Disclaimer: I own nothing but Jules and anything without a copyright symbol beside it. I also do not own any of the music or movies quoted in this except on DVD or CD.
Note: This story has nothing to do with the HOME series (there may be one still in production) but was a whim that I ran with. All opinions, reviews, etc. are appreciated. Enjoy!
Summary: "So why Tokyo?" She knew the answer but she wanted to know it from him. "No extradition." "So you're a regular cowboy? Bet your mama's proud." She replied as a joke and saw him smile as she swept her bangs from her face. "She is." Han had a thing for motorcycles, leather and pretty girls a long time before Giselle came around. Based on the song "You and I" By Lady Gaga, named after "Mama's Don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys" By Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings Spoilers for everything from Better Luck Tomorrow (where Han Lue is introduced to the criminal world) to all five Fast and Furious movies. So if I ruin it for anyone…sorry!
Playlist:
Wild World- Cat Stevens
Tokyo (Vampires and Wolves) – The Wombats
Chapter One- In which Juliet meets Romeo
If you love me let me go
Back to that bar in Tokyo
Where the demons from my past
Leave me in peace
The Wombats
It was hard to believe it was seven o'clock at night Juliet mused as she sat on her motorbike at the intersection. Bright lights lit the streets up ahead of her as she watched the lights on the other side change from green to yellow as a black SUV pulled up beside her, rap music playing loudly.
"They just don't stop having gangsta's in Japan." She muttered to herself and put the bike in gear and slowly eased off the clutch as the light flashed to green. Turning the throttle she shot forward away from the car and with ease moved in front of him.
By the time she reached her apartment building it the SUV was out of sight. Easing off the throttle she cruised down the ramp into the underground carpark and parked the bike in her spot. She sighed with relief of being home she undid the helmet and propped it on the handlebars of the bike before taking the keys and making her way towards the stairwell.
Her heavy boots slapped on the concrete stairs as she made her way up to the first floor and pushed the door open. The dodgy red carpet that lined the hallway was stained with all kinds of suspicious substances and the fluoro light above her head flickered as she stuck the key in the lock.
Kicking off her boots, Jules hit the playback button on the answering machine and unbuttoned her jeans, throwing them on the leather sofa in the corner figuring she'd clean it up later, even though that had been the plan for the last two weeks.
"Jules, hun, its mum. Checking to see my youngest is still alive. I love you darling." There was a loud beep and Jules stripped off her shirt.
"Jules- its me." Her cousins voice sang on the speaker, "please please please come out with me tonight. I'll pick you up at ten . Love you long time." Jules smiled as another beep followed. Looking down at her watch Jules sighed before heading to her bedroom and throwing the rest of her clothes in the washing basket before turning the water of the shower on in the her bathroom.
"Jules?" Juliet stuck her head out her bedroom door as her cousin opened the front door and walked in.
"Coming!" She yelled and looked in the mirror. The navy sequined bodice hugged her curves perfectly, stopping just short of her leather skinny leg pants. Pulling on her black suede heeled boots she grabbed her handbag and pulled her long dark hair up into a high pony tail. "Hey Neels." She said walking into the kitchen and hugging her cousin tightly. "How was school?"
"Boring as usual. How was work?" She asked as she tugged at the hem of her pale blue mini dress under her leather jacket.
"It was good- we cast the Calvin Klein models today." She grinned at the younger girl.
"Oh, I am so jealous." Neela laughed. "So are you ready? " Jules nodded and smoothed over her shirt.
"Come on lets go." She laughed and grabbed her keys before making her way out after locking the door.
The music could be heard from the bottom storey of the multi-plex carpark as Neela drove her car in and wound down her window to speak to the guy at the gate who then flicked a switch and let them in.
It was only Jules third time at the races since she'd arrived in Tokyo six months ago. Neela's boyfriend Takashi was the king of the races- a recent title-win. Until three months ago it had been held by another guy, until he took Takashi on and ended up ploughing into the side of a shopping mall. And that was my first races experience. Since then Drift King was a well-defended title now, with no one game enough to take him on.
Neela moved the baby blue Mazda RX-7 through the carpark easily and pulled up beside a crowd of kids about her age. The cars they were parked near were beautiful sleek machines of all different candy colours. She was in awe of the designs, most of them Nissans and Mazda's like Neelas. The Skylines were her favourite. They didn't have many of them back home, it was amazing to see so many in one place.
Jules walked beside Neela over to the group tugging self-consciously on the sequined bodice. "Guys you remember my cousin Jules." She said gesturing to her and Jules gave a small wave, making the bangles on her wrists jingle with the movement.
