tristan and I out with them.

Tristan ducked back into the car, throwing his seatbelt on and closing the sunroof. And not a moment too soon.

I managed to control the car well enough to avoid the rapidly-slowing dreadwolf car, still chasing Mordoc to put distance between us and the angry dreadwolves behind us. The second car, the only one left besides the lead car with Mordoc, started slowing down like they wanted to do something about Tristan and I. But they were too late.

I kept up our speed until a few hundred meters before a side road, which Mordoc's cars had already passed. Then, I slammed on the breaks, slowing us down as much as possible before lifting off the breaks and turning into the corner. The tires on the van squealed, and I swear we almost went up on two wheels, but I didn't let it slow me down. I got back on the gas as we cleared the apex, tearing off down our escape road at mach 10.

"Are they following us?" I called over to Tristan. The road we'd turned onto was much narrower, and with trees and wildlife on either side, I didn't want to risk taking my eyes off the road to look in my mirrors if I didn't have to.

"No," came Tristan's reply after a moment. "If they were following us, they'd be in our mirrors already."

I let out a long breath and leaned back in the seat, relaxing my death grip on the steering wheel just a little. I kept our speed up, but now it was normal speed, not racecar speed.

"Nice work, babe," said Tristan. He reached over to put a hand on my thigh again, giving it a little squeeze. "That was great work."

"You too, Tris. Best marksman I've ever seen."

I spared a second to glance over at my boyfriend, and I found him grinning at me, a wild look in his eyes. I smiled back. All I wanted to do was lean over and kiss him, but technically, we weren't quite out of the woods yet.

Tristan kept an eye on the mirrors and had his gun at the ready as I refocused on the road. It felt like an eternity, but finally, we made it to one of the Depth Charger's launches which would be taking us and our van back to the ship.

When we pushed off of shore, out into the ocean, I took my hands of the wheel and my feet off the pedals for the first time in way too long. I flopped over sideways, resting my head on Tristan's shoulder.

"Great work, sweetheart," he said quietly, rubbing small circles against my thigh. "Seriously. That was amazing."

"Thanks. Have you- I wasn't paying attention to the radio. Did Dec call with any updates?"

Tristan shook his head. "Not yet. But we gave them a good opening. And they're all strong as hell."

"Yeah."

We fell silent for a moment after that. I couldn't help the seed of worry burrowing into my brain, spinning out with a thousand different scenarios of ways our rescue may have gone wrong. Tristan, my wonderful boyfriend, knew me well enough to notice.

"They're okay," he said, moving to wrap an arm around my shoulders and squeezing me against his side. "I'm sure they are. They made it, and we're gonna hug the shit out of them the minute we get back to the ship."

"...How can you be so confident? Mordoc and one of his other cars got away from us. What if-"

"Nope. We're not doing what ifs. I know they made it, because they're almost as badass and capable as we are. There's no way that shithead and his attack dogs managed to stop them."

I snorted, burying my head into Tristan's chest to stifle a further laugh. Nobody else could lift me out of a funk like he could.

The two of us stayed like that, sharing a rare moment of quiet together, until the Depth Charger came into view. I sighed.

"Thanks, Tris. Now come on, we've got friends to check on."

"Can't wait until they're all healthy again and we can compare stories. We did some badass stuff out there, I don't want anybody forgetting it."

"Assuming our friends are fine, and we get the happy ending we're aiming for? I'm not letting anybody forget the time we ran down the dreadwolves and took out half their pack in a matter of minutes. Hunt and Bryce might be the magical chosen ones or whatever, but as far as I'm concerned, we're the best power couple of them all."

****************

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury @kmc1989 @space-helen @misshale21

Maasverse Taglist: @lilah-asteria

[yxngbxkkie]

street racing series masterlist

hello! so, i’ve seen the idea of min as a street racer on tik tok. and, recently, i had the idea to make mood boards of skz as street racers. which you can find that post here! i’ve now decided to write a mini series for this idea. i’m super excited about the ideas that i have, and i hope that you enjoy it as well <3

~

Secrets - Bang Chan

Lately, over the past month and a half, your best friend has been blowing you off. You know Chan isn’t normally like that, and being in love with him didn’t help the fact either. You tried asking his friends about it, but they wouldn’t tell you anything. The only thing they’d say is, “It’s not my secret to tell.” You decide to distance yourself from him, even though he’s already kind of doing that himself. After a month of not seeing or talking to Chan, he randomly shows up at your apartment one night. You try to get him to go home, telling him that you didn’t want to see him, but he wasn’t having any of it. He dragged you out of your apartment, reassuring you that he’ll explain why he kept blowing you off. And that’s how you end up in the passenger seat of Chan’s car, participating in a street race.

Rivals - Lee Know

Lee Minho, a rival of your boyfriend. The guy you’re dating warned you about him multiple times. From how he puts it, Minho is an asshole. And from what you’ve seen, you can agree. Unfortunately, your boyfriend has lost more races against him than won, and Minho’s not afraid to rub it in both of your faces when everything’s done for the night. The rivalry between your boyfriend and Minho becomes too toxic for you that you end up going to Minho to try and mend it. You slip into his vehicle before the race starts, not your best idea but it was the only idea you had at that moment in time, and it quickly turns into a bad idea when your boyfriend catches you in his car.

Change of Heart - Seo Changbin

You met Seo Changbin in a coffee shop. He’s loud, cocky, and sometimes he’s kind of a dick. You dread it every time he comes into the cozy place. Sometimes you wish you could quit your job there and work somewhere else, just to get away from him. After going out with a man you met through your job, you end up at an illegal street race. You quickly find yourself uncomfortable with this guy and when you ask him to bring you home, he ditches you. One thing you didn’t expect… Seo Changbin coming to your rescue.

Off Limits - Hwang Hyunjin

You’re the daughter of a big corporate boss. Your father despises the street races that go on almost every night near his company building. He’s warned you his whole life to stay away from those kinds of people. Sometimes street racers can be hard to spot. Who would’ve thought that the handsome man you met at an art exhibit would be one of the best street racers in the city?

Childhood Friends - Han Jisung

You moved away from Seoul when you were a teenager. You hated leaving. You didn’t want to leave. Especially after meeting Han Jisung. He and his family lived next door to yours since you were toddlers. After being away for ten years, you finally find yourself living in Seoul again. The first thing you attempt to do is get in contact with Jisung. The two of you kept in contact for a few years after you moved but as time went on, the messages slowly stopped coming. One night, you stumble upon a street race. You heard that they happen a lot but you’ve never seen them. And you never would’ve thought that your childhood friend would be a part of it. 

My Favorite Boy - Lee Felix

You meet Lee Felix through your best friend. She’s dating one of his friends and one night she asked you to go for a drive with her. With how busy you’ve been with work, you accepted her offer. Your whole night did a 180 when the two of you show up at a street race that her boyfriend is participating in. You’ve only seen street races in movies. Before the race starts, you find yourself aimlessly walking around the parked cars. That’s when you meet a beautiful man with cheeks littered with freckles and a personality that shines as bright as the sun.

Anything For You - Kim Seungmin

You knew that Seungmin was a street racer. He kept it a secret from you for half of your relationship. You understood why he did it. He wanted to keep you safe and he didn’t want you to worry about him. Recently, you’ve been hearing about how dangerous street racing has become. A few people have been holding grudges against the people they lost to. You’d be lying if you said you weren’t worried about Seungmin, even though the two of you broke up months beforehand.

Racing Gone Wrong - Yang Jeongin

Your roommate has been sneaking out of the apartment almost every night. You, being a curious person, decide to follow him one night and found out his biggest secret. Street racing. Never in a million years, you would think that your roommate, who’s an absolute angel, would be a street racer. You planned to tell him that you knew but a part of you thought he’d get angry, so you kept it to yourself. It didn’t stop you from going every night he went, disguising yourself with a hoodie he’s never seen you wear before. You did well to keep yourself hidden until one night when Jeongin gets into a big accident.

~

tagging: @thewxntersoldier @reddesert-healourblues @luckieleaf @stayconnecteed @tiaxa @yoonrimin @sunny-future @daysofskz-ateez @spacegirlstuff @foxinnie8 @moon0fthenight

[denaliwrites]

Free as My Hair

Crowley x F!Reader x Aziraphale

Summary: Crowley and Aziraphale love your hair, but Crowley's also a little shit.

Soundtrack: Hair by Lady Gaga

Requests: Open!

Warnings: Bad Hair Day.

Your hair was your greatest source of pride.

It tumbled in loose, graceful loops all the way down to your hips. It shined like molten gold in sunlight. It shimmered like polished silver in moonlight. To put it plainly, it was fucking gorgeous, if you did say so yourself.

It was also, you were pretty sure, Aziraphale's and Crowley's favorite feature of yours.

