"So, how's Indigo?" Leia asked, quickly changing the subject. She rested her chin on her knuckles, placing her elbow straight on the table.
"He's doing fine, I heard he aced his midterm earlier." You replied, slightly raising your eyebrows to confirm her signal. "He also mentioned that he installed a new diameter throttle body to his car, whatever that means. He was pretty excited about it though."
"What? Since when?" Oikawa chuckled lightly, leaning forward as the front legs of his chair laid flat on the ground. "I never ordered that piece."
"Well, I don't really know. He just said he was excited to test it out during the next big race you guys have." You turned your head towards Oikawa while crossing your arms, leaning back into your seat.
He looked up at the dim ceiling, scoffing loudly in exasperation. "This guy never fucking tells me anything anymore."
"What, do all of the Brawlers have to get permission from you to tune their own car?" Kuroo laughed, mocking Oikawa's concern while placing both of his arms behind his head.
Oikawa cocked both of his eyebrows, giving a stern look. "Of course they have to, I'd like to know what they're putting in their cars. I have to ensure their safety during races as they're my responsibility out there in the streets."
"What'd you do to this man?" Kuroo boomed as he turned to look at you, frightening you for a second. He pointed his left finger at Oikawa, "I can tell Cypher's changed, he isn't the same asshole I know. He's gone soft."
"You motherfucker," Oikawa growled before he stood up and leaned forward over the table, grabbing Kuroo's shoulders in order to wrestle a bit with him. They both struggled as Kuroo also stood up, placing a firm grip onto Oikawa's arms.
"Sit the fuck down already, both of you." Leia commanded as she watched them tussle with each other more. As they tried to see who was stronger, both Kuroo and Oikawa pushed back on one another—staring intently at the other with a smug look plastered on their faces.
"Hey! I ain't fuckin' around, take that shit outside!" Lev called from the back of the restaurant, shaking a pair of tongs in the air.
Kuroo and Oikawa let go from each other's grips and plopped back down into their chairs, heavily irritated and breathing hard from their little fight. Oikawa wiped his mouth before flinging off his bomber jacket and placing it behind his chair, slamming both of his elbows on the table. Kuroo crossed his arms, still staring intently at him.
"Seijoh Brawlers, my ass." Kuroo frowned, reclining back in his seat again and throwing his arm over Leia's shoulder. "You fight like a little bitch."
"Fuck you," Oikawa shot back slamming his fists on the table, rattling all the dishware on top. You didn't notice it at first, but you saw a new tattoo appear on his left arm, covering the entirety of his shoulder to his wrist like a sleeve.
It was a beautiful tattoo filled with waves in the background and pink cherry blossom flowers all over. The intricate detail covering his skin looked clean, including the katakana on the inner part of his wrist displayed in a tight brush stroke font. You wondered what story this tattoo told, whether it had meaningful symbolism or just a work of art he wanted inked onto him.
You reached out and touched his arm gently, tracing your index finger down the tattoo before placing your hand on top of his. Oikawa turned his head, startled by your subtle touch while peering down at you admiring his tattoo up close. Instantly, he placed his thumb and index finger in between your chin, staring straight into your eyes.
"My eyes are up here," he whispered into your ear, just barely brushing his lips against your cheek. You began to feel hot as his words flooded your ears, buckling your knees shut while you rested the tips of your shoes perpendicular against the concrete.
"Get a fucking room." Kuroo waved his hand in the air before he crossed his arms, giving a disgusted look towards you two. He hovered a finger in his mouth and pretended to throw up, imitating a childish vomit sound effect in order to tease Oikawa.
Just as he was about to kiss your lips, his fingers slipped off your chin and turned around aggressively to face Kuroo.
"You wanna fucking go?" Oikawa threatened as he stood up and shoved his face up to him, grabbing the collar of Kuroo's tank top.
"Oh my god, cut it out." Leia groaned as she crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, looking up at the ceiling with an exasperated face. "If you're gonna fight, at least do something interesting and race it out."
"Rematch, then. Right here, right now!" Kuroo stood up with a finger pointing to the ground and an irritated expression on his face.
"Oh it's on, bitch." Oikawa furrowed his eyebrows and smirked back at him. He dug into his pocket and smacked his keys onto the table, standing up in the process.
"Okay, I think that's enough play fighting for tonight," you anxiously suggested, waving both of your hands in a crossed motion from down below.
"Oh, they're definitely not playing around," Leia nodded her head as both Kuroo and Oikawa began to walk towards the entrance of the store, slipping out into the parking lot. "Let them race it out."
You were confused as they began to argue again in the parking lot, pushing each other in the chest and swinging their arms at their faces. As what started as a playful wrestle, you weren't sure if this fight ended up being serious or not.
