+ pairing: seo changbin x female reader + genre: fluff, angst, enemies to eventual lovers, racer!changbin, mechanic!reader, bet!au + warnings: none + word count: 1.5k + written for D9W Writers’ Room - Week #61: write a scene set in a car! + summary: After losing a life-changing car race to Changbin, you have to join his team as a mechanic. However, you’re not making his life easier by giving him the silent treatment and he is also not helping you in the slightest by being charming and kind towards you. + lia’s note: Hello, how are you? Let it be known that I have been in my Changbin feels lately. And let it be known that this is a drabble of a future potential series if you are interested in that. I would love to write more of this, to be honest, but would you read more of this? Please, like/reblog this if you enjoy reading it and let me know your thoughts through an ask if you feel like it! As always, happy reading!
You kept your eyes out of the window as Changbin drove the two of you away from the city you had grown up in. You couldn’t hide the frown on your face caused by your reckless decision the previous night.
Of course, you would lose the race. Of course, Changbin would win. And yet, you wanted to believe it otherwise. You wanted to believe you still had the talent, the mastery behind the wheel. Now, sadly, you only knew how to master an engine. It wasn’t as great as driving a car, but it would serve its purpose.
The silence between the two of you was uncomfortable, especially for Changbin. You were giving him the silent treatment and he didn’t like that. Every time he tried to talk to you or offer you a happy smile, you just ignored it. You focused on the dark skies outside where soft stars shone, prickling the sky softly. You counted the lamp posts under your breath to entertain yourself as they cast shadows on the highway.
“I’ll… turn on the radio,” he said as he pressed a button on the car’s control panel. Static soon filled the void and he chuckled, pressing the same button again. “Guess we’re stuck with silence…”
Good, you thought to yourself as you crossed your arms. Get used to it because this is all you’re going to get from me.
After a while, the lamp posts disappeared and you were at the mercy of the headlights of Changbin’s car to guide you through the road. The weather grew colder too and you found yourself rubbing your hands in your arms, hoping that would get them warmer. It wasn’t working.
“My jacket is on the backseat,” Changbin said, keeping his eyes on the road. “Take it and put it on.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’reshivering, Y/N. Stop being stubborn.”
“As if you could tell me what to do,” you said under your breath, shaking your head. “I’m fine. Just keep driving.”
Changbin understood the tone in your voice and sighed. He kept his eyes ahead and for the first time, you allowed yourself to glance his way. What you intended to be a quick gesture lingered for longer. You traced his features one by one, getting annoyed at how even in low light, he still looked good. He had the appearance of a champion and his smirk told you he had the confidence of one too.
“I honestly didn’t think you’d keep your word,” he said, glancing your way briefly. “I thought you wouldn’t be able to stare at me after I won the race. I’m glad you did.”
“So you like the silent treatment?” You chuckled, rolling your eyes. “Good to know…”
“I like your company and your presence. Why don’t we make an effort to be friends, at least? We’re going to be working together, after all.”
“For the record,” you started, turning your body slightly to face him better, “I am doing this because I don’t back down from my promises. And I don’t plan on becoming friends with you. I’m your mechanic now. Not your friend. All I care about is your race car and its health. I couldn’t care less about you!”
“You don’t mean that.” It annoyed you how calm he always was. His poise was so… irritating at times. “You’re just upset you didn’t win.” He glanced at you sideways and smiled charmingly. “You’ll warm up to me, I’m sure.”
If you could, you would open this car door and jump out. This was why you wanted to give him the silent treatment. That was better than listening to his voice and whatever sweet words he tried to use to enchant you. It wouldn’t work. You meant what you said, you couldn’t care less about him. You never did. He was nobody to you.
After calming yourself down, you focused on the view outside again, trying to fall asleep from how boring it was. However, because of how cold your skin was, you couldn’t. All of your thoughts were about Changbin’s jacket on the back seat and how warm it would probably be. You cursed under your breath your choice of clothing for this portion of the trip.
It was hot in your hometown during the day, but at night, the temperatures dropped significantly. You should’ve known that your outfit would not cover you enough for this temperature.
Suddenly, Changbin started to slow down on the road as he drove the car toward the side of the road. You raised an eyebrow at him, confused as to what he was doing. There was nothing around the two of you other than sand and a concrete road. You were still an hour away from the nearest town.
