Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"How are you feeling?" Hoseok asked. He was sitting across from you in a secluded room far away from the waiting crowd and roaring cars. You'd slipped back there to pull your jumpsuit on, and Hoseok followed to make sure you weren't about to run away. He saw how nervous you were even before you realized how bad it'd gotten. But as soon as you were away from the crew, the car, and the excited people waiting for the race to begin, it hit you like a ton of bricks.

"Not great," You admitted, dropping your head into your hands.

"You've got this. You know that, right?" Hoseok stretched an arm out and put it on your shoulder reassuringly. You appreciated the gesture, but it did little to quell the twisting of your gut. When you didn't respond right away, he dropped his arm with a sigh. "You're incredible behind the wheel--you haven't lost a race on the street for years, why is this any different? Now stand up, we're on a schedule."

You nodded. Hoseok was always like this. Ever since the night he showed up to watch one of your illegal races, beaming from ear-to-ear as he held out his card, he was blunt and to the point, without being unkind. You stood and squared your shoulders--he was right, it was nearly time for the race to start and you should be down there with your crew.

"I'm sponsoring you for a reason," Hoseok noted as he straightened your dark blue jacket. It had his company's name--Jung Publishing Inc.--in bold letters across the back, and with any luck, after today it would have some other names beside it. "Don't let me down." You nodded, hopping in place to get some of your pent up energy out. This was the chance you'd been waiting for, and you could blow it in a matter of hours. "By that, I really mean don't wreck the car . No one wins their first race--this is just to get your name out there."

Hoseok picked up your helmet, inspected it, then shoved it at you with a little more force than what was necessary.

"Make 'em remember you, okay?"

--

The race passed in a blur. The stands were packed, but they faded away the moment you were strapped into your car.

"Good luck," The leader of your crew, Taehyung, said with a trusting smile. You hardly heard him, however. Your heartbeat was drowning out any and all other noise, making it impossible to follow what Hoseok then said to you.

The next thing you knew, you were on the track and the light was yellow. Your hands were sweating under your gloves, and the collar of your uniform suddenly felt far too tight. But then the light was green, and suddenly nothing else mattered; you were free.

The stands faded away, along with the pressure to succeed. You were in control of this situation, and it felt amazing . It was the same feeling you used to get when you started street racing--like nothing could bring you down.

You came in second, but only by a hair. First place went to number 45, a man whose name you didn't bother to learn. The disappointment hardly had time to settle in before Taehyung and Jimin were pulling you away from the car with delighted yells. You didn't see what they were so happy about--you hadn't won, after all. But you were pulled onto the little stage and given an even smaller trophy, and Taehyung shoved a bottle of champagne into your hands. Someone reached for your helmet, but you swatted them away quickly, remembering what Hoseok said;

"Don't let them know who you are, for now. It might make things interesting."

You had no clue what he meant by it, but he was the one spending hundreds of thousands of dollars for you to race, and you weren't about to argue with him.

Eventually, after a few reporters had taken pictures and Hoseok decided that you'd been social enough for now, you were lead to where your car was getting loaded onto a truck.

"I can't tell you how proud I am," Hoseok said as you started to remove your helmet at long last. It got stuffy and unpleasant after a while, and you were ready for a glass of that champagne anyway. You were about to respond when his eyes widened and he shoved the thing back down on your head. You turned to see what he was so startled by and saw none other than Jeon Jungkook--the man who was dubbed the "Golden Boy" because that's all he ever won--gold. You knew more about him than you'd like to admit, but you blamed that on the fact that everyone in the motorsport world loved him. He was in every car magazine out there, every news article related to races, and was even interviewed on "Good Morning America" to discuss his record-breaking talent. You planned to take him down eventually and ruin his winning streak, and this wasn’t how you pictured your first encounter.

"Mr. Jeon!" Hoseok said, clearly taken aback. Jungkook wasn't in the race--it was for beginners, rookies who needed to be broken in. Jungkook was light years above that. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

You hated to admit it, but he was even better looking in person than he was in the pictures. There was something about the twinkle in his eyes, the set of his jaw, that the camera just didn't do justice.

"I watched the race. Your driver's impressive." He said, though his tone suggested something else. He sounded mildly irritated, as though saying the words was a chore.

You had no idea what to say, so you let Hoseok continue to do the talking for you. Had he just complimented you?

"Thank you. I think I picked a damn good driver to sponsor, if I do say so myself," Hoseok still looked as though he didn’t know what to think of his presence. 

"But he's sloppy," Jungkook continued flatly, walking passed Hoseok to stand in front of you, his arms crossed. He stood a good head taller than you, but you didn't flinch or step back. "Don't break while you're turning," He said, his voice as cold as ice. You weren't sure how he even knew you'd done it--you yourself had all but forgotten it happened. You knew better, but halfway through the race you overestimated your car in a turn and felt the control slipping out of your fingertips. "You panicked, right?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Panicking will get you killed out there. Keep practicing."

With that, he left.

"I should have asked him for an autograph!" Taehyung whined once he was gone.

---

Previous to Hoseok sponsoring you, your primary source of income was money you made off of bets both for and against you on the street. Hoseok made it clear, however, that all of that had to stop if he was going to back you--he couldn't afford to get caught up in that kind of legal scandal. He gave you a choice, and you took the obvious option to get you out of the life you were stuck in.

He promised he would get you another job, something honest to help pay the bills until you started making money--which you knew, realistically, could very well be never. You weren’t sure what you thought he had in mind initially, but you weren’t expecting him to get you a job working for the cafe at the race track. It was set up high enough to overlook the track, giving the customers a nice view of anything going on. It was usually pretty empty, according to Hoseok. Only the people paying to drive their car around the track, and often their friends, came in on a normal day.

“You know this is where Jungkook practices,” Hoseok had said after introducing you to your new boss. It didn’t quite feel right, getting a job without a proper interview, but Hoseok apparently had connections everywhere. “Watch him, if you get the chance. See what he does differently. You could learn a lot from him.” 

You figured Hoseok was right about that--you could learn Jungkook's weaknesses, so when you raced against him you had a better chance of winning. 

Two weeks passed before you finally saw him, and even then it wasn’t the car he took racing. It was his personal car, a Maserati he’d named Felix. He had the track to himself--something you couldn’t afford, and neither could Hoseok--so you got a clear view of what he was doing. It didn’t do you as much good as Hoseok had hoped. All Jungkook did was drift and do doughnuts in the flat areas. It seemed like a horrible use of track time to you.

His manager sat by the window of the cafe, sipping tea and muttering to himself as he too took in the sight below. You were fairly sure you’d heard his name was Seokjin, but weren’t completely sure. Despite his apparent annoyance with Jungkook, he was polite to you.

“Such a waste of talent,” He sighed at one point while you refilled his teacup.

“Sorry?” You asked, although you were fairly sure he wasn’t really talking to you.

Seokjin nodded out the window at the spinning car. “Him,” Was all he said. You could only assume he was talking about Jungkook and driving, in which case you disagreed. Jungkook was insanely talented behind the wheel, and made that talent work for him.

After an hour or so Jungkook joined his manager, though judging by his expression it wasn’t entirely by choice.

“Stalking me now, Seokjin?” He asked as he sat down across from his manager, one eyebrow raised.

“You weren’t answering your phone.” Seokjin shrugged, stirring his tea idly. You weren’t sure if you should interrupt or not, so you busied yourself clearing a table while the two talked.

“It didn’t occur to you that I wasn’t answering my phone because I didn’t want to talk?” Jungkook slumped back in his chair, looking out the window rather than at Seokjin.

The table you were cleaning was now spotless, but the curiosity to hear the rest of the conversation drove you to wipe it down one more time to stall.

“You can’t just text me ‘I quit’ and disappear!” Seokjin finally snapped. Your eyes widened at this--Jungkook couldn’t quit! Not until you won in a race against him, anyway. Seokjin took a deep breath to regain his composure, turning to you. “Can I have more tea?”

You nodded, realizing that your presence wasn’t as discreet as you’d hoped. “Can I get you anything?” You asked Jungkook, who only shook his head.

“He’ll have strawberry bubble tea with extra boba, no ice,” Seokjin said. You had no choice but to miss a great portion of their conversation after that. When you came back with their tea, both men seemed to have relaxed considerably.

“It’s settled then. You’ll finish the season,” Seokjin was saying as you placed the drinks in front of them. He downed his tea in one go and stood, dropping the cash for their drinks on the table as he did so. “Pick up your phone, next time!” He called as he walked away, leaving you dumbfounded for a moment.

“You’re really going to quit?” You asked, unable to help yourself. Jungkook looked as though he’d only just realized your presence and gave you a somewhat shy smile.

“You heard that, huh?” He said, picking up his straw and twirling it absently.

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop…” You started, but he shook his head with a chuckle.

“Seokjin wasn’t exactly quiet about it,” He muttered. His demeanor was entirely different from when you met him after your first official race. He now seemed almost bashful and a little awkward, all of his bravado gone. “I’d appreciate if if you didn’t mention it to anyone, though. Nothing’s set in stone, and--”

“No, of course I won’t,” You said quickly. You bit your lip, knowing that you should leave him alone, but unwilling to walk away just yet. “Look, I--I know it isn’t any of my business, but I don’t understand--”

“Why I would quit?” Jungkook finished. He was still smirking but you didn’t miss the hint of sadness in his eyes. “I’m not really sure either, to be honest. It just… Hasn’t felt right, lately. It’s not as much fun as it used to be. Seokjin thinks it’s because I haven’t lost in a while.” He suddenly seemed aware of what he was saying and gave an embarrassed laugh. "Sorry, not sure why I just told you that..."

You could understand that, at least to an extent. Before Hoseok signed you, street racing was getting dull. You weren’t sure what happened to you during your first real race, the nerves got to you more than they ever had, but the rush you missed so much was back.

“So you’re going to walk away just because you’ve had a bad few months?” You couldn’t help the irritation seeping into your voice. It wasn’t your place to judge him, you didn’t know him, and you knew that. But he didn’t seem too happy about his quitting, either.

Jungkook looked slightly taken aback for a second, then chuckled. “Why do you care so much? Are you a fan?” His mood seemed to be improving slightly, and you felt your ears heat up.

“I’ve been waiting all this time for someone to beat you, and I’m going to be pretty damn disappointed if you quit before I’ve seen you lose a race.” You said curtly.

“I’ll take that to mean that you aren’t a fan, then,” Jungkook said dryly.

“Not exactly,” You muttered, suddenly aware that you were still taking up his time. “Sorry for bothering you, I’ll let you enjoy your drink.”

You started to turn away, but Jungkook sat up straight suddenly. “Wait--when do you get off work?”

You blinked before checking your watch. “About two hours. Why?”

Jungkook suddenly looked very shy, glancing at his hands instead of at you directly. “Are you doing anything? If you are, that’s fine, I just. Liked talking to you, but it's fine, forget I said anything, nevermind.” He backtracked so fast it took you a moment to decide what it was he was trying to say.

"I've actually got something planned..." You started. Taehyung had sent you a text saying he'd finished re-doing the breaks on your car and that he wanted you to try them out. Jungkook nodded, turning an even brighter shade of pink. "But my break is in ten minutes if you want to stick around till then," You finished. Getting to know your competition might not be so bad, after all. 

Chapter Text

Having coffee with the competition would have been weird under most circumstances, but it was somehow stranger knowing that Jungkook had no idea that that was what you were. The one time you’d “interacted” with him--which could hardly even be called as such--you hadn’t said a word to him, and your dark visor shielded your face from view. You considered, briefly, coming clean about who you were as soon as possible, but didn’t for several reasons. The biggest of which was that Hoseok didn’t want anyone outside of your team knowing your identity, and you weren’t about to go against his advice when he was the one allowing you to race.

The other reason was more selfish. The side of Jungkook you met at your first race was cold and aloof, and that part of him was unlikely to chat casually and let you get to know him. But this one, the shy and a little nervous, slightly awkward man was a different story; he was sweet and open, and much more willing to have a conversation. You guessed that telling him you were the driver from that day wouldn’t do you any favors, which only reinforced keeping your mouth shut. You weren’t entirely sure if this was entirely ethical, but it wasn’t really lying unless he asked, right? 

You decided not to think about it too much. 

“Sorry for taking over your break,” Jungkook said when you sat down across from him. You shook your head, waving off the comment.

“I didn’t have anything better to do,” You joked, taking a sip of your coffee as you watched his ears turn an even brighter pink. You hated to admit it even to yourself, but he was kind of cute.

“I have a serious question for you,” Jungkook said, though nothing in his tone made you think he meant it. “If you’re not a fan, why do you know who I am? And why do you want to see me lose?”

You shrugged. “You’re kind of hard to avoid,” You said bluntly. “I mean, your face is everywhere in the motorsport world. Everyone who follows anything about cars knows who you are, it’s inescapable.”

“I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not, but I’ll take it,” Jungkook laughed.

“Whatever, golden boy,” You snorted. “Anyway, I’m looking forward to seeing the headlines about the driver that finally beats you.”

You weren’t sure what you expected from your brutal honesty, but it wasn’t for Jungkook to grin ear to ear.

“You know what I think?” He leaned both elbows on the table as he sat forward. You didn’t budge in your own seat, raising an eyebrow for him to continue. “I think you’re secretly a fan. I’d bet money that you’ve seen at least five of my races in person.” He picked up his bubble tea and sipped it as he waited for your response, his eyes twinkling with a smug humor.

“I wasn’t there to see you,” You didn’t feel like lying to him, but you were most certainly not a fan. The first two races you’d seen him compete in, you went with your best-friend and housemate, Jimin. He had insisted that this was the sort of racing you should be doing, not the illegal stuff you were involved in at the time. The other three times, you were dragged there by Hoseok, who told you to take notes.

“Sure,” Jungkook mimicked you from earlier, then changed the subject. “So can I know your name?”

You almost said no, just because it was fun to mess with him, but before you could do anything, you were interrupted by Hoseok’s voice.

“Y/n! It’s working!” He announced, striding through the cafe as though he owned the place. He was beaming, as he often did, but this time it seemed a little more genuine than some days. There was a bounce in his step and a folded newspaper in one of his hands. You suspected he’d come there straight from work, judging by his vest and tie. He stopped when he saw you sitting with Jungkook, giving you a quizzical look.

“Hey, Hoseok,” You cleared your throat as Hoseok started walking over to the two of you. Jungkook sat back in his chair, putting some distance between the two of you.

“Hey,” Hoseok said slowly. You gave him a little shake of your head that you hoped Jungkook wouldn’t notice, but luckily Hoseok did. “Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt anything. I’ll...Wait over there.” He looked back and forth between you and Jungkook one last time before walking to sit on the other side of the restaurant.

“You know him?” Jungkook asked.

“Do you?” You deflected the question, not sure how to answer it yourself.

“Sort of,” Jungkook looked over his shoulder at the man who was now busy typing something on his phone. “He’s been looking for a driver “worthy” enough for him to sponsor for years, so I’ve talked to him a few times.” A sense of pride washed over you, knowing that you were the exact driver Hoseok wanted. “He’s weird, that’s for sure. But I suppose all that time paid off.”

This caught your interest. “How so?” You prompted him to continue.

“The driver he’s got has potential. Bit of an ass, though. He didn’t say a word to me when I met him.” Jungkook shrugged, and you smiled. “So how do you know Hoseok?” You tried to think of an excuse that wasn’t “he’s sponsoring me,” and hesitated. “Are you two… Close?”

It would be easy to have missed the slight change in his voice, the way his eyes glanced away from you for a split second. He thought you and Hoseok were dating.

“Oh, no, it’s not like that,” You said quickly, though you weren’t sure why it was so important that he know this. “He’s just--we’re not,” You tripped over your words as you tried to think of what to say.

“It’s none of my business, sorry--” Jungkook started, but you shook your head.

“We’re cousins,” You blurted, and Jungkook blinked. “Second-cousins. Once removed.”

“Oh,” Jungkook looked rather relieved to hear this and relaxed with a bit of an embarrassed laugh.

You glanced at the clock on the wall and realized that your break was over in five minutes and you still needed to talk to Hoseok. “I have to go…” You said, though you were reluctant to do so.

“Oh. Yeah, of course,” Jungkook nodded, biting his lip as you stood. “Could I--could I get your number?”

You studied him for a moment, realizing that he genuinely seemed to enjoy talking to you. What was more suprising was how much you liked talking to him, though. 

“Sure, why not?” You held out your hand for his phone. It couldn’t hurt. After typing your number in and handing his phone back, you said a quick goodbye before heading over to where Hoseok sat.

“I’ll see you around,” Jungkook smiled and gave you a little wave as he left.

Hoseok was waiting with one eyebrow raised, looking like he was ready to ask a million questions.

“Comparing driving techniques?” He looked back at his phone as you sat down.

“He doesn’t know who I am,” You said quickly. “We just sort of… Started talking, I guess.”

“Right. Good,” Hoseok said, unfolding the magazine he brought with him and laying it in front of you. “Because if he found out who you are now, it’d ruin it.”

“Ruin what, exactly?” You asked, but turned your attention to the article he pushed towards you.

“Nameless Rookie Wows Crowd With Surprising Skill,” Hoseok read out loud, jamming a finger at the picture of you holding your second place trophy. Though, no one but you and a handful of people would know it was you--the shapeless blue jumpsuit did nothing to show off your figure, and your helmet and tinted visor completely shielded your face from view. You were the most ambiguous person you’d ever seen in a car magazine--and the author of the article focused on that fact. Nevermind your skill-level, what the whole little blurb was about was, to put it simply, asking “who the hell is this guy, and why doesn’t he want us to know?”

“It’s great, right?” Hoseok grinned, but you didn’t return the favor.

“I don’t know, Hoseok…” You started, thinking about it. “It isn’t about how well I did--plus, it kind of pisses me off that they just assume I must be a man.”

Hoseok sighed. It was that sigh he gave you whenever you didn’t catch on to what he was saying or planning fast enough. “It’s attention,” He stressed. “Exactly what you need! And can you imagine the press when you eventually reveal your identity? It’ll go far beyond the motorsport world. We keep this mystery up, let them think you’re a guy if they want to, and after you’ve made a name for yourself, you take off your helmet and blow their minds!”

He waited a moment for your response, and when you gave none, continued. “Look. I know you want sponsors and recognition based solely on your skills. But let’s face it, motorsport isn’t doing as well as it used to. We need you to stick in people’s minds, to stand out.” He thought for a second. “Look at Jeon, for example--don’t roll your eyes at me--yeah, people know he’s incredibly talented, but do you think that’s why he’s on the cover of every car magazine out there?” He flipped the one he’d shown you over, tapping the picture for emphasis. It was of Jungkook lounging casually against his Maserati in a business suit. “He’s not just good at driving. He’s attractive, cute. He has that whole “aloof” thing going on that makes him seem untouchable, and stands out.”

You flipped the magazine over so you didn’t have to look at his cold stare anymore. “He’s everywhere because he’s talented, Hoseok,” You said.

“The point is,” Your sponsor said firmly. “That this sort of thing,” He reopened the article. “Is going to make you money. Do you have any idea how much Jeon makes for just showing up to interviews? We need people keeping an eye on you so when you do win, you get attention for it. That’s how we get you sponsors, and eventually, paid interviews.”

You nodded slowly. He had a point. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Hoseok repeated hopefully.

“Okay,” You affirmed. You now saw why Hoseok didn’t tell you any of this sooner; you might not have agreed to it. “So how long are we hiding my identity for?”

Hoseok’s smile was back. “As long as we possibly can.”

There was a brief lull in the conversation, and you checked your phone for the time. You saw that not only was your break over, you also had a text from a number you could only assume was Jungkook. You bit back a smile, trying to ignore the bit of excitement that bubbled up seeing it. You didn’t have time to read it, and looked back up at Hoseok. “I need to get back to work, can we talk later?”

“Nope,” Hoseok said, and laughed as your eyes widened. “My brother owns this place. He won’t mind if I borrow you for a little longer.” You narrowed your eyes at him, but didn’t argue. “So how did you and the great Jungkook end up talking, anyway?”

“I don’t know, it just sort of happened,” You lied. Jungkook had asked you not to mention that he was quitting after this season, and even though you hardly even knew him, it didn’t feel right to betray that trust so easily. “You told me to watch him and see if I can learn anything. I figured talking to him would be a step better than that.”

Hoseok didn’t look convinced but decided not to press the matter. “You two looked like you were getting along pretty well. Did I see you give him your number?”

You nodded, and Hoseok gave you a strange look. “It’s usually not a great idea to date the competition, you know.”

“Who says I’m going to date him?” You snorted, but felt your heart sink a little. Hoseok was right, as he often was. But it wasn’t like you were planning to go out with him anyway, so it seemed rather silly that it bothered you.

After excusing yourself from him so you could get back to work--whether your boss was Hoseok's brother or not, you didn’t like to slack off--you glanced at the text from Jungkook.

“Hey… Would it be weird if I asked you out for coffee?”

You didn’t hesitate to reply. “Nope, sounds good 2 me. Sometime next week?”

As it turned out, Jungkook was busy the next week, as well as the next, which worked out fine for you. Your second race was approaching fast, and you needed to focus. You did your best not to think about Jungkook and your possible eventual coffee date, and you certainly didn’t say a word about it to Hoseok. Practice consumed any free time you had, until the point that Taehyung and Jimin took the keys away from you and told you to get some rest.

You managed to keep calm right up until the night before your second race. You couldn’t sleep, didn’t even bother to try because you knew it was no use, and ended up flopping sideways on the couch next to your housemate, Jimin.

“You should be sleeping,” He said, not looking up from his laptop. His hair was mussed, and he wore thick-rimmed glasses. You always liked it when he looked like this, it reminded you of when you were in highschool together--just two kids who loved cars and going fast a little too much for their own good, and skipped class a few too many times.

“So should you,” You replied, looking at the last text you’d received from Jungkook for the tenth time since you got it.

“Have a paper to write,” Was Jimin’s slightly distracted reply as he leaned forward to grab a notebook and jot something down. You nodded in understanding but pushed him lightly with your foot.

“Aww, look how responsible baby Jimin’s gotten,” You cooed, knowing it would irritate him just enough. You got the desired response, a reluctant laugh before he grabed your foot and shoved it off his side.

“Shut up,” He muttered, but the smile didn’t leave his face. “I’ve always been the responsible one.”

You stuck out your tongue at that, but the truth was, he was right. He was the one who reminded you to study in highschool, and scolded you the first time you got a speeding ticket. When you graduated and neither of you had the money to go to college, or the grades to get a scholarship, he was the one who didn’t give up. He worked until he could afford night classes, and was working on his automotive engineering degree. Jimin was your rock, which was why when Hoseok came to you with the offer of a lifetime, you accepted on the condition that Jimin was part of the team.

“Who’ve you been texting, anyway?” He looked over long enough to gauge your reaction, then did a double take.

“What?” You asked, shifting slightly.

“It’s a guy, isn’t it?” Jimin smirked. You made a face. The problem with knowing Jimin for so long was just how well he could read you. Most people, Hoseok included, couldn’t tell what you were thinking from your face unless you wanted them to. Hiding things from Jimin was never so easy.

“So what if it is?” You said, looking back at the screen. Your coffee date with Jungkook was set for two days from then, and he’d sent you a simple “Looking forward to Tuesday!” that you weren’t sure how to respond to.

Jimin closed his laptop, setting it aside carefully--he couldn’t afford to break it--so he could properly look at you. “Who is it? Why haven’t you told me?”

“It’s no one, and I haven’t told you because it doesn’t matter,” You said calmly. You thought that would be the end of it but should have known better. Jimin lunged at the phone, pulling it from your hand before you had a chance to retaliate.

“Ooh, a date, huh? Doesn’t sound like nothing to me…” He stopped as he read the name at the top of your phone. “Jungkook? That’s funny, same name as…” He looked up at you slowly, fixing you with a dead stare. “Not the Jungkook, right?”

You cleared your throat awkwardly. “Don’t tell Hoseok.”

Chapter Text

“So… Are you planning to tell him that you’re Hoseok’s driver?” Jimin asked after you explained an abridged version of what happened. Had it been anyone else, you wouldn’t have explained a word of it, let alone let them continue to ask questions. But Jimin was Jimin, and the same rules didn’t apply. The only thing you left out was the little detail of Jungkook quitting racing.

