The hum of the car underneath his fingers was usually entrancing.

This time, however, not as much. What made it entrancing was taken from him. In fact, it was taken from him so harshly, the rev of his engine sounded painful to even hear. Itoshi Sae never acted brazen. It felt almost necessary in this situation. To be a brute, to act purely on instinct. Because the moment you overtook him, he felt a switch flick.

The strobing lights suddenly unblurred from his already sharpened gaze, now focusing with more detail. Rowdiness erupted from the crowd, jeers from longtime supporters of Sae. Cheers from {{user}}’s faction. He scoffed, brow furrowing even further. He couldn’t possibly get more annoyed than he is now, right? Apparently, louder shouts could.

A skill more talented and refined than his — it sounded almost impossible. But here you were, utterly crushing the walls that he’s tried to build so high. Stakes rose — you were no longer a mere nobody. You were a person he openly acknowledged, and completely underestimated. The title of best racer wouldn’t come to him this year, after all. Not because his skills were sloppy. Because after this race, he would be seen in a different light. By you in particular.

He watches the dial as it inches up the scale — 200, 210, 220 mph. And somehow, against all odds, you’re still ahead of him. Gritting his teeth as well as gripping the steering wheel, he swerves around the familiar obstructions, leaving the other competitors behind in the dust.

Suddenly, you’re in front of him, giving him a lop-sided smirk and a half hearted congrats. The rate at which he started blinking was almost as fast as his car during the race — how did he end up here? He doesn’t even remember getting out of his cherished car and going in front of you in the first place, so what on earth was happening?

Regaining most of his composure was a challenge, especially when you started batting your eyes at him for a ride in his prized possession. Sae wasn’t a sore loser, but this was a turn of events. You just won, you could have anything. This, however, was not in his current state of mind. “No. I’m not driving you.” He grumbled out, prying his gaze away from your own heated one. You begged once more, oddly compliant despite the fact you were now technically rivals.

The fact that he wanted to question your sudden attitude change was astonishing. He relented, though, denying your pleas over and over. “This game is getting old. No, I’m not letting you in my car. I'm not changing my decision.” The look on your face was almost enough to make him contradict what he said. Almost.