Standard Disclaimer
I don't own The Fast And The Furious, Universal does. If anyone believes otherwise and decides to sue me, all I have is the wife, and you DON'T want her!
This is a story I've had buzzing around in my head for a while now. It is mainly OC, but there will be little references to the movie trilogy (quadrilogy, if rumours are to be believed) here and there. See if you can spot them!
The Fast and the Furious
The Crownless King
An Original Fan Fiction inspired by The Fast and the Furious
Chapter 1
"God, I need a smoke…"
Immigration had been an absolute nightmare. Three hours! Three hours wasted waiting in the longest queue he had ever witnessed only served to reinforce his hatred for air travel. Only now, after three bloody hours, did he emerge into the arrivals lounge, seeing his tiredness and annoyance reflected in the faces of the passengers who hustled and bustled past him, eager to return to their homes and their lives.
Even the blind could have seen that he was in a foul mood, a mood that only nicotine would correct. Fishing in his pocket for a desperately needed cigarette, he frowned even harder and cursed silently when he realized he had none. In the palm of his hand lay a Zippo lighter, some loose coinage and some car keys. Twirling the keys around on his finger, a smile of fond recollection grew on his face, the Nissan GT-R key ring glinting gently in the glare of the overhead lights.
Like a hot flush, his desire for a nicotine fix shook him from his reverie, and he glanced quickly around the lounge. Spying a vending machine that dispensed cigarettes, he inserted the last of his change and selected Marlboro Red. Hastily he grabbed the packet from the machine, tearing it open and raising a cigarette to his lips. He inhaled deeply as he lit it, shoulders sagging as he let out a long sigh of contentment, the wispy blue smoke drifting lazily into the air. He forcefully ran a hand through his messy chestnut hair, as if trying to massage the mental torture of customs directly out of his skull.
"I needed that…"
As he continued to puff, he retrieved a note of paper from his other pocket and began to read what was written upon it
I left my Audi at the airport car park for you. Just produce your passport at the office and they'll give you the keys. Your 'Baby' should sail into port a couple of days after you arrive, so be patient! I'll be away on business for a while so you can use my apartment for as long as you want, just make sure you get some groceries because I haven't had time to go food shopping. Take care and I'll see you at the wedding.
Oliver
He smiled to himself, Uncle Oliver always came through for him. At least there was just a little bit of good in this whole trip. Something halfway decent to drive! Taking the last drag on his Marlboro, he stubbed it out under his heel and started for the car park.
It was past 9pm by the time he arrived at his uncle's place of residence. Having to deviate into the city to buy food was hardly an unwelcome distraction. It had been over four years since he left town, so checking things out after being away so long sounded like a good idea. Until he got stuck in bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic, that was. He didn't feel the need or desire to complain. His uncle had extravagant tastes, which showed in the features of his Audi A8. The cream leather and pine wood interior, GPS navigation and MP3 sound system brought forth a silent chuckle of both appreciation and derision at his uncle's particular brand of automobile self-indulgence.
Anderson Heights was a visually impressive apartment block, a towering edifice constructed from concrete, glass and chrome perched on a mountain plateau overlooking the nearby bay. Apartments in this building were priced well beyond the norms, only fabulously wealthy people could afford to rent even the cheapest apartment, and his uncle owned the penthouse suite.
The grocery bags precariously balanced under his arms made it difficult to retrieve the keycard, but after some readjustment, he finally managed to get the door open before he spilled the contents of the bags all over the floor.
The place itself was exactly how he remembered it, having stayed with his uncle many times as a child. The décor of the apartment was similar to the interior of the Audi, all whites and creams with wood paneling and furniture. He spent the next few minutes unpacking, restocking the refrigerator and cupboards, and putting his limited amount of luggage in the wardrobes, before flopping down on the white leather sofa.
Countless things ran through his mind as he sat alone in the near darkness of the apartment, the only illumination coming from the harbour lights out in the nearby bay. He hoped he wouldn't have to stay too long, the sole reason he came back was for his sister's wedding, which wasn't for at least a month. It was only when Oliver told him about it that he had any inkling that his sister was getting hitched. Four years had passed since he had any communication with any of his family, bar his uncle, and during those years he had been determined to ensure that they could not find or contact him. It had taken much deliberation on his part to come to the decision to return. He couldn't begin to imagine how much hurt he had caused them, it wasn't their fault that he upped and left when they needed him the most, and nervous apprehension filled him at the thought of finally seeing them again.
