Chapter Text
For the best experience, play:
1.Less I know the Better by Tame Impala
2.Hate bein' sober by Chief keef
3.Narcos by Migos
4. Bubblegum Bitch by MARINA
5. Bad girls by M.I.A
when you see **
_________
**
You pushed your earbuds in, turning up the volume of the music. It was a futile attempt to drown out all the noise from the shop around you, but if you had a moment to get work done, you took it. Being a Biochem major wasn't easy, nor was it cheap. Freshman year had whooped your ass, to the say the least, and regardless of your scholarship to university, you found that the cost of textbooks, lab attire, and your late-night food runs were adding up.
Which all landed you here, working at an auto body and parts workshop a few blocks from your apartment. It was a small place with only a couple of garages and mechanics, but you liked it. The shop had been there for more than 50 years, earning the nickname "The Den" due to the large bear decals plastered on one of the garage doors and the floor.
You had picked up some mechanical skills from your dad in high school, and over the three months, you had worked here improved into a pretty good mechanic. The job paid better than any restaurant or retail shop.
The sound of the rain hitting the tin old roof echoed throughout the building, and you turned the volume of your music up once again. Finally, all the distracting sounds were drowned away, and you turned your attention back to your notes. Everything you had written from today's lecture was all over the place, and the messy handwriting didn't make it any less confusing.
You had graduated high school with a 4.0 GPA, so it was no secret that you were smart. But when it came to organization you lacked, not to mention your professor moved through material extremely fast. Every day after class you found yourself having to take the time to re-write your notes.
You sighed, laying your head down on the desk in front of you.
"Y/N!" A voice boomed behind you while pulling your earbuds out. You were startled out of your half-sleep trance and sat up. "I've been calling you for two minutes now, and you know I don't like when people are late. Break times over. We've got a client that needs you to check out their car."
You looked up at him with half-lidded eyes, brushing your hair out of your face. "Right, sorry Masamichi." Your boss was a serious man but overall he was always nice enough and paid you well. Getting up from the desk, you promptly closed your notebook and followed him out into the garage.
Parked in one of the spaces there was a baby blue Porsche 718 Cayman GTS. A whistle escaped your lips when you laid eyes on it. It was a nice ride, nicer than anything you had ever worked on at this shop. You walked over to it as you pulled on your gloves, inspecting it.
"Nice right?" A feminine voice asked. You turned to see a shorter woman leaning against a beam behind you. She was pretty and had short orange-dyed hair that framed her face perfectly.
"Yeah, it's awesome, a 718 right? This yours?" You asked.
"Damn right it is. She's my pride and joy." She walked past you towards the car, opening the door. You bent down, peering in. The inside was lined by white leather seats and had a small keychain with a nail and a hammer hanging from the rearview mirror. The car was nice, almost too nice.
"So what brings you here?" You inquired.
"Somethings wrong with the car, it won't go over a certain speed. I've taken it to three other shops but they couldn't figure out what was wrong. I didn't wanna let her go, and my buddy Itadori recommend you."
You briefly remembered him, a friendly kid with pinkish spiky hair. He always came in with his car more wrecked than the last time, with a shitty excuse as to why coming with it.
"Last resort huh?" You said, walking around to the front of the car and opening the hood.
"If Yuuji recommended you, I have high hopes. Idiot's a terrible driver and is always fucking up his car, so if you can fix his, you can probably fix mine," She walked over and placed a hand on your shoulder, reassuring you. "I'm Kusagi by the way. Nobara Kusagi." You both extended a hand, shaking them.
The two of you talked as you worked and she was nicer than you expected, despite her intimidating appearance. You could tell she was confident and sure of herself in every aspect.
An hour and a few inspections later, you found the problem. "Got it right here, one of the wires connected to the gearshift was cut. Also, your air conditioning unit could use a replacement." You raised an eyebrow. It was cut clean across, there was no way it could've just ripped on its own.
"That bitch!" Nobara snarled. You turned to her in confusion. "Someone cut my fucking wires. I'm gonna kill her ass tonight."
Tonight? You looked at your watch, it was already 10:30 at night. Not to mention it was still pouring outside.