You shook your head. “I can’t. Hoseok doesn’t want anyone to know.”

“Let me get this straight,” Jimin said slowly. “You’re fine seeing him behind Hoseok’s back, even though he told you it was a bad idea, but being honest with Jungkook is too far?”

“Exactly,” You agreed, and Jimin rolled his eyes.

“You do understand why this is a terrible idea, right?” He asked, not waiting for you to answer. “What happens when Jeon finds out who you are? That you lied to him?”

You shrugged, not particularly caring for the tone Jimin was using. You weren’t a child to be chastised. “So what? Jimin, it’s just coffee--”

“With the one person you’re determined to take down!” Jimin interrupted, exasperation lacing his voice. “Don’t you get it? If you screw him over and he finds out, this whole plan of Hoseok’s could totally backfire. Your “wow” factor could turn into a scandal, and with someone as popular as Jungkook against you, your career would be over. Not to mention, isn’t it wrong? To let him think you like him, while you’re just sizing up the competition?”

“What the hell, Jimin?” You muttered, taking your phone back from him. “Who says I’m doing that? It’s just coffee, you’re making way too big of a deal out of it.”

Your best friend studied you for a moment before sighing. “You like him, don’t you?”

“I respect him,” You corrected. You’d only talked to him once, how were you supposed to know if you liked him? It was way too soon to say. “He’s talented, and yeah, I wouldn’t mind getting to know him better.” The truth was, you were hoping to talk Jungkook into sticking with racing a little longer than what he told Seokjin. There was a good chance you wouldn’t get the chance to race against him this season, and there was no way you could ever really feel like the best in the sport without winning at least one race against him. You couldn’t sit around and do nothing.

“Isn’t that all the more reason to be honest with him?” Jimin said gently, and you gave him a look.

“So you think I should tell him who I am, and go against Hoseok more?” You asked blandly.

“Hell no!” Jimin scoffed. “Hoseok is our one and only chance, so no, I don’t think you should purposely piss him off. I just… Feel like you should be careful, that’s all. Maybe keep it on the casual side? Just to avoid any future hard feelings.”

You agreed, knowing you weren’t going to win this one, and told Jimin to get back to his paper. Tomorrow was a big day, and both of you had better things to do than discuss a guy.

Taehyung was bursting with excitement when you arrived at the track the next day. He could hardly stand still, and gave you the biggest grin as a greeting. Jimin had long since left the space to inspect the car one last time, leaving Hoseok and Taehyung to welcome you into the little, secluded room.

“I have a good feeling about today,” Taehyung said, only then noticing how grim you looked. “Everything okay?”

You didn’t bother to answer, figuring the circles under your eyes said enough. You hardly got any sleep, and it was catching up to you fast. You were a nervous wreck, remembering your mistakes from your last race and the sting of getting second. Hoseok took one look at you and his eyes widened.

“You look miserable,” He snapped, no sympathy in his voice. You nodded in agreement. “What, you decided last night was a good time to pull an all-nighter?”

Before you could reply, Jimin stuck his head into the room. “Hoseok, somebody from the press wants to talk to you.”

Hoseok nodded, waving for Jimin to go. “Tell them I’ll be right there,” He then turned his attention to you briefly. “Pull yourself together, and get changed.”

You nodded, dropping your duffle bag to the ground and pulling out your uniform. Slowly and carefully, Taehyung made his way over to you, squatting down to put a hand on your shoulder. “Relax. It’s no different from street racing. I mean, it’s a different car, and it’s legal, but you know what I mean. Go kick some ass.”

You smiled at Taehyung, giving him a reassuring nod. You appreciated the gesture, but it didn’t quell the twisting in your stomach. Hoseok signed you as his driver because you were a winner, and if you lost this race too, he could drop you faster than you could get out of your car. Sure, Jimin insisted Hoseok wasn’t that sort of person, but who was really to say? Neither of you had known the man for that long.

Once you were behind the wheel again, something shifted. While your nerves hit you all at once during your last race, this time they vanished entirely. Taehyung was right, this was just like all those hundreds of times you won a street race. This time, however, you had a better car, a proper team, and didn’t have to keep an eye out for cops. There was nothing to stop you.

Your car was in the back of the line when the light turned green and the checkered flag was waved, but you pulled ahead of three cars within the first minute. The next ten cars were a breeze, but the seven after that were slightly more of a challenge. Time began to blur together, and it was simultaneously the longest and shortest two hours of your life by the time it was signaled you were entering the last three laps. At this point, the race was really between you and one other car--number 37--who was slightly further ahead. No matter what you did, the distance between the two cars stayed exactly the same, and you made a decision; You weren’t going to stop in the pits.

You knew you probably should, but a quick glance at the gas gauge informed you that you could make it the last few laps without stopping (you would have to mention to Taehyung that he miscalculated the amount of gas you had to carry). The only real concern were the tires, which you could feel beginning to lose traction. You’d driven on worse, however, and trusted that they could make it. Sure enough, 37 pulled off into the pits ahead of you, giving you the bit of a headstart you needed. After that, winning was a piece of cake.

Taehyung and Jimin screamed and yelled incoherently as you climbed expertly out of the car window after you eventually parked it. The whole cool-down lap, you were in shock that you’d actually pulled it off, but now, as you were slapped on the back by your teammates and had your hands shaken by some of the competitors, you let out a breath of relief. You looked around for Hoseok, expecting him to congratulate you like everyone else only to see him hanging back, his arms folded and a frown etched into his face.

He waited until some of the crowd died down to pull you aside, dragging you inside and then down a hallway before stepping into a secluded room.

“That was stupid,” He said flatly, watching as you pulled your helmet off.

“What?” You blinked at him. You’d won, wasn’t that all that mattered?

“What if you’d blown a tire?” He demanded.

“But I didn’t!” You protested.

“No more risks,” He said lowly. A knock came at the door, and Hoseok grimaced. “We’ll talk about this later. Look, I pulled some strings and got you an interview. It’ll get your presence out there more. All you have to do is stand there and not say anything,” He added the last part when he saw your eyes widen.

The person at the door knocked more insistently and you shoved your helmet back on; you could give Hoseok a piece of your mind later. He opened the door, revealing a well dressed young man with an earpiece he seemed to be paying more attention to than he was to Hoseok. He looked familiar in a sort of way, but you couldn’t quite place where you’d seen him.

“Yoongi!” Hoseok’s demeanor changed in an instant, a grin breaking out across his face. “I was about to go looking for you--this is my driver.” He gestured to you, and Yoongi gave you a blank stare.

“So we’re still doing the interview?” He asked and Hoseok nodded, throwing an arm over your shoulder. You wanted to give him a questioning look, but your visor prevented any such thing.

“Just stand there and look cool,” Hoseok said, just quiet enough that Yoongi, who was already walking away, wouldn’t hear. That was when you figured out where you’d seen him--he was the most popular reporter for BulletProofMotors, a car magazine and website that Jimin was always reading.

“Is he going to take that thing off?” Yoongi asked, waving a hand at his own head to indicate the helmet.

“Nope,” Hoseok smiled, and Yoongi shot him a look over his shoulder.

“He is going to talk though, right?” He clarified, and Hoseok shook his head.

“Not a chance.”

Yoongi rolled his eyes, muttering something under his breath that neither of you could understand. He lead you to an area with floor-to-ceiling windows where various people from the press were waiting, and then took a mic from one of his crew.

“Right, you stand here,” He waved for you to stand on an X made of tape, then moved next to you. “Cameras ready? Great,” He glanced over at you one last time, looking you up and down. “This isn’t going to be awkward at all,” He muttered sarcastically.

You wanted to back out of this. Hoseok hadn’t said a word about this before, and you weren’t prepared! But your sponsor was already unhappy enough with you as it was, and you didn’t want to make matters worse than they already were.

The man behind the camera gave a signal and Yoongi cleared his throat. Hoseok waited off to one said, still looking none too thrilled about the stunt you pulled earlier.

“I’m standing here next to the rookie everyone wants to know, the driver without a name of car number 52. He’s just won the second race he’s ever been in, by almost literally a mile, I might add,” He turned to you, and you didn’t know what else to do other than nod. “How are you feeling?”

He held the mic over to you despite what Hoseok had just said, and you looked to him for help. He only shrugged dramatically and smiled. Hoseok was enjoying this immensely, it seemed.

After a second, you held two thumbs up in answer to Yoongi’s question.

“Well said,” Yoongi said dryly. “Your sponsor and manager, Jung Hoseok, tells us that driving is one of the most important parts of your life and that you’re extremely competitive, is that correct?”

You nodded, and Yoongi looked so done with the “interview” you thought he might walk away right then.

“Fantastic,” He deadpanned. "He also mentioned that one of your inspirations in racing is the world-famous driver, Jeon Jungkook. Earlier today, a rumor that he may retire after this season started--obviously nothing has been confirmed yet, but that must have been rather disheartening for someone who looks up to him so much," Yoongi was clearly trying to get some sort of reaction out of you, and Hoseok's smile had completely dropped. He was now giving the reporter a look that said "what are you up to," but Yoongi didn't even spare him a glance.

You had no idea what to do, his question completely catching you off guard. If enough people knew he was thinking about quitting that it made it online, did that mean he was really going through with it?

You nodded, then shook your head at Yoongi's complex question, irritated both by the thought of Jungkook quitting, and that Yoongi looked so amused by your struggle of not really answering. He waited for you to make up your mind--though the best he could hope for was a nod of your head--but you sighed in frustration. A simple "yes" or "no" couldn't convey what you wanted to say, and you looked around hopelessly for a solution. You noticed a little notepad in Yoongi’s back pocket and grabbed it without thinking, making the reporter jump in surprise.

“What--” He started, but you just held your hand out for a pen, hoping he would get the idea. He just stared at you, but the cameraman figured out what you wanted and held out a pen as soon as he could. You then flipped to an empty sheet of paper and wrote down a quick message;

"I don't look up to him. I look forward to beating him in a race."

You handed it to the reporter, who read it aloud with a laugh. "Is this a challenege, 52?" He asked, referring to you by your car number. You shrugged, and Yoongi grinned as he turned back to the camera. "Well, there you have it. 52's first official statement, interpret it however you like."

---

Jungkook's phone had been ringing non-stop since early in the day, and by five, he was still ignoring it for the most part. The only call he took was from Seokjin, who was panicking about the rumors--after all, if people thought he was quitting, they might not book him for interviews or photo shoots. This was all perfectly fine with Jungkook; he was ready for a break from it all anyway, but Seokjin insisted that he just "wasn't thinking about the future enough."

He also wanted to know who might have leaked the information, but that was another thing Jungkook found he wasn't terribly concerned about. He was quitting after the season was done, so what did it matter if people knew now or in six months?

Seokjin tried to call him several times after that, along with reporters shouldn't have Jungkook's number, and he finally put his phone on "do not disturb." It was cloudy and generally a bit dreary outside, and he found himself enjoying the time spent away from it all.

Until Seokjin let himself in the back door, of course.

"Jungkook!" He called from the kitchen, and the younger man waved a hand from where he was laying on the couch. He'd been channel-surfing for an hour and was starting to think he should cancel his cable subscription.

"In here!" He yelled back, and when his manager found him was rewarded with the man blocking his view of the television with a glare.

"We've talked about you ignoring me before," He frowned, and Jungkook threw an arm over his eyes with a sigh.

"And I've talked to you about inviting yourself over, yet here you are."

He was expecting some sort of retaliation for his snide comment, but Seokjin just muttered something under his breath and told him to sit up. "You need to see this," He said, and there was something so serious about the way he said it that Jungkook actually complied. Seokjin's phone was then shoved into his hand, a video playing on it of Yoongi interviewing a nameless driver.

"I know this guy," Jungkook said, looking up at Seokjin. "He's Hoseok's driver, what's the big deal?"

"Watch," Seokjin said firmly, and Jungkook did.

"Huh," Jungkook shrugged once it was over. "I told you the guy was an ass, remember?"

Seokjin ignored him. "Now look at the comments."

"Can't wait to see where this goes."

"If I hadn't watched the race today, I'd say this kid doesn't stand a chance against the Golden Boy. But now..."

"Jeon's going to teach him to be careful who he provokes!"

"OK i love JK but it'd be hilarious if this kid was actually the one to break his winning streak."

Jungkook looked up at his manager, who'd taken a seat on the coffee table across from him and was waiting expectantly. "What?"

"What do you mean, what?" Seokjin sounded slightly exasperated. "People are asking me to make a statement. Do you want to calm things down, or ignore it altogether?"

Jungkook nodded slowly. "Neither. Tell them..." He thought for a second. "Tell them I can't wait to put this kid back in his place and remind everyone why I'm called the Golden Boy."

Chapter Text

"Congratulations ," Hoseok deadpanned, slamming his phone down in front of you so you had little choice but to look at the screen. After the race, you and your small crew ended up at Taehyung's house for a celebratory party. It sounded fun at first, but Hoseok was so irritated with you that no one wanted to be in the same room as him, so Jimin and Taehyung ended up playing the Wii while you ate chips and watched them from the kitchen bar. "After only two races--I repeat, two --you have already made an enemy of the most influential driver out there."

"It's good for publicity?" You tried, and Hoseok fixed you with a cold stare. You weren't sure what you could say to make your sponsor feel better, and stalled by clearing your throat and reaching for your glass of water. The article that was open on his phone described the "beef" you apparently had with Jungkook. "It's a competitive sport, Hoseok. What was I supposed to do? What I told that Yoongi guy is true--and it's not like I'm the only driver who's hoping to beat him."

Hoseok scoffed in annoyance. “Maybe so, but other people know better than to start unnecessary drama and to keep their heads down. So what now? When you race against him and lose , what happens then? Everyone says 'told you so' and forgets about you, that's what."

You were taken aback by the bitterness in Hoseok's voice and frowned. It was true that you didn't fully think through what you wrote down earlier, but Hoseok was making it out to be much too big of a deal. So you got a little carried away--what was he expecting? Hoseok threw you into an interview without any warning whatsoever, and on top of that there was the issue of Jungkook quitting without you getting the opportunity to race against him. All things considered, it went pretty well.

"Whoa, breathe," You held up a hand in defense. "What happened to all that faith you have in me? I'd win against Jungkook... Probably," You muttered the last part, shaking your head quickly and changing the subject. "It'll all blow over, anyway. Don't forget that I'm still a nobody--people will forget anything happened by tomorrow. Don't worry so much."

"Hey," Taehyung called, wandering into the kitchen. It was only then that you noticed the sounds of mario cart had come to an abrupt halt. Jimin trailed after Taehyung, giving you a look you couldn't quite decipher.

"What?" Hoseok asked, running a hand down his face. He sounded tired, as though this one day with you had aged him by years.

"This might be a bad time," Taehyung said, looking between the two of you. "But, uh... Jungkook's agent made an official statement in response."

You smiled nervously as Hoseok turned to face you. "Maybe he's defusing the situation?"

Taehyung shook his head, grinning. He was the only one who was truly happy with what you said in your interview, and was even happier about the articles. "I think he just accepted Y/n's challenge."

Jungkook, in his attempt at being inconspicuous, somehow managed to make himself stand out even more than he would have if he'd just worn normal clothes. He spent a little longer than he'd care to admit trying to pick out an outfit, only to remember that it would be awkward for him to be recognized while the two of you chatted. So he ended up wearing an oversized sweater with the hood pulled up over a baseball cap that was pulled down to cover his eyes. It was only after he sat down in a corner of the coffee shop that he realized just how out of place he looked. The hot weather had everyone else was wearing shorts and sandals, and he sunk lower in his chair.

He wondered briefly if there was time to go home and change, but a quick glance at his phone told him otherwise. He internally groaned--he was quite literally overdressed. He grateful for the distraction of his phone going off, and couldn’t quite help his smile when he saw who it was from.

“Runing late b thr soon.”

Maybe the butterflies he felt were because he hadn’t really gone on a date in so long, or maybe it was because he really did like you that much, he wasn’t sure. What he did know was that talking to you was strangely refreshing. There was a glint in your eyes, sort of like you were in on a joke that he wasn’t, and he was dying to get to know what it was. In all of your short conversations through text, you steered clear of topics concerning yourself. You dodged direct questions expertly and changed the subject so smoothly it was only later that Jungkook noticed that he didn’t really get an answer.

You were a bit of an enigma, which only made Jungkook want to know you more.

His phone buzzed again, and he pulled it back out of his pocket eagerly, only to have his smile drop completely a moment later.

Seokjin’s text was simple and to the point; “We need to talk. Call me.”

Jungkook closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair. Seokjin meant well, and up until roughly a year ago, Jungkook would have called his manager one of his closest friends. But when Jungkook lost his motivation and first started talking about quitting, the elder couldn’t understand it--Jungkook had everything going for him, after all--and the disconnect drove a wedge between them. As a result, their recent conversations were quick, curt, and generally unpleasant.

Jungkook was pulled from his thoughts by someone sitting down across from him, bumping the table slightly. He opened his eyes to see you sending him an apologetic smile.

“Sorry, car trouble,” You said with a sigh, rather than greet him properly. “Had to borrow my roommate’s, and he wasn’t too happy about it.” In fact, Jimin didn’t have much of a say in the matter. After realizing your car wasn’t going anywhere, you took his keys and shouted that you were “borrowing” his car as you went.

“You should have called me, I would’ve picked you up,” Jungkook smiled, and there was that little blush again.

“No! I mean, it’s fine,” You sounded slightly panicked at first, but laughed it off the next second. Hoseok occasionally just showed up at your house to chat, and the last thing you needed was him seeing Jungkook’s Maserati in your driveway--especially while he was still unhappy with you. “Jimin didn’t have plans for today, anyway.”

“Oh, that’s good, then,” Jungkook nodded, biting his lip. You realized you’d somehow made the conversation awkward, and were trying to think of something to say when Jungkook did for you. “So uh, do you know what’s wrong with your car? I know a little about them, maybe I can help…” He muttered the last bit, as though he was regretting mentioning it.

“I would think you’d know at least a little about cars,” You laughed. “You only drive one for a living…” You glanced at him briefly to gauge his reaction, making sure he hadn’t taken offense at your sarcasm. He only chuckled though, ducking his head in agreement. “There’s nothing really wrong with my car, it just doesn’t have wheels at the moment.” Jungkook looked confused, and you figured you should elaborate. “My roommate’s a mechanic and decided today was a good day to replace my shocks without telling me.”

You were sure he did it on purpose. Jimin couldn’t tell you what to do or who not to date, but he could make your life a little harder if he wanted to. Plus, you couldn’t really be that mad at him because he was doing you a favor.

Jungkook’s mouth formed an “oh” shape and he nodded again. You decided it was time to steer the conversation away from yourself, in case you let something slip that you shouldn’t.

“How’s your week been?” You asked, unable to think of something better to say. You hated small talk--it was pointless and had a habit of dragging on endlessly--but the fact was you didn’t know Jungkook quite well enough to avoid it yet.

“Odd,” Jungkook said after a second of thought. “I genuinely can’t tell if you follow racing or not--” You laughed a little at that. “--but you know Hoseok, right? His driver’s lost his mind, apparently. Thinks he’s better than me because he won one race,” Jungkook seemed quite amused by this. Part of you wanted to point out that it wasn’t really one race, you were the best street racer out there before making it to the track. Your confidence did have ground in something, at least. But you could say no such thing, for so many reasons.

“I did hear something about that,” You nodded. “I think it’s good Hoseok’s driver has so much faith in their abilities.”

“He’s getting ahead of himself--he’s only ever been in two races, and he thinks he stands a chance against me? Poor kid’s setting himself up for failure,” Jungkook shrugged, and you realized he’d slipped back into the cocky overconfident persona you originally met. You still weren’t sure which one was really him; shy and cute, or obnoxious and bold, but you were increasingly curious.

“You sound pretty sure of yourself,” You raised an eyebrow.

“I have every reason to be,” Jungkook smirked.

“So you’re actually going to take him up on the challenge?” You asked, trying not to seem too eager to hear his answer. The official statement Seokjin made was vague, and while at first you were sure it meant he would race you, the more you thought about it, the less likely it seemed.

“Why not? I’ve got nothing to lose,” Jungkook’s smile widened, and you couldn’t help your own competitive streak rising in you.

“He might win, though,” You pointed out.

“Unlikely,” Jungkook countered. “I’ll admit he has talent, but he’s still new to this. Yesterday's win was a fluke.”

“How do you know?” You said before you could stop yourself. “I mean, you don’t know anything about him, right? Maybe he has more experience than you think.”

Jungkook tilted his head to one side. “You and Hoseok are pretty close, right? Do you know his driver?”

You regretted your words instantly. You’d said too much. “We’ve met. Why?”

“You almost sound like you think he stands a chance against me.”

You shrugged. “Maybe I do.”

Jungkook couldn’t help but laugh a little. This whole conversation was ridiculous. Since when did he feel so competitive just talking about some rookie-nobody? “Who knows, maybe you’re right.” He bit his lip, trying to think of the right words.

“I am,” You said casually, a slight smirk on your lips.

Jimin was none too happy when you returned his car, but he thankfully didn’t take revenge out on you by telling Hoseok.

“You’re not seeing him again though, right?” He asked, and you shrugged noncommittally. You knew you probably shouldn’t, but after spending the afternoon with Jungkook, you didn’t really care about what you should and shouldn’t do. The playful banter had continued for the majority of the date, and you weren’t sure when the last time was that you felt so at ease with someone (other than Jimin; he didn’t count).

The fact was you liked Jungkook--liked his competitiveness, the cute way his ears turned pink when he got shy, and the way his nose scrunched when he laughed. But Jimin had a good point when he had asked you what would happen when Jungkook found out you were lying to him. You knew if you wanted a chance at something with Jungkook, you would have to tell him who you were sooner rather than later, and that simply wasn’t an option.

Jimin must have seen the conflict in your eyes, because he actually let the subject drop. The next time Jungkook came up in any conversations, it was two weeks later, after your fourth race.

Just like the time before, as soon as the photo-op with you and your first-place trophy was over, Hoseok lead you away from the crowd and into a back meeting room. (You had no idea how he managed to get permission to use these rooms, every time you asked he just shrugged.) The race itself passed in the usual blur, save for the moment you were nearly involved in a wreck. The car ahead of you miscalculated a turn, and the next thing anyone knew, they were off the track. You avoided getting hit by the other car only narrowly, but kept driving just like everyone else.

“That was good,” Hoseok said after the door shut behind Taehyung. Your whole crew was grinning ear-to-ear, and you felt pretty great yourself.

“Hell yeah it was,” You agreed as you pulled your helmet off.

“You’re on a roll,” Taehyung slapped you on the back, taking the first place trophy from you to admire it for himself. You shrugged, and he rolled his eyes at how calm you were acting. “Winning three times in a row is pretty damn impressive.”

Hoseok walked over to you and pressed a bottle of water into your hands. He was significantly less outwardly excited than the others in the room, but you knew him well enough to see that he too was thrilled.

“Drink this,” He said firmly. “And then get back out there. Yoongi wants to do a follow-up interview, and there are a few others who want to talk to you as well. Do me a favor and don’t start anything this time, yeah?”

You nodded, pouring the water on your face instead of drinking it; the jumpsuit got way too hot, and that in combination with wearing the helmet for so long left you feeling overheated.

“Oh, that’s just lovely,” Hoseok said dryly, watching you as his lip curled in disdain. “You’re getting water all over the carpet--”

You interrupted him by flinging some of the water in his direction, laughing as he jumped out of the way. Before he could scold you, Taehyung joined in, opening his own water to pour on Hoseok from behind.

“Loosen up!” He said as Hoseok let out a startled yelp. “You’re no fun!”

You glanced over at Jimin, who was sitting off to one side laughing at the scene in front of him. “You’re a bunch of children,” He chuckled.

“That is enough!” Hoseok announced, trying to wrestle the bottle away from Taehyung. Before he succeeded however, someone knocked on the door.

“That’ll be Yoongi,” Hoseok said, letting go of Taehyung’s arm and trying to fix his own hair quickly. You sighed, not looking forward to putting the helmet back on so soon.