Understandably, you felt. You spent countless time grooming it, styling it, caring for it. It had better rank high on their list, for all the effort, time, and money you poured into it. You were sure, though, that there were other benefits, of course. Aziraphale loved brushing it, and Crowley loved playing with it.

Among other, naughtier things.

You'd never once considered cutting it. Plenty of people asked, and it always seemed to boil down to the maintenance. For some reason, very few people could understand the love and pride you had in your hair, or the enjoyment you got out of caring for it.

Only your partners seemed to really get it, but maybe that was because they lived with you and got to see firsthand the dedication you put into it.

Well.

To say you'd never considered cutting it was a bit of a fib.

Crowley loved his Bentley the way you loved your hair.

And he loved taking you for rides. Loved the fear and thrill and adrenaline flit over your face one after the other in an endless cycle as he drove through London at speeds that should've been impossible and were definitely illegal.

He didn't usually have the windows down for these rides. He knew how utterly out of control your hair would be, how it'd ruin the hours you'd put into grooming that day, how devastated you'd be.

This ride, however, was different.

For one, Aziraphale was with you. This wasn't so unusual as to be cause for concern, but it was different enough from the norm to make you and Crowley feel slightly... off.

And to add to that, they both seemed on edge. You couldn't quite place what the problem was, but it was... tense.

"What would you say," Crowley started anxiously, turning to look at you for a moment, "about a trip to Oxfordshire?"

"Wh... why Oxfordshire?" you asked, curious but also apprehensive.

"No reason, dear," Aziraphale replied too quickly.

"We just thought it might be nice to get out of the city," Crowley supplied, shooting Aziraphale a look you didn't like.

"Breathe in some country air, as it were."

"Neither of you breathe," you deadpanned, glancing at the two of them.

"Yes, well," Aziraphale said.

"It was just a thought," Crowley offered.

Looking out the car, you could already tell that you were well on your way, whether you liked it or not.

"I guess it might be nice," you said with a sigh. You didn't miss the slight twitch of their lips at your compliance.

For a while, the car was silent. Crowley was focused on driving, and Aziraphale was reading something or other, holding the book with one hand while the other soothingly stroked your head.

You thought that you were maybe halfway there when suddenly wind roared through the cabin, and your hair started whipping about your face uncontrollably.

"Crowley!" you gasped, struggling to tame and contain your hair. "What the hell!?"

When you looked over at him -- and managed to see him through your thrashing hair -- he was grinning.

Oh, that dick.

"I swear on this Bentley, Crowley, if you don't put the windows up --"

"You couldn't do anything to this car if you tried," he said, throwing you an amused glance.

"You wanna take that risk?" you pressed, now holding your hair down at your neck. "After having kept this car pristine for a hundred years?"

A serious look flitted across his face for a moment as he weighed the options.

"Oh, Crowley," Aziraphale said with a sigh. "Don't be cruel."

The demon grumbled, and just as suddenly as the cabin exploded with activity, it quieted and your hair stilled. It fell in hectic, frayed curls all over your shoulders.

You looked down and whimpered. "My hair -- you ruined it... Oh, God, I'm gonna have to cut it..."

You missed the guilt-stricken look Crowley shot you and the admonishing glare Aziraphale shot him.

"It's all right, dear," Aziraphale cooed. He put his book away and pulled you down so that your head rested in his lap. "It's all right."

He started carding his fingers through the tangled mess of your hair, and as he worked through it you started dozing off.

You were woken up sometime later by the angel gently shaking you and telling you they'd arrived in a place called Tadfield. The name didn't ring a bell.

As you got up and instinctively reached to smooth your hair, you remembered what had happened with the windows -- and you realized that Aziraphale must have pulled a miracle to return your hair to its former glory.

The knowing smile he shot you confirmed your suspicions, and you returned it with a grateful smile.

[tiramisuucakeee]

0. INTRODUCTION

IN WHICH: in a world where humans can synk with their æ, there is suddenly a huge synk out, and the real world can no longer communicate with the flat world for the longest time. what happens when you finally receive a synk message from æ-yn?

chapter zero !

normal. it’s one of the many simple words on your vocabulary that you could use to describe it. you were born on a world where technology was threaded into the real world. it felt as if had never been different than this.

you often wondered how the world was much before it, but no one knew. there isn’t any documentation or proof. for as long as you had known, the real world and the flat world have been connected, as if they were two sides of the same coin. and you didn’t mean just the æ, you meant, it all.

“left, turn left, now!”

a motorcycle swerved through the city at night, followed by loud sirens in the distance, as it suddenly took a closed turn left, finding itself if an alley.

looking up at the cage-like gate, your head titled sideways, trying to find a way to cross it in the narrow dark alley. “what now?” you spoke, your voice echoing in the closed helmet, as the screen behind the glass analyzed the area, a small digital marking appearing on a dumpster, and two pieces of wood leaning against it, making it the perfect ramp.

squinting your eyes suspiciously, you clicked your tongue, moving the motorcycle backwards, “are you-”

“don’t say it!” æ-yn huffed, her hologram appearing on your helmet screen. she was very similar to you in many features, though her personality was a tad bit more outgoing than yours, maybe it was something you wanted for yourself.

“are you trying to kill me?” you raised your brows at her, letting out a laugh as you revved your engine, watching her float to the other side of the screen, “am not, and i don’t see you being so against this either,” she stuck out her tongue “plus. i still haven’t beat you in that karting game,” æ-yn pouted.

the sudden loud noises of the sirens being close alarmed you both, but you didn’t turn to look back, as you could see the blue and red flashes gleaming through.

“and you never will,” you told æ-yn, and before she could protest, your motorcycle jerked forward, as you loosened your grip on the brake.

the vehicle instantly sped through the alley, jumping on top of the wood than leaned against the dumpster at an angle, as the force made it fly though the air cleanly, over the tall gate.

“oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!�� æ-yn squealed, almost as if she was there too, bracing herself for you to land.

but the jump seemed to be too high, as a house rooftop brick broke by the impact of the landing. the motorcycle continue speeding, as you tried to drive it through the tops of the city roofs, trying not to fall off.

“why are we on top of roofs?!” æ-yn exclaimed, looking around in shock. you let out a low laugh, turning right before you could smash into a building, “don’t forget this was your idea, also, search a shortcut to ningning’s place please.”

æ-yn starting searching for a route, a beam of light marking the way on your screen, making you follow it, but she was still pissed off by the situation, “well, none of this would have happened if you weren’t indulging in illegal delinquencies at night, suspiciously looking like a true delinquent!”

“you make it sound like i really did something bad,” you spoke, seeing a small opening where you could finally leave the rooftops, as you then drove onto the streets, making a car stop abruptly by your sudden appearance in the road.

“you don’t think illegal races are bad?” æ-yn huffed.

“correction, we don’t think they are bad, we’re almost like the same person,” you said simply, watching as the streets seemed more familiar, meaning you were closer to your destination.

“yeah but i’m not a person, i am just another you,” æ-yn replied, in a matter-of-fact tone. you didn’t reply to her, as she would probably shoot an even better answer at you. she always knew what to say, like you, but sometimes even outsmarted your mouth.

“there! that’s ningning’s studio!” she spoke, pointing at a low brick building, which didn’t look very pretty on the outside, but you knew just how fascinatingly decorated the inside was.

“yeah, i am sure i would know where my friend lives by now,” you slowed the motorcycle, stopping it right at the entrance, and you hopped off, not waiting to hear æ-y/n’s response before taking off the helmet, letting it hang from the hand clutch.

you fixed your black cropped leather jacket, and headed inside the building, towards the staircase, as the elevator had been broken for years and you doubted it would be fixed soon.

a small notification sound came from your phone, as you climbed the stairs, it was æ-yn. she had sent a synk voice message, probably giving you an earful about leaving her hanging, pun intended.

you then reached ningning’s studio, knocking on the door, it opened by itself, it seemed she had left it open, knowing that you would come by to presence her plan. walking through the place, you made out some sounds from some direction, ningning talking to someone, but no second voice.

the inside of her studio was clean, everything was white, almost too white, if it weren’t for all her art. hundreds of canvases, filled with intricate colorful strokes of brushes, making out different figures. ningning was very talented at this, and for a long time you could tell she had been planing something big, not just alone, but with her æ, something about a digital model.

you walked deeper into her make-shift gallery, appreciating all her paintings, scanning your eyes over them. and it was not long before a voice stopped you.

“oh, y/n! here you are!”

MASTERLIST.

ALL CHAPTERS.

NEXT CHAPTER.

[dairyminki]

Inked By Fate - THREE

↬ pairing/s: park seonghwa x fem!reader, choi san x fem!reader ↬ genre: soulmate!au, racers!ateez, rivalry, angst, romance, fluff, pining ↬warning/s: profanities, alcohol use, illegal racing ↬wc: 3.9k

*reblogs and feedbacks are much appreciated!