"Sorry," she said, calming herself down and walking over to look in the hood of her car. "Damn, you have a good eye finding something so small like this."
"Thanks, just some stuff I picked up from my dad."
"How long have you been a mechanic?"
"Working here? Just a couple of months. I just need the extra cash for school, nothing fancy."
"You're really good for just a couple of months." She paused for a moment as if an idea popped into her head. "You ever tried working on racing cars?"
"What, like at a racetrack? I don't know, I think I'm way too fresh to be working with pros like that, and on top of that I have scho-"
"No no," she interrupted, leaning closer to you and lowering her voice. "I mean for street racers." Suddenly something clicked in your mind. Why Itadori's car was always wrecked, why Nobara was going on about someone cutting her wires, all of it. They were street racers. You gulped, trying to think of an answer.
"No, I don't really know much about that type of stuff." Wasn't that illegal? you thought to yourself.
"Why don't you come to a race tonight," Nobara offered. You can check out the scene and see if you like it. Plus, if someone takes you on as a mechanic there's some extra cash in it for you."
You pondered the idea for a moment. You had seen some racing movies and they looked cool, but that was about it. But, the extra money did sound good. How bad could it be?
"Yeah, I'll check it out." You glanced outside. "Wait, it's pouring out, how are you gonna have a race?"
"You'll see. The race is at 12, so we should get going. It's by 13th ave and K street, here's my number and I'll text you the address."
"I don't have a car though." There was hardly ever any parking on campus, so you just walked. Not to mention you couldn't afford it if you wanted to.
"No problem, you fixed my car so I guess I owe you a ride. Text me your address and I'll come by in an hour. No offense, but I suggest you change out of that," She said, gesturing to your dirty work clothes. Nobara got back into her car, turning on the transmission. You hit the button to open the garage and she sped off into the night, sticking an arm out of the window to wave goodbye. You washed your hands off and peeled off the oily jumpsuit you had on, grabbing your things to leave. You opened up an umbrella and yelled goodbye to Masamichi.
**
Around 11:30 a horn honked outside your window and you peered out to see the baby blue Porsche. You pulled on an oversized black jacket and slipped your phone into your pocket, then headed out.
"Took you long enough to get down here," Nobara joked as you got into the passenger seat. Hate being' Sober by Chief Keef blared through the speakers, the bass shaking the car. Her music taste matched her personality perfectly.
"Yeah yeah, I live on the 10th floor so it's a pain in the ass to get down here. Now where are we going again?" you asked.
"It's a garage race. Meaning they all start at the top then see who can finish first at the bottom."
You didn't know much about racing, but it sounded interesting. The glow of the street lights glossed over the windshield as she drove, making the nail and hammer hanging from the rearview glisten. Despite how late it was, it was a Friday night in the city so the streets were still busy. For a street racer, Nobara drove pretty slow and smoothly. She parked in a parking lot to the side of the garage. "You're not taking the car to the top?" You asked, getting out and adjusting the bottom of your skirt and fishnets. The ground level of the building was filled with puddles, and you avoided them carefully, making sure not to get your white sneakers wet.
"Oh no, I don't race this one, it's my baby blue. Couldn't let her get all banged up. That's why I was so pissed when that bitch Mai fucked it up," Kusagi replied.
"Who's Mai?" You asked. Your question was promptly answered when you entered the elevator. When the doors were about to close, a pale hand stopped them. A black-haired girl walked on, next to her a girl with blonde hair put up in two ponytails that stuck up in the air. Her hair was short, and she was taller than Kusagi.
"Hey, Nobara," the black-haired girl said slyly. Kusagi's expression curled into a disgusted face.
"I thought I told you not to call me by my first name," Nobara replied.
"Geez, why the cold shoulder? Did no one ever teach you any manners?"
Nobara lunged towards her, hovering inches from her face.
"Manners? You wanna talk about manners? You cut a fucking cord in my car! That shit took me days to get fixed. If you were possed I beat you last week you could've just said so. "
"I did not, not to mention you got lucky beating me. And who taught you to go around talking to people like that, all up in my face." She said, smirking. "Was it Maki?"
