DFurious: New Stage

Hisashi turned to Hen, her brow furrowed in confusion. "What was that about? Why did you just drag me out of there?"

Hen's grip tightened on the wheel, his knuckles white. His dark eyes remained fixed on the road ahead as he maneuvered through the city streets with precision. "Hana doesn't know when to back off," he muttered, his voice low. "I couldn't let her keep hounding you like that. It was going to escalate."

Hisashi raised an eyebrow, her arms crossing over her chest. "So your solution was to drive off like we're in a getaway car?"

Hen's lips twitched, a hint of a smile breaking through his otherwise serious expression. "Would you rather I stayed and let her keep questioning you?"

Hen's response hung in the air, his question laced with a mixture of frustration and amusement. The faint sound of the engine's hum filled the silence between them as Hisashi turned her gaze to the streetlights passing by in a blur.

"Well, it would've been less dramatic," Hisashi retorted, though there was a trace of humor in her voice. "I'm pretty sure you've just solidified my spot as the villain in Hana's soap opera."

Hen glanced at her briefly, his dark eyes gleaming with something akin to amusement. "She already made up her mind about you, Hisashi. Nothing I do—or don't do—is going to change that."

Hisashi sighed, leaning back in the passenger seat, her arms still crossed. "You know, for someone who doesn't like drama, you sure seem to find yourself in the middle of it."

Hen smirked, one hand loosening on the steering wheel as he relaxed slightly. "I didn't ask for any of this, believe me. But when it comes to Hana… she's like a storm. Best to get out of its path."

"And dragging me along for the ride was your best solution?" she pressed, her tone still teasing but with genuine curiosity beneath it.

Hen's smirk faded, replaced by a seriousness that caught her off guard. "Look, Hana's not just angry. She's manipulative. If she sees you as a threat, she'll try to make your life hell. I didn't want to leave you alone with her. She's unpredictable."

The sincerity in his voice gave Hisashi pause. She turned to look at him fully, noting the tension still visible in his jaw and the way his grip on the wheel had eased only slightly. Despite his sharp tongue and confident demeanor, there was a protectiveness about Hen that she hadn't noticed before.

"Thanks, I guess," she said softly, her gaze lingering on him. "But you really need to work on your communication skills. A simple 'Let's get out of here' would've sufficed."

Hen chuckled, the sound low and warm. "Where's the fun in that?"

Hisashi rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress the small smile tugging at her lips. "You're impossible."

"I've been told that before," he quipped, his tone lightening as the tension in the car began to dissipate.

Hen's eyes flicked toward her, catching the way the skirt of her jean jumper hugged her thighs. The subtle detail lingered in his mind longer than he intended, and he realized with a jolt that this was the first time they were truly alone in his car. A faint wave of nervousness crept up his spine. You've got this, man, he mentally reassured himself, though he wasn't quite convinced.

"I can understand why girls get desperately attached to you," Hisashi remarked, her tone even and thoughtful, cutting through his internal pep talk.

"Attached?" Hen raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued and his focus snapping back to the present.

"Well, you seem like the type of guy who flirts around—" she began, but Hen interrupted, his voice suddenly sharp with focus.

"Have I flirted with you?" he asked, his tone serious, cutting through the tension in the air like a blade.

Hisashi blinked, caught off guard by his directness. "Well, you were persistent about getting me to join the team—" she started, but Hen wasn't about to let her finish.

"That's not flirting," he clarified firmly. "That's recruitment."

The bluntness of his response made Hisashi's brows furrow slightly. Frustration tinged her voice as she shot back, "What do you want from me, then?"

"You're good at this," Hen replied, his grip tightening on the wheel. His voice softened, carrying a weight of sincerity. "What you do takes commitment and years of training. Few people have that kind of skill."

"So I'm just good at driving?" she countered, her question throwing him off balance.

Hen hesitated, his mouth opening slightly as if to speak, but no words came out. "Well, I—" he stammered, his usual smooth confidence faltering. "I don't know much about you, honestly."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, her voice gaining a pointed edge. "Do you need to know more to add me to your flirt list?" she asked, her gaze unwavering, pinning him to the spot.

"I—" Hen began, only to falter again, his words caught somewhere between explanation and defense.

