#my favorite fanfic thriller

[tetsunabouquet]

I'm re-reading Pulchrite's 'How To Stop The Bleeding' once more. (I downloaded the fic from fanfiction.net before the site went downhill). WARNINGS: Mentions of abuse, rape, murder, mental illness and a character wanting to commit suicide. Without a hiatus message or anything, this fanfic was just abruptily discontinued by Pulchrite and it makes me so sad because it was such an amazing fanfic. It's literally my favorite fanfic thriller. It's a Shaman King fanfic, reimagening them as normal, human adults in an angsty, psychological AND gorey bloodfest. I am saying bloodfest because the fic starts out with Tamao going yandere after Yoh sleeps with her causing a psychotic break, and Ren having an obsession with Anna due to the Asakura brothers and he raped her whilst using Pirika as a coverup for it (they're in an abusive relationship).

Slowly, it becomes an all-out war between the Tao family and Hao, with everyone else getting stuck in the crossfire of it all and the occasional loose canon like Lyserg who's mentally unstable, killed his own parents when he was young and has been abused by Ren for years as well as raped by a baseball bat, but Ren suffered the same fate as a kid by the hands of his family. This fanfic was brutal, but it had so much intrigue. Like, the whole Lyserg thing. For the majority of the fanfic he was portrayed as the innocent victim that seemed too terrified to leave Ren, struggling with trauma and anxiety attacks. But as the story keeps taking twists and turns, you learn he's actually struggling with multiple personalities, including a psychopathic one that butchered his parents with an axe, was so dangerous and unstable he was at the max protected ward and the doctors who treated him literally say he seems to have some control over his personality switches and that his dark personality uses his traumatized, victimized personality as a shield. Implying he's been playing all his friends by making himself Ren's 'poor victim' and that his dark persona can be just as bad as Ren. This fic is glorious, and I'll forever mourn the fact its not finished. I want to see how it ends, like, does Nichrom kill Tamao or do they become a romantic version of the Lyserg and Ren dynamic? What happens to Ren and Kanna's kid? Do Horohoro, Anna and Pirika escape the Tao family torture unit and live to see the end? Can Hao win against the Tao family after he kidnapped Jun? Will Yoh survive and speaking about where the fic left him off- what on earth is the deal with that Viktor dude and why did 9 year old Ren wanted to commit suicide because of it? Does it has to do with the torture and rape he went through as a kid?! ANSWER ME PULCHRITE!!!

[kitsunesfandomtime]

-writing my eldritch dfo series- I’m going to make sure it’s super good. Kacchan is our star of this one and ain’t he lucky to have three chapters of Cosmic horror~

[kingofbodyrolls]

BTS fic recs: August 2024

Hi! Thank you so much for looking at my fic recs— I truly hope you find something that you haven’t read, or something to reread maybe? Please show all of these wonderful authors some love on their original post to let them know they made something wonderful ✨

Some of the authors on this list is on hiatus, but please don’t let that stop you from reblogging or commentating on their story— because you don’t know when they might pop back in and see your lovely comment/reblog, so please— if you like something, show some love to the author 🥰

I want to thank each and every writer on this list for creating such wonderful stories and art - you are truly amazing ✨ All the fics on this list hold a dear place in my heart 🥹

❗Most of these fics are smutty or dark as hell, so minors dni.❗ 

If you read anything on this list and you like it, please leave a comment to the writer or reblog the fic, it might seem like a tiny gesture, but it really means a lot for writers and I can guarantee it will put a smile on their faces💜 Let’s share and give lots of love!

Looking for more to read? Check ‘The Library’ or last years recs 🙂

[index] → jan | feb (jhs) | mar (myg) | apr | may | jun | jul | 💜 | sep (jjk)(knj) | oct (pjm) | nov | dec (ksj)(kth) |

Emoji meaning → angst = 🌩️, smut = 🥵, fluff = 🥰, comedy = 😂, yandere = 😈, thriller/dark = 👻, fantasy = 🪄. 

⭐Discord Discourse: pt1 and pt2 (series; discontinued) @joheunsaram [4k]  // knj x f.reader // idol!au, internet relationships, s2l, fanfic writer!reader // 🌩️🥰

📝 Kim Namjoon likes to spend time in a discord server… dedicated to him. With new friends and a budding crush, will he ever be able to truly be himself without revealing who he is?

🗨️ oh this one is so good! It’s amazing! The concept and plot is soo funny! I would be scared if this happened to me 😂

⭐You Set My Heart on Fire: pt1 and pt2 (series; completed) @hayjeon [21k] // knj x f.reader // one night stand, s2l, workplace!au, fireman!Namjoon + paramedic!reader // 🌩️🥰🥵

📝 as a surgeon forced to volunteer as a paramedic in the Seoul Fire Department during an unfortunate probation incident, your one and only goal was to get to work, do your thing, and get the hell home and back to your original high-salary job. But when the SFD’s Chief is the incredibly attractive, cocky, and persistent Kim Namjoon, things start to get heated.  

🗨️ holy shit this is amazing 💖 Namjoon as a firefighter? So fucking hot 🔥 oc as a surgeon turned paramedic ✨ and all the action, the tension, the friends with the whole crew and all the guys??? 🥹 Fuck. This one is amazing, another favorite! 

⭐Show Me How @imaginationofacrazyfangirl [3.9k] // knj x f.reader // tinder!au, virgin!au // 🥵

📝 you swiped right on a nerd, instead you got a Greek God. Or tired of your virginity, you decide to throw caution to the wind and find a hookup on tinder.

🗨️ omg this is really amazing! I’m going to warn you that it ends on a cliffhanger and there’s no other part to it, but it’s so amazing and it’s worth a read even though you’ll 100% be left wanting more 🥹😂 Their chemistry is so off the charts and the foreplay is so good 👏🏾

⭐Real Magic @here2bbtstrash [16.7k] // knj x f.reader // christmas!au, workplace!au, single dad!Namjoon // 🥵🥰

📝 the holiday season has never meant anything to you beyond suffering long hours for minimum wage and awaiting the collapse of capitalism— but this year, you’d be willing to add making out with your dilf coffee shop boss to the list.

🗨️ omg this was just so fucking amazing 🥰 I love everything about it and the plot was so fluffy 🥺 Namjoon was just so fluffy and I love his kid ✨ Such a sweet holiday fic, and even if it isn’t read around Christmas time it will bring a smile to your face. It’s truly amazing 💯💜

⭐Sweet Company @remedyx [4.4k]  // knj x f.reader // coffee shop!au, christmas!au, s2l // 🥰

📝 no one should ever have to spend the holidays alone. Coffee makes for better conversation than eggnog anyway.

🗨️ ih this was so cute and fluffy with a sprinkle of angst. I really loved the length that Namjoon went through for oc and it was such a sweet gesture 🥹 It’s completely SFW!!!

⭐Lost & Found @l0mljeonjungkook [9.6k]  // knj x f.reader // single mom!reader, bf2l // 🥰🥵

📝 eight years beside him were nothing but a roller coaster ride. Being a single mother wasn't easy, but your best friend, Kim Namjoon made your way smooth. You never knew you felt something for him until you read his diary, which you weren't supposed to read ever. What will you do, if not only you but Hyeon, your baby, and your best friend Namjoon, wants the same, what you desired for so long?

🗨️ this was cute 🥹

⭐All Mine @cui-nisi [3.8k] // ksj x f.reader // college!au, fwb, e2l // 🥵

📝 with Jin being the student body president, you have to keep your purely sexual relationship on the DL, but what happens when it’s no longer just sexual?

🗨️ oh I really liked this one! The tension and energy between oc and Seokjin uffff 🔥

⭐Textbook Love @helenazbmrskai [11.6k] // ksj x f.reader // brother’s best friend!au, writer!reader, f2l // 🥵🥰🌩️

📝 loving your best friend’s brother is forbidden so what is even more forbidden you might ask. It’s writing smut about him. Can you still remain friends after he discovers your secrets?

🗨️ iiihhh, it was so good! ✨🥵

⭐Small Tuna Fish @floralseokjin [17.1k] // ksj x f.reader // college!au, f2l // 🥵🥰

📝 Kim Seokjin is a really nice guy. (Not to be confused with a ‘Nice Guy’). Too nice for someone like you, you’re sure. Which is why you’ve been attempting to ignore what’s going on between you. He couldn’t possibly be flirting with you. He couldn’t possibly like you. Could he? It the end, it takes one charity car wash event and one – or two, depending on how dirty your mind is – soakings to make things very clear. 

🗨️ damn, this was so funny, sweet and sexy at the same time ✨💯 loved the plot, the car wash–the wetness?? Omg. Everything was so fucking perfect 💖

⭐Dream Come True @sugaurora [16.8k] // ksj x f.reader // brother’s best friend!au, f2l // 🥵🥰

📝 since your brother had warned you years ago that his best friend Seokjin was off limits, you’d only allowed yourself to safely fantasize about him in your dreams. You’re not sure why tonight his lips feel so much softer and his hands so much warmer than usual, but you’re also not about to complain.

🗨️ shit I’m in love with this 🤧 It’s so fucking amazing, beautiful, sweet and fluffy. I lived it so much 💖 💯

⭐With You @yoonpobs [22.1k] // ksj x f.reader // marriage!au, divorce!au, childhood friends2lovers // 🥵🥰🌩️

📝 marrying your childhood best friend was not the love story that most painted it to be. you knew that better than anyone else.

🗨️ I really adore stories where the characters undergo emotional development 🥹 and these… They grow so much, and they even have supportive friends and family 🤧 Jin was a bit of a douche yes but he learned from his mistakes (hopefully keeps at it) and I really loved everything in it 🤧✨ I also loved that Jin suggested couples therapy, because I think that would be a big assert for them to achieve a healthier marriage 🥹 and when he asked oc on a date, and she went “but were married?” 🤭 also, I really think that going on dates while married is a really good way to keep the marriage alive too 🥰💜 I really loved it 💯

⭐Warm This Winter @jamaisjoons [51.6k] // ksj x f.reader (ft. ex!jjk) // one night stand, s2l, exes (jjk), christmas!au // 🥵🥰🌩️

📝 spending the winter vacation with an ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend was not something anyone would ever consider doing. spending the winter vacation with both an ex-boyfriend, his new girlfriend, and the one night stand you’d used to try to get over him, well that was a whole other situation that anyone sane would have fled from. and yet, here you are. caught between your best friend (and consequently your ex-boyfriend), and the very same man who you’d fallen into bed with after a night of wallowing in self pity. all while stuck in the picturesquely beautiful - and cruelly romantic - austrian alps. well. at least you can say you had an interesting christmas.

🗨️ PERFECTION 💯 This was so fucking incredible, I don’t know where to begin… I love Jin in this, he’s so fucking funny charming, sweet, kind and witty. He’s so him. The dynamic between all of the characters was amazing, and the tension and unresolved feelings between oc and Jungkook was so fucking good! I loved all the jealousy too, and then the fading of the jealousy. When things shifted for oc, how Seokjin helped her, and in that, she fell for him 🤧 Such a lovely Christmas story! There’s a lot of angst in it, yes, and tension, dear god, the tension is so good 😭 there humor, happiness, live and friendship. And missed chances, living with consequences 🥹✨ IT WAS SO FUCKING GOOD. IF YOU HAVEN’T READ IT BEFORE, DO IT NOW, AND IF YOU HAVE, READ IT AGAIN 💖

⭐The Devil Wears Valentino @orchidyoonkook [10.4k] // myg x f.reader // devil!Yoongi, “friends” to lovers, spooky!au // 🥵🥰🌩️👻🪄

📝 having known him for years—from a small mistake on your behalf, and a favour on his—you’re one of the only people he seems to be able to put up with for company. Certainly the only one he’s half-way decent with. But what’s more surprising to you is that despite his name, reputation, and the fact he’s always joked he’d have killed anyone else by this point, is that he’s never once tried to cause you harm. Actually, he’s almost…protective of you. In his own weird way. And obnoxiously flirty.

🗨️ there is just so much in this one, and it’s so fucking amazing!!!! There’s so much lore, and brilliant storytelling and the writing was just so fucking suberb ✨ This is hands down one of the best stories I’ve ever read, and I’m so happy I did and I’ll revisit this story again sometime, because, fuck, it was just soo fucking good!!! 😭 I think this will be a perfect read at least once a year, preferably around Halloween— and then also on Yoongi’s birthday, because 🥵 Really, you should read this anything, multiple times! This has really become one of my personal favorites 💎

⭐By the Time I’ve Figured Out What it’s Worth @ugh-yoongi [20k] // myg x f.reader // musician!Yoongi, est. relationship, marriage!au // 🥵🥰🌩️

📝 you used to find comfort in it—listening to those old songs. the shy sounds of falling in love, the tinkling of a ring in a dish, the inevitable crash and burn. all those songs aren’t so comforting anymore, when you’d do anything to keep him and yoongi’s got one foot out the door.

🗨️ this was so heartbreakingly good, I don’t know where to begin!? It’s so raw and real, and this is very special to me, because I relate to the plot a lot. It really describes some struggles of marriage and relationships so well, how they handle the tough times! It was such a good read! Is it angsty? Yeah. Did I cry? Yeah. It was just perfection. I was really moved by this. So relatable, raw and realistic. So emotional. So beautiful 🤧💖

⭐The Seventh Muse @wwilloww [6.7k] // myg x f.reader // f2l, librarian!au // 🥵🥰

📝 as a writer, your favorite place in the world is the library. But you’re quickly coming to realize that it might not be the books that keep drawing you back, but the handsome, smart librarian who always knows exactly what you need.

🗨️ Cute and I really like it 💖

⭐Too High @ysljoon [1.7k] // myg x f.reader x fwb!Hoseok // toxic relationships, ex!Yoongi// 🌩️

📝 you haven't moved on from your ex, can someone else pick up the pieces for you or are you going to keep yourself in the cycle of the failed relationship?

🗨️ Oh this was bittersweet 🥺 going back to a guy who hurt you (I’m guessing emotionally), but he’s your home and comfort 🥺 I can see why OC’s toxic in her behavior, and I feel sad for everyone involved 🤧 The story is really good and it’s very emotional 💖

⭐Three Tangerines (series; ongoing) @kithtaehyung [n/a] // myg x f.reader // fuckboy!yoongi, brother’s best friend!au, age gap!au // 🌩️🥵🥰

📝 Throughout high school, you sometimes caught glimpses of your brother’s older friends: some of them were sweet, some of them were smart. but the one closest to him? that guy was a total f*ckboy from day one. after a foray of horrid relationships spanning years - ending with one that broke up with you for an alarming reason - you needed advice on what the hell you were doing wrong… and this wasn’t a conversation for anyone sweet or smart.

🗨️ 3tan is back on the list!!! 🥰 In case you haven’t read the new drabble of 3tan717 ‘Bet Wrong’ please go do it now, it’s so fucking good, sweet and dirty ✨

⭐Swing Life Away @aphrodijin [5.2k] // myg x f.reader // marriage!au, pregnancy!au // 🥵🥰🌩️

📝 it's your first anniversary as a married couple but not only did you forget today's special occasion, you also didn't prepare a self-made gift for your husband -- except for the bundle of joy in your womb.

🗨️ This was so fucking cute and sweet!! Omg I loved it so much 😭💯💜

⭐Minted (series; ongoing) @/kithtaehyung [9.4k] // myg x f.reader // haegeum!au, gang!au, street king!Yoongi, street cart vendor!reader // 🌩️🥵

📝 all you do is wake up, sell your fruit on the dusty streets below your flat, and go to sleep. but everything changes when a customer you always look forward to seeing turns out to be dangerous. really, really dangerous.

🗨️ Another amazing story from Ryen! This Yoongi is dark and so so interesting. There’s a lot of suspense, tension and angst, but it’s so fucking good! It’s fast paced, and it’s a slow burn at the same time— don’t ask me how Ryen does that, but it’s perfect! 👏💖

⭐Not Interested @sehunpeachy [20k] // jhs x f.reader // e2l, college!au, swim team!au // 🥵🥰🌩️😂

📝 nobody has ever succeeded at swooping you off your feet. that is until you become coach assistant for your college’s swim team and maybe then, you learn everybody deserves a chance at love.

🗨️ wow, wow, wow. Enemies to lovers? 🥵 The tension between them was so fucking good, and the fact that it was a swim team??? Ehm hello? It was so wet, juicy and perfect!!! I loved everything in it (it was also witty and funny!) ✨💯

⭐After Hours @yminie [5.3k] // jhs x f.reader // retail!au, workplace!au, manager!hoseok // 🥵

📝 it’s no secret your manager is very, very good looking. So what can be expected of you when you spend one too many nights locked up on your own with him?

🗨️ manager Hoseok? I would not be able to function at work 🥵 it was so hooooot ✨

⭐Stop Being so Cute @thatmultifandomhoe [3.4k] // jhs x f.reader // coffee shop!au, s2l // 🥰

📝 intentionally left blank by the author.

🗨️ this was so cute 🥹💖

⭐Gone Wild @johobi [6.5k] // jhs x f.reader // bf2l, fwb, roommate!au // 🥵

📝 Hoseok consumes porn like he does Cheetos: in unhealthily large amounts. He’s seen, and jacked off to, most things imaginable. But there are those photos that always draw him back… 

🗨️ fuck. Fuck. Fuck. It was so amazing ✨💯 The tension?? So high and hot! The smut? I don’t know where to begin?? 🥵

⭐Me & You @/jamaisjoons [6.5k]  // jhs x f.reader // bf2l // 🥵🌩️🥰

📝 your relationship with your best friend has always been strange - especially since you started as friends with benefits. 

🗨️ this was so fucking hot I’m going KAVSVDBAKAVFK 🤧

⭐Fake Love @aquaminwrites [16.2k] // jhs x f.reader // fake dating!au, christmas!au, e2l // 🥵

📝 every year, your family spends the holidays at your parents’ cottage in the country. Freshly single and not wanting to be picked apart by your family for being alone, you decide to recruit one of your friends to pretend to be your boyfriend. The only available volunteer? Your brother Namjoon’s roommate, Hoseok. Only problem? He absolutely hates your guts. 

🗨️ I just love Christmas stories, and then you add a fake relationship, only one bed and enemies and brother’s best friend??? Hello. It was awesome, thank you very much ✨ I really loved it 💖 so, so good! 💯

⭐Potent Pink (series; discontinued) @dntaewithluv [6.9k]  // pjm x f.reader // neighbor!au, fuckboy!au // 🥰🌩️😂

📝 the first time you see Park Jimin you’re instantly entranced by him. And it turns out he lives in the apartment next to the one you’re moving into, so even better he’s your hot neighbor. When the previous tenant confesses to you that he was the best hook up she ever had, you’re that much more intrigued. The first time you meet him, however, you’re deciding immediately that you hate him and want to stay as far away from him as possible. Jimin is determined to be a constant in your life though, and he definitely is that. Both a constant flirt and a constant pain in your ass. Is a ruined second impression enough to prevent you from ever giving him a second chance?

🗨️ it was so good! And I feel like I want to know so much more about why Jungkook doesn’t like Jimin, why he’s saying not to invite him into OC’s life. It was such a good prologue! 🥹 Sadly it hasn’t been updated, so I’ll make this as a discontinued series… But I still think it’s worth a read because both the writing and the story was so good 💜✨

⭐Mismatched Pages: pt1 and pt2 (series; discontinued) @knjoodles [1.2k + 4.2k]  // pjm x f.reader // university!au, writer!au // 🥰🌩️

📝 you love writing. it’s your passion, it’s what you dream to do forever. up until you find out the guy you really like also happens to be the guy who’s stealing your ideas. then it sucks.

🗨️ this was really cute 🥹 it hasn’t been updated after chapter two, so I assume that it’s discontinued. I really like the plot though!!! 💜

⭐Blooming Days @bluekyun [15.3k] // pjm x f.reader // university!au, bf2l, pregnancy!au // 🥰🌩️🥵😂

📝 a typical night for you begins at the library in your favorite chair underneath the lamp in the corner, only to be picked up at 3am by your best friend, Jimin. Despite having slept over in his room several times before, this certain night in Sigma house leads to far more than you ever imagined. But what is to come of your friendship once you reveal those two little lines that will change your lives forever?

🗨️ ahhhh this was so cute, lovely, fluffy and funny! It was also sprinkled with a bit of angst that made me tear up and scared for a moment 🥺 but the ending was happy 🥰 I really loved it 💖💯

⭐Tonight @pjmparadise [6.5k] // pjm x f.reader // idol!au, s2l // 🥰🌩️

📝 during a visit to New York, Jimin stops in front of a bar in passing and takes notice of you inside; lonely, gloomy, and so beautiful. He’s immediately drawn to you and can’t shake the image of you. He returns later that night, hoping he can still meet you. But will you feel the same way?

🗨️ this was cute 🥹 And for some reason, this felt very “who” coded 🥹 really fluffy but it’s a bit bittersweet, but hopeful ending! I really loved it 💖

⭐Never Falling + Forever Falling + Free Falling @yoonia [21k + 30.5k + 22k] // pjm x f.reader // e2l, singer!Jimin, non-idol!au, workplace!au, assistant!reader // 🌩️🥵

📝 for Park Jimin, you are everything he will ever need—his assistant, his housekeeper, his task runner, his fairy godmother. For you, he is more than everything. You have dedicated your life for him and, before you even realised it, your heart belongs to him alone. The only problem is that he is never yours, and you are living in a world that your love for him is nothing more than a fairytale ending. As you are suddenly given a chance to wake up and face the real world, will you be ready to embrace it? Will he be ready to deal with the world without you in it?

