#author au

[edgyhedgie]

Sonadow doodle day 31: Faker

For @krakintakin on tumblr/ Krakintakin on ao3.

This is fanart of her fic, 'Faker'.

[ladykailitha]

Murder in the Heartland Part 4

Thank you for the responses from last week! You guys are seriously awesome. Also this is my husband writing, so sorry if it ends up a little bit odd.

Pt 1 Pt 2 Pt 3

~

Interviewer: Well, if you aren’t a serial killer than why don’t you do book tours especially in the United States?

Steve: I’ve never done book tours. It was one thing I told my agent when I was first getting started. I don’t need the money from writing to live, so I didn’t feel the need to get out there in front of people to convince them to read my books. I’m trust fund baby with enough smarts to make that money work for me.

Interviewer: Don’t you think you owe it to your fans meet them and sign books for them?

Steve blinked at her for a moment: No.

~

Murray didn’t like the idea of Eddie going back to Rick Lipton’s. The last thing Eddie needed was being caught with a known drug dealer, especially after what Melissa Buckley said to get him off the drug charges.

But Rick owed Eddie a favor and Eddie figured it was better to cash early so he didn’t hold it over the guy’s head for longer than necessary. Those type of guys weren’t a fan of owing anyone favors, but especially former low level drug dealers.

When Eddie showed up on his door with a six pack of beers and winning smile, Rick sighed, but let him in anyway.

“What the fuck do you want that you need me drunk for first?” Rick growled, popping open the first of the beers.

Eddie laughed and opened another of the beers. “If I wanted to get you drunk, man, I wouldn’t have brought cheap beer.”

Rick snorted, but didn’t disagree. They shot the breeze and just caught up for a moment before Eddie dived in.

“You know the favor you owe me for the thing that one time,” Eddie hedged. “This me calling that in.”

Rick lifted his chin and regarded Eddie thoughtfully. “Yeah, what’s that?”

“I need to know who sold Billy Hargrove his performance enhancers,” Eddie said bluntly. “Not turn him in or anything. This is strictly off the books. But he’s done disappeared, his behavior has to be drug related.”

Rick scratched his chin thoughtfully for a moment. “Me.”

Eddie raised a surprised eyebrow. “Wait, really?”

Rick nodded. “I don’t like putting any of the kids I have deal for me in that kind of trouble, so I do it myself. Plus I think I’m a pretty good judge of when to cut these assholes off. And Billy never quite got to that point.”

“Dude had too much rage to not be ‘rioded up,” Eddie said cocking his head to the side skeptically. “Especially with both the step mom and step sis saying he’d changed recently.”

Rick snorted. “Your daddy never bring another woman around after your mama died?”

Eddie blinked at him for a moment. “Not that I recall. Like he always had low level whores, pushers, and petty criminals around. It would be hard to say if he was fucking any of them.”

“Yeah, well,” Rick said with a huff, “you’ll just have to trust me on this one then. Billy was pissed that Neil had moved Sue and Max in before that side of the bed was cold. Because when assholes like Neil Hargrove make accusations of cheating you can bet that the call is coming from inside the house.”

Eddie licked his lips slowly as he took in that tidbit of information. “So his mom leaves him with cheating asshole, moves in his side piece and her kid and what? Neil starts smacking him around because he won’t fall in line?”

“If Neil wasn’t knocking him around already,” Rick agreed.

Eddie rubbed chin thoughtfully. The knocking around shit was something Eddie knew a little too well.

“You think Neil could have something to do with why he vanished?” Because it was starting to look like a distinct possibility.

“You askin’ if his daddy did him in?” Rick asked out right. “Because if you are, this conversation is over with. I don’t deal in the dead.”

Eddie shrugged. “Doesn’t have to be murder. Like maybe Billy took one hit too many and blew out of Dodge.”

Rick sat back and regarded Eddie through heavy eyelids. “Could do I suppose, but despite what people thought, he really liked his step sister. It must have been something pretty fucked up to make him leave her behind.”

“Yeah,” Eddie said, frowning. Max had been freaked out by Billy’s violence toward her friend, but a boy putting his arm around a girl’s shoulders at the tender age of thirteen would make most older brothers see red. The way he broke the kid’s arm said a lot. But then again, being raised with violence? That did things to a person’s brain chemistry.