“I’ll stall,” Jimin stood, slipping out the door quickly. Taehyung was still smiling brightly, and even Hoseok didn’t seem nearly as annoyed as he was trying to act.

“I meant it when I said don’t start anything--And don’t let Yoongi get to you. He likes getting a reaction out of people, so just stay calm and ignore him, okay?” Hoseok said as Jimin stepped back into the room.

“It uh… Isn’t the reporter guy. Kim Seokjin’s out here and wants to talk to Y/n.”

“So you’re going to keep that… thing… on?” Seokjin asked, leaning against the wall opposite to you, arms crossed. You nodded once, wishing your visor wasn’t quite so dark. The hallway you were in wasn’t exactly bright as it was, but adding the tinted glass made it hard for you to see properly. “God, you’re weird.” He muttered, and you nodded again.

A moment of silence passed between you, and Seokjin shifted slightly. “You really don’t talk, huh? Fine, it doesn’t matter. Look, I’m here to give you a chance to end this thing you’ve started with Jungkook before it gets out of hand.”

You wanted to ask why, but could only shrug.

“You’re new to this sort of thing, so maybe you don’t understand that by challenging Jungkook, you’re putting your career on the line. Once he wins, people will forget about you.”

“I assure you, my driver knows what he’s doing,” Hoseok chimed in, stepping into the hall behind you. You nodded, and Seokjin sighed.

“Good,” He said, pulling out his phone to type as he spoke. “Because Jungkook’s about to announce that the two of you will be in the same race in four months time, and he plans to win.” He didn’t wait for a response, turning to walk away and waving absentmindedly over his shoulder.

“Hang on,” Hoseok looked just as surprised as you felt, jogging to catch up with the other man. “Last I heard, Jeon wasn’t in any of the same races--”

“Right,” Seokjin looked up at his phone. “That was before this kid decided to remind Jungkook how much he enjoys crushing the competition.”

Chapter Text

You weren't signed up to be part of the race Jungkook was talking about either, apparently. He chose one that only experienced drivers dared to enter, and that he himself had never driven in. He told Min Yoongi this was in the spirit of keeping things fare, so no one could say he had an advantage other than simply being the better driver.

You leaned against a wall, watching him talk with your arms folded across your chest. You were in regular street clothes now, having told Hoseok to make a statement for you--you'd had just about enough of that damned helmet and way-too-hot jumpsuit. Under usual circumstances, Yoongi probably would have minded that a driver wasn't speaking for themselves, but in this case, you wouldn’t be talking to him anyway, so he didn't really care..

Hoseok stood off to one side, waiting for Yoongi to wave him into the shot. You'd gone over what he was going to say on your behalf before leaving the back room; that you were confident in your abilities, and that you were looking forward to the opportunity to race against such a well-known person like Jungkook. Obviously, it wasn't as brazen as you would have liked, but it was good enough. Hoseok's initial reaction was to say that you shouldn't take him up on the challenge, but you both agreed that would make you look like a coward--you were the one who started this, after all. So a compromise was made. Hoseok would say good, nice things about Jungkook, while not shying away from the fact that you were sure you could win.

You couldn't help but notice how relaxed Jungkook was in front of the camera as he chatted with Yoongi, a smug smirk on his lips. When you were in the same position, you had stood there awkwardly and didn't know what to do. But Jungkook looked at home surrounded by cameras and flashing lights, and you couldn't help a slight twinge of jealousy.

"Careful, you'll start drooling," Jimin's voice made you jump, and you turned to see him standing beside you.

"Shut up," You snapped, shoving him lightly before turning back to watch Jungkook. "I'm waiting for Hoseok, I need to make sure he says what we discussed."

"Yeah, sure," Jimin snorted, rolling his eyes. " That's why you're making moon-eyes at Jungkook."

You ignored Jimin's sarcasm, watching as Hoseok was finally invited to join Yoongi's interview.

"I have to be honest with you, Hoseok. I was hoping to get your driver's direct response," He was saying, waving Hoseok to stand closer to him. "He was just here--don't tell me he's scared?"

Hoseok laughed dryly. "I assure you, Yoongi, my driver is anything but scared. Unfortunately, he had some important matters to attend to, so you're stuck with me today," Hoseok kept his tone light, smiling politely.

"It's just as well," Jungkook chimed in. "I've been meaning to ask you--If your driver can't talk, why doesn't he use sign language?" It was an innocent enough question, but Hoseok didn't appear to appreciate it.

"It isn't that my driver can't talk. 52 just chooses not to," He replied, his smile still in place but no longer reaching his eyes.

Jungkook raised an eyebrow, that smirk back on his lips. "So in other words, your driver thinks he's too good to talk to me? Is that it?"

What an ass, you thought. Jungkook set Hoseok up for this so that you would look bad.

"On the contrary, it isn't anything personal. My driver doesn't talk to anyone outside of our team while working--" Hoseok started.

"So, he thinks he's too good to talk to everyone?" Jungkook clarified.

Yoongi stood between the two looking like he was trying hard not to grin. This was going to make a great article.

"You misunderstand, Jeon," Hoseok forced a slight laugh. "My driver holds the utmost respect for the other people working in this field and--"

"And yet he never bothers to say so much as a hello," Jungkook cut in.

"Not to mention he didn't care to respond to Jungkook himself, even though Jungkook came all the way out here to confront driver 52 himself..." Yoongi added, his voice trailing off as Hoseok sent him a withering look.

Jimin tapped your shoulder to gain your attention again. "I can't believe you actually got coffee with this asshat," He said, folding his arms. "He's ruthless--making you out to be some sort of uppity baby... Who does he think he is, getting all pissy because you don't greet him..."

You couldn't help but laugh at your friend. Jimin had a habit of being a little over-protective, and you would be lying if you said you didn't find it rather endearing. "He isn't always like this."

"No, I'm sure he's usually even more of a dipstick," Jimin replied dryly.

The conversation between Jungkook and Hoseok had progressed while you listened to Jimin, and you tuned back in to hear Jungkook say; "...Hope that you've scheduled him lots of practice time, he still drives like an over-excited sixteen-year-old."

"That's it, he can insult your personality, but insulting your driving is too far," Jimin said, only half joking as he stood straighter and looked as though he was considering walking over there.

You hit his arm lightly. "Be quiet! Hoseok has this handled, relax."

"You're seriously fine with him trashing your driving ability?" Jimin said, swatting your hand away.

"Aww," You cooed, reaching out to pinch his cheeks because you knew it would annoy him. "It's so cute how you think I care what he says about me."

You did actually care, but there was no reason for Jimin to know that. Jungkook's words stung no matter how much you wished they didn't, but you brushed them off.

"Cut it out!" Jimin tried to pull away from you, but you held onto his cheeks and he winced. He reached up to pull your hands away while you continued to coo and call him adorable. “You’re insufferable,” Jimin deadpanned. “And you’re causing a scene.”

Sure enough, when you looked around the large room you were met with several judgmental stares. You let go of Jimin finally, and he rubbed his now slightly red cheeks.

“That hurt,” He complained, but you weren’t paying attention to him anymore. Jungkook must have noticed that some of the people in the room weren’t focusing on him, and followed their gaze over to you. He looked confused for a moment, then smiled brightly, his nose scrunching slightly. He waved, now completely ignoring whatever Yoongi was saying. You returned the gesture somewhat sheepishly as Hoseok glanced first at Jungkook, then at who Jungkook was waving to--you. He gave you a somewhat disapproving stare, as though trying to convey a dry “really?” without words.

“Excuse me,” Jungkook said, leaving the other two men. Yoongi blinked in disbelief, shaking his head.

“No, we’re in the middle of an interview and it was just getting good.” But Jungkook didn’t seem to care, walking over to you with his hands in his pockets.

“Hi,” He said somewhat shyly as he approached you, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Hey,” Jimin replied before you could. Jungkook stopped, tilting his head to the side.

“You look familiar,” He said, pausing to think for a moment.

“We’ve met a few times,” Jimin shrugged. “But I wouldn’t expect someone like you to remember--”

“Jimin,” Jungkook interrupted with a smile. “You’re Park Jimin, right? You’re on Hoseok’s crew.”

Jimin tongued his cheek, clearly not impressed. “Yeah. And while we’re on the subject, I didn’t like the way you talked about our driver. I’ll have you know that she--”

“It wasn’t anything personal,” Jungkook said quickly. “Hoseok’s done a great job putting together a team, but his driver is still a rookie, and drives like one--plus he’s rude. I gave him driving advice after his first race, and he didn’t even bother to say thank you.”

Before Jimin could respond, you jumped into the conversation. “Jimin, weren’t you about to go find Taehyung?”

“No,” Jimin replied, then looked at you and sighed. “Whatever.” He gave Jungkook one more disgusted once-over before walking away.

“Sorry about him,” You said with a laugh. “Jimin can get a little…” You drifted off, trying to think of the right word. “Defensive. But you were kind of being an ass over there.”

Jungkook gave a guilty laugh, rubbing his neck. “Yeah, I guess you’re right… But it’s all for the cameras, you know? No one’s going to read an article headlined “Opponents complement each other profusely and think the other one’s going to win.”

“Does that mean you think 52 is going to beat you?” You asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, no. I’m going to win,” Jungkook replied easily. “But just saying that isn’t dramatic enough for the news.” You scoffed, rolling your eyes. “So uh… I didn’t know you were going to be here.”

“Yeah, I didn’t know you’d be here either,” You deflected, hoping you wouldn’t have to explain your presence.

“It was a last-minute decision,” Jungkook nodded. “I was going to have Seokjin make the official statement that I’m challenging 52 to a race, but then I heard he’d be here, so…”

“It’s a good press opportunity,” You agreed, but Jungkook frowned slightly.

“Actually, I thought it’d be fairer to 52 if I gave him a chance to back out before it was public,” Jungkook seemed almost embarrassed to admit this. “It’s going to hurt his career badly when he loses to me after making such a fuss, so I had Seokjin talk to Hoseok about it. I didn’t want 52 to say I didn’t warn him when his career ends.”

“Unless he wins,” You pointed out, leaning back against the wall.

“He won’t,” Jungkook smiled.

Your own smirk slowly crept across your face as you folded your arms. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

Jungkook shrugged. “Maybe a little. It’s funny, this kid doesn’t stand a chance, but I actually feel challenged for the first time in over a year.” You couldn’t help feeling a little bit of self-satisfaction hearing this.

“52 might stand a better chance than you give him credit for,” You said. “He won today’s race pretty easily.”

“Only because he’s racing against other rookies,” Jungkook pouted slightly. “You know, you almost sound like you want me to lose.”

“I do,” You said simply, a little distracted as Jimin walked back over.

“Me, Tae, and Hoseok are all leaving…” He said, glancing at Jungkook.

“Okay, I’ll catch up,” You spared him a smile. You and Jimin had driven there together, and you hoped he wouldn’t mind waiting a few more minutes.

“Do you want to get dinner?” Jungkook asked suddenly, pointing over his shoulder as though at an invisible restaurant. “I mean, it’s fine if you don’t, or if you have plans, but we could keep talking…” The tips of his ears were already turning pink.

Jimin looked ready to turn him down for you, so you spoke quickly. “Yeah, that sounds good, actually.” You’d get to see his Maserati up close and see the inside of it. Of course, it would be better if you could drive it...

“Really?” Jungkook seemed surprised by your answer, a grin spreading across his features. “That’s great--where do you want to go? There are some nice restaurants near here--”

“On one condition,” You finished, an idea coming to mind. “I get to drive your car.”

Jungkook laughed, then blinked, then went silent for a second. “You’re serious.”

“Yep,” You nodded, and Jimin began to snicker quietly.

Jungkook nodded after a second. “Okay. Sounds fair.”

It didn’t sound fair, at all. If you owned a car that expensive, you probably wouldn’t even let Jimin drive it, and he’d been your best friend for nearly ten years.

Jimin laughed, and Jungkook sent him a suspicious look as the shorter man patted him on the shoulder. “Good luck, Y/n’s driving is absolutely terrifying.”

You wanted to protest, but it was somewhat true. You loved driving, to the point that you occasionally did exceptionally stupid things just for the fun of it--like drifting on a divided highway in the middle of the night, or speeding over railroad tracks right before the train came barreling through. But you rarely did any of that with passengers in the car; the worst you’d done was casually race random people on the freeway with Jimin in the passenger side, and drifting when it snowed, of course. Most of that was behind you now, however. One super-speeder ticket or worse and Hoseok would drop you.

“I’m sure that’s not true,” Jungkook shook his head at Jimin, pulling his keys out of his pocket and handing them to you. “I trust you.”

You weren’t sure why those three words bothered you so much. You told yourself it was because you felt like he shouldn’t trust you with his car so easily, but a part of you thought it might have to do with the fact that you still weren’t being honest with him about who you were. In fact, at this point, you were outright lying to his face almost every time you had a conversation. You tried to push these thoughts from your mind, but as you walked with him to his shiny red Maserati, you couldn’t help but dread the day that you would inevitably have to be honest with him.

“You should let me know next time you’re going to watch a race--I’ll go too, it’ll be a nice but slightly second-rate date,” Jungkook said.

“What do you mean?” You scoffed. You were navigating out of the parking lot, which was crowded from all the people who came to watch the race.

“It’ll be nice because I’d get to spend time with you. But it’ll be second rate because we’d be watching a bunch of second-rate drivers.” Jungkook’s eyes were fixed on you, loving the way you laughed at his remark.

“I’m guessing that’s because none of them are you?” You said dryly, and Jungkook nodded. “You’re a little arrogant, you know that?”

Jungkook shrugged. “I am what I am.” There was finally a space in all the cars and you took off, shifting into second gear smoothly. “You’re really good at driving, by the way.”

You sent him a glance before looking back to the road. “Is that a surprise? I thought you said you trusted me.” You pouted in mock hurt.

“I didn’t mean it that way,” Jungkook shook his head quickly, his ears turning pink again. “I knew you’d be good at driving, but this car has a habit of… Getting away from people. Seokjin’s a fantastic driver, but the one time I let him drive it, I thought we were going to die.”

You laughed, but didn’t tell Jungkook that you were more than used to muscle cars.

Finally, on the actual road, you actually got to really drive the car. It wasn’t long before you were in the fifth gear and wishing you could truly test its limits--but this wasn’t your car, and you had a passenger.

“Jungkook?”

“Hm?”

“Can I try drifting in your car?” You were fairly sure you shouldn’t even ask, but you just had to. When would you get the chance again?

“What, like, now?” Jungkook asked, his brow creasing as his brows drew together.

“No, like… In a parking lot,” You said carefully. “It’s completely understandable if the answer’s no, by the way.”

“No, I mean… Sure,” Jungkook said after a moment. “Have you been drifting before?” You nodded, remembering all the times you and Jimin had gotten in trouble for drifting where you weren’t supposed to. “Then I don’t see why not. There’s an abandoned parking lot on our way to the restaurant if we take a detour…” Jungkook leaned forward to reprogram the built-in GPS system.

“Are you sure?” You asked, feeling like you definitely shouldn’t have even asked about it.

“Yeah,” Jungkook smiled reassuringly. “It’ll be fun--I do have a condition, though.”

You spared him a wary glance long enough to see that playful glint in his eyes once more. “Yeah? What’s that?”

“Next time we go out, I get to drive your car.”

Your first instinct was to say no. It wasn’t that you were weirdly protective of your car, so much as you didn’t really want him to see your Frankenstein car. Over the years, you’d wrecked it a few times, and you and Jimin had removed almost everything unnecessary from the interior to make it lighter. It was a good little car that had won many, many street races, but it wasn’t much to look at.

“Maybe,” You said eventually. “We’ll see.”

Jungkook grinned. “Maybe’s good enough for me.”

You weren’t sure who was laughing harder when you eventually walked into the restaurant. After getting more used to Jungkook’s car and doing a few doughnuts in the empty parking lot, you went for some precision drifting around the light posts in the middle of it. You did warn Jungkook first, but he still let out a small yelp as you slid inches from the pole, causing both of you to start cracking up. Once you started laughing, neither of you could quite stop.

“That was really fucking impressive,” Jungkook admitted after the hostess lead you to a small table to one side of the restaurant.

“I know,” You replied curtly before both of you started laughing again. You weren’t even quite sure what was so funny at this point. You sobered quickly however when you noticed who was sitting in the table next to yours. You tried to shift to the side and move your menu so they couldn’t see you, but it was too late.

“Y/n, funny seeing you here,” Officer Kim Namjoon smiled, tapping your arm as though he didn’t already have your attention.

“Ha, yeah…” You tried to smile, and Jungkook luckily didn’t catch on to how nervous you were.

“Hi, I’m Jeon Jungkook,” He said, holding out a hand which Namjoon took, looking rather amused.

“I know,” He replied mildly. “You’re sort of a celebrity.” An awkward silence followed as Jungkook found himself at a loss for what to say and you wished Namjoon would go back to his date. It wasn’t that you disliked Namjoon, he was a decent guy a few years older than you who you went to high school with briefly. But over the years, you’d run into him a few too many times under less than pleasant circumstances. Somehow, the officer never seemed to hold the number of tickets he’d given you or the several times you’d been arrested against you. He always greeted you like an old friend rather than a street racer--even if he’d just pulled you over. “I haven’t seen you in a while, Y/n. You’ve been staying out of trouble?”

He said it like a light-hearted joke, probably because Jungkook was sitting there as well, but you knew the cop well enough to tell he really meant it as a statement. You were actually staying out of trouble for once in your life, and he knew it.

“Oh, you know, the usual…” You laughed, some of the anxiousness leaving you. Namjoon didn’t seem like he was going to tell Jungkook about your previous ho bby.

“I’ll… Let you two get back to your date,” Namjoon said finally, seeming rather amused though you weren’t sure at what.

“It was good to meet you, officer,” Jungkook said, giving the other man a smile. This only made Namjoon chuckle and nod, and you narrowed your eyes at him. You didn’t see what was so funny, and didn’t love being left out of jokes you suspected you were the butt of, but you weren’t about to ask while Jungkook was right there.

Namjoon left you alone for the rest of your meal, and neither you nor Jungkook had much to say during it. Even Jungkook, as over-confident as he could be, wasn’t about to discuss drifting techniques with a cop in earshot.

Usually, Jungkook would have felt awkward in the silence that fell over the small table, but somehow with you, it was comfortable. He found that he didn’t mind only the occasional words passed between you, and somehow never got bored of the moments that one of you would look up and accidentally catch the other’s eyes. It was starting to bother him that he felt his ears heat up every damn time, though. His phone went off constantly, but the only time Jungkook actually bothered to see who it was--Seokjin--was when he put it on silent.

Just when you thought Namjoon had forgotten about your presence altogether, he caught up with you while leaving the restaurant.

“Y/n, I forgot--since you’re here, I have a question about-uh-a ticket?” Namjoon’s flimsy excuse to talk to you made you cringe, but you decided not to argue. You looked at Jungkook, and he seemed to take the hint to give the two of you a moment.

“I’ll just…” He said, taking a step backwards and running into the door. He fumbled for a second before getting it open and almost tripping over himself to get outside. Once the glass door was shut behind him, you saw him drop his head into his hands. You couldn’t really see in the dim light, but you would guess he was blushing.

“He must really like you,” Namjoon said, clearly trying not to laugh.

“What do you want, Namjoon?” You asked firmly, your tone clipped.

“Sorry, I know I shouldn’t interrupt your date,” Namjoon started. “But I had to ask--does he know?”

You knew what Namjoon meant without him saying it outright. “Of course not!” You snapped. Telling Jungkook about any of your racing, legal or illegal, would be a terrible idea. “And if you tell him, I’ll--”

“I know, I know,” Namjoon smirked. “You’ll do something horrible to me, right?” You nodded. “Your secret is safe with me. But you might consider telling him--I’m just saying!” Namjoon held his hands up in defeat, giving you a shrug as you sent him a scathing look. “He seems like he really likes you. He’ll understand. And you know he’ll find out eventually…”

You shook your head. “I know what I’m doing, Namjoon.”

“I’m sure you do,” Namjoon sighed, not at all sounding like he meant it. “Have fun on the rest of your date.”

You had Jungkook drop you off at Jimin’s garage rather than your house, giving him a quick explanation that Jimin had your car and it was closer anyway. If Jungkook thought it was odd, he didn’t say so. He tossed you the keys without a second thought, but driving his car wasn’t nearly as much fun as it was a few hours ago.

Namjoon’s words weighed heavily on you, and put a damper on your overall mood. Namjoon was right about one thing, Jungkook would find out eventually, but not just about the street racing. If only that was the biggest thing you were keeping from him. What would happen when he did? It hadn’t seemed like such a big deal before, but you were starting to really like Jungkook, and you were fairly sure your feelings weren’t one-sided.

After parking the car in front of the old building Jimin worked in, Jungkook met you halfway around the car.

“It looks closed,” He pointed out, nodding his head at the mostly dark building.

“Yeah, but Jimin practically lives here, so…” You let your voice drift off, suddenly very aware of how close you were standing to him.

“I had fun tonight,” Jungkook said after a second, neither of you making any move to step away from the other.

“Yeah, me too,” You weren’t sure what else to really say, your thoughts running wild. Maybe Namjoon was right that Jungkook would understand. Maybe it wasn’t too late to just be honest with him and clear the air. It was really the only way you saw this working out without either of you getting hurt in the end.

“Jungkook--” You began at the same time he said; “Can I kiss you?”

You didn’t bother to respond, leaning up on your tiptoes to reach his lips. He leaned down, his hands resting on your hips lightly as you deepened the kiss, winding your fingers through his hair. You felt a horrible guilt in your chest as you pulled him closer, knowing that whatever courage you worked up to tell him was gone. You couldn’t be honest with Jungkook--it would ruin Hoseok’s plan. What if Jungkook was angry and told the press who you were? Or that you’d been a street racer previously? And even if he understood completely, he could accidentally let something slip. If Seokjin found out about any of it, you were sure that would be the end of your career, and it would seriously hurt Hoseok’s.

When you finally broke apart, both of you were slightly breathless. Jungkook left his hands at your side, leaning his forehead against yours for a moment.

“See you soon?” He asked, a small laugh escaping him. You met his eyes evenly, and even in the dim light, you could see how genuinely happy he was in that moment.

Technically, if you couldn’t tell him everything, the second kindest thing you could do would be to distance yourself from him. That way, when he knew the truth you would have a chance at starting fresh. “Yeah,” You said despite your train of thought. “See you soon.”

Chapter Text

Jungkook felt like he was on the top of the world. He’d just been on an amazing date with one of the most incredible women he’d ever met, and nothing could tarnish his mood. Not even Seokjin sitting at his kitchen table sipping coffee when Jungkook got home.

“You’re home late,” Seokjin mused, not looking up from his phone. Jungkook hummed in agreement, pulling a bottle of water from the fridge. 

“And you’re in my house again. How is that possible, by the way? I’ve changed the locks…” Jungkook paused, then shook his head. He didn’t actually want to know. “Seokjin, do you know what it’s like to find someone better at drifting than you?” 

He had a far-away, dreamy sort of look in his eyes as he hopped up to sit on the kitchen counter. Seokjin raised an eyebrow and spared him a dubious look.

“Everyone is better at drifting than me, Jungkook. Remember the time you tried to teach me? It was a nightmare for everyone involved--”

“Point made,” Jungkook held up a hand in defeat. “I just meant--”

“You meant you found someone better at drifting than you,” Seokjin finished, an amused smirk on his lips. “Which, last I heard, was impossible.” 

“I was wrong,” Jungkook smiled. “Seokjin, she’s stunning.”

“At drifting?” Seokjin asked bemusedly. “I’m assuming you’re talking about the girl you were out with.”

“Yeah,” Jungkook frowned. “But not just drifting… In every way, shape and form of the word, she’s spectacular.”

“Yes, well,” Seokjin sighed, setting his phone down on the table and standing to refill his coffee. “While I’m happy you have a crush--I think it’ll be good for you to think about something other than driving--you can’t just disappear like you did today. You had three other official interviews scheduled, and hardly any of the photographers got your picture at the track. Do you know how many excuses I had to make for you?”

Jungkook shifted under the elder’s gaze, his mood finally starting to go back to normal. “You’re right. That wasn’t professional, and I’m...sorry.” Seokjin looked both surprised and happy to hear this. “But Seokjin, I keep telling you. I’m sick of the interviews. You keep telling me not to officially announce that I’m quitting, but all people ask me about are future plans. I’m tired of dodging questions.”

