Crime, Betrayal, and Love (A Seventeen Street Racing AU)

LXX | Selfish

Whoever is climbing up after me goes much slower. The escape creeks and groans more as they come up, signaling someone bigger than me.

Even though I know it's not there, I reach into my pocket, searching for my knife. A growing sense of worry seeps in as the stranger gets closer.

I wait by the window, ready to jump out and kick them down if they try to follow me in here, but I'm scared they'll sense me coming or that I'll freeze. Last night, it took too long for my fight instincts to kick in, and I have nowhere to escape.

How I wish Bànyè were here. I'm not sure if she'd be helpful during an attack, but Bànyè would at least offer me some comfort.

Clenching both my hands into fists, I set them in front of me, trying to establish a protective stance, but my memory of the correct pose is foggy.

The fire escape squeaks again. Whoever is following me is only one floor below me.

My heart is hammering in my chest. It's so loud that I can barely hear their approach.

"Y/N!" A voice calls, arriving on the landing outside the window. A hand grabs the sill of the window.

I jump out, throwing my right arm out, colliding my fist with the man's face.

Minghao reels back, nearly toppling over the edge before he catches himself. "What the hell!" He gasps. "Since when did you have such a strong punch?" Minghao rubs where I hit his jaw.

"What the fuck are you doing?" My hand flies behind my back. I'm pretty sure the hit hurt me just as much as it hurt him. "Why were you following me?" I almost question if Mingyu asked him to, but that's absurd.

"Can I come in first?" Minghao glances at the escape and how it shifts with every movement. "I'm not trying to topple to my death."

"Fine." I force myself to the side. Of course, once I try to find a moment of peace to reminisce, he shows up, haunting it as he always does.

"I saw you walking by yourself, and I wanted to make sure you were okay," Minghao explains, swinging inside through the window. "Especially after last night. Are you okay?"

"Trust me, I've been through worse." I bite the inside of my cheek and refuse to look at Minghao.

"About that."

"No."

"What?"

"No, Minghao. I don't want to hear your pity reasonings again. Every time I see you," I sigh. "Every time I see you or hear your name, all I can think about is how much I hate you." I retreat further into the room.

Bànyè's food and water bowl still sit in the same place. Old cat food, now molded over, lies in the tin, and grimy water sits in the bowl. No matter how badly I want it to not be true, I know it's past Bànyè's time. I just hope she was able to live a better life than the one she had with me.

"You didn't always hate me." Minghao's footsteps echo toward me.

"No shit," I seethe. "You made me hate you. Before that- before that, I enjoyed being partners or whatever." I can barely force the words out. I hate to admit that there was a time I didn't hate him—that there was a time his pleasant smile and cute giggles fooled me.

"That's not what I meant." He's whispering now. "I liked you too, you know that, right?"

I spin toward him, unable to hide my shock.

"I liked you, Y/N. As more than friends."

"You had a really funny way of showing it."

"I had my reasons."