[Fanfic: Gear Up]
Title: Gear Up
Fandom: Mblaq/Afterschool
Pairing: Seungho/Nana, past! Seungho/Thunder
Rating: PG-13
Genre: AU!streetracer
Summary: She was a street racer that had a crush on him, he didn't want to have feelings for her.
Seungho swerved to the right just when she cut in front of him during the sharp turn. He already had a suspicion that she’d overtake him sooner or later, since they were well past the midpoint of the route. Had he reacted slightly slower, they probably would have collided and both of them would be in a ditch somewhere.
He chuckled to himself as they skidded around another sharp turn, a horrendous screech escaping from the tires of the car in front of him, leaving only a straight stretch until the parking lot, their designated end point. She was at least three car lengths ahead of him, there was no way he could catch up to her given their current situation.
She pulled into the parking lot first, her tall frame a pale contrast to her dark metallic pink BMW.
“Man, really, again?” Seungho slammed his door shut, turning around to recline against his dark blue Audi. “I have got to stop going easy on you.”
“Maybe you should just admit that I’m the better driver.” Jinah leaned over, her dark blond locks draping against her shoulder. “I’m not famous just for my looks, you know.”
“Never woulda thought a pretty lady in pink could be so dangerous with a car.” Seungho chuckled, his feet dragging along the rubble of the pavement. The night was frigid, accompanied with the occasional draft, amplifying the dancing cold around them.
“So you think I’m pretty?” Jinah stopped walking, instead turning around to face the older boy. Seungho tensed up immediately, a cloak of awkwardness draping around him.
“We’ve been through this conversation how many times?” Seungho reached forward and gently pushed her back, ignoring her whine as they continued their walk down the deserted street. “But seriously, back at the bridge, that was a pretty daring move you pulled there.”
“I don’t pull dangerous moves, I make the moves dangerous.”
Seungho draped his leather jacket around Jinah’s shoulder. “Any slight contact would have sent you soaring off the bridge; you need to watch for that. Your drifting too; sometimes you pull it a bit too far, you can’t let it go too far where you lose control of it.”
“Oh, but I know you wouldn’t let that happen.” Jinah smiled back sweetly, her fingers reaching towards her shoulder to grasp the added layer of warmth. “You’d calculate it so that it would never happen, Seungho-ah.”
“You’re right, I did. But you could go wrong, and not everyone will be there as a crutch for you to rely on, Jinah.”
“I know.” She replied dryly, and Seungho knew his words weren’t getting through whatsoever.
She was still reckless, just like when he first raced against her and lost. It was definitely worthy of a laugh looking back at it, a chance encounter on a deserted stretch of the highway. They skidded to a dazzling finish, and Seungho treated her to food that night. He never told her that he lost on purpose, but he figured that she eventually realized that fact after he took her under his wing.
“But I know you won’t let anything happen to me.”
A tinge of over aggressiveness and a dark aura to induce fear in some of the other racers, never in his mind did he doubt that she would make a name for herself. The girl had fire in her, Im Jinah, Nana, the spark just needed the right ignition to get her name known in the underworld.
“That’s not the point. When you’re out there racing, you can’t be so impulsive, especially if you’re not familiar with the opposing drivers.”
“I know. I know I can adapt when I’m not driving against you. I know how to play my cards.”
Seungho could agree with her, she definitely had more than enough technique to handle herself, but variables grow exponentially, and there’s bound to be something where Nana didn’t take into consideration. That’s something Seungho wasn’t willing to risk again, not after what happened to Thunder.
“You still got to work on shifting the gears while you accelerate, the time lapse can still be reduced a bit further. While I was behind you, you tended to -”
“I know, can you please stop now?” Nana curled up his jacket and shoved it against him as she stomped her way back to her car.
“Nana…”
That was also her weakest element; Seungho figured that out after their third round together. The passion could easily mould itself into rage, the fire could easily spread uncontrollably; she was much more spontaneous than Thunder, even when she wasn’t provoked. Sometimes, it was either her way or she would simply just not care.
“Stupid fucking car.” Seungho heard her yell inside the vehicle as she pulled out her keys, tossing it angrily at the seat next to hers.
Sometimes, Seungho wondered if she was ready while he was waiting for the other party to pick up. She was mentally stronger, much stronger, and there’s still that lining of fire, unpredictable and almost her biggest opponent.
The tow truck came an hour later.
~ // ~
Seungho stood by the rails near the finish line as the two cars came flying to the finish. Their life was a dangerous one, immediate and indirect association that can result in more than drastic consequences. Thunder understood that very well, and Nana didn’t bother with it, and Mir, well Mir was a bit of the two together.
It wasn’t until a loud wave of cheering and the flick of the unofficial flag did Seungho blink back memories and see Mir step out from his car, fists clenched in happiness after he was presented with the medal.