Seokjin frowned at Jungkook’s words. “I thought you were over all that quitting nonsense. You signed up for races, even challenged that nobody-kid to a race--not to mention the fact that you’ve actually been practicing again.” 

“I’m still serious about quitting, Seokjin. I--I’ll admit I’m looking forward to crushing 52, but that doesn’t change anything. My mind is made up. I’m sorry if I made you think I’d changed it, but I haven’t.”

The kitchen was filled with a tense silence for a moment before Seokjin slammed his empty coffee mug down on the table with much more force than was necessary. He then got up and stalked over to the fridge, pulling out random containers and dumping them on the counter next to the coffee pot. 

“What…?” Jungkook muttered, watching his manager open a to-go container, sniff the contents, and gag before dumping it into the trash. 

“Don’t you have any food?” Seokjin finally snapped, whipping around to glare at Jungkook. “I mean, what is all this crap? Half a moldy pizza? A rotten apple? And...And… What even is this?” He held out a soup container that appeared to be full of a dark purple goo. 

Jungkook shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine,” He said honestly. “There’s some ramun in the cabinet to your right.”

Seokjin muttered under his breath as he got the instant ramune out, and Jungkook watched in silence for a moment. 

“You know Hoseok, right?” He asked finally, figuring a change of subject might be a good idea. Seokjin shrugged, so Jungkook continued. “Have you met his cousin, Y/n?”

“Never even heard of her,” Seokjin replied dryly. “And I don’t see what his family has to do with anything.”

“She’s the women I went out with tonight,” Jungkook clarified. “You should see her behind the wheel. She’d be great on the track…” Jungkook chuckled as a thought occurred to him. “Hoseok should’ve hired her as his driver instead of this ‘52’ dumbass. She might actually stand a chance against me, given the proper equipment and training.”

Seokjin didn’t look away from the microwave, watching his ramune intently. “Who knows, maybe he offered the job to her and she turned it down. Maybe she didn’t want to deal with the frustration of not being taken seriously by bigots in the industry--motorsports are still widely considered a ‘men’s’ thing, and even though attitudes are changing, it’s slow.”

Jungkook frowned, but he couldn’t really argue. He’d met so many of aforesaid bigots himself over the years that he couldn’t deny they were out there. “Y/n doesn’t seem like the sort of person to let that stop her. She’s tough.”

Seokjin shook his head as he carefully removed the ramune cup from the microwave and made his way back to the kitchen table. Jungkook’s plan of changing the subject seemed to be working, luckily, as his manager appeared to be feeling somewhat better. 

Jungkook’s cell phone ping’d, and he whipped it out of his pocket without a second thought. To his delight, the text was from you, and he immediately tuned Seokjin out as he read it. 

“Tough or not, it wouldn’t be easy. She’d have an even harder time getting sponsors than everyone else, get sexist comments constantly, maybe even get harassed… The only way she could avoid all that would be if people thought she was a man, and to do that she’d have to hide her face and…” Seokjin stopped dead in his tracks, his brow creasing. “No way…”

“Huh?” Jungkook looked up from his phone, but was still only partially paying attention to his manager. Seokjin shook his head, continuing to the table. 

“Nothing. Just had a crazy thought, is all…” Seokjin tilted his head to the side. “You said she’s good at driving? How good, exactly?”

“Incredible,” Jungkook confirmed, turning his attention back to his phone. “If she decides to go pro, you should ask her if she needs a manager,” At the look Seokjin sent him, he shrugged. “She’s worth your time, Seokjin. She’s a million times better than Hoseok’s driver, who she’s so impressed with.” He rolled his eyes. “I mean, the guy isn’t even that talented… I’ve won way more races…” He knew he sounded childish, but an odd jealousy had risen in his chest without his even realizing it.

“Huh...” Seokjin stood contemplating for a moment. “You don’t possibly think--”

“I mean the guy must be ugly, too, right? That’s why he wear’s that dumb helmet all the time...” Jungkook interrupted, clearly ignoring his manager.

“My god, Jungkook, do you hear yourself?” Seokjin snapped. “Are you serious right now? You’re really feeling threatened by 52, not because of his driving skills, but because your crush realizes that he’s talented and respects that? You’re unbelievable!” 

“No, I mean...” Jungkook set his phone down finally, regarding his manager. “I don’t feel threatened.” 

“You’re such a child,” Seokjin scoffed. “The only reason you even challenged him to a race was to impress this Y/n person, wasn’t it?” 

“I’m impressive without beating him,” Jungkook pouted. “I just don’t want any confusion after I quit that I was the best in motorsports. This kid is making some wild accusations about being able to beat me, and someone new to the sport might actually believe him.” Jungkook paused for a second. “Proving to Y/n that I’m a better driver than 52 is just an added bonus.”

“Unbelievable,” Seokjin repeated, shaking his head. “We’re going to 52′s race next week, by the way. I have a few questions for Hoseok.”

“Jimin!” You called, kicking off your shoes by the door. “You forgot to lock the damn door again!” 

You were expecting a response yelled just as loud from his room, or possibly from the living room, but not for him to step out of the kitchen right in front of you. His eyes were serious, arms crossed and muscles tense.

“What’s up?” You asked slowly; clearly, something was wrong. 

“You have a guest,” Jimin replied stiffly, nodding over his shoulder. “I tried to get him to leave, but I don’t think that’s going to happen without him seeing you first.”

You stepped around Jimin to see who it was, and immediately wished you hadn’t. He was someone you’d worked with before--if you could really call it that. He had connections in the underground, and had found illegal races for you to be a part of many times. In return, he always got a cut of the profit.

“Allen,” You sighed, leaning against the fridge as you surveyed him. He was standing casually with one hand rested on the counter, sipping a beer. 

“It’s been too long,” He grinned, but there was no hint of happiness in his eyes. “How’ve you been?”

“Cut the bull, what do you want?” You scoffed. You’d hoped you wouldn’t see him again, but you knew realistically that was unlikely. You were a major profit for him, after all. 

“I got worried, not having heard from you in months. Thought maybe you’d gotten yourself killed or some shit,” Allen shrugged, pushing his hair away from his face to see you better. 

“Sure you did,” You said dryly. Jimin stood by, as though he was waiting for something to happen.

“Oh, come on. Can you blame me for checking in on an old friend?” Allen chuckled. When you didn’t respond, he sighed. “Alright, I have a job offer for you.”

“Take it somewhere else,” Jimin snapped, and Allen rolled his eyes.

“No one asked you. Y/n’s the driver, you can stay out of this as far as I’m concerned, mechanic.” Allen spat the last word as though it were some sort of insult, but Jimin was unphased. He turned back to you as though nothing had happened. “You know who Johnny Coldwater is, right?”

You nodded; most people involved in street racing knew who he was. Johnny Coldwarter owned several apartment buildings in the city, and also happened to run a drug ring. His favorite pass-time was street racing, but everyone knew he only won because he had better cars than anyone else and had absolutely no skill.

“He’s been challenged to a race by his older brother and wants to make sure he wins,” Allen continued. “Trouble is, his older brother is... You know, a better diver.” 

“So?” You shrugged. “I don’t see what this has to do with...” Your voice trailed off, figuring out what it was he wanted to you to do. 

“Johnny isn’t the tallest man in the world, from a distance no one will know it isn’t him,” Allen hopped up to sit on your counter. “I have to admit, the idea came from what you’re currently doing. It’s sort of genius, in it’s own way. Posing as a man, I mean. What is it they’re calling you? 52? Dumb name, but each to their own...” Allan was rambling, waiting for you to say something. He didn’t say it as a threat, but it wasn’t hard to see where he was going with all of this. 

“I won’t do it,” You said coldly. “And you need to leave.” 

“You will do it,” Allen replied, not seeming bothered in the least. “Because if you don’t, BulletProof Motors is going to get one hell of an interesting inside scoop. How long do you think you’d keep the little bit of support you’ve gained once the public knows you’re nothing but a criminal? And I don’t think that’d make the fact that you’ve been lying to them about your gender go over very well... You know, I don’t even think your sponsor will come out of it the same--people like him aren’t supposed to attend illegal races, let alone hire one of the participants...” 

“Get the fuck out of our house,” Jimin warned lowly, taking a step forward. “Or I swear to god--”

“You’ll what?” Allen grumbled. “You’ll call the cops? Somehow, I highly doubt that, considering your career is on the line here as well. So what do you think, Y/n? Are you going to make a couple thousand this weekend, or are you going to destroy your career and make an enemy out of me?”

“Of course she’s not going to--” Jimin started, but had to duck as Allen threw his empty beer bottle at him. It smashed into a million pieces against the wall behind Jimin, and for a moment after, everyone in the room was silent.

“No one asked you for your damn opinion,” Allen hissed, getting down from the counter. “Y/n, I expect to hear back from you within 24 hours, or your career is over.”

The race was held in the middle of nowhere, as you suspected it would be. It was just far out enough that there wouldn’t be many cops, especially at 3am. There was a surprising turnout of onlookers, many of whom you were sure had bets on who would win or lose. 

You kept your head down as you made your way through the small crowd, heading toward the group surrounding Johnny Coldwater’s car. As much as you hated to admit it in the situation, his 488 GTB Ferarri really was beautiful, even if impractical. 

The road chosen was in terrible shape, with potholes strung throughout. You’d driven it in your own car earlier that day to get an idea of what you were in for, and you had to admit you weren’t crazy about the conditions. The majority of the twisting road had a good ten-foot drop on either side, leaving little room for error. It also only had two lanes, leaving the chance of hitting on-coming traffic head-on. This sort of thing was supposed to be dangerous, though; it made for a better show. 

You pulled your cap further down when you spotted Allen, giving him a nod. The swap would be easy--when Johnny was supposed to get into his car, some of his men would conveniently step in front of the door and you’d hop in instead. It would have been impossible during the day, but this late, no one would be able to tell. And even if someone suspected something was up, they wouldn’t dare question it. 

By some miracle, the insane plan actually worked, and once in the car, you pulled on your driving gloves. Under ideal circumstances, you would have liked to drive the car at least once before racing it, but you didn’t see how you had much of a choice in the matter. 

You phone ping’d right as you started the car, and you glanced down to see the text was from Jimin.

“Be safe.” Was all he had to say, but it made you feel slightly better none the less. He was furious with the whole situation, and had hardly said a word to you in the last week. Before you met Hoseok, Jimin would always come to this sort of thing with you as a sort of moral support. This time, he had some sort of meeting with Taehyung, Hoseok, and some of the other crew members, and neither of you wanted to risk questions being asked. 

A scantily-clad woman made her way to stand in the middle of the yellow line dividing the lanes, and Johnny’s brother pulled up in a BMW I8. He revved his engine, so you figured you might as well rev back.

This was going to be a piece of cake.

The women raised a handgun above her head, smiling brightly before pulling the trigger.

The first thing you noticed was that the car you were driving was sluggish, which it most certainly should not have been. “Damn rich people,” You muttered, downshifting to pick up more speed and nearly redlining. “Buy the nicest cars available and then don’t bother to take care of them...”

It didn’t take long to realize that the car you were driving wasn’t your only problem, however.

The BMW was slightly ahead of you, and was determined to drive in the middle of the road so you couldn’t pass him. You swore under your breath as you pushed the car harder, so that you were mere feet away from the other car’s bumper. 

You weighed your options as you swerved left, then right; passing as it stood was impossible. But you knew there was a sharp bend in the road coming up, and if Johnny’s brother was smart, he would stick to the inside of it, hitting the apex of the turn before smoothly make his way back out of it. This would give you an opening on the other side. Granted, passing during a turn was always a little risky, but you’d done it before.

You eased up on the gas slightly, giving the I8 some room so you could see the road ahead and gauge exactly how you were going to do this.

Just as you’d hoped, the other car headed toward the right. You downshifted once again to give you the boost you needed to get ahead, and were nearly level with the other car when you realized you’d made a mistake. Johnny’s brother had apparently overestimated how fast he could make the turn, and you had only a second’s notice before the back end of his car slid into the side of yours. 

There was nothing you could do; at the speed you were going when it happened, there was no coming back from this and regaining control. You tried nonetheless, but the momentum of the other car was too great. 

Reflexively, you closed your eyes as you felt the car go over the guardrail, glass and metal crashing around you. A moment after that, you felt it collide with a tree and the airbags went off. 

It was over just as quickly as it started. You coughed as the dust from the airbags filled your lungs, struggling to regain your bearings. You felt dazed, and it took you a moment to realized that the trickle of blood running down the side of your face was coming from you.

You groaned as you tried to move, wincing as you struggled to unbuckle. Your left arm was agonizing to even shift, so you decided to stop trying after only a second. 

By some stroke of luck, your phone ended up on the seat next to you, and you were able to reach it without moving too much. Of two things you were sure: You needed an ambulance, and Hoseok was going to fire you before you even got the chance to race against Jungkook.

Chapter Text

“What are you going to do?” Jimin asked quietly. He was sitting in a chair next to the hospital bed you were currently stuck in, chewing his lip. You weren’t sure who called him so quickly--probably Namjoon, since he was the first to arrive at the crash--but he arrived almost fast as you had, explaining to the nurse that he was your emergency contact so he could see you.

“I don’t know yet,” You replied, staring up at the plain white ceiling. Hospitals were always bright, but this one felt particularly obnoxiously so. You were too tired to be blinded by LED lights and wanted nothing more than to go home.

“I haven’t called Hoseok,” Jimin added after a moment. “How are you going to tell him?”

Your eyes shot over to your best friend, narrowing slightly. “We’re not telling Hoseok.”

Jimin scoffed quietly, crossing his arms. "We don’t have to tonight, but he’ll find out when it’s clear you can’t drive.”

You returned your gaze to the ceiling. Two severely bruised ribs and a fractured collarbone weren’t that bad, considering what the car looked like when the paramedics pulled you out of it. Not only was moving your left arm painful, but the doctor had also advised that you move it as little as possible until it was healed, which would take four to six weeks.

“I can drive,” You said with more conviction than you felt. “My next race isn’t for another week and a half--the doctor said I might be completely healed in a month if I’m careful. I’ll just take it easy until the race.”

Jimin shook his head at your optimism. “This is serious, you can’t risk driving in your next race. Tell Hoseok, take some time off, and maybe you’ll be healed in time to race against Jeon--”

“I’m not telling Hoseok,” You said again. “And neither are you. You know he’ll ask what happened, and when I tell him...?” Jimin sighed and put his head in his hands. He knew as well as you what would happen, he just didn’t want to think about it. “Jimin, I can’t let tonight ruin my career. You know I can’t.”

Jimin muttered something unintelligible through his hands as he stood. “I’m gonna find some coffee,” He grumbled as he walked toward the door. He paused, turning back to look at your briefly. “We’ll figure something out.” He promised. “Just--something that doesn’t involve you driving.”

Coming up with excuses not to drive or use your arm, at least in the short term, proved to be fairly easy. You called out sick from work, and told Hoseok and Taehyung a similar story that you had a migraine and were pretty sure you were coming down with something. Hoseok wasn’t happy of course, but he was understanding and sympathetic, especially once Jimin confirmed your story by saying that you were “devastated” you couldn’t practice.

You ended up staying either in bed or on the couch all weekend, having little else to do other than eat, sleep, watch tv, and text Jungkook. You lied to him the same way you had everyone else, because there was always the chance that he could run into Hoseok and conflicting stories would hurt everyone involved. You felt bad about it, perhaps more so than even lying to Hoseok. Your lies to Jungkook just kept piling up, and at this point, you were sure there was no way to dig yourself out of them.

That didn’t stop your chatting from putting a smile on your face, however. Particularly because it seemed to be Jungkook’s personal mission to make you laugh since he thought you were feeling ill.

[Jungkook 2:43pm] “ok ok i have a good one”

[Jungkook 2:44pm] “did you hear about the restaurant on the moon?”

You waited a minute for the punchline before realizing he was waiting on you.

[2:46pm] “uhh no?”

Jungkook must have already had it typed and ready to send, because nearly as soon as your text went through, his reply came.

[Jungkook 2:46pm] “it had great food, but no atmosphere :/ ”

You couldn’t help the snort of laughter that escaped you at the terrible, overused joke. Jimin, who was sitting nearby on the floor scribbling notes furiously into a notebook on the coffee table, glanced up.

“Do I want to know?” He asked, his voice deadpan but the corners of his mouth twitching slightly, giving away that he wasn’t really bothered by your accidental interruption.

“No,” You assured him, though you were still smiling. “I swear, I don’t know where he gets these jokes, they’re awful...”

“And yet, they’re making you laugh,” Jimin teased, looking back to his book. “You always did have a lame sense of humor...”

You picked up a pillow next to you with your good arm and threw it halfheartedly at him. He caught it easily and tossed it back, and you almost missed what he said next. “It’s good to see you smiling, though.”

[2:51pm] “whyyy are you sending me these??”

Jungkook replied with a shrug emoji, followed by “it made you smile didn’t it.”

You were about to tell him that no, it wasn’t funny at all (just to mess with him a bit) when your phone started ringing. You groaned when you recognized the number, having been called by it a few too many times.

You let it ring until it went to voicemail, hoping that would be the end of it. Seconds later, Jimin’s own cell started to buzz, and he answered it despite your protests not to.

“Yeah, she’s here,” Jimin said, glancing at you. “She must’ve left her phone in the other room. Here.” He held the phone out to you, and you gave him your best “you’ll regret this later” glare as you took it from him.

“Y/n,” Namjoon sighed on the other end when you held the device up to your ear. “I’ve been trying to get ahold of you.”

“Sorry, been busy,” You muttered. You already knew you wouldn’t like whatever he had to say to you--you never did.

“I thought you might want to know that Coldwater decided not to press charges,” You could hear shuffling on the other end, and you guessed Namjoon was looking at files as he talked to you.

“Press charges?” You scoffed. “What the fuck would he press charges for, he--”

“Grand theft auto,” Namjoon interrupted. “He certainly has enough evidence against you--I mean, come on Y/n, what were you thinking? I thought you were finally getting your life together...”

“I didn’t steal his car, Namjoon,” You snapped. You didn’t feel like a lecture, especially one for something you didn’t do. Jimin’s head snapped up to look at you, his eyebrows raised.

“Then how, exactly, do you explain why you were driving it?” Namjoon didn’t sound like he actually wanted an answer. “It looks bad, Y/n. And he says you assaulted him to get the keys.”

A number of emotions rushed through you all at once--anger, incredulously, fear of what was going to happen, and finally resignation. It was your word against Coldwater’s; who would believe you?

“You said he’s not pressing charges,” You ran a hand through your hair as you sat up straighter on the couch. “That’s not why you’re calling, is it?”

Namjoon sighed again. “He’s suing you,” He deadpanned, not bothering to sugar-coat it. “For medical expenses and emotional damage.”

The anger was back, this time to stay. “He’s suing me?” You repeated. “That fucking piece of shit--Namjoon, I didn’t touch him, I swear--”

“And I’m inclined to believe you,” Namjoon cut in once more. “I really am--even if I didn’t know you, the whole thing doesn’t make sense. But right now his case looks pretty strong. Look, whatever happened, you need a lawyer. And as much as I hate to suggest this, I think it might be worth talking to Coldwater and asking him to drop the suit.”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me...” You muttered.

“I’m really not,” Namjoon said pointedly. “But I’ve got to go--I’ll call if I hear anything new. Don’t ignore me next time.”

You lasted a week before Hoseok’s questions went from “how are you feeling” to “why are you avoiding me?”

If you were honest with yourself, you knew you probably couldn’t drive with a fractured collarbone, at least not yet. But for the life of you, you couldn’t think of a way to tell Hoseok that you couldn’t drive without telling him about the accident.

As a result, you’d started avoiding your phone altogether, not wanting to see his or Taehyung’s worried messages.

Finally, you decided that the only way to figure out for sure what you should do was to try driving, and see what happened. Jimin, of course, disagreed entirely, saying that you should just tell Hoseok what happened, blackmail and all, and hope for the best.

“You’ll have to face your fears eventually, you know,” Jimin called from the kitchen. You peeked around the door frame on your way to your room long enough to roll your eyes at him. “It’s better to talk to him sooner than later.”

“If you’re referring to Hoseok, then no,” You said firmly. “It’s better to talk to him later. I’ll tell him about all this in ten years or so--by then he’ll think it’s funny.”

Jimin was about to correct you, tell you that you definitely could not hide it for ten years because Hoseok would surely find out in the next few days, but you were already gone.

He sighed, looking at where you’d just been standing. Despite what he said, he hoped you were right. He hoped against hope that you really could pull this off and that if you couldn’t, that Hoseok would be understanding. You’d come too far, worked too hard, for him not to.

A knocking came at the front door, and Jimin internally grimaced--it was probably either Namjoon to deliver the official summons to court, or Hoseok to check to make sure you weren’t dead. Jimin found that he wasn’t sure which one would be worse.

The knocking stopped for a moment, then started up again, this time a bit more hesitant. That was weird. Namjoon was known to whack doors mercilessly until someone opened them, and Hoseok was the most determined and persistent person Jimin had ever met. He wasn’t one to get shy while knocking on a door.

“Get the door!” You called, and Jimin rolled his eyes.

“I’m going!” He retorted.

Jimin yanked the door open and found himself face-to-face with Jeon Jungkook, nervously biting his lip. Neither offered any sort of greeting for a moment. Jimin leaned sideways slightly so he could see Jungkook’s Maserati looking entirely out of place in the driveway, then straightened again to regard the slightly taller man with raised eyebrows.

“Sorry,” Jungkook said, blinking in confusion. “I uh, I was looking for Y/n? Taehyung must have gotten your addresses mixed up, wow, this is awkward...” 

He said this all quite fast, while giving Jimin a pleading look as though hoping he would stop him.

“No, you’re in the right place,” Jimin replied evenly. “We’re housemates, got a problem with that?”

It was probably a little cruel how much Jimin enjoyed watching Jungkook squirm. But you were his best friend, he had a duty to find out what kind of person it was you were dating.

“Oh,” Jungkook blinked. “No. That’s fine. I just--didn’t know that.” He finished lamely. He looked like he wanted very much to be done with this conversation. “So it Y/n here, or...?”

“That depends,” Jimin shrugged, leaning against the door frame. “Something tells me she didn’t invite you, so what are you doing here?”

“Nothing,” Jungkook said, then shook his head as he changed his mind. “I haven’t heard from her in a few days, and when I ran into Taehyung at the track, he said he and Hoseok haven’t either, and that it wasn’t normal for her? I was worried, and so was Tae, and at the time it seemed like a good idea to stop by, but now I’m thinking it wasn’t. It’s weird that I’m here, isn’t it?”

Jimin fought not to smile. Jungkook was way too easy to unnerve. “Yeah, pretty weird.”

“God, I didn’t mean to be creepy,” Jungkook almost said this to himself more than Jimin, running a hand through his hair. “I just--with her being sick, thought something might’ve happened and--”

“So do you want to see her?” Jimin asked mildly.

“Yes--no! Is she going to think I’m a creep?”

Jimin shrugged again. “I guess we’ll find out.” He turned his head to shout over his shoulder, but didn’t break eye contact with Jungkook. “Y/n! Your stalker’s here to see you!”

Jungkook’s eyes widened comically, and Jimin smiled.

“What stalker?” You shouted back.

“Do you have more than one?” Jimin asked, bemused.

“I should just go, shouldn’t I?” Jungkook muttered.

“Hurry up!” Jimin yelled again, and Jungkook was about to turn and leave when he saw you over Jimin’s shoulder.

“What the fuck, Jimin?” You snapped, shoving him out of your way to see who was at the door. “Oh. Hey.”

“Hey,” Jungkook echoed.

“So, Jungkook and I were just discussing how creepy it is that he showed up where you live without you actually giving him your address,” Jimin said helpfully, and you shoved him once more, this time far enough inside that you could pull the door closed behind you, leaving you and Jungkook standing on the porch. You were careful of your right arm, but grateful that you weren’t currently wearing the sling.

“It was Taehyung’s idea,” Jungkook blurted. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking--I wasn’t thinking. We were worried...God, this really is super creepy... I should go.”