・・・・・★

What made you want to go on a late night drive with a guy you just met today?

You don't know, but it felt like the best thing to do. It felt right.

You looked at the window, getting lost in the beauty of the moon-lit city as San drove at a certain speed.

San had driven the two of you out of the underground and past the expensive club, now you're on a road that led you further away from the buzzing city.

Just a plain cemented road, no other cars in sight. Somehow, it gave you a sense of tranquility.

"We're here." San announced and went out first. Then he opens the car door for you.

When you walked out, you noticed San had brought you to a viewing point. The place was high and flat enough to give you a picturesque overlook of the city and its night view.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" He comments, and when you look back, he was leaning on the hood of his car, so you went beside him and copied his posture.

"Yes, yes it is." You let out a good-natured sigh.

Without thinking much, you ask the question that's been bugging you since earlier.

"Why take me out, San?"

"Why accept my offer when you could've refused?"

You scoff when San answers your question with another.

"Why? Do you regret it now?" He asks after a brief moment of nothing but the chirping of the crickets.

You chuckle, shaking your head. "No, absolutely not."

San stares at you for a few seconds before he lets his gaze wander around the city just below you.

"I don't know, it just felt like the right thing to do." He sighs, then the corner of his lips curls upwards into a smile.

You shake your head again, smiling lightly due to amusement.

The two of you stayed silent for a moment. Again, it wasn't uncomfortable in the slightest. Being with San here felt like you're just casually hanging out with a friend you've known for years.

"Is he...is he always like that?" You asked, out of the blue, leaving a confused looking San.

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Seonghwa." You cleared your throat. "Is he always like that? Emotionless?" You bit your lip. You don't know why you're still not over Seonghwa's behavior earlier. It's like he was a mystery to you. Someone you want to unmask.

San laughs, much to your surprise. "Seonghwa hyung?"

"Wahh, I can't believe he still can capture a girl's attention despite him having his resting bitch face on." He adds, voice laced with amusement and disbelief.

Then, he turns to you. "Don't tell me, you like him?" San gasps dramatically. You hit him. "No! I was just curious...that's all."

San hums. "I can't answer your question, though. But if you so badly want to find out, why don't you talk to him?"

"I can't. Yeosang told me to stay clear from him, well from Inferno, generally."

San laughs, finding it funny. "So? It's not like Yeosang holds superiority over you, right? You're your own person."

Well, he's right. But…

"How about let's make a deal?"

At that, you quirk your eyebrows at him.

Deal?

"What deal?"

"If you go on more late night drives with me, I'll take you to our place so you could score a talk with Seonghwa hyung." He smirks.

"W-What makes you think I'd want to talk with that jerk?" You stutter, looking away.

"Jerk?" San wheezes. "Wow, you already have a nickname for him?"

You flush in embarrassment.

"Well, you did say you're curious about him, so I'm merely doing you a favor y'know? So what do you say?"

Something in you wants to say yes, immediately. But what would you even say if you get to face Seonghwa? What will he say if you randomly ask him, "Why are you such an emotionless jerk?" when you two aren't even close and he didn't even do anything to you, for you to reach that assumption?

In the first place, why are you even so bothered by him?

You're beginning to not understand yourself.

"Will Yeosang find out?" You ask, biting your lip.

"Nope, he won't. This all will be a secret between the two of us, I promise." He raises his right hand, his eyes bearing sincerity and assurance.

"Okay, it's a deal then."

"Nice. Let's head back, shall we?" San says, and you nod your head.

Then he opens the car door for you and turns to go to the driver's seat. And just like that, the black car roars back to life.

・・・・・★

When the two of you went back to the underground, San dropped you off near the comfort room to avoid getting looks from others and so to prevent your brother knowing that you just went out with the Choi San.

After that, you went back to the bleachers where your brother and Mingi were seated, lucky for you the race was still ongoing, which means you and San weren't out for that long.

So when Yeosang asks you what took you so long to use the comfort room, you just told him you got lost for a little bit.

Yeosang squints his eyes at you and is about to open his mouth, but then, Mingi from the side shakes him vigorously, pointing at the finish line as he shouts.

"Oh my god, look! Yunho won!"

And just like that, your head snaps to the front as you hear a buzzing sound, and surely you see Yunho's orange car being crowded with people.

Meanwhile, Yeosang behind you was in utter shock, "No way…"

"Yes way!" Mingi squeals as he finally stands from his seat, dragging Yeosang up with him. And now, they're clinging to each other, bouncing up and down.

Later on, the three of you went down when the crowd was clear.

"Congrats, Yunhooo!!" Mingi shouts, running to the other tall male and embracing him in a bone crushing hug.

"This calls for a celebration!" Yeosang cheers, joining them.

Then, you see Hongjoong going towards your mini circle. He stops beside you, saying, "Y'know it's still weird. Don't get me wrong but I'm truly happy Yunho won but...don't you think it's a bit skeptical for Park Seonghwa to have lost? After his straight wins?"

Your eyes widened, trying to process what the male just said.

Yeosang did say Seonghwa is the king of the tracks but… seriously? That guy hasn't lost once?

"It is weird, if you ask me." Yunho admits, his brows furrowed.

"Honestly, I don't give a fuck. All I just know is that he finally got a taste of a loss, heck his record isn't clean now and I'm beyond happy." Yeosang smirks, and Mingi was quick to second him.

"Still, one loss is better than five losses, Kang."

When you turn to your side, you flinch when you see Seonghwa. His all black figure was enough to make you intimidated, especially that he's so close.

But just like earlier, he doesn't bat an eye at you.

Instead, it was San who looked at you, smiling. You, of course, return the smile, discreetly.

"Speaking of the devil." Yeosang mutters quietly, but Seonghwa seemed to hear it as he let out a dark chuckle.

It gave you goosebumps. He gave you goosebumps.

"Anyway, congrats on winning tonight, Jeong." Seonghwa extends a hand and they both shake hands.

"Where's your other friend Wooyoung?" You whispered when you felt San subtly stop by your side.

"With his girls, of course." San replies, chuckling slowly. You nod, already understanding what he meant by that.

"Here." He whispers as he slides a paper in your hand. "It's my number." He adds, before he and Seonghwa walk away from the scene.

When you were already inside Yeosang's car, driving out of the underground, he asks, "So, do you still want to tag along with me the following nights?"

"You bet I will, Yeo." You say, smiling to yourself as you unfold the small paper San had left you with his number written on it neatly.

Funny how a late night drive with a guy you just met was enough to shift your attention to him, now all your flaming annoyances were washed out down the drain, forgotten.

・・・・・★

The loud music, the countless number of bodies dancing crazily to the beat of the music and the familiar strong smell of alcohol didn't make him stop in his tracks, turn around, and go back to his vehicle. Instead, it was enough to lull him deeper inside the place.

After a race night, most of the people decide to swarm in the expensive club and have a little bit of fun after stressing on betting their money to their favored contestant of the night.

And lucky for him, he's not one of those people, because he's at the receiving end. The one people bet on, the king of the tracks, who just happened to have had his first loss.

And he's here to drink to that.

"I'll have one Hemingway Daiquiri, please." His deep voice was enough to scare the bartender, which he immediately noticed was new. Just then another bartender slides into the scene, taking the former's place, brows furrowing.

"You scared him, hyung." The bartender says.

"Do I look like I care? I've got bigger problems to take care of, Jongho."

The bartender, Jongho, merely laughs and brushes some of his stray black locks out of his face.

"See? This is why people's first impression of you is a rude, cold-hearted jerk who only gives a fuck about racing, Seonghwa hyung."

"Again, do I look like I- you know what just give me that damn daiquiri please?" Seonghwa grumbles, face buried in his hands, trying his best to control his steaming anger and to not pour it out on the young bartender, who happens to be his friend.

"On it!" Jongho chirps, and just like that, he's out of sight, already doing his job.

But when Seonghwa thought he's finally got a sense of peace, oh boy was he wrong.

"Hyung, hyung, hyung, hyung!" Someone calls out amidst the noisy crowd, the voice all too familiar that Seonghwa just wanted life to end him then and there.

On second thought, certainly not. He still has yet to find his other half. Another reason why he lost the race tonight was because of his itching wrist. Which led him distracted all throughout the night, cause he knew what it had exactly meant.

His thoughts got cut off when the owner of the voice sat beside him, all bright and happy and of course - reeking of alcohol mixed with a woman's perfume.

"You wouldn't guess what happened to me hyung! So I met this girl-" But before the younger could even ramble on about his new fling, Seonghwa stops him.

"Woo, I don't care which girl you met this time, and I'm certainly not interested, okay? Good."

"Grumpy as always, no wonder why your handsome face is getting all wrinkly. Tch." Wooyoung scoffs, but Seonghwa was too tired to argue.

And as if Wooyoung's mouth was powered by a motor, never-ending until you shut it off, he continues.