🗨️ this has been on my trl for forever, and then, it was only a one-shot, so color me pleased and pleasantly surprised to find out that this is now a freaking trilogy 🤯✨ I loved everything in it, and it’s so fucking amazing— if you have not already read it, you are certainly missing out! This is definitely one of my all time favorites 💎

⭐Eldorado @smoochkooks [38k] // pjm x f.reader // gold diggers!au, e2l, slowburn, adventure!au // 🥰🌩️🥵

📝 not all that glitters is gold but you, qualified gold digger, carrying on your back immense experience acquired all around the globe, came to the city of el paso del conte with one goal in your mind: to hit the jackpot of the eldorado of Texas. and nothing, no tragedies and adversities will stop you from pursuing it. but in every fairytale-like, too-good-to-be-true story, there’s a catch. this time, it comes in the name of park jimin, annoyingly handsome archeologist, your sworn enemy and biggest rival. 

🗨️ this has been on my trl list for some many fucking years 😭 well, I finally got to read it! And it was amazing, it was so fucking funny! Filled with witty banter, jokes and stereotypical jokes 😂 World building was so good too! And the smut? Fire 🥵 I really loved it 💖💯

⭐Backseat Serenade @jungkxook [10.7k]  // kth x f.reader // est. relationship, band!au, brother’s best friend, punk!Taehyung // 🥵

📝 falling in love and having weekly sex with kim taehyung is wrong for a number of reasons — and, no, that’s not including the whole other issue that he’s also your brother’s best friend

🗨️ This was so fucking amazing 🥵💜✨

⭐Any Way You Want It @noteguk [6.6k] // kth x f.reader // childhood bf to lovers // 🥵🥰

📝 in which your best friend, Taehyung, finds out about your unsatisfying sexual experiences and decides to put an end to that track record himself. 

🗨️ fuck this was so cute, and fuck the smut was so hot 🥵✨💯

⭐Supernova @whatifyoulivelikethat [n/a] // kth x f.reader // bf2l // 🥵😂

📝 Kim Taehyung is your best friend. Considering him as anything more was asking for a collapsed relationship. You two were just two points in the sky, side by side, always shining together. Stars aren’t meant to collide, right? 

🗨️ ØANFBGÆSB. Yep. Speechless. It was so hot! Amazing! And funny too ✨💜

⭐Rent-a-BoyfriendTM + drabble @jimlingss [12k] // kth x f.reader // s2l, fake dating!au // 😂🥰

📝 left intentionally blank by the author.

🗨️ fuck this was so freaking cute and fluffy with a small sprinkle of angst. Perfection 👏🏾 🥰💯

⭐The Assistant: pt1 and pt2 (series; completed) @lavienjin [3.8k]  // kth x f.reader // workplace!au, assistant!Taehyung, boss!reader // 🥵🌩️

📝 Kim Taehyung is your assistant and moonlights as a masseuse in the evening. When you came to the office the morning after a bad date, all you wanted is his hands all over your body.

🗨️ really liked this one ✨💜

⭐Lovestruck @seokstrivia [9k]  // kth x f.reader // jock!au, s2l, slowburn // 🥵🥰

📝 it was love at first sight, however, what you had imagined was very different from real life. In other words, Kim Taehyung didn’t know you existed.

🗨️ cute, cute, cute 🥰

⭐Chasing Cars (series; completed) @oddinary4bts [218.5k] // jjk x f.reader // brother’s best friend!au, forbidden love!au, college!au, slice of life!au // 🥵🌩️🥰

📝 when your brother goes to study on a semester abroad, your life collides with his best friend Jeon Jungkook, who's coincidentally your roommate. Will you survive the collision, or will you crumble into dust?

🗨️ the series are completed! I still need to read the last chapter, but it's so fucking good 💜 If you haven't read this one yet, you really should, and remember to read all the drabbles from JK's pov for each chapter ✨

⭐Bottle Up Old Love @wintaerbaer [4.6k] // jjk x f.reader // exes to lovers // 🥵🌩️🥰

📝 Jungkook may have broken up with you a year ago, but that's not going to stop him from coming to your rescue when he sees you being cornered by a creep.

🗨️ aaaaaaah this was so good! The smut, the plot (JK is protective and I love it), I really loved everything about this ✨💯

⭐Hold Me Close + Hold Me Closer @ahundredtimesover [22.6k] // jjk x f.reader // brother’s best friend!au // 🥵🌩️🥰

📝 when Jimin hits a crisis, he enlists the help of his older sister - you - and his best friend, Jungkook, to put the pieces back again. That proves to be difficult when 1) Jimin’s a brat and a certified pain in the ass, and 2) Jungkook has grown and suddenly, you can’t keep your eyes off him.

🗨️ omg this was so fucking amazing 😭✨ The characters are amazing in this, there’s cute backstory, details and the sibling bond is top tier, and the chemistry between oc and Jungkook is so fucking good! The tension is perfect and I love the slow burn 🥰 I feel this was also a bit on the existential side, which I really love. Like the dialogue had me thinking about my own life! I love when that happens! And it was so fun reading about siblings, and I’m missing my own baby sister right now. Anyway, it was exceptionally good! Amazing! 💯 And there’s a mention of Jungkook’s glazed potato incident you can’t miss! It was so fun (both this and the run episode 😂). Can’t recommend this one enough!!

⭐Right Here @namluve [13k]  // jjk x f.reader // 90’s!au, high school!au, fwb to lovers // 🥵🌩️🥰

📝 you had always been a part of the plastics and he was born on the wrong side of town. what happens when your worlds collide, and you realize that he is the only one in your life that’s not fake? 

🗨️ omg this was so heartbreakingly sad 😭😭😭😭 It was beautiful, and I loved it, don’t get me wrong, but I’m so sad 😭 that ending 🤧

⭐(Un)welcomed Addition @shuadotcom [9k]  // jjk x f.reader // neighbors!au, fuckboy!au // 🌩️🥰

📝 after a drunken one night stand with your neighbor, you have your reasons for wanting to forget it ever happened and never talk to him again. Unfortunately, Jungkook wins the award for the world’s worst neighbor so his 3 am wakeup calls and mail stealing have you banging at his door on an almost weekly basis. You just want to make it to the end of your lease so you can leave all the traces of the fuckboy next door behind…unless your feelings get in the way of course.

🗨️ it was funny and cute! I really liked it and there is a plot twist in there that I won’t spoil! ✨

⭐Jump Then Fall (Into You): pt1 + pt2 + pt3 (one-shot; completed) @writtenwhalien [52k] // jjk x f.reader // bf2l, cruise!au, fake dating!au // 🌩️🥰🥵

📝 bringing Jungkook along as your date to your ex’s lavish cruise wedding seemed like a perfect idea at first — all of your family and close friends together, nothing can go wrong… then Jungkook’s ex shows up and all of a sudden you’re in a years long relationship with him. You don’t mind though, really, how hard can sharing a cabin and pretending to be deeply in love with your best friend really be?

🗨️ this story is so fucking good! I love everything in it, and the characters are so good and detailed (even the minor characters!!!). This is totally a new all time favorite of mine 🌟

⭐Dragonheart (ongoing series) @captain-joongz [22.1k+]  // ot7 x f.reader // dragon rider!au, high fantasy!au, e2l // 🥵🌩️🥰😂

📝 the Gong-li Empire has been on the peak of its power for a little over a millenium, and there was a very simple reason for that - dragonkind. When the first emperor of the Li Dynasty struck a deal with a witch that would allow him to bind dragons to the crown and force them into obedience, it was the beginning of its reign of terror and the end of freedom for creatures as old as nature itself. Now, a woman hoping to change everything enters the ranks of the elite dragon rider unit among the imperial army and meets seven men that not only change her life, but help her change the fate of the whole world.

🗨️ this is so fucking amazing; there’s a lot of lore to dig into, the characters are good and funny. The storytelling is so good too! I can’t wait to read more of this one ✨ If you love fantasy and dragons, I’m sure you’ll love this one 💜

⭐End of the World: a Flickering Hope + Drabble + Epilogue  [4k + 1.2k + 0.9k]  // myg x f.reader // s2l, apocalypse!au // 🥵🥰😂🌩️👻

📝 your government has been telling you to prepare for war, just as a precaution given the recent political changes around your country. Did you listen and prepare? No. Are you paying the price now, friends all but gone, and your city burned to pieces? Yes. Survival instincts kicking in, you search for a place to rest, nourish your battered and hungry body, only to find yourself at the porch of a stranger. Will he help you, or leave you to your own demise? 

⭐Whalien52 [10.6k]  // pjm x f.reader // s2l, dystopian!au // 🌩️🥵👻

📝 you’ve been working for the New World Order as an assassin for years, guarding secrets without batting an eye or asking questions. But when a striking pink haired man shows up at the headquarters stealing information, he makes you question everything. With all of humanity at stake, what will you do? 

⭐When It Sinks In [13.1k]  // ksj x f.reader // est. relationship, mermaid!au, amnesia romance // 🥵🪄🥰🌩️

📝 life as a mermaid is wonderful, especially when your merman boyfriend, Seokjin, treats you just right. But you’re beginning to recall memories that you don’t think are yours from life on land— from a past life maybe? When you do realize that the memories are in fact your own, the world comes tumbling down around you, questioning your very existence. Are you even a real mermaid?

Thank you so much for reading my rec list, I hope you’ll reblog it to make it reach more people! There’s some insanely good reads on here ✨

If you want more, you’re more than welcome to follow me! I do monthly rec lists and sometimes I post my own writing too (only bangtan). 

Love you and borahae 💜

[arclviie]

𐔌 ENHYPEN FIC RECOMMENDATIONS !

A/N : hii and welcome to my first post !! This will be a small list of my personal favorite fanfics that i’ve read and that i highly recommend :3 i’ll also progressively add more fics once im done reading them, hope you enjoy <3 ( if there’s any mistake please lmk !! )

( read more below the cut ! )

HEESEUNG :

Trapped. by @gyuuberryy

genre : reincarnation au, supernatural themes, horror, suggestive content.

JAY :

No limits, ( part2 ). by @yeonzzzn

genre : strangers to lovers, smut.

Venom ! by @gyuuberryy

genre : one sided rivalry, office coworkers, superhero.

Taste like danger. by @jungqkook

genre : angst, smut.

JAKE :

Sims anatomy. by @021894s

genre : workplace romance, situationship, smut.

SUNGHOON :

the lighthouse. by @jjunieworld

genre : fantasy, strangers to lovers, angst, fluff, smut.

SUNOO :

( nothing yet )

JUNGWON :

Love 119, ( part2 ), ( part3 ). by @dksfml

genre : workplace romance, secret dating, fluff.

Ephemeral (second chance) by @hwanchaesong

genre : fluff, angst, suggestive content.

NI-KI :

I let the world burn for you, ( part2 ). by @elikajinnie

genre : dark romance, angst, horror.

Steal your way to my heart, ( part2 ), ( part3 ). by @elikajinnie

genre : thriller, romantic crime.

The same heart. by @babeyun

genre : established relationship au, slight angst, fluff.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

The true post-cyberpunk hero is a noir forensic accountant

I'm touring my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me in TOMORROW (Apr 17) in CHICAGO, then Torino (Apr 21) Marin County (Apr 27), Winnipeg (May 2), Calgary (May 3), Vancouver (May 4), and beyond!

I was reared on cyberpunk fiction, I ended up spending 25 years at my EFF day-job working at the weird edge of tech and human rights, even as I wrote sf that tried to fuse my love of cyberpunk with my urgent, lifelong struggle over who computers do things for and who they do them to.

That makes me an official "post-cyberpunk" writer (TM). Don't take my word for it: I'm in the canon:

https://tachyonpublications.com/product/rewired-the-post-cyberpunk-anthology-2/

One of the editors of that "post-cyberpunk" anthology was John Kessel, who is, not coincidentally, the first writer to expose me to the power of literary criticism to change the way I felt about a novel, both as a writer and a reader:

https://locusmag.com/2012/05/cory-doctorow-a-prose-by-any-other-name/

It was Kessel's 2004 Foundation essay, "Creating the Innocent Killer: Ender's Game, Intention, and Morality," that helped me understand litcrit. Kessel expertly surfaces the subtext of Card's Ender's Game and connects it to Card's politics. In so doing, he completely reframed how I felt about a book I'd read several times and had considered a favorite:

https://johnjosephkessel.wixsite.com/kessel-website/creating-the-innocent-killer

This is a head-spinning experience for a reader, but it's even wilder to experience it as a writer. Thankfully, the majority of literary criticism about my work has been positive, but even then, discovering something that's clearly present in one of my novels, but which I didn't consciously include, is a (very pleasant!) mind-fuck.

A recent example: Blair Fix's review of my 2023 novel Red Team Blues which he calls "an anti-finance finance thriller":

https://economicsfromthetopdown.com/2023/05/13/red-team-blues-cory-doctorows-anti-finance-thriller/

Fix – a radical economist – perfectly captures the correspondence between my hero, the forensic accountant Martin Hench, and the heroes of noir detective novels. Namely, that a noir detective is a kind of unlicensed policeman, going to the places the cops can't go, asking the questions the cops can't ask, and thus solving the crimes the cops can't solve. What makes this noir is what happens next: the private dick realizes that these were places the cops didn't want to go, questions the cops didn't want to ask and crimes the cops didn't want to solve ("It's Chinatown, Jake").

Marty Hench – a forensic accountant who finds the money that has been disappeared through the cells in cleverly constructed spreadsheets – is an unlicensed tax inspector. He's finding the money the IRS can't find – only to be reminded, time and again, that this is money the IRS chooses not to find.

This is how the tax authorities work, after all. Anyone who followed the coverage of the big finance leaks knows that the most shocking revelation they contain is how stupid the ruses of the ultra-wealthy are. The IRS could prevent that tax-fraud, they just choose not to. Not for nothing, I call the Martin Hench books "Panama Papers fanfic."

I've read plenty of noir fiction and I'm a long-term finance-leaks obsessive, but until I read Fix's article, it never occurred to me that a forensic accountant was actually squarely within the noir tradition. Hench's perfect noir fit is either a happy accident or the result of a subconscious intuition that I didn't know I had until Fix put his finger on it.

The second Hench novel is The Bezzle. It's been out since February, and I'm still touring with it (Chicago tonight! Then Turin, Marin County, Winnipeg, Calgary, Vancouver, etc). It's paying off – the book's a national bestseller.

Writing in his newsletter, Henry Farrell connects Fix's observation to one of his own, about the nature of "hackers" and their role in cyberpunk (and post-cyberpunk) fiction:

https://www.programmablemutter.com/p/the-accountant-as-cyberpunk-hero

Farrell cites Bruce Schneier's 2023 book, A Hacker’s Mind: How the Powerful Bend Society’s Rules and How to Bend Them Back:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/06/trickster-makes-the-world/

Schneier, a security expert, broadens the category of "hacker" to include anyone who studies systems with an eye to finding and exploiting their defects. Under this definition, the more fearsome hackers are "working for a hedge fund, finding a loophole in financial regulations that lets her siphon extra profits out of the system." Hackers work in corporate offices, or as government lobbyists.

As Henry says, hacking isn't intrinsically countercultural ("Most of the hacking you might care about is done by boring seeming people in boring seeming clothes"). Hacking reinforces – rather than undermining power asymmetries ("The rich have far more resources to figure out how to gimmick the rules"). We are mostly not the hackers – we are the hacked.

For Henry, Marty Hench is a hacker (the rare hacker that works for the good guys), even though "he doesn’t wear mirrorshades or get wasted chatting to bartenders with Soviet military-surplus mechanical arms." He's a gun for hire, that most traditional of cyberpunk heroes, and while he doesn't stand against the system, he's not for it, either.

Henry's pinning down something I've been circling around for nearly 30 years: the idea that though "the street finds its own use for things," Wall Street and Madison Avenue are among the streets that might find those uses:

https://craphound.com/nonfic/street.html

Henry also connects Martin Hench to Marcus Yallow, the hero of my YA Little Brother series. I have tried to make this connection myself, opining that while Marcus is a character who is fighting to save an internet that he loves, Marty is living in the ashes of the internet he lost:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/07/dont-curb-your-enthusiasm/

But Henry's Marty-as-hacker notion surfaces a far more interesting connection between the two characters. Marcus is a vehicle for conveying the excitement and power of hacking to young readers, while Marty is a vessel for older readers who know the stark terror of being hacked, by the sadistic wolves who're coming for all of us:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I44L1pzi4gk

Both Marcus and Marty are explainers, as am I. Some people say that exposition makes for bad narrative. Those people are wrong:

https://maryrobinettekowal.com/journal/my-favorite-bit/my-favorite-bit-cory-doctorow-talks-about-the-bezzle/

"Explaining" makes for great fiction. As Maria Farrell writes in her Crooked Timber review of The Bezzle, the secret sauce of some of the best novels is "information about how things work. Things like locks, rifles, security systems":

https://crookedtimber.org/2024/03/06/the-bezzle/

Where these things are integrated into the story's "reason and urgency," they become "specialist knowledge [that] cuts new paths to move through the world." Hacking, in other words.

This is a theme Paul Di Filippo picked up on in his review of The Bezzle for Locus:

https://locusmag.com/2024/04/paul-di-filippo-reviews-the-bezzle-by-cory-doctorow/

Heinlein was always known—and always came across in his writings—as The Man Who Knew How the World Worked. Doctorow delivers the same sense of putting yourself in the hands of a fellow who has peered behind Oz’s curtain. When he fills you in lucidly about some arcane bit of economics or computer tech or social media scam, you feel, first, that you understand it completely and, second, that you can trust Doctorow’s analysis and insights.

Knowledge is power, and so expository fiction that delivers news you can use is novel that makes you more powerful – powerful enough to resist the hackers who want to hack you.

Henry and I were both friends of Aaron Swartz, and the Little Brother books are closely connected to Aaron, who helped me with Homeland, the second volume, and wrote a great afterword for it (Schneier wrote an afterword for the first book). That book – and Aaron's afterword – has radicalized a gratifying number of principled technologists. I know, because I meet them when I tour, and because they send me emails. I like to think that these hackers are part of Aaron's legacy.

Henry argues that the Hench books are "purpose-designed to inspire a thousand Max Schrems – people who are probably past their teenage years, have some grounding in the relevant professions, and really want to see things change."

(Schrems is the Austrian privacy activist who, as a law student, set in motion the events that led to the passage of the EU's General Data Privacy Regulation:)

https://pluralistic.net/2020/05/15/out-here-everything-hurts/#noyb

Henry points out that William Gibson's Neuromancer doesn't mention the word "internet" – rather, Gibson coined the term cyberspace, which, as Henry says, is "more ‘capitalism’ than ‘computerized information'… If you really want to penetrate the system, you need to really grasp what money is and what it does."

Maria also wrote one of my all-time favorite reviews of Red Team Blues, also for Crooked Timber:

https://crookedtimber.org/2023/05/11/when-crypto-meant-cryptography/

In it, she compares Hench to Dickens' Bleak House, but for the modern tech world:

You put the book down feeling it’s not just a fascinating, enjoyable novel, but a document of how Silicon Valley’s very own 1% live and a teeming, energy-emitting snapshot of a critical moment on Earth.

All my life, I've written to find out what's going on in my own head. It's a remarkably effective technique. But it's only recently that I've come to appreciate that reading what other people write about my writing can reveal things that I can't see.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/17/panama-papers-fanfic/#the-1337est-h4x0rs

Image: Frédéric Poirot (modified) https://www.flickr.com/photos/fredarmitage/1057613629 CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

10 Jikook Fanfictions Part 1

I said I'd make a list before the end of the year and I kept my promise. Now, it's difficult to choose, especially when I have more than 300 bookmarks and unfortunately I also started doing that some year and a half ago. Safe to say, there's probably plenty of good fics I read that are now lost. Anyway, enough with the boring chit chat, here's 10 random jikook fics in no particular order and most likely, several other parts will follow, probably next year 😉

1. Dead in the Water

It's been a couple of years since I read this and honestly, I barely remember much, but what I do know it's that it had an impact on me. Usually fics that have death as a central theme end up resonating with me, but perhaps it's because I've always been attracted to more darker fiction. This one is gritty and there's a lot of pain and I must have cried a lot (those tend to stick in my head)

2. we're holding hands beneath the silver screen

I think this story is taking place in the 90s (you'll see that a lot of the fics I recommend are taking place in the past). I think I ended up reading everything ChimneyCricket wrote, but this one remained a favorite. Coming of age during a summer in Jeju in the 90s. Apart from the theme, it's the writing that made me stick with it.

I'm not the biggest fan of young adult stories. Or better yet, it's not something that I'd go to as a preference. When I do, it's more of an indulgence and thankfully, I found some writers (like this one) who can do a really good job with the genre.

3. Stockwell

Another writer that I've become a big fan of after reading one fic of theirs. And I think it might have been Stockwell that did it for me. I like that it's fanfiction with adult themes for an adult audience. And I also resonate with a lot of the cultural references and themes. I will also admit that this fic leaning into the enemies to lovers trope was a selling point because I'm a sucker for it. I can't help myself.