He rose to his feet. “Thanks for the info. I’ll lean more into Neil’s background and see what I can dig up there.”

Rick stood up with him and shook his hand. “You find that kid, and I’ll still owe you one, okay? Billy Hargrove may have rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, but I liked him.”

Eddie grinned. “You got it!”

~

“Sure I can do a background check on Neil Hargrove,” Murray said when Eddie told him his theory. “Probably should have been the first thing we did on both Sue and Neil, if I’m honest. It’s usually someone the victim knows in murder cases, but also in like theft and assault and shit like that.”

Eddie nodded. “I know Sue said she called all the hospitals and shit, but I’m going to take his yearbook picture and flash it around, see if anyone recognizes him.”

“Sounds good. Just don’t push yourself to the bone. Eat, sleep, and take a shit once in a while, yeah?”

Eddie laughed. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Between you, Hopper, and Uncle Wayne, I’ll be sure to wipe my ass, ya worry warts!”

Murray just grinned at him. “Hop is just trying to make sure the state’s money is put to good use.”

Eddie snorted. Wayne had sued the state for not taking on any other inquires with the serial killer business. Especially when he found out Eddie had an alibi for the third murder, but because the police wouldn’t believe a bunch of drunks that Eddie had been on stage all night he was still their suspect.

Wayne had been against it as had Eddie. He was free and that’s all that mattered. But then Wayne had an accident at the plant and couldn’t work anymore. So they decided to sue the state. It turned out quite nicely Eddie thought.

“Serves him right,” he muttered darkly. “He could have pushed for more suspects but he was content to let me hang for something I didn’t do.”

Murray cocked his head to the side with a half shrug. “Yeah, he should have, but he was getting a lot of pressure to wrap it up as soon as possible and they didn’t care how.”

“Yeah,” Eddie hissed. “And what would have happened if I was in jail and there was another murder, what would have they done then?”

“I don’t know, kid,” Murray said shaking his head. “I didn’t say it was right. Hell, even I was telling him he need to check out Chrissy’s circle a little closer. Granted I thought it was her mother, but the issue still stands. He should have looked at the first victim more especially after you alibied out for the third murder.”

“Yeah.”

Eddie grabbed his gear and went out to his truck. It wasn’t new. He wouldn’t buy new. New attracted the wrong kind of attention, especially in a small town like Hawkins.

He first hit up the three hospitals in town, but none of them had seen him. The receptionist at the second hospital offered to give Eddie her number so he could call her to see if Billy wanted to go out sometime.

Then he went to the surrounding cities. And yes, Murray, he did stop to eat and sleep and all that shit. But at the end of the week, no one had seen him.

It was time to pump the kid for information.

~

Eddie pulled up to the middle school in his truck and waited for the bell to ring. He knew which door she was liking to come out of because he had talked to Susan about picking her up and got the info from her.

Once it rang, Eddie slipped out of the truck to lean against the hood, hands shoved in his pockets as he waited.

He didn’t have to wait long because soon the bright red pigtails were bobbing through the crowd. He gave her a little wave and immediately she made her excuses to her friends before she ran up to him.

“What are you doing here?” she hissed. “The principal is going to flip out if he finds out you’ve been seen talking to me.”

“I needed to get you away from Mommy Dearest,” Eddie huffed, “so I can actually find Big Brother. So wha’cha say, kid? You coming with me or are you going to make a scene like a punk ass bitch?”

Max’s jaw dropped in gleeful surprise. “Get in loser,” she said brightly as she came around to the other side of his truck, “you’re taking me MacDonald’s.”

Eddie burst out laughing and then got into the truck, unlocking her door from the inside. She set her skateboard on the floor at her feet and held on to her backpack. They drove the way to the burger joint in silence, Eddie bobbing his head to the music as Max just looked out the window.

He got her what she wanted and carried their food over to a table. She was about halfway through her fries when she spoke up.

“So wha’cha want?”

Eddie looked up from his own burger and blinked at her for a moment. He pulled out his note pad and pen. “Your mom didn’t want to admit Billy could be doping and I could tell there were other things you wanted to say, but just not in front of her.”

Max picked at the bun of her hamburger, peeling off the sesame seeds. “Neil had two modes drunk angry and sober angry. At first he would just hit Billy who could take it. But then he started going after me. Not Mom. Or at least not while I was around. It didn’t start with fists though.”

