Charlotte, NC

Kris finally wakes up as they drive into Charlotte, and Lu Han is the first to pounce.

“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” he says in the most obnoxious voice possible. “You were pretty much dead to the world after we dropped Joonmyeon off at the train station. So...tell us everything! Are you converted?”

Kris merely rubs his eyes. “What?” he asks. “Converted?”

“I think he’s asking if you are now into men,” Tao says from the driver’s seat, and Yixing turns around to see how Kris responds.

Kris shrugs. “I’m into Joonmyeon,” he replies. Lu Han grins like an idiot.

“How is he in bed?” Lu Han wonders. “How was your first time with a guy, huh?”

“Lu Han, don’t pester him,” Yixing says, but he too looks curious. Kris smiles as he reminisces about the previous night. Joonmyeon had been perfect, and when he woke up with Joonmyeon in his arms, he felt like he owned the world.

Tao chuckles. “You’re smiling your creepy smile again.” Kris meets Tao’s eyes in the rearview mirror and for the first time in a while, Kris feels like Tao might be a little proud of him.

“I’m happy,” Kris replies simply. “I’m really happy.”

“There you go,” Yixing says, staring pointedly at Lu Han as if to tell him not to ask any more questions. Yixing turns back towards the front of the car, clearing his throat awkwardly, but only Tao notices, since Lu Han is too busy pestering Kris for more details.

“What’s wrong?” Tao asks, driving down the streets carefully.

“Kris found his passion,” Yixing responds, sounding a little wistful.

Tao slows down at a stoplight but it turns green right away and he continues to drive. “You’ll find yours, Xing, don’t worry.” He turns back to the road and Yixing is momentarily forgotten.

Yixing's not sure he'll find his passion. How can he when he's been pressured into becoming an engineering major? He can't just drop hundreds of thousands of dollars and four years of torturous studying just because he doesn't like engineering.

And yet, he can't help but think about just how much he dreads the end of the summer. Because that means finding a job, an engineering job, which he's guaranteed to hate solely because it's engineering. And he'll have to work the same type of job until he retires. After this summer, his life is going to be one huge disappointment.

More than anything, Yixing wants to dance. He's always loved dance, and he'd been a member of Columbia's dance team. While he danced, that was when he felt truly happy.

But of course, he can't dance, because he has a bachelor's degree in engineering so he needs to do engineering.

He's pulled from his thoughts when Tao pulls the key out of the ignition. “We’re here, guys. Go frolic to your hearts’ content.”

“NASCAR Hall of Fame!” Lu Han cries, jumping out of the car and pulling out a map. “Come on, guys, you want to see cars and races, right? Xing, you wanna come, right?”

Yixing laughs and Tao sighs as if he’s dealing with a bunch of children. “Yes,” Yixing replies. “Come on, Taozi. Come on, Kris, let’s go see some cars.”

Lu Han lets out a whoop and as they head toward their destination, Yixing can’t help but wonder which city will bring him his passion. For all he knows, perhaps NASCAR is his calling.

[A/N]: Yixing ;____; Also Kris' theme song is below. Definitely appropriate for the last two chapters :)