4. Burn for You

This is a complete self indulgence for me and I embrace it. Just like watching Bridgerton is a guilty pleasure for which I don't actually feel guilty (and the inspo for this fic). This story has everything and I must say the combination of lust, fear of revealing feelings, rumors, proper behavior and hidden romance is a lethal combination!

5. Light of a century

I might have recommended this story before, but it being inspired by Up on Poppy Hill is not just due to the plot, but the writing is able to evoke that studio Ghibli mood. This fic is to be read on a hot weekend afternoon.

6. Map of the Soul

This might be one of the most complex fanfictions I read due to the amount of research needed, but also in the depiction of political contexts and identity politics. Most of all, I like it because as much as relationships are a vital part of the story, there is an entire world surrounding the main characters. Events and other people that have also room to develop and not just remain props that advance the story.

7. Proceed with Caution

I don't know what snatchim did with this fic, but it's the only one I ever reread multiple times and I'll probably do it again in the future. I don't even reread books from my library, let alone fanfics. But Proceed with Caution did it for me. Perhaps it's because of the process of Jungkook inevitably falling for Jimin and even though it's a bad thing considering the context, it's so good. Maybe it's the image of Jimin with a bellybutton ring or maybe because the picture of hot Californian days in the 70s is so vivid, it feels like a nostalgic Paul Thomas Anderson movie.

8. Dishwater World They Said Was Lemonade

The description does not do this story justice because it's so much more than that. It's a canon compliant thriller with really complicated and complex characters and once again, a story meant for adults who understand that it's fiction. Unfortunately, judging by the comment section, a lot of people cannot distinguish betweem real people and characters. For those of you who might be fans of Korean thrillers, this story might be the one for you. It's also one of my favorite jikook fics as well.

9. souvlaki

Need I say more, considering the description? This is a self indulgence as well, but of a different kind. If I happily read tropey fics, I also like the ones that can sound like a uni course. Set during the 1997 FMI crisis in SK, any reader will get familiar with a socioeconomic and political perspective of that time through the eyes of the main characters. If you're only looking for romance, this one is not for you.

10. you wouldn't remember

I think littleflumes might be currently my favorite writer of canon compliant jikook. I think the author really captured their dynamic in its essence and the room left for fiction perfectly fills in the holes left in the last 2 years and up until the present. But what did it for me, not only with this story, but the others in the series as well, is that it's concentrated almost entirely on the two main characters, almost living in a bubble of their own in which their relationship can be explored.

[hoeneymilktea]

deciphered ✧ tooru oikawa chapter 1 | downtown tokyo

Your cousin, Hajime Iwaizumi—whom you haven't seen in a long time, invited you to support him at the largest street racing event in Tokyo. He told you he was a part of the Seijoh Brawlers, one of the notorious top five gangs affiliated with the underground street racing scene. Once he introduced you to his leader, Tooru Oikawa, a.k.a. Cypher—your interest piqued, curiously wanting to understand the true meaning behind his alleged nickname.

✧ pairing — tooru oikawa / afab reader ✧ genre — erotica/smut, action romance, crime romance, dark romance (absolutely no dv/sa), psychological thriller, crime/detective mystery ✧ rating — very explicit, 18+ mdni ✧ chapter word count — 17.1k ✧ content warnings — violence, street racing, references to drugs, explicit sexual content, heavy angst. see below break for chapter specific warnings ↴

author's note — This fanfic is inspired by the beautiful and amazing fanart of Street Racer AU Tooru Oikawa. Artist is @aikk00. disclaimer — I do not condone the romanticization of the yakuza or the reality of gang life as I intended not to portray that kind of interpretation, nor promote the activity of illegal street racing. Do not seek out these types of experiences as this work is just a piece of fiction. Please remember to read at your own risk.

downtown tokyo ⇢ cypher's condo ⇢ ramen & racing

✧ chapter specific content warnings: smoking, vaping, references to drugs

“I’d love it if you could come to my race tonight. It’s the largest one in Tokyo.”

You placed your right hand on your heart, clutching the fabric of your shirt while letting out a half sincere mutter of endearment, laughing directly after. The sound of a loud cackle echoed through the phone on the other side as you tilted your head, staring straight into Iwaizumi’s eyes.

“Aw. I’m flattered, Hajime. I’ll support you no matter what, anything for my favorite cousin.” You smiled brightly at him, showing off the front of your teeth with the edges of your mouth curled up; the same smile you always gave him when you both were younger.

He shyly chuckled and grinned through the video call, rubbing the back of his neck with his left hand. “I’m so excited to finally see you again. It’s been so long since we were kids.”

“Yeah it has,” you replied, placing your phone back on your desk while propping it up behind a water bottle. As you looked back to your laptop, your hand scribbled down another drawing from your organic chemistry lecture slides carelessly onto your notebook.

Iwaizumi’s mother was your father’s older sister, which made you first cousins. The two of you would play and hang out all the time until a disagreement between your aunt and your father made it impossible to see him anymore, completely disconnecting you both for years. Over a decade had passed by since you had last seen him, recognizing he was not the same cousin you once knew during childhood.

He was always into cars ever since he was younger, given your father was a car guy himself—showing off his prized 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer to Iwaizumi, always letting him help fix the car alongside your help. He explained he was studying to be a mechanic at the University of Tokyo, and that street racing was a side hustle that he was a part of to earn some extra cash for tuition.

“So when I get there, where should I go? I’ve never really been to a street race before,” you asked while writing down the last bit of information from your lecture onto your notebook.

Iwaizumi looked up and pondered for a moment before replying, resting the crook of his hand beneath his chin. “You can be my special guest for the race, so you'll be able to stand with the guys in the Brawlers pit. I’ll make sure one of the Seijoh boys can keep you company.”

You weren’t sure what he meant—while squinting your eyes, you made a confused face, showing you weren’t very knowledgeable in his street racing lingo. “Brawlers pit? Seijoh boys?”

“Oh yeah, sorry about that. Don’t tell my mom, but I’ve been initiated into the Seijoh Brawlers. Have you heard of them?” Iwaizumi’s eyes quickly widened as he held his breath, making you skeptical of his intentions.

“No,” you immediately replied, cocking your left eyebrow up. “Are they like the best racers or something?”

“Yeah kind of. The Seijoh Brawlers are part of the top five gangs associated with the street racing scene in Tokyo.” Iwaizumi shamefully explained while looking down from the camera.

You looked up at your phone with an astonished expression, pursing your lips to the side of your face. Scolding him through the phone, you pinched your eyebrows together. “Gangs? Hajime, come on. How’d you get yourself involved in something like that?”

“Please, don’t tell your dad or my mom,” Iwaizumi begged through the phone. “They’re my boys—my ride or dies.”

You smiled at his remark, chuckling under your breath as you glided your pencil along your notebook, the graphite leaving tiny smears on the paper. “I won’t, don’t worry. I haven’t really talked to my dad in a while anyways.”

“I hope so because if I win this race, I get about a million yen in cash. This is a huge deal for me, it could help pay for university.” Iwaizumi placed his phone closer to his face and zoomed in the camera. You could tell how he was excited about tonight as he smiled brightly through the screen, peering straight at your face.

“Oh that’s actually really convenient,” you responded, quite shocked at the amount of money he would be able to win. “That’s basically a semester’s worth of tuition.”

You heard a few voices mumble through the call as Iwaizumi lowered the phone down from his face. Only the bottom of his chin could be seen through the screen as his head nodded in agreement to the voices in the background.

“Oh shit—I’m sorry, I gotta get going. I have to meet with Cypher before the race starts,” Iwaizumi rustled through the phone, facing it towards himself one more time. “Remember, meet me at the race in Downtown Tokyo! Just go to the Brawlers’ pit when you arrive, you should see us wearing white and teal. I’ll see you when I get there, bye!”

Iwaizumi hung up the phone immediately without explaining any further, leaving the microphone cutting off with the beep at the end of the call. You were slightly irritated at him for not giving you any more information than he provided, not sure what to do, except meet him at the race. He only gave vague details—the address of the car meet and the colors of the Seijoh Brawlers, not even any information on what kind of car he drove.

By the time you finished up your chemistry homework, there was about an hour and half left in order to get ready and leave before Iwaizumi’s race had started. You still questioned why he nonchalantly mentioned he was part of a gang, as most members usually do not disclose that kind of information so suddenly. Time really did fly as you acknowledged how much you both had changed since the last time you saw him, now confirming he wasn’t the same cousin you once knew.

It was around the twenty-third hour of the day when you arrived at a packed parking lot filled with people crowding around different types of cars, recognizing a few popular models such as the American-imported Ford Mustang and the Nissan Skyline. Most were customized with large decals of their car clubs, gang names or lewd female anime characters, all surrounded by people dispersed into smaller circles. A lot of them were men, but you were able to spot a few women hanging around the larger crowds as well.

You were not able to find Iwaizumi or the colors of the Seijoh Brawlers he mentioned, aimlessly wandering around the larger crowds, not sure where to walk to. While scanning through the parking lot, you saw groups of men dressed in red, yellow, grey and black—yet you couldn’t manage to find the white and teal colors he had told you to look for.

As you pressed down a green button on your phone, you tried calling Iwaizumi again, yet no answer every time it rang. You blew up his inbox by sending repeated text messages of ‘Where are you?’, ‘What car are you driving?’ and ‘If you don’t respond I’m telling Auntie!’.

You gave up knowing he might have been with the Seijoh Brawlers preparing for “the largest street race in Tokyo”, or at least that’s how Iwaizumi advertised it as. Looking down at your phone as you sent the hundredth text to him, you accidentally bumped into a large figure, almost knocking you down onto your feet.

“Fuck, I’m sorry,” you apologized as you dusted off the dirt from your black dress. While picking out an outfit, you weren’t sure what people usually wore to a street race. In your closet resided your father’s old denim jacket he used to wear in high school, thinking perhaps you could commemorate his presence.

You looked up at a muscular man in a black tank top and red cargo pants smirking to himself as he took off his black shades. Staring into his hazel eyes, you questioned to yourself why he was wearing sunglasses at night.

“I apologize, shawty.” The man with spiked black hair bent down and reached out to grab your hand. “Whaddup girl, how you doing? The name's DK, who’re you?”

“Um,” you hesitated as you dodged his question, placing your hands inside your oversized denim jacket while firmly looking at him in the eyes despite his intimidating gaze. “I’m just here to see my cousin. He’s part of the Seijoh Brawlers, do you know where they are?”

“Oh, them.” The man scoffed and laughed before he whistled and waved for a woman with long black hair and large gold hoop earrings to come forth. She had a nasty scowl on her face when he called her over, but as soon as she walked up to the both of you, it faded away and changed into a sweet smile when she saw your face.

“Hey baby,” her voice was enticing and smooth, almost like a harmony in your ear. She looked at you with a closed grin on her face and her hands in a red bomber jacket labeled Nekoma Crew across the left side of her chest. “What’s up?”

“Shawty here says her cousin is part of the Seijoh Brawlers.” The man placed his left hand on your back and slightly shoved you toward the woman. “Take her to them, Leia.”

“Whatever you say, DK.” She rolled her eyes and placed her hand on your back as you both began to walk in the opposite direction.

She strolled ahead of you; the label DK on the back of her Nekoma Crew bomber jacket flashed proudly from one side to the other. The woman turned around and looked back with a smile on her face, the fake contact lenses around her irises glistening underneath the passing streetlight.

“Hey, my name’s Leia. What’s yours?” She stopped walking for a moment and placed her right hand out to greet you.

You replied with your first name, grabbing her hand and shaking it firmly. Despite her short and petite stature, Leia exuded a strong sense of confidence and boldness within her posture, wondering to yourself if she was a racer as well. Though noticing the gloves peeking out from her pocket and the scuffs of soot on her knees, you presumed she could have been a mechanic instead.

“Is this your first time attending a street race?” She tilted her head and raised both of her eyebrows, her long black hair slicked over to her left shoulder.

“Yeah, I’m here to support my cousin.” You placed your right hand back into your pocket as Leia took off the red bomber jacket on her shoulders and tied it around her hips. It rested atop her high waisted booty shorts, uncovering her black lacy bralette and a beautiful yakuza-style koi fish tattoo on her left shoulder.

“So your cousin is in the Seijoh Brawlers? Eh, they’re alright,” Leia slowed down a bit to walk alongside you as she crossed her arms and turned her head. She shot you a charming smile and winked accordingly as her straight long black hair flowed over her shoulder, exposing her orange koi fish tattoo yet again. “They’re not as good as the Nekoma Crew, but you know I’m being biased.”

You smiled to yourself, continuing to walk alongside her in a direction you weren’t sure of. The sound of music blasted throughout the parking lot, multiple speakers going off playing different kinds of American hip-hop and rap from all the groups of men dressed in matching bomber jackets. Turning your head to face Leia, you quickly pointed back towards the crowd with your thumb before placing your hand back into your pocket.

“So, who are the best racers here? I thought street racing was an individual thing, so what’s the deal with all these teams?” You looked down at your white shoes gliding along the asphalt before looking back up at her again. The sounds of noisy chatter and car engines revving filled the silence between you and Leia as you both walked past a crowd of men surrounding a vintage American-imported car.

“You want the long answer or the short answer?” Leia slyly asked.

“I guess the long answer,” you replied, looking up at the street lights right above your head. “I don’t really know what’s going on here, I guess you can say I’m clueless. My knowledge in car culture is pretty much limited.”

Leia smiled excitedly and clasped her hands together as she stopped right in front of a pink Honda S2000 and sat on top of it, motioning for you to come and sit on the hood right next to her. You looked at her worryingly before checking the time on your phone, noticing it was thirty minutes before midnight.

“The races don’t start for another half hour. We have time,” She stretched out her arms and yawned as you sat next to her and kept your hands in the pockets of your denim jacket. You looked around the parking lot, noticing more cars starting to roll in through the entrance connecting to the main street.

You were slightly worried about trailing off with a random stranger instead of searching for your cousin, still adamant on looking out for the white and teal colors around the crowds. The underground culture of street racing was familiar to you, yet it never crossed your mind in these recent years because it had been awhile since you’ve worked on a car. The only reason you knew some basic car models and just the bare minimum was from conversations with Iwaizumi and your father.

“Obviously you met DK,” Leia looked up at the street lights above her parked car. In the distance you could see part of the bright Tokyo skyline, the overpass of several highways towering above the large area of the car meet. “His real name is Tetsurou Kuroo. Everyone calls him DK, though.”

You continued to stare at the horizon, the city lights shining brightly against the night sky. “DK? What does that mean?”

“Drift King,” Leia responded with a large smile on her face as she swung her legs back and forth. “All the girls call him Dragon King because of the dragon tattoo on his arm, but if you’re lucky enough to sleep with him you’re able to see the full thing on his back.” Leia hummed as she looked up at the highway overpass, watching cars speed by.

“Drift King?” You pondered while raising an eyebrow, knowing the word sounded familiar, yet not familiar enough for you to remember.

“He’s the best drift racer in all of Tokyo. You know when cars do donuts around in a circle?” Leia swirled her finger in a circular motion to mimic a full revolution. “It’s like that, but cooler.”

You both looked back at Kuroo leaning against the side of his bright red Nissan 350Z, flexing his right bicep while proudly showing off the dragon tattoo across his arm. Another guy with dyed blonde hair tied back into a small bun came up to him, handing a wrench from the toolbelt around his waist.

“That guy right next DK is Kenma Kozume, a.k.a. Snake Eyes.” Leia mentioned, motioning her finger to his direction. “He doesn’t race, but he’s the best mechanic on Nekoma, the absolute mastermind behind DK’s excellent drifting. If your car gets tuned by Snake Eyes, you’re bound to win the race.”

“Nekoma,” you looked towards the label on Kuroo’s bomber jacket that Leia had around her waist. “Is that your car club?”

“Yeah, kind of. We’re part of the top five gangs in all of Tokyo for street racing,” Leia explained with her head leaned back. “The others, not as good as Nekoma, but also in the top five—Seijoh, just like your cousin,” She turned her head to face your body, the ends of her lips curled up against her cheeks. “Fukurodani, Inarizaki and Karasuno as well.”

“Damn,” you exasperated. “That’s a lot of names to remember.”

“I’m sure your cousin can probably help you out on it,” Leia whistled. “Just know their names and color associations and you should be fine.”

You both heard a boom of laughter, followed by the revving of a loud car engine. A grey Mitsubishi Eclipse with yellow rims on the tires passed by Leia’s car as it blasted a song with heavy bass—you recognized it as Drake’s Nonstop.

A man with spiky grey hair sat in the driver’s seat as you both watched him pull over and back into an empty parking space, diligently hopping out of his vehicle. He enthusiastically chuckled with other men dressed in grey around him, the bright yellow font of their nicknames plastered on the back of their bomber jackets.

“That’s Kotarou Bokuto, a.k.a. Blackjack.” Leia mentioned with her head tilted and a smile on her face. “You can hear him and his car from a mile away.”

You looked back over at Bokuto who stood proudly in his grey bomber jacket, talking to another guy in the same one with the words Fukurodani Squad labeled on the front. He immediately slapped the man’s back, another laughter erupting from his mouth as his eyebrows raised up in an enthusiastic nature. They all surrounded silver cars with yellow accents, their side of the parking lot blasting upbeat drum and bass music.

“Bokuto is extremely popular around here and makes an interesting rival for the racers. He doesn’t drift, but somehow always seems to give DK a hard time when they race.” Leia pointed to a man talking to Bokuto with short black hair and blue eyes, a toothpick resting in between the corner of his lips. “Keiji Akaashi, a.k.a. Spades—also an excellent mechanic. Not comparable to Kenma, but always comes up with new tricks for Blackjack’s Eclipse.”

“What about the others? You mentioned Inarizaki and Karasuno, right?” You questioned while placing both of your elbows on top of your knees, slumping your body forward on top of Leia’s car. “Sorry if I keep asking too many questions, I just wanna make sure I’m understanding everything correctly. So far, everyone seems pretty interesting.”

“Oh it’s no problem. I always hate that feeling of never knowing what’s going on, so I’m glad I can help you out. There aren’t that many of us here in a male-dominated subculture, so I always get excited when I see another girl out here enjoying her time, taking an interest.”

She scanned across the parking lot and spotted the corner with a group of men surrounding all-black cars as sleek as the night—looking the most intimidating out of all of the gangs in the car meet. Although all of them had black hoodies and black jeans covering the majority of their bodies, the snake tattoos on all of their necks stood out clear as day. Cigarette smoke and vapor clouds surround their section of the parking lot, making it impossible to see their faces clearly.

“Those guys right there are the Inarizaki Bois. They’re extremely pretentious, but they deserve to be by how amazingly fast they are on the track.” A man with silver hair and black tips rested against a Nissan Silvia S15 with a cigarette in between his lips, chatting with another member.

“Shinsuke Kita, their main racer, a.k.a. Sly Fox. He always starts off at last place, but by the end, easily jumps up to first. He catches up to you within a second, it’s fucking ridiculous.” Leia crossed her arms and stared straight at the two identical twins arguing right next to Kita—one leaning against another black car as the other yelled in his face.

“Those are the Miya Brothers. They have the exact same car, color and model. When they’re both in a race, you can never tell which car is which,” Leia scoffed, obviously annoyed by something. “Atsumu Miya, a.k.a. Thrasher—the blonde one, fucked up my car once during a race. He’s a prick.”

You nodded your head in agreement, giving your pity. “That seems annoying.”

In an instant, Leia swiveled her body towards you with an annoyed face. “It cost thousands to fix my car after that. What a fucking pain.”

A large crowd roared as you noticed a sleek black Lexus LFA with electric blue accents across the body roll up from the entrance of the parking lot, the sound of their engine rumbling low to the ground.  Following behind was an orange Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, the same model of car your father used to have.

“Oh look here, it’s the Tyrant, Tobio Kageyama of the Karasuno Killers.”

Leia pointed to the driver of the Lexus LFA, watching him give a distasteful scowl to the crowd. His black hair slicked back against his forehead while his dark blue eyes matched the aura of his car. You both watched him roll up to the section of the parking lot dedicated to the Karasuno Killers, noticing all of the members wearing orange, while he wore all black.

“Kageyama’s new to the scene, yet he’s placed first in every single race he’s been in. He overthrew the reigning champion of drift racing in all of Tokyo, actually. Yet, he’s still fairly new, so we call him the Tyrant.”

You looked towards Kageyama again as he let out an exhale of clouds from the vape he took a hit off of, passing the mod to a man with a shaved head. “He’s pretty much an outcast, but he knew that joining a gang had to be the only way for him to get recognition in the underground racing scene. He’s pretty much the main racer on the Karasuno Killers for now.”

“You sure do know a lot about all the racers here.” You turned your head to the left, noticing Leia had aimlessly looked up into the sky. “Are you close with everyone?”

“Mmm, you can say that.” She closed her eyes and continued to lean her head back, placing her left hand against the hood of her car. “I just have connections to a lot of people. DK is beloved by basically everyone here, which also means I’ve gotten to know all the top racers.”

You both jolted up from the boom of several engines roaring near the front entrance of the parking lot as the crowd in front of you cheered. Your eyes followed a line of bright white cars from different companies and models, all with teal accents on the edges of the side skirts.

They all followed a single white Mazda RX-7 Veilside Fortune with black accents and teal stripes on the edge of the windows. Every single car in the queue had their windows tinted dark, making it impossible to see who was driving in any of the vehicles. You assumed by the colors that it was the Seijoh Brawlers, which meant one of the cars belonged to Iwaizumi.