Eddie nodded. “He’d grip your arm too tight when he was yelling at you or he’d pull out of bed if you overslept.”

Her head snapped up and her eyes went wide. “Oh!”

He wagged his eyebrows at her and then cleared his throat. “So Neil was ramping up the violence against you, do you think he had something to do with Billy’s disappearance?”

“Billy is not dead,” she growled, leaping to her feet.

“I didn’t say he was,” Eddie said calmly, looking up at her. “There could have been a fight and Billy decided it was one fight too many, got the hell out of Dodge. But I need to know if I need to start looking at Neil a hell of a lot closer.”

Max sat back down again, hard. Her eyes glittered with unshed tears. Then she went back to picking at her food. “I mean, I guess. Neil was already pushing it pretty hard. One bad remark, one more punch to the gut, never the face. That was what Neil always said about Billy was that his only redeeming feature was how pretty he was.”

Eddie frowned for a moment. Billy was well liked, captain of the basketball team, a lifeguard at the rec center, popular with the girls. Didn’t do bad in his classes either. “Is Neil mental?”

Max had a laugh startled out of her at that. “Yeah, yeah. I really think he was.”

Eddie wrote in his note pad ‘NEIL HARGROVE IS CERTIFIABLE’. Max leaned over to the table to see what he wrote and snorted.

“Where do you think he would go?” he asked. “Like honestly. If Billy was going to cut out of town, where would he go?”

Max shoved a couple of fries in her mouth and chewed as she thought about it. “Some place with a beach. He loved surfing. It was his favorite thing. But he hated how cold it was here.” She paused for a moment. “He wouldn’t go back to California.”

That brought Eddie up short. “Why not? Doesn’t he have friends out there that would take him in?”

“Not really,” Max said shaking head. “Anyone he might know out there would be too friendly with Neil and rat on him.”

“Huh.” Eddie sat back and regarded her for a moment. “So we’re talking Southeast coast or Hawaii, then?”

“Considering I doubt he would have had the money to buy a plane ticket,” she said finally taking a bite of the burger she insisted Eddie buy for her, “I’d go with Miami and shit.”

Eddie wrote it down and then put it away to finish his meal.

“It just sucks because first Steve gets kicked out by his parents and had to leave,” she groused, “and then Billy disappears. It’s not fair.”

Eddie blinked at her for a moment. “Steve who?”

Max squirmed in her seat a moment as Eddie regarded her. They locked eyes.

She broke first, tearing her eyes away and looking down. “Steve Harrington. He used to look out for me when my mom was drunk or Billy and Neil were going at it.”

His eyes went wide. “And where the hell would you have come in contact with the king of Hawkins High?”

“My off and on again boyfriend is Lucas Sinclair,” she murmured, picking at her bun again. “Somehow, his parents trusted Steve to babysit him when he was younger. Once when I was trying to skateboard to Lucas’s house, Steve spotted me and offered me a ride. And since then he’s be annoyingly persistent about staying in my life and making sure I’m okay.”

“And you say he left town because his parents kicked him out?” Eddie wasn’t sure he was hearing this right. What would good ole golden boy do to get his parents to kick him to the curb?

Max leaned in close. “I think he left town not just because his parents kicked him out, but because he was afraid the killer might go after him next if it came out why he was kicked out.”

Eddie took that in for a moment. Jason had been targeting queer kids, and liking the boys would definitely be something Steve’s parents would not approve of. Ergo, Steve was some flavor of queer.

“Well shit.”

Max leaned back and nodded. “So yeah, it all just sucks.”

Eddie could only agree.

~

Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Epilogue

Tag List: 3 SLOTS REMAINING

1- @itsall-taken @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @sadisticaltarts @dolphincliffs

2- @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie @irregular-child @cryptid-system @kultiras

3- @maya-custodios-dionach @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog

4- @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690 @forgottenkanji @dreamercec @blondie1006

5- @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @genderless-spoon @fearieshadow @thesecondfate

6- @dragonmama76 @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @disrespectedgoatman

7- @counting-dollars-counting-stars @tinyplanet95 @ravenfrog @swimmingbirdrunningrock @lingeringmirth

8- @gutterflower77 @a-lovely-craziness @just-a-tiny-void @w1ll0wtr33 @beelze-the-bubkiss

9- @steddieislife @bridget-malfoy-stilinski-hale @stripey82 @kroymu09 @chaotic-waffle

