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

LXXIX | The Next Stage

Mingyu settled back in bed as an agitated nurse reattached his tubes, scolding him on the danger of getting up like that.

"You're lucky you didn't fall on your face," she huffs before leaving the room.

Mingyu flashes me an amused grin as if this is all some big joke and he's totally fine. Like burn wounds aren't hidden underneath his gown, poking out on his arms and legs. Only his face is unscathed from the burns, his helmet saving him. But even his neck has signs of the burns.

"She's right." I shake my head. "You could have gotten yourself seriously hurt."

"I doubt it could be any worse than what I've already gotten."

"Fair enough," I say with a humorless chuckle. "How are you feeling? Are you in a lot of pain?" I keep my view focused on my lap, too weak to look at him. I feel guilty to admit that looking at the grotesque, fresh burns running down his arms, red and blotchy, makes me sick to my stomach. A rippling feeling crawls over my skin as I look at them.

"Could be worse. I'm sorry for forcing you in here, but... I really needed to talk to you, Y/N." Mingyu sighs softly before continuing. "Tonight was, obviously, tough. S.Coups told me you ran out onto the track when the fire started. I'm not sure if I should thank you or scold you," he laughs softly.

"Nobody else was doing anything. I needed to make sure you got help."

"I appreciate it. Though, it was really dangerous."

I struggle to whisper the following words, "It was worth it."

Maybe if I had reacted sooner, Changkyun would have gotten help sooner and still be alive now.

The thought makes me want to throw up.

"Look. This is, a hard life to live. I understand that. I have for a long time. Ever since I started racing, I knew what the consequences could be, and I have been ready to make that sacrifice. But you don't have to be willing to do that. What I'm trying to say is I understand if you want to leave. Being with a racer isn't easy. Few relationships make it, a lot of times, because of consequences like this."

Silence fills the room like water, suffocating me. Facing this question the second time, coming from Mingyu, is so much harder somehow. Of course, most relationships don't work out well. Am I foolish for thinking I can make it work when others can't?

"That sounded bad," Mingyu quickly adds, sounding almost breathless. "I'm not saying I don't want to try. I just want you to know everything. You don't deserve to be blindsided."

"I'm going to stay."

"Really?"

I nod. "I don't know what else I'd do with my life at this point. It feels right here, with Seventeen... with you. I think it has been for some time; I just haven't realized it."

"That makes me so much happier than you could know." I can hear Mingyu's smile. His beautiful smile that shows off his pointed teeth, that always makes me want to smile because it's so pretty.

Slowly I look up and there's a tug at my heart, but not a bad one. There's something so comforting in seeing Mingyu's face, even now, with him in a hospital bed, just moments after he was on the brink of death. It's almost scary how much comfort just seeing him—seeing his smile—brings me. It's probably too early to say what I think it is. I'm not sure if I've ever even felt that emotion for someone in this romantic way. Maybe, once we're out of the hospital, I can put a name to this feeling. Hopefully, Mingyu has the same name for it.

"Are you going to keep racing?"

"As soon as I'm better, I'll be back on that track," He answers with no hesitation. "It's what I live for. Will you be there to watch?"