"Ooh, where's Sannie by the way? Did you see him? Cause I did-"

"For heaven's sake, would you kindly shut that loud mouth of yours Jung Wooyoung?!" Seonghwa snaps, making some heads turn in their direction.

"Chill, man. Are you that affected by your loss? It's only one-"

"Hemingway Daiquiri for the King, is now ready." Jongho slides in smoothly despite the tension between the two racers, and Seonghwa is thankful for him for that, cause if not for the bartender, then who knows what he could've done to his chatterbox of a friend?

Taking the drink, Seonghwa takes his time to bask in the smell of it, letting his senses get lost in the drink itself. And by the time he drinks the daiquiri, he drowns the sound of the loud club music and his problems along with it.

"What's wrong with him?" Wooyoung whispers to Jongho.

"I don't know hyung. He's been like that since he entered, even scared one of the new recruits." At this info being relayed to him, Wooyoung grimaces.

"Oh, Sannie hyung is here." Jongho informs the latter. When Wooyoung does look back, he spots San coming towards them, the crowd making way for him as he spins his car keys smugly in his hand.

"Where have you been, mister?" Wooyoung asks the newcomer.

"Just out...thinking." San replies as he takes a seat beside the male, but then his head snaps to the side upon seeing their eldest hyung dead on the counter while still gripping on his half filled daiquiri.

"Is he okay? He's not like that just because of his loss, isn't he?" San inquires.

"I wish I knew." Wooyoung says. "But one thing I know is that he's extra grumpy tonight."

"I'll have the usual, Jongie." San smiles at the younger. After the bartender was out of sight, he gestured for Wooyoung to switch seats with him so he could talk to Seonghwa.

"Hyung, wake up." San shakes him. After some time, the elder groans and when he looks up he speaks in a slurred voice, "Oh, you're here."

"Do you want to talk it out hyung? You know I'm always ready to listen."

"No, I don't want to talk about it." Seonghwa replies stubbornly. San doesn't give up though, resulting in him giving in at the end.

"Go on, talk." San urges him while Wooyoung already disappeared somewhere in the sea of bodies on the dancefloor.

"I…" Seonghwa takes a deep breath. "I think my...soulmate and I crossed paths tonight." He looks longingly at his soulmate mark, which happened to itch for the first time after years of being engraved on his skin.

Seonghwa doesn't know which weighs in him more; the feeling of relief and happiness because he knows his soulmate is somewhere out there, closer than he thinks, or be angry and disappointed because his other half decides to show themselves just when his world has become a total mess.

Contrary to what he was feeling and thinking, beside him is Choi San with wide eyes, a hand over his mouth as he tries to hide the smile that's about to break out.

"No…way…" There was excitement in the latter's voice, but Seonghwa could only offer a tight-lipped smile, not really knowing what to feel.

All his life, Seonghwa truly yearned for his soulmate. But what good would it do both of them now when his life is nothing but built on lies and danger?

・・・・・★

You sat on the floor, with Jia braiding your hair as the two of you decided to spend the day lazily but cozily by having a marathon of barbie movies in your apartment.

"I remember I had a crush on King Dominic when I was a kid." You snicker, finding the memory ridiculous.

Jia snorts, saying, "Well, I can't blame the younger Y/N. For a child, Dominic is quite handsome."

The both of you laugh.

"Oh, did you...you know? Get another tattoo sprouting on your back?" Jia asks, and you're suddenly reminded of last night, where you had to bite one of your teddy bears because of the stinging pain.

"Yeah, no." You reply. Yeah, because you did get a new tattoo, and no, because it's not on your back this time.

"What do you mean? Is it a yes or is it a no?"

You don't answer her and just simply lower the collar of your shirt to the side, enough for her to see the not so small tattoo near the side of your collarbones.

"It's pretty, but do you know what it says?" Jia asks as she traces the tattoo with her delicate fingers.

You shake your head.

The tattoo was written in Japanese characters, and you have absolutely no idea what it meant. But the strokes are indeed pretty, light and minimalistic - very different from the bed of blossoming black-inked flowers on your back and other designs on your upper arm.

After that, you shift to make your body face the sofa and then you look up at Jia, asking, "How did it feel when you met Yeosang? The time when you both didn't know you were soulmates, how did it feel being around him?"

Jia groans, but you know that deep inside she's more than willing to go on a trip down the memory lane just to answer your questions.

"Well, uhm, how do I say this? There was this connection? That even if I didn't want anything to do with him, I found myself always drawn to him and then when-"

By now, Jia's words were all a blur, your mind going back to last night, before you experienced another pain from a blossoming tattoo, before Yeosang dropped you back home - back to the moment a certain black-haired male with the striking green streaks asked you if you wanted to go on a late night drive with him.

You know you felt it, the reason why you decided to come with him.

You felt the connection.

You were drawn to him.

Perhaps, could it be? Is he...?

The questions continued to bug you even in the next sunrise.

・・・・・★

That night, Yeosang picks you up, all dressed up in his usual black leather jacket and dark jeans when you step inside his red car.

When he does take notice of your outfit he grins wide in mischief. "You're dressed much more than last night, my dear sister."

"And? It's none of your business." You deadpan, but that only spikes up Yeosang's interest and nosy ass more.

"Do tell me, is it one of my friends?" He faces you, hands off the steering wheel as he now has his arms crossed. "Cause I clearly told them not to hit on you, didn't I? So I expect that you-"

Suddenly, San's words from the other night appear at the back of your head.

So? It's not like Yeosang holds superiority over you, right? You're your own person.

It makes you question if Yeosang's solely doing this because of his protectiveness over you - you're starting to think otherwise. Surely Yeosang isn't using this as an opportunity to make you bend to his will just because of the fact that he's the only family you could rely on, right?

You hope so.

"Yeosang," You pause, making sure to stress his name. "I'm not hitting on one of your friends, I swear. It's not one of them." It's one of your rivals.

When your brother doesn't speak, you continue, "Now, could you just please drive? You wouldn't dare want to miss your own race, right? You said you still have to beat Jung Wooyoung's ass on the racetrack."

Yeosang scoffs, "You bet I will."

・・・・・★

Just like the other night, you settle with Yeosang's friends on the bleachers, wait a little bit for the race to start, then excuse yourself to the bathroom.

And just like that, you're inside Choi San's car, driving through the same route that will take you to the viewing point you last went to.

Though unlike the first ride, tonight was much more comfortable, San even let you plug your own phone to his car's speakers. And now you two are vibing to some songs you put in your 'night drive playlist' - a playlist you wanted to save for yourself the moment you get yourself a car - but it looks like San's car had stolen the privilege of your future car.

"The stars look more extra sparkly tonight." San sighs over a smile, his eyes gazing at the night sky above you two.

"Yes...they are." You say, also completely mesmerized by the heavenly bodies scattered all over the black canvas, the moon looking like a blurry light at the side because of the fogginess of the clouds.

"Very, breath-taking." San adds.

At that, you unknowingly turn your head to him, eyes locking at the side of his face.

What's with you, Choi San?

You thought, taking in his features. Okay, you're not gonna lie. San is probably one of the gorgeous guys you've ever laid your eyes on. His cat-like eyes, his long lashes, high cheekbones, plump lips, sharp jawline-

"Y/N?"

Even his voice has its own softness for a lullaby.

"Kang Y/N?"

You immediately snap out of your daze, looking away and praying that San didn't notice the way you looked at him, how long you looked at him.

Oh, but you think he did know. He caught you, considering that you can feel the burning gaze of his on you. And when he's about to open his mouth, to say something, you don't let him.

"San." You say.

"Uh, yeah?"

"Have you…" You fiddled with your fingers, before you mustered the courage to look at him again. "Have you met your soulmate?"

San's eyes flickered with something, and you knew that he didn't expect that question coming.

"I..." San rubs the back of his neck, his mouth opens and then closes. Then one time he looks at you, and then back at the view in front, until he settles with a, "No. No, I haven't."

"How about you?" He asks back after a moment of silence. You simply shook your head, your hand caressing the mark you have on your wrist. San notices it as he too, looks at his own mark, touching it.

"You know what, fuck it. Y/N, can you touch my wrist?" San abruptly says, eyes dark but it kind of held a vulnerability in them, his tone somewhat pleading and pained.

"I- w-what?"

San doesn't repeat his words, instead, he just rolls up his leather jacket. Catching you off guard, he takes your hand in his and lets your finger touch his wrist, which you just realized by now is where his soulmate mark was engraved.

But instead of having the usual one letter tattoo, his' was different.

Y/N.

It had your name on it but you didn't know what and how to feel.

No burning sensation, no glow.

What the fuck does that mean?

San chuckles bitterly, as if having known it, having expected it.

That night when he asked you to go on a late night drive with him, that time when your knees gave up and he catches you - was also the time you accidentally touched his soulmate mark.