It took a moment for your surprise to wear off, but then you laughed, catching his arm before he could turn completely away. “No, stay. I uh, I'm sorry for making you worry.” You added the last part rather sheepishly. It wasn't your intention to ignore Jungkook along with the rest of the world, but you had nonetheless.

“I really shouldn't have come--” Jungkook still looked determined to leave, so you continued before he could say anything else.

“No, I’m glad to see you,” As unexpected as it was for him to be there, it felt right somehow. You needed to de-stress, and seeing him was already helping. “I was avoiding Hoseok, I didn’t even think about making you worry...” You cleared your throat awkwardly before adding, “Thanks for caring, by the way.”

Jungkook’s eyes were on where your hand held his wrist, and he nodded, looking rather nervous. “I’m glad to know you’re alright. But I didn’t mean to intrude or anything.”

You shook your head, giving him a reassuring smile. “Do you have plans for the rest of the day?” You could always wait until tomorrow to try driving again, you still had a few days before your next race, and Jungkook was currently a welcome distraction from the ache in your collarbone and probably hundreds of missed calls from Hoseok.

“No?” It was adorable, you thought, the way that he chewed his lip in uncertainty. But you were also very aware that if you didn’t smooth things over with Jungkook now, all kinds of damage could be done. He might believe you were trying to ghost him and he didn’t get the hint, or that there was some other reason you’d lied to him about being sick. Not to mention, if he ran into Taehyung again and told him you were faking, Hoseok would have even more questions.

“Let’s see a movie, then,” You said firmly. “Have you ever been to the drive-in down the street?”

“A drive-in theater?” Jungkook looked much more relaxed now. “Those are still around?”

“Barely,” You laughed at the way his nose scrunched in confusion. “Just give me a minute to get ready to go.” You hesitated; it would be rude to make him wait for you on the porch, but you didn’t really want to let him inside. Against the nagging part of you that warned you not to let him see the dump you were currently living in, you opened the door once again and ushered him inside.

Jungkook ended up waiting in the living room with Jimin while you assured him you wouldn’t be long--you just had to find socks--over your shoulder.

“So,” Jungkook started. “You and Y/n must be close?” Jimin was giving him that look that concerned parents often did, right before they warned against breaking their daughter's heart, and Jungkook tried not to visibly shift in his seat.

“The closest,” Jimin replied, then his face changed entirely, breaking out into a wide smile. “Jeez, relax. Breathe. We’re good friends, but I’m not about to ask you what your ‘intentions’ are or anything. Y/n can take care of herself.”

“Right,” Jungkook laughed, still slightly nervous and unsure of what else to say. It wasn’t like him to get so tongue-tied and highly-strung meeting a girlfriend's friends, and on top of that, he already knew Jimin. This shouldn’t be such a big deal. But, Jungkook realized with an internal groan that this was such a big deal because you were. He wanted to make a good impression on those who were close to you because he liked you that much.

“I mean, I don’t have to, do I?” Jimin continued nonchalantly, pulling out his phone idly. “Because you already know what’ll happen to you if you hurt her, right?”

Jimin’s gaze flicked up for a fraction of a second, and Jungkook coughed, stalling. How was he supposed to answer that? He couldn’t even really tell if Jimin was joking or not.

Luckily, he was saved from answering when you reappeared, tossing him a set of keys without warning or ceremony. “It’s your turn to drive my car, right?” You asked. It wasn’t your plan originally, but it would save you from explaining why you suddenly didn’t feel like diving. “Just--don’t laugh.”

In a lot of ways, you were proud of your car. Sure, the right-hand door had a huge dent in it, and yeah, the back bumper was black and the left side of the car was covered in rude graffiti while the rest of the car was yellow, but most of the scratches and dings that covered it held fond memories. It looked like it had been through hell and back again with you, and in a way, it had. Anyway, it wasn’t the outside that mattered--it was under the hood.

“How could you not mention you have an Integra?” Jungkook demanded playfully, walking around it slowly as he made his way to the drivers' side, taking it in.

“At this point, I’m not sure you can quite call it one...” You muttered, getting into the passenger side. It had been quite a while since you sat there, and it occurred to you how strange the inside of your car must look to someone else. The carpet that once lined the floor was long gone, removed to reduce weight, when the stereo system was stolen you hadn’t bothered to replace it, and you and Jimin had removed the backseats years ago.

You weren’t exactly expecting Jungkook to make fun of your car--he was too nice for that--but nor did you think that when you turned towards him after fastening your seat belt that he would be grinning from ear to ear.

“What?” You asked somewhat suspiciously, eyes narrowing.

“Tell me about it.” He urged. You hesitated, not sure where to even start. “The car, I mean. Obviously, you’ve done a lot to it, and I want to hear all about it.”

And there was that confidence again, but without the arrogance of his racing persona. As you began listing off the things you’d modded, the occasional mistakes you’d made while learning, and the more often success you’d had in making it just right, you watched how closely he paid attention, and the way his eyes lit up while you spoke. This, you realized, was closer to the actual Jungkook--he wasn’t the obnoxious ass you met on the race track, nor was he quite as shy as he sometime’s appeared. You felt something akin to butterflies at the idea of getting to know him--the real him--better, then internally cringed. Ugh, when had you become such a cliche?

Unwilling to wait, Jungkook started the car while you were talking, letting out an excited laugh at the low hum of the engine.

“God, you’re such a dork,” You interrupted yourself to say, unable to help the laughter that bubbled up. “Stop looking so excited, you’ll be disappointed once you start driving it.”

You were wrong. Jungkook appeared to love driving your car as much (or possibly more) than you did his, though he was much calmer in the way he drove it. He stayed within ten miles of the speed limit, and you might have said something about him being a boring driver except you weren’t actually bored. Spending time with him, even in relative silence was easy, comfortable. Even if he was driving like an old fart.

“We’re not going to make it to see the beginning,” You noted, glancing at the time. It didn’t really matter--it was a showing of an old horror movie you had seen before.

“You said it started in twenty minutes, and we’d get there in fifteen,” Jungkook pouted slightly, you were sure unconsciously.

“I miscalculated,” You smirked. “I would get there in fifteen minutes. But with you driving...”

Jungkook shot you a look only briefly, one eyebrow raised in question. “I can’t tell if you’re implying that I drive slow, or you drive ridiculously fast.”

You shrugged. “Both.”

If anything, Jungkook seemed to slow down after that, and sure enough, you missed the first ten minutes of the show. You parked in the back, not far from the ancient concessions stand. It was surprisingly busy even for a Saturday evening; you supposed what was playing was popular.

“I have literally no idea what’s going on,” Jungkook said after five minutes of the two of you sitting, windows rolled down, and watching. He’d gotten popcorn, insisting that it was entirely necessary for the “movie experience” before realizing what was happening in the movie and no longer feeling hungry.

“I think the girl’s possessed,” You stated the obvious, and Jungkook gave you a dubious look.

“I gathered that,” He chuckled. “I mean, why is she possessed? Who is she possessed by? And who is that lady--”

“Have you seriously never seen The Exorcist?” You cut in. It had been years since you’d seen it, and you’d forgotten large parts of it, but it was starting to come back to you.

Jungkook shook his head in answer.

“How?” You demanded in mock horror, slightly louder than you meant. Remembering that other people were trying to watch, you lowered your voice before continuing. “Everyone’s seen the Exorcist!”

“I guess I’m not everyone, then,” Jungkook didn’t seem too bothered, amused and attention now entirely on you. “Is it really that good?”

“You could watch and find out,” You countered, noticing the way the corner of his mouth pulled into a smirk and his eyes glinted in the dim light.

“Or, I could not,” He mused, turning in the seat to face you better and leaning forward, one elbow on the center console. His other hand reached out, almost hesitantly, to cup the nape of your neck, tilting your head up slightly.

“Yeah, I’ve got a better idea anyway,” A similar smile graced your lips before closing the small gap between you.

He was warm; his hands as they moved to pull you closer, his lips as they parted gently, and his tongue as it lightly grazed against your lower lip. You wanted more of him, his warmth, even the slightly salty taste of his mouth that was left form the popcorn.

But all too soon his lips left yours, traveling down the side of your jaw to just under your ear. You let out an involuntary gasp when he nipped lightly at the sensitive skin there that had him smiling against your neck.

The angle was awkward, though, and a moment later his knee came in contact with the steering wheel painfully. He drew back as he swore, rubbing his knee as you unsuccessfully tried to suppress a giggle.

“Jesus, sorry,” He said sheepishly, but you shook your head.

“Don’t be,” You said quickly, trying not to make him feel like you were laughing at him. “Hang on--” You turned towards him again, lifting yourself out of your seat with one leg to somewhat clumsily climbing over the middle console. It would have been easier if you could use your right arm, but as it was, you half-fell into his lap, taking the popcorn with you.

By the time you righted yourself, straddling his legs, entirely blocking his view of the movie, and your arms draped lightly around his neck, you were both nearly gasping with laughter.

“That was supposed to be sexy,” You said, trying to keep a straight face, failing, and dropping your head into the crook of his neck so he couldn’t see your cheeks turn pink. When you lost your balance, Jungkook’s hands had instinctively caught your hips to help catch you, which was still where they rested.

“It was sexy,” Jungkook replied, but despite his soft smile when you pulled back enough to see him, there was no joking in his voice.

“Right,” You said sarcastically, lips feather light as they traced down his neck. You relished in the way his breath hitched in his throat even at something so small. “Nothing sexier than getting a bucket of popcorn dumped in your lap...”

“Mm, depends on how it happens, I guess,” The rumble of his laugh met your ears, his breath tickling your neck almost imperceptibly. He pulled back just far enough that he could catch your lips with his once more, his hands traveling upwards and barely brushing the skin under your shirt...And subsequently a bruise on your left side from where the seat belt had dug into you during the crash.

You winced internally, moving your hand over his and guiding it to your ass. Jungkook pulled back once again, lips swollen and hair mussed and looking almost ethereal with his pupils blown wide.

“Is this okay?” He asked seriously.

You answered by nodding, leaning down slightly to pepper his cheek with light kisses. “More than okay.” You confirmed, and god, did it feel good to stop worrying about everything for a while. In that moment, you weren’t concerned about Hoseok, or the impending races that you weren’t sure if you could drive in, or even the fact that your relationship--you weren’t really sure what else to call it--with Jungkook was primarily built on lies. All that mattered right then was how relaxed and safe you felt in his arms, and the wonderful feeling of knowing he wanted you just as badly as you wanted him.

He gave your ass an appreciative squeeze, pulling you impossibly closer as he did so. His other hand traveled up to the buttons on your shirt, tugging lightly at the top one as he shifted to mouth along your clavicle. Somewhere in the back of your head, you knew you should stop him, but it didn’t quite click until the pain hit.

“Ow!” You gasped as you jerked back, your butt hitting the horn in your haste. “Shit.” You decided not to look around at the dirty looks your car was definitely getting because of it.

Jungkook’s eyes were wide with concern and confusion, eyes searching your face. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t--fuck, I--what did I do?”

“You didn’t do anything,” You scrambled to explain. “I just have some bruising there...” His hands had dropped the moment you jerked away, and you could see on his face that he felt like he’d done something horribly wrong. You didn’t see much choice other than to be honest--well, sort of honest, anyway. “I was in a minor accident last week, which is why I’ve been avoiding Hoseok. I didn’t say anything because it’s really not a big deal...”

Jungkook’s brows were creased with concern, his lower lip caught between his teeth, and you wished you could just go back to how things were less than a minute ago and not have this conversation.

“You’re lying,” He said, but not in an accusatory way. That simple sentence made your stomach drop, however, even though it was in reference to something relatively small in comparison to the other lies you’d told him. “If it was so minor, you wouldn’t have bad enough bruising to make you flinch like that.” His words hung in the air for a moment; You didn't know what to say to that. You followed his eyes to where they fell on the now-exposed skin of your collarbone. Only a small part of the bruise peaked out, but it was enough. You pulled your collar up to cover it again. “What happened?”

You hadn’t thought that far, and it occurred to you that if he asked too many questions without you properly thinking through your story, he was likely to see the flaws in it. “I don’t want to talk about it.” You said instead. That, at least, was entirely true.

Jungkook nodded in understanding, reaching up slowly, as though waiting for you to stop him, to place his hand on the side of your face, his thumb tracing along your cheek. “Are you okay?”

He really was too sweet. You’d expected some sort of backlash earlier for pretending to be sick, and again now for not telling him about the accident. But of course he was just concerned for your well-being, and there wasn’t any trace of even mild irritation in his eyes.

Fondness swelled in your chest, and as you pulled him in for another, much less frantic but somehow more intense kiss, you became very aware of just how much you liked him. Or perhaps it was more than that, at this point. Not quite love--you didn’t know him well enough for that yet, surely--but more than a casual crush, that was for sure.

You were interrupted by a pointed cough, and looked up to see a young man, maybe in his early twenties, standing outside the car window, arms folded. You thought you vaguely recognized him as the concessions stand worker.

“I suppose it was you that honked?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Look, before you start, I don’t want to hear about how exhibitionism is your kink or whatever. This is a family venue, I can’t have you two fucking around and causing a scene.”

“Sorry, we got a little carried away,” Jungkook gave the man a smile, but you didn’t miss the subtle change in his body language or tone.

“Yeah, well...” He stopped, leaning down to get a better look at you. “Aren’t you that girl that stole and wrecked Coldwater’s car last week?”

You froze. Shit. How would he even know that?

Jungkook’s smile had vanished, but his cold stare wasn’t directed at you. “I think you’re confused.”

“Please let that be the end of it,” You thought desperately.

“Nah, he’s passing out her picture to all his employees, says she’s dangerous. I’d know that face.”

“My picture?” You scoffed, reaching over to open the door so you could get out and stand before the man. For a moment, you forgot about Jungkook or what he might be thinking of the conversation. Rage clouded your judgment at the nerve of Coldwater, and the lengths he would go to to save face.

“Yeah,” The man stood a bit taller, but his eyes flicked around. He was nervous. “You’re lucky that’s all he’s doing. If you’d stolen the car of someone less understanding, you’d be in jail.”

You let out a humorless laugh. “You clearly don’t know what you’re talking about, so why don’t you do me a favor and fuck off?” You supposed you should have seen it coming. Coldwater would never admit to hiring you to drive his car, you knew that, but you hadn’t thought he would spread such rumors about you in an attempt to make his story more believable.

“I’m curious,” The man continued, sneering. “What made you think you could get away with it? A girl driving a car like that--”

“Watch it,” Jungkook interrupted, reminding you that he was indeed still there. You weren’t sure when he’d gotten out of the car, but he took a step forward so he was halfway between you and the other man. “Watch what the fuck you say, asshole. For the record, Y/n didn’t steal anyone’s car. Get your facts straight and piss off, yeah?”

“Let’s go,” You said stiffly. Jungkook nodded, but didn’t turn away from the man for a moment. You got into the driver's seat this time, and Jungkook didn’t argue.

Shifting gears and driving did, as you suspected it would, hurt. But the pain in your collarbone and arm weren’t nearly as important as what you’d just learned. Coldwater was spreading rumors about you, and if they were spreading as fast as you guessed, it was only a matter of time before Hoseok heard them, too. That couldn’t happen.

“What an ass,” Jungkook muttered. “Accusing a complete stranger of something like that... It’s ridiculous. Although it is odd that you were in a crash the same week...” He said the last bit more to himself, it seemed.  

You said nothing, your mind preoccupied. Even if you told Hoseok what happened and by some miracle he didn’t drop you, would he still believe you once he heard Coldwater’s story? On the other hand, if you waited until he found out about it through other people, there was no chance he would believe you at all.

“Y/n?” Jungkook said after a moment. You glanced at him, showing you were listening this time. “It’s ridiculous, right?”

He waited for confirmation, for you to tell him that yeah, it was absolutely ridiculous and you would never do something like that.

Your hands tightened on the steering wheel.

You weren’t sure why you couldn’t lie to him one more time; really, what was this in comparison to everything else? But when you opened your mouth to reply, no sound came out.

In your peripheral, you saw Jungkook sit up straighter, eyes widening slightly. “I heard about the crash. That there was an illegal race. You wouldn’t do something like that.”

He was giving you every opportunity to defend yourself, but all you replied with was; “It’s more complicated than that.”

Jungkook sat back in his seat, dumbfounded. “Complicated, how?” He asked incredulously. “Jesus, you didn’t really steal his car, did you?” He ran a hand through his hair in agitation, and his tone was laced with alarm, disbelief, disapproval, and disdain. “And racing it on the street? You could’ve killed someone, are you out of your mind?”

You might not have lost your temper if you hadn’t already been furious at the situation. You might have understood where he was coming from and that this all looked bad. But as it was, his words just stung.

“So what if I did steal his fucking car?” You snapped. You suddenly didn’t even want to try to explain any of it. You knew that tone, though you’d never heard him use it before. It was the same tone people took on when they thought they were better than and looked down on who they were talking to. You hated it. “What then? Huh?”

“Pull over,” Jungkook said rather than give an answer.

“What?” You scoffed.

“Pull over,” He repeated. “You’re going 25 miles over the speed limit. Pull. Over.”

“What, suddenly you don’t trust my driving anymore?” You muttered under your breath, but Jungkook heard it. There was an abandoned gas station ahead, and you slowed down to pull into it.

“We need to talk about this,” He said. “This is serious, and I want to have an actual conversation about it. You said it’s more complicated--so tell me how. I want to know.”

But you couldn’t. Not without telling him everything, and judging by how this had gone so far, he wouldn’t take it well.

You pulled into the empty gas station and parked your car, leaning your elbow against the window and your head on your hand. You didn’t dare look at Jungkook, not when you were so tempted to just say “fuck it” and tell him everything.

“Y/n?” Jungkook prompted.

“There’s nothing to talk about.” You replied stiffly.

You heard Jungkook sigh in frustration. “How can you--Do you seriously expect me to just go on as though you didn’t commit a felony without any kind of explanation?”

“I can’t give you an explanation, so yeah, I guess so,” You shrugged, though you didn’t mean the words you said, really. His tone was bitter, betrayed, and there was nothing you could say to make it up to him. Tears of frustration pricked at your eyes, but none fell. There was no fixing this, not now anyway.

You knew from the start that things with Jungkook wouldn’t end well, but you had hoped they would last at least a little longer.

Jungkook let out a humorless chuckle. “I never would have thought you were so immature--”

“Would you believe me if I said I didn’t steal the car?” You interrupted.

Jungkook shook his head, hand over his mouth in thought. “I don’t know--maybe? How am I supposed to answer that?” He let out another frustrated breath of air. “Are you saying you weren’t driving it?”

“No,” You wanted to stop talking, this was going terribly. But you didn’t want to just give up. “But I didn’t steal it.”

“But you were street racing?” Jungkook blinked slowly. You nodded once, having nothing to add. Jungkook scoffed in disbelief. “Do you know how dangerous that is? Or do you just not care?”

“Don’t patronize me,” You muttered, eyes still fixed ahead of you.

“It’s stupid!” Jungkook continued, and you weren’t sure if he’d heard you or not. “It’s so fucking stupid. You could’ve died, or killed someone else, and for what? Seriously, what the fuck were you thinking?”

You laughed despite the empty feeling in your chest. “I would’ve thought you, of all people, would understand racing--”

“Yeah, well, you thought wrong. I understand driving on a track, where there aren’t innocent people to run over, where it’s fucking legal.”

“Excuse me for not being born rich enough to afford that like some people...” You mumbled.

That hit a nerve. “The hell does that have to do with it?”

But you were done arguing. Done fighting. This wasn’t getting any better, and you knew enough damage had been done that there wasn’t any coming back from it.

“Get out,” You said coldly.

“What?”

“Get out of my car,” You clarified, reaching over to unlock his door and open it partially.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me...” You could hear the disbelief and anger in his voice, but it didn’t change anything. You couldn’t be around him anymore. You just couldn’t. It was too hard, too infuriating that you couldn’t fix things, that you’d gotten into this mess in the first place. Somewhere deep down, you knew your anger wasn’t at Jungkook--it was at yourself for starting something based on lies and getting so damn attached to him. It was at Coldwater for blackmailing you and ruining everything, and it was at Hoseok for expecting you to leave everything from before behind so easily.

“You heard me, get the fuck out!”

He did, with a confounded short exhale. Once outside, he slammed the door shut and leaned both of his elbows on the windowsill, the glass still rolled down from earlier. “What now?” He asked, a sardonic smile on his lips. “You want me to walk home?”

“I don’t care what you do,” You lied one final time, putting the car in gear. Jungkook stepped away so his feet weren’t run over, and you heard him swearing as you actually left him there.

Chapter Text

Seokjin knew before he even saw Jungkook that something was wrong. He slammed the garage door with a bang that was entirely unnecessary before stomping around and eventually making his way into the kitchen. His manager waited there at the table for the younger to notice his presence, sipping his coffee. 

Jungkook didn’t seem to know what to do. He opened one cabinet door, slammed it closed again, walked to the refrigerator and changed his mind again, then finally went for the bottle of unopened whiskey that sat atop it. 

“Do you think that’s going to help?” Seokjin asked mildly, causing Jungkook to jump so badly that he dropped the alcohol. The bottle shattered on the tile floor despite his best attempts to catch it, and he gave Seokjin a scathing look.

“What the hell are you doing here?” He demanded. Glass and whiskey was all over the floor, but Jungkook didn’t seem particularly keen on cleaning it up. 

“You weren’t answering your phone,” Seokjin sighed. He was really tired of answering the same way every time Jungkook asked him that, but it was true every damn time. The younger never picked up his phone anymore when Seokjin called. “And there’s something I wanted to talk to you about–I did some digging and I think I know who 52 is… But I’m now thinking that can wait. What happened?” 

He was half expecting Jungkook to shrug off the question, considering the distance that had been between them for the last year. But to his surprise, Jungkook gave a defeated sigh and made his way over to sit beside Seokjin. His shoes crunched on the glass, but he hardly seemed to notice. He sat with his elbows on the table, the palms of his hands pressed into his eyes. 

“I don’t even know.” He mumbled. “It was like one moment I was thinking I should ask Y/n if she wanted to be exclusive, even though we hardly know each other, and the next thing I know she’s left me at an abandoned gas station and I have to call an uber to get back to my car.” 

“What did you do to get left there?” Seokjin knew the question wouldn’t be appreciated, and he was right. Jungkook looked up to give him a withering glare. 

“I didn’t–I don’t–” 

Seokjin waited for Jungkook to collect his thoughts. “You don’t what?” 

“I don’t know where to start.” He sat back in his chair, staring at the ceiling as though answers could be hidden there. A long moment passed in silence before anything else was said. “What would you do if you found out that someone… Wasn’t who you thought they were?” 

Seokjin’s eyes widened slightly, but Jungkook was too distracted to notice. “Could you elaborate on that?” 

Jungkook grimaced, trying to find the words. “Like…If you found out they’d done something illegal and stupid that made you realize you really don’t know them. Wouldn’t you be mad?” 

That wasn’t exactly where Seokjin thought this was going, and he set down his coffee, studying Jungkook closely. “Well, that’s pretty vague, but I suppose it would depend on their motives, and what it was specifically that they did.” When he didn’t get a response immediately, he sighed and leaned forward, elbows on the table. “We used to be friends, and I know things have been… Strained recently, but you’re like a younger brother to me. Jungkook, you know you can talk to me about anything, right?” 

Jungkook nodded slowly, biting his lip before he started explaining. He left out details he deemed unnecessary, filling his manager in on only the important parts–that you’d stolen a car, taken it to an illegal race, wrecked it, and finally the fight–if he could even call it that–that ended with Jungkook outside a gas station.   

When he was done, all Seokjin had to say was, “Huh.” 

“Huh?” Jungkook echoed. “What does that mean?” 

His manager shrugged, sitting back in his chair lost in thought. What Jungkook was saying didn’t make sense, considering what Seokjin knew about you. If you were driver 52, as Seokjin was fairly sure you were, why would you still be street racing? “It’s just… Odd,” He muttered. There had to be more to the story. “She says she didn’t steal the car?” 

Jungkook nodded. “Yeah, but how am I supposed to believe her?” 

