Noah is in trouble.
In a way, at least.
"Hey. Hey, Noah."
Noah absently swats away Samuel's foot nudging her leg, but she doesn't respond to his prodding. Could barely hear him over her thoughts, really. And her thoughts are louder than usual. Hysterical screaming instead of the usual ceaseless talking.
Her head hurts, Noah thinks.
"Oi, what the fuck has gotten into you?"
Good question, Noah thinks, but she just sighs and throws the comforter over her face, trying to see if she could smother herself with it.
(She can't.)
Noah has a lot of problems. That's not strange, considering the world they live in, the state of things as they are, Noah's own issues, and most of all-
Most of all-
"God this girl gone over the edge, huh." Noah hears Samuel puttering around their room. He seems to be on his way to leave. "Give me a call when you feel more human again, eh? I'm gonna go take some laps around the city."
Silence for a little bit, Samuel probably waiting for Noah to reply - she doesn't do anything to acknowledge him, really - and when her friend realized that no, Noah isn't going to reply, he sighs in exasperation, grumbles something under his breath, and finally leaves.
Noah just lies under the covers a little longer, listening until she could no longer hear Samuel, and only then did she finally lower the covers, staring blankly at the ceiling of their hotel room.
'I'm in trouble.' Noah thinks absently, and before she could stop herself, her hand drifts to her lips, and her mind wanders to-
To last night.
When Hyeok kissed her.
Hyeok. Kissing. Her.
'Trouble.' Noah thinks, remembering how warm his hands were around her waist, how she didn't have to tilt her head so far up when Hyeok kissed her.
'Trouble.' Noah thinks, remembering the way she grabbed fistfuls of Hyeok's jacket to hold him in place, the way she leaned into him, met him halfway. Kissed him back and pulled a noise of surprise deep from Hyeok's chest.
'Trouble.' Noah thinks, realizing with both horror and reckless excitement that she didn't mind Hyeok kissing her.
Last night, in order to get cops off their back, Hyeok kissed her, and kissed her hard, practically making out with her in a dirty ass alleyway just so he could yell at the cops for interrupting his time with his girl. Last night, after Hyeok had yelled the cops into giving up the chase, Noah had grabbed his collar again and pulled him down into another kiss, forceful and insistent - demanding - and Hyeok...
Hyeok kissed her back, making it their second kiss that night, and Noah-
Hyeok said she can punch him afterwards. Noah didn't get it at first, but she didn't think much about it; who is she to miss out on a free pass to clock Hyeok in the face, after all? She might be fond of the guy now, but he's still annoying, and he honestly deserves a fist to the gut, in Noah's humble opinion.
But that wasn't what happened, no. Instead of punching him, Noah kissed him and Hyeok... Well. He responded. Enthusiastically. Enthusiastically enough that Noah was gasping by the end of it, head spinning, her hair a mess from when Hyeok put his hand at the back of her head so she wouldn't touch the wall behind her. Hyeok didn't look as put together by the end as well, his clothes rumpled, his jacket practically shoved off of his shoulder and his hair - already a mess - made messier.
To anyone who would see them, there would've been no doubt as to what shenanigans they were up to, and... Well.
("[I can't believe we lost Hyeok.]" That was Wooin's voice, and Noah and Hyeok both look towards the mouth of the alleyway. "[Joker-hyung, you really didn't see where they went?]"
"[All I know is that he went over to his No-ah and made a fool of himself.]" That was Joker. "[They must've ran down one of the tunnels.]"
"[You don't think they got caught, right?!]" Noah doesn't know this voice. "[I mean, that'd be shitty; we got Hyeok's girlfriend her own jacket only to get caught by cops-]"
"[Minseokkie, if you don't shut the fuck up I'm stapling your lips together.]"
Silence from the others, and now all Noah could hear is her and Hyeok's labored breathing. They look at each other, and Noah can't help the way her eyes flickered down to Hyeok's lips. His lips that are swollen and redder than usual. Noah bets her lips are the same, and it's a miracle how her lipstick isn't smeared against Hyeok's mouth.
Hyeok swallows roughly, his hands flexing on Noah's waist and reminding Noah what they just did.