He took a quick glance at his watch. It read 9.45pm. Jet lag was starting to take its toll, his eyelids were heavy, and the embrace of sleep was starting to slip over him. There was a little something he needed to do first, however, so he picked up the phone off the table and dialed a number. It rang for a few seconds before the other end picked up.
"Yo?"
"Momo?" he asked hesitantly.
"Who dis?"
"Seb…"
"Ho' shee-it!" The voice on the other end exclaimed loudly. "Seb! Where da hell yah been, bruh?!"
"Taking care of business," Sebastian answered quietly, deliberately. "Suffice to say I'm back in town for a while."
"Yah need summa da good stuff right?" Momo laughed in response. "Yah were always my best customer, lost a lotta business when yah jumped ship like dat. Yah picked da right day ta call, bruh. Got some fresh shit. Same amount as usual?"
"Indeed," Sebastian said. "Are you still at the same address?"
"Nah, bruh. Got myself my own crib down on Bluelake. Number 20."
"Okay, I'll be there shortly."
"Peace…"
"Sorry ta hear bout yah mom, bruh…" Momo said as Sebastian entered his apartment. "Yah sistah said yah took it real bad when she died."
"Yes," Sebastian replied morosely. "You don't know the half of it…"
"Its good ta see yah again, bruh. C'mon in 'n take a load off."
The two young men sat down in Momo's living room. On the table lay a large pile of cannabis, some electronic weighing scales and a pile of small plastic bags.
"So where yah been bruh?" Momo enquired as he measured out varying amounts of the green drug. "Been 'bout four years since I saw yah last."
"I just drove around," Sebastian mumbled. "I needed to be alone. Away from everyone and everything. I just roamed for a while, all over the world actually. I only came back for my sister's wedding."
"Which one?" A mischievous glint shone in Momo's eye.
"Helena."
"Hot damn!" Momo whooped. "Give my congrats ta da lucky sonovabitch who managed ta wifey her."
Finished with the weighing, Momo tossed Sebastian a freshly rolled blunt.
"Hit dat shit, yo…"
"Thanks." Sebastian lit up and inhaled a lungful, the cannabis almost instantly smashing him with its buzz. As they spoke, reminiscing about times gone by, they were abruptly disturbed by the muffled but still perfectly audible banging and raised voices that suddenly came from the ceiling.
"Not again, man!" Momo threw his hands in the air and grimaced.
"What?" Sebastian was curious.
"Sum punk ass dat lives upstairs," Momo explained with exasperation evident in his tone. "Always beefing wit his girl. Dat's da third night inna row."
"Right…"
"I dunno wat goes on in dat homie's head, bruh," Momo continued. "He's got one super fine honey, but he don't treat her right. If she was my shorty, I sure as hell wouldn't let her go to waste..."
"Speaking of going," Sebastian cut in, rising to his feet. "I've got to leave. Fourteen hour flights take their toll."
"No worries, bruh. Here."
Momo threw Sebastian a large white bag. The two men then shook hands and shared a friendly embrace.
"Anytime yah need a hit, let me know, bruh."
"Thanks Momo."
As soon as Sebastian closed the door to Momo's place and turned to walk away, a fast moving bundle of something, black and brown in colour, came hurtling down the stairwell and slammed straight into his chest. Instinctively Sebastian stepped back to steady himself, his arms coming up and grasping this something to prevent it from falling. Whatever it was that crashed into him was human sized and human shaped, and judging by its height and mass, he reasoned it was a girl.
She was a fair few inches shorter than him, the top of her head just under the level of his shoulders. Her long dark hair fell about her shoulders, and she was clad in a long black coat. She looked up at him, and he saw that she was extremely pretty, and although she appeared to be Caucasian, he could tell from her features that she was partly of exotic parentage or ancestry, maybe Japanese or Korean. For an instant their eyes met, hers red and stinging, full of tears, mascara and eyeliner smudged around the edges.
"I'm sorry," the girl sniffed, her voice cracking as she attempted to hide her face.