“Why wouldn’t you?” His manager countered. “Look, I’m not saying she’s in the right here, but if she was going to lie, wouldn’t she have said she wasn’t involved in any of it? Maybe you should hear her out, is all I’m saying.” He wasn’t sure why he was arguing on your behalf; if he was right, you had lied to Jungkook about a lot more than this. But he didn’t have any proof yet, and Seokjin knew Jungkook well enough to tell that he had fallen hard for you. Despite their differences, he wanted him to be happy. Not to mention, he had a soft spot for people trying to turn over a new leaf, which he hoped you were.

The younger scoffed. “I tried to talk to her, she was acting like a child–” 

“Did you?” Seokjin interrupted. “Or did you make it clear that it didn’t matter what she said anyway so she gave up?” His voice softened, noticing how sad Jungkook looked. “I’m not saying you’re wrong, okay? Street racing is stupid. But people make mistakes. Maybe there’s more to the story… Or maybe there’s not, I don’t know. Isn’t it worth finding out?” 

“I guess,” Jungkook agreed reluctantly, frowning at the tablecloth. “I still can’t believe she left me in the middle of nowhere, though.” 

Seokjin snorted at that, standing to find a broom to clean up the glass off the floor. “Right, like you’ve never hopped in your car and driven away from your problems…” He muttered. At the look he received, he gave another sigh. “What? That sounds exactly like the sort of thing you would do!” 

“It does not!” Jungkook shot back indignantly. 

“Oh, really?” Seokjin chuckled. “Remember a few weeks ago when you decided you’d rather go on a date than talk to reporters about your future so you left without a word? I remember because I was the one stuck there making excuses for you.” 

Jungkook shifted uncomfortably in his seat, avoiding Seokjin’s eyes. “That’s different.” 

Seokjin answered with a non-committal, “Hm.” 

Jungkook folded his arms defiantly but mulled the elder’s words around in his head. Maybe Seokjin was right and there was more to the story than what he knew. But right then, it wasn’t your street racing that was bothering him. 

Honestly, it may never have been your street racing that bothered him. It was that you lied–and, of course, that you’d left him in the middle of nowhere. But he supposed, reluctantly, that maybe it was reasonable for you not to trust him, at least to an extent. You didn’t know him, not really, so how were you supposed to know how he would react to something like that? And anyway, it wasn’t like you owed him anything; you weren’t dating, you hadn’t made any promises to each other. 

Logic didn’t stop Jungkook from being irritated nonetheless. “I’m not calling her first,” He told his manager firmly. “You might have a point that there could me more to it. But I’m not going to beg to find out what.”

You half expected to cry when you got home, but no tears fell. Maybe you felt too tired and defeated to cry. Instead, a strange, sad sort of calm settled over you that left you feeling hollow inside as you dragged your feet down the hall to Jimin’s room. His door was open, and he was sitting surrounded by papers and textbooks on his bed. 

“Hey,” You said, not waiting for an invitation to climb onto his bed to sit beside him. 

“You’re back early,” He noted, glancing at his watch. 

“Yeah,” You laid down sideways on the bed next to him. “Turns out the Golden Boy doesn’t approve of street racing.” 

Jimin picked up a pile of papers and tossed them to the side so he had room to lay down as well, so you were shoulder-to-shoulder. “I can’t really say that I’m surprised… Are you okay?” 

You shrugged, then shook your head. “Not really. If Jungkook didn’t already hate me for the street racing, he probably does now for leaving him in the middle of nowhere.” 

“Why would you do that?” Jimin couldn’t help but chuckle slightly at your words, putting one arm under his head to get more comfortable. 

“Honestly? I don’t know,” You admitted. “I just–couldn’t keep talking about it. Couldn’t deal with it all.” You couldn’t stand the disillusionment in his eyes, and you didn’t want to hear the rest of what Jungkook had to say. You chewed your lip in thought, deciding to change the subject. “I have to tell Hoseok about the crash. You were right, he’s going to find out about it either way. It’s better if he hears it from me.” 

“Thank god you came to your senses,” Jimin started. 

“I’ll tell him right after my next race,” You finished pointedly, and Jimin groaned. 

“You can’t drive–” 

“I can,” You interrupted. “I can, and I will. And after I win and Hoseok’s in a good mood, I’ll tell him what happened.” 

Jimin sighed deeply. “Just–promise me you won’t push yourself too hard?” 

“You know me,” You evaded. “I’ll be fine.” 

You weren’t even in the top three in your next competition. You came in seventh, barely. You were nearly eighth, which would still be considered pretty damn great by most of your competitors, but you felt nothing but bitter disappointment. There were mere milliseconds between your car and the guy who came in beside you; it was so close the replay in slow motion was studied for a few minutes before anyone was sure which one of you was first. 

You started out strong, but the more you used your right arm, the more painful it got to do so. By the end of the race, you wanted nothing more than to curl up with an ice pack and not move your shoulder for a while, and your concentration broke. 

“Well,” Hoseok said when he saw you. He’d found yet another empty room for you to regroup in, and hadn’t met you straight after the race like he usually did. Almost as soon as you were in the room, Jimin had pulled your helmet off, figuring you wouldn’t want to raise your arm that high. “That… Sucked. The fuck happened?” 

You shook your head. Looking back, it was a wonder you’d done as well as you had. You weren’t really focused the whole race, so as disappointed as you were with yourself, you were just glad you’d made it through without wrecking the car. 

“My head wasn’t in it,” You muttered, sitting across the table from him. “I’m sorry.” 

Hoseok scoffed quietly, shaking his head. “You were a mess out there…” 

“I’ll do better next time,” You assured him. You had to do better next time, not only for Hoseok, but your next race was against Jungkook–if you could qualify, that is. It hadn’t been something you were particularly worried about before, but after today’s loss, you weren’t so sure of yourself. 

“I know you will,” Hoseok nodded, looking at his phone. “By the way, Simon’s throwing a celebratory party because it’s his first win, and you’re going.” 

“Hoseok–” You tried, but your sponsor held up a hand. 

“You’re going, and that’s all there is to it. You need to show you’re not a sore loser, support the other people in the sport and make some friends. You’ll thank me later.” 

“Okay,” You decided your best bet wasn’t to fight him on this. “But first, there’s something I need to talk to you about.” 

But Hoseok wasn’t listening. He was typing away on his phone and didn’t even glance up as he said, “I’m serious, I think it’ll be good for you to go and socialize. You don’t even have to talk to anyone, just show up, sit there and be cool.” 

“No,” You shook your head. “It’s not about the party–I need to talk to you.” 

“You are talking to me,” Hoseok laughed slightly, though you couldn’t tell if it was at your words or the text he’d just received. “Simon’s thrilled you agreed to come, he says he’s been looking forward to getting to know you since your first race.”

“Hoseok, I’m serious!” You snapped. You promised yourself that you would tell him about the fiasco with Coldwater after this race, and you weren’t sure you’d be able to at all if you didn’t now. 

“So am I,” Hoseok replied. “I don’t want to hear any excuses, you’re not getting out of this. Now hurry up, go home and shower. I’ll text you Simon’s address–and I don’t think I have to tell you this, but wear your jumpsuit and helmet.” 

You let out a frustrated breath as you stood to leave, picking up your helmet to carry under your arm. It was stifling to wear indoors, and you didn’t particularly want to wear it if you could avoid it. Hoseok was proving to be impossible to talk to, and you were losing patience. 

“I’m going to go change–but we’re not done talking.” 

Hoseok hardly acknowledged you as you left the room, muttering something about the party as he texted someone back. The hallway outside was nearly empty, cut off from the general public. 

You stuck your head out and looked both ways before figuring it was safe to make your way down the hall to the family bathroom at the end. There was no reason for anyone but your crew to be over there, but you figured you couldn’t be too careful.   

You were just going to have to put on your uniform again in a few hours, but for now, at least, you wanted to make sure the press wasn’t going to pay you any attention. You didn’t want to see Yoongi’s or anyone else’s sly smile as he asked you how it felt to lose, or if you were still confident about your race against Jungkook. Once you were back in your regular clothes, you could slip past everyone as if you were just another onlooker. 

You hadn’t heard from your rival for several days, and you had a horrible feeling that wasn’t going to change. You knew, realistically, if you wanted to fix things with Jungkook, you were the one who needed to apologize. But you couldn’t quite bring yourself to–not while knowing you were just going to keep lying to him. As strange as it was, you liked him too much to do that to him. 

That didn’t stop you from hoping he would text you first though, so when your phone ping’d you rushed to pull it out of the duffel bag that you’d stuffed your change of clothes into. It was only Hoseok, and you frowned at his text and the fact that you were so desperate to hear from Jungkook. 

This was ridiculous. What were you, 15 years old? When was the last time you were so desperate to get a text from someone? You shook your head at yourself. Maybe it was just as well that things between you had fallen apart when they had; you were way too invested after only a few dates, and staying together longer would just have caused you both more heartache later. 

You didn’t realize just how distracted by your thoughts you were and failed to hear the footsteps leaving the men’s bathroom until it was too late. Seokjin nearly collided with you on his way out, looking at his phone as he muttered a quick “sorry.” 

Internally, you breathed a sigh of relief, very carefully not looking directly at him. You thought your blunder might go without notice, but a moment later you heard him stop dead in his tracks. You kept walking, head down, but his footsteps followed you. 

“52,” He said, speeding up to catch your arm. It was no use. He had seen your face. Your best bet was to talk to him and try to convince him not to tell anyone–though, you weren’t sure how exactly you were going to do that. 

“Seokjin,” You acknowledged, turning to face him. His eyes were wide, and you stared at each other for an uncomfortable moment. 

“So I was right,” He said, almost matter-of-factly. “Huh.” 

“You–what?” You pulled your arm from his grasp, and he didn’t protest. 

“About who you are,” Seokjin clarified. He must have seen how panicked you were, because he added rather hastily, “I haven’t told anyone, and I don’t necessarily plan to.” 

You glanced around, and although there wasn’t anyone there at that moment, this wasn’t a good place to talk. A utility closet was to your left, and you seemed to come to the same conclusion simultaneously. 

Seokjin was a few steps in front of you, and you shoved him the last foot into the closet before slipping in behind him and shutting the door. 

“What do you want?” You demanded. Seokjin was smart, there was no way you were going to walk away from this without either getting exposed or doing him a favor.

“An explanation would be a good start,” He chuckled, tilting his head in thought. “Actually, let me save you some time. You used to be quite an esteemed street racer, until about a year ago when you essentially disappeared. Some people think you died, but in reality, you met Jung Hoseok–I’m still trying to figure out how that happened, by the way–who hired you as his driver. Am I right so far?” He paused long enough for you to nod, shocked. “You’ve kept out of trouble, presumably on his instructions, until a few weeks ago when, for some inexplicable reason, you decided you’d drive in one last illegal race and fucked up big time.” 

“That–that wasn’t,” You struggled to find the words, and could feel yourself starting to sweat, and you weren’t sure if it was because you were panicking or if it was simply due to your jumpsuit and the small closet not having enough air. “You didn’t answer my question. What do you want?” You finally managed. It didn’t matter, you were sure. Whatever you said, whatever excuses you made, Seokjin wouldn’t care about. 

“I want to know what you want from Jungkook,” Seokjin replied simply. “No matter how I look at it, I don’t see what you get out of getting so close to him. Are you looking for more drama after the big reveal of who you are? Or do you just enjoy the idea of hurting him?” 

“No!” You said louder than you intended. It would be a nightmare to explain to anyone if you were caught in this little closet with Seokjin. You took a breath before lowering your voice. “No, I–I never planned to get close to him. We met by chance and things–things got out of hand.” You didn’t know any other way to put it. 

“So you’re just fucking with his head for the hell of it?” Seokjin raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms somewhat awkwardly in the cramped space.

“Of course not,” You pressed the palms of your hands into your eyes. “I honestly really like Jungkook, the last thing I want to do is hurt him.” There was something scary about saying the words out loud, and admitting to someone just how much you cared for him. “I thought he was a total douche when we first met, so I wasn’t going to tell him I was 52 then. And then I got to know him,” You lowered your hands to meet Seokjin’s eyes. “Now I know that if I’d told him I was 52 that first day we met, he probably wouldn’t have exposed me. But by the time I realized that I was so far into the lie…” The words were spilling out, and you weren’t sure why you were being so open with someone you hardly knew. Maybe you just needed to get it off your chest and tell someone. 

“…That you felt like it was too late, you’d put it off too long. That he wouldn’t understand now, and you don’t want to lose him?” Seokjin guessed, sitting down on a large bucket. 

“How did you…?”

Seokjin just sighed. “I’ve kept my share of secrets from people. I know how things are and how lies get out of hand.”

“I can’t tell him the truth,” You muttered as you sank down to sit on the floor. “I can’t go against Hoseok even more than I already have. But I can’t stand to keep lying to Jungkook either.” You sighed, leaning your head back against the door. 

“Is that why you left him at an abandoned parking lot?” Seokjin asked, trying not to chuckle. It wasn’t that he thought the situation was all that funny, but he was serious when he told Jungkook it sounded like something he would do. 

“He told you about that?” You asked, your voice sounding dejected even to yourself.

“He tells me most things,” Seokjin shrugged. A moment passed in silence, both of you lost in your own thoughts. 

“So what now?” You asked eventually. You still weren’t convinced that Seokjin didn’t want something in return for keeping your secret. 

“Now…” Seokjin nodded to himself. “I don’t know. I want to tell you to be honest with him. But there’s something about you…” His voice trailed off. “Since you came into the scene, kicking up a fuss and challenging him to a race, acting like you can beat him… He’s been different. It’s like you reminded him that he’s a competitive prick who really fucking loves to drive.” He chuckled at his own words, but sobered quickly. “If you tell him now, I’m afraid he’ll go back to insisting he’s going to quit. It might even make it worse. He certainly wouldn’t race you, which would totally kill his new-found competitiveness…”

You held your breath for him to finish his thought.

“I suppose you should make sure he doesn’t find out,” Seokjin muttered, though he didn’t look too happy about it. “For now, I mean. At least until after you race him. Just–tell him before you tell the press.”

“He’ll hate me, won’t he?” You weren’t really looking for an answer, you said it more as a statement than anything else. “For lying to him for so long?”

“He might,” Seokjin mused. “But I don’t see a better solution at this point. You’ve gotten yourself into quite a mess.”

“Thanks for the optimism,” You replied dryly. You stood, brushing off the dust your jumpsuit probably collected from you sitting on the floor. “I should get going–Jimin’s probably looking for me.” You paused, hand on the doorknob. “Just so we’re clear, you’re not going to reveal who I am?”

Seokjin smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I don’t think it would do any good, so no, I’m not. For now.”

You left the closet feeling uneasy. You weren’t sure if you could trust Seokjin, but he had confirmed your suspicion that if you waited much longer to tell him, he wouldn’t forgive you. On the other hand, if you told him now, you weren’t sure that you’d be any better off, and he would withdraw from the race. Not to mention, Seokjin would be angry if you told Jungkook before the race and would cause all hell to break loose as far as the press was concerned.

The party was exactly as you imagined it to be. The house was dimly lit, way too big, and packed with people. You felt somewhat ridiculous walking in with your helmet and jumpsuit still on, but there was no way to make an appearance otherwise. 

You were recognized upon walking in the door, clapped on the back, and dragged over to the bar by who you assumed to be Simon. A professional bartender was hired for the event, and you were told by several enthusiastic slightly-drunk attendees to make sure you spoke “nice and loud” when you ordered your drink. They then cackled, slapping each other’s arms in mirth because you didn’t talk.

You were prepared, though. You pulled a pen and notepad from your pocket, jotting down that you wanted a soda with a straw and passing the paper over to the bartender who didn’t bat an eyelash.

You ended up sitting at the corner of the bar, watching as the other guests danced and drank like college kids. The couch had been shoved out of the way to make a sort of dance-floor, and Simon was in the middle of it dancing like an idiot. You smiled to yourself, thinking that it wasn’t such a bad idea to come after all; Maybe you would model a party after this if you beat Jungkook.

“Hey, you’re that mystery-guy, right? 52?” A woman had made her way over to you without your noticing and made you jump slightly. She was gorgeous, and you thought you might have seen her face in a magazine once. You were then reminded that most of the people in the sport were unreasonably wealthy, so of course they would only socialize with other, equally wealthy people. You nodded politely to the women, who seemed to be one of the very few sober people there. She smiled, all pearly-white teeth and adorable dimples.

“It’s cool you’re out here,” She said, taking a seat on the barstool next to yours. “I’m Eleanor by the way. I know it can get competitive, but it means a lot to my husband that you’re here. It’s funny, you’ve only been in the sport for half a season and you’re already one of his idols.” She laughed, and although she could not see it, you smiled back, pulling your notepad out again.

“I’m glad to be here–Simon seems like a nice guy, and he did great today. I’m happy for him.” You wrote. You felt bad you didn’t have more to say–until today, you didn’t even know who he was. You handed the note to her anyway.

“Aren’t you funny!” She laughed, regarding the note. “You’re really dedicated to staying anonymous, huh?”

You nodded, and something over your shoulder caught her eye.

“Jungkook!” She called, standing up to wave to him. “Come here! I have to introduce you to my new friend.”

Panic rose in your chest for a second. What was he doing here? Had Seokjin gone back on what he said, and Jungkook was there to expose you? But then it clicked that he clearly knew Eleanor and Simon, so it made sense he would be invited.

He waved back and made his way over to the two of you, weaving his way through the crowd. He didn’t look as dressed up as many of the people there, wearing a t-shirt with an open flannel over the top and jeans. He still somehow looked amazing though, even when he gave you an eye-roll upon seeing you.

“We’ve actually met,” He said to Eleanor. “He’s a total ass.” He took the now-empty seat next to you anyway, however.

“Well then, the two of you should get along just fine,” Eleanor scoffed. “Now if you’ll excuse me, my husband looks like he’s about to climb onto the table, and I’m going to stop him.”

You thought Jungkook would ignore you, or maybe leave to find better company, but he turned to the bartender.

“A Mojito and…” He said, then looked at you. “What do you drink? Milk?” He looked back at the bartender when you didn’t respond. “A glass of milk.” He eyed you sideways, as though sizing you up. “How’re you feeling?” There was no acidity in his voice, almost like he was genuinely concerned. “You didn’t drive as well as you normally do.”

You scribbled your answer quickly. “I’m fine. Just had an off day.”

Jungkook nodded after reading your response. “Don’t let it get you down–You’re new, and doing weirdly well regardless. A lot of people could only dream of doing as well as you did today.”

“Why are you–”

You didn’t get a chance to finish writing your question, as Jungkook read it as you wrote.

“I heard you disappeared right after the race,” He shrugged. “And you strike me as a bit of a sore loser… I have to admit, I was surprised to see you here. Maybe I judged you too fast.”

The bartender placed the two drinks in front of Jungkook, and he pushed the glass of milk towards you. You supposed you appreciated the gesture, and grabbed a straw. If you angled it just right, you could get the straw up between your helmet and your face so you didn’t have to raise your visor to drink it. Upon seeing you do this, Jungkook’s mouth opened slightly.

“Oh my god, you’re so fucking weird,” He muttered. You shrugged, sipping your drink. 

It was strange, sitting with him like this. It made you want to talk to him–not with your notepad and pen, but really talk to him, about everything. But there was no way to bring up anything to do with the two of you that wouldn’t be impossible to explain.

“So…” He began nonchalantly, swirling his straw in his drink idly. “How’d you meet Hoseok?”

You thought for a moment. “It was by chance.” You wrote, and he nodded.

“I figured you’d say something vague like that,” Jungkook chuckled, taking a large swig of his drink. “You know his cousin’s a better driver than you, right?”

You couldn’t help but laugh at that, and if it hadn’t been for the blasting music, Jungkook would have heard. He wasn’t speaking to you, you’d left him in the middle of nowhere, and yet he still had something nice to say about you. Sort of, anyway.

“She is pretty talented.” You agreed.

“You must see her pretty often. Do you know Y/n well?” He asked this almost too calmly, as though he couldn’t care less, but to you, it was clear he was trying too hard to seem nonchalant.

“Why? Are you jealous?” You joked, pushing the note over to him. He didn’t say anything else, so you nudged him with your elbow and tapped your words as though to ask the question again.

“Why would I be?” He sighed, standing from the bar and grabbing his drink. “Look, it’s none of my business, I was just trying to make conversation.” He started to turn away, but you caught his arm before you could stop yourself.

Jungkook raised an eyebrow as you let go long enough to write, “You should call her.”

You handed the note to him, and he stared at it blankly. You thought for a moment that he might follow your advice, or perhaps ask you a question, but instead, he shrugged. “I’m gonna go dance.”

You spent most of the rest of the evening watching him while pretending not to. It was fairly easy with your helmet on; no one could ever tell where your eyes were pointed, or if you were paying attention to him as they talked at you.

At one point, a tipsy woman took a seat on your lap without asking, and proceeded to start telling you all of her darkest secrets because she was sure you wouldn’t repeat them. You didn’t particularly mind, so you nodded politely every once in a while and let her be.

Jungkook rolled his eyes at you upon seeing this when he came back to the bar to get another drink. He sat next to you again but didn’t try to talk to have a conversation this time.

You knew you shouldn’t, but you pulled out your phone from your back pocket carefully so as to not attract too much attention and pulled up his contact. You didn’t know what to say, so you typed and retyped until you settled on a casual, “Hey. Sorry about the other day.”

At the very least, you hoped that the two of you could be on speaking terms, even if you could never be anything more.

Jungkook pulled his phone out and glanced at the lock screen before scoffing and dropping his phone onto the bar. When he got his drink, he left the device there to go chat with Simon and some of his buddies.

You told yourself that you didn’t care that he didn’t reply. He was at a party, after all, it made sense that he wouldn’t sit on his phone and ignore what was going on.

Gently, you pushed the women sitting on your lap off, patting her on the back in what you hoped was a friendly way before heading over to the open patio. There was a sort of hedge maze in the garden that you hoped would be empty–you needed some air, and that wasn’t going to happen as long as you had this stupid helmet on. Normally you would have just hidden in the bathroom for a few minutes, but with so many people drinking, the ones in the house already had lines of people waiting.

Finding your way to the middle wasn’t hard–you’d learned as a child to simply keep one hand on the right wall and follow it around until you got to where you needed to be. Your guess that no one else would wonder so far from the party was correct, and you sat on the bench next to a goldfish pond with a relieved sigh. It felt amazing to let yourself really breath again, and you dropped your helmet without ceremony to the ground.

You pulled out your phone again. You could take this opportunity to call Hoseok and tell him about Coldwater. It was as good a time as any, and at least if you called him now, you most likely wouldn’t have to see him until tomorrow.

Just as you were about to dial his number, your phone vibrated with a new message.

[Jungkook, 7:58] “And?”

You scoffed slightly at his message. That was all he had to say? But you supposed it was better than nothing.

[You, 7:59] “And what? I shouldn’t have left you there, I’m sorry.”

He didn’t reply for a few minutes, and you were starting to think he had put his phone back down when your phone started ringing.

“Jungkook?” You said carefully when you answered.

“I’m still waiting for an explanation.” He said, not bothering with any pleasantries. His speech was just the slightest bit slurred, and you made a mental note that he was a light-weight when it came to drinking. You could hear the party in the background, but it was muted. He must have found an empty room to make the call in. “I just… Don’t get it.”

You chewed your lip. You’d only planned on staying outside for a few minutes, and keeping your helmet off was dangerous. But now that Jungkook had called you and was talking to you, you didn’t want to risk telling him you couldn’t talk or that you were busy. You were sure he only called because he’d been drinking, and he probably wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.  

“I…” You started and heard him sigh on the other end. Something in you knew that this might be the last chance he gave you, so you made a decision; You were going to trust him, just a little, with the truth. “I can’t explain everything right now. It’s complicated. But I want to try. Are you free sometime this week so we can talk in person?”

“That depends on whether or not you’re really willing to talk, or if you’re going to run away when I ask for a little honesty,” He sighed again as you let the sting of his words sink in. “Look, I know I’m not blameless. I… should have heard you out before I started saying shit and jumping to conclusions. But you weren’t exactly helping anything.”