10- @tartarusknight @hattsy-likes-pretty-stuff

[new-revenant]

Author au

Danny writes a third book dealing with the trauma caused by The Ultimate Enemy but instead of Dan being from the future, he introduces the character Felix who is a Dan stand in, Felix had run away after he accidentally hurt Tammy (Ellie stand in) and left her in a coma in the ICU (stand in for her destabilizing) Their parents don't know it was Felix who lost control of their mutant powers and hurt their daughter, they think Felix was kidnapped by a random mutant. Felix returns to town to confront his parents but ends up becoming the enemy when he sees they haven't changed view wise. Things come to a head when Felix blows up the lab killing the family and making Neil watch. This book also introduces Father Time a mutant with the ability to rewind and temporarily stop time. He confronts Felix and takes him on as his apprentice after Neil beats the crap outta him in a feral rage and he realizes the horror of what he did. The book also officially introduces Cassandra (Jazz stand in) and develops her more

I forgot about this AU for sooo long. Time to answer this ask now, I guess. Also I didn’t tag this AU so I had to scroll for a while to find it haha

The Justice League looking at his new book and they’re theorizing on how this correlates to his real life. Who is this Felix guy, really? And Danny refuses to tell them because 1) it’s just a tad too personal to share, and 2) because it’s funny to see them trying to wrap their heads around it. Someone would figure it out eventually though, I’m sure of it.

[nothing-but-flowers88]

More about the 70s author Luke idea, like the first 3 movies are books he wrote and it’s been a few years since then. He’s done some other spin offs, ‘the clone wars’ series did very well and ‘rogue one’ has a big fan base but it kinda gets overlooked. He likes his privacy, using only his last name on the books and no picture for the back cover, but sometimes a die hard fan will still recognize his name (not a lot of people named Skywalker). Besides that, Luke hasn’t had the inspiration to write for a long time, until after a run in with the law due to his reckless but lovable brother in law, he meets the very handsome sheriff (and former bounty hunter) Din Djarin and his adorable little son. After spending more and more time with them Luke suddenly gets creative inspiration and starts clicking away on on his type writer. He can’t pinpoint where this inspiration came from but he feels that same drive to write again, starting a small spin off book called ‘the mandalorian’

[spotsandsocks]

The Write Way to Love 📚Update! 15/17 8k

Chapter 15 - enjoy 😊

Eddie’s lost something important, maybe more than one thing actually but right now all he can think of is getting to Buck and getting his son back.

Buck and Christopher wait nervously together to see who Eddie is more mad at.

[wordsofasarcast]

When Will reads books or watches movies/tv shows he gets really annoyed by the medical inaccuracies and he'll spend the next hour explaining to anyone nearby what medical procedure should have been done or why that character should have died from their injury.

Anyway, I wrote a fic about it…read paper hearts (we're burning matches) here!

[strawberryfairi]

Synopsis🌹: After discovering a strange yet alluring red book in a boutique bookstore, you find yourself sucked into a strange world, where all of your inner most desires exist…

Pairings: Wakasa Imaushi X Musician! Black Fem 🤎 Reader (ANYONE CAN READ🧚🏾‍♀️) Content: Author AU, scifi, Musician! reader, reader is a talented nerd, smutty (slow burn) romance, tiny doses of angst, adventure, futuristic city, magic?, !!sexual tension!!, etc (just find out the rest, lol)

w.c: 3.5k💠 Released: October 19

Previous | Next… | Chapters Masterlist

A/N🧚🏾‍♀️: Lowkey was struggling with this chapter a little bit omg. I kinda "rushed" it I can't lie😭 the next chapters are better tho I promise

C.W: None

Tags: @nixalozt @lilthana @wakasaishot

↳ (Let me know via inbox or the comment section if you would also like to be tagged here for this story🩵). Enjoy guys!!

𝟒 || 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝟗

(Sector 9 Theme: Sheer Drop - Richard Lacy)

It took longer than it probably should have getting to his place.

From the club to his bike it took a good ten minutes, as neither of you could bare pulling away from each others lips for more than a couple seconds. Then you'd almost gotten yourself eaten out again on his own bike, right outside in the cool night air. You protested that it was a little too chilly for that though.

And now, it's to be decided just how long it'll take to get to his bedroom...