"Don't worry about it," Sebastian reassured her, "Accidents happen…"
From the top of the stairwell, a man appeared. His left cheek was a bright red hue, the trademark of a stinging slap, and livid scratch marks criss-crossed his face and exposed upper arms. He took one look at Sebastian and the girl, and predictably exploded.
"You still here, bitch?!?" The man screamed, his face contorted in undisguised rage. "Get the fuck outta here! I don't wanna see your face around here again!"
"Fuck you!" The girl hissed back. "Go back to that slut of yours!"
In a flash, the man came rushing down the steps, arms outstretched, poised to grip the girl's throat. Equally as fast, Sebastian placed himself between them.
"Think twice, my friend," Sebastian held his arms out in a non-threatening posture, blocking the man's path to the girl.
"I ain't your 'friend', buddy," The man responded, his voice dripping with violent intent. "And this ain't any of your business."
"That's true," Sebastian nodded, unfazed by the man's aggressive manner. "But it's late and I'm sure the rest of this building doesn't want to hear us beating seven bells out of each other. You don't honestly think I'm just going to stand here and watch you strangle a girl half your size, do you?"
From the look in Sebastian's eyes, the man could see he was serious despite the calm and even tone in his voice. A few uneasy moments passed, before the man spun on his heels and walked back up the stairs.
"Fuck her." He threw it as a parting shot, not even turning, waving his hand dismissively, "She'll keep…"
Sebastian let out a long breath of relief as he watched the man disappear up the stairwell. He was glad things didn't have to get physical; he wasn't really up for a fight, tired as he was.
"I'm glad that didn't get ugly, don't you think…"
As he turned to face the girl, he stopped in surprise. Save for him, the stairwell was empty.
He could see her now, moving along the pavement. He was quite impressed by the distance she had covered after bolting the way she did; he had been driving for about a minute or so and he could have sworn she was wearing high heeled shoes. Her walking pace was rather slow now however so Sebastian eased off the accelerator pedal, shifting down the gears and letting inertia carry the car forward. Moving up alongside the girl, Sebastian lowered the passenger side window.
"Excuse me?" He called out. "Are you alright?"
She didn't stop, turn, or even acknowledge his presence. Unperturbed, Sebastian continued to coast alongside her. It was raining hard now, the light drizzle that was just starting when Sebastian entered Momo's place had swiftly become a full-blown torrential downpour. He also noticed that the girl was carrying her shoes in her hand, one of them having a broken and useless heel.
"Hey!" Sebastian honked the horn as he brought the Audi to a halt and the girl promptly stopped.
She came to over to the Audi, lowering her head to the open passenger window. The rain had soaked her right though, her dark locks matted to the contours of her face.
"What do you want?" The girl asked curtly.
"Let me give you a lift," Sebastian offered. He didn't know why, but suddenly he had the urgent desire to help this girl. Maybe it was the weed…
"No thanks," the girl declined. "You've done enough already."
"Come on, seriously. It's pouring. You can't walk in this rain, especially with no shoes."
It was obvious to her that walking home in this deluge was a very unattractive option. Sensing progress, Sebastian pressed a little further.
"Where do you have to go?
"Greenfield," she answered.
"See, I have to drive through there. It's far to walk."
She didn't respond, and just stood there, seeming to mull over his offer. After about a minute without reply, Sebastian simply shrugged. He wasn't going to push her. He didn't know her, she didn't know him. It was certainly a long shot to expect her to just get in the car with some complete stranger, no matter how chivalrous he may appear.
"Okay, look," Sebastian said, "I can understand if you don't want a lift, at least let me give you an umbrella so you don't get soaked any further."
Sebastian pulled an umbrella off the Audi's back seat and offered it to her through the open window. The girl moved to take the umbrella, but as her hand closed around it, she seemed to hesitate.
"How do I know you won't kidnap me," the girl asked. "Or that you won't drive me to the woods and rape me?"
"What do you take me for?" Sebastian couldn't believe she was serious, but his voice carried no indication of offence or outrage. "Some sort of kerb-crawling rapist? Have it your way then…"
Sebastian withdrew the umbrella, tossing it over his shoulder and hit the button to raise the passenger window. Just as his hand hovered over the gearshift, he was interrupted by frantic finger tapping on glass. Her fingers curled over the rim of the window as Sebastian lowered it again.