Leia leaned over and placed her hand in her back pocket, digging out a large wad of cash. She counted a couple hundred yen before carelessly dropping it on the table, putting the rest back into her jeans.
"Come on," She stood up and reached for your hand, guiding you off your seat. "They're gonna race soon."
You grabbed Oikawa's bomber jacket resting on his chair, slipping your arms through the sleeves. It was slightly oversized on you, the tips of your fingers just barely peeking out the hem of the cuffs.
As you both rushed to the entrance of the restaurant, you heard Leia thank Lev for the meal. You followed suit, bowing your head and throwing a thumbs up at him in the back kitchen. Leia pressed her hands on the door handle and pushed it open, feeling the gust of the cold night brush up against both of your bodies.
"—It's fucking on, Cypher! Down this street, right fucking now!" You heard Kuroo scream at Oikawa, pushing up all in his face. He was slightly taller than him with an inch difference, but it didn't differ on how they fought to intimidate.
"Just get in the car, DK." Leia went behind Kuroo and slapped his back.
She pulled him back from Oikawa, who already had an enraged expression on his face—while infuriated from Kuroo's taunts, he also growled and muttered profanity under his breath. An anxious thought ruminated through your mind, knowing something was going to happen as both Kuroo and Oikawa were leaders of two completely different street racing gangs, both rivals for one another.
You had never seen him so angry, nor so enraged before—it was opposite from the cool, calm and collected impression he gave off at first when you met him. His eyes were filled with rage and his breathing sounded erratic, making you worried for what was to come next between the two men.
Instinctively, you went up to Oikawa and wrapped your arms around his body, pressing your cheek up to his sternum. You heard the increased pace of his heartbeat, feeling his chest rise up and down from his staggered breathing.
"I think that we just need to slow down and get inside the car," you suggested, mumbling into his shirt that smelled like white tea and sage.
He placed his hand on the back of your head, stroking his fingers through your hair. You looked up at him and met with his brown eyes again, mesmerizing you every time you stared deep into them. The corners of his mouth curled up, giving you a heartfelt and sincere smile.
Just as Kuroo and Leia opened up the doors to the bright red Nissan 350Z, Oikawa grabbed your hand and led you to the passenger side of his white Mazda RX-7.
Before opening the door for you, Oikawa slapped your ass again like earlier in front of your neighbor, yet this time harder than before. You winced slightly as the tips of his long fingers hit against the back of your legs, the smack echoing through the alley as he grasped the bottom of your thigh out of insolence.
"That's how you treat your lady?" Kuroo called from his car, revving his engine. You crawled into his RX-7, grasping the grab handle while feeling your body sink into the seat.
"At least I opened the door for her," Oikawa aggressively retorted as he slammed the car door shut behind you. "I didn't see you do that for Leia."
"Fuck you, Cypher." Kuroo scrunched his nose and placed his signature black sunglasses on his head, covering his eyes.
Oikawa slid on the hood of the car quickly and opened the driver's side door, slamming it shut before he placed his keys into the ignition. The familiar rumble of the car shook through your body while Oikawa pressed on the clutch and shifted the transmission into reverse, effortlessly lining himself up beside Kuroo on the road adjacent to Haiba Ramen.
Oikawa rolled down both of the windows, allowing for the cold night air and exhaust fumes to infiltrate the inside of the car. The sound of their exhaust fumes echoed through the alleyway as both of them had their car lined up right next to each other, slowly revving their engines while teasing the gas pedal further with their right foot.
"We start at the entrance of the Shuto Expressway. First one back here at Haiba Ramen wins." Kuroo explained as he rested his arm on the edge of his car door, showing off his intricate dragon tattoo.
Oikawa nodded and revved his engine loudly, acknowledging the circumstances of the spontaneous street race. He placed his right hand on the top of the steering wheel as the other rested on the gearstick, waiting to shift from neutral to first gear.
Shuto Expressway One was only a mile away from Haiba Ramen, situated on the edge between Chiyoda and Minato City. Both of their cars rolled up to the street light on red, each in their own lane with the empty expressway stretching for miles. Oikawa revved his engine, provoking Kuroo and Leia in the Nissan 350Z. You kept your hold on the grab handle, bracing yourself for another whirl of a race in the Mazda RX-7.
In the rearview mirror above, Oikawa furrowed his eyebrows and smirked to the left side of his face, showing off one sharpened canine tooth poking through his lips. You shifted your eyes to look up at the red street light as both of them revved their engines multiple times, patiently waiting for it to turn green.
The screech of his tires wailed through your ears the minute the street light switched colors. A strong force hit your body as the RX-7 accelerated forward, cutting through the air and speeding down the road. You saw Kuroo's car right next to you, dashing down the expressway with flames out of his exhaust.
