Speeding Into Trouble || Taekook

15

Taehyung was sprawled out on his bed, phone pressed to his ear, listening to Jimin’s overly enthusiastic voice.

His best friend sounded like he’d just won the lottery—or been cast in a rom-com.

"Can you believe it, Tae?!" Jimin practically shrieked. "Yoongi asked me to meet his parents! His parents! I’m freaking out! Like, what if they hate me? What if I accidentally insult their cat or something?!"

Taehyung stifled a laugh, his lips curling into a genuine smile. "Relax, Chim. First of all, you’re literally the most lovable person ever. Second, do they even have a cat?"

Jimin paused for half a second before barreling ahead. "I don’t know! What if they do and I mess it up somehow? Oh my God, Tae, I’m spiraling!"

"Calm down," Taehyung interrupted with a chuckle. "You’ll charm their socks off. Trust me, Yoongi’s already whipped. His parents will be, too."

There was a beat of silence, followed by Jimin’s dramatic gasp. "Do you really think so?"

"Of course. And if not, you can just bake them something cute and pout until they cave."

Jimin giggled, sounding a little calmer. But then his tone shifted, as it always did when he was about to drop some bombshell. "By the way, Tae… I’m going to see Yoongi tomorrow at the race."

At the word race, Taehyung’s ears perked up. His mind shifted gears instantly.

“Wait—there’s a race tomorrow?” he asked, a flicker of curiosity sparking inside him.

“Yeah…” Jimin answered, his tone hesitant. “I wasn’t sure if you’d wanna go, though... you know, considering...” Jimin trailed off, clearly tiptoeing around the unspoken.

Taehyung knew exactly what Jimin meant. He hadn’t been to a race since… well, since things had gotten messy with him at the arena that day.

But the thought of watching those adrenaline-fueled bikers tearing down the track made something stir in his chest.

He used to go on his own sometimes, just to escape his thoughts, to lose himself in the adrenaline-fueled atmosphere.

And Jeongguk... he’d always been there.

After what happened at the bridge, after Jeongguk had brought him home, things between them had felt... different?

It had been a week since that day—a week since Jeongguk’s unexpected gentleness, his quiet care, and the way he had looked at Taehyung as if seeing him for the first time.

They hadn’t seen each other since, but something unspoken lingered in the air between them.

Something had shifted.

Taehyung wasn’t sure what it was—wasn’t sure if it was good or bad—but it was there, undeniable and impossible to ignore.

Maybe things were better now? Maybe, after everything, they could actually be civil?

“Well…” Taehyung started, feeling the hesitation creeping in.

Taehyung didn’t know what he expected the next time he saw Jeongguk, but the thought of it made his stomach twist with a mix of apprehension and... something else. Something he wasn’t ready to name.

Maybe they were on the verge of something like... friendship? Or at least some form of truce. And if Jimin was going, it wouldn’t be so bad, right?

Jimin’s voice cut through his thoughts, softer now. “Do you want to go, Tae? I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want to…”

Taehyung bit his lip, thinking it over one last time. "I guess I’ll come too," he said, his voice steady but with an underlying uncertainty.