"I take it you've reconsidered?"
"Okay," the girl finally nodded. "I'll take that offer."
"Okay," Sebastian flicked the switch that unlocked the passenger door, bidding her enter.
He was trying to stay focused on the road, but every so often he would steal a sideways glance at his passenger, just to make sure she was really all right, more than anything else. It was easy to understand why she had been quiet and reluctant to talk, but he had been driving for a full twenty minutes and she hadn't uttered a single word, no matter how many times he pressed her. She just lay there, curled up in the chair, her back to him like she was asleep. He reasoned she was tired, and not just physically. She was still sopping wet though, and he found himself hoping that the leather of the seat wouldn't be too badly damaged. Oliver would be sure to bitch him out...
"She's going to have to talk to me sometime," Sebastian voiced his thoughts out loud without realizing. "If she wants me to let her out in the right place."
Almost immediately, he felt her eyes upon him.
"I'm sorry…" She finally said.
"It's alright."
"No it's not," she continued, "I didn't thank you for what you did back there."
"No need," Sebastian shook his head. "I'm sure anyone else would have done the same. Besides, I can appreciate your intolerance of my gender right now. Your boyfriend doesn't seem like the loving and tender type."
"He used to be," The brunette muttered, the tears threatening to well up again. "Until he started winning the races... Then he started cheating on me with those race skanks. I really loved him, but lately I guess he just stopped caring... People would always tell me he was cheating, but I didn't want to believe it. Then tonight I caught him with his pants down... Literally..."
"Then he is a fool," Sebastian concluded, never taking his eyes off the road ahead. "If he could disregard your feelings for him, then he wasn't worthy of receiving them to begin with. He doesn't sound like a very clever person if he allowed himself to be caught in the act, so maybe you're better off without him."
"You know, it's funny." She began with a slight smile, idly running her slender fingers up and down the supple leather of the seat. "Here I am accepting a ride from a complete stranger and spilling my guts to him about my failed relationship. I don't even know your name."
"Maybe strangers make the best listeners," Sebastian offered. "But, for the record, my name is Seb... Short for Sebastian."
"I'm Naomi."
"Nice to meet you Naomi," he reached over with his right hand and offered it to her. Her hand was cold and clammy to the touch so he switched on the heater. As he did so, she quickly unbuttoned her heavy and waterlogged overcoat before tossing it onto the back seat.
Underneath said coat she wore a camouflage green v-neck t-shirt with a matching miniskirt. Both items of clothing featured the trademark triple parallel stripes of the Adidas label, their burnished gold colour contrasting nicely with the green of the material.
Sebastian had spent some time in the Far East and to him; the girls there were amongst the most beautiful women he'd ever been fortunate enough to behold. Naomi was one hell of a fine example, and Sebastian surrendered to his basic male impulses, taking the opportunity that he lost before to make a more detailed inspection.
She ran her hand through her damp, matted hair, trying to extricate any remaining moisture from her locks. Granted, it looked like shit now because of the rain, but it had looked stunning when he first laid eyes on her in the stairwell. Long, wavy, and jet-black, falling about her head and shoulders in a cascade of silky darkness. Her face was a portrait of statuesque beauty, the kind that a lot of other women would gladly part with cold, hard cash to obtain.
Without instruction from his brain, his eyes continued their journey south. They were drawn to the pinpricks of light reflecting from the delicate silver chain around her neck, the attached crystalline pendant resting at the peak of her ample cleavage. She was quite well endowed, but not disproportionate. Moving further down, slender, toned legs emerged from beneath her skirt, ending in small, dainty feet. The remains of her broken heels lay next to them in the foot well.
"Sorry," Sebastian apologized, snapping out of his ogling session. Hopefully she didn't notice him eyeing her up. "Maybe I should have switched the heating on earlier."
"Its okay," Naomi reassured him. She hadn't appeared to notice. "This is a nice car."
"It does the job," Sebastian answered with a slight air of nonchalance.
"Are you from around here?" She inquired, shifting her body around in her seat to face toward him.
"I'm just staying with an uncle," Sebastian told her. "I'm here on some family business."
"Does that family business include playing white knight to damsels in distress?"
Sebastian couldn't suppress a smile.