Maki? Who was that? You stood back, watching the two argue nervously. When the elevator dinged and stopped at the top floor, you let out a sigh of relief. Everyone got off the elevator, and Nobara turned to stuck her middle fingers up at Mai.
**
"Who was that?" You asked.
"My friend's sister, the one who fucked up baby blue. And if you were wondering, yes she is that much of a bitch all the time."
You laughed at her remark, following her over to where a group of cars was lined up. The whole level was filled up with parked cars, and as a result, there was a large crowd of people standing around. The sound of more heavy bass flowed into your ears, along with the bitter smell of weed.
"How are they gonna race in here?" You asked. "The turns are way too tight."
"All the racers have to drift."
"Drift?" You raised an eyebrow.
"You'll see," she said, hooking an arm over your shoulder.
Nobara led you over to a black Dodge car. A bit of iridescence reflected against the car as the garage lights hit it. The rims and detailing were perfectly silver. "Holy shit," you said, mouth gaping open. "Do they even make these anymore?"
"No, she's had this for a while and is always making sure it stays in perfect condition," Nobara replied. "I thought you didn't know much about cars?"
"I don't, but the shape of the car tells me it's older. And it's beautiful." You bent down to peer inside, inspecting it further.
"Nice right?" A lower, but still feminine voice asked. You turned to see a girl emerge from a cloud of smoke, coming from the crowd standing behind you. She resembled the girl in the elevator from before, but her hair was much longer and pulled back in a ponytail. It had a slight green tint to its black color, and her hair was cut into bangs in the front. Her demeanor was a little intimidating, and you watched as chewed on a piece of bubble gum, blowing it up then popping it.
"Yeah," you replied looking up at her. You couldn't deny that she was attractive, trailing your eyes over her. She wore a black zip-up jacket that was cropped to her collarbone with a blue, black, and orange bodysuit that had the word "Power" printed across the front.
"Who's your cute little friend here Nobara?" she asked.
"That's Y/N, she's a mechanic. She finally fixed my car and it turns out your bitch sister is the one who broke it," Nobara replied, rolling her eyes.
Her sister?
The girl popped her gum again and laughed. "You guys are always fighting huh? You'd think it was the two of you who were twins."
It made sense to you that the two were twins, they looked similar. But this one seemed to be less snarky. She approached you, stopping so that she was looking down at you. Yeah, she was definitely intimidating.
"What brings you here, sweetheart?" She asked. You could smell the faint scent of weed and the sugary aroma of her bubblegum when she spoke. You noticed she had a small stud piercing on the right side of her nose. "Nobara asked me if I wanted to check out a race," you replied.
"Oh yeah? So you're new to all of this." She placed one of her hands on your hip, startling you a bit, and leaned down. "Why don't you let me show you the ropes," She whispered. You felt her breath tickle your ear. She was pretty touchy for someone you had just met.
"Oh, leave her alone Maki," Nobara said, placing her whole hand over Maki's face and pushing her back.
"What? I'm just being nice. My sister didn't teach you any manners?" She replied, a grin plastered on her face. Nobara's expression curled into a scowl.
"You're late by the way, Kusagi. There have already been 3 races, so you two have missed most of the action." The brunette leaned against the hood of her car, still staring at you. "I'm Maki by the way, but everyone around here calls me Z."
Z? What kind of nickname was that?
"I'm Y/N," you replied. "But Nobara already told you that."
"Don't talk to her, Y/N," Nobara said. "And Maki, stop being such a flirt all the time."
"I'm just being nice," Maki said, putting on a fake pout. "Y/N, you said you're a mechanic right? Wanna check out the car?" She raised two fingers, gesturing for you to come closer. Nobara rolled her eyes, walking off.
"Definitely," you replied, practically running over. You popped the hood of the car, leaning over to look at the inside. It was a mechanics dream, with everything in amazing condition considering its age. "What car is this?" you asked, looking up at her.
"It's a 1970 dodge charger R/T," Maki replied. She stood next to you, her leg grazing yours lightly.
"How did you even get this? And how do you keep it this nice when it's from the 70s?"
"Someone in my family passed it down to me. I had to replace some of the parts and get it re-painted, but personally, I think it was worth it."