"I..." Noah doesn't know what to say, doesn't even know why she opened her mouth in the first place, but before she could put her thoughts to order, Hyeok pulls away, fingers lingering on her skin and making her shiver.
Wooin, Joker and the guy with red glasses finally show up, and Noah wasn't able to talk to Hyeok after. Not when Wooin handed her a folded up jacket, revealing to be a Sabbath Crew one.
Her Sabbath Crew jacket, with the logo stamped at the back in bright blue, and the dagger and snake symbol running down the right sleeve in the same color as the emblen on the back.
"Gift, for No-ah." Wooin said with a knowing grin, and it rendered Noah speechless until she has to leave.
She never had the chance to talk to Hyeok again after that.)
Noah sighs tiredly, closing her eyes and raking her hands through her hair. She's tired, not only physically but also mentally.
She wasn't unfamiliar with flings. Flights of fancy, especially in people. Pretty people with interesting things about them. She's still a woman, a healthy woman with a normal functioning, well, libido, and she's had her fair share of relationships.
Short as they were.
It was easy enough to say that Hyeok is good looking. He may look like that asshole that got Owen's knickers in a twist, but Hyeok-
At this point, Noah knows that Hyeok's eyes are narrower and sharper, the outer corners of his eyes tapering into a fine point and sweeping up and outwards elegantly. 'Phoenix eyes', she discovered in Google, and Noah knows she has snuck looks at Hyeok's eyes more than what's required of her.
Noah also knows that Hyeok has a much more slender frame than the asshole, but despite his slimness he's actually pretty strong, with solid muscles hidden by his loose posture and looser clothes.
Moreover, Noah, at this point, has memorized how Hyeok sounds like. He has a surprisingly high voice, soft with a barely there rasp to it. How his tone changes depending on his mood, if he's being serious or if he's in one of his playful moods. The way it rises with amusement, dips with irritation, and the way it goes absolutely flat, even. His tone and his eyes are the give aways to his moods, after all, and Noah knows she's instinctively honed in on those. Watching Hyeok, learning him everytime they're together.
So. Is Hyeok attractive?
Noah could say yes, and she actually feels a little stupid for realizing that fact just now. Or rather, she feels stupid for finally admitting that fact just now. But at the same time, admitting that fact is dangerous, because...
Noah sighs miserably, pulling the comforter back over her face and screaming into it, kicking and flailing around in a sad attempt at calming down and getting the weight off her chest.
It barely works.
She's still thinking about the kiss - the kisses, Noah's traitorous mind whispers gleefully - and Noah feels her face absolutely burn with her embarassment and mortification. Two feelings that took several hours to finally set in.
She's in danger, because attraction leads to attachment, and attachment-
She can't be attached now. Or rather, it'll be dangerous, to be attached to someone like Hyeok.
"Shit." Noah murmurs, but even as she swears, she remembers the feel of Hyeok against her. Remembers Hyeok himself. Remembers the Sabbath Crew jacket shoved at the bottom of her suitcase. "Shit."
She's fucked, Noah thinks, and the scariest thing was that she doesn't mind as much as she should.
----- 🦋 x 💀 -----
Noah somehow managed to scrounge up some energy to be decent, and she has sent off a message to Samuel that she'll be biking around downtown Seoul, get some fresh air. Samuel had offered to meet up with her, but Noah refused.
She wants to be alone for a while.
Racing down the busy streets of Seoul helped Noah calm down, but not by much. If anything, it only makes her think of That Night™ even more, and she's not sure what to do.
At the very least, she's not panicking her head off. Maybe it'll come later, like the shock hasn't set in yet. But for now, she bikes, works off her nervous energy by pedaling, and before she knows it-
She cruises down a familiar street, and She slows down in front of a familiar gate.
Sunny High.
Noah pulls to a stop, getting her water bottle and taking a deep drink from it.
Owen... should be inside right now, as it's class time. Noah checks her phone for the time and corrects herself; Owen will be inside for half an hour more, and then the students will be allowed to leave.
Noah doesn't feel like seeing Owen right now, not when she's still hurting from his ridicule, but...
Noah flexes her hands around the handle bars of her bike.
Hmm...