"Not really, women aren't one of my strong points."
"Come on, don't say that," Naomi chided. "You're a good-looking guy, English accent, good manners, nice ride…Girls go for that kind of thing."
"You would think…" Sebastian mused. He had an expression of genuine regret on his face. "That the qualities you describe would appeal to women. They've never worked for me…Maybe I just don't know how to use them to my advantage."
Sebastian mentally slapped himself after those words left his lips. He must be stoned as fuck. What the bloody hell was he doing? He didn't know this girl from Eve, and yet here he was giving her insight into his relationship history! She probably thought he was being witty or self-pitying or charming or modest or whatever personality traits the world associated with the English character.
What surprised him the most was that when he spoke, he was being completely open and honest. Sebastian was in no way a liar, but he wasn't exactly the most warm and friendly person either. Who was she to deserve such openness from him? Sebastian had never been emotionally expressive; some people he had met would label him as cold, unfeeling, non-verbal…
In the end, he decided that his loose tongue was down to how gorgeous she was. He wasn't lying when he told her he was shit with girls. Sure, good looks, money, nice cars and good manners were indeed advantageous in the pursuit of women, but being confident and comfortable in their company was equally important. Sebastian possessed plenty of the former, but little, if any, of the latter. Still, he'd spoken more words to her in the last thirty minutes than he had to any one girl in the last four years and in his mind that was progress enough.
Stopping at a red light, Sebastian took another quick look at her as he waited for the signal to change. She was holding a cosmetic's compact up in front of her face, re-applying her spoiled make-up. Her eyes were still slightly red, but she seemed over the worst of her distress. Content the she was in a better state now than when he picked her up; he put the car into gear and accelerated past the now green traffic light.
"Turn in here…"
Sebastian did as instructed, turning the wheel in the direction of Naomi's pointing finger. The Audi turned off the street, dipped down a ramp and emerged out into an underground car park. Naomi pointed over to an empty space over on Sebastian's right.
"Park there, Next to the Beemer."
Occupying the space next to the empty one was a heavily customized BMW Z4M Coupe Convertible. Decked out with an iridescent red and pink paint job and elaborate vinyls, Sebastian whistled in appreciation.
"Nice car, is it yours?"
"It belongs to my roommate; she must be back early…" Naomi said, opening the passenger door. She turned to face him before she exited the car proper.
"Listen… If you're staying in town and you've got some free time… Maybe we could meet up? I'd like to say thanks for the ride."
"That sounds good,"
"I work at Silky Smooth," Naomi continued. "It's a club down on Whitesand Boulevard. Come on Saturday night and I'll fix you a drink."
"Silky Smooth on Saturday night it is then," Sebastian agreed.
"Good," Naomi said, getting out of the car. "Bye, bye Sebastian…"
He watched her as she walked across the garage floor toward the nearby elevator, her shapely hips sashaying elegantly from side to side. The elevator car was already there, the doors opening almost as soon as the call button was pressed. She flashed him a smile as she disappeared into the waiting machine. A smaller, but similar smile was etched on Sebastian's features as he reversed out of the parking space.
"Maybe coming back wasn't so bad after all…"
No less than twenty minutes after Sebastian's departure, the sound of another car filled the once quiet parking area. The BMW M3 GTR that descended the ramp was also heavily customized, scintillating blue merging into midnight black in a complex but aesthetically pleasing pattern over its streamlined body kit. The BMW turned into the space next to its smaller compatriot, the powerful engine revving up a few times before falling to a dull throbbing sound as the driver shut off the car.
Grabbing a thick roll of bank notes from the dashboard, the driver opened the door and got out of the car. Tall, with lightly tanned skin and gelled dark hair, he wore a black shirt with dark leather pants. He strode purposefully across the car park, remembering to activate the BMW's alarm system, before getting into the elevator.
Naomi stood in front of the bathroom mirror clad in a cream dressing gown, rubbing her freshly washed hair with a towel. Thoughts of the young man who had saved her from the violent intent of her ex and given her a ride home occupied her mind. A smile broke out over her face as she remembered how he would give her sideways glances when he thought her attention was elsewhere, and the flush of embarrassment that would rise in his cheeks after he did so, as if he was admonishing himself for being a pervert and ogling some girl he just met.