His lips move against yours hungrily, his hands on your hips as they guide you, walking you backwards towards the apartment door. His right hand reaches behind you, placing his palm on some kind of holographic pad that unlocks the door to his home.

You stumble backwards, and would have definitely fallen by now if his hands weren't stabilizing you. He maneuvers you around, pinning you against the metal door. Your arms wrap around his neck, moaning against his perfect lips.

His hands gently and slowly roam your body as he tongues your mouth. A soft, airy moan escapes you as his hands teasingly brush against the sides of your clothed breasts on their descent down to your thighs, exciting you an indecent amount. Wakasa's lips leave yours, cascading sensually against your jawline then slowly make their way down to your collarbone, adding even more hickeys to your building collection.

His hands make their way to your upper thighs, right where your dress ends, sliding underneath teasingly. You close your eyes, throwing your head back as his hands-

"Ahem..." An unfamiliar deep voice clears there throat from somewhere further in the apartment.

Your eyes shoot open, and an uncontrollable scream leaves your lips. Wakasa freezes, letting out the deepest sigh of annoyance you think you've ever heard, slowly raising back up to his full height.

"Sorry to ruin the party." The voice says teasingly, making their way out of the darkness of the apartment. He's a tall man, like really tall, with an overall intimidating, muscular build. The main thing that catches your eye are his two silver robotic arms, muscular like the rest of him, with electric blue circuitry running through them.

It makes him look extremely terrifying aside from his brooding height. His facial hair, a beard and sideburns matches the same platinum blond shade of his hair on top of his head. His eyes are a natural brown shade, surprising seeing as most people here have rather abnormal eye colors, Wakasa being one of them.

"I told you to stop doing this shit..." Wakasa grumbles, turning towards the man.

"And I told you to stop ignoring my calls." He claps back, "Though I see why you went MIA this time."

"What're you doin' here?" 

"We've got a problem. It's the kid." Benkei informs, his demeanor finally turning serious.

Wakasa huffs exasperatedly, "What now?"

"Remember how he said he owes Drex money?," He asks. 

Wakasa raises a brow. "Yeah, what happened?" 

Benkei sighs, reminding you of a disappointed father, "He challenged Zero of all people to a race, and lost, so the idiot now owes him too. But it gets even worse."

"What could possibly be worse than that?"

"Instead of accepting the damn loss,...he said double-or-nothing." He tells him, cringing as he deos. 

"You gotta be lyin' to me..." Wakasa groans in frustration.

Benkei let's out a humorless chuckle. "I wish I was. And this one...it's bad, Waka. Since he lost, Zero got to call the shots." He shakes his head before continuing, "He's got him at Sector 9."

"Fuck." Waka cusses under his breath in disbelief, facepalming at his friend's words.

"You already know the kid's not ready for that track. He's gonna kill himself out there, man." Benkei stresses.

You stand there frozen, feeling caught in the middle of a world you don't know. Neon City already feels overwhelming, but now this? Racing? Debts? Dangerous courses? You can't even begin to wrap your innocent head around it. You don't know this Jaxon, but from the way Benkei and Waka have been talking about him, it's clear that he's way out of his depth.

"Uuum, couldn't he just forfeit?" You chime in softly, your tone cautious as you don't intend to be butting in to something that's not your business.

"You can't forfeit once you've made a deal, Doll." Waka replies, his tone a bit softer when addressing you.

"Why not? If he's gonna lose anyway, he might as well just forfeit, right? And save himself while he can? Then he could just pay him the original amount due and go from there."

Wakasa shakes his head, turning towards you as he says, "In this world, you can't just forfeit. It's worse than losing. Forfeiting means you're weak. It means you're willin' to walk away from a fight, from a challenge. Around here, reputation is everything. Honor, respect—that's all we've got."

Benkei nods in agreement. "If Jaxon forfeits, he'll be a joke. No one'll race him again. He'll be marked as a coward, and that's way worse than losing."

You can't help feeling conflicted about this. You understand the idea of honor and pride, but risking your life over it? Over a race? Over some money?

Part of you wants to argue that no one's pride is ever worth dying for, that it's just a race at the end of the day. Just money. But as you look at Wakasa, at the way his jaw is clenched and his eyes are steely with concern, you realize to them it's way more than that. And in a sense, you can understand.