“No, I know,” You ran a hand through your hair. “I know. But I’m ready to talk now if you’ll listen.” You could hear faint knocking on the other end, and you wondered if he’d locked himself in a bathroom.

There was a pause, and you thought for a second that Jungkook had hung up. 
“I’m free tomorrow morning if you want to talk in person,” He said finally. You felt yourself smile at his words. You had started to think he wasn’t going to give you another chance, but here he was, doing just that. Now you just had to make it through the conversation tomorrow.

“Yeah, that works.” Technically, you had work the next morning, but you could probably get away with coming in a little late. But you had stayed on the phone too long as it was, and every second you sat without your helmet on made it more likely for you to get caught. “I have to go–I’ll text you?”

“Yeah,” Jungkook sounded almost disinterested at this point. You could only hope that he wasn’t just meeting with you to tell you to fuck off and not contact him again. Even though the two of you weren’t anything official, he didn’t seem like the kind of person who would break even casual things off through text.

You returned to the party to see that everyone was now even more drunk than when you’d left. Some people had fallen asleep already, on couches or chairs–Simon appeared to have passed out under the coffee table–while others were trying to act less intoxicated than they were and either tried to sway to the music or hold a conversation.

You had just decided that you could probably get away with slipping out unnoticed when Eleanor found you. She seemed just as sober as she was the first time she talked to you, and had a mischievous look in her eyes.

“52!” She called, even though you were sure she already knew she had your attention. “Just the person I was looking for–You’re coming with me.”

You hesitated, reaching into your back pocket to pull out your notepad once more. 

“No excuses!” She grabbed your arm before you could write anything. “This way.”

You were lead through the house, down a hallway and far away from the other partygoers. It was definitely not normal, and you were just starting to pull your arm away when Eleanor opened a pair of beautiful glass french doors. The room appeared to be a study, with a card table placed right in the middle, a game of scrabble sat atop it. Jungkook was there, seemingly typing, deleting, and retyping something on his phone. Another man that you didn’t recognize was trying to stack the pieces into something that resembled a house.

“We need a fourth player,” Eleanor explained as you crossed your arms. When you started to shake your head, she added quickly. “Most of these people won’t leave for hours still, and I’m already bored out of my mind. Sit down and play, just one round.”

“What’s wrong, 52?” Jungkook asked with a smirk, glancing up. “Scared to lose to me?”

You rolled your eyes even though he couldn’t see it and pulled up a chair. You supposed one round wouldn’t hurt.

An hour later, you found yourself in a rather one-sided, laughter-filled argument with Jungkook as Jooheon–you’d learned his name shortly after the game started–and Eleanor sat bemused, waiting for the two of you to stop.

“Taradiddle is not a word!” Jungkook laughed. You just shook your head at him, pen ready to write your response. The game was over, you’d won, but Jungkook hadn’t quite accepted that yet. “You made it up.”

“It is a word,” You wrote. The truth was, you weren’t entirely sure that it was, but it looked like a word and you figured you might get away with it if you seemed confident enough.

Jooheon cleared his throat. “Not to take sides,” He started. “But it is in the dictionary, Jungkook.” He held up his phone as proof.

“How is that not taking sides?” Jungkook said in mock horror. “Here I was thinking we were friends!”

Eleanor was sitting back in her chair, sipping wine and staying out of the whole thing. 

“52 won; Admit it, Jungkook,” Jooheon seemed to be enjoying this.

Jungkook scoffed, looking around the table as though someone was going to agree with him that he hadn’t lost. “Okay,” He said after a moment. “Fine.” He held up his hands in defeat. “I lost.”

Jooheon cheered at this, letting out a “whoop!” while Eleanor applauded.

“I never thought I’d see the day that the Golden Boy admitted defeat,” Jooheon said dramatically, slapping you on the back. “Thanks for that.”

“Admit it though,” Jungkook said, eyeing you from across the table. “You didn’t know it was a word, either.” Your pen hesitated, and that was enough. “Ha! I knew it.” He sat back with a self-satisfied smirk.

“I did know it was a word,” You argued back, sliding the notepad over to him so he could see.

“Yeah?” He folded his arms, grinning now. “What’s it mean, then?”

“Oh, come on Jungkook,” Eleanor finally cut in with a chuckle. “You lost, let it go. Let’s play again.”

You took your notepad back. “It means I’m better at Scrabble than you, even when I’m just putting letters together at random.”

Jungkook threw his head back and laughed at that, and you weren’t sure if what you said was really that funny or if it was just because he got giggly when he drank. Either way, you liked seeing him happy.

You didn’t mean to stay so late playing board games–you were sure that wasn’t what Hoseok had in mind for you to do when he insisted that you go–but the hours slipped away from you. Before you knew it, it was four in the morning and only you and Eleanor were still playing anything. Jooheon had fallen asleep on the couch hours ago, and Jungkook sat in the chair between you and Eleanor, his head resting on his hands as he watched you play. Every once in a while he would lean over and look at your cards, asking questions about the game that gave away what was in your hand. It wasn’t easy to explain the rules of Rummy in writing while playing it, but you did your best.

Eleanor ended up winning, and upon your defeat, she stood from the table and stretched. “This was fun, but I’m going to bed,” She announced. “You three should probably just sleep here–there are guest bedrooms around, just try the doors till you find some that are empty.” She didn’t wait for a reply, just gave a sleepy wave and left the room. It was then that you realized the rest of the house had gone quiet, and you glanced at the time on your phone.

You were about to write that you should head out when Jungkook switched seats to sit across from you once again, picking up the cards to shuffle them. “Play one round with me? I think I get it.”

You shrugged, then nodded. After tomorrow’s conversation, you weren’t sure when you’d get to spend time with him again. He had texted you an address a while ago, saying that he forgot he had a meeting to go to in the morning, so he was really only free over breakfast, which wouldn’t give you much time to explain everything you needed to. You figured might as well enjoy his company while you could.

The two of you played in silence for a few minutes, and you expected Jungkook to have occasional questions, but he really had picked it up fast.

“You’re really not so bad, are you?” He said after laying down a meld and playing a ten of spades on your run. “Which is why I don’t get why you wanted to start this whole thing with me, why you had to start press drama and say you’re a better driver. Call me an optimist, but I think we could have been friends.”

You looked up at him, but knew he couldn’t tell whether you were looking at him or at your cards through your dark visor. “We can’t be friends anyway?” You wrote back.

Jungkook didn’t reply right away, watching your play carefully.

“I generally like to know my friends’ names,” He said eventually with a slight laugh. “But yeah, sure. Why not? I’m stick going to kick your ass on the track, though.”

Neither of you paid much attention to who won that round, or the next. You were both so sleepy at that point that you weren’t really sure why either of you were still trying. Jungkook was the one to finally call it a night, setting down his cards mid-game to run a hand through his hair.

“I’m done,” He muttered. “I’ve got to get some sleep, I’ve got things to do tomorrow–shit, what time is it?” He didn’t seem particularly concerned with his rhetorical question, walking over to flop down sideways on the loveseat across from where Jooheon was snoring lightly. His eyes were closed before his head hit the pillows. He didn’t even seem to notice that his legs dangled almost comically over the edge.

You grabbed a throw from the back of the couch to toss him, and he cracked one eye open to look at you. “Hey. If I don’t see you before the race, good luck. I mean it.” 

You nodded, scribbling down a note before ripping it out to hand to him.

“Thanks. You too.”

Chapter Text

Jungkook woke with a start and immediately regretted it. His head was pounding and the room was too bright, and he shifted on the couch to try to roll away from the window. It took another moment for him to figure out that he was on a couch that wasn’t his, and in his half-asleep state he almost started to panic, but then he sat up and remembered where he was.

Jooheon was sleeping on the couch across from him still, snoring lightly, and Jungkook caught himself smiling. He had to admit, Seokjin was right to talk him into going to the party. He had needed a break and some laughs. He was even glad he got to know 52 better, and he meant it when he told the other driver that he thought they should be friends, not enemies. 52 was strange, but in a funny sort of way, and was growing on Jungkook fast.

There was a nagging thought in the back of his head as he sat up straighter, blinking in an attempt to wake himself up further. There was something he needed to do, he just couldn’t quite remember what it was. He felt around for his phone first in his pockets, then on the couch, and finally spotted it on the card table.

He stood and stretched before making his way over to it. He wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep, but there was something he was supposed to do first, if he could just remember–

“Shit.” He muttered once he picked up his phone, seeing the last text he’d gotten from you the night before. He’d invited you over for breakfast, of all things. It had seemed like a good idea at the time; the next day he had free was a week away, and if you were actually willing to talk now, he wanted to hear what you had to say. And if you weren’t going to talk, if you were expecting him act like you hadn’t driven off and left him, and like the illegal race hadn’t happened, then he wanted closure. He looked at the time–7:12–and decided he might still be able to get back to his house before you did.

Eleanor was in the kitchen, and gave him a bemused look as he half-hopped past her, trying to get his shoe on as he went.

“Stay for coffee, you don’t need to rush out of here–” She started, but Jungkook shook his head.

“Late,” He said distractedly, checking his pockets for his keys.

Eleanor raised an eyebrow. “Where do you need to be at seven in the morning on a Monday?”

“It’s a long story,” Jungkook muttered as he began looking around for his car keys. He had them last night, and he couldn’t figure out why they weren’t in his pocket now. Eleanor opened the drawer next to her before holding them up, smiling.

“This what you’re looking for?” Jungkook held his hand out in answer, but she just held them out of his reach. “I took them as a precaution last night. You can have them back if you tell me where you’re off to in such a hurry. You didn’t say anything about having an early morning.”

Jungkook sighed, tonguing his cheek and folding his arms. “I don’t see how it’s your business. But if you have to know, I invited someone over for breakfast.”

“You did?” Eleanor scoffed, still holding onto his keys. “You never pass up the opportunity to sleep in. Who are you and what did you do with Jungkook?”

“Ha ha,” He replied dryly. “You’re hilarious. Now give me my keys.”

“Whoever it is must be important…” Eleanor mused, tapping her chin in thought. “You’re dating someone, aren’t you? When do I get to meet her?”

Jungkook decided not to argue that he’d never said it was a her, nor had he said anything about a relationship; He was already running out of time, and didn’t want to waste more of it. “Most likely never.”

Eleanor seemed taken aback by this and slightly offended, and Jungkook took the opportunity to snatch his keys out of her hand.

“It was a fun party, tell Simon I said hi.”

“This conversation isn’t over!” Eleanor called after him.

—

[Jungkook, 8:13] “Back door is open. Help yourself to coffee”

You glanced at his text again, still reluctant to get out of your car. You couldn’t shake the feeling that this was a bad idea. Telling him about your past might make everything worse, not only now, but also when he learned who you were. But you needed to do this. Seokjin already knew everything, somehow, so Jungkook would find out about it sooner or later and you would rather he heard it from you even if that wouldn’t change anything between the two of you.

Taking one last deep breath, you decided that procrastinating further wasn’t going to help anything.

His house was on the small side, almost modest, but cute and well maintained. The garage door was open as he said it would be, and you stepped carefully over a motorcycle he appeared to have entirely taken apart. You expected to see his Maserati to be parked on the other side, but instead saw a Nissan GTR.

“Jungkook?” You called when you stepped into his kitchen. The smell of coffee hit you first, and the smell of Jungkook’s aftershave and cologne under that. It was comforting in a way, and calmed your nerves drastically.

The ingredients for waffles sat on one side of the sink, and a coffee pot with two mugs on the other. You poured yourself some and hopped up to sit on the counter, hoping the caffeine would wake you up. You only got about two hours of sleep the night before after getting home so late.

It wasn’t long before Jungkook appeared, his hair still wet from his shower.

“Hey,” He gave you a half-smile, his eyes looking as tired as you felt. “Sorry, been running late all morning. Had a late night…”

“Yeah, me too,” You sent him a smile back.

Neither of you said anything for a moment, and right as it was starting to feel awkward, Jungkook seemed to snap out of whatever train of thought he’d fallen into.

“Is waffles okay?” He asked, not waiting for an answer as he began measuring the ingredients out.

You nodded anyway before sipping your coffee. As nervous as you were, you were still glad to be there with him.

“I didn’t know you could cook,” You noted, smiling softly to yourself. You couldn’t help but think that it would be nice if you were there under other circumstances; the idea of waking up to this, sleepy Jungkook making breakfast, was more than appealing. Your smile faded somewhat as you realized what you were thinking, and the likelihood of that never happening.

“Oh, I can’t,” Jungkook replied quickly as he cracked the second egg into the bowl.

“It sure looks like you can,” You raised an eyebrow, but he just shook his head.

“No,” He chuckled lightly as he began mixing the batter. “I can cook waffles, specifically. That’s pretty much it.”

“It’s a good thing I like waffles, then,” You joked.

Silence fell for a few minutes after that, neither of you quite sure where to start. But once the batter was poured, there wasn’t much more avoiding the elephant in the room.

Jungkook walked over next to you to get his own coffee, close enough that you could smell his shampoo.

“I want you to know that I didn’t steal Coldwater’s car,” You started, looking at your coffee rather than directly at Jungkook as he looked up at you. “I’ve done a lot of questionable things in the past, but that’s not one of them.”  

“We don’t have to talk about this now,” Jungkook replied quietly. “Don’t you want to eat first?” He chuckled slightly, trying to lighten the mood.

You shook your head. “Honestly? I think I’d rather get it over with.” He nodded in understanding, leaning back against the counter across from you, watching you intently. “I started street racing in highschool. Made bets against other students sometimes, but it was pretty casual. I don’t remember when it started being about the money, to be honest. It was like one day I just realized that without racing, I’d be broke. After that, I started taking it more… Seriously, I guess. I got involved with some bad people, made connections I probably shouldn’t have…” You paused, lost in thought for a second. It felt strange talking about any of this with someone who wasn’t Jimin. Even Hoseok didn’t ask too many questions about your former “profession,” for lack of a better word, and you didn’t offer up any details. “One of those connection was Allen Schaltz. He became a sort of middle-man. He placed bets for or against me, depending on if I felt like losing or not, and he would collect my winnings–What?”

Jungkook had tilted his head to one side, bemusement on his face. “Depending on if you felt like losing?” Jungkook echoed.

You nodded. “I had to lose sometimes, otherwise no one would race against me, let alone place any bets. But no one could beat me unless I let them. So…” You let your voice trail off as Jungkook nodded in understanding, though he still looked thoroughly confused by the concept of losing on purpose. “By the time I realized what I had really gotten myself into, I didn’t see a way out. Any entry-level job wouldn’t pay enough to make up for me quitting street racing. So I stuck with it. Until last year, I mean.”

“What changed?” Jungkook’s expression was unreadable, and you chewed your lip as you tried to think of how best to continue. You hadn’t thought this far ahead when you told him you wanted to talk, mostly because you knew if you did, you would back out.

“Hoseok,” You said after a moment. “He saw potential in me. He said he would help me get out of the mess I’d gotten into as long as I agreed to quit street racing. He covered a lot of my bills until he set me up with the job at the cafe. I owe him a lot.”

Jungkook seemed to mull this over for a moment, brows slightly furrowed. “But you still decided to go behind his back and race anyway?” You could tell he was trying to keep the disapproval from his voice.

“I didn’t want to,” You shook your head, eyes on your coffee rather than meeting Jungkook’s own. “Allen learned a lot about me in the three years we worked together, so when I disappeared from the street racing scene, it was a lot harder to get off his radar. I knew he wasn’t happy that I quit–I was a source of easy income for him, after all. I should have expected that he wouldn’t let it go…” You realized you were rambling to yourself now, your voice quiet. You cleared your throat before continuing. “He showed up one night with a job offer–to drive in Coldwater’s place because he needed to win the race against his brother.” You looked up at Jungkook finally, gaze unwavering. “I didn’t want to do it. But Allen knows things about me that he… Said he would make public if I didn’t accept the offer.” You couldn’t think of a better way to phrase it. “If that information got out, Hoseok would go down with me. I couldn’t risk doing that to him.”

That much was true, at least.

Jungkook’s gaze had darkened. “He threatened you? Why didn’t you go to the police? I mean, that’s blackmail, right?”

You shook your head. “The information would still get out, even if I did manage to get him arrested for blackmail. I know Allen, he’s always got a backup plan.”

Jungkook ran a hand through his hair in agitation. “Jesus.” He muttered under his breath.

“When the car crashed and I was the one pulled out of it, Coldwater had to come up with some excuse about why he wasn’t driving. The easiest one was that I stole his car,” You fidgeted with your mug, and seeing that Jungkook looked like he was about to say something, you added quickly; “I understand if you don’t believe me, I know how it sounds. But I wanted you to know the truth.”

You sat in silence for a moment. Jungkook looked like he was still trying to process all of this, and you still couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

“And Hoseok? What did he have to say about the blackmail?”

“He doesn’t know about any of it,” You admitted. “Not the blackmail, or the race.”

“How’d you explain the crash, then?” He asked, then upon seeing you grimace, he nodded to himself. “He doesn’t know about that, either,” He answered his own question.

“I should have told him,” You sighed. “But I didn’t, I thought I had it under control, and now I don’t know how to tell him without sounding like I went back on my word to quit street racing–Which I did, I suppose.”

Jungkook sighed, eyes focused somewhere off to your left and at nothing in particular as he thought. “What does Coldwater have on you that scared you bad enough to agree to something like that? It wasn’t just the street racing, was it?”

“Does that mean you believe me?” You said, trying not to get your hopes up too high.

“It means I’m trying,” Jungkook replied curtly.

“Information that, if it got out now, under the wrong circumstances, could ruin my career. Could ruin Hoseok’s too, by association.”

Jungkook seemed to pick up on the fact that that was as much of an answer as he was going to get.

“I want to trust you,” He admitted, walking over to refill his coffee cup next to you. “And I guess I can understand why you didn’t tell me before.” You could still see the uncertainty in his eyes as he spoke, however, despite his words. “But if whatever this is–” He gestured between the two of you, “–Is going to continue, I’d like to feel like you trust me, too.” He turned to face you fully, then, his hand resting on the counter centimeters from your thigh.

“I trust you,” You said quickly, without even thinking.

The corner of Jungkook’s mouth turned upwards, as though he was trying not to smile and failing. “Then talk to me next time. At least give me a chance to understand?”

You nodded, unsure if you could even believe that things had resolved so well. “Does that mean things can go back to how they were?” You asked tentatively. This was the perfect opportunity to tell him the whole truth. Maybe not right this second, because that might be too much all at once, but this morning for sure. He would understand, now you were sure.

Jungkook tilted his head, then scrunched his nose. “Before that, I have another question.” You nodded for him to continue, unsure of where he was going with this. “Can I be your boyfriend?” His face switched from semi-serious to mischievous in an instant, a grin spreading across his face. “I know it might be too soon to ask, but–”

You broke him off by leaning forward, catching his lips with your own. You felt him smile into the kiss as he moved to stand in front of you rather than beside where you sat. He pulled away just long enough to murmur, “I’ll take that as I yes?”

His hands were gentle as they found their way to rest on your hips, pulling you marginally closer to the edge of the countertop.

You were about to affirm that it was most definitely a yes when you noticed an odd smell in the air.

“I think the food is burning,” You couldn’t help the small giggle that escaped you as Jungkook paused.

“Food?” He repeated blankly, then swore, hurrying over to the smoking waffle-maker.

“I thought you said you were good at cooking waffles!” You teased as the smoke alarm started going off. Jungkook muttered something about the fact that he wasn’t planning on getting so distracted as he tossed the ruined food in the garbage, and you took it upon yourself to start opening the kitchen windows, letting fresh air in.

When you heard the garage door open, you assumed it was Jungkook, so more air would flow through the room. It wasn’t him, though, and when you tuned and made eye contact with his manager, your heart sank. He didn’t look happy.

The alarm finally stopped in time for Seokjin to ask, “What are you doing here?”

Jungkook turned around to see him, looking a bit more than exasperated. “I think a better question would be what are you doing here?” He retorted before you had a chance to say anything. He then turned to you. “Y/n, this is my manager, Seokjin. He doesn’t understand boundaries and likes to show up unannounced.” He rolled his eyes dramatically before going back to trying to clean the waffle maker.

“We’ve met,” Seokjin sighed, helping himself to some coffee. “Also, I texted you an hour ago I would be here–I wanted to make sure you hadn’t forgotten about the meeting later.”

“I haven’t forgotten,” Jungkook sighed. “So you can leave now.”

Seokjin seemed to have other plans, though. “You’re not going to invite me to stay for breakfast?”

“Nope,” Jungkook replied curtly, crossing his arms.

His manager pressed his lips into a thin line, glancing at you before catching Jungkook’s arm and pulling him just out of earshot.

“Jungkook…” He started quietly, sending another glance at you.

“We sorted everything out,” Jungkook assured the other man. “I took your advice and heard her out. We talked about everything, and you were right. There was more to what happened… Thank you.”

It wasn’t often that Seokjin didn’t know what to say, but he stood in a stunned silence for a second while trying to think of how to answer. “I know I said that, but that was before–”

“Before what?”

“Before I really thought about it,” Seokjin sighed, though Jungkook could tell that wasn’t originally what he was thinking. “What do you mean by you talked about everything?”

Jungkook frowned. “Street racing, the crash…” He shrugged. “Why? I thought you’d be happy I took your advice for once.”

Seokjin just shook his head. “No, I am. I was just… Curious.”

He fell silent as you made your way over to the two of them, giving Jungkook an apologetic smile.

“I have to be at work soon, so I’m going to take off… I’ll call you?”

Jungkook tried not to pout. “You didn’t eat, though.” It was a flimsy excuse to keep you there, considering that there wasn’t anything too eat yet, but he couldn’t think of anything better.

“Another time,” You assured him, nodding at Seokjin on your way out. 

—

Your collarbone was healing. It was slower than you wished it would, but considering you hadn’t exactly been taking it easy, you couldn’t complain much. 

Just when you were starting to think that you wouldn’t have to tell Hoseok about your injury ever, you turned your shoulder wrong in qualifying the day before your race against Jungkook. 

You had been trying to primarily drive with your good arm, but in a moment of misjudgment, you pushed too hard.

“I’m sorry,” You said over the radio to Taehyung, after saying you were coming back to the pits. “I just–I can’t.” You knew if you continued to push it, you wouldn’t be able to drive at all tomorrow. All you could do now was hope that the few good laps you’d had would be enough to keep you in the top ten. 

Hoseok wasn’t there when you got out of your car, luckily. But it didn’t take long for someone to shove a cellphone into your hand and give you a worried look.

“I’m sorry,” You echoed what you’d said to Taehyung. 

“What happened?” Hoseok asked stiffly over the phone. 

“I uh–I’ve injured my shoulder,” You cleared your throat nervously. 

“How?” 

You suddenly wished you’d stayed in the car and just dealt with it. Sure, you likely woudn’t have been able to move it at all tomorrow if you had, but at least you might have avoided this conversation. 

“It was an accident, I can explain,” You said. You half expected Hoseok to start yelling at you for quitting qualifying, for screwing over your chances for tomorrow. But dead silence fell on the other side of the phone for an uncomfortably long moment. 

“You’re an idiot.” Hoseok finally said, and hung up before you could say anything else. 

—

You should be sleeping. Even if you were too nervous to get any real sleep, you knew logically you should at least be pretending to get some rest. Instead, you found yourself laying on your hotel room couch, Jungkook half laying next to you and half on top, his head resting on his hand. You had the excuse of supporting Hoseok to be there for the race weekend, and Jungkook didn’t argue much other than to say he was sure that you were really just there to support him. 

Over the last two weeks, things has significantly improved between the two of you, but weren’t exactly the same. Sometimes, when Jungkook would spontaneously text you a meme without context or show up at the cafe to lean on the counter and wink, saying he was in the mood for tea and his being there definitely had nothing to do with the fact that this was where you worked, you could almost forget that things had very nearly ended between the two of you.

Other times, like now, as he idly traced circles on your arm, eyes on the bruise that was still left on your collarbone, you were reminded that it was only a temporary fix.

“Does it still hurt?” He asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen over you.

You shook your head, smiling softly. “Nah, not really. It looks worse than it is, now.”

Jungkook nodded to himself, worrying his lower lip between his teeth. “Have you thought any more about going to the police about what happened?”

