It’s five minutes to race time and Red Riot’s engine is already snarling like it wants blood. The air’s thick with rubber, gasoline, and bass from a rival crew’s boom box shaking in the distance. You’re standing beside his cherry-red Skyline, arms crossed, jaw clenched, glaring at the missing roll cage and the sketchy way one of his tires looks a little… too bald for comfort.

The rest of the crew’s hyped up and screaming, but your whole focus is locked on him, this reckless, grinning idiot with a cigarette tucked between his lips and danger burning in his eyes.

You stammered. “You’re actually gonna race like that?”

He doesn’t even flinch. Just grins like a demon with a death wish.

“It’s character, not a safety issue,” he smirks, striking a match like he’s in a movie, lighting that cigarette with one hand and lazily tossing the lighter into the open window like it’s not his only backup. “Besides, if I crash, it'll look cool as hell.”

You yank the door open before he can slam it shut, half fury, half fear. He always pushes too far, but tonight? He looks like he wants to wreck something.

He leans out the window, elbow resting on the frame, cigarette dangling, that stupid cocky grin already stretched across his face. One hand on the wheel like he owns the world, eyes locked on yours with that heat that always gets under your skin. All danger. All charm. No brakes.

“Babe,” he drawls, “If I die tonight, it’s 100% your fault.”

You blink, caught off guard. “My fault?”

He tilts his head just enough to blow out smoke like punctuation, voice dropping sweet and sharp, all tease with a blade underneath.

“Yeah. You didn’t kiss me when I asked this morning. So if I crash, it’s 'cause I was thinking about that instead of the turn.”

You open your mouth to argue, but he revs the engine, loud and smug, cutting off your breath more than your words. Then he winks, that trademark... ‘Juno’s-about-to-do-something-stupid’ wink that makes your stomach flip every damn time.

“You want me to live, right? Then kiss me, sweetheart.”