The one that started off as an initial until it became your name, the one that was engraved on his wrist since birth.

He felt the connection that night, but nothing happened.

And now he still feels the connection between the two of you, but it just drives him crazy because you touched that same mark tonight and yet nothing happened again.

Was fate and destiny toying with him?

Oh, how cruel of them.

Even when you ended up showing your soulmate mark to him, the one with the letter S, and made him touch it. Nothing happened, still.

That ends up with a fragile looking San laying on your lap, your hands brushing through his black hair.

It was silence as the male was spaced out in his own little bubble, but then he spoke up. Calling your name

"Y/N…"

"Hmm?"

"You...you'll stay with me until we figure this shit out right? My promise still lies; me not telling your brother about our rendezvous and scoring you a talk with Seonghwa hyung." San says in between sniffles, and you don't know whether it was because of the cold, or the fact that he had been secretly crying. Or maybe both.

But…

Seonghwa.

Oh right, you almost forgot about him.

The sudden mention of his name gave you a slight feeling creeping through your skin.

"Yeah, of course, San." You respond, only for the said boy, correcting you.

"Call me, Sannie!"

"Okay...Sannie." You say as you mindlessly rake your fingers through his hair, your mind drifting off to the tall man with the midnight black hair, clad in black from tip to bottom.

The King of the tracks.

The emotionless jerk.

Your flaming annoyance ignites inside of you again.

・・・・・★

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[17panicattacksinatrenchcoat]

contre la montre week 3

Contre La Montre is a weekly writing challenge by @argyleheir

Prompt was lots of fun this week, thank you Argyle!

prompt: "Secret"

allotted time: 45 mins

genre: original fiction

CW for mental health struggles, vomiting, car accidents

It is five o’clock in the city. The incessant rumble of traffic has reached its rush-hour crescendo. The sun lights up the world in that autumn way, the smog glowing amber instead of the usual gray. My blinds are open and the flat is honeyed. Golden hour. I still haven’t eaten lunch, or breakfast for that matter. My phone is on the table. It hums because a friend is calling me. I ignore it and let it ring and ring until her voice leaks into my mailbox, spent with worry.

“I know you’re there. Everyone is worried about you. Can you please talk to me?” She waits. The receiver crackles in the silence.

I give in and pick up. “Hi.”

“You sound terrible.”

“I got off my shift an hour ago. I’m tired. And I’m fine. Nobody has to be worried. Is being tired illegal now, am I not allowed to be tired?”

“You’re always tired. Noelle, are you even sleeping?”

“Yeah,” I lie.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah. I’m great,” I say. I take a granola bar from my stash of snacks on the counter. “Never been better. The connection’s bad. And I’m busy, I’ve got to go. I love you.”

“Noelle—"

I press my thumb onto the little red button, terminating the call. I eat my granola bar. It tastes of stale chocolate and wood chips. I lick the wrapper and chuck it into the trash bin, and then I walk over to my bed, sink into its softness.

I haven’t had a lover in over a year; I’ve had the same small mattress since college and I’m stingy with sharing it. I spread out, colonize, yank sticky sheets off of my one-night stands in my sleep and wrap them around myself. Sharing the bed has only ever worked with one partner, my last girlfriend. I dated her for two years. We laid curled like Yin and Yang; her at the top of the bed, myself an upside-down comma at its foot. She had short curly hair and round glasses. Liked to ride her bike through the city streets. Never looked to see when the traffic lights changed. She was killed in a bike wreck on the Fourth of July; she was driving to my apartment with groceries and a bottle of wine crammed into her backpack. I remember the date because of what I threw up when the police called to inform me: hot-dog chunks and funnel cake crumbs, warm beer; mysteriously, a white star bead from my holiday-themed necklace. After she was gone, I switched to the top of the bed and snuggled into the place where she used to sleep. I didn’t rise for days, trying to wed myself with the memory of her scent.

I shut off that memory and flip open my laptop and trash the emails in my inbox without examining their contents. I open my phone again, respond to messages from friends with LOLs and emojis. I send a meme into the group chat. I pull my blanket over my head and watch videos, reaction videos and apology videos and challenge videos, the turns-your-brain-to-soup reality-TV of the internet era. My eyes glaze over in the blue light. My stomach rumbles. I think about ordering a pizza; I don’t. I think about getting up to pour myself a glass of water; I don’t. I shut my eyes. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

[cyberl6ve]

𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊 𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐄 ─ 𝟖

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⊱  ۫ ׅ ✧ :  𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, it's time for the race to start. The crowd around us quiets down, anticipation hanging in the air as the racers settle into their cars.

I climb into my car, my heart pounding with adrenaline and excitement. This race has been building up all evening, and now it's time to put my skills to the test.

As I buckle my seatbelt and grip the steering wheel tightly, I can feel my focus sharpening. This race is important. Not only do I want to win, but I also want to prove myself to the others, especially Chris.

I glance over at the other racers, catching Chris's eye for a brief moment before he looks away. His expression is unreadable, but I'm sure he's just as determined as I am to win tonight.

The starter's voice rings out through the loudspeaker, signaling the countdown. I take a deep breath, steadying my nerves and preparing myself for the race.

3...2...1...!

The loud sound signals the start of the race, and I press down on the gas pedal, my engine roaring to life as I speed forward.

I surge ahead, my car accelerating rapidly and taking the lead. The wind rushes past me, adrenaline pumping through my veins as I focus on the track ahead.

The other racers try to keep up, but I manage to stay ahead, driving with intense focus and precision. My car glides smoothly over the track, each turn and corner handled with ease.

The race takes off and we speed through the city streets, passing iconic landmarks and neon lights flying by. We dodge in and out of the maze-like maze of roads, the city's energy fueling our adrenaline.

The other racers try to catch up, but I keep my lead, weaving through traffic and making sharp turns with skill and finesse. My heart races as I navigate the streets, the sound of engines rumbling and tires screeching echoing in my ears.

As I race, I'm acutely aware that we are participating in illegal street racing. The thrill of doing something taboo adds an extra adrenaline rush to the whole experience, making the race even more intense and exciting.

As I focus on the road ahead, I hear a loud engine roar behind me. I glance in the rearview mirror to see Chris closing the gap between us, his car gaining speed as he attempts to overtake me.

He's pulling out all the stops, pushing his car to the limit and taking riskier turns to catch up to me. I can feel the pressure mounting as I try to maintain my lead, but Chris is not making it easy.

As we approach a tight turn, I execute a perfect drift, my car sliding sideways around the corner with precision. But to my surprise, Chris follows suit, his car also drifting around the turn in perfect synchronization with mine.

As we leave the other drivers behind, it's just me and Chris now, our cars side by side as we race through the city streets. The thrill of the competition heightens as we push each other to our limits.

The road ahead is clear, and we speed forward, the only sound the roar of our engines and the wind howling past us. We dodge in and out of traffic, the city's lights becoming a blur as we focus on nothing but beating each other.

Driving side by side, Chris glances over at me with a cocky smirk before yelling out through his open window, “You're not getting away that easily, Ma!”

His voice is a mix of tease and competition, his confidence seeping through every word. I narrow my eyes, focusing even more intently on the road ahead.

As Chris tries to taunt me with his snarky remarks, I catch a glimpse of an upcoming side street that I know like the back of my hand. With a smirk, I think to myself, “Watch me.”

I quickly steer my car onto the side street at the last moment, cutting through a short route that I know will give me an advantage. The other racers continue down the main road, unaware of the shortcut I've just taken.

The side street is narrow and dark, but I don't slow down. My car hugs the corners and weaves through the darkness with ease, my knowledge of the area coming in handy. The sounds of the main road fade into the background as I continue on my secret path.

After a few moments, I find myself emerging back onto the main road, a small but significant distance ahead of the other racers. I glance in the rearview mirror and catch a glimpse of their bewildered expressions as they realize I've made use of the unexpected shortcut.

As I focus on the road ahead, I occasionally glance into my mirrors to check on the other racers. I notice that Chris's car is nowhere to be seen, but then, I see the unmistakable orange glow of his corvette c8 as it turns the corner and comes into view behind me.

As the orange corvette appears in the mirrors, I can't help but let out a frustrated sigh. “C'mon, Christopher, give me a break!” I mutter under my breath. How did he manage to catch up so quickly?

Despite my annoyance, a small part of me can't help but feel impressed. Chris is a skilled driver, there's no doubt about that. But that doesn't make it any easier to accept his determination to catch up to me.

I'm slightly taken aback by the fact that Chris has managed to catch up to me so quickly. It's not just anyone who can keep up with my skill, but here he is, closing the gap between us with every turn. Despite my competitive nature, a small part of me acknowledges the sheer talent that Chris possesses.

I quickly shake off the thought and refocus my attention on the race ahead. I can't let myself be distracted by his skills, no matter how impressive they may be.