You've had plenty of experience within the music world of how reputation can make or break your career, sometimes before you can really even get a foot through the door. You recall back in college, when a fellow classmate, a drummer told you "I never would call you to any gigs 'cause I assumed you were trash since I never heard you play". It was the most absurd thing you'd ever heard. Assuming someone's a bad musician solely because they had yet to hear you perform?! It hurt your ego bad, your pride. So you do get it.

This is their life. This is the world they live in.

You bite your tongue, swallowing down your instinct to protest. "...I understand," You reply quietly, though the conflict in your chest still remains.

Benkei's eyes flicker between you and Waka before he continues, "The race is happening tonight. Jaxon's already there, probably sweatin' bullets. I figured you'd wanna know; and we go be there for him. Maybe bring your new girlfriend along for the ride too, I guess."

Your cheeks warm with a slight blush at Benkei's words, but this time the embarrassment is quickly overshadowed by the growing worry for Jaxon. You don't know the kid, but you feel for him. You're worried for him.

"Can I come too?" You ask softly, cutting into the brief silence.

Wakasa hesitates for a moment, looking torn as he thinks it over. His lilac eyes meet yours, filled with conflict. "No. You stay here," He replies, though his voice lacked conviction.

"What? Why?! I don't wanna be here alone!" It comes out as if you're talking about being alone in his apartment, but really you just don't want to be alone in this world. There's just way too many different things all happening at once to be going through it alone. You'd rather go through a whirlwind with someone used to it than by yourself.

"I'll be fine. I wanna go with you." You add, softening your tone in hopes of persuading him.

Wakasa sighs, glancing over at Benkei, who simply shrugs in response, a smirk still on his lips. "Hey, your call, man."

"Fine," Wakasa relents, his voice gruff. "But you stay close to me. You hear?"

You nod quickly, relief flooding through you. "Mhm, I will."

The deep hum of Waka's motorcycle vibrates beneath you as he speeds through the streets of the city. The lights of Neon City whizz by in a blur, casting long, glowing shadows that dance across the pavement. You cling tightly to him, your fingers gripping his shirt as you all head towards Sector 9.

From behind, you can hear the rumble of Benkei's bike, its engine roaring in time with Waka's as he tears through the winding streets. The night air is sharp against your skin, filled with the scent of fuel, metal, and the strange electric tang that always lingered in the city.

But despite the rush of wind against your face and the exhilarating speed, your thoughts are elsewhere—on Wakasa. You can feel the tension radiating from him, the stiffness in his back and shoulders, the way his grip on the handlebars seem just a little too tight. The way his body moves, the subtle clench of his jaw, the slight downturn of his lips—it all speaks volumes.

He's really worried.

You feel bad, even though this situation has nothing to do with you. Ever since you've first opened your eyes in Neon City, it's been nothing but chaos, action, and danger. First, the cyber police chase that had thrown you into Wakasa's world, the adrenaline pumping through you as the two of you escaped capture.

Then, the wild underground nightclub, where the beat of the music pounded through your chest, and Waka had swept you up in the fiery embrace of ecstasy. And now, this—a dangerous race at Sector 9 that this Jaxon kid has gotten himself into. It's like there's never a moment to just breathe.

It's overwhelming.

But...

You can't deny the excitement that buzzes under your skin. As much as you feel like you're on the outside of this mess, it has been exhilarating. The rush of Neon City is unlike anything you've ever experienced before, and though terrifying, it's also utterly intoxicating. The danger, the thrill, the raw energy of it all—it's something you can't quite put into words, but deep down, a part of you loves it.

And more than anything, you're grateful to Wakasa.

He's been nothing but kind to you since the moment the two of you met. He hasn't left you alone in this strange, chaotic world. In fact, he's done the opposite—he's brought you along, showing you what Neon City's really like, guiding you through its thrills and dangers. Even now, with the weight of Jaxon's reckless decision pressing down on him, he still allows you to ride along with him, to be part of it all.

Your arms tighten around his waist just a little, a silent thank you for everything.

Sector 9’s race track is a beast of a circuit, twisting through the heart of Neon City like a serpent made of steel and neon. Massive holographic screens float above, displaying every angle of the track and prepping racers with dizzying clarity, while drones buzz overhead. The entire sector pulses with vibrant, electric energy, casting a surreal glow over the darkened streets. 