Thoughts of his cheeks logically progressed to thoughts of his entire face. Judging by his physical size and deepness of voice coupled with his obvious driving ability, she guessed that Sebastian was probably around the early to mid-twenties mark. He was boyishly handsome, like a teenager. Not one wrinkle, not one sign of crow's feet, no beard or five-o'clock shadow marred his features. He would probably look that way for years to come, if Time was kind to him.
She studied her own reflection in the mirror as she continued her personal grooming. She was indeed beautiful, the fruit of a union between a Japanese mother and an American father. She had the almond-shaped eyes, raven-black hair and pale complexion of the Japanese, but her bust and curves were more befitting a Western female.
Suddenly, a frown grew on her reflection's brow. She'd just split up with her boyfriend, and the fact that she perfectly welcomed and enjoyed having another guy check her out made feel just a little twinge of guilt. Said guilt was quickly erased when she thought about the circumstances. If Walsh was too much of a dick to appreciate what she had to offer and another guy did; then fuck Walsh. Sebastian's wandering eyes had done much to soothe her wounded ego.
"Sounds good," a female voice suddenly called from beyond the open bathroom door, jarring Naomi away from her thoughts. "What did you say his name was?"
"Sebastian," Naomi shouted as she left the bathroom, padding silently down the short corridor that led to the living room. Sitting on the couch, attention focused on the music video playing out on the television in front of her, was another girl. She had long, flaxen blonde hair, and was wearing a red tank top and pink shorts, her knees drawn up to her chest. A tub of ice cream lay of the sofa next to her, and she took a spoonful every so often. At the same time, they heard a key turning in the front door, and after a moment the driver of the BMW entered the room.
"How are my two favourite girls this fine evening?" The man beamed jovially, wearing an expression that told them he was well pleased with himself.
"Hi, Tobias," Naomi greeted him with a smile.
"Hey, baby," the girl on the couch reached up with her arms. Tobias moved over to her, leaning down to receive her embrace together with a sharp, but passionate kiss.
"Nice," Tobias grinned, licking his lips. "Chocolate Chip flavour Marissa."
"I'm always sweet for you, baby," Marissa answered, refocusing on the television. Tobias walked over to Naomi, who was now combing her hair. He leant down, snaking his arms around her shoulders from behind, his lips lightly brushed her cheek.
"How you doing tonight, Naomi?"
"I'm okay," Naomi smiled.
"She dumped Walsh…" Marissa muttered through a mouthful of ice cream. "Got herself a new man, too! All in the same night! I didn't think she could work it that fast…"
Naomi poked her tongue out at the perceived slight. Marissa just smirked.
"No shit?!?" Tobias' eyes widened in surprise and he released Naomi, rising to his full height. "Bout time…Walsh is a good driver, but I never liked how he let all those race skanks drool all over him. Egotistical sonovabitch. I always thought Naomi was too hot for him anyway."
Naomi smiled at the compliment as Tobias planted a kiss on the top of her head.
"Talking of races," Marissa piped up again. "You're back early?"
"Yeah, just one tonight." Tobias grinned, brandishing the wad of banknotes. "Smoked some punk thinking his Mustang was the bomb. Earned a couple'a stacks too."
Tobias leant against the back of the sofa, reaching down for the ice cream tub. Marissa took umbrage with this, and for a few moments they playfully fought over the dessert, before Tobias settled for sticking his finger in the tub and scooping some out.
"So who is this new man of yours, Naomi," Tobias licked the ice cream off his finger. "Anyone we know?"
"I met him today," Naomi explained. "His name is Sebastian."
"Sebastian?" Tobias curiosity was instantly piqued and for an instant, a flash of recognition passed over his face. Naomi either didn't see or didn't understand this look, but when Tobias looked at Marissa, he saw the same recognition on her face also, and she nodded almost imperceptibly.
"I'm going to meet him at the club on Saturday night," Naomi continued. "I want to introduce him to you guys too. He seems like a nice guy"
Tobias nodded. If this 'Sebastian' Naomi was talking about was the same 'Sebastian' he was thinking about, Saturday night would be very interesting indeed….
To Be Continued...
Well there it is! Chapter One! Hope you like it and please reveiw if you want to! Second chapter coming soon!