Yixing was not allowed to drive cars since his arm was in a sling, so it was a chauffeured car that showed up bright and early on Saturday morning, and, apparently oblivious to the few onlookers wandering around, the prince happily greeted Yeonhee with a a kiss and helped her into the car.

They went exactly where he’d promised her at the military ball: a go-karting track some way out of the city on top of a large hill.  From the vantage point of the garage where Yixing paid for them to have a good hour or so on the track, the layout looked absolutely fantastic, and she couldn’t wait to get going.

It didn’t stop her from being concerned about Yixing’s condition, though.

“Are you sure this is a wise idea?” she asked him, looking between the race course and the go-karts.

“Yep,” he said.  “I passed my advanced driving certificate a couple of years back and this is easy compared to driving a car.  I can do it with one hand.”

Yeonhee pursed her lips, but the track owner looked like he didn’t dare contradict the prince and spoil his fun on a date, and so she left it, though she did wonder how Yixing planned on navigating some of the tighter corners.

It turned out not to be a problem, however, because after Yixing had hopped into his go-kart and turned to her with a cheeky grin and a challenge of “race you!”, he  left her in the dust as he zoomed off.  Immediately fired up, Yeonhee gunned her own engine, but she was far too cautious around the corners and she could hear him whooping his way along the track as the wind whipped her face on the straits.  By the time she pulled up at the finish line, which was actually also the start line, he was busy spinning doughnuts in his go-kart and hollering with exhilaration.

“How old are you?” Yeonhee yelled at him as she pulled up as close as she dared.

“Twenty-three!” he yelled back, practically turning the kart on a dime before it swizzled to a stop.  Thoroughly pleased with himself and the vehicle, he slumped back in his seat with a broad grin.  “Ah, man, I haven’t done that in years.  Doughnuts in a tank are seriously not the same.”

Yeonhee was horrified.  “You’ve tried turning doughnuts in a tank?”

“Correction.”  He held up his index finger.  “I succeeded in turning doughnuts in a tank.  Your boyfriend is a very talented man, my dear.”

“Oh my God,” Yeonhee muttered.  Still, she couldn’t help wondering exactly how one spun a tank round like that.  They were very slow-moving vehicles, after all, and extremely large.

Yixing interrupted her musings.  “We should keep score,” he said.  “It’s currently one-nil to me.”

“Best of three,” Yeonhee said immediately.  “Winner pays for lunch.”

Yixing pouted.  “You sure know how to sock a man’s pride in the gut, don’t you?”

Yeonhee cocked an eyebrow at him.

“Well, now I have to let you win because I can’t possibly let you pay for lunch, can I?”

“Are you saying that because I’m a student or because I’m a woman?”

“Both.  You’re my girlfriend and I like doing things for you.  I have more capability fiscally than you do and you have vastly better capabilities in other areas.  Plus I invited you.  The whole of today is my treat.”

Yeonhee nearly cooed at how put out he looked.

“Winner chooses where we eat,” she amended.  “I won’t accept a hollow victory just because you want to treat me.”

His mischievous grin reappeared and he revved his engine.  “You’re on!”

Yixing was at an advantage because he was a more experienced driver, but once Yeonhee had got a feel for the course and felt more confident in the go-kart, their scores began to level peg.  Yeonhee caught him wincing a few times twenty minutes in (best of three was no longer a thing because the course only took four minutes to complete and they had significantly over an hour to enjoy themselves), but he insisted his injuries were not going to stop him from having fun, and after convincing him to take some painkillers, Yeonhee let him be on that issue.

After half an hour, the proprietor started moving some of the tyre walls around to change the course and create obstacles, and so Yeonhee and Yixing started a new tally of scores.  Yixing still narrowly managed to win (Yeonhee suspected he’d held back just a little, though he was too competitive to lose on purpose), and she slung an arm around his shoulders as they fought their way back through the wind towards the car.

“So, where do you want to eat, your highness?”  She’d intended it to tease, since he was picking the place, only to remember that it was actually an official title.

He smiled sheepishly.  “I kind of booked places for us at Tempe yesterday.”

Yeonhee wanted to melt.  Smiling broadly, she helped him into the car and scrambled in herself.  The door slammed with the force of the wind.

It was a pleasant drive back and an enjoyable afternoon.  Yixing treated Yeonhee to the sharing platter that they’d both eaten the first time, only asking one question about exams and revision before deciding it was a topic best never broached again, and they spent the afternoon wandering peacefully along the riverbank nearby, hand in hand.  They were recognised by several people, but the day was blustery enough for most of the public not to be venturing outdoors, and while Yixing smiled and politely waved to everybody who tried to attract his attention (Yeonhee hastily copied his example), his bodyguards made sure that they weren’t actually interrupted.

By the time they reluctantly turned back in the direction of the car to go back to university, Yeonhee was feeling thoroughly spoilt.  It had been lovely to be able to go out on a date as they had used to do before they were actually dating and before anybody had been aware of them spending time together.  Not that she had objected to all the home dates in the palace – she’d thoroughly enjoyed all of those – but there was a sense of freedom and normalcy about being able to do it that they just hadn’t enjoyed since Valentine’s Day.

“Oh look,” said Yixing, showing her his phone.  “There are already articles about us.”

They had ambled along the riverbank for at least a couple of hours, but some journalist must still have been quick off the mark, because a substantial article was already on the main page of one of the major Zenyu news outlets, featuring several photos of them walking hand in hand, Yixing smiling at Yeonhee, Yeonhee adjusting his scarf for him, and the pair of them sitting on a bench when they’d paused to let Yixing rest.  Yeonhee was leaning her head on his shoulder in that one.

“It’s all positive,” Yixing said happily.  “They think we’re cute.”

Yeonhee scrolled down to the comments section.  She half didn’t want to look at them, but on the other hand, part of her brain niggled, wanting to know what the average citizen was saying.

Surprisingly, all twenty-three of the comments so far there were also positive.  The top-voted one read I want to be looked at the way those two look at each other.  The one underneath it ran this is so adorable I think I’m going to puke ;_;

Yixing took the phone back before she could click to update the comments section with the forty-five ne