The sound of the engine roaring and tires screeching fills the air as I navigate the streets with skill and precision. I glance back in the mirror and see Chris's corvette gaining ground, his determination evident in his intense expression.

But I refuse to let him get too close. I make use of every shortcut and maneuver available to me, pushing my car to its limits and hoping to stay just out of his reach.

The finish line comes into view, the roaring crowds surrounding the race adding to the intensity of the moment. The other racers are still far behind, and it's clear that it's a battle between me and Chris.

As the finish line approaches, Chris's corvette draws closer and closer to my car. The gap between us is tightening, but I refuse to give up the lead. My hands grip the wheel tightly, my focus locked on crossing the line first. The crowd's cheers are deafening, and I can feel the tension in the air.

With a final burst of speed and determination, I cross the finish line first, my car gliding smoothly across the mark. The crowds erupt in cheering and applause, and I can't help but feel a rush of excitement and satisfaction. I glance in my mirrors and see Chris's corvette following behind me, his expression a mix of irritation and respect.

I can't help but feel a sense of victory and pride as I realize that I've won the race. It feels good to know that I've been able to prove myself as a skilled racer, even against someone as talented as Chris. As I slow down my car and the adrenaline starts to wear off, I can feel the exhaustion setting in, but it's a good kind of exhaustion— the kind that comes after a hard-earned victory.

As I step out of my car, a wave of congratulations and pats on the back greets me. The energy from the crowd is high, and everyone seems to be showering me with praise and admiration. People congratulate me on a job well done, and I can't help but feel a sense of fulfillment and happiness.

Chris steps out of his car, a cocky smile on his face. He walks towards me and holds out his hand, saying, “Congrats, you drove well tonight.”

I look at him for a moment, the mix of satisfaction and frustration from the close race bubbling to the surface. I take a deep breath, refusing to let his cocky demeanor get to me.

Then, suddenly, I snap. The adrenaline and emotions from the race still coursing through me, I can't help but unleash on him.

“You could at least act a little humbled,” I retort, narrowing my eyes. “I beat you fair and square, you know.”

I shake my head and let out a small sigh, a smirk on my face. It's no surprise that Chris is still acting cocky despite losing. He's been like this as long as I've known him, and I doubt anything I say or do will change that.

“You're unbelievable, you know that?” I say, half-amused, half-exasperated.

“Unbelievable in a good way or a bad way?” Chris responds with a sly grin. He leans back against his car, crossing his arms and maintaining his confident demeanor.

As I'm about to respond to Chris, I'm interrupted by the sound of someone approaching and clapping their hands. I turn to see who it is and immediately recognize the person. My expression changes to a mix of annoyance and discomfort.

A sense of unease washes over me as I recognize the person approaching. This isn't someone I'm happy to see, and their sudden appearance only adds to the tension of the moment.

TO BE CONTINUED…

© CYBERL6VE

[werezmastarbucks]

4. dogs

pic credit

masterlist

word count: 5120

warnings: animal abuse (dog fighting mentioned. not graphic!!! happy end)

"Dog fighting?!" she yelled, a little louder than she wanted.

"You have got to be kidding me. They can't fall any lower, can they?"

June grabbed at her own braid and pulled.

The man next to her, his build making him look unusually cartoonish, gazed at her.

"Yeah, I guess so. It's just animals, ma'am".

She let her nostrils speak for herself, and he stepped away.

"Get the fuck outta my sight".

"You're in my cell".

She groaned, raising her eyes to the light-green ceiling. Jonas Vetiver, ex-partner of Herman Kozik. Used to run around the Sons before getting in trouble with some rich family in Charming and flying away into Stockton.

The weather was still pleasant when she left the building and headed for her car. Dog-fighting. A great replacement for a porn studio, for sure. There was only one thing she hated more than SAMCRO: animal abuse. She was chewing her lips, trying with her tongue inside her mouth in search for the seams she used to make with her teeth. That Chibs guy had these scars outside his face, and she had two inside, from constantly trying to eat herself.

She got behind the wheel, her mind working, the phone already connecting her with the Captain. At least he agreed that dog fighting ring is completely illegal and non-desirable. Something for her to nibble at. The Sons were finally finding their feet; in the last week they legalized their car services completely and were now the proud owners of Teller-Morrow, a fully official workshop. One of the threads slipped away from her fingers. She didn't beat herself about it; it was like chess. She made a move, then they did. In fact, it's been a long time before they finally managed to make even one. Slow thinking apes. Had to spend a whole month to realize they need to make their shit as legal as possible.

Driving calmed her mind. Last night she had a nightmare. Dogs on her back, their teeth plunging into the back of her neck, drilling through the moist bone and ligament. It made her nauseous with pain. Whole body convulsing. The thought of dogs tearing at each other's throats made her feel the same. She hated it. When. It was animals. Humans, she didn't have a problem with anymore. It's the job. For the longest time, in fact, her job was to look at pictures of mutilated bodies. Genitals maimed, skin torn, eyes bulging. Gentle, young, beautiful women, tortured to death, turned into broken dolls. She had to get used to that.

She all but danced into the station, where Boulder was already expecting her.

"Finally something good, Pallum", he smiled, "it's pretty fresh. They're riding there today to check the premises. Buying the business from someone named Barbie".

"The pretty blonde lawyer?" she asked. She accepted a file from his hand. They walked towards his office and Boulder opened the door for her.

"No, the Romanian crook. Owns a couple of barber shops in the city. As well as underground dog fighting business".

"We'll take him as well. How many people can I have?"

"For today, about ten. If you wait until Monday, maybe twenty".

"Can't wait", she shook her head, perching herself onto the window sill in his office. There was one more person there, sitting on the other side of his desk with a little crossword book. Sergeant Philips. Bag of dicks.

"You are making a run at them again, June?" he asked. Boulder walked around his desk to make a call. She was reading Barbie's information that Boulder had gathered.

"Uh-huh".

"Aren't you afraid that you'll push them too far?"

She knew the man was looking at her. He was a little of Wayne's type, only, times sleezier. Wayne Unser was a dignified old man with his own morals. This idiot walked around the station all day, with his crossword puzzles, giving away useless pieces of advice like they were roofied candy.

She threw her hand up in the air, making Boulder look up.

"God dammit, I thought in a month and a half that I've been here I made it pretty much clear that pushing them too far is the point. I am trying to push them too far".

"And then what?" Philips chewed on air, like an old man with no teeth.

"And then they break", she said quietly.

"Well, aren't you afraid? Do you know what gangs do... to young girls?"

She raised her eyebrows.

"Enlighten me".

Boulder and him exchanged glances. Captain hid his face into the phone.

"Well, they can... there are things worse than death for young women like you..."

She slowly licked her lips feeling the joy of her work flowing in.

"Oh, you mean they'll gang rape me?"

She jumped off the sill, walked around the chair, aiming for the door. She wanted to leave them here, the bubbling knot of idiocy and inefficiency.

"Don't worry, I have a special device installed in my vagina".

Philips was taken aback.

"What... what kind? Can you even do that?"

Captain tried to cover the phone with his hand.

"Yeah, it zips you with electricity. Anybody trying to get there without permission will have his cock burnt to a crisp".

The vision of visceral horror flashed on Sergeant's face.

"Really?"

She let out all air from her lungs. He waited for an answer. Her eyelids felt heavy all of a sudden, she wanted to retunt to bed to her animalistic nightmare.

"Of course not", she snapped, jerking the door, "you fucking idiot".

She got a team of twelve people close to seven o'clock, after a quick surveillance operation. Frankly, surveillance operations in Charming consisted of a couple of cops in civilian clothes going to a place and trying to take some pictures low-key. June hasn't done many busts before. A couple of them here and there. The other agents always did the majority of work and she was more of an observer. But this town seemed exactly the type of place to begin her own active ops.

"This is good preventive work, June", Captain approved, as he gave her a go in the evening. He really liked when she acted like this: made a case and built a preventive operation. They haven't bought the ring yet, so there wouldn't be too much paperwork; they didn't have enough free cages at the station anyway. Plus, the money they got from bails were moved in between three places anyway: SAMCRO, the street gangs, and the police station. It was all the same money.

The feeling of bulletproof vest was nice against her waist; hasn't worn it in years. She rubbed the back of her neck, scratched the dry crust below her ear, courtesy of Telford. She put her hair up and applied two hair claws to keep it in place. July was hot again, and August was going to be ruthless. They were sweating in their equipment even in the evening. No matter how much June didn't regret leaving, she couldn't lie to herself about how nice it felt moving with the team in the shadow of the street, with a gun in her hand. Two officers in front of her, ten behind her. The music, the screams and yells were booming from the building. A conserved can of nightmares. She could hear the squealing of dogs, and her bones rattled unpleasantly with grief.

"When you're ready", officer Mienfield touched her shoulder.

"Let's go", she whispered.