Noah settles into the seat of her bike, turning the handle so that it's perpendicular to the main frame, and she plants her feet on the wheels, taking a moment to make sure she's steady before she let's go of the handles. She pulls her phone out once more, and she settles in to wait.
Might as well make the best of her time today, right?
Might as well challenge that asshole for one last race. Settle things once and for all.
Noah ignores the looks she's getting, scrolling mindlessly through her social media feeds as she waits. She can't help but check her messenger every now and then, waiting for a message from Hyeok, but... No. Not a single message. He didn't even go online, and Noah ignores the disappointment she feels at that realization.
She only looks up when she hears a commotion (that and her neck was starting to feel stiff) and she realizes with relief that school's finally over.
She waits patiently by the gate (definitely not checking her phone for messages from a certain someone, no) and soon enough-
"Yo, four-eyes." Noah greets with a sinister grin, luxuriating in how the glasses-wearing asshole and his friends froze at the sight of her. They all have their bikes with them, and while they're no professional grade track bikes, all are clearly well-taken cared of. The upkeep of each bike in tip-top condition and seemingly optimized for each rider.
Noah could, at the very least, respect the respect they have for their bikes.
Owen's 'love rival' frowns at her. "You again?" He asks, clearly irritated, and if Noah wasn't so desperate for a distraction she would've been pissed.
But, as she had practice with taming her temper with Hyeok's help, she only need to breathe deeply to calm down and respond. Four-Eyes pisses her off without meaning to. Hyeok deliberately annoys her for his amusement.
"Me again," Noah replies in agreement. She looks around discreetly, and she's relieved when she spots no Owen. Now that she thinks of it, Owen's little crush isn't around either.
Works for Noah; she doesn't really want to deal with Owen's mess at the same time she's dealing with her own shit.
"I came to collect that rematch." Noah declares, patting the handlebars of her bike. "I want to see how you fare against me in my top form."
Four-eyed asshole merely turns away. "I refused before and I'll refuse again." He answers curtly. He's really one rude motherfucker, isn't he? "No."
Calm down Noah, calm down. Blowing your fuse won't get you anywhere.
Moving in front of Four-eyes and ignoring his friends, Noah cocks her brow at the guy. "What, you're too good for me now? You think you're pro, having beaten me with handicaps?"
There. A pissed off twitch of his eyes. "Does it matter? It's not my fault you raced me with a 'shitty' bike. It is what it is, and if you're really as good as you claim to be, you would've beaten me even with a handicap. Your leader did." He wasn't raising his voice, nor was he growling, but his words are like knives. Sharp and cutting, hitting Noah where it hurts. "Piss off."
He makes to leave, and Noah can't have that. She's not leaving this place without what she came for. So, thinking fast, Noah calls out.
"Wait."
Four-eyes, Mustache and NPC-looking Dude looks at her, the first one clearly exasperated and the other two with varying levels of curiosity and wariness.
"Race me, and I'll do you a favor." Dangerous stakes, but Noah didn't live her life in the safety of a comfort zone. Moreso lately, what with hanging out with Sabbath Crew... "If I have the power to do it, I'll do it."
Four-Eyes actually considers it for a moment, before turning to look at her. "What if I tell you to stay the hell away?" He asks, and Noah shrugs.
"Sure." She replies easily, and she smiles at the surprised furrow that appears between Four-Eyes's brows. Noah lifts a finger. "So. Race?"
His friends say something, probably telling him not to deal with the crazy bitch, but when she sees Four-Eyes sigh with exasperation, she knows she's won.
"Fine, one race." Four-Eyes mutters out with clear irritation. "Then you'll leave us the hell alone."
Noah grins maniacally. "Not a problem, Four-Eyes." She purrs out. "Not a problem."
Win or lose, it doesn't matter at this point. She just needs a momentary distraction.
She needs to stop thinking about Hyeok for a little while.
----- 🦋 x 💀 -----
They bike over to the track used in the latest League of Street course, and there some of Four-Eyes little friends waited for them. The red-haired dude, to be specific, and two more girlies.
The red head has an unpleasant glint in his eye as he gives Noah a look, and Noah cocks her brow at him.