“Ah, just in time. Speaking of the top racers, the Seijoh Brawlers definitely hold some of the best.” Leia propped her feet up onto the hood of her car and rested her chin on her knees, bringing her legs close to her body. “Your cousin should be in that lineup.”

A crowd of people gathered around the Seijoh Brawlers as the drivers backed into their parking spots and stepped out of their vehicles. All of the men had white t-shirts and teal bomber jackets, bright lettering of their nicknames plastered across their backs.

The man that was leading the pack in the Mazda RX-7 Fortune stepped out with his back turned against the crowd, his right hand pulling back his bangs. Instead of a bomber jacket, he wore an open Off-White button down shirt with his sleeves rolled up, the customized moniker Cypher written across the back. The minute he turned around, your interest piqued—although you were across the parking lot, his eyes fixated in the direction of where you and Leia were sitting.

“Tooru Oikawa—a.k.a. Cypher,” Leia mumbled as she continued to rest her chin onto her knees. “Reigning champion of the street races, best in Tokyo. Recently overthrown by the Tyrant.”

Oikawa continued to look in your direction, yet you could not tell where his eyes were fixated on. You saw an expressionless yet intimidating look plaster across his face before he turned around back to the Seijoh Brawlers. “Interesting nickname. Why’s he called Cypher?”

“There’s two meanings,” Leia clarified. “He’s called Cypher because when he drifts, he makes perfect zeros into the road. There is never a moment where his drifts and spins aren’t calculated perfectly. If Kuroo wasn’t already established as the Drift King, Oikawa would definitely claim that title.”

You immediately recognized your cousin the moment he walked out of his white Subaru WRX STI, going up to Oikawa and whispering something into his ear. You stared intently at Iwaizumi, hoping he saw you across the parking lot.

“The other meaning,” Leia continued as she stared directly at Oikawa. “Cypher’s a blank slate. No one knows what kind of person he truly is. Sure, he puts on a front—everyone has to. But under that intimidating act, he’s impossible to crack.”

A Seijoh Brawlers member handed Oikawa his white bomber jacket with Cypher written across the back. In one swift motion, he effortlessly slid both of his arms through the sleeves with a smug look on his face. It appeared that he was the leader of the gang with his contrasting colors and confident demeanor.

“He spent several years leading a faction under a yakuza clan called the Kitagawa Daiichi down south in Osaka. He made some serious money off the kinds of businesses he did, that’s how you know he was able to afford his luxurious custom Veilside RX-7.”

“Oh, so these gangs aren’t just car clubs,” you continued to stare at Oikawa, observing him prop open the hood of his car as he let one of the members of the Seijoh Brawlers inspect underneath. “The yakuza is involved.”

“With anything illegal, the yakuza will always be involved.” Leia pursed her lips, squinting her eyelids. “Even with underground street racing, you can never seem to escape them.”

“What kind of person is he?” You nodded your head and pointed your chin towards Oikawa, swinging your legs off the edge of the car. “Just by first glance, he looks like the kind of person to take up two parking spots.”

You both began to chuckle together as Leia grabbed onto your arm, leaning in to rest her head on your shoulder. With her eyes closed and a large smile on her face, she let out a loud high pitched wheeze—for which you could not resist laughing along to as well.

“You know what, I really like you. You’re pretty funny.” She took in a long deep breath before staring back towards the Seijoh Brawlers, looking back straight in the direction of Oikawa.

“But honestly, it beats me. Cypher’s pretty much your run-of-the-mill bad boy, if you also include he’s the top racer in the underground street racing scene. But unfortunately, no one—including me, knows a thing about him, only his business. No one can decipher the great Cypher.”

You noticed Iwaizumi talking to him, noting back when he mentioned having to meet with a guy named Cypher before the race. After the information Leia had disclosed about Oikawa, you couldn’t help but speculate about how Iwaizumi was able to involve himself with a guy like him. You crossed your legs on top of Leia’s S2000 while peering straight at your cousin, still hoping he was able to notice you.

“The guy talking to Cypher,” you pointed towards Iwaizumi peering underneath the hood of Oikawa’s car. “That’s my cousin.”

Leia whipped around the hood of her car and got extremely close to your face; the shocked expression in her eyes revealing it all. “Indigo is your cousin?!”

“Fucking—who?”

“Hajime Iwaizumi, he’s your cousin?” Leia reiterated, switching back to formalities.

You backed away just enough to put some distance between you and Leia. “Yeah, is he a big deal around here?”

“He’s pretty much the entire package,” Leia explained. “An amazing mechanic and a pretty fucking good racer. Girls would kill to sleep with your cousin.” She winked her left eye at you, obviously swooned by Iwaizumi’s underground street racing reputation.

“Ugh, I don’t want to hear about that.” You crinkled your nose with a scowl on your face, disgusted by Leia’s remark. All she did was shoot you another playful smile in return, tapping her fingers along the hood of her car. “I didn’t know he was pretty popular around here.”

“You should probably go see him before his race starts, let him know you’re here.” Leia stretched out her arms up in the air before placing her feet back onto the ground, grabbing your hand right after. “Here, I’ll take you to them.”

You hopped off the hood of her Honda S2000 and fixed your dress before placing your hands inside the pockets of your denim jacket again. As you walked alongside her in the direction of the Seijoh Brawlers, you held in your breath, trying your best to slow down your rapid heart rate. In a few moments, it would be the first time you and Iwaizumi had seen each other in over a decade.

As you approached their section of the parking lot, almost all of the members of the Seijoh Brawlers noticed you two immediately, eyeing you both up and down with skeptical looks on their faces. Iwaizumi and Oikawa didn’t take notice, yet one man with spiked black hair almost in the shape of a mohawk approached in your direction, shaking his arms in a crossed motion.

“Sorry ladies, we’re busy preparing for the race.” The man suddenly grabbed Leia’s arm, almost pulling her away from you.

“Fuck off, Kindaichi.” Leia swatted his arm away from her body, causing him to retract back. “Don’t ever fucking touch me again, onionhead. Anyways, this is Indigo’s cousin. She’s supposed to be here.”

Iwaizumi and Oikawa looked back at the mention of your cousin’s nickname, observing his eyes widening as his face gleamed in joy. He dropped whatever he was working on and rushed to greet you, leaving Oikawa behind.

“You made it!” Iwaizumi’s muscular figure swallowed you into a giant hug, his arms squeezing behind your back. You were so glad to see your favorite cousin again after a decade, and this moment made it seem entirely worth it. Here you were, now both adults, hugging and celebrating just like when you both were kids.

When you opened your eyes again, you noticed Leia walking away, swinging her keys along a single fingertip as her work boots clicked against the asphalt. Without looking back, she lifted up her left hand and waved goodbye.

Iwaizumi gave you one last tight hug before retracting back. You noticed how the ends of his smile lifted up his cheeks high to the point where it overshadowed his eyes, almost completely mirroring the one he used to give when you last saw him. No matter what his reputation was in the underground street racing scene, you would never see him other than his childish and loving self.

“Here, let me introduce you to Cypher. He’s pretty chill.” Iwaizumi put his hand on your shoulder as he began to walk over in the direction of Oikawa, who already turned his head to look at you both. His intimidating expression stared straight into your eyes, making you slightly uncomfortable.

“Cypher, this is my cousin. She’s the one I was telling you about.” Oikawa smirked and nodded his head, acknowledging your presence. In front of him, the hood of his Mazda RX-7 Fortune was propped up against its support strut as he prepared his car for one of the races. His hands were placed firmly against the edge of his front bumper, holding up most of his upper body by both of his arms.

“Hey.” You raised your hand to wave as you stated your name, quickly shaking your palm with a soft smile on your lips. “Nice to meet you.”

The smug look on his face transformed into an intimidating and malicious stare, assuming like he was trying to read right through your front. He looked up and down your figure with his right eyebrow raised and a pouty lip, scanning every inch of your body.

“You got a pretty cousin, Indy.” Oikawa shut the hood of his car and placed his left hand inside the pockets of his black jeans, turning his body towards the both of you. A chuckle escaped under his breath as he ran the fingers of his other hand through his bangs, pulling back the wispy strands of hair against his head. “She’s basically perfect like you said, a total fucking cutie in my eyes.”

“Bro, shut the fuck up.” Iwaizumi retorted through his teeth with an irritated tone as he attempted to slap Oikawa’s arm, causing him to slightly jolt back in order to escape. “Don’t hit on my cousin right in front of me ever again.”

You lowered your eyelids and buried your hands deeper into the pockets of your father’s oversized denim jacket, looking away from Oikawa’s gaze. The ends of his mouth curled up into his cheeks before he chuckled to himself in a playful manner, shaking off his complacent demeanor—yet, you couldn’t tell if he was being sincere.

“Relax, Indy. I was just stating the truth.” Oikawa began to walk towards your direction, sliding right next to Iwaizumi in order to teasingly slap his back hard, insinuating a reaction from the both of you.

“Uh, okay. Whatever, Cypher.” Iwaizumi spat as Oikawa laughed quietly, bringing up a fist to his lips to silence himself. In a matter of seconds, you observed him quickly sneak up behind you, placing his right hand on your shoulder.

You turned around and backed up for a minute, startled by his sudden approach. Instinctively, you swatted his hand away from the top of your shoulder without saying a word. An uncomfortable expression grew on your face as you stared at him in irritation, the corners of your mouth slightly turned down.

“Woah,” Oikawa offered you his hand to shake. “I apologize if I came off too rude, let me introduce myself properly.”

You took notice of a similar yakuza-style dragon tattoo across his right arm, the tail extending to the inside of his wrist. An ominous grin formed on his face as you fixed your eyes towards the head of the dragon placed on the right side of his neck, observing its mouth wrapped all the way around his nape. Assuming it was related to his affiliation down in Osaka, you raised one eyebrow up in curiosity.

“The name’s Tooru Oikawa. Everyone here calls me Cypher, but you can call me anytime.”

“You’re such a menace to society.” Iwaizumi rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest.

You crinkled your nose and hesitantly shook his hand, noticing the grip on his handshake was gentle and light. His hand was surprisingly faint and nimble, something you didn’t expect from someone who frequently worked on cars. Though, his fingers were quite long comparative to the size of your hand, watching his palm completely swallow over yours. Oikawa’s brown hair looked soft as it curled so easily at the ends, sticking up behind his head like he had just rolled out of bed.

Yet, it was his brown eyes that caught your complete attention—his pupils enlarged as he stared straight into yours, absolutely hypnotizing you into a trance. Although you wanted to deny it at the moment, you couldn’t help but admit he was extremely attractive. You weren’t sure if it was the tattoos, the upfront cocky attitude, or the hard-to-crack demeanor, but something about him intrigued your interest.

“You don’t have to be scared of me, I won’t bite.” Oikawa reassured as he dropped his hand back into the pockets of his jeans, tilting his head to the right before shooting you a wink. “Unless you want me to.”

You were all interrupted by the sound of several car engines revving, hearing someone in the distance exclaim the second race was about to begin and the racers should line up at the base of the road above the parking lot. Iwaizumi slapped Oikawa’s back, causing him to jump up.

“I gotta move, Cypher. Take her up to the spectator platform and keep her company, yeah?” Iwaizumi patted your shoulder gave you a kind smile before turning his head back to Oikawa. “Don’t try any shit, or I’ll break your neck. Got it?”

“Loud and clear, Indigo. I quite like my neck, so I won’t try anything that isn’t up to her decision.” Oikawa grinned from ear to ear as he turned his head to face you, both of his hands resting inside the front pockets of his black jeans.

Iwaizumi gave him a thumbs up before rushing inside his white Subaru WRX STI, upstarting the ignition before revving the engine, watching the car rumble beneath asphalt. Right after he rolled down both of his windows, he waved goodbye to the both of you as he joined the other four racers from the rivaling gangs at the starting lineup near the entrance of the parking lot.

“Let’s get going, the second race is about to start.” Oikawa delicately patted his right hand on your shoulder before placing it back into his pocket, weary of not making you uncomfortable anymore.

You both walked up to his Mazda RX-7, noticing a large white decal labeled Veilside above on his windshield. The car itself was positioned low to the ground to counter the effects of inertia, the bumpers and side skirts almost touching the asphalt. The entire body of the car was white, except for the black accents on the side of his car doors.

He guided you to the passenger’s side, wrapping his fingers around the handle before swinging it open, gesturing for you to enter. When you ducked your head and peered in, the interior of his car was entirely black, the crisp scent from the inside dissipating out into the fresh air of the parking lot.

Oikawa leaned his body on the side of the door with a smile on his face, patiently waiting. “You should get in.”

You gulped down a dry swallow before entering the passenger seat of his car, feeling your whole body sink to the floor with the seat positioned low. While stretching out your legs, you looked down at your shoes and noticed your legs shake from the cold outside gust of air.

Oikawa shut the door and walked to the front of his car, staring intently as he made his way over to the driver’s side. You inhaled deeply, taking in the fresh scent of the interior—as expected, it smelled pristine and well taken care of, something you expected no less from a car guy.

He opened the driver’s side door and swung his body in by holding onto the roof with his right hand, shutting it quickly before placing his keys into the ignition. The car roared underneath you, feeling the low rumble of the engine vibrate throughout the whole body. Oikawa looked over with a sly smirk, his eyelids half open before placing his left hand on the gearstick before swiftly shifting the car into reverse.

Oikawa’s Mazda RX-7 Veilside Fortune rumbled as he backed out of his parking space, the transmission moving as he shifted from first into second gear. He rolled out of the car meet, letting his headlights shine brightly through the crowd that made space for him to pass through as he drove straight up the ramp leading to the freeway above the parking lot.

A swarm of people gathered around five cars at the starting line—Iwaizumi being one of them, directly in the middle. Oikawa parked his car on the platform above the crowd where you were able to get a glimpse of all the racers. You noticed that you both were alone on the platform the minute he turned off the engine, only the silence between you two and the echoes of the cars in the distance could be heard.

He took the keys out of the ignition and stayed in place, a small exhale releasing through his nose as he leaned back in his seat. While not moving a muscle, you kept your eyes fixed on Iwaizumi’s car—intently watching the smoke trail out of his exhaust, hoping it could distract you from the awkward tension between you and Oikawa.

“Do I make you nervous?” He nonchalantly asked in a deep tone, breaking the silence.

You look over to Oikawa’s right hand on top of the steering wheel, his upper body facing entirely towards your direction. When he rested his left hand behind your seat and forced a smile, you could instantly tell it had a malicious intent behind it.

“Not really,” you choked while slightly turning your head, only for him to peer his eyes deeper into your gaze. “Just what I’ve heard about you makes me curious.”

Oikawa shifted his position and crossed his arms, noticing his interest had piqued while leaning on his car door, facing your direction. “Oh? What have you heard?”

“That no one knows who you really are,” you stared back into his eyes, noticing a slight glimmer in his brown irises. Other cars, all from the Seijoh Brawlers, drove past him and parked close alongside the RX-7. Their passing headlights shone on Oikawa’s figure, his thin gold chain brightly reflected against the illumination.

He hummed nonchalantly before pulling out an e-cigarette out of his pocket, taking in a large puff off the small black bar. When he opened his mouth, a trail of white vapor escaped his lips—only for him to inhale it back in through his nose, fully exhaling the remaining vapor clouds out through his teeth. He offered you the e-cigarette after he took another hit, placing the bar in between his fingers.

“I also heard you spent some time down south in Osaka.” You accepted his offer and took the e-cigarette in between your hands, inspecting the metal before politely changing your mind and handing it back to him. “How long were you there?”

“Hmm, about six years,” he responded before taking one final hit off the e-cigarette, twirling it in between his fingers. The whole car smelled sweet from the vapor—sharp top notes of warm vanilla and sugar, possibly like caramel. “I ran important business down there. Nothing else, really.”

You watched the smoke escape his lips as he talked, the wisps of vapor delicately brushing up against the roof of his car before he leaned back in his seat, resting his left hand behind his head. Oikawa closed his eyes and rolled down the windows, letting the dense air from inside the car escape out into the night. You took in a fresh breath of air as the roar of several engines echoed in the background, only for the smell of his rotary engine and gasoline to cloud your nose.

“You’re in university, right? Biochemistry major?” Oikawa placed the e-cigarette in between his fingers back into his pocket before peering at you from the corner of his eyes.

“Wait, how’d you know that?” You snapped, pinching your eyebrows close together while shifting your body to the right.

“Relax, I’m just trying to spark up a conversation. Iwaizumi told me a lot about you over the past several months and I just so happened to retain all that information.” Oikawa chuckled as he closed his eyes and rested his elbow on the middle console in between you two.

“Obsessed, much?” You stuck out your bottom lip and peered back at him with your right eyebrow raised. Shifting your mouth from a frown into a light-hearted smile, you let out a small chuckle from underneath your breath. “That’s a little creepy, knowing someone’s life so extensively without ever meeting them.”

He chuckled along with you, turning his head to face the front of his car. “Well, it’s not my fault. I only know so much because your cousin wouldn’t shut up about you for months. Every single day for weeks on end, something new about you and your life always had to come up during work hours at our shop.”

You snickered under your breath, remembering the thought of Iwaizumi constantly rambling on about anything he deemed exciting at the moment. The minute your father taught him how to change a tire, for weeks he couldn’t stop describing the steps over and over again every time you guys played together. “Yeah, that’s Hajime for you. He always has something to say, it’s been like that since we were kids.”

“I practically know everything about you at this point,” Oikawa turned his head to the left, staring straight into your eyes. “Even your most embarrassing moments as a kid.”

“What? Nah, I don’t believe you.” You crossed your legs and your arms while still peering at Oikawa with a smile, shaking your head. “You’re bluffing.”

“Quiz me then.” He shifted his body towards you and rested his cheek against the palm of his hand, his left elbow still on the middle console. When he tilted his head over to the right, he shot you a facetious grin with his eyes hooded down. “I’m sure I can get everything right.”

You accepted his challenge and began listing a few basic questions about yourself, ranging from your favorite color to your childhood nickname. Oikawa got everything correct, rapidly answering each question with ease. He brushed it off like it was nothing, purposefully wanting you to increase the intensity of the questions.

Starting to become annoyed, you decided to give him questions about yourself that Iwaizumi didn’t know, just to prove him wrong out of spite. You asked him at what age did you start a particular hobby—which only to you, was entirely false because you never started that particular hobby in the first place. Yet, to your surprise, Oikawa was able to detect it was a trick question.

Your jaw instantly dropped as you furrowed your eyebrows at him, watching his eyes looking up and down your body as he smiled without moving a muscle. “How did you know I was lying?”

“You just don’t seem like the kind of person to do that sort of thing.”

You reflected back on his assumption, questioning to yourself if you really were the kind of the person to do that particular hobby. Would you have been that kind of person if you did? Although you had previously decided you definitely weren’t, after hearing his input, you started to wonder if others perceived you the way you assumptively perceived others.

For a brief moment, there was silence between you two. As you were contemplating on his remark, Oikawa reclined back in his seat and stared down at the car meet, scanning through the parking lot. You noticed he relaxed the bold grin on his face, now alleviated into a mundane yet serene expression.

“You know, Iwaizumi also told me you were into cars. I think that’s pretty cool, a lot of girls here aren’t actually that interested in what’s underneath the hood.” Oikawa mentioned while tucking his chin close to his body, his right hand resting atop his steering wheel.

“Sorry to disappoint, but I’m really not.” You corrected, looking away from Oikawa towards the passenger window down at the parking lot. “I just used to spend a lot of time with Hajime and my dad fixing his car, but I’m pretty sure you already knew that.”

“I did.” Oikawa casually responded with a cheeky smile as he looked down at the middle console, slightly shaking the gearshift in a bored manner.

“You probably think I’m not that cool anymore now that you know the truth, huh?” You stated in a humorous yet deprecating tone, looking down at your feet as you kept your hands inside your denim jacket, balling both of them into fists to warm up your fingers.

“Nah, it’s fine. I still think you’re pretty interesting either way.” Oikawa tilted his head slightly to face you, showing off the front of his teeth as a grin formed on his lips.

Down near the front, you noticed Leia carry a red flag, waving it clear in the air to initiate the start of the second race. The minute the countdown reached to the last digit, the sound of the wheels screeching against the asphalt could be heard from miles away as all five cars sped off into the distance. From what you remembered, the racers had to circle back around the track, reaching a total of ten kilometers around Downtown Tokyo—first place receiving one million yen in cash.

“Looks like Iwaizumi’s race just started. It shouldn’t take too long.” Oikawa observed the crowd cheering down below as he placed his hands behind his neck, reclining back into his seat once again. You also looked down at the swarm of people—still lively and filled with energy, even when none of the racers were in sight.

You took your hand out from the pocket of your denim jacket and pointed in the general direction towards the car meet, grabbing the attention of Oikawa. While lazily shaking your finger, you mentioned Leia, who was talking to Kuroo in the middle of the parking lot. “That woman down there, Leia from the Nekoma Crew.”

Oikawa shifted his eyes to his windshield, staring straight down at Leia conversing with Kuroo, Kenma and a tall man with grey hair. “Yeah, what about her?”

“She was actually the one who told me that you spent some time down in Osaka.” You placed your hand back into your pocket, relaxing your body back into the passenger seat of his car. 