The doors banged open in unison with the police song of aggressive screaming. People inside were blinking in the light of their powerful torches with which the police was trying to blind them. They crawled in two different directions like ants, avoiding the immediate rain of bullets.

Officers were shooting into the ceiling and directly at some of the people, barking orders.

Dogs panicked in the ring and one of the two jumped over the ropes. The second one was left lying there, its sides moving up and down heavily, blood on the ribs pulling on the skin.

June made a shot just above a man's shoulder, provoking him to twitch and lower his gun.

"On the ground!" she shouted. In two steps she reached him and, without aiming, kicked at his hand, initiating a yell of pain. The gun slid to the side. She ran after the dog that was scurrying away in fear. Jumping over people, all the commotion, she was trying not to lose the sight of it's hurrying butt, but the dog was dark and got lost in the movement.

"Shit", she kept running, bumping into people, leaving the action behind. Someone was running parallel to her.

"I'll cut him off, go to the left!"

She took the left without thinking. She recognized the voice. Pushing through the door, she found herself in a hollow corridor and kept going. Soon, she heard the rustling sound of dog steps, the thing panting, and finally reached it as it was stumbling in the corner at the closed door in the end of the building. Alex Tig was approaching them, his hands empty, from the other side.

"Shhh, good boy", he muttered, standing his shoulder next to hers.

"You think it's a boy or a girl?"

"I think it's scared", June said. They stepped a little closer, and the dog started grumbling, its tail between legs.

"It's okay, baby", she whispered and opened her palms. She slid onto her knees. Tig stood behind her back and also squatted, not sure what exactly he has to do.

"Don't let it bite yourself", he mumbled.

"Shh..."

Her hand reached for the dog. It was a standard pitbull, the long suffering fighting dog. It showed its teeth, and the back of her neck ached with phantom wound. She managed to touch its nose with the tips of her fingers, and let it rest. The pit stopped growling and sniffed.

"Careful", Tig murmured. "Hey, baby, you want a hug?"

June moved towards the dog, put her hand on its head. Tig sighed, so happily that she couldn't stop herself from taking a look.

"There's a second one left in the ring", she told him.

"Yes, I will take both of them".

June put her arms around the dog's neck.

"And make them fight again? Not gonna happen".

"For the record, I was against this idea. I believe that it's completely wrong".

His eyes were like two birght marbles. This man had a very interesting appearance. All colorful, there was something turquoise about his skin and the big nose. Pitch-black beard and a musketeer mustache.

"Tig!" someone yelled.

"Calm them down", June snarled. Tig jumped up and went to meet them.

She stayed with the dog that was placing feverish wet kisses to her cheek. The thing was incredibly scared. Its shoulder bleeding. It was shaking, probably pumped with drugs. Her walkie-talkie came alive:

"June? Where are you?"

"I am with the dog in the back. Do you have them?" she asked, freeing one hand from caressing the dog.

"We have all Sons here and Barbie's, ugh, three people. Several bolted, but we have reported their cars".

"Alright. Call animal control, will you? We need vets for the dogs".

"Will do".

She tried lifting up the pit, but it became nervous and started fidgeting. Tig returned, with Happy.

"Oh shit, I am not dealing with that", Happy snapped, upon seeing her.

"I am not specifically after you tonight", she explained. All mellow about the animal, she couldn't even get it fired up for them. She felt nothing.

"Help me carry it. He's too heavy for me".

"Sure".

For a second there they were partners, understanding each other without words. Tig stepped to her and took the dog gently from her hands, whispering something to it.

"I am so going to adopt you, my love", he said. June walked next to him as they three returned back into the main hall with the ring. Some people were sitting next to the second dog, tending to its wounds. June clenched her eyes onto it, unable to breathe for a couple of seconds. Then, finally, a welcome distraction. Officer Laney found her and started reporting into her ear:

"Sons there, four of them, not counting these two, but we're not arresting them tonight, are we?"

She looked at Jackson Teller, Clay, Telford and Juan Ortiz on the floor, their hands at their heads, and her heart felt a little less heavy. Chibs raised his eyes and met hers, and she couldn't hold back a smile.

"No, but let them chill out there for a minute. Where's Barbie?"

"There".

She was led to the group of people standing by the wall with their backs to her.

"Cristian Radu", she called. A heavy-built man with snow-white hair turned to her.

"Cuffs off", she ordered. Hatred boiling in her again, finally some emotion she recognized. It was like being at home where you knew location of each piece of furniture. The boys hesitated a little but obeyed her nod and finally took the handcuffs off Barbie's hands.

"Heard your daughter started a school shooting", she said. Barbie's face twitched. His daughter released a bullet into her temple after shooting down three of her classmates last year.

"Wound still fresh? Or do I need to push somewhere else?"

Radu sniffed through his nose.

"I didn't see your badge".

"And you won't see one. Just like your girl. The only thing she'll see is..."

He charged. June lifted her gun and shot him in the head.

The bang thundered in the silence of the room. Echo slipped into the street and dissolved. His heavy body slopped on the floor between her and the wall. His partners were turning their heads to see, cursing under their breaths.

Laney let out a light sigh like his soul left his body.

"Ugh, June?"

"He was going to attack me, didn't you see?" she said. The back of her neck stopped aching. She turned around.

"Book the rest of them", she said coldly. The warm gun went back into the holster and she let her hands rest in the folds on her vest. She wanted to leave here.

"What about them?" someone asked as she was passing the four SAMCRO members on the floor. The officers were still keeping them at target, tense. She looked down at Jackson's blonde back of the head.

"Let them go. They lost a business today, right, boys?"

She couldn't deprive herself of the pleasure. She watched them stand up, jerking about in their jackets, running hands through the hair. She looked through Morrow, met Jackson's gaze.

"How you gonna press us about it if you killed our seller?" he asked, his voice full of poison. She shrugged.

"I usually make it up as I go", she smiled. Morrow approached and loomed over her, studying her face. He was breathing through his mouth like an animal.

"Juno", he said simply. Her whole body shuddered. She took in his face, half-covered by the shadow, and all sounds disappeared.

They moved around her like ghosts. Her eyes were dry, full of visions. Of ghosts, dogs and shadows. She stumbled out into the open, not feeling someone's hand on her back. Congratulating her. Her lips were stinging from all the biting. The hair, the vest, were too hot. She took off the jacket with jerk movements, failing to notice her surrounding. Failing to notice how she was being observed.

Gym, vitamins, city.

She took one day off after the dog debuckle and went to see the summer fireworks. Wandering among people, she felt the cold in waves coming off of them. She didn't like the crowds, and the laughter of the children in the park made her irritated. She'd come home at night, listening to the white chats singing heavenly behind the house. In the shower, she rubbed her body until it squeaked. Sometimes until she drew blood. Opening up all fresh cuts, crust gone, off the body. The roots of her hair called for mercy so she poured rosemary oil onto them. She kept the doors open before her sleep, to let the bird song and air in.

At night, with all the windows open, she still had nightmares. Of how she's crawling up the waterfall, cubes of water falling onto her head, waterboarding her. Her nails break on the stony ground as she tries to clutch onto it. Blood washed away immediately, but she can feel the pain from exposed flesh on the tips of her fingers. In the end of the dream she wants to let go so badly. She should just let go. But she can't. Disobeying hands will lead her to die. Maybe she wants to die. Doesn't want to wait for the end of the waterfall.

Another ride to prison, and she decided she wanted to change her car. She just suddenly got very tired of the color. There were so many cherry-red cars in Charming! Something about their infatuation with the red.

She put on her sunglasses, pleased with the amount of papers in her thick file that was resting on the passenger seat. She was copying everything into her IPad as well, just in case. She looked up at the sky, where the sun was being boarded up by the onsetting black clouds. Out in the open, on the verge of a desert, the sky was great and big, stretching to the end of the valley. Mountains lay ahead, and then, Charming. She looked at her wristwatch and realized she had been drowning for a long time. Because the thought of a matcha almost brought her to tears. The simple human joy of a sweet drink, like she was usual. Just normal.

She started the car, hoping the rain would come and catch her on the road. She liked the sudden cool of the storm after the blazing sun.

About twenty minutes into the ride she heard the familiar, rage inducing sound above the music. On the two sides of her, mountains, green and yellow, were marred with the expectation of the shitstorm. The set off of the clouds itself, that spared Charming of a thunderstorm, should have been a bad sign. The mayhem continues. She saw the first of their bikes in the rearview mirror, and rolled her eyes. She pushed the gas further, trying to lose them, but the two of them already were at the heels of her car. Maybe they wanted to play.

She continued driving, although she couldn't enjoy the music anymore. With one hand, she took the file and, trying to keep her eyes on the road, pushed it into the bag, then sending it to the seat behind. Then checked if her neck felt tense; not today, she slept for a good three hours, and the lack of sleep was usually better for her than six hours.

