Partners in Speed - ver.2 (also Street Racers #2)

bonus scene 2

Taehyung

(Taeshik have been living together for ~ 8 months now)

Every summer I say I prefer winter, and every winter I complain about it. I'm used to this. Even though we heat up the garage, outside of it is not as warm. I get frozen on my way from the car to the apartment building, so any heating anywhere means nothing.

This, however, is the first winter I'm not spending alone.

I run upstairs. All this being outside will be worth it in a minute.

As soon as I step inside, I let out some sort of a moan. The temperature change is so sweet. I'm peeling my jacket off when I hear footsteps. First human, then dog, and then, "Stay back, I'm first," and then a tiny bark.

The puppy wins. Or should I say, our child wins. Boogie, our two-month-old chocolate labradoodle.

I sit down, greeting our child first, when Wooshik comes into the hall.

He huffs. "Lucky."

"You let him win, I know it."

Not to discriminate against our child, but I'm frozen, and Boogie is the size of my two palms, not as warm as Wooshik. But makes me equally as happy to be back home. With one more pat, I climb back to my feet and wrap my arms around Wooshik. Boogie paddles back to wherever he came from, probably going back to sleep.

"Ooh, so nice. You're so warm."

"And you're cold as fuck. How long have you been outside?"

"Five minutes. It was traumatizing," I say. "Cuddle me, please. And feed me. I need scolding hot food. And tea. And shower. Please."

Wooshik slips his hands under my shirts, and I let out another strange sound. So. Warm.

"Stop making those sounds." He chuckles.

"I can't. It feels so good."

"Come on," he says, pulling me in. "Everything you want is inside. And, also, the game has arrived."

"Already? I bought it last night." We've decided to start playing video games since the beginning of this winter, and now we're on our sixth – Elden Ring.

"And we can already try it out, come on."

"But first food," I say, peeling myself off only to sit at the table and patiently wait for my dinner. "And then we're gonna play like those aesthetic couples."

"Aesthetic couples?"

"You know, you're gonna cuddle me while we play. And I'm playing first, by the way."

"I'm only agreeing because this game was your idea."

🏁

"Give it to me," Wooshik says. "I'm playing now."

"Wait, one more minute."

"You're unfair."

"I never said I would be fair."

"Okay."

Sitting in between his legs is fun when I'm getting cuddled and can peacefully play my game. I only missed the fact that he can use it against me.

And he does, tightening the grip around me and leaving another kiss on my neck.

"Oh, fuck you. This is unfair," I say.

"Never said I would be fair, either." He laughs against my skin, and I press my lips together. He's not winning this. No matter how good it feels.

I keep playing, but it gets progressively more difficult when he puts his hand flat on my stomach and moves in down.

"You're ridiculous," I say. "I want to peacefully play my game and you're getting all horny. What if your child walks in?"

"Our child is two months old and sleeps twenty hours a day. He will not walk in, don't worry."

Kissing my neck, his hand slips past the waistband of my sweatpants, and I have no focus left for the game. I drop the game pad and-

And it all stops. Because he goes for the game pad, laughing into my ear.

"No fucking way." I turn around, straddling his lap, and push him down to lay on the bed. "No way," I repeat, tearing the game pad out of his hands and throwing it to the side. "Finish what you've started."

Wooshik grins up at me. "This is exactly where I was trying to end up."

"Underneath me?"

"Yes, exactly." I'm holding his arms up, but he wraps a leg around me and pulls me closer. "Let go of my hands."

"What do I get for it?"

"Whatever you want. You can tell me what to do."

Something burns in my lungs. I lean closer, pausing an inch away from his lips. For a moment, I feel everything, and then when I kiss him, I let go of his wrists. His hands come to the back of my thighs, slowly driving up, driving me crazy as well.

🏁

When I should be going to sleep, I'm on the living room floor, playing with Boogie. Wooshik stays with us, watching one of the music shows I can't name. In moments like this, I like to think about how domestic we've become. And how I never knew I wanted something like this.

I've never really had a home, a place I wanted to come to at the end of the day, a safe space, a family. It turns out I value this over everything else. Coming back home, to my boyfriend. To someone who waits for me. Cares for me to be here.

I love this. And I love him. And I don't think I'm some magnet for miracles, but everything that has happened during that spring season was the biggest miracle I've ever experienced.