"You must be rich then," you joked. It was no secret that being into cars was expensive. Let alone an older one that was used for races and could easily be damaged.
"You could say that."
You looked down at her hands propped on the car. She had on a few silver rings, one of them shaped like a Z, and a watch. It was a Rolex. You picked up her hand to inspect it further. Surprisingly, her skin was soft to the touch. "Holy shit," You said looking up at her. "What kind of job do you have that you can afford this?" Maki laughed softly to herself.
"I used to work for my family but, we broke things off. Now I just race and take the money from that."
"You make that much money from these races?"
"Yeah, among a couple of other things."
"Like what?"
"Nothing important, sweetheart." The nickname hit a chord in your brain, and you quickly turned back to the car.
"You wanna see the inside?"
"Oh, I don't really know how to work with anything in there. Unless you want me to fix your AC."
"It's no problem," she said, gently grabbing your hips again and turning you towards her. You felt a shiver run down your spine. She led you to the passenger side of the car, opening the door for you. You sat down, feeling your body sink down into the low seats, and she followed suit. The interior was all black with silver accents. The gearshift was customized to look like the handle of a sword, and you ran your fingertips over it.
"Got that done a couple of weeks ago," she said, sensing your interest.
**
"This is sick," you replied, looking up at her. She had her arms outstretched on top of the steering wheel, looking out to all the people in the garage. She turned to look at you, eyeing you up and down. "You know, these races make a lot of money." Her hand moved from the steering wheel to your thigh, intertwining her fingers with the material of your tights. You felt the cold pads of her fingertips run along your skin, and sat up a little straighter in your seat, trying to suppress the heat rising to your face. "If you want, I can take you on as a mechanic. I could use a girl like you around."
You raised an eyebrow at her. "Use me for what? Working on your car, or just another one of your girls? If it's the second, I'm not interested." Despite how intimidating she was, your tone was calm and collected.
You weren't naive to the fact that she was the player type. The way she talked to you, touched you, Nobara's comments.
"You're a smart girl," she said, tightening her grip on your leg. "I mean as a mechanic. Don't tell me you don't need the money." Her tone wasn't demeaning, but sincere. "Plus, you're probably in college right? That's gotta be boring. It'll spice up your life a little."
"What makes you think my life is so boring?" You remarked. Despite your comment, it was. Besides class, studying, and work you didn't really do anything else. Occasionally you would hang out with your two best friends, but that was it. But you didn't wanna admit it to her and give in to whatever she was suggesting. "And yes, I'm in college. Biochem major."
"I don't, but you've never seen a race before. It's a rush, and if you like it you'll realize it's been missing from your life. The cars, the cash, the sounds, all of it."
"I guess I'll have to wait and see," you replied. The two of you were interrupted when the pink-haired Itadori knocked on the window. He had his usually with a big smile you remembered plastered all over his face.
"Hey Maki!" he said as she rolled the window down.
"Yuji," She replied. "Did you race today?"
"Hell no. Luck has not been on my side. I've crashed two times out of the last three I raced."
"Luck has nothing to do with it, you're just an idiot," Nobara said, popping up behind him. She lightly hit Itadori in the back of the head, laughing. Maki popped her gum once again.
"Race is in 10," he said. "You gotta be at the starting line in 5, and oh- you're racing Mai."
"Good, go beat her ass. Let's go get a good spot," Nobara said, walking away with Itadori.
"You guys are twins but you're racing each other?" You asked.
"Yeah." She turned away from you. "Remember how I said I used to work for my family? I left, and she stayed. The only time I ever even see her is at these races."
"And why is that?"
"Well, you've met her, right? She can be a bitch sometimes, and the same goes for the rest of my family."
"Sorry," you replied.
"It's fine, I'm over it." She paused for a moment. "Tell you what sweetheart," she said, turning back towards you. "When I win, you come to work for me. I'll pay you whatever you need."
"You mean if you win."
She leaned in closer to you, using one of her hands to gently cup your jaw. "I don't lose." The familiar smell of bubblegum and weed entered your nose. She lingered there for a moment, inches away from your face. You felt like her eyes were staring right through you, and you took a deep breath, trying to suppress the heat slowly rising to your face. Your eyes glanced quickly down to her lips, then back up to her eyes. A smile spread across her face, and she pulled away.