"Hi guys." She said quietly, suddenly feeling very out of place.
"Oh the Australian gal, I remember you. " The Japanese kid with the English accent said and Jules laughed.
"Yeah that's me."
"Come on, lets go find Takashi." Neela said and the rest of them followed her towards the two men leaning against the red Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution as Earl and a girl Jules vaguely remembered as being called Reiko argued about the credibility of the Evo. Neela was leaning into her boyfriends chest by the time they'd reached them . Takashi was talking to a bleach blonde haired guy about Neelas age and Jules realised that at sixteen in this country they were practically treated like adults.
"So Jules, love, where are you from down under? " Jules turned to answer him but stopped dead as she spotted the guy leaning against the blue Nissan Skyline behind Earl. Seeing her gaze Earl turned to look briefly at the person.
Jules had seen him the other times she'd been at the races, but he'd never spoken to her, and she hadn't been game to go near him, but there was something about him that drew your eyes to him. The thin, barely dressed girls hanging off him proved that. His jet black hair was short and pushed back off his face. There was a small grin on his face as he chewed on crisps that he was pulling one by one from the packet in his hand. He wasn't Japanese, she was sure of that, maybe Korean. She felt like the wind got knocked out of her as he turned to look in her direction, his brown eyes clashing with her hazel ones.
"Oh now we've lost her." Jules's head snapped back with embarrassment to Earl who was talking to Reiko.
"Huh?" Jules stammered.
"I said, close your mouth Jules. You're drooling." He teased. "That's Han Lue. He's a legend in these parts." Jules's eyebrows went up and she chanced another look at him, but he was talking to someone else and didn't see her.
"I was not drooling." Jules muttered and the two younger ones in front of her laughed in her face.
"That's what they all say." Was the last thing mentioned about Han before the race started.
Two hours later Jules found herself on the dancefloor amongst a group of people who were grinding and jumping to the music in the VIP room of some club that Neela had dragged her to.
"Hey Jules!" She heard her name called and turned around to see her cousin holding onto her boyfriends hand and waving her over. "Come on!" Pushing her way through the crowd Jules followed Neela and Takashi to the back of the club where they pushed through door and into a massive loft, filled with people. There were couches and bunks everywhere, people occupying every single one.
"Now the party's started." A slightly tainted American accent yelled and the three of them turned towards the couch where Han was sitting, his arms stretched along the back of the couch. "You want a drink? We've got beer, wine and everything in between." He said as a brazilian looking girl came and perched herself at his side, sipping on a champagne glass.
"You want anything?" Neela asked and Jules shook her head. She had to work the next morning and she could easily stay up all night and survive the next day as long as she didn't drink.
"Hey Neela who's your friend?" The blonde from earlier, said leering at Jules and she tried to hide the shivers that ran down her spine.
"Jules- Morimoto, Han and Gia." Neela said gesturing to the Brazillian girl on Hans lap. "This is Jules." Neela said gesturing to her and Jules smiled as sweetly as she could and waved , "Han owns this place." She added as an afterthought.
"Hey."
The room was soon engulfed in noise and Jules used the opportunity to head out onto the balcony out the back. She didn't realise how high up they were until from a spot a metre from the rail she could make out the people milling around in the city like little ants. She stuck her hands in her pockets to stop the shaking and stepped back another step. She'd always been incredibly afraid of heights, but she was enjoying the cool breeze that was whipping around her. It made her skin which was damp with sweat sting slightly so she dug her hands further into her pockets.
"It's hard to see way back there. " A voice said and she spun around to see Han standing behind her. She prayed that he couldn't hear her heart thumping out of her chest.
"I'm fine back here." She replied and looked back out over the city. Han walked past her, a packet of something in his hand and leant on the rail, looking over the edge.
"Suit yourself." He replied and plucked a crisp out of his bag and ate it, chewing slowly. Jules considered turning around and going back inside, but there was something about him that intrigued her and she hardly knew the guy. "So you're from Australia?"
He turned around to face her, his hand stuck in the packet of crisps.
"Yeah." She replied and shifted her hands in her pockets slightly.
"Where?"
"Queensland, Surfers Paradise." She muttered and shifted foot to foot. Jules hated talking about herself.
"I hear it's a pretty intense scene over there." He said coolly, the expression on his face never shifting far from bored.
"Nothing like here." Jules replied as Han held the packet of chips out to her and her eyes flickered from the bag up to his brown eyes which were watching her with interest. "Is this part of some weird initiation ritual where you decide what kind of person I am if I take the chips or not?" She asked finally getting a smile from him.
