Chapter Text
sungmin was puzzled. stumped. in utter distress, even. having lost all hope of finding a plausible solution, he stood leaning against his silent, broken-down car, at the side of the highway. sungmin has no idea how it'd happened, or what he could've done differently in order to not have needed to pull over on the side of the road. but alas, there he was, no signal on his phone, and too much embarrassment to call out for help. it was useless, anyway; there were a million people driving by at practically the speed of light, and sungmin was bound to go unheard. so there he stood.
eventually, he took a precarious seat on the front of the car, mind ablaze with what-ifs. he was on the way to a party – yu junwon's frat party, even. he'd already been falling out of his university's good graces, so missing this would be yet another hit to his popularity. whatever. he'd just wait for someone to see him, to feel sorry for him enough to give him a ride. his car could be an afterthought; whatever happened to it, happened. he wasn't that emotionally attached yet.
after a couple minutes, which felt more like hours to him, sungmin realized that every flying metal box careening across this street did not seem to give a fuck about him. with a loud, exaggerated sigh, he accepted his fate, and decided to make the best of it. he pulled his small cosmetics bag from the front seat, setting it on the hood of the car and getting to work. he was already running late before this, so he told himself he'd get all this done at the party. on the bright side, at least he could get it done now instead; except it was a bit harder to apply his foundation properly when there were, must he reiterate, millions of flying metal boxes passing by him by the millisecond.
he got used to it after a while, tying his hair up into a ponytail, continuing with his makeup, and not letting the expected bother him. what he was not expecting, however, was the ever-growing sound of an engine hurdling towards him as he was putting on his eyeliner. before almost poking his eye out, he hurriedly put his things down, whipping his head around to see what it was, exactly, that'd presumably be the cause of his death. it was a motorcycle, ridiculously fast and loud, billowing with exhaust fumes that made sungmin have a coughing fit. it was quickly clear that it was not trying to kill him, thankfully, and was merely driving very close.
something even further from sungmin's expectations was the fact this motorcycle would come to a screeching halt just in front of his car. still coughing, sungmin hurried to slide off the front of his car, standing in the overgrown grass beside the road. he watched as the motorcycle guy got off, and before all else, sungmin wanted answers. "what was that all about, dude?! i nearly impaled my eye!"
"why are you having a beauty pageant on the side of the highway?" motorcycle guy scoffed, heading closer to sungmin with each word. he lifted his hands up to rest on the sides of his helmet, and mr. motorcycle did that thing – the cliché, rom-com thing, where the guy takes off his helmet and shakes his head a little bit to fix his hair.
sungmin was still pissed at him, of course. but, just for a millisecond, he found himself looking over the boy. and slightly, barely, understanding the hype around the overdone cinema bad-boy archetype.
clearly, he'd been looking for just a tad bit longer than a millisecond, as motorcycle guy gave a slight cough. sungmin broke out of his sudden daze, and replied, "sorry. anyways, i'm not having a pageant, my car's just being stupid. 'kay?"
mr. motorcycle gave a nod of understanding, although his expression still didn't change back from the one of distaste he'd had prior. "could've just said that. you called anyone yet? no?"
sungmin just shook his head. "no service."
"of course," the man sighed, before continuing in an indifferent tone, "i can take a look. call someone for you if it's needed. you mind?"
sungmin's eyes lit up, a smile growing on his face. "not at all! thank you!"
maybe this guy isn't all that bad, after all. sungmin took one last look at his compact mirror, smudging his half-assed eyeliner to his liking, before moving out of the way for the guy to look at his car. sungmin watched as he lifted the hood (it was not his fault for looking at the guy's arms. who wouldn't?).
"i don't see anything obvious yet," he muttered, voice skeptical, "you have any clue what went wrong?"