"You're pretty when your face is all red like that," She said, running her thumb over your cheek. You whipped your head around to look in the side-view mirror. Just like she had said, your face was flushed.
"Whatever," You said, getting out of the car. "See you at the finish line."
**
Why was she so touchy? And why did it fluster you so much? You knew the type of girl she was, attractive, rich, and bouncing from girl to girl. But none of that lessened your obvious attraction to her. You watched as she pulled out, driving her black car to the finish line and parking next to Mai, who sported some type of dark purple car.
You found Nobara and Itadori, lining up next to the start with them. The crowd all gathered around the two cars, cheering as they waited for the race to start. "You ready Maki?" Mai said, rolling her window down. Maki turned to her, blowing another pink bubble and popping it. She slid her sunglasses down to her face and smiled. "Call me big sister," She replied.
A woman in short black denim shorts and a white tank top walked out in front of the two cars with two flags in her hands. They began to rev their engines, and the crowd's cheering intensified. You felt yourself get more excited with everyone else. "This should be good," a girl next to you said. "They haven't raced in a while and Mai has been getting faster every race. Maybe she'll beat her this time."
The woman with the flags raised her arms, and you gulped. She began to count down, but the sound of the engines overtook her voice. She brought bother her arms down, and the twins took off. You watched nervously as they approached the first corner. "Watch them," Nobara said. They glided around the corner, and the car almost looked like it was floating on the asphalt. "That's drifting."
Everyone ran to get in the elevator to go down to the finish line, and you packed in next to Nobara and Itadori. Just watching the race gave you an adrenaline rush, your heart beating the whole way down. You couldn't imagine what it was like actually driving in one. When the elevator stopped on the ground level, everyone rushed to get off. Nobara grabbed your hand, leading you to where the race would finish.
You heard the echo of the engines radiate through the building, and you waited in anticipation to see who would finish first. Finally, the two cars came around the corner. They were neck and neck, and everyone watching was yelling and cheering for who they wanted to win. At the last second, Maki pulled past Mai, stopping as she passed the finish line.
You, Nobara, and Itadori jumped up and down, then ran over to congratulate Maki. She got out of the car, slipping off her jacket, and you noticed for the first time how toned her arms were. She smugly walked over to the announcer, sticking her hand out. He slapped a stack of bills in her hand and she smiled, looking back at her sister. "Better luck next time."
She turned back to the three of you, pulling you all in for a hug. It was the last race of the night, so the crowd began to disperse. "We're heading back up to grab Itadoris car, then we'll be back," Nobara yelled, heading back towards the elevator.
"I won, so it looks like your all mine now, princess," Maki smiled. You wondered where she was getting all these nicknames.
She stepped closer to you, and you backed up until your back hit the side of her car. She placed her hands on both sides of you, trapping you there. Her gaze was sharp, and she never stopped staring at you. You felt your breath hitch and tried to move from the spot she had you in, to no avail. You looked away from her, turning your head to the side. Every time she got close to you like this, you couldn't think of anything to say. But at the same time, you liked it.
"Congrats," you managed. "Thanks," she replied. She took one more step closer to you, pushing one of her legs between yours. A shiver ran down your spine. "You know, if you really want to congratulate me, why don't you come back to my apartment with me."
"What kind of girl do you think I am?" You teased, smiling up at her.
"Don't act like you don't want to." She popped her gum again.
"I work for you now, so no. And why are you always chewing that gum?"
She leaned in to whisper in your ear. "Because I like the taste." Her choice of words made you freeze. She pulled back from your ear, keeping her face close to yours. "What? Do you want some?" she asked.
You tilted your head to the side in confusion. She leaned in closer, leaving mere centimeters between your lips.
"I said, do you want a taste." You froze for a moment, looking up at her. Fuck it. You closed the gap between you two, standing on the tips of your toes and pressing your lips to hers. They were soft to the touch and she kissed you back, trailing her hands down your back. She slipped them underneath the bottom of your skirt, intertwining her fingers with your fishnets. You felt her push you harder against the car, her thigh still resting between your legs. Maki began kissing you more roughly, her tongue sliding into your mouth. You tasted the sweet taste of her gum and returned her roughness.