The track itself is a winding nightmare of sharp, unforgiving turns, deadly drops, and impossibly narrow lanes. It weaves through towering skyscrapers, dipping in and out of alleys and overpasses, all while the racers fly at breakneck speeds. One wrong move could send a driver careening into a wall or off a cliff, with no way to pause, no way to reset. 

The atmosphere is thick with tension, a palpable mix of fear and excitement. Spectators watch from elevated platforms, their faces lit up in a kaleidoscope of colors as they peered down at the racers with awe and anticipation. The hum of engines filled the air, loud and reverberating, as futuristic motorcycles and cars lined up at the starting point, each more impressive than the next.

Chrome-covered vehicles gleam under the neon lights, reflecting the vivid purples, blues, and pinks that bathe the entire sector. Some of the cars have wild flames licking up their sides, pulsing with holographic designs that shift and change with each rev of the engine. Others flex intricate patterns, jagged lightning bolts, or tribal looking markings, their bodies practically glowing under the light. The motorcycles are sleek and deadly, their neon undercarriages lighting up the road beneath them as they sit waiting, and the engines growl with anticipation.

The racers themselves seem untouchable, sitting on their machines like warriors ready for battle, adorned in helmets and gear that match their chrome rides.  

There's an undeniable pressure in the air, a suffocating mixture of arrogance and determination. You aren't part of their world, not really, and the stark difference between you and them makes you feel like you don't belong. Wakasa, though, is looking right at home. He walks up to Jaxon, his presence alone drawing attention from the others nearby. They all recognize him instantly. You and Benkei follow closely, his sharp eyes sweep the pit.

Jaxon looks up from his bike, his fiery red eyes brightening for a split second when he sees Wakasa. But he quickly schooled his features, standing up straight and brushing his hands off on his black cargo pants. "Hey Waka," He greets with a nod, trying to keep his cool.

Wakasa takes a step forward, hands casually in his pockets, his relaxed demeanor contrasting sharply with the buzzing energy around them. "You ready for this, kid?" He asked, his tone calm but holding an underlying weight.

Jaxon huffs, looking down at his bike as though it's his only lifeline. "Yeah, of course. Zero's not gonna know what hit him." He flashes a cheeky grin, but there's something forced about it. His hand is gripping at the handlebar of his bike a little too tightly.

He's terrified.

You frown, clenching your jaw to keep yourself from saying anything. Just as Benkei's lips part to say something, a boisterous voice calls from behind Jaxon.

"Uh oh! If it isn't the pretty boy and his lap dog comin' to watch the show!"

It doesn't take rocket science for you to piece together that it must be that guy Zero. The one Jaxon challenged double or nothing.

Everyone's heads turn as Zero saunters over, a cocky grin plastered on his face. He's tall, with sharp features and an air of arrogance that practically radiates off of him. His short hair is dark with a vibrant green streak in the front, his eyes a similar green, and a large tattoo of a snake slithering through the number zero down by his navel. It's mouth is open wide, a wild look in it's eyes as it shows it's large fangs and forked tongue.

Zero's eyes glint with amusement as he looks over at Jaxon, but then they quickly flicker over to Wakasa and Benkei. You immediately feel the shift in the atmosphere—this guy is without a doubt trouble. He lays an arm over Jaxon's shoulder, sizing him up with a smirk. "You sure you wanna do this, lil boy? 'Cause I don't mind takin' your money again, but it's gonna be embarrassing as fuck for you." He laughs, a cold, mocking sound that grates against her nerves.

Jaxon clenches his fists, but stays quiet, biting his tongue. His face flushes pinkish red, the nerves threatening to bubble over into frustration.

Zero's attention shifts, however, when his eyes land on you standing beside Wakasa. His grin widens, and he lets out a low whistle, his eyes raking over you in a way that makes your skin crawl.

"Damn. Where the hell'd you find a piece like this?" Zero says, his tone dripping with sleaze. "You know, sugar, you're standing with the wrong guy. I could show you a much better time than this pretty boy."

Your face instantly scrunches up in disgust, and you take a cautious step closer to Wakasa for comfort.

"Watch your mouth, Zero." Waka warns, his lilac eyes cold and sharp.

"Tell you what," Zero adds, retracting his arm from Jaxon's shoulder and giving him a rude, unnecessary push as he walks closer. "Why don't you spend the night with me after I win this race? Shit, your boyfriend can watch too if he wants. I'll show 'em how it's really done." He taunts, swiping his pierced tongue across his bottom lip in what's probably meant to be a flirtatious way. It just honestly creeped you out.