The long honk blocked out all other sounds, making her head swirl. It was then joined by the others, the cavalcade of noise drained into the car and made her roll up all windows. Still, it was too noisy.

"Oh my god", it was still a good ten miles to the city, and she couldn't ride them all with this. She swerved the wheel, spooking one bike that was guarding her on the left, making him take a sharp left, too. It was Happy, from what she could gather.

"Fuck off!" she yelled, to no avail. The honking only became louder. She was hunted by the murder of black bikes, her little asphalt cherry moving its small wheels to the best of its ability. For the scare, there was retaliation. Someone slammed into the passenger door and jumped back, making her twitch. She kept the car stable and straight. Honking continued.

"I'll kill all of you beer goblins!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, thinking about her gun. No, that surely would be too much. She pushed the gas pedal into the floor, and her car groaned with effort. They surrounded her effortlessly, two on the sides, one directly in front of the car. From the back, she couldn't tell which one it was particularly. They were all indistinguishable in their helmets, black glasses and black leather jackets. The road was roaring below, the car sliding on the hot asphalt. It was a moment before she saw the turn when she realized what they were doing. June only managed to take off her glasses on time and put both her hands on the wheel as her foot changed the pedal and pushed the breaks. Overworked Chevy screeched and wheezed, and the the world tipped. June pressed herself into the seat, thinking that it was not time to die after all. Not to these gremlins, not today. As the car stumbled down the hill, she turned her head slightly away so that the airbag wouldn't break her nose.

Chibs pushed the breaks and let the bike slide a little, catching the asphalt with one foot. For a moment eveything was wrapped into smoke and dust as they all haulted to a break at the edge.

"Bloody Christ", he uttered, taking off his helmet with a jerk. He didn't know where to turn first. In front of him, Juice was trying to pull his bike from off the edge.

"Help!" he yelled, and Chibs bit the tip of his tongue so hard it almost bled.

Someone ran up to him, and they pulled on the butt of the bike together.

He slammed his helmet onto the handlebars and got off.

"The fuck you were doing?!"

They were slowly gathering at the edge, on the curve of the turn, as the dust setlled. There was a trail of broken saplings and trees where cherry Chevy fell down. In a second, Happy was at his shoulder.

"Accident", said Bobby, "just an accident. She coulnd't make the turn".

Jackie ran up to them and also looked down. He was undecided. The noise of the car finally stopped. Everybody was silent for some time as they waited for his word. Chibs turned to him and looked him directly in the face.

"They usually panic and stop at the edge of the road, not dive down", he muttered. Chibs clicked his teeth and went back to his bike. His heart was pounding, thanks to the heat also.

"Go check if she's alive", Jax said finally. Kozik and Happy looked at each other and then started the descent. Jax was standing where the Chevy was a minute ago, the hands on his hips. This is a mess, Chibs thought. Something devious is going on with her, and now he might never find out.

June struggled against the slowly deflating air bag. Her neck stung sharply, but she moved her head and checked if she still sees the picture in front of her, and concluded that she was alive. If she blacked out, then only for a couple of seconds, on the impact. Her brain was turning back on again, hands already clusping on the belt. It gut stuck. She took out the knife from the harness and cut it. The eyes haven't adjusted yet, and her ears were even worse. She only then realized that the music was still playing. Enraged, she stabbed the audio system and made it go dark. Her phone was somewhere on the floor, and she felt for it hurriedly. As she bowed down, she nearly vomited and had to sit up again. Slowly, gradually, she moved her body, checking every joint. All hurt, and yet nothing was broken. The belt, and the bag embraced her in a tight caccoon that saved her completely. June tried the door and found it jammed. She stretched her back, tried her arms, then reached for the headrest and pulled it out. She knew they were coming. She should be more careful with her wishes, because they tend to manifest pretty quickly. Malibu was totaled.

She broke the window and kicked it out of the frame, then hauled herself out, meeting the ground head first. She even threw up a little, but, pushing this mass out of her throat made her vision and mind much clearer. Finally, her body recuperated and was ready to move. Back to force again.

June crawled around the car, trying to hear if they're coming from down the hill. Thickets around presented and agreeable hideout, so she aimed for the bushes of rowan. As soon as she quietened down, knife in her sweaty hand, she heard the voices and crackling of branches. Heavy steps. Two heads, one bald, the other, blonde. Kozik and Happy, big bafoons. She retreated further but stumbled upon a stump. Thankfully, they were speaking too loudly to each other.

"Shit. Can you believe this?"

"Oh my god. What is she?"

"She broke the window here".

The two bikers looked around, scanning the clearing.

"She must be here somewhere".

"So, what?"

"If she's alive, she's gonna report it. She has to".

The grim understanding lay in between them. Kozik took out the gun, his leather jacket squeaked.

They stepped away from each other and separated. Happy went directly for the rowan where June perched herself onto the stump. Moving further back was impossible because of the thickness of vegetation. She took a breath to stop producing all sound. Her heart slowing down. She moved the knife into the other hand and wiped the palm on her jeans. Happy circled the clearing and moved the branches away, crooking his neck.

"You got anything?" yelled Kozik.

"Not yet".

June moved. Happy turned around to face his friend, and she jumped. Her knife flying up, and then down, digging the trailing tip between the third and the fourth vertebra. Happy produced a hollow sound, resembling a question: huh? And fell silent. His body moving almost like a zombie. June got on his back and wrapped her legs around his wide waist. Immediately the shots fired. She crunched behind his shoulder for cover, guiding Happy with the knife. He swayed left and right, losing balance. In about a second he would fall. With one foot, she pushed them both against the springy branches of rowan as Kozik kept firing, all shots flying into Happy's chest. Then she pushed again, removing the blade, and raced for the bushes. Move legs up, ankles sharp, following the rule. Body tilted slightly forward so that the movement of air doesn't slow you down. Shots, like barking, were fying into her back, but she was moving in zig zags, eyes on the ground. Roots, saplings and flowers were outstretching their limbs towards her. The shouting started. They heard the gun and all rushed down the hill to help catch and kill her. But June was trained for this. Moving precisely, carefully. She made around half a mile at once, without a stop, before her feet finally gave in and a root caught her ankle. She opened her palm and released the blade not to stab herself upon the fall. The phone almost breaking her hip as she landed. Should've put it into her back pocket. Something sharp and hot stung her calf, and she rested for a little, listening. There was distant shouting in the forest. Distinct Scottish growl. By the sound of it, they weren't following her. Juno, Juno, she thought. You got it, girl. My sweet girl, she thought. How she wished to hear that from someone. You'll make it, and you're gonna win, my good girl Juno. She pushed herself up against the ground and lay on her back a little, watching the sky. This ain't the dog test.

She found her way out of the forest by the evening. Well, the evening being around two hours from then. The sun was going down when she finally noticed the clearing between the trees. By that time, her leg was aching uncontrollably, and all her face was incredibly dry. She lost the knife but kept the phone, which was guiding her out of the thickets, but even the maps didn't help much. It was all just a green blob. She made the last powerful attempt and climbed up the hill, grabbing at roots and thorny flowers, and sliding on dry ground. Her hurt leg almost gave out but she pushed herself onto the edge of the road and her face was flooded with red and blue immediately.

"June!" someone screamed. She dismissed them with her hand, too tired. People were running towards her. Sirens went silent at the same moment, and some hands helped her up. She probably looked roughed up, because the faces staring at her were horrified.

"Water", she said shortly, pushing the hands away, heading for the ambulance. She limped up, waving at paramedics, the only people she was happy to see. The others were following her silently with their hands outstretched, ready to catch her. She finally saw Boulder's face. He was panting.

"June!"

She waved at him, too.

"Totaled my car", she breathed.

"Yes, we found it".

He helped her up the ambulance car, and she heaved herself onto the steps.

"My leg's infected", she said to a nurse who immediately bowed down to inspect it. Someone passed her a bottle of water, and she thanked them. Sergeant Philips together with Laney were standing aside, looking at a phone and throwing glances at her.

"I killed one of them", she said.

"I know", Boulder repeated. "We've been looking for you the whole day. What exactly happened?"

"They ran me off the road".

"Did you see specifically who?"

She shook her head, mouth full of water. Tapped her face with wet palms.

"We're taking you to the hospital", the nurse told her.

"No!" June yelled. The girl looked at her, eyes wide open.

"They will try to finish me off..."

"They won't June", Boulder said softly. "Teller came to the station today. Told us everything. They refused to give the name of the one who directly pushed you off, but they said it was more of an accident".

June grimaced. Boulder moved his mouth around showing he understands.

"Yeah. But he said they won't pursue it. We count it as attempted murder of an FBI agent nevertheless".

"BAU agent", she sighed. Whole body ached, she probably needed a drip. She allowed herself into the hands of the nurse and closed her eyes. Eyeballs still moving. She couldn't switch off.

@fallout-girl219