Lights from around the highways and streets blinded your vision and illuminated onto Oikawa’s body, the small gold chain around his neck shining brighter than ever before. “Well, that’s no secret. Everyone knows that about me.”

“But she also told me you used to be the leader of a yakuza clan, and that you’re pretty much a blank slate, stating that no one can decipher the great Cypher , or something along that line. Would you say that’s true about yourself?”

Oikawa turned his head to the left, peering at you with a dead stare. Though within seconds, the right side of his mouth curled up into his cheek before his eyes squinted until you could only see his pupils. “Well, that’s for you to find out.”

You cocked an eyebrow up before pursing your lips shut, genuinely confused on what he meant. “What do you mean?”

“Never rely on other peoples’ perception of me. Only you can determine that for yourself.”

Oikawa narrowed his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows, resting his right hand up on the top of his steering wheel. You noticed how articulated he was in his speech, something you assumed was because of his past and present leadership positions. Despite being aware of the rumors around his reputation, you were quite intrigued by Oikawa. He exuded complete confidence over himself and his abilities, and knowing yourself, you knew exactly how to play his game.

“So let me get to know you then,” you proposed, lifting your head up to face him. “You already know everything about me.”

“What would you like to know?” A familiar smirk reappeared on his lips again as he shifted his body in your direction, resting his elbow down on the middle console.

You looked up and tapped your chin with your left index finger, pretending to ponder on his question. “I wanna know everything about you.”

Oikawa chuckled and crossed his arms, leaning back in his seat as he closed his eyes. “Good luck. I don’t open up to just anybody.”

“Well, I’ll convince you that I’m not just anybody.” While you shifted your body towards him and gazed straight into his brown eyes, you watched his pupils dilate the minute you placed your right elbow onto the middle console, resting your cheek against your hand with a grin on your face. “I’m confident that I’ll get you to crack.”

Oikawa leaned in, also placing his left elbow on the armrest in between you two. His right eyebrow raised substantially as another complacent smile formed on his face, making it obvious to you that he was captivated by your bold proposition. “Oh really?”

You nodded, confident in your abilities. “Really.”

Oikawa leaned back in his seat, a soft laughter erupting from under his breath as he stepped on the clutch pedal and placed his keys into the ignition, starting the car. You felt the engine rumble underneath your feet, feeling the vibrations of the cyclic gears before Oikawa began to release his foot off the clutch.

“We should meet your cousin at the finish line. He’d be happy to see you once he wins.” Oikawa pressed down on the accelerator, moving the car forward through the spectator platform before descending down the ramp into the street where the rest of the crowd resided.

“How do you know he’ll win?” You asked while Oikawa quickly backed into a parking space rear in, several meters away from other people.

“Trust me,” Oikawa reassured before turning his head to the left, shooting a cocky grin at you. He shifted the stick into first gear before pulling up the emergency brake, parking the car in place. “He’ll win.”

He turned off the engine, placed his keys into his front pocket and unbuckled his seatbelt, swinging the car door open in the process. You followed his actions and unbuckled yours, yet Oikawa grabbed your right wrist before you could retract the seatbelt back into place.

You turned your head, only to see him give you a soft smile. “Please, stay. Let me.”

Oikawa let go of your wrist and exited out of the right side, shutting the car door behind him. With long strides, he walked over to your side and opened the door for you, allowing for your legs to swing out and touch the ground. Reaching for your hand, Oikawa helped you up and closed the door behind you, reaching back into his pocket to grab his keys in order to lock his car.

The RX-7 Fortune beeped twice before he slid his keys in his back pocket and placed his left hand inside the front. Your hands remained linked, the tips of his cold fingers gently holding onto yours, just barely touching your palm as he led you straight towards the street where the finish line was.

He began to pull you towards the crowd as you squeezed his fingers, acknowledging his presence. You thought it wasn’t necessary for him to hold your hand, yet he cradled your fingers so gently—almost like he was scared to hurt you. While placing your right hand in your jacket pocket, you trailed behind Oikawa as you both pushed through the large crowd.

The roars of the engines could be heard from a distance as Iwaizumi’s white Subaru WRX showed up first, followed by a black Toyota Supra and an orange Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. Iwaizumi’s car drifted in a half moon revolution, his tires squealing against the road before rolling up to the finish line. As a large mob of people gathered around, he instantly hopped out with a victorious smile on his face—greetings with handshakes and congratulatory high-fives surrounded him as the announcer boomed across the crowd.

“Winner of the second race—in the WRX, Hajime Iwaizumi, Indigo of the Seijoh Brawlers! Second place in the Supra—Rintarou Suna, Engima of the Inarizaki Bois! Third place, in the Evo—Ryunosuke Tanaka, Cueball of the Karasuno Killers!”

The cash handler walked up to him and slapped one million yen in Iwaizumi’s hands, congratulating him with a firm handshake. In an instant, he spotted you and Oikawa from afar, ignoring all the congratulatory greetings from several people in the crowd before jogging up. His face instantly brightened the minute he saw you behind Oikawa, waving excitedly as he approached you both.

“You could work a little more on your exit spin,” Oikawa scolded, folding his arms across his chest with a pout on his face. Iwaizumi frowned for a second before Oikawa laughed and leaned in, clasping Iwaizumi’s right hand before slapping his back with the other. “Otherwise, great job honoring the Seijoh name.”

After their hug, Iwaizumi reached into his pocket and pulled out the wad of cash containing ten million yen before handing it to Oikawa. He began to count the prize money, swiping his thumb against the tip of his tongue before portioning out his cut. Twenty percent went to the Seijoh Tune Shop while the other eighty went straight into Iwaizumi’s pockets. Though, it didn’t seem he was too stingy about it as he kept the same confident smile on his face the entire time.

When he placed the wad of cash back into his pocket and Oikawa shoved the twenty percent portion into his, you glanced at Iwaizumi, opening up your arms to give him the biggest hug. Once again, his arms swallowed you into a giant embrace, tucking your head into the crook of his shoulder.

“I knew you could do it!” You exclaimed while you both started to jump up and down in excitement, swinging each other back and forth as energetic laughter filled up the lively atmosphere. “You did so well, congratulations!”

“I’m so glad you came to support me,” Iwaizumi mumbled over your shoulder as you both began to calm down from celebrating, the tight hug between you both now subsiding. “I really missed you.”

Once you both retracted from the hug, he put his hands in his pockets and faced Oikawa with a grin on his face from ear to ear, his teeth peeking out from his lips. He tilted his head to the side, letting out a light chuckle.

“Thanks for keeping her company. I owe you a big one.” Iwaizumi reached out and shook Oikawa’s hand again, staring straight into his pupils before placing his arm back at his side.

“Well, there is one thing I had in mind.” Oikawa took his left hand out of his pocket, cradling his chin between his pointer finger and thumb. From what you could see, a tattoo of a small dagger rested on his index with a matching cross on his middle—on his ring finger, a small crescent moon.

Iwaizumi raised his eyebrows in curiosity. “What is it?”

“I’d like her to be the passenger in my race.” Oikawa requested with an eyebrow raised and the left corner of his mouth curled up, exposing a little bit of his teeth.

Your eyes widened as you crossed your arms, dropping your jaw in shock, unable to speak your opinion. A million thoughts ruminated throughout your mind, not sure where to start as you hesitantly looked towards Iwaizumi for his answer.

“Yeah sure, fine by me.” He agreed, shrugging his shoulders before placing both of his hands on his hips.

“Wait, wait. Hold on,” you slid your body in between the both of them, interfering with their conversation. While giving Iwaizumi a glare and visibly expressing your disturbance, you shook your head in disappointment. “Nah, you can’t be fucking serious, really?”

“What’s wrong with it?” Iwaizumi placed his right hand on your shoulder, trying to calm you down. “You’ll get to see a street race up close. Plus, it’s fun to be in the RX-7 when Cypher drifts.”

“Isn’t that kind of dangerous?” You questioned, crossing your arms over your chest. “I don’t want to distract him, also I barely even know the guy.”

“If she doesn’t want to, that’s fine.” Oikawa interrupted, placing both of his hands back into the pockets of his jeans. He shrugged his shoulders up, a sly smile plastered on his face. “I don’t want to force you to do anything, but I thought you wanted to get to know me more.”

The announcer boomed again, reminding the participants for the final race to line up soon. You remembered Iwaizumi mentioning that the third race was designed for the best of the best to compete with each other—usually having the gangs nominate their fastest racers. A few moments ago, Leia pointed out the best in the top five gangs, for whom you supposed were going to be the ones to race, including Oikawa.

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. You should totally do it.” Iwaizumi encouraged while patting your shoulder, staring straight into your eyes. “Don’t worry, I trust Cypher a lot. I would never recommend it if I thought he’d put you in danger.”

While reflecting on his words, you always remembered how fun it was to be in the passenger seat of your dad’s car whenever he raced down a mountain with Iwaizumi in the backseat. It brought back a sense of comfort as you recalled him always speeding down a long stretch of road whenever he could, a moment where all three of you could bond. For a second, the memory eased up your tension and you wondered if being the passenger for Oikawa would bring back that same nostalgic feeling again.

“Well if you say it like that, sure, I’ll be his passenger. I trust your judgement.” You turned around to face Oikawa with your arms still folded over your chest, a smile resting on your lips before releasing a soft and playful chuckle. “Just don’t kill me, would’ya?”

A tender smile rested upon his lips, reassuring that whenever you were with him, you would be safe. “I would never.”

In the distance, one last call boomed throughout the crowd, reminding the everyone that the final race would begin in a couple of minutes. Oikawa looked down and gently grabbed your hand, slightly squeezing your palm with a soothing look on his face.

“Well then, let’s get going. I got a race to win.”

He began to pull you through the crowd and back to his car, speeding up the long strides he took as he maneuvered through several bodies. You looked back over your shoulder, quickly glancing at Iwaizumi—recognizing the same wide grin he always gave back then, waving his arm goodbye as he disappeared into the sea of people.

Oikawa reached into his back pocket and pulled out his keys, quickly unlocking the RX-7 while opening the passenger side door for you. His chivalrous actions didn’t go unnoticed as you whispered a quick ‘thank you’ before hopping into his vehicle. You buckled your seatbelt as he shut the door and made his way over onto the other side, nonchalantly hopping into the driver’s seat.

Oikawa quickly pressed down on the clutch before placing his keys into the engine, turning on the car as he rolled down the windows on both sides. You could smell the gasoline and exhaust smoke again as the cold air seeped into the vehicle—the sound of engines roaring and the crowd cheering vibrantly filling up your ears while the entire car rumbled beneath your feet.

As he released the emergency brake down, Oikawa  took his foot off the clutch, letting the car slowly move forward. His headlights flashed onto the crowd that made space for him to enter the street, people on both sides of his car staring at the two of you in awe. As you looked up into the rearview mirror, he instantly relaxed his eyes, a small smirk slowly creeping upon his lips.

The crowd for the third race became twice as large as the second, noticing the sudden increase in attendance for the best racers. Oikawa rolled up to the starting line and revved his engine loudly, provoking the red Nissan 350Z to his right. You leaned your head forward to see no other than DK himself in it, taking off his black sunglasses and resting his arm on top of the steering wheel, showing off his elaborate dragon tattoo.

A familiar face popped out right next to him, immediately recognizing it was Leia in the passenger seat. She waved her left hand out the window, yelling in excitement.

“Hey bitch! Fancy seeing you here!” She screamed over the loudness of the engines.

“Hey!” You yelled as you waved back at her, shoving your right hand in front of Oikawa’s face.

“What are you doing in Cypher’s ride?!” Leia screamed again, leaning out of the car as she cupped her mouth with her hands, amplifying her voice.

You leaned closer to Oikawa’s window, also cupping your mouth. “It’s a long story, I’ll tell you later!”

“Well, you’re totally gonna owe me ramen later when DK wins!” She taunted as Kuroo revved his engine twice, provoking Oikawa in the process.

“We’ll see about that!” You gave Leia a wink, for which she returned one back before ducking her head back into Kuroo’s car. Oikawa revved his engine multiple times as he grabbed the wad of cash from his pocket and flashed it out the window, teasing Kuroo.

“You see this, DK? That prize money’s gonna be all mine, you hear me? All mine!” He shouted out the window as he stuck out his tongue, showing off the bright silver piercing situated near the apex. While shaking the money in his hands violently at Kuroo, Oikawa signaled a playful taunt towards his pride. His intimidating assertion frightened you slightly because before, he kept a calm and collected demeanor throughout the entire time you were talking with him.

You looked over your left shoulder only to see the Tyrant himself, Karasuno Killers’ Tobio Kageyama. He stared at you with his dark blueberry eyes and a scowl on his face, revving his engine twice in order to taunt Oikawa. Further left past him was Shinsuke Kita from the Inarizaki Bois and Kotarou Bokuto from the Fukurodani Squad.

Turning your head back to the right, you noticed Oikawa glaring malevolently at Kageyama, a sense of rage deep within his pupils. He pointed at him with an infuriated expression on his face, his left hand directly in front of your eyes. “Watch out, Tyrant—I’m gonna fucking smoke you.”

Oikawa slapped both of his hands on the wheel and curled his fingers around the top, revving the engine as loudly as he could. You looked up into the rearview mirror and saw the back window completely covered in white exhaust smoke before quickly glancing at Oikawa’s face flushed with determination and confidence. For the first time, you felt frightened to be next to him.

A new flagger appeared in front—a woman wearing orange with black hair and glasses, slowly counting down the numbers from five. As soon as she said ‘three’, Oikawa revved his engine so loudly that you couldn’t hear her count down to the last digit anymore. You glanced at Leia who was already wearing her own pair of black sunglasses, resting her left arm on the side of the 350Z while showing off her koi fish tattoo. While quickly holding onto the grab-handle above the ceiling, you rested your arm on the edge of the window, gulping down a dry swallow.

The woman waved the orange flag down, screaming “GO!” at the top of her lungs. Within the speed of a second, Oikawa stomped on the accelerator causing the car to jerk forward, speeding down the road as the tires squealed against the asphalt. The gust of wind shrieked loud in your ears while the engines from every car overwhelmed the noise of the busy highways nearby.

Every car was neck and neck—you couldn’t tell who was leading as the rankings fluctuated between all the racers. Oikawa shifted the car into fifth gear and stepped on the accelerator, the sound of his engine growing louder in your ears as he increased his speed. On the right side, Kuroo did the same thing; rev-matching to the same gear as you could hear his car pushing forward.

Within a second, Kageyama’s black Lexus LFA zoomed to your left with sparks flying out of his exhaust, passing all of the cars behind him. He glanced over at you and Oikawa with a scowl on his face and his nose crinkled up, tightening his grip on the wheel. You immediately turned your head right to look at Oikawa who kept his eyes on the road, clicking his tongue with a slight shake of his head.

“Too soon to use nitrous, Tyrant.” Oikawa patronized, smiling to himself as Kageyama pushed forward, leading the race. He clicked his tongue against his teeth again and swerved the entire car to the left, drifting on the corner between two streets. You scrambled to grab onto something, accidentally gripping onto Oikawa’s forearm on the gearshift. He didn’t flinch and continued to drift the corner, acting as he didn’t feel you grab his arm.

Kageyama led first in the race, followed by Oikawa right on his tail. You looked back and saw Kuroo and Leia directly behind, the entire back window blocked by the headlights of his Nissan 350Z. With your hand still gripped onto his forearm, you felt Oikawa shift the gear stick back down to fourth before he blipped his foot on the throttle.

Everything was happening so fast as it was hard for you to comprehend anything that was going on, your head spinning in multiple directions every time you felt the inertia hit your body. Sooner or later, Kuroo’s vehicle zoomed up right next to your side, the sound of the engine echoing into the tunnel all the racers entered. Oikawa growled and stepped on the accelerator, swerving to the right and turning a sharp corner in order to drift away from the 350Z.

The drift was heavy when you felt the entire car shift to the left,  hearing the tires squeal loudly in your ears while your body ricocheted in the same direction. You clutched onto the seat belt around the front of your body as Kuroo’s 350Z sped past Oikawa, hearing a maniacal laughter echo from their window with sparks flying out of his exhaust.

“Son of a bitch,” Oikawa cursed to himself, hitting the top of his steering wheel as he grunted, his rank now dropping down to third place.

He shifted up to fifth gear and pulled the emergency brake, swerving the car all the way to the left again as he maneuvered through other cars on the road, finally exiting out of the tunnel. The rear of his RX-7 drifted to the right, feeling every organ in your body shift with it. You clutched the grab-handle as tightly as you could with your left hand when Oikawa stepped on the accelerator and focused his attention to the road ahead—it stretched a far distance without any turns, which was a huge advantage at the given moment of the race.

“If you’re gonna hit it, hit it until it breaks.”

Oikawa revved his engine and sped up to 150km/h, flipping a small switch underneath his thumb on the wheel. You felt your stomach drop as the car pushed forward, the rumble of his engine vibrating beneath your feet. Sparks flew in the rearview mirror while Oikawa’s speedometer read 195km/h, finally passing both Kuroo and Kageyama, leaving them both behind in the dust.

“Suck my dick, bitch!” Oikawa shouted as he looked back at them while sticking his arm out the window, pumping his fist victoriously into the air.

You looked over your right shoulder and saw the four other racers in the distance, the headlights of their cars diminishing until you could no longer see the glisten in the night. Oikawa glanced in your direction with a smug expression on his face, chuckling to himself as he sped down the road.

“Holy shit,” you exclaimed in shock, unable to say anything else. You peered out the window and saw the bright Tokyo skyline, all the colorful neon lights flashing on the hood of his car as Oikawa quickly swerved in between cars and trucks traveling on the road. The air breezed through his brown locks pulling back along his head, the edges of his white button up shirt fluttering with the wind.

For a while, his car cruised at a steady 130km/h, no worries of the other racers catching up. You placed your hand on the window, the cold touch of the glass forming a fog around the silhouette of your fingers. The Tokyo rainbow bridge lit up in the distance, the colors reflecting on the calm waters down below. Hearing the sputter of his engine once again, Oikawa pressed his foot on the accelerator and increased his speed.

“Watch this.” He pulled the emergency brake up and turned the steering wheel all the way to the right, pushing down on the gas pedal with a staggered motion. He shifted the gear stick up to fifth again as the car drifted across a tight round turn on the road. At that moment, you glanced at Oikawa—a smile from one ear to the other grew on his face, showing his teeth as a cheer erupted from his mouth. Only pure happiness resided in his eyes, a shine in his teeth reflecting from the street lights.

Within the moment, it almost felt like your heart stopped beating when he glanced back, giving you a soft and genuine smile. You didn’t necessarily believe in love at first sight, but if you could describe how it might have felt, this exact moment would have been your answer. The term ‘butterflies in your stomach’ couldn’t come close to describing the way you were somehow feeling about Oikawa.

An epiphany came to your mind; as you watched him enjoy the one thing he loved doing while catching a glimpse of what kind of person he was in the moment—that was when you realized you were attracted to him, both physically and mentally. The first time you saw Oikawa, you wouldn’t have admitted it to anyone, but you thought he was a beautiful man with a beautiful face—though, you didn’t expect him to have a beautiful soul as well.

You weren’t sure how, but just by observing the way he talked to you, the way he treated you and the way Iwaizumi entrusted him to watch over you—it was obvious he was much more than the kind of person people perceived him out to be. There was no way to describe your attraction to him other than there seemed to be a glass wall Oikawa had purposefully surrounded himself with in order for you to peer in and observe, to seek out what truly remained inside.

Oikawa revved the engine again and increased his speed back up to 160km/h reaching the end of the race, seeing the finish line in the distance. While looking up in the rearview mirror, you noticed Oikawa smile to himself as he pressed down on the throttle, the engine roaring once again.

Within a second, one of the racers instantly approached right behind Oikawa, their headlights dimmed low in the rearview mirror. You couldn’t tell who it was at first, but the minute they swerved right up next to Oikawa’s drivers side, you instantly recognized it was Shinsuke Kita from the Inarizaki Bois in his Nissan Silvia S15. He glanced at Oikawa with his eyebrows raised, taking the lit cigarette out of his mouth and placing it in between his two fingers, waving his hand slightly while he sped up and took first place.

“Fucking bitch,” Oikawa growled as he pushed down on the clutch and shifted the gear back up to fifth again to increase his speed, earning a little bit of room above Kita.

You looked to your left and saw Kuroo’s 350Z pulling up on the passenger side, noticing the black sunglasses on Kuroo’s face slide down his nose, enough for his eyes to peer up at you. He gave a smug look, resting his right arm on the top of the steering wheel. In the passenger seat, Leia could be seen dancing along to the loud song booming on their stereo, swinging her hips side to side with her arms up in the air as Kuroo gained leverage above both Oikawa and Kita.

“You gotta be fucking kidding me.” Oikawa gritted his teeth while tightening his grip around the steering wheel, stomping down on the accelerator once again to gain speed. In an instant, he leveled with both Kuroo and Kita, now making it impossible to tell who was in first place.

The finish line approached quickly as you saw a large crowd of people gathered around the end of the street, their loud cheers mixing in with the echoes of the busy traffic in the distance. Oikawa pushed past over 180km/h again, determined to win the race as he stepped on the accelerator harder, causing the transmission to vibrate loudly again. Another roar came from his engine as he gained leverage, pulling himself ahead of the others.