Oikawa pressed down on the clutch as he quickly shifted into second, then third, then fourth gear, accelerating his speed faster and faster while the RX-7 zoomed past the 350Z. The sound of the engine staggered, moving the speedometer up to 120km/h as it sliced through the air. You gripped the grab handle tighter and braced yourself the minute your body ricocheted from left to right.
No roller coaster or amusement park ride compared to the exhilarating rush you felt when Oikawa turned a sharp corner, overturning the wheel to the right and lifting up the emergency brake. The rear wheels screeched through your eardrums as the whole car drifted to the left, watching him keep the steering wheel steady.
Kuroo and Leia trailed right behind as the 350Z filled up the entire rearview mirror—their headlights flashed brightly, blinding your sight. They swerved to the right up next to Oikawa's side, revving his engine before Kuroo stared directly at him with a smug look, gaining the advantage in the race.
Oikawa groaned loudly before he swerved the vehicle directly behind the 350Z, following dangerously close to the rear. The bright shine of Oikawa's headlights reflected on Kuroo's license plate, blinding the view on the windshield. You placed your arms up to block the light as he swerved the car left, causing your body to hit against the passenger side door.
You felt a stinging pain in the left side of your body when you rubbed your arm, feeling the car accelerate into the night, slicing through the wind. You gripped the side of your seat and saw Oikawa shift the car in the corner of your eye, stomping on the gas pedal with his right leg.
In an instant, he passed Kuroo again, this time his speedometer reading 150km/h, feeling the rumble of the tires beneath you. Oikawa stuck his head out the window, looking back at Kuroo as they slowed down and you two sped up. When he looked forward on the road ahead, a tight turn with pedestrians approached very quickly.
"Tooru, watch out! Oh my god!" You screamed while closing your eyes and held your breath in, bracing yourself for the worst.
You flinched and stiffened your legs, holding closely onto the grab handle and your seatbelt as Oikawa cursed under his breath. While peeking your eyes open, he pulled up the emergency brake again and stomped on the clutch, overturning the steering wheel to the left with just enough room to drift the tight corner.
The sound of his tires squealing on the asphalt pierced through your ears, quickly signaling pedestrians to move out of the way. Oikawa held tightly onto the steering wheel while yanking it back to the right, controlling the direction of the car.
The RX-7 ricocheted to the left, quickly aligning back to the center as Oikawa swiftly upshifted the gear from third to fourth. You looked over your shoulder and saw Kuroo right behind again with his front bumper dangerously close to Oikawa's rear. Your head spun in multiple directions, causing you to grow faint; yet the rush of excitement kept you alert.
You observed Oikawa drove a lot more recklessly now than when he did in the downtown Tokyo race, his thinking entirely clouded by his emotions. Back then, he analyzed and calculated his drifts carefully and methodically—this time it felt like every decision he made was sporadic and impulsive.
He was silent during the whole race, which usually foretold his intense concentration, not the current mindset he was in. You could tell his motivation was driven by his rage, something he would end up regretting later. Oikawa delivered a blank expression; his eyes slumped down while staring intently at the road in front. He upshifted to fifth gear, effortlessly pulling the gearshift to the right and accelerating his speed.
As the distance increased between Oikawa and Kuroo, it didn't stop him from going all out. You heard the engine sputter when he pressed down the gas pedal again, causing your body to press up tighter against the passenger seat. In the corner of your eye, you saw his nose wrinkle up and his eyebrows furrow before his mouth formed into a malicious grin.
Immediately, Oikawa drifted another turn again, leading straight into the same street Haiba Ramen was in. He clutched the emergency break and quickly released it again when the wheels marked the asphalt, spinning the car in circles in the parking lot of the restaurant. Your vision gyrated, seeing all kinds of lights from the surrounding establishments fly over your eyes.
You inhaled a large breath of air and clung onto his arm and the grab handle above your head, stabilizing your body while your feet glued to the bottom of the car. A gust of wind flowed through Oikawa's brown locks and messed up the front of his hair, tangling it all over the place.
The minute he stopped the car, you both jerked forward, forcing you to hold on tighter to his arm. Oikawa sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, pulling back his bangs and exposing a little bit of his forehead.
He arrogantly smiled at you while his hand reached behind his head, releasing the grip of his bangs as it flung forward, watching the wisps of his hair dangling in front of his eyes. His left arm flexed, showing off his defined bicep with sakura flowers and petals displayed proudly on his arm, something that you could not deny looked attractive.
Oikawa caught your gaze, turning his body around to face you. He reached out his right hand to grab the back of your head, pushing your face forward closer to his. You locked eyes with him for a second, staring straight into his pupils as the red neon lights of Haiba Ramen reflected in his retina. Red was all you could see in his eyes before he looked down at your lips with a suggestive smirk.
"You're so fucking sexy right now."