"not at all. i was just driving like normal, you know, this hasn't happened before. i've only been really driving for a couple months, since it took so long to get my license, but literally nothing like this has happened since..."
motorcycle guy was giving uninterested "hmm"s in the middle of every sentence sungmin said. he'd placed down his helmet beside the car earlier, and his sharp eyes were acutely focused on its inner workings; sungmin would've offered help, since it was his car after all, but alas, he was completely clueless.
sungmin began to feel bad after a while, since it was taking this guy such a long time. he started, "don't you have somewhere to go? you can just call a mechanic if that'd be better, you know–"
"it's fine," he insisted, running a hand through his hair, "just gimme a minute."
it's been multiple minutes, sungmin considered saying. but he didn't. he just took a step towards the car, to look closer; but in the process, he sent the helmet rolling down the ditch beside the road.
thankfully, though, sungmin had good reflexes. sort of. he managed to barely catch the thing before it rolled out of sight, not even catching the slightest bit of attention from mr. motorcycle, thank goodness.
sungmin turns it over in his hands; it's plain, for the exception of a small, gold-tinted engraving in the back that read, hikaru.
hikaru. sungmin was glad to have an idea of the guy's name now, because having to call him so many variations of "motorcycle guy" got to a point. just to make sure, he asked outright; "hikaru?"
hikaru whipped his head around. yep, that's his name. "how did you..?" he took notice of the helmet that rested in sungmin's arms, and continued with an almost-silent, "oh. yeah, what?"
sungmin didn't plan any question, so he began racking his brain for one as he actually, successfully, made his way closer to where hikaru stood. "where are you going today, anyway? can't be that busy if you're out here being an unlicensed mechanic."
sungmin swore he could see the slightest side-eye from hikaru. "nowhere. just out to drive."
"really? having a fun joyride, are we?"
"don't call it that," hikaru muttered in a stern tone, reaching across to mess with something in the car's hood.
sungmin smirked, deciding that this guy was fun to mess around with. "not having fun then. got it."
hikaru didn't say anything else, but with a tilt of his head and a closer look, sungmin could notice the ghost of a smile over hikaru's lips.
his lips. they were full, had this shine to them in the waning evening sunlight. looking at him like this, his side profile looked really good, too–
sungmin shook his head, as if to physically shake the thoughts from his head. because why the hell was he analyzing the facial structure of this guy he'd known the existence of for 5 minutes? to distract his mind, he began talking again. "so, karu, you ever done this car stuff before?"
"sorry?" hikaru said, looking at sungmin with one brow quirked up, "what'd you call me?"
"hm? karu?"
"yeah, don't do that."
"why?" sungmin complained, secretly basking in hikaru's responses. he was so easy to mess with.
"'cause i said so," he paused, "how old are you, anyway?"
"20."
"21. that's hikaru hyung to you."
"no thanks. you don't even know my name, we aren't on honorific terms."
"what are you on about..." hikaru grumbled, "what's your name, then?"
"guess."
"i am not guessing."
sungmin huffed. "sungmin. hong sungmin!"
hikaru didn't respond. no fun. sungmin wasn't done talking to him yet, though, so he asked, "you notice anything? really don't wanna rush you or anything, but i swear, i can probably figure it out–"
"don't worry your pretty little head about it," hikaru deadpanned, "i know what i'm doing."
"do you?" sungmin asked.
hikaru lifted his head to lock eyes with sungmin. that sliver of a smile was gone now, and the look in his eyes was beginning to feel intimidating. hikaru said nothing else as he brought a hand closer to where sungmin was, and pressed a finger to his lips.
sungmin blinked. sure, he'd just been silently told to shut the fuck up, but something about it felt strange. good strange, must he add. regardless, he took the hint, not saying anything else until hikaru spoke again.
"i seriously don't see anything wrong here. you sure nothing else is wrong?"
sungmin shook his head.
"no issues with the tires?"
he shook his head.
"brakes didn't get stuck?"
shook his head.
"nothing wrong with the wheel?"
shook head.
"and you definitely had enough fuel, right?"
head.
"what the hell could be wrong with it, then, dude?" hikaru said, his tone exasperated.
after thinking a little more, sungmin had an epiphany, and chimed in; "actually, the fuel bar was a little low. but it wasn't, like, all the way down, so it wasn't a concern–"
"how far?"
"like, closer to the e than the f?"
"i'm not an idiot! how far exactly?"