When the car stopped, Changbin sighed and reached for the back seat of the car, grabbing something and throwing it into your lap. You glanced at it and as you were about to speak, he beat you to it, upset. When his eyes met yours, you wanted to look away, but couldn’t. Was he regretful? If so, what was it about?
“I understand you’re pissed at me. I understand you don’t want to be here, let alone with me. I know you despise me. For what, I honestly don’t know. But freezing yourself and getting sick just because you refuse to accept help? That’s not you being stubborn, Y/N. You’re being an idiot.”
“So now you’re calling me an idiot?” You chuckled, ready to throw the jacket back at him. “What gives you the right to speak to me like that?”
“What gives you the right to treat me like crap?” He asked, leaning towards you with wide eyes.
“Oh, so now I treat you like crap?” You couldn’t help but laugh at his remark. “What did you expect? Forgiveness just because I am part of your team? Me saying yes to everything that comes out of your pretty mouth? You’re annoying.”
“You’re not much better.”
“I didn’t say I was.”
“But you’d like to be, right?” His eyes didn’t leave yours as he spoke. “You don’t like me because I am a better racer than you. That’s why you’re treating me like this. You’re upset because I’ll be the one driving while you’ll be on the sidelines. But you know what I know?” He sighed and licked his lips. “If I’ll get to race and win, it’s because you’re on my team. I wouldn’t trust my car with anyone else and you know why.”
Changbin gulped and took a deep breath, focusing his eyes on the road. He put his hands on the wheel and closed his eyes briefly, trying to calm down. This argument had unravelled both of you in ways you didn’t think possible. Still, and as much as you tried to make sense of his last words to you, you couldn’t figure it out.
“I don’t know why,” you said, somewhat defeated. You always had the answer, the comeback. This time, however, you didn’t. “Why do you trust me so much with that?”
Maybe it was the shakiness of your voice that caught both of you by surprise. Maybe it was the darkness outside that made everything feel smaller. Maybe it was the silence of the night that made your thoughts louder. However, when Changbin spoke again, you suddenly felt seen in a way you hadn’t before.
“You’re the best mechanic I know,” he said with such ease, you wondered how long he had believed in it. “And I trust you. I trust you will do a good job. Because you may despise me, but you love cars and engines.” He gestured to his jacket on your lap. “Try to sleep if you want. I’ll wake you up once we get to the motel. We have about an hour left.”
Without giving you a chance to reply, Changbin took a deep breath and started to drive again, getting the two of you back on the road. Your eyes lingered on his slight frown as he focused on driving, gripping the wheel with both of his hands.
You sighed and glanced at the fake leather jacket on your lap, biting your lip. Maybe he was right, maybe you had been an idiot. Maybe you were an idiot. You were certainly the idiot right now.
Reluctantly, you put the jacket over your shoulders, keeping your arms under it to try and warm them up. Changbin’s jacket carried the scent of his cologne, something you learned to recognise a while ago. However, now that you were so close to it, the soft notes of pinewood surprised you when they pierced through the intoxicating citrus smell and musk you associated with him. It was… refreshing. Surprisingly, it was comforting too.
As you kept your attention on the moving landscape, your eyelids grew heavier and it was harder to keep them open. After fighting yourself for a while, you closed your eyes and allowed yourself to drift into a light sleep, pulling Changbin’s jacket closer to your neck and smiling to yourself at the scent of his cologne.
Warnings: smut, angst, loneliness, cuddling with a stranger, cockwarming, soft smut UwU, strangers to lovers
Synopsis: You’ve been going through a period of depression and feeling rather alone. When you see a flyer advertising a professional cuddling business, you laugh it off at first because there’s no way you’re that desperate. Only the idea won’t seem to leave your mind. One day you’re feeling especially bad and before you know it you’re inside the building and signing up for a session.
Things had not been looking great lately. Slowly but surely you had grown apart from your friends as your lives had moved in different directions and you had less and less to talk about. Work was okay but you just went there to pay your bills. There were one or two colleagues that were worth your time but they were often busy with their own lives that you rarely saw them outside of work. It had been some time since your last date and even longer since your last relationship. You and your family had not spoken in years which was the only good thing given how toxic they had been for as long as you could remember. Even now after all this time, you doubted that they had changed and their words from the past sometimes still swirled in your head when you lay awake at 3 am.