"Just offering." He said and went to retract his hand.
"No, wait." She was starving, she hadn't eaten anything for lunch and the chips were looking better and better by the minute. Hesitantly she stepped forward and stuck her hand in the packet before stepping back.
"You don't like heights?" Han asked as she put a chip in her mouth.
"What's to like?" She asked through a mouthful and covered her mouth quickly, realising how rude she was being, but Han still had that smirk on his face.
"The view." She smiled slightly at his answer and swallowed the food.
"Can see fine from back here." She repeated from earlier.
"Sure you can." He turned back to face the railing and leant against it, his elbows sitting on the top of the railing. "Just fine." He seemed to murmur as an afterthought and Jules was tempted to walk over and stand beside him. But she reasoned, if there was anything scarier than heights, it was strangers and heights. He could be a serial killer for all she knew, she told herself. But he was so good looking, and mysterious she rationalised. "You want something to eat?" Han stood up straight and knocked Jules out of her thoughts as he rose an eyebrow and waited for her to answer.
"I uh…what about Neela. And your guests?"
"I have a feeling they'll still be here when we get back." Jules let him lead her back into the loft and down the metal staircase to the garage below and Jules tried to hide her fascination with the amount of beautiful cars that were sitting there. Han opened the door of the blue skyline and gestured for her to get in. Jules paused briefly looking over at him with an amused smile on her face.
"I don't usually get into cars with strangers." A smile finally broke through on Hans face and perfect straight teeth were evident peeking out of his lips, which tilted up to one side.
"Who said anything about strangers?" He asked before getting in the car and turning the ignition over. Jules laughed, she could understand why people liked him so much now. Climbing in the car she shut the door just as Han spun the car backwards and they were driving out of the garage in a blur, Jules clinging to the door.
When they finally pulled up Jules let out a breath she didn't realise she was holding. Han didn't say anything, just opened the door and got out, leaning against the side of the car until Jules came to stand beside him. Then he was striding off across the road and she had to jog to keep up with him. Leading her into a restaurant and up to the counter he spoke to a big man behind it quickly in Japanese. Jules could pick up a few words he said. Big, shellfish and friend. But the speed was to hard to keep up with. Finally holding two boxes in hand he led her over to a booth and sat down, putting the boxes in front of him.
Jules sat across from him and took the chopsticks he extended to her.
"I hope you like shrimp." He said and she looked down at the food with an odd look on her face. "What?" he asked, seeming a little unsure of himself Jules noticed.
"Prawns. "
"What?"
"They're prawns." She said using her chopsticks to pick up a prawn.
"No they're shrimp." He replied and she shrugged, chuckling slightly.
"Prawns, shrimp, same difference mate." Jules watched as Han seemed to screw his face up and she failed to recognise it before grinned with amusement.
"Did you just call me mate?" he said it with a fake Australian accent. And caught so off guard by his reaction Jules burst out giggling. When she could finally breathe again she looked up at him again.
"I'm sorry its habit."
"No, it's funny. Neela's never said 'mate'." Han said, putting food in his mouth and chewing slowly.
"Oh so now you're making fun of me?" She asked, stabbing the food with her chopsticks and he shrugged in a silent maybe. "So what brought you to Tokyo?" Jules asked as she pushed the bangs off her face and leant on her chin on her hand as she rested her elbow on the table.
"A change of scenery." He replied the cool façade back in place.
"From?" she asked.
"Anywhere and everywhere." She knew when people didn't want to talk about their past, this was clearly one of those moments so she stayed silent. "What about you?"
"Work, I'm an assistant for a clothes designer over here."
"So you knew some of the girls there tonight?" He asked, not looking up from his food.
"Yeah, I've done a few jobs with some of them." He nodded and Jules watched his hair bounce with the movement, before his eyes caught hers, making her turn away trying to hide the blush crawling up her neck.
"And you like it here?" Jules bit her lip, trying to decide the best way to word it.
"I don't hate it, I just haven't experienced a lot of the city. I just work and sleep." She stabbed at her food again.
"We'll have to fix that." He said, pushing the carton away and standing up. He didn't say anything but Jules stood up and followed him back out to the car. Once they were seated he pulled out into the street and was speeding back to the garage.
A/N: If you hate I promise I won't write anymore…if you like it and want to have some input honestly fire away. All reviews are appreciated because Han is really hard to write so I fear there might be a bit of OOC going on in this. Moral of the story- review x