"Are you two done yet?" Mai said, getting back into her car. The two of you quickly pulled away from each other. "Another girlfriend Maki? Didn't you just go through three last week?" she said slyly.
"Fuck off, Mai," Maki said, flipping her off.
"How would dad feel if he saw you being so rude to your own family? And terrorizing this poor girl."
Maki growled, turning to walk over to Mai and do who knows what. You grabbed the back of her shirt to stop her. "Not worth it." You said.
Mai laughed to herself, turning to get back into her car. Maki did the same, slamming the door as she got in. You saw the same blonde girl with spiked-up hair in the passenger seat of Mai's car and watched as she whispered something to Mai. She smirked before driving around Maki's car so that she was next to you. You stared at her for a moment, wondering why she didn't just leave. Mai looked back at you out of the window. "Tell Maki to learn some manners for me, kay?"
Why was this girl always going on about manners?
She stepped on the gas, running her back tire in the puddle that was in front of you. The water splashed all over you before you could move, drenching you. She hastily drove away before you could even realize what had happened.
"What the fuck!" you yelled, looking down at your wet clothes. Maki got out of the car, running over to you. "I'm gonna fucking kill her," she said, watching the purple car speed off. "Are you okay?" You were soaked, and the chill of the night air wasn't helping. Not to mention, the water was full of dirt and asphalt, which were sure to ruin your white shirt and light-colored skirt. "No," you shivered, turning to her. You leaned your head against her collarbone, and she wrapped her arms around you, not caring if she got wet or not. You felt tears form in the corner of your eyes, but you choked them back.
"Here," Maki said, turning back to her car. She opened the door, rummaging through the back. She returned with a black leather jacket, taking off your wet one and placing it in the back of her car. She took the dry jacket and wrapped it around your shoulders. "Let me take you home," she said, helping you into her car. For once that night, her tone wasn't low or flirty, but of genuine concern. You continued shivering in her seat, and she reached over to turn the seat heaters on.
She pulled out of the garage, driving fast. You watched the speedometer pass 70 mph, regardless of the fact that you were on a normal residential street. Her face was bunched into a scowl, an expression you hadn't seen her make once all night.
"When I say I'm gonna fucking kill her, I mean it."
"I-it's fine," you said through chattered teeth.
"Where do you live?" she asked.
"Right off campus, it's not far from here." You have her the address to your apartment building. "Oh shit, call Nobara. She took me here and she's gonna wonder where I went."
She handed you her phone, and you found Kusagi's name in her contacts. "Hello?" she picked up. "Hey, it's me, Y/N."
"Where the hell did you go?"
"I'm fine, Makis taking me home." You heard a sigh on the other side of the line, followed by a string of laughter from Itadori.
"Not like that, Mai splashed water all over me and I'm freezing, so she offered to take me home," you explained.
"SHE DID WHAT???" Nobara screamed. You pulled the phone away from your ear to keep from going deaf. "Give the phone to Maki, now." You handed it to her. There was more screaming from the other end of the line, followed by a few "Mhms" From Maki. "Will do," she said, hanging up the phone.
"What was that all about?" you asked.
"Oh, just typical Nobara. Telling me to kill Mai, then going into detail about how I should do it."
You laughed, a smile appearing back on your face. Maki pulled up next to your apartment building, getting out and opening the passenger side door for you. Despite her womanizer act, she was actually sweet when she wanted to be.
"I'm so sorry," she said, helping you out. "I'll see you next weekend, okay?"
You nodded. "Thank you, Maki," you said, walking to the door of your building and turning around to wave.
"Text me when you get up safe!" she yelled from the street.
"Will do!"
You slumped back into the lobby of your building, knowing you had to walk up 10 flights of stairs in your soaked clothes. When you finally got up, you took your key out of your bra and unlocked the door.
You started a shower, peeling off your wet clothes. A sigh escaped your lips as you settled into the hot water, the coldness that previously occupied your body disappearing. Standing there for a few minutes, you closed your eyes and basked in the feeling of the warmth against your skin.