You saw Kuroo and Kita drag behind as Oikawa pushed through the finish line, placing first in the race. He pulled up in the middle of the crowd and drifted around in a circle—his special exit spin. He made a perfect donut with tread marks on the asphalt, connecting the lines in a 360 degree motion. The rear wheels drifted for three more revolutions before Oikawa finally stopped in place, feeling the jolt of the brake.

Grabbing your seatbelt, you felt quite dizzy when your vision began to blur, just barely making out the large crowd gathering around Oikawa’s car. You breathed in the smoke from his exhaust as it clouded around his car, seeping inside past the open windows. Voices from all around filled your hearing, the sound of congratulatory greetings and squeals of excitement ringing through your ears.

Kuroo and Leia rushed in next as they placed second, Kita coming in right after, placed third—all finishing within a second of each other. You saw Kageyama arrive a few seconds later, pulling up slowly in his Lexus LFA with an irritated expression on his face and a tight grip on his wheel.

Bokuto rolled up in last place with the side of his car wrecked, smoke coming out of the hood and the front bumper holding on by a screw. You winced at the condition of his car, knowing it would cost a fortune to get that all fixed.

Oikawa parked his car and jumped out of the vehicle only to be greeted by the people of the crowd, congratulating him for winning the final race. Women tried to surround him, but he ultimately ignored their advances and rushed to the other side, swinging your car door open. Even in the midst of winning the largest race in Tokyo surrounded by beautiful women, Oikawa still fulfilled his chivalrous duties to you.

As you stepped out of the vehicle, Oikawa held your hand gently and pulled you up from the seat, closing the door behind you. He stared into your eyes with a smile on his face before impulsively embracing you into a hug, wrapping his arms around your waist as his hands brushed up against the top of your back. Instinctively, you hugged back, wrapping your own arms around his body as you felt his face bury in the crook of your neck.

“I’m sorry,” Oikawa immediately tried to pull away, realizing he might have crossed a boundary—yet you pulled him back in, not wanting him to let go of your warm embrace. You lifted your head up to look at him, noticing his pupils dilate when he stared down at your lips, his right hand placed just at the crook of your back.

He looked straight into your eyes as he placed his left hand on your face, gently stroking your cheek as he breathed out a soft sigh. With a tender smile on your lips, you placed your left hand on his jaw, pulling his face in for a kiss.

Oikawa was startled by your sudden movements, but soon found himself wrapping his arms around your body, bringing you closer to him than ever before. You flung your right arm around his neck and ran your hand through the back of his hair, feeling each strand of his locks brush against your fingertips.

Your entire body shifted closer as he pulled you in to deepen the kiss, slightly opening his mouth to take a quick breath. With your left hand still on the side of his face, you trailed the fingers on your right hand down his back, slightly turning your head to the side in order to let his tongue swipe alongside the bottom of your lip.

You weren’t the type to kiss strangers within an hour of meeting them, but with Oikawa—you hated to admit it, but it felt absolutely different with him. Somehow, his kiss felt like medicine, healing a growing ache within your body as you began to kiss him passionately, moving your lips in sync with his.

Oikawa pulled away and broke the kiss, slightly gasping for air before cupping your face with both of his hands, all while staring into your eyes. He connected the tip of his forehead with yours, fluttering his eyes shut before whispering against your lips.

“My prize.”

He completely removed both his hands off of your body, diligently placing them into the front pocket of his black jeans. A bit embarrassed, you turned around to see Leia and Kuroo stepping out of the Nissan 350Z, waving their hands in your direction. She walked up to you quickly with her arms out, not insinuating an embrace.

“Okay, now I see why you were in Cypher’s car,” Leia smirked as she placed her left hand inside DK’s Nekoma Crew bomber jacket around her body. “Ya know, you’re kinda bad. He doesn’t let just any girl ride with him during a race. In fact, I don’t think he’s ever done that before.”

You looked over your shoulder back at Oikawa as he nodded, confirming Leia’s statement. He looked down at you with a smug look on his face and his eyebrows raised while he took his right hand out of his pocket to touch your denim jacket, slightly pulling your back against his chest. You weren’t sure what had happened in the last minute, but all you knew was that the tension between you two grew rapidly, the kiss confirming that you both were into each other.

In the distance you saw the same guy with a man-bun talking to Kuroo earlier, Kenma Kozume, pushing through the large crowd. He had his hands in the front pockets of his red cargo pants and a black skin tight tank top, presuming it was the signature uniform of the Nekoma Crew. His yellow toolbelt hung loosely around his hips as he walked up to you and Oikawa with a bundle of cash rolled up in his hand.

“Snake Eyes,” Oikawa greeted with a slight nod as he approached the both of you.

“Fair and square, Cypher.” Kenma slapped the large wad of cash rolled up by a rubber band onto Oikawa’s hand. “Two million yen.”

Just as Oikawa placed the cash in his pocket, Kuroo’s walkie talkie went off. As everyone around the parking lot paused, you looked towards Leia as her eyes widened with a worried expression on her face. For a second there was a beep on the machine, then a stressed eerie-sounding noise wailed through the static.

“Cops, cops, cops!” A deep voice on Kuroo’s walkie talkie went off. “COPS HEADED OUR WAY!”

There wasn’t any hesitation when it came to law enforcement as the crowd panicked and rushed to their vehicles, making it hard for any driver to get out of the parking lot safely. Kuroo grabbed Leia’s hand as they both rushed inside his 350Z, Kenma closely following behind as he shoved himself into the backseat of the two-seater car.

“Looks like I’ll have to buy you ramen another time!” Leia yelled back at you before she hopped into the 350Z, shutting the passenger side door behind her. Kuroo sped off into the night right after, straight into the highway as his engine echoed throughout the air.

Oikawa grabbed your hand and quickly opened the passenger door of his car, motioning for you to get in. Once your body sank low into the seat again, he shut the door, jumping onto the front of his car while swiftly gliding across the hood, opening the driver’s side all in one fluid motion. The second he hopped in, Oikawa quickly stomped on the clutch and started the engine, switching on the headlights while revving the car, speeding off into the same direction as Kuroo.

With people still running in multiple directions throughout the parking lot, it was difficult for anyone to get out safely onto the main road. The highway near the car meet became flooded with vehicles packed end to end, bumper to bumper—causing Oikawa to take a shortcut between two factory buildings, speeding down a tight alleyway. He quickly pressed down on the clutch again, rapidly switching from third to fourth gear with his left hand, accelerating the speed of his car as the engine boomed.

You looked over to your right and saw a tensed expression on his face with his eyebrows furrowed and his bottom lip pouted, focusing on the road ahead of him. He kept his left hand on the gear stick and his right hand on the steering wheel, quickly downshifting from fourth to third gear, blipping the throttle with the tip of his foot before slowing down.

Once he placed the emergency brake up, he drifted a tight corner between the two buildings, entering a small street perpendicular to the main highway packed with most of the people from the car meet. You held onto the grab handle above your head, clutching it tightly while you felt your entire body swerve to the left, noticing Oikawa’s body ricocheted in his seat as well with the turn of the drift.

Once he was able to steady the direction of the car, he stepped on the clutch and shifted the car back up to fourth and then fifth gear sequentially—hitting the gas pedal hard as he sped down the small road, catching the attention of the pedestrians walking on the side. In the rearview mirror, you saw police lights flash brightly coming in your direction, not noticing them on your tails before as the roar of his engine drowned out the sound of the sirens.

Oikawa’s eyes shifted up to look at the rearview mirror, pinching the edges of his eyebrows closer together as he became more infuriated. Another scowl plastered on his face, tensing his entire body up while stepping on the gas pedal harder. On his speedometer, you saw him pushing past 150km/h—not as fast as in the race, but fast enough to escape the police trailing behind you. Focusing on the road ahead of him while turning corners and speeding down adjacent roads, Oikawa remained silent the whole time the police chased after you two.

Your mind felt dizzy; unable to comprehend how he was able to stay so focused and calm with the sirens blaring in his ears. Thinking to yourself if you were in his place, you would have immediately panicked, not knowing what to do in the moment. While racing through different theories and conclusions, you remembered that Oikawa was a criminal—this probably wasn’t the first time he had been hunted by law enforcement.

Despite being in a chase, you looked outside of the window to see the city skyline shine brightly in the night, the neon colors scattered throughout the horizon. You reflected back on your actions during the past hour, wondering how you were able to end up in the passenger seat of a car during a street race, now chased by law enforcement on the streets of Tokyo. Yet, in the back of your mind you would not have wanted to do anything else—or even with anyone else.

You gripped the grab handle on the roof of the car with your left hand and grasped the middle of your seatbelt with the other, your body trembling as the red lights from the police flashed in the side mirrors. Oikawa chucked the steering wheel to the left and instantly pulled the emergency brake up, only to release it down when the car drifted to the corner of the street. As your body rocked from side to side in your seat, you inhaled sharply through your nose while feeling the adrenaline rush straight to your head.

Despite the intensity of the predicament you both were in, you felt Oikawa gently place his hand on your leg, benevolently caressing the exposed skin on your inner right thigh. He turned to look at you, smiling with confidence in his abilities. The sound of his sultry voice made your heart beat faster despite his attempt to calm you down.

“Hey,” Oikawa reassured. “Don’t worry, I’ll get us out of here.”

The minute his car exited the main street, Oikawa immediately turned left into another, revving his engine quietly at the apex of the corner. Oikawa began to slow down his speed the further he drove down the road, completely stopping the car while shifting the gear into reverse. Tucked between two buildings, Oikawa backed the car into a smaller alleyway, tucking his arm behind your seat as he positioned his upper body to face you, turning his head to look back.

With his right hand on the steering wheel, Oikawa effortlessly backed up into the alleyway, securing a large space tucked into the alley. He quickly turned off the engine and dimmed his headlights, making sure to cautiously hide his entire vehicle from the police as you both waited in silence, not a single peep coming from your mouth.

You swore you could hear the police sirens approaching in the distance, feeling your heart beating straight out of your chest like it was ready to burst any second. Oikawa on the other hand, placed his right hand on the steering wheel and watched the exit closely, his body calm and relaxed in his seat. Two police vehicles sped past the alleyway, completely unaware of the RX-7 hiding in the darkness.

You let out a heavy sigh of relief and closed your eyes, feeling the rush of  blood to your head subside with the sound of your heart pumping throughout your body filling your ears. Leaning your head back into the headrest, you inhaled deeply in order to calm down the nerves creeping underneath your skin.

“They’re gone now.” Oikawa stated as he placed his keys back into the ignition to start the engine again. The car rumbled beneath your feet as he released the clutch, letting the car slowly roll out of the alleyway.

“Where are we going?” You asked as Oikawa turned the car in the opposite direction from the police.

“I can take you back to your place if you want.” Oikawa’s voice became monotonous, not a single expression resting on his face. “Or we can go back to my condo, whichever one. I can stay with you for the night if you’d like.”

While turning your head to the left, you brought your face close to the window as your breath condensed on the glass, spotting the Rainbow Bridge in the distance from earlier. You somehow recognized the place you were in as the Minato ward, just a little south from Downtown Tokyo. “Where’s your condo?”

“It’s in the Shibuya district, not too far from here. I just took the other way in order to lead the police in the wrong direction, you know, to avoid any suspicion.” Oikawa peered his head to the left and then to the right, checking to see if there was any traffic before advancing forward, shifting the transmission from third to fourth gear.

You looked back out to the left, observing the street you both were driving on—in the distance, several highways stretched far into downtown, multiple buildings standing tall into the sky. The night was calm, just barely seeing the stars up in the violet atmosphere.

Turning your head back to the right, you looked at Oikawa with your answer. “Well, we can go back to your place then. Mine’s a little far from where we are.”

“You sure? I don’t mind the drive.” With his left hand, he signaled to turn right, his indicators blinking against the road signs.

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

You knew exactly what you were doing, asking for him to drive you both back to his condo—it was painfully obvious to him, yet it seemed like your advances didn’t stop Oikawa from entering the expressway that led back up to Shibuya. He relaxed his eyelids a bit, accelerating his speed through the bridge with the Tokyo skyline spanning throughout the view.

You placed your hand into your denim jacket pocket and pulled out your phone, glancing up to check the clock as it read 1:37 AM. Time seemed to pass by quickly, remembering that you were just doing your chemistry homework in your apartment yesterday evening. Now, as you were on your way to Oikawa’s condo—you couldn’t help but notice everything was happening way too fast and way too easily, knowing exactly what was to come in a matter of a few hours.

You suddenly remembered about Iwaizumi, questioning to yourself if he might have been worried of your whereabouts. Just to give him a peace of mind, you scrolled through your contacts and tapped on his name before placing your phone up to your ear. As you heard the dial-tone ring three times, within a second he picked up, the roar of an engine greeting you through the speaker.

“Hello?” Iwaizumi croaked before clearing his throat, hearing him shuffle something on the other side. He called your name out, making sure you were still there. “Where are you? Are you safe?”

“Yeah, I’m safe. I’m actually still with Cypher,” you lowered the volume of your voice slightly as you stared out the window. “We’re going back to his condo.”

“His condo?! I didn’t say he could bring you back to his place.” Iwaizumi scolded, his voice growing a bit annoyed. You could sense the same protectiveness he’s always had for you, even when you both were young.

“Hajime, relax, it was my decision.” You turned your head to face Oikawa, watching the corner of his mouth slightly turn up.

“Nah, I still want to talk to him. Give him the phone.” Iwaizumi commanded, reluctant to accept the fact you were an adult, able to make decisions for yourself.

“He’s driving. I can’t just—” Oikawa brought out his left hand, insinuating for you to give him your phone while he curled his fingers in a come-hither motion. You placed it face up onto his palm before he cleared his throat, bringing it up close to his ear.

“Iwaizumi.” Oikawa greeted with a smirk forming in the corner of his mouth. You could hear the sound of Iwaizumi’s voice booming through your phone, yelling in all sorts of directions out of the speaker. All Oikawa did was chuckle to himself, taking in all the insults and threats from your cousin with a grain of salt.

“You know it was her decision, right? I didn’t force her to do anything,” he responded into the phone, restating what you had already told Iwaizumi. “Okay, fine. I’ll take her back.”

“What? No.” You reached out for your phone again, asking for it back. “What did he say?”

“He said he wants me to take you back to your apartment or else he’s going to break my neck, or something.” Oikawa scoffed and chuckled to himself before placing his left hand back on the gearstick, downshifting to third gear in order to slow down with the traffic.

You both still heard Iwaizumi scold Oikawa through the phone, his voice now growing deep and exasperated, noticing he started to sound like a broken record with the constant insults. “Shittykawa, I will personally drive over to your fucking condo and beat the living hell out of you and your shitty ass car!”

“Shut up Hajime, you’re being rude now.” You rolled your eyes and leaned back into your seat, letting out a large sigh. He continued to yell into the speaker as you cupped your hand over the microphone, turning your head to whisper. “Let’s just lie and say you’re taking me back to my place.”

Oikawa let out a loud chuckle to himself as he rested his left elbow on the middle console, turning his head over to shoot you a cheeky grin. “I like the way you think.”

You smiled back before placing your phone up to your ear again, hearing Iwaizumi continue to lecture you on why you shouldn’t go back to Oikawa’s condo for completely irrational and absurd reasons. “Okay Hajime. He’s taking me back to my apartment right now.”

“About damn time. Look, I’m about to arrive at this one girl’s place, so I’ll talk to you later. Love you.” Iwaizumi’s tone quickly shifted, confusing you on what he had just mentioned.

“What the fuck—?”

“Love you!” He quickly exclaimed before hanging up, your phone now displaying your background screensaver. With your eyebrows pinched and your lips pouted, a bewildered look formed on your face as you squinted down at your phone again.

“…Love you too, Hajime.”

You reclined back into your seat, slumping your shoulders slightly as you placed your phone back into your pocket, tucking both of your hands inside as well. Oikawa continued to drive down the expressway, acting as if the call with Iwaizumi didn’t happen.

During most of the car ride, you both sat in silence—listening to the rumble of the engine and the rotation of the tires, other traffic filling up your ears as you leaned your elbow on the open window. Staring straight up at the tall buildings with the wind in your face, you felt the cool breeze through your cheeks while resting your head on your palm.

You still didn’t know much about Oikawa, only what Leia had told you about him. Though, by what you had directly experienced, it didn’t seem like he lived up to his reputation at all—the way Leia had described his past, his façade and his notoriety, it didn’t fit his character. Yet, this was just your first impression of him; he could have been a completely different person underneath what he was showing you now.

He still intrigued your interest, making it a challenge for yourself to know what was really underneath the mask he was hiding behind. You turned your head to face him again, looking directly at the prominent dragon tattoo on his right forearm, only seeing what could be shown with his sleeves rolled. Oikawa quickly noticed you and glanced over to your side, cocking his eyebrow up.

“Got something to say?” He broke the silence, turning his attention back to the road.

You removed your head from your palm, shoving both of your hands inside the pockets of your oversized denim jacket. The wind from outside seeped into the car, brushing through your skin once again. You clicked your tongue against the roof of your mouth, proceeding to ask him a blunt question. “Yeah, I do. How’d you convince Hajime to join your gang?”

You raised an eyebrow again, turning your head to face him. In the back of your mind, you still wondered how Iwaizumi was able to involve himself with someone who had previously been associated with the yakuza—you’ve known him to always be the kind of person to “follow the rules” ever since he was younger. It seemed out of place for him, presuming he might have been persuaded in terms of money or future promises in exchange to be initiated in.

“He came into my shop looking for parts.” Oikawa responded hesitantly, his eyes still focused on the road. “And I didn’t convince your cousin at all. He wanted to join all on his own.”

There was a long pause in between your question and his answer, raising your suspicion on the reliability of his statement. Iwaizumi was never the type of person to willingly join a group of people as he was more of a person to do things on his own, at least when it was anything related to cars. You remembered that the only other person he would willingly let fix his car alongside your help was no other than your father. “Hmm… okay, but I don’t really believe you.”

“Well look at it this way—your cousin, all throughout his life, has been into cars. Fixing them, racing them. He probably mentioned before that he’d want a career out of it too. Sound familiar?” There was a brief moment of silence between you two as you didn’t respond to his rhetoric. Oikawa looked towards your direction one last time, raising an eyebrow in the process. “Now wouldn’t it make sense he would want to join a gang that does all those things, while also being guaranteed a job at my shop?”

Although all of his reasons were logically sound, you still weren’t fully convinced; you wanted to know the details, you wanted to fully understand. Perhaps that was your problem—you always wanted to know exactly the reason why. “Yeah, I guess that does sound believable or whatever.”

“Well, baby you can believe whatever you want to believe.” You turned your head and looked out the window again, fixing your vision to stare at yourself through the mirror. The clouds began to creep in, blocking out the moon up in the sky. “So, if what you’re telling me is true, that’s exactly how Hajime got into street racing?”

“Correct.”

Turning your neck to face him, you asked him another question, watching him turn the wheel to the right with one hand. “Can I ask how did you get into street racing?”

Oikawa quickly whipped his head to the left, leaning his body over to check the traffic coming in from the opposite direction. His pupils quickly glanced at you, his eyelids relaxed without an expression on his face. Before turning his wheel completely over, he cleared his throat and mumbled softly. “Through DK. You met him, right?”

You recalled the man you had bumped into earlier, remembering if you hadn’t, Leia would not have told you about Oikawa’s reputation. “Yeah, I did. Have you always known him?”

“I actually met DK when I first moved back to Tokyo two years ago.” He turned the steering wheel to the left and signaled to change lanes, slowing down the car. “He was already established as Drift King of the underground street racing scene—in fact, he was the one who got me into cars and racing as a sport up here.”

He exited down the highway ramp and into a busy district on the outskirts of Downtown Tokyo. The neon lights of several businesses reflected on the hood of his car as you passed through a road filled with lively people walking on the side. Despite the time almost reaching 2 AM, the streets of the urban Tokyo neighborhood still boomed with vibrant energy.

“You weren’t already a racer back in Osaka? You’re pretty much a natural at drifting.” You peered your head out the window, looking up into the tall buildings with purple, blue and red neon lights as it reflected back on Oikawa’s car.

He smiled in the corner of his mouth, letting out a sharp exhale. “Thanks, but no I wasn’t. I did other things.”

“What, like selling drugs?” You joked, slightly chuckling to yourself as you placed your hands back into your pockets, gripping your right hand around your phone. 

“Yeah, exactly.”

The yakuza was notorious for doing those kinds of businesses, yet you thought he could have done something else in place of it, like running gambling rings or clubs—that was what you remembered most yakuza members did nowadays when the largest yakuza clan in all of Japan banned their men from dealing in drug trafficking.

Your eyes widened as you fixed your posture, turning your head back to face him. Silence filled the car once again, your mouth slightly parted open as you stared at Oikawa. The tattoos on his arm stood out against the lights as your eyes fixed on his left hand—remembering the dagger on his index, the cross on his middle. The small crescent moon situated on his ring finger, the ink completely filled in. 

“Oh, you were being serious.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Oikawa responded in a monotonous voice, barely turning his head to look at you as he rev-matched down to second gear, slowly turning into an underground parking garage situated beneath a tall building.

“So you’re basically a criminal.” You assumed as the car descended down a series of ramps, the rumble of his engine echoing louder than before. He looked at you with an alluring gaze, one you could not describe how it made you feel.

“Always have been, baby.”