Hisashi let out a soft scoff, her gaze drifting back to the road. "Well," she said, breaking the silence, "I enjoy gaming and cats, if you're looking to build a dossier. Or do you need something more specific, like my bra size?"

Hen's face turned an unmistakable shade of red. He shook his head, visibly flustered, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "That's not—" he began, his voice cracking slightly before he cleared his throat. "That's not what I meant."

"Then what do you need?" Hisashi asked, her tone softening, her earlier sharpness giving way to genuine curiosity.

Hen hesitated, his hands gripping the wheel tightly before he finally murmured, "Are you… interested in me?"

The air in the car seemed to still as her response came, her voice calm but laden with meaning. "What if I am?"

The weight of her words hung between them, and Hen felt the familiar burn of nervous energy churn in his chest. He bit his lip, his usual composure unraveling under the intensity of the moment. Hisashi studied him out of the corner of her eye, her curiosity deepening. Was this the same Hen Akoto she had come to know? The confident, charismatic leader that others spoke so highly of?

Her mind wandered to how different he was with her compared to the other team members. While he engaged with them casually, with her, the conversations had an edge of formality—focused on technicalities and tactics, things she was still learning but appreciated discussing. Yet now, alone in this car, he seemed disarmed, like he wasn't sure how to navigate her presence.

Hisashi couldn't suppress the question that gnawed at the edges of her mind: Was it her presence that made him act this way? And why? Other team members had shown interest in her before, but Hen… he was different. There was something deeper, more complicated.

Hen's fingers tightened slightly on the steering wheel, his usually confident demeanor unraveling under the weight of Hisashi's pointed questions. His pulse quickened as her last words echoed in the car: What if I am?

He stole a glance at her, noting how her expression remained unreadable, her gaze fixed out the window. The streetlights cast fleeting shadows across her face, accentuating her calm yet assertive presence. It was a side of her he hadn't fully appreciated until now—a mix of strength and vulnerability that made his heart race in a way he wasn't prepared for.

"You're full of surprises," Hen finally said, his voice quieter than usual, almost thoughtful. He let out a nervous chuckle, attempting to dispel the tension. "I thought you weren't interested in anything other than cars."

Hisashi turned to him, her brow raised. "Cars are easier to handle than people," she quipped. "They don't ask questions or give you that look."

Hen smirked despite himself, though his face still burned from her earlier comment about her bra size. "Fair enough," he admitted, his tone softening. "But people can surprise you too. Sometimes, in a good way."

Hisashi leaned back in her seat, her arms crossing as a sly smile played on her lips. "So, is this where you surprise me?" she teased, her tone laced with playful curiosity.

As they pulled into the parking lot, Hisashi's eyes scanned the area. The absence of the red Honda Civic brought a wave of relief, and she caught Hen letting out a subtle sigh of his own. Alexander sat a short distance away in his car, his face illuminated by the glow of his phone as he tapped away, his expression unreadable.

Hen shifted into park and pulled the brake, the soft hum of the engine fading into silence. Letting out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, he finally spoke. "I'm not sure I can pull off surprises as well as you do," he admitted, his voice tinged with an unfamiliar vulnerability. The words felt raw, honest—unlike the usual confident persona he wore like armor.

Hisashi tilted her head slightly, observing him, her amusement dimmed by the sincerity in his tone. Just as he reached for the door handle, she moved. Her fingers brushed against his forearm, feather-light but enough to stop him in his tracks. The contact sent a shiver up his spine, and he turned his head, startled.

She was leaning in. The proximity was electrifying, her warmth radiating as her chest hovered near his shoulder. Her dark eyes searched his, and for a moment, the world seemed to narrow down to just the two of them. Hen's breath caught as their lips brushed, unintentional yet charged with an intensity that made the air between them feel alive.

Time froze. Their lips barely touched, but the sensation was overwhelming, each heartbeat thundering in the stillness. Hen's senses were flooded with her presence—the faint scent of her citrusy perfume, the soft tickle of her breath. His pulse quickened, and before he could second-guess himself, he closed the distance, capturing her lips in a tentative, tender kiss.

The kiss deepened naturally, an unspoken agreement between them. Her lips were warm and inviting, the lingering hint of coffee making the moment even more intimate. Hisashi responded eagerly, her lips parting, inviting him closer. Their movements synchronized effortlessly, tongues meeting in a dance of curiosity and desire. The rest of the world faded, leaving only the sensation of their connection.