You suck in a breath, both appalled and repulsed by his audacity. Who the hell is this dude?! A part of you wants to just slap him and tell him off, but you know better. A man like this isn't even worth all that. If anything, his weird ass would probably get a kick out of it.

Wakasa takes a bold step forward, his voice low. "You really wanna go there?"

Zero's grin doesn't falter. If anything, it just grows wider, clearly enjoying riling him up. "Why not? I mean, you and me could settle this right here, right now." He gestures behind him to the starting line of the racetrack. "Forget the kid—why don't we race? You win, you keep the girl. I win, she's mine."

You bite your tongue, using everything you have in your being not to go off on this idiot. Like, not him trynna call shots! How dare he bet on you like you're a toy?! Like you're not even a living being! As if you'd ever give this fool of a man the time of day.

Waka isn't phased a bit by Zero's suggestion, raising a skeptical brow as he says, "You sure you wanna do that? Last time we raced your ass was behind me, start to finish."

CLOCK HIM!!!!

The smile falters for a fraction of a second, and Zero's eyes flash with irritation. But then he shrugs, playing it off. "Yeah, well, that was a fluke. We both know it."

Before the tension can boil over, Jaxon steps forward, his voice shaking but determined. "I'm not lettin' Waka fight my battles for me. I'm racing you, Zero. Not him."

Zero's smirk returns, and he claps his hands mockingly. "Aw, how cute. The kid wants to prove himself. Fine. Guess we'll see how long you last on the track."

Then, his eyes turn towards you once again, giving you one last look over and a wink. "See ya, precious."

You roll your eyes at him, the little pet name he calls you making your skin crawl.

You look up at Wakasa, whose expression is hard, his eyes dark with frustration and anger.

You rack your brain for anything to even say, but what is there in a situation like this? Telling him it's ok when it's clearly not is just an insult at this point.

Please, I hope this boy doesn't kill himself...

Then, rather suddenly, countdown begins. A robotic voice of a woman cuts into the cheers of the audience. She appears, looking more cyber than human, with a raises holographic sign in neon pink, just like her outfit. 

"Ten..."

You clench your fists, eyes darting between Jaxon, the other racers, and the dangerous "track" ahead. The sound of the engines became a low rumble, vibrating through your bones.

"Nine..."

Time seems to slow down. You can feel the adrenaline in the air, thick and looming overhead like a storm.

"Eight..."

Wakasa's hand brushes against yours, the smallest of touches grounding you for a split second.

"Seven..."

You look over at Zero, his lime green car matching his overall arrogant and narcissistic state of being.

"Six..."

Jaxon glances over at Zero, his face a mask of forced confidence.

"Fiv-

Everything goes black...

There's no warning. No gradual fading of the scene. It's as if someone had flipped a switch, plunging you into absolute darkness. One moment  you're standing in the pit, surrounded by noise, neon lights, and the roar of engines—the next, it was gone. Ripped away from you.

The sensation is jarring, like being pulled out of a vivid dream too quickly, leaving you disoriented, breathless. You can't tell where you are. Your mind scrambles to make sense of the sudden void, the silence that replaced the chaotic world you had been in just seconds before.

And then—....light.

You gasp, sitting up in your bed with a start, your heart racing as though you had just been running a marathon. It's your bedroom. The dim glow of the early morning filtered through your curtains, casting soft shadows on the familiar furniture, the walls, the ceiling fan spinning lazily above you.

You blink, trying to reorient yourself, your body still buzzing with the leftover adrenaline from Neon City. Your hands clutch the bedsheets, the smooth fabric beneath your fingers a stark contrast to the rough leather of the racing pit you had just been standing in.

Your room feels impossibly small compared to the vast neon-lit expanse of Neon City. The sudden stillness is suffocating, the silence eerie after the cacophony of engines and voices that had filled your ears only moments ago. You press a hand to your chest, your heartbeat still erratic, as if your body hadn't caught up yet to the abrupt shift.

It was too sudden. Too jarring. Your mind reels, struggling to adjust, the sharp contrast between the two worlds leaving you dizzy. You can still feel the energy of the pit, the vibration of the engines humming through your body, the heavy anticipation of the race. 

But now it's just...gone.