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[lurkingshan]

Hii, hope you're doing well!! I've been meaning to check out more c-dramas. I've never really watched any, but I keep seeing them on my dash and want to start giving some a shot since I watch every other type of drama (BL or otherwise lol). I saw you post often about c-dramas, so I wanted to ask if you had any other recs besides Tender Light (which I'm planning on watching when it's done)? I'm more curious about c-dramas in general rather than any specific genre, since I'm so new to them

Hello, thank you for the ask! I'm glad my obsessive Tender Light posting has got you curious about cdramas. Some of my all time favorite dramas are from Mainland China, and I would be happy to share some recs! Since you are looking for a general sense, I am just going to give you a sampling of some of my personal favs.

Tender Light

Obviously I will be taking this opportunity to talk up this drama some more, which will be ending its run this weekend. This is, hands down, my favorite drama of the year and easily going on my top 10 dramas of all time list. It's one of the most gorgeous and precise and unflinching pieces of media I have ever seen. This is definitely one for people who love smart mystery writing, dark themes (I mean this for real, if you have a lot of triggers ask for CWs), and explorations of the human condition. It will be staying with me for a long time.

Go Ahead

Another of my all time favs (and with cast crossover from Tender Light), this is a family drama that digs deep on the meaning of family, finding your people, and resilience through intergenerational trauma. I love it so so much (I am actually rewatching it right now).

Lighter & Princess

A fantastic romance and owner of a coveted spot on the ride or die drama couples list. In this story you get to watch these two fall in love twice, first in college and then as adults, and both times it's epic.

Reset

How about a time loop thriller? This is one of the best I have ever seen, and its relatively short run keeps it tight and tense all the way through. There's a romance in this one, too, but kissing is definitely secondary to finding their way out of this death trap.

The Rebel Princess

Let's dip our toe into historicals! Granted, I still have plenty of gaps in my historical cdrama watch list (there are just so many and they're so long, I am doing my best people!) but this remains my all time favorite to date. It's epic, it's shockingly well written and paced for its length, the characters are excellent and compelling all around, and it has one of my all time favorite male leads and drama couples (another from the ride or die list!). Don't let the episode number intimidate you, it will fly by much faster than you think.

The Untamed

You watch bl so I am assuming you already know about Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, but just in case I will also include this drama as a much watch. It's likely the best live action danmei we will ever get.

Love Between Fairy and Devil

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if a show put all your favorite fanfic tropes in a blender, cast beautiful people to act them out, and put them in lavish costumes? Well, here is your answer.

Love and Redemption

This one's for us angst with a happy ending girlies. An epic love story with lots of pining and struggle and strife, and it's so worth it.

Falling Into You

Back to the modern era, this is a classic sports drama with a noona romance. Very unassuming but full of charm and very well executed.

Fake It Till You Make It

An unusually mature take on adult romance from a cdrama, this one is about two career focused permasingle love skeptics who meet, realize they actually like each other, and try to figure out what the hell to do with that. I love it a lot.

That should be enough to get you started! There are many many more recs to be had, so once you give some of these a try and figure out what you like, feel free to hit me up for more!

[hoippu]

ZoLu Fanfic Masterlist

(Guide for people who want to avoid anime spoilers)

it's in chronological order of the anime arcs but the first several ones are the AU fics

EDIT: check out the google doc for more updates on the list

Ephemerality by greatduwangs

http://archiveofourown.org/works/37446706

Alternate Universe – Demon AU

Don’t need to be caught up to One Piece tbh but still have a good amount of knowledge on some early introduced characters. If you’ve at least gotten to Baratie I think that’s good enough.

Read Roses Mean Friendship by Aki133

http://archiveofourown.org/works/44277967

Alternate Universe – Flower Shop AU

You don’t have to be caught up to One Piece either.

There’s a few characters here tho that get introduced in the anime in Thriller Bark and in Dressrossa.

Tomatoes, Spanish class and roommates by bunnylover101

http://archiveofourown.org/works/38490631

Alternate Universe – Modern College AU

Unrelated to the main story of One Piece but it contains characters from Dressrossa, post-marineford and I think Water 7.

Eternity would be a Curse (Without You By My Side) by Puppypaws54672

http://archiveofourown.org/works/47262166  

Alternate Universe – Gods & Goddesses

No actual spoilers but theres a lot of characters from like the whole series lol

Splendid fanfic

Part 1 of a series

Eternity Had Cursed Me (To Be Without You By My Side) by Puppypaws54672

Part 2 of Eternity would be a Curse (Without You By My Side)

Alternate Universe – Gods & Goddesses, Reincarnation, Modern

No actual spoilers but theres characters from the whole series

The Story of Us by Mugiwat

http://archiveofourown.org/works/48543286

Alternate Universe – Modern AU

No actual spoilers but theres lots of characters again.

Warning: youre gonna hate Law In this fic lmao

catching butterflies by aquietdin

http://archiveofourown.org/works/48133825

(pre-timeskip) Takes place sometime between Skypiea arc but before Long Island arc.

You should also watch the G-8 filler arc because I think it’s referenced, but it’s okay cuz it is honestly the best and only filler arc worth watching.

Ode to an ocean by novks (thychesters)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/46906945

(pre-timeskip) Takes place right before water 7.

Chimes by drcalvin

http://archiveofourown.org/works/451483

(pre-timeskip) Contains spoilers from Water 7/ Post-Enies Lobby.

Takes place after shortly after marineford I think. Maybe wait until the timeskip begins before reading this one just in case.

Unable Are the Loved to Die by BasicallyACat

http://archiveofourown.org/works/24785554

(pre-timeskip) post Enies Lobby

Is a series

You are all I see by Anonymous

http://archiveofourown.org/works/47441071

Alternate Universe – Modern AU

Do not read until you’ve finished Marineford arc

One of my favorites

The Dawn that Rises Bloody by BasicallyACat

http://archiveofourown.org/works/27556822

a sequel to Unable Are the Loved to Die

(post-timeskip) I don’t recall reading this one yet so I cant really say up until where you should watch the anime. But definitely post timeskip

Feelings, what a mess! by drcalvin

http://archiveofourown.org/works/371473.

(post-timeskip) Very early into the timeskip. I’d say you can read when they’re on the way to fishman island.

Heliotrope by LostInClouds

http://archiveofourown.org/works/44929768

(post-timeskip) As long as you reach the timeskip and have made it more or less to when theyre sailing to Fishman Island, you should be fine.

The Things we do for Love by LostInClouds

http://archiveofourown.org/works/46912906

(post-timeskip) It’s recommended that you reach the timeskip for this one too and probably before fishman island is also good enough.

Of First Mates and Duty by Whatev3rs

http://archiveofourown.org/works/40266276

(post-timeskip) takes place in an indefinite point in the timeskip after return to sabaody arc.

Probably my favorite zolu oneshot fr

His Captain, Captivating by jirachi

http://archiveofourown.org/works/48769138             

(post-timeskip) Try to read after Wholecake arc or at least Punk Hazard. There aren’t any major spoilers for Wholecake but there’s a new crewmate there that doesn’t join until then.

Kizuna by YokoHogawa

http://archiveofourown.org/works/4452800

(post-timeskip) after fishman island

The Five Times Luffy Kissed Zoro, and the One Time Zoro Kissed Luffy by EclecticIsMyMiddleName

http://archiveofourown.org/works/18994144

This one takes place throughout the story up until the end of Wano arc.

It’s preferable that you’re fully caught up because it’s so good you might wanna binge it.

However if you absolutely must here’s the time period for each chapter:

Chapter 1 (pre-timeskip) right after Arlong Park

Chapter 2 (pre-timeskip) takes place in episode 223 (I think that’s a filler arc but its short and not too bad to watch)

Chapter 3 (pre-timeskip) between Enies Lobby arc and post-Enies Lobby arc episodes 312 and 313 (don’t read the chapter summary cuz it has spoilers)

Chapter 4 (pre-timeskip) At the end of thriller bark episodes 377 and 378

Chapter 5 (post-timeskip) from the beginning of timeskip until Wano

Chapter 6 (post-timeskip) end of wano

[blackyote]

Hi, the name's Killy!~ I've been writing for the One Piece fandom for about a year now, mostly lawlu/lulaw. Below is a list of my most recent op fanfics along with some personal favorites, but if you want to see all my works, my ao3 can be found here. Comments are always greatly appreciated!

RECENT

Match My Freak (lulaw, rated e, ch 4/?) - serial killer au based on currynim art

Forget Me Not (lulaw, rated e, 12k) - modern band au

Heart on My Sleeve (lulaw, rated m, 3k) - collection of short fics for lawlu week 2024

PERSONAL FAVES

and we'll have a spring wedding (lulaw, rated m, 4k) - a 40yo luffy appears on the thousand sunny with unexpected news

Give an Inch (law x luffy, gen, 3k) - law and luffy post-marineford

Opening Night (sanji & zeff, gen, 1k) - a playful fight takes a sudden turn

Hats Off (law x luffy, gen, 1k) - law checks on luffy after his rampage

Seeing Ghosts (zosan, gen, 1k) - sanji slips on the stairs of the merry

Nothing Happened (zosan, rated t, 3k) - zoro awakens after the events of thriller bark

[thegamingcatmom]

Hi! >:3 This one is for the Dimi sisters, for each of them what do you think they enjoy doing around the castle? Like I imagine they are pretty bored esp in Winter where they can't go outside due to the cold, I imagine Dani and Bela could enjoy reading by the fireplace but there has to be something else to do, right? I don't think Cassandra is a bookworm like her sisters, in fact I doubt that one can be STILL for more than 5 seconds XD I have a few HC of my own like I think Bela likes to read but not romantic stuff like Dani I think she'd be mroe into learning new stuff constantly from the books she reads and I think she is into art so she likes painting in the atelier, or just sketching in a notebook while sitting by the window (I once read a fanfic where Bela learned to cook? And I found it so cute and stuff that she cooked for tehf amily etc that i accepted that HC too). Cassandra would be in the armory sharpening her weapons bc theya re never sharp enough or practicing ehr moves against a dummy, perhaps even getting Dani to play some pranks on the staff (who no one finds funny except for the both of them and getting on Bela's nerves which is a plus I guess :p) Dani... Aside from reading her romantic novels and pranking the staff with Cass I thin she'd be into poetry... she'd try her best ok? (I'm kinda lost with Dani's hobbies tbh XD) What are your own HC for their hobbies? :p Have a good day <3

HI HELLO 🫶

I love your thoughts and I absolutely agree that Cassandra is incapable of focusing on anything for too long. Her record is approx. 10 secs, which is exactly how long it takes her to string someone up, slice their jugular and watch them bleed, lmao.

However, I´d like to think that Momma Alci makes sure to keep her unruly offspring entertained, mainly because it keeps them from bugging her. Momma values her me time. 🛁😌

Besides, there´s always the maids to terrorize. That never gets old. 🤭

Reading

Mostly books that expand her knowledge, like you said. She takes after Momma in that respect. 🤭

Another thing she really likes are mystery thrillers. They have her on the edge of her seat in a way no hunt has managed yet.

She´s not that big into horror though, believe it or not. Probably because she more than gets her fill of that on a daily basis in that castle, lol.

Romance? Please. She has neither the time, nor the patience for such mundane things.

Painting, drawing

She enjoys the calm that comes with it (which is rare in that castle), but she also does it to impress Momma. 🤭

Her favorite things to paint are still lifes. Especially fruit. Especially when it´s rotten. She finds that there´s a certain beauty in the grotesque.

Her favorite things to draw are humans. Or, more specifically, their insides. Organs and bones. Or just certain body parts with the muscles exposed.

Being down in the cellar almost every day truly brought out her artistic side. It´s very...inspiring.

Playing the piano

Again, she does it mostly to impress Momma, seeing how the Lady is quite the talented pianist herself.

Her favorite things to play are dark, tragic pieces that capture the haunting spirit of her existence. Such as Beethoven – Moonlight Sonata 1st Movement.

Music holds immense significance in House Dimitrescu, so it was only natural for Bela to prioritize mastering it as soon as she was capable of forming coherent thoughts.

Stringing them up

Slicing their jugulars

Watching them bleed

...I don´t know what else to tell you, lol.

The middle daughter isn´t particularly picky about how she spends her evenings. She simply does what she does best and, more importantly, what she loves doing. That´s all the fulfillment she needs.

It´s as simple as that with her. I aspire to be like that.

HOWEVER-

I do like the idea of her sharpening and taking care of her weapons because she certainly holds them dear to her dead heart. They´re her babies. :3

HOWEVER-

I don´t really see it as a hobby because it still means "work" for her. She doesn´t cope well with that sort of thing, lol. She´d much prefer spending her precious time on actually using her sickle rather than maintaining it.

HOWEVER-

...She might just let a maid do the work for her. While she watches, ofc. Taunting her. Mocking her. Whispering sweet promises of gruesome death into her ear.

"You missed a spot...right here."

*slices that jugular with her newly sharpened sickle*

🤷🏻‍♀️

Reading

I think that one is pretty obvious. Anything romance is her jam. ;3

More Reading

Because why read your favorite book just once (multiplied by 1354641486418431) when you can dive into the manic endless realms of your own imagination OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND-

-UNTIL THE END OF TIME!!

Flirting/Roleplaying with the maids

The kitchen, the looming corridors, the cellars, the bedchambers - name any place within the castle, and it can almost always be guaranteed that Dani has left her mark - evidenced by blushing and stuttering maids.

Why hot when evil though?? 😭

Furthermore, as a direct result of her extensive reading, many maids have had the one-time opportunity to participate in one of her famously infamous plays, which focus on recreating her favorite scenes from her beloved books.

...Needless to say, that opportunity truly was a one-time affair.

.

.

.

Thanks a lot for your ask! 💋

[holdy-caulfield]

My review on Star Trek book.

Dreams of The Raven by Carmen Carter

Genre: Sci-fi, drama, psychological, thriller elements

Pages: 255

Key words: amnesia, physical traumas, self-identity, character study, medicine, friendship, body horror, angst

TW: gore

Highlights: plot, mystery, atmosphere, very canonical characters, accuracy, dialogue, depth, drama, villains

Downsides: lack of some details

Vibe/tone: dark, serious, realistic

First, huge thank you to @very-bad-poetry-captain for their book review, because the amount of ST TOS books is a bit overwhelming so I follow mostly recommendations/reviews to choose what to read next. I will probably compare this book to Doctor’s Orders, by Diane Duane, because it’s only a second ST book I read and both books are about Doctor McCoy, who’s my favorite character, so my excuses if you find it a weird comparison. Minor spoilers.

To put it shortly it’s probably one of the best ST TOS things I’ve read so far if I count fanfics. It is very good. Probably I will change my opinion cause actually I have nothing to compare it with, but after reading it I felt pity it finished and did not know what to do with my life for a few moments. You know that feeling if you a reader.

The story follows two plotlines: McCoy suffers amnesia (big amount of stress + alcohol + exhaustion+ head trauma) and forgets everything that has happened for past 25 years, so in his head he’s 23, and also a few ships Enterprise included were attacked by mysterious (and horrifying) aliens, so there’s Kirk & Spock dealing with those two problems.

First and foremost, the characters. They are very canon. And even more canon then in Doctor’s Orders. Spock and McCoy behave exactly like in the show, their relationships are ambiguous and not bubblegummy, as it shouldn’t be. It’s very much what you see in TOS.

And Kirk & Spock. One of the things I didn’t like about DO was that Spock got kinda lost in the background and it either was McCoy with Kirk or Spock and McCoy. Here Kirk & Spock have all these small details about them going on, like Kirk understanding Spock, caring about his feelings, Spock touching Kirk and very domestic scene of Kirk taking a shower while discussing with Spock matter of things while Spock is thinking about the next move of 3D chess. It was just very… Cute. Very TOS-y. Very t’hy’la. You can feel they are so at ease with each other.

Kirk & Bones dynamic is also amazing. Kirk experiences a lot of angst with the loss of his friend, and there are also a few cute moments between them when Bones is Bones (because Bones McCoy and Leonard McCoy felt like two different people to the characters). Kirk is just so in character, even the small details of him hitting the turbolift doors out of frustration (he does it a lot in TOS), his endless questions, his battle tactics.

There’s also I have to admit enough presence of Scotty, Uhura, they both have good amount of scenes (separately), Uhura just such a vibe and mood there as well. Also there’s a few scenes with Sulu and Chekov. No body was forgotten, everyone had their moment.

And then, let’s discuss Bones.

He is 25 years younger in his head, so he is slightly out of character obviously, but it’s just so realistic, recognizable, that I believed wholeheartedly that it is exactly how Roddenberry would direct/write him being 23 y/o. I can’t name it OOC even. Well, he acts like a 23 year old. He is drama queen even when he’s older, so you can imagine how dramatic he acts thinking he’s younger (complaining also all the time that he’s old, like, boy, you’re 48) it all just feels very natural. All the interactions and dialogue feel very natural, I must say, and I often noticed that in TOS too. So the author did an incredible job making such an accurate, emphatic and believable portrayal of my favourite character.

And I felt very sorry for McCoy. I sympathized with him completely. I actually felt a little bit sad when he regained his memory, but it is also thanks to the writer. The way it is worded is beautiful and bittersweet.

About an elephant in the room - romance. Well, I actually liked and understood it. At first, have you seen Bones? Second, those two are both in their 20s technically speaking, well, I understood she is (and if she was hitting her 30s because I am not sure about her being in her 20s, still point stands) so it was natural, the chemistry was there. Third, characters are allowed to act stupid, and Dyson acted stupid and she fully knew she was acting stupid, but she just wanted to have sex with him for a long time, so I understand and wish it was me. So it didn’t bother me at all and I actually awaited them to kiss. It is a flink, obviously, and Dyson knew that. So even if she’s heartbroken she should be fine, I think, plus she did act like she was half-expecting to not continue it with him. I hope though Bones never finds that out. So it is a good believably written part in my very humble and probably unpopular opinion. Good for her even.

The plot and the atmosphere. The plot, the mystery is amazing. It doesn’t let you put the book down. Also, the atmosphere of the book… Well, it is grim. Because the whole situation is not very fun. And also it has gore. Even though @very-bad-poetry-captain did mention the gore I didn’t expect it in so much detail, and at one point I was reading with such expression: o_O (I low key love horror, so it didn’t bother me). And then the aliens themselves… They are terrifying. They stepped out of some sci fi horror, and the author doesn’t hesitate mentioning dark details and I LOVED it about the book. I like when the villains are actually scary. I don’t wish those monstrosities to exist. There’s literally body horror elements in this book, and it’s one of my fave horror sub genres for some reason, so it’s also a positive point. TOS also has some very dark stuff going on, and the serious, darker tone suits it very well especially in the book form. The style of the author is nice. It’s straight to the point.

So it does feel like TOS but the sadder/darker episodes. And I liked that the book doesn’t feel short. It has a lot going on, and both plotlines are equally interesting. I wouldn’t mind book being even longer actually. Even more details. So if you enjoy a good mystery I recommend it.

Well, I guess I also have to point out some downsides. Well, the dreams in the title. Why dreams? No, literally, why? If it was like living in a dream then yeah, McCoy kinda lives in a dream, but what Ravens have to do with that? Book mentions nightmares, but give me those nightmares. Like nightmares although are a cliche but they work for showing character’s fears, doubts. So it felt like some portion was cut out. Because nightmares are mentioned a few times. Well, you could argue that the nightmares are because of the trauma. I guess. Also, the ending feels a bit rushed. I wanted a bit more disorienting from returned McCoy. And some hello from Spock, maybe a surprise for Bones on why Spock is acting extra enthusiastic or friendly or smh like that. But on the other hand I didn’t feel like the book lacks something. It was actually more than I expected.

Hugely recommend, also wish the writer wrote more TOS books :( and I also want to read more darker/serious TOS books like this :)

[tigresslanzhu]

Everything I Enjoy About Buster Moon’s Thriller Night!

Yeah, you guys saw this coming as soon as the YouTube link came in. Now I’ve got screencaps to show you what made me happy.

There is a bunch of charm to Meena literally acting like a real teenager, one who gets super annoyed when things don’t go her way and/or she has to do something she doesn’t want to do. After all, as we all know, Meena’s a good girl. She was raised right. Seeing what that would look like if this wasn’t the case puts a smile on my face.

YAY! Pink smoke! You can bet if Artica were canon, she’d be the one to dispose of the fake car, just so she could immerse herself in it.

This definitely doesn’t seem like a sensory overload, but all of us on the autism spectrum knows that the comparison is there.

Almost this whole GMO The Musical scene was great! I’ve written a fanfic about this already where Artica considers it her least favorite show to help write, particularly the Meena lemon bit, but from an outside perspective, I kind of want more.

Gunter knows something. Maybe Marcus did give Johnny permission to borrow his truck for the night, or maybe he didn’t. All Johnny said was that he got his dad’s truck. Maybe there’s a bit of rebel left in him after all.

Meena knows that riding in a trunk like this is against the law, but it looks like she loves it.

Also, you can tell this is a dream because this police officer doesn’t say anything about the danger of trunk passengers.

That ooze is all my favorite colors!

THEY LET JOHNNY DO THE MJ THING!

From a real world perspective, I get why they put Nooshy where they did, but personally, I imagine her leading this whole thing. Why couldn’t she have helped choreograph all of this? She and Clay wouod have been partners in all this!

