Burnout ⊗ Jeongchan

①③ The Driver's Seat

Brakes screamed against the road. Jeongin braced himself for an impact that never came, the silver car drifting along the side of the road to avoid him. Once the driver got control of the car, it screeched to a halt on the other side of the cross roads, headlights remaining trained on the boy.

His legs wobbled. Between sprinting down the sidewalk to get away from his house and almost being run over by a car, they finally gave under the weight of his body and Jeongin crumbled to his blown-out knees in the center of the intersection. The anger and spite that once fueled his veins drained in an instance. His hands, trembling and sweaty, thudded on the asphalt in an attempt to balance himself as his limbs were filled with an impossible lead. Sleeping in the middle of the road might not be the wisest of choices but it felt more appealing than staying awake.

The door on the driver's side was flung open. Jeongin had to shield his eyes from the strident lights to see the silhouette jogging towards his figure. The driver hurriedly asked as he neared, "Are you hurt?!"

That voice.

The driver, still darkened out by the backlighting of his car's headlights and the blur in Jeongin's vision, slowed his approach as he came to a stop next to the younger. At this distance, at no more then an arm's length away, the fluffy blond hair and vaguely distinct features became impossible to disregard any longer. The driver kneeled next to him, his face coming into light as he asked carefully, "Jeongin?"

Jeongin shifted uncomfortably under Chan's gaze. Behind the lump in his throat and the racking in his chest, he couldn't find it in himself to squeak out anything.

"Are you hurt?" Chan questioned again.

When Jeongin didn't respond, his mouth opening and closing as he attempted to find an answer, Chan found one of the younger's wrists to take up in his own hand. He placed a finger to the veins that pulsed below the clammy skin. Jeongin held his breath. After a few beats of silence, Chan came to his feet, "Can you stand on your own?"

Jeongin silently nodded.

"Come with me," The older said firmly, more of a command then a request as he starting backing away to the idle silver car. Jeongin scrambled to his feet and wobbled after, a hesitant shuffle to his step as Chan opened the driver's door and . He gestured across the way and shot the younger a firm look, one that demanded something very simple. "Get in."

Jeongin wasn't sure what he was thinking when he gladly obliged to the request and found his place on the passenger's side. While Chan settled himself in the driver's seat, Jeongin slipped out of the suit jacket and blindly tossed it behind them. His attention then turned to the tie, shaky fingers attempting to thread through the complicated knot. He was either extremely bad at handling ties or the knot she used to keep him presentable was impossible to come undone. Thankfully, it loosened enough for Jeongin to slip over his head.

"Where are you running from?" Chan asked when the tie was discarded along with the jacket, the younger once again getting comfortable in the seat after his struggle.

Jeongin muttered, "I didn't run away..."

"You're dressed too fancy to go out for a walk," The older gave him a quick once-over, as if there were a million reasons to why the natural assumption would be 'running away' but ultimately decided against it. He tried again to get an answer, "Tell me, where did you run away from?"

Jeongin didn't respond. He pulled his legs to his chest and leaned his forehead on the window, the chilled glass seeping through his fevered skin and calming him down. The lights outside the car zipped by, familiar houses becoming an incessant blob of repetitive structures, all the same and no differences between them. Through the side mirrors, he could see the tall city skyscrapers melting into the distance as the car weaved it's way through the pretentous neighborhood.