He’d brought this up before, never trying to pressure you, but not quite ready to let it go either. You could tell he was mad that you were dragged into it, but now his anger was solely directed at Coldwater.

“It’s not worth the risk,” You said again. You knew Jungkook meant well, and you appreciated his concern, but he still didn’t know what was really at stake if you made the issue even worse than it already was.

You could tell that he wanted to say more on the subject, but he sighed instead. “Okay. But maybe I could help if I knew what exactly the risk was…” He muttered, but seemed more concerned than irritated.

“There really isn’t anything anyone could do,” You shook your head. You had originally expected Jungkook to ask more questions about what the blackmail itself was, but for the most part, he’d done the opposite. He made it clear that if and when you were ready to talk about it, he was there for you, and left it at that. “Let’s talk about something else?”

“Sure,” With his free hand, he brushed a stray hair away from your face. “I’m glad you’re going to be there tomorrow.”

He didn’t have to say where for you to know he meant the race. “I wouldn’t miss it.” You grinned. “I have to be there when you lose.”

Jungkook rolled his eyes, and you were glad the mood seemed to have lightened drastically. “Sometimes I forget you’re my biggest anti-fan.”

“I’m not an anti,” You protested. “I’m just stating facts. 52′s going to beat you tomorrow.”

“Really?” Jungkook laughed. “Because I don’t think so.”

“We’ll see, I guess,” You shrugged noncommittally, trying not to grin, but that wasn’t enough for Jungkook. He shifted so he was hovering above you, his weight on his arms which were now on either side of you.

“Be serious for a second,” He started, and it was your turn to roll your eyes. This hardly seemed like the time or position for a serious conversation.

“I am being serious,” You argued, and he shook his head.

“What would you do if I lost tomorrow?”

You pretended to think about it for a second, tilting your head to one side in thought.

“I’d throw a party.” You decided. Jungkook gave you a dubious look.

“No, I mean really.”

“I’d throw a party,” You said again, this time with more finality. “With lots of alcohol, maybe some cake. There might even be some confetti. There will be a dance floor… Don’t look at me like that, you’re invited, too.”

Jungkook was giving you the most unimpressed look you’d ever seen, including that first day you met him on the track.

“You actually want 52 to win, don’t you?”

You nodded. “I thought that was obvious.”

Jungkooks mouth opened slightly, face incredulous. “I can’t believe I’m actually dating my biggest anti-fan.” He said this more to himself than to you.

“I already told you, I’m not–” You cut yourself off with a huff. “Wanting you to lose doesn’t make me an anti.” Jungkook looked like he wanted to argue, so you didn’t give him the chance. “You’re a competitive person, Jungkook. And do you know what competitive people need?”

“Uh, no?” He didn’t look like he knew where you were going with this.

“Competition! Otherwise you get bored. I know, because I’m the same way. You told me racing isn’t the same anymore, and that’s why you want to quit. I’m telling you that it’s not the same because you don’t have any more rivals left. It’s not fun to win if you didn’t even have to try.” Jungkook looked lost in thought as you spoke. “I hope you drive your best tomorrow. I hope you do everything you can to win, and I hope you come in second to 52. Because I think losing is exactly what you need.”

“So basically, what you’re saying is, a real fan would want me to lose,” He smiled mischievously. “Which means that you are a fan after all.”

“That’s seriously all that you got out of that,” You scoffed, rolling your eyes dramatically. “You’re impossible.”

“Maybe you’re right,” He admitted, suddenly much more serious. “Maybe it would be good for me to lose. It’s too bad you’re wrong that 52 can beat me, then.” He grinned, giving your forehead a quick kiss before pushing himself up off the couch. “I’ve got to get back before my trainer realizes I’m not sleeping. See you tomorrow, after I win.” 

Chapter Text

The strategy was set, everything planned out as much as possible, and it was looking like you were doomed to lose. You were starting near the back, and the whole team’s morale was low because of it. The garage was unusually silent, lacking the chit-chat that had become the norm before a race. No one was smiling, or even making eye contact if they could avoid it. 

“Is everything okay?” You asked Jimin after pulling him aside. You had accepted your probable defeat that morning, knowing that you’d have to pull off the impossible to stay with the team after today. Starting at the back wasn’t exactly an ideal situation. If you came in last after drawing so much attention to this race and your supposed rivalry with Jungkook, you’d make the whole team look like a joke and Hoseok wouldn’t have any choice other than to drop you. But you weren’t expecting the rest of the team to be so down about it. 

Jimin grimaced, shrugging. “Hoseok’s been in a shit mood all morning, I’m surprised he hasn’t been onto you like he has us. I’d avoid him if you can.”

It turned out that that wasn’t hard to do at all. Hoseok was everywhere that you weren’t. He talked to the press, he chatted with other teams, and never sought you out. It wasn’t hard to figure out why; he simply had no hope for the race, and if you weren’t winning for the team, there was no reason for him to be there. 

That wasn’t going to stop you from giving it your all, though. You were convinced that there was still a chance you could come out of this okay.

Then, as if the sky was taking pity on you, it started to rain.

You were in one of the trailers that were set up as your team’s offices stretching when it started, the pitter-patter on the roof increasingly loud and steady. You zipped your jumpsuit quickly and after a moment's hesitation grabbed your helmet. You left your visor up once outside so you could feel the rain on at least a small part of your face. 

You smiled for the first time that day, closing your eyes and tilting your head up to the sky. You were good in the rain. 

This changed everything, making the pavement unpredictable and forcing drivers to rely entirely on their instincts. And it might just be the miracle you needed. 

The rain stopped abruptly on your face, and you opened your eyes to see the inside of a blue umbrella over you. It took you a split second to remember that your visor was up, just long enough for you to make eye contact with the holder of said umbrella--Jungkook. You slammed it down, and braced yourself for the worst. 

“What are you doing out here?” He looked like he couldn’t stand still, hopping from one foot to the other. His suit was only done up to his waist, the top half hanging limp. He should have been cold with just his undershirt covering his torso, but he didn’t seem bothered.

You said nothing, still unsure if he had recognized you.

“Shouldn’t you be warming up? Talking to your engineer?” He paused, tilting his head to the side. “Maybe standing weirdly and looking at the sky like you’re in an 80’s music video is the way you get in the zone?” 

You shook your head and reached for your notepad, but quickly realized that you’d left it in the trailer.

Jungkook must have noticed your fumbling and waved a hand for you to stop. “We both already know it’s the 80’s music video, there’s no need to answer.” A hint of a grin started to pull at his mouth despite his best efforts, and he quickly changed the subject. “Look, I came to find you because Seokjin said you might have something you needed to say to me?”

You started to shake your head, then paused. Was Seokjin trying to give you a hint that you should tell Jungkook now? Surely not. There was too much of a chance that it would throw off Jungkook’s race. Even though a large part of you was sure that now could be the last opportunity to tell him if you wanted to salvage your relationship, there was simply too much at stake. 

“He must have just meant that you were going to wish me luck,” Jungkook concluded, though he didn’t seem too sure of it himself. “In that case, thanks, but I don’t need luck. You’re the one who needs it, and I’m not going to wish you any because that’s not what rivals do.” Jungkook smiled. “Which you would know if you weren’t such a rookie. You could learn a thing or two from me, you know.” 

You had to bite your tongue not to shoot back a smart remark. 

The race was a disaster for the majority of drivers. One thing after another kept going wrong for your opposing teams, and the smallest wrong move sent your rivals hurtling off the track. 

Even you lost it for a moment, a rear tire locking up and sending you into a spin. Luckily, the only real damage was to your tires, and you were able to defend your position.

You fought your way up to fourth nearing the end of the race. Jungkook was in second, and looked like he was having trouble with his tires.

You couldn’t see exactly what happened going around the next corner--who had made the mistake or who ran into who first. All you knew was the two leading cars had collided, scattering debris across the track and into the oncoming traffic. You hit something--or perhaps it hit you, technically--that did considerable damage to the front of your car. But you could drive it enough to keep up with the safety car that was sent out on track, which was all that mattered at that point. 

The car in front of you wasn’t as lucky, having punctured a tire in the chaos and having no choice but to pit. 

Which left you in first. 

“Well done,” Taehyung said over the radio, sounding as though he was trying very hard to stay professional but couldn’t quite contain his excitement. “Two more laps to go, the race is yours.” 

“Is everyone alright?” You asked, though you knew it was unlikely Taehyung would know.

“They would’ve stopped the race if it was anything life-threatening,” Was all he responded with. 

You didn’t have a chance directly after the race to check in with anyone.

Camera’s flashed, and it felt like a million people were trying to talk to you all at the same time. Yet, it was Yoongi’s voice that stood out when paired with a devilish smile he asked, “How does it feel to win literally just because you didn’t crash?”

You were glad your helmet hid the glare you sent him. 

Pushing past all of the random people who stood in your way, you made your way to your team's miniature headquarters for the weekend.

You were soaked, cold, and angry. 

The race ended behind a safety car. It hardly felt like a victory. Yoongi was right; you didn’t win, you just managed to stay on the damn track. 

You pulled your helmet off as soon as the door was shut behind you, only for it to be thrown open a moment later by Hoseok. 

“What are you doing?” He asked incredulously. “You’re supposed to be out there accepting handshakes and talking–er, writing–to journalists about what just happened. You won a race that Jungkook was in, and you’re–you’re–” He waved his hands around vaguely. “You’re acting like you lost!”

“You call that a win?” You scoffed quietly, undoing the top of your jumpsuit to let it hang around your waist. Hoseok’s frown deepened, but he said nothing. “Was anyone seriously hurt in the crash? Taehyung didn’t sound too sure over the radio.”

Your manager sighed, leaning against the wall next to the door with his arms folded. “From what I’ve heard, it’s nothing serious. Mostly just some minor cuts and bruises. I overheard someone say Jeon got a concussion, but he must be feeling okay if he’s up to texting you every five minutes.“

You paused your frustrated pacing to turn to Hoseok.

"You looked at my texts?”

“Only the lock screen,” He replied mildly. “You must have dropped it in the garage earlier today, Taehyung found it.” He pulled it from his jacket pocket and held it out.

Silence hung in the air while you glanced through the texts Jungkook had sent.

[Jungkook 2:45pm] That doesn’t count as me losing just fyi! It was bad luck

[Jungkook 3:01pm] Y/n tell me ur not planning a party

[Jungkook 3:02pm] Y/n

[Jungkook 3:04pm] dude

[Jungkook 3:04pm] i didn’t lose. I DNF’d. Doesn’t count.

[Jungkook 3:05pm] am i at least invited to the celebration of someone who supposedly beat me? I expect an open bar.

It was nearly four, now. You felt a pang of guilt as though you had been ignoring him. There was no way you could have replied to his texts sooner, but he didn’t know that. You answered with a short “Are you ok?”

“I thought we talked about you two being all buddy-buddy?” Hoseok cleared his throat pointedly. “But you don’t listen to much of what I say, do you?" 

“Hoseok–”

“Forget it,” He didn’t bother to stick around to listen to your excuses, slamming the trailer door behind himself.

[Jungkook 4:09pm] yeah I’m good.

[Jungkook 4:09pm] doc says i just need to take it easy. Seojin’s a little freaked out which is pretty funny. his eye has been twitching for the last hr.

[Jungkook 4:13pm] so are we partying or what?

You chuckled, shaking your head at your phone. Jungkook really was something else.

[You 4:14pm] Nah not really feeling up to it. Rain check?

You needed to make things right with Hoseok, which meant going back out there and making an appearance for the press. 

After zipping your jumpsuit back up and securing your helmet, you stepped back outside. Yoongi was doing some kind of live show directly in front of your trailer, and he spotted you before you could change your mind and run away again. 

“…And what a perfect coincidence that you’re here!” He said as he caught your arm and pulled you lightly into the shot. You didn’t bother trying to get away. This was what Hoseok wanted, for you to stand there and let people talk at you. “We were just discussing your incredible dumb luck.”

You had a long day ahead of you. 

Before you left, you’d satisfied every journalist, signed hats, and taken pictures with what felt like half of the people in the paddock. Hoseok hadn’t been any help whatsoever, leaving without a word after an hour. When you finally dragged your feet into your house, you wanted nothing more than to shower and sleep. 

But Hoseok’s sleek mercedes-benz was parked in front, and something told you he wasn’t there to talk to Jimin. 

Cold food was left on the stove as though it’d been forgotten about, along with an untouched bowl on the table. 

You found Jimin and Hoseok in the living room, with Jimin chewing his nails and avoiding looking directly at Hoseok. 

“What’s up?” You asked, trying to keep the nervousness out of your voice. “You disappeared on me today.” 

Hoseok’s eyes slid from where he’d been glaring at his phone over to you slowly. “You’re suspended,” He said lowly. 

“I’ll leave you two to discuss,” Jimin said abruptly, standing to leave. He patted your arm on his way out. You couldn’t blame him for wanting out of the situation, but part of you wanted to make him stay so you wouldn’t have to face Hoseok alone. 

“I don’t understand,” You made your way over to sit across from Hoseok. “I won today. I interacted with reporters, I was social–”

“When, exactly, were you going to tell me about the Coldwater situation?” He interrupted, his voice ice cold. 

You felt like the floor had dropped from under you. “I can explain,” You started. “ Please , let me explain.”

“Jimin already tried arguing the whole blackmailed story,” Hoseok replied flatly. “What I don’t get is why you decided not to tell me, if it’s true. I might’ve been able to help. Or we could have come up with a plan to reveal your identity earlier than we had originally thought. We could have figured something out. But now…” He dragged a hand over his face. He looked tired, haggered, as though this one conversation had taken every bit of energy out of him.

“I thought I could handle it,” The words felt hollow as you said them. 

“No,” Hoseok shook his head. “You thought you could get away with it. There’s a difference.” You weren’t sure how to respond to that. “I’m indefinitely suspending you from the team.”

You could feel panic rising, and you tried to take a breath to calm yourself. “No. I made a mistake, and I’m so, so sorry. But I’ll make it up to you. I won today, I’m good for the team.”

Hoseok’s expression didn’t change. “The only reason I’m not terminating the contract right now is because you just won.” He shook his head. “When we met, I told you my conditions were honesty, and no more illegal activity. I needed to know I could trust you, above anything else. And clearly, I can’t.” He shrugged, standing from the couch. He suddenly didn’t even seem angry anymore, just disappointed and resigned. “I’ll let you know when I decide what further action I’ll be taking. Don’t bother to show up for practice on Monday.” 

After Hoseok was gone, you stood slowly, hardly even aware of what you were doing. 

“Y/n…” Jimin hovered in the doorway, looking as lost as you felt. “He’ll come around.”

“I’m going for a drive,” You muttered, stepping past him. 

“Y/n,” He tried again. “Give it some time. Think about it from Hoseok’s perspective, it’s a lot to take in. But he’ll understand once he has a chance to think it all over.”

But you could tell from his tone he was just as scared of the future as you were. 

You didn’t plan to drive to Jungkook’s house. You got on the highway on autopilot, and went wherever felt right until you found yourself only a block away. Even then, you weren’t planning to see him until you realized it would be creepy to have driven all the way there only to sit in your car across the street. 

His lights were on, so you knocked once, twice. Just when you were about to call it a night and leave, he opened the door. 

“Hey…” Jungkook paused, as though waiting for you to explain. “I wasn’t expecting… Did you text?” He glanced at his phone as he spoke to check it. He looked sleepy, and you wondered if you’d woken him up. Above his right temple was a bruised cut with two stitches.

“No,” You shook your head, suddenly feeling like you should have just sat in your car and been weird. “I just…Sorry, it’s late. I should go.”

Jungkook blinked owlishly at you. “It is late. You should stay.” He stepped out of the way for you to come in, then waved for you to follow him. He stretched and yawned loudly as he went. "There’s leftover pizza in the fridge if you’re hungry.” 

Jungkook had apparently been half-trying to play a zombie apocalypse video game, too tired to get past the level but too awake to sleep. You could relate to that feeling; you yourself were exhausted, both mentally and physically, but you knew if you tried to sleep now you’d lay staring at the ceiling until morning. 

He switched the game to multiplayer and tossed you a controller before asking; “Is everything alright?”

You focused on the game for a moment, trying to figure out how to answer. “Not really. But I’d rather not think about it.” 

Jungkook frowned slightly, but let it drop for the moment. You were sitting on his bed side by side in front of the slightly ridiculously large screen on his wall. 

"I watched the playback of the crash,” You noted as Jungkook’s avatar fell off the rooftop only to respawn a moment later. “It looked pretty bad. Are you really okay?”

“You didn’t see it live?” Jungkook raised an eyebrow teasingly, but you suspected it was a genuine question.

“I missed it in all the commotion,” This, at least, was true. “You didn’t answer my question.”

Jungkook smirked. “Did you come over because you were worried about me?”

“I was worried,“ You admitted. "But no, that’s not the only reason.” You were trying to be more honest with him, even if you didn’t much like it.

Jungkook sighed and leaned back on the pillows, ignoring the game completely now. “I’ll be fine. The doctor said I could go home, so…” He shrugged. “My reserve driver will have to drive in my place for a race or two, but I’ll be back to a hundred percent by the rematch.” 

“Rematch?” You repeated, now setting down your own controller to look at him.

Jungkook nodded as though it was obvious. “I didn’t win today. But,” He held a finger up. “There’s no way 52 is satisfied with the result either. We need to race one on one to settle this.”

“Jungkook…” You started, not sure yet where you were going with this. As the situation currently stood, it didn’t look likely that you’d be able to race him a second time–or anyone else, for that matter. "That… Might be a difficult thing to talk Hoseok into. And anyway, how could you arrange a race with just two teams…?”

Jungkook shrugged, unconcerned. “We could do it for charity. I don’t see any reason why Hoseok wouldn’t agree to it.” He tilted his head to the side. “Unless there’s something I don’t know?”

You shook your head somewhat unconvincingly. There was a mutual understanding between you that, though you joked about the rivalry between Jungkook and ‘52’, actual team politics and strategies were off limits. Up to this point, Jungkook had never asked you who 52 was, what was going on within the team, or what Hoseok’s greater plans were because it would put you in an uncomfortable spot.

“I ran into Hoseok while leaving the paddock,” Jungkook mused. “He seemed pretty angry for a guy whose team just won a race I participated in.”

“You realize how egocentric that last bit made you sound?”

“Is it egocentric if it’s true?” He countered without missing a beat. You hoped he would take the bait and get distracted, but he didn’t fall for it this time. “I wasn’t the only one who noticed how weird he was acting. There’s a rumor he and 52 had some kind of falling out.”

It was easy to forget sometimes just how perceptive Jungkook could be. You couldn’t think of anything to say that wasn’t an outright lie or would give too much away, so you picked up the game controller again.

“Does that mean it’s true?” He asked. If anything, your silence seemed to have made him more interested. 

“Can we just not talk about Hoseok’s driver?” It came out harsher than you intended, and Jungkook looked taken aback. “What difference does it make to you, anyway? It’s not like 52 being stupid and pissing Hoseok off is going to affect you.”

“I thought you liked 52,” Jungkook’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “What did he do?”

“Ruined everything,” You muttered. The game wasn’t fun anymore, and this wasn’t the distraction you had hoped it would be. You took a shaky breath and looked down at the controller in your hands rather than at Jungkook. “That fucking asshole 52 ruined everything.”

You were very aware of Jungkook’s gaze on you, and the fact that he could probably tell that you were holding things back. 

It was over, you realized. There was no reason for you to continue lying to him about being 52.

“Jungkook, 52 and I--” You closed your eyes. It was like a bandaid, you just needed to rip it off. Except the pain wouldn’t go away after you ripped it. You could lose Jungkook completely, and you weren’t sure if you could handle that right now. 

“Did 52 hurt you?” Jungkook interrupted as though he said the words as soon as it occurred to him. 

You opened your eyes to look at him. You were so caught up in your own thoughts it took a second to comprehend, and Jungkook took your pause as confirmation. 

“If he did, I swear to god, I’ll figure out where the fuckwad lives and--” He was halfway out of bed as he spoke, though you weren’t sure where he thought he was going in his t-shirt and boxers at 3am. 

“It’s nothing like that!” You couldn’t help the slight laugh as you caught his arm and pulled him back onto the bed. You knew it shouldn’t be funny, and tried to fix your face into something serious. “You didn’t even let me finish my sentence!” 

Jungkook didn’t look entirely convinced, but he settled back down next to you against the pillows.

“52 and I...Aren’t getting along too well right now. Maybe you should ask Hoseok what happened.” You hated that you couldn’t get the words out. But you couldn’t lose Jungkook tonight, too. “Can we talk about something else?”

Jungkook looked anything but satisfied with your response, but shrugged with one shoulder before rolling onto his side so he was facing you, his head propped on his hand. “Sure.”

You scooted closer to him, getting comfortable while you tried to think of how to phrase your next question. “You’ve talked about retiring from racing since we first met,” You started, and Jungkook nodded. “But you’ve never really told me why. I don’t understand why anyone would willingly leave the sport. Especially someone who loves it as much as you do.”

Jungkook chewed his lip for a moment. “I do love the sport,” He agreed, a small smile flickering across his face. “And I think I always will. But it’s not really a part-time thing, you know?”

You shook your head no, you didn’t know. 

“There are other things I want to do, and I don’t really have time as long as I’m a driver.”

You raised an eyebrow. “What are you planning to do, then?”

Jungkook cleared his throat, glancing away from you. “You’re going to laugh.”

“I won’t.” 

“You will.”

“Jungkook.”

He reluctantly met your eyes once more. “I want to open a lamb skewer restaurant.” 

“Well. That’s very specific,” You said, trying very hard not to laugh. It wasn’t that his dream was funny so much as the way he was telling you about it. His ears were red, and he was pouting ever so slightly.

“I knew you’d laugh,” He complained. 

“I’m not laughing,” You lied, unable to hold in your giggles. “I think it’s a great idea. It’s just,” You interrupted yourself to catch his lips with your own, one hand traveling up to run through his hair. “You told me yourself that you can’t cook.” 

Despite himself, Jungkook grinned back. “I said I want to own the restaurant, not be the chef.” He moved so his legs straddled one of yours, his body tantalizingly close to your own without actually touching you. 

“And I suppose you’ll have a wall dedicated to displaying all of your trophies?” You asked. You wanted him closer to you, but he already knew that. You could see it in the glint in his eyes. He wanted you to make the first move.

And just like that, it became an unspoken competition. 

“Please,” Jungkook lowered himself just a hair, leaning in as though he was about to kiss you but stopping when his lips barely brushed yours. “I’d need more than just one wall for all of my trophies. And then I wouldn’t have room for the stage.”

“The stage?” You repeated, eyebrows raised. “Why do you need a stage in a lamb skewer restaurant?” One of your hands ghosted up his arm and down his abdomen to pull at the hem of his t-shirt without quite touching him. It ended up bunched around his shoulders, but he didn’t take it off.

“For the live bands,” He smirked, one hand leaving where it had been propped near your head to slowly make its way down your side. You could just barely feel his fingers through your jeans as they traced their way down your thigh and back up painfully slow. “And the stand-up comedians... And open mic nights…” You could see his resolve beginning to melt.

“You’re not really going to have open mic nights, are you?” You teased, then lowered your voice to a whisper. “What if someone covers a nickelback song?”

Jungkook actually snorted at that. “That would be unfortunate. Which is why open mic nights would be a twice-a-year thing, and I’d pre-approve the song list.”

His lips were once more mere centimeters away, just barely out of reach. 

“You’ve given this a lot of thought, haven’t you?” You asked, all joking leaving your voice. 

“I have,” He nodded, his hair tickling your forehead as he did so. There was something akin to worry in his eyes, and you reached up to brush his hair away from his face. 

“I think your restaurant sounds wonderful,” You assured him, and you noticed an immediate change in his facial expression. Any sign of worry was gone, replaced by a playful glint in his eyes. 

“You won’t think I’m boring if I leave the sport?”

“I don’t think it’s possible for you to be boring.”

“So true,” Jungkook leaned forward and finally kissed you slowly. You pulled him closer, reveling in his warmth. 

When you pulled away briefly to breath, you couldn’t help but mutter, “I totally just won that, by the way.” 

Jungkook laughed, burying his nose in the crook of your neck. “Somehow, I’m okay with that.”