[kingofbodyrolls]

Seokjin fic recs 2024 🥳

🎉 Guess what day it is? That’s right—it’s Seokjin’s birthday! 🥳 Of course, I haven’t forgotten. How could I?! While my monthly rec lists are taking a permanent vacation (they deserve it), I’m still determined to shout out incredible stories on each member’s special day. Because why not celebrate with fanfic love? 💜✨

So, buckle up for my Ultimate Favorite Seokjin Stories of the past year! 🚀 Have I hyped these up before? Oh, absolutely. Will I keep screaming about them? 100%. These stories are just that good! 🌟 A massive THANK YOU to the genius writers who crafted these masterpieces—you’re all legends, and I’m forever in awe of your talent 🥹💐 Every fic here is etched in my heart, and I couldn’t be more excited to share them again.

⚠️ Warning: Most of these fics are either spicy as hell 🌶️ or tread into darker territory, so minors, this is your cue to dip out. DNI.

✨ Pro tip: If you fall in love with any of these fics (and you will), take a moment to shower the writers with love—whether that’s a comment, a reblog, or just a heartfelt emoji. 💌 These small gestures mean the world to them, trust me! Plus, there’s no better way to say, “This fic made me feral, and I’m forever grateful.” 🥰

Need more Seokjin goodness? Dive into the rec library, check out last year’s birthday rec list, or peruse my 2023 recs. Happy reading, and let’s give these amazing stories (and their creators) all the love they deserve! 🫶

[index] → jan | feb (jhs) | mar (myg) | apr | may | jun | jul | aug | sep (jjk)(knj) | oct (pjm) | nov | dec (💜)(ksj) |

Emoji meaning → angst = 🌩️, smut = 🥵, fluff = 🥰, comedy = 😂, yandere = 😈, thriller/dark = 👻, fantasy = 🪄. 

⭐Turn Back Time @raplinesmoon [13.3K] // ksj x f.reader // time travel!au // 🥵🥰🌩️😂

📝 After total humiliation at his middle school baseball try outs, Kim Seokjin wants nothing more than for his awkward years to fade away until he’s thirty. Cue a magic baseball glove, and his wish is finally granted. Seokjin suddenly wakes up seventeen years later, now the star pitcher of the team he’d always dreamed of playing for. Confused and overwhelmed at the prospect of the new life waiting for him, he turns to the only person who seems to understand him — you. Will Seokjin learn what it truly means to be thirty, flirty, and thriving? Or will he find himself wishing he could turn back time?

🗨️ Seokjin’s childhood/school was just, ugh, I really felt heartache for thirteen year old Seokjin 🥹 So very common as a kid, to wish you’re older – and then it’s just not what he expected at all. I really loved it! There were a few times I was laughing so damn hard, times where I was shedding a few tears as well. Just, incredibly good; very well written, the story was captivating and motivating, just yeah, brilliant. (Sorry, I’m suddenly bad with words). I loved the ‘lessons’ he learned, and then having the luxury (I’m using that word because we don’t have that irl) of going back to his childhood (almost like starting over) and damn it was good 👏💯

⭐Small Tuna Fish @floralseokjin [17.1k]  // ksj x f.reader // college!au, f2l // 🥵🥰

📝 Kim Seokjin is a really nice guy. (Not to be confused with a ‘Nice Guy’). Too nice for someone like you, you’re sure. Which is why you’ve been attempting to ignore what’s going on between you. He couldn’t possibly be flirting with you. He couldn’t possibly like you. Could he? It the end, it takes one charity car wash event and one – or two, depending on how dirty your mind is – soakings to make things very clear. 

🗨️ damn, this was so funny, sweet and sexy at the same time ✨💯 loved the plot, the car wash–the wetness?? Omg. Everything was so fucking perfect 💖

⭐Dream Come True @sugaurora [16.8k]  // ksj x f.reader // brother’s best friend!au, f2l // 🥵🥰

📝 since your brother had warned you years ago that his best friend Seokjin was off limits, you’d only allowed yourself to safely fantasize about him in your dreams. You’re not sure why tonight his lips feel so much softer and his hands so much warmer than usual, but you’re also not about to complain.

🗨️ shit I’m in love with this 🤧 It’s so fucking amazing, beautiful, sweet and fluffy. I lived it so much 💖💯

⭐With You @yoonpobs [22.1k]  // ksj x f.reader // marriage!au, divorce!au, childhood friends2lovers // 🥵🥰🌩️

📝 marrying your childhood best friend was not the love story that most painted it to be. you knew that better than anyone else.

🗨️ I really adore stories where the characters undergo emotional development 🥹 and these… They grow so much, and they even have supportive friends and family 🤧 Jin was a bit of a douche yes but he learned from his mistakes (hopefully keeps at it) and I really loved everything in it 🤧✨ I also loved that Jin suggested couples therapy, because I think that would be a big assert for them to achieve a healthier marriage 🥹 and when he asked oc on a date, and she went “but were married?” 🤭 also, I really think that going on dates while married is a really good way to keep the marriage alive too 🥰💜 I really loved it 💯

⭐Warm This Winter @jamaisjoons [51.6k]  // ksj x f.reader (ft. ex!jjk) // one night stand, s2l, exes (jjk), christmas!au // 🥵🥰🌩️

📝 spending the winter vacation with an ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend was not something anyone would ever consider doing. spending the winter vacation with both an ex-boyfriend, his new girlfriend, and the one night stand you’d used to try to get over him, well that was a whole other situation that anyone sane would have fled from. and yet, here you are. caught between your best friend (and consequently your ex-boyfriend), and the very same man who you’d fallen into bed with after a night of wallowing in self pity. all while stuck in the picturesquely beautiful - and cruelly romantic - austrian alps. well. at least you can say you had an interesting christmas.

🗨️ PERFECTION 💯 This was so fucking incredible, I don’t know where to begin… I love Jin in this, he’s so fucking funny charming, sweet, kind and witty. He’s so him. The dynamic between all of the characters was amazing, and the tension and unresolved feelings between oc and Jungkook was so fucking good! I loved all the jealousy too, and then the fading of the jealousy. When things shifted for oc, how Seokjin helped her, and in that, she fell for him 🤧 Such a lovely Christmas story! There’s a lot of angst in it, yes, and tension, dear god, the tension is so good 😭 there humor, happiness, live and friendship. And missed chances, living with consequences 🥹✨ IT WAS SO FUCKING GOOD. IF YOU HAVEN’T READ IT BEFORE, DO IT NOW, AND IF YOU HAVE, READ IT AGAIN 💖

⭐Sunday @here2bbtstrash [5k]  // ksj x f.reader // established relationship, pwp // 🥵🥵🥵

📝 you got your boyfriend exactly what he wanted for his birthday.

🗨️ this one is just out of this world; it’s so filthy, smutty. WOW. There’s a belt, and I won’t say more than that!

⭐Raspberry Truffles @gukyi [5k]  // ksj x f.reader // boyfriend!namjoon // 🥰🥰🥰

📝 how to fake date your best friend: step one: don’t fall in love with them. failed step one.

🗨️ perfectly fluffy, great chemistry and writing! Gosh, I really love this one 💜💯

⭐I’m All Yours @sailoryooons [2.3k]  // ksj x f.reader // bf2l, idiots2lovers // 🥰

📝 you’ve been in love with your best friend Jin for as long as you can remember. You know everything about him – except that he is also entirely in love with you.  

🗨️ soft, cute, sweet, sugary fluff 😭 It’s so good, perfect and amazing. Loved it 💖 💯

⭐Sit. Stay. @daechwitatamic [14k]  // ksj x f.reader // s2l, neighbors!au // 🥰🥵🌩️

📝 your new puppy, Zinnia, has turned your world on its head. She’s ruined everything from your sleep schedule to your favorite shoes, and you know it’s your own failure to train her properly. When your cute upstairs neighbor tells you about a local obedience academy, he slowly starts to make himself a place in your schedule, your life, and your heart. After your last relationship went up in flames, will his affections be something else you can count as a failure? 

🗨️ wait. This was so fucking cute 🥹 The plot was super cute and sweet, oc with her puppy, meeting Seokjin 🥹 meetcute ✨ It was just so fluffy, I feel so warm and giddy after reading this. I loved it and a new favorite hands down 💯💖

⭐Off Limits (completed series) @floralseokjin [n/a]  // ksj x f.reader // brother’s best friend!au // 🥵🌩️

📝 you’ve been lusting after your brother’s best friend for a while now, ever since you met him at a house party, flirting it up a storm as you failed to realise who the other was. That was months ago now and things are still awkward, but you can’t ignore the sexual tension that’s simmers between the two of you…and it keeps getting worse…

🗨️ I finally finished reading this amazing series! It was really good, and one of my favorites Seokjin stories 🥰 Towards the ending it good really good and I had a tough time putting it down, because I just had to read how things would fall apart to be build back up again 👏 There was also some small plot twists that I didn’t expect and they were a positive surprise 💜

⭐Stuck with You @taleasnewastime [29.6k]  // ksj x f.reader // s2l, Christmas!au // 🥵🌩️🥰

📝 it’s the first Christmas since your dad passed away. You, your mum and sister are going to his favourite place to do his favourite thing, skiing. And yet you’re not there. Stuck. Stranded. Trapped. In seemingly the single hottest place in the world. Your transfer flight cancelled so you’re now stuck between home and your family. A snowstorm that causes all flights to be cancelled, heat that just seems wrong at Christmas, your sister crying and shouting down the phone at you, and to top it off, the most annoying man in the world who’s in the same position as you and seems to think you’re friends because of that fact. Merry Christmas to you.

🗨️ this is truly one of my favorite plots and this fic is just so good, also a favorite, hands down!!! I just love me some good comfort, with angst, then comfort and a happy ending ✨

It was just so well done, the plot, and the characters too 🥹💯

⭐Redamancy @jeonggukingdom [7.1k]  // ksj x f.reader // est. relationship, valentines day // 🥵🥰

📝 it’s St.Valentin’es Day and as per tradition, you are to surprise your boyfriend with a gift and a chocolate treat. On a whim, you decide to cook an entire dinner for him and bake him his favorite cake: chocolate filling and strawberry and cream toppings. Seokjin is bent down on showing you just how much he appreciated all your hard work for him. 

🗨️ gosh— so sweet, cute and sexy 🥵✨💯

⭐You Suck! @ugh-yoongi [18.3k]  // ksj x f.reader // s2l, roommates, vampire!au // 🥵🥰😂🪄

📝 it’s St.Valentin’es Day and as per tradition, you are to surprise your boyfriend with a gift and a chocolate treat. On a whim, you decide to cook an entire dinner for him and bake him his favorite cake: chocolate filling and strawberry and cream toppings. Seokjin is bent down on showing you just how much he appreciated all your hard work for him. 

🗨️ WOW— so many thoughts on this; it was perfect, let me start with that. It was so fucking funny, I laughed so many times. I love Seokjin in this, how kind he is, funny, all that, and how he cares for oc, everything. The smut was so fucking funny, not gonna lie, I did not expect it AT ALL, but that shit had me rolling on the floor 🤣 

⭐My Plus One @btsgotjams27 [5.4k]  // ksj x f.reader // fake dating!au, i2l // 🥰🌩️

📝 when you and jin have weddings to attend, you decide to help one another by agreeing to being each other's plus ones.

🗨️ It was so sweet, it was cute and fluffy and so damn funny! Like there were so many times I was just laughing with the biggest grin plastered on my face. So thank you, thank you for writing this and for cheering me up ✨💯

⭐Forever @oddinary4bts [25.2k]  // ksj x f.reader // idol!au, ex-fiancés to lovers // 🥰🥵🌩️

📝 three years ago, your relationship with jin ended in fights and tears. When life puts him back on your path, you catch a glimpse of light in his eyes that you thought had died when you broke up. Will your relationship blossom into a well-deserved forever or will you lose the love of your life again?

🗨️ so much love and sadness in this! The nostalgia is high, there’s a lot of feelings, a lot of heartbreak. The thoughts about going back for fear of getting your heart broken again, or moving on and shielding the broken pieces of heartbreak? Fuck! So fucking good. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: everything Ella writes is just pure gold 🥹✨ 

⭐Cherry Topper @kth1 [17.6k]  // ksj x f.reader // f2l, university!au // 🥵🥰

📝 Seokjin is a chaotically fun-loving guy who works long and hard hours at his successful, family owned candy store named Kim’s Sweet’s Shop, located on the corner of Cherry Lane. Being consistently busy with the labor of his work schedule and attending college to finish off his masters program, he has a very little social life and definitely does not have time for dating on this romantic, hectic holiday. But from right under his nose, one of his many admirers just so happens to be the sugar-coated treat that he’s been missing out on.

🗨️ Iiihh~ I finally got around to read this one 🥰 I love all the bickering in it, and I’m going to reference a line from the story, because I think it’s sums their relationship up so well: “He’s persistent - but you are more persistent.” 😂 I really loved it, it was cute and funny with some chocolate syrup drizzled on top 🤤🥵💯

⭐Fast Lane @yminie [20.6k]  // ksj x f.reader // e2l, racer!au // 🥵😂

📝 “Disgruntledly, you think to yourself how frustrating it is he can be quite so awful of a person and still be so good looking.” Alternatively; Boy Toy racer Kim Seokjin lives to test; the laws of speed, how many women he can bag, how much money he can convince people to give him, and quite how far you can be pushed before you snap.

🗨️ yay this was so freaking good! I loved everything in it 🥰💯

⭐Pride & Fidget Spinners @kpopfanfictrash [18.6k] // ksj x f.reader // e2l, shoppingmall!au // 🥵🥰

📝 Seokjin has always prided himself on being the top mall kiosk salesman. His turf, the spot nearest to the fountain, is due to him being the undisputed best in the game. At least, until you arrive and throw his world into chaos.

🗨️ hh my— perfection and so fucking hot 🥵 I loved, loved, loved all the tension and banter between Seokjin and reader. So incredible and it just made the smut so freaking amazing 😭 Yep, yep, another favorite added to the list 💖💯

⭐Christmas Warfare @gimmethatagustd [14.5k] (deleted 😭) but you can read it on ao3 with an account on there [link] (jai was so kind to let me know it's still up there <3) // ksj x f.reader // exes2l // 🥵🥰😂🌩️

📝 You will win the neighborhood's "Best Christmas Decorations" contest and rub it in your ex-boyfriend's face, by any means necessary. Jin will win your heart back, even if it means surrendering his crown as King of Christmas Decorations.

🗨️ 😭😭😭 Oh my… finally got to read it and shit it is beautiful! I love all the humor, smut and the fluff too— and best friend Yoongi 🥰 Everything in this is so freaking good 💯💜 I’m still keeping this here, because even though Jai deleted all their fics, it’s still and awesome story and Jai is amazing!!! ✨

⭐Lost and Found @taleasnewastime [21.2k]  // ksj x f.reader // s2l // 🥰🌩️

📝 what do you do when your whole world comes crashing down around you? When everything you loved turns out to be a lie? When your fiancé tells you he’s been having an affair, you feel like your whole world comes crashing down, but then you find an antiques shop and the strange man that runs the shop helps you slowly rebuild your life and realise maybe not everything about you is broken.

🗨️ this one is completely SFW 😘 and it is so freaking good! It has sad undertones, yes, but it’s so heartwarming, fluffy and cute 🥹 I really loved it 💖 💯

🎅✨ Pssssst~ guess what? ✨🎅 A sleigh-load of Seokjin Christmas stories is coming your way soon! 🎄🎁 Get ready for festive fluff, heartwarming moments, and maybe even some mistletoe shenanigans (who’s to say? 👀).

Mark your calendars, grab some cocoa, and prepare to swoon—it’s going to be Jin-gle All the Way! 🎶💖

🌟 Welcome to my little fic corner! 🌟 It’s cozy here, right? 🪩✨ While I don’t write as much these days (I’m usually too busy devouring other people’s amazing stories 📚), I’d still love it if you gave my work a peek.

No pressure, though—your eyeballs, your choice! 👀💕 But hey, if you do decide to read something, know that it would make my day (and probably my week, let’s be real 🥰). Either way, thanks for stopping by, and happy reading! 💌

When it Sinks In / one-shot / established relationship / 13.1k - 🥵🪄🥰🌩️ Life as a mermaid is wonderful, especially when your merman boyfriend, Seokjin, treats you just right. But you’re beginning to recall memories that you don’t think are yours from life on land— from a past life maybe? When you do realize that the memories are in fact your own, the world comes tumbling down around you, questioning your very existence. Are you even a real mermaid?

→  When it Sinks In (part of the '7 Summers at the Sea’ series)

Doughn’t Go Baking My Heart / one-shot / enemies to lovers / 16.5k - 🥵🥰😂This Christmas season, you’re back in the kitchen, whisk in hand and determination in your heart, entering the annual holiday baking competition once again. The goal? Finally beat your long-time rival, the infuriatingly talented Kim Seokjin. But as the ovens warm and the ingredients come together, you realize it might not be just the doughs rising this year… Will the holiday spirit bring you closer, or will the heat of competition drive you further apart? 😜

→  Doungh’t Go Baking My Heart (part of my Christmas 2024 event)

I will come to you / drabble / established relationship / 1.6k - 🥰🌩️ When the first flakes of white snow fell, the world shifted, draped in a quiet, uncanny veil. Then came the air raids—a brutal, unrelenting scream that tore through the silence, and Seokjin feared he had lost you forever. He wandered through the wasteland, searching, aching, haunted by the memory of your touch—warm, tender, as if sunlight itself had lingered upon his skin, even as darkness closed in. And now, as he feels your heart beat against his, he wonders, barely daring to breathe: can this be real?

→  I will come to you (part of the 'end of the world’ series)

✨ As a little bonus treat, here’s a handful of fics I haven’t had the chance to dive into yet—but OMG, I’m absolutely buzzing with excitement to read them! 🚀💖 The anticipation is real, and I can already tell these are going to be amazing:

Clumsy @i-am-baechu

Riptide (two-shot) @jimilter

The King’s Daughter @writtenwhalien

Hit;record @kithtaehyung

Met Him Last Night (two-shot) @dollfaceksj

Riding Fakie @ugh-yoongi

Made-up Love Song (series; completed) @floralseokjin

Platonic (series; completed) @joheunsaram

For You, Anything @gukyi

When it Rains @cravetive

🎉 Happy Birthday to our one and only World Wide Handsome, Seokjin! 🎂💜✨ Another year of spreading beauty, humor, and pure chaotic energy—what would we do without you?! 🥹 From your dad jokes to your angelic voice, you’re truly one of a kind. 🪐💖

Let’s raise a glass (or a forkful of cake 🍰) to celebrate the man who makes the world brighter just by existing. Here’s to more laughs, more songs, and more iconic windshield wiper laughs in the years to come! 🥳💜

[gallapiech]

Weekly Tag Wednesday

doing it before I'm braindead from work ehe. nevermind work got cancelled in the middle of this tag game Thank you @mybrainismelted for the tag! This week we are going to talk about leisure time!  Let’s do some relaxing, shall we?

Name:  spookypieratess

Location:  Mortuary

Age:  old enough for a fristi!

You have an unexpected extra day off work or school!  What are you going to do? sleep

What is your favorite way to spend a summer day?  sleep too hot for anything else...

What is your favorite way to spend a winter day?  sleep nice and cozy under the covers...

What do you do to unwind at the end of the day?  sleep or game with friends...

Do you play any sports?  Sadly no sport really interests me!

Other than fanfic, what is your favorite genre to read?  Psychological, Mystery, Thriller, Horror that kind of vibe :D

What is your comfort movie/tv show?  Shameless. BUT I have this thing where if I go through a really depressive episode I'll rewatch Lucky☆Star 🤣

Do you write or draw?  Yeah I sketch sometimes. I've also written maybe 3k words of a fic once. It'll never see the light of day, trust.

What other arts or crafts do you do?  Nothing really... But I was thinking about it earlier how I really wanna do more crafts! I love personalized trinkets so much!

Describe your perfect breakfast: my latte

the tagging taggerrrr @jrooc @roryonic @spookygingerr @lingy910y @burninface

@creepkinginc @transmurderbug @transmickey @doshiart @celestialmickey

@spacerockwriting @lee-ow (i miss u) @stocious @sleepyheadgallavich @thepupperino

@ian-galagher @vintagelacerosette @deedala @deathclassic @heymrspatel

@sevvycubed (haven't told you that its wednesday in a while) @funyaripaw & everyone else I may me forgetting right now! 🙏

[the-bar-sinister]

I often feel a little lost when asked what my favorite fanfic tropes are, or to summarize the tropes contained in one of my fics.

Because to me, tropes are ingredients, and I don't personally seek out or cook new recipes based solely on a list of ingredients they contain. I don't look through a cookbook or a menu for recipes with nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves.

A list of ingredients in a dish without any other knowledge about it doesn't tell me what kind of food I'm expecting, how it will look on my plate, or what flavor profile it is. A list of tropes won't tell me what kind of plot to expect, or what the genre is.

Let's say we have an 'enemies to lovers' 'soul-mate AU' with 'arranged marriage', 'mutual pining' and 'only one bed'.

That fic is going to look very different dependent on whether its genre is romantic comedy, psychological thriller, drama, buddy road trip, supernatural horror, or science-fiction detective story!

Personally, I'm not interested in looking for specific ingredients, I like to seek out dishes that taste or feel a certain way. I'd rather read a bunch of stories in a single genre with different lists of tropes, than a bunch of stories based on a single trope with completely different genres.

I don't personally want to know what's in it; I wanna know how it tastes!