In the Backseat {A Zhang Yixing Mafia AU!}

Chapter 16 - Nostalgia

     It's decided that the best course of action is for you to race at the next event coming up in a week. Taeyong's older brother runs the entire underground racing scene, so he's let his brother know that you're going to be attending.

     His brother has guaranteed your safety, any threats made against you will be a threat against underground racing and taken as such. Taeyong's brother doesn't want to start an all out war but he will for his brother.

     NCT has crowded themselves into the two empty rooms, and you quickly offered up yours as a third so only two people have to share a room and not three. They insisted it was fine but ended up taking the offer.

You're quite happy on the couch, blankets draped over your not tired form. You lay awake, staring up at the ceiling. It must be past two in the morning, and you still can't sleep. Everyone else has retired to the confinement of their bedrooms.

You can hear the creaking of footsteps on the stairs and you sit up, covering your legs with your blanket. Minseok comes down the stairs and stands a little bit in front of the stairs.

"Hey Y/N," he whispers. "How's it going?"

You note that he's wearing shorts and a t shirt, like he's going somewhere. "I can't sleep," you admit. "What about you?"

"I was going to go for a walk. I can't sleep either," he answers.

"I... Do you want to go for a drive instead? We won't get back for a couple hours," you say. Minseok shrugs and nods. You stand up, pulling one of Yixing's gray hoodies out of the closet and slip on your shoes.

The two of you exit the house and instead of getting into your new car Minseok leads you to a probably 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The two of you get in and Yixing hands you the keys.

"This way it'll attract less attention," he says.

"Are you sure you want me to drive? I don't mind being in the passenger seat," you say. Minseok shakes his head.

"I like riding," he answers. You nod and start the car, driving off. The two of you don't talk much, but the silence hanging between you is comfortable and you don't feel any tension. The drive is calming, completely dark outside save the headlights of the car and the sparse streetlights.

You avoid the road that will take you into Seoul, and take a right exit that will lead you to the outskirts of the city. Minseok doesn't ask where you're going, but you know he's curious.

You stop the car at the side of the Han river just outside of Seoul. The city lights reach out here, but it's peaceful. You get out of the car and walk to the side of the river, looking into it.

"What are we doing out here?" Minseok inquires. You walk up the river for a couple paces and find the stone you placed so carefully years before. You sit down on the damp ground, not minding the cool grass. Minseok sits beside you.

"This... this is where I buried my little brother," you say. "When he was still alive, the Han river was his favourite place in the world. He loves the scenery and the sound. He loved all the happy people bustling about it. When he was a little boy, he kept telling me how much he wanted to sit by the banks all day and watch it flow.

When he was murdered, I knew where I had to take him. I couldn't very well bury his body in the middle of the city so I covered him in his favourite blanket, grabbed his beloved teddy bear, and left the house. My father knew I was leaving, and he didn't stop me. This was one of the few kindnesses my father granted me. He knew what I was doing and knew I wouldn't go to the police. He also knew I'd come back for my mother.