"i don't know!" sungmin cried, "like, really close to the e. but it wasn't there yet, so i didn't think it was a big deal."
"i think it was, man, you could've told me that before," hikaru replied, sighing deeply. "i can't do anything to fix that. i'll call you a tow truck, though."
"thank you!" sungmin smiled, watching as hikaru pulled out his phone. sungmin realized soon, though, that he was probably way overdue to the party by now. he tried to casually ask about it as best as he could, "hey, you know, i've never had to call one of those before. how long does it take, would you say?"
"like, half an hour? 45 minutes?"
sungmin blinked again, subconciously letting his jaw drop a little. "is there any way to get it quicker?"
"why, where 'ya rushing to? got a date?"
"no, ew," sungmin said, "party, actually. i'm supposed to be there by 6:30."
"it's 7."
sungmin groaned aloud, throwing his head back. "hence why i need to be there. 'ya get me?"
"yeah, yeah. i get you. come on," hikaru began walking away from the car.
sungmin didn't know what he's doing, but almost instinctively, he followed along. "what?"
"i'll give you a ride, dumbass. take it or leave it."
sungmin smiled. they'd already evolved to lovingly-said insults. (hikaru's tone was not loving whatsoever, in retrospect, yet sungmin did not care.) "really? you mean it?"
hikaru nodded, returning to where his motorcycle was leaning at the side of the road. when sungmin attempted to give him back his helmet, hikaru plainly waved him off; "you wear it. i'm good."
"oh, what a gentleman," sungmin swooned, laughing when hikaru rolled his eyes. he put the helmet on, having to adjust it a lot just for it to fit him properly.
"i'm not a gentleman," hikaru grumbled, hoisting himself onto the seat, "i'm just making sure i'm not the one responsible if you die falling off this thing."
"wow, do you have no faith in me? meanie."
"have you ever ridden before?"
"no?"
"exactly. no faith."
sungmin gave a gasp of offense, and this time, hikaru was the one to laugh. his laugh was clear, soft; it somehow fit him, while also completely contrasting with his image.
sungmin didn't know why he was smiling at this guy so much. he should stop.
he struggled to get onto the seat, carefully sitting behind hikaru once he was up there. this thing was, obviously, not built for two. they were really close; too close for comfort, especially for having only met a good 10 minutes ago. once he was finally comfortable enough, sungmin gave a satisfied, "we can go now."
"hold on first. you'll fall."
"to what... oh, yeah," sungmin stumbled over his own words. he forgot about the fact this would become even more close. awkwardly, tentatively, he put his arms around hikaru's waist from behind.
it seemed like hikaru wanted to say something else, but he refrained from it. instead, he revved the engine; a painful sound that almost singlehandedly sent sungmin flying off the bike. after a moment, he did say something;
"where is this party, exactly?"
sungmin had to think for a moment. "konkuk university... house of chi gamma delta? i think?"
"how would i know where that is..." hikaru groaned, pulling his phone from his pocket to, presumably, get the gps up and running. "you're really in a frat?"
sungmin shrugged, "all my friends joined. thought i might as well. you know?"
"well, that's stupid," hikaru commented. sungmin frowned; he was right, he supposed. after a moment, hikaru got the gps going, and without any warning, got back on the road and kept driving.
sungmin was immediately taken aback by the speed they were going; he knew motorcycles were meant to be fast, but jeez. he found himself gripping tighter onto hikaru's waist, holding onto his t-shirt as if it'd give him any extra safety. hikaru clearly knew what he was doing, but that didn't change the fact that they were hurdling down this street at what felt like a million miles per hour.
suddenly, a thought came to sungmin. "what about my car?" he asked.
"what?!" hikaru asked, much louder, to be heard over the engine.
"my car! did you call the tow truck?!" sungmin yelled.
"don't worry 'bout it! i'll deal with it once you're there!"