When Hisashi finally broke the kiss, her breath was uneven, her cheeks flushed a vivid pink. Hen's own breath was ragged as their eyes met. Reality crept back in, and Hisashi turned away, fumbling with the door handle. She swung the door open, the cool night air rushing in like a reminder of the world beyond their bubble. Without a word, she stepped out, leaving the door ajar as if she couldn't bear to fully sever the moment. Hen watched her, his gaze lingering on the crimson hue of her cheeks as she strode toward her car.

The roar of her Black Panther broke the silence, its engine growling to life before she sped off into the night, taillights disappearing into the darkness. Hen sat frozen, his fingers still gripping the steering wheel, his mind replaying the kiss over and over.

The sound of Alexander's approaching footsteps jolted him back to reality. "What the hell happened?" Alexander asked, leaning into the passenger window, his eyes darting to where Hisashi's car had disappeared.

Hen turned to him, his face still flushed, his lips tingling from the kiss. "I... I kissed her," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

Alexander's reaction was instant. He clutched his chest dramatically, his mouth falling open. "You WHAT?!" he exclaimed, his voice a mix of shock and amusement.

Hen groaned, burying his face in his hands. "It just happened, okay?"

Hen leaned back in his seat, replaying the events in his mind as his heart pounded fiercely. The memory of Hisashi's lips, the way they had tasted faintly of coffee, the warmth of her breath—everything about the moment was seared into his senses. He didn't dare look at Alexander, who was now leaning through the car window, his expression a mixture of shock and something akin to amusement.

"You kissed her?" Alexander repeated, his voice rising in disbelief. He gestured animatedly, his hand sweeping through the air as if trying to grasp the enormity of the situation. "You—Hen Akoto, the self-proclaimed emotionally untouchable leader of the DFurious Team—kissed her?"

Hen finally tore his gaze away from the spot where Hisashi's car had vanished into the night. "It... it just happened," he muttered, his voice a mix of awe and self-recrimination.

Alexander let out a short laugh, shaking his head. "Just happened? What, you tripped and your lips accidentally collided?" He paused, his eyes narrowing as he studied Hen's flustered expression. "Or was it something more?"

Hen hesitated, his fingers drumming nervously on the steering wheel. "She leaned in first," he admitted, though his voice lacked its usual confidence. "It wasn't planned, Alex. I didn't think—"

"You didn't think?" Alexander interrupted, his tone incredulous. "Hen, you never don't think. You're the guy who plans out every race, who knows every turn before you've even taken it. And now you're telling me you got caught off guard by a girl?"

Hen groaned, running a hand through his hair. "She's not just some girl," he said, his voice low but firm. "She's... different."

Alexander's teasing demeanor faltered for a moment as he picked up on the sincerity in Hen's tone. He leaned back, crossing his arms as a thoughtful expression replaced his earlier amusement. "Different how?" he asked, genuinely curious.

Hen sighed, his gaze distant. "I can't explain it. She's sharp, strong, and confident. But there's this... vulnerability about her. Like she's carrying more than she lets on." He paused, his voice softening. " She calls me out, challenges me.-"

Alexander laughed, "She doesn't let you get away with your usual bullshit."

"I... I like it."

Alexander stared at Hen, his mouth slightly open. "Wow," he said after a moment, his tone laced with mock seriousness. "I think you've actually caught feelings. Do we need to call a doctor?"

Hen groaned, rubbing his temples as if trying to will Alexander away. "You're impossible."

"Hey, I'm just saying," Alexander replied, his grin returning. "It's not every day you see Mr. Ice-Cold-and-In-Control turn into a flustered mess over a girl."

Alexander clapped him on the shoulder, his tone light but tinged with sincerity. "Welcome to the world of emotions, my friend. You're officially screwed."

Alexander laughed, clapping Hen on the shoulder. "Alright, alright. I'll give you a break—this is big news. The great Hen Akoto might actually be human after all." He stepped back from the car, his grin widening. "But, Hen, you've got a lot of explaining to do when she comes back. And trust me, she will come back."

Hen sighed, his mind still replaying the kiss, the feel of her warmth, the intensity of her gaze. As Alexander walked away, whistling a jaunty tune, Hen leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes.

"She's already in my head," he muttered to himself, a small, rueful smile tugging at his lips. "And I'm screwed."