The underground racing scene. Dangerous, thrilling, and fun. At least... it was fun for your girlfriends, who were in the stands cheering for you. You, on the other hand, were busy fixing your clothes, gloves in hand, leaning against the wall. You honestly didn't know why you did this. Maybe you just couldn't take the suffocating lifestyle of the elite and the unsympathetic stares of your calculating parents. It was nice to be free. And you figured, if you were going to do something crazy, you might as well go the whole nine yards. Screw clubbing, that was way too tame. Street racing was more like it.

 

"Ready when you are," a bored voice interrupted your thoughts.

 

You turned around to see your biggest rival, Oh Sehun, standing behind you, casually checking you out.

 

"Gee, you sure are one for subtlety, aren't you," you grimaced as you thought about how long he might've been there.

 

"Anyone who signs up for street racing as a side hobby definitely isn't subtle," Sehun chuckled and you smirked. True, very true.

 

"Well then, good luck racer boy," you flicked his head before walking off.

 

Sehun stared at your retreating figure and cursed silently, slowly feeling the blood in his body travel south. Why in hell did she have to wear a crop top and the shortest shorts he had ever seen. That wasn't going to help his concentration at all... Damn she was hot.

 

—

 

"Alright people! Last call to turn those bets in," the announcer, a certain mischevious looking man named Chen, called out. "Four cars and four amazing drivers!!! Their track records, no pun intended, are phenomal. There's no need for introduction, you're all ready. So are they. Let's get this show on the road people!"

 

Chen's voice droned on as you tuned the noise of the crowd off and popped a piece of bubblegum in your mouth, chewing slowly as you waited for the pointless banter to finish. You looked to your right. Xiumin and Kai. They were pretty great drivers, with Xiumin favoring tricks to head-on collisions and Kai using speed as a race-winning tactic. But they weren't anything you hadn't met before.... You looked to your left and your bubblegum chewing quickened.

 

Oh Sehun.

 

His damn driving style was impossible to pick up on. You'd raced him at least twenty times now and he always pulled off something different. And so far, neither of you could claim victory over the other. If he won a match, you'd win one just as quickly. But you wanted to win the most tonight, at the underground racing scene's biggest event. Maybe to show him once and for all that you were the superior driver.

 

Sehun caught you watching him and smirked before walking over casually.

 

"Gee, you sure are one for subtlety, aren't you," he chuckled cheekily as you turned around to get in your car.

 

"Ready when you are," you fired back before shutting the door. Deep breaths, you thought. Why did Sehun have to be so damn attractive... and especially tonight of all nights.

 

The appearance of the starting flag brought you back to your senses. Here goes. You glanced at your seatbelt. Should you buckle in? Screw it, you had no limits tonight. It was going to be your show.

 

Looking up at the lights, you waited. Red. Red. Red. Red....

 

"Go!"

 

The green light flashed in your mind before everyone pulled out of the starting line.

 

Six miles between you and victory.

 

To your right, true to his need for speed, Kai had already set the pace, with Xiumin right on his tail, no doubt ready to do some maneuvering when things got crazy. You decided to keep the same pace as the two next to you. The same things probably went through Sehun's head when he imitated your actions immediately after.

 

So far, the ride was smooth, a few turns here and there. The buildings flew by as you slowly started to accelerate. You could probably manage to add some speed without the others noticing. There was a right turn coming up ahead. You could make your move then.

 

5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

 

You hit the gas pedal and swerved to the right, landing in front of Kai's car and smoothly turning on to the directed street. You were sure...

 

You bit your lip in frustration when you saw Sehun to your left, about level with you, Xiumin tailing him. True, you'd gotten Xiumin and Kai out of possible contention but Sehun had caught on just as quickly as you had..... A thought passed through your mind...

 

Was he mimicking your driving?

 

There was no way. He might've been the most unpredictable, skilled driver out there, but it was near impossible to pick up on your moves half a second after you did them. You pushed the thought out of your mind as a beeping interrupted your concentration. You turned the reminder alarm off. One more stretch of pavement to grind up and then, finish line.

 

You floored the gas, speeding up as you watched the other three do the same. It was between you and Sehun now... neck to neck. As the finish line loomed closer and the cheering of the crowds grew more evident, you glanced at Sehun again. Was it going to be a tie? You were almost there. Maybe a tie was inevitable.

 

Suddenly, Sehun's car shot forward by a few feet, and your eyes widened as both of you barreled across the line.

 

No. Damn. Way.

 

"And we have Sehun finishing first!" You heard Chen roar. What. Just. Happened. You were sure Sehun's car didn't have the horsepower to accelerate that quickly last minute.

 

You got out of your car and slammed the door, clearly fuming, and looked over to see Xiumin banging his hand against his car as Kai elbowed him, trying to calm him. You could faintly hear their conversation over the roar of the crowd.

 

"I can't believe I nudged Sehun's damn car forward."

 

Your eyes widened again. Of course, how had you not seen it? Xiumin raced with trick playing. And his own trick had backfired on him when he had accelerated along with you as you had tried pulling away during the last stretch, accidentally nudging the car in front of his. Sehun's car.

Realization dawned on your face. Of course, Sehun had been mimicking your racing style. So that you would both be even when you came to the finish line... Except, he had counted on Xiumin's racing style to get him across the line first. Damn, that son of a biscuit. You hadn't expected any of this.

 

"Looks like you weren't ready," a voice came from behind you.

 

You turned around to see Sehun casually leaning against your car, looking down at you.

 

"Nice race," he offered.

 

"Thanks," you grumbled, "Smart move though."

 

He laughed before extending his hand.

 

"Had to do something different against the second best underground racer in Korea."

 

You grimaced. Second best. That wasn't bad but you had really wanted to win. You took his hand almost reluctantly.

 

"Yeah. You deserve to be first."

 

Sehun studied you for a second before pulling back, then suddenly you were pressed against your car. He had an arm next to either side of your head, trapping you against your ride.

 

You didn't know it then... but your night was about to get a whole lot better...

 

"I'm only first at racing. I'm crap at everything else." he said darkly and almost abruptly, looking into your wide eyes.

 

You wanted to laugh. Now he was just spewing nonsense.

 

"What do you mean Sehun? Surely you're good at-"

 

He cut you off, before saying something you never expected and had wanted to hear for a while. And thank God for blessing your ears... it almost made losing worth it. Almost.

 

"Nah. I lose once in awhile. I lost my heart to you."