"okay!" sungmin's words morphed into a scream as the motorcycle screeched around a close corner.
this was scary as hell.
somehow, though, sungmin liked it; liked the thrill of it all. he subconciously brought himself closer, resting his head on hikaru's shoulder to stay as close as possible. hikaru didn't seem to mind – not that he'd throw sungmin off of him in the middle of driving, but still – he seemed to just be very calm, very focused on the road.
even as they got off the highway and slowed down significantly, sungmin didn't move, staying leaned against hikaru. he became acutely aware of hikaru's presence, of how he felt. the scent of his cologne was strong, the sort of stereotypical manly scent that became overpowering the closer you were. but sungmin didn't mind; it suited him well, from what he'd been able to tell. sungmin also felt how warm hikaru was. even as the sun was going down, as the night breeze was starting to pass by, hikaru's strong frame stayed just as toasty.
were they still too much of strangers for sungmin to think about wanting to feel this warmth more often? he didn't want to think about that too much.
eventually, after a lot more side streets and shortcuts, hikaru slowed down, parking against the sidewalk leading to the frat house. sungmin gave a sigh of relief, enjoying the fact he could now hear properly. he loosened his grip on hikaru's waist as they both hopped off the bike, and before sungmin could take the helmet off, hikaru was lifting his hands up to do the same. he fussed with the strap for a moment, pulling it off sungmin's head.
upon doing this, sungmin was able to see properly now, too, not all dark and sunglass-y. what he could also see properly was that hikaru was smiling. not that slight, barely-there smile anymore; a real smile, one that reached his eyes.
why was he cute?
sungmin shook the thought from his head, handing the helmet back over to hikaru, who then hung it from the handlebars of the bike. after a moment, he requested, "give me your phone real quick."
"why?" sungmin asked, although he was already reaching into his pocket, taking his phone out, and giving it to hikaru. how did he trust this guy so much already?
hikaru turned on the phone. "oh. could you unlock it, maybe?"
"yeah, yeah," sungmin replied, reaching over to type in his password.
hikaru looked up at him with an intrigued look in his eye. "6969?"
"don't ask questions," sungmin insisted. hikaru chuckled, giving him a faint 'okay' before taking the phone back.
sungmin couldn't help but be a little nosy and watch. and he couldn't help but smile when he saw hikaru was putting his number into his phone.
"oh, i'm flattered," sungmin joked, relishing in the slight red that dusted over hikaru's cheeks.
sungmin could practically sense how hikaru had begun clenching his jaw as he finished typing and gave him his phone back. "just to give updates on your car. and if you ever break down again."
sungmin didn't think before responding, "i'd be happy to if it means you'd come."
"oh, really now?" hikaru questioned.
"mhm," sungmin smiled at him, tucking a stray strand of hair behind his ear. he saw hikaru's lips quirk up in a slight smile.
"alright. well, you enjoy your party."
"i will!" sungmin said, still fiddling with his phone. he made sure it was clearly visible to hikaru as he edited his contact name into motorcycle guy.
hikaru scoffed. "is that all i am to you?"
"yeah, duh."
he rolled his eyes at sungmin, the small grin on his face growing ever so slightly. "goodbye."
"bye!" sungmin said cheerily, "and thanks, by the way!"
hikaru just gave a hum of acknowledgement before getting back onto his motorcycle, fastening his helmet. sungmin took one last look at him before walking a short distance to the doors.
he tried entering as quietly, as inconspicuously as he could. but, alas, everyone was already looking at him; whether it was because he was late, or because of the loud engine noises just outside the house, sungmin didn't know. but nonetheless, it was embarrassing, and he felt as if he was being perceived or something.
by some miracle, sungmin made it to a more quiet corner; but that was short lived when he heard a voice behind him.
"hong sungmin. do i need to ask?"
sungmin turned his head around to see his best friend, minseo, gawking at him like he'd just witnessed the impossible.
"what?" sungmin attempted to feign ignorance.
"who was that, dropping you off? if you've got a new boyfriend, you have to tell me that kind of stuff!"
sungmin laughed out loud, shaking his hands in front of him in denial, "long story, i'll get to it. it's not like that, not yet."
"not yet?" minseo asked, voice growing louder at the end. he brought sungmin to sit down in one of the empty, falling-apart armchairs.
sungmin sighed dreamily. "like i said, long story."