"[Hey, you're racing this chick again?]" Whatever Strawberry Head is saying, it's definitely nothing pleasant, but Noah pays him no mind. He's not important, after all. "[What the fuck.]"
"[She says she'll finally leave us the alone if I agree to race her.]" That was Four-Eyes explaining, and Noah absently listens to the incomprehensible words as she stretches, loosening up to prepare for the race. "[Might as well get over it.]"
"[That's a professional-level bike she has.]" NPC-Looking guy sounds worried, and Noah wonders what he's worrying about. "[Are you sure...?]"
"[Doesn't matter. I just need to race her, and she'll piss off whether it's a win or lose for her.]" Four-Eyes fixes his sticker-laden helmet on top of his head. "[If that's the only way to get some semblance of peace, I'll humor her one last time.]"
Strawberry Head snorts derisively. "[As if your fucking pride would let you throw a race.]"
Four-Eyes just gives Strawberry Head a Look™ and the tall red-head smirks unapologetically. Four-Eyes sighs, shaking his head, before he turns to Noah. Behind him, the rest of his friends are talking to each other in low tones, and from the looks of it, they're not exactly approving of this race.
Not that it matters to Noah.
"Sprint?" He asks, and Noah nods. That was fine by her.
"Sprint's fine." Noah replies. She mounts her bike, clipping in her cleats and licks her teeth in excitement. "Don't hold back on me now, Four-Eyes. I'll keep my word if you give it your best."
Four-Eyes sighs heavily, but says nothing. He looks to the side, looking at one of his friends. "[Sunbae-nim, if you'd please.]" He says
NPC-Looking guy sighs tiredly, but whatever he's sighing about, he still moves to stand in front of Noah and the Four-Eyed Asshole. He raises his hand, and Noah realizes he's going to start off the race for them.
"[3.... 2...]" His hand falls sharply. "[1, GO!]"
The thing about this track is, is that it's not quite just a straight line, but it's not entirely a hell's course full of U-bends and sharp corners. The latter was closer to the first course, but this one... This one is more far easier.
And this time, Noah is not on a hunt. Nothing important, at least.
She bides her time, setting a good pace, and to her surprise, Four-Eyes isn't sprinting from the get go. They're roughly level with each other, weaving through traffic, and neither side seems to be interested in taking the lead.
... Huh, so is that how he wants to play it, then?
Noah hums, and she notes with interest that not a surge of irritation burns her blood. Well, no irritation towards Four-Eyes, at least. Not in the same way as before.
Noah sighs and switches her grip. Well, she's still in a race, and whether she likes it or not, her pride is on the line.
She lifts her hips, and works her legs.
She hears a noise of surprise from Four-Eyes as she pulls ahead of him all of a sudden, and she pays him no mind. He's inconsequential, at the moment; the road in front of her is messy and full of hindrances in the form of cars and people. She can't afford to take her focus away from it.
So she breathes, deep lungfuls of air that warms her blood and wipes her mind clean of any distractions, turning her thoughts razor sharp and her reflexes on a hair-trigger sensitivity. She could feel how each and every single muscle in her legs are working to pedal hard and pedal fast, making her tear down the road on her bike at frankly dangerous speeds.
Along with the complete and utter focus comes the bliss, the almost euphoric state of complete happiness that she only gets when riding like this.
Four-Eyes who? Owen who?
Hyeok who?
There is only Noah, the wind, her bike, and the road.
Beyond the veil of her peak focus, she could vaguely hear Four-Eyes chase her, using her slipstream in an attempt go catch up, and that's fine with Noah. That's alright.
He can watch her ass as she crosses the finish line right where he is.
They're nearing the end of the track, the traffic thinning out at this section, and Noah hums thoughtfully, hands flexing around her handlebars. This is the game changer part, Four-Eyes's last moment to turn the race into his favor, and Noah...
Noah grins.
The thing about being a professional, is that she's had access to top-tier training. And with top-tier training comes one of the most gruelling training methods; ones that would break your body down, only to rebuild anew, stronger than ever, better than the last.
And Noah has been a professional for several years now. She's trained with the very best of Light Cavalry, has poured her blood, sweat and tears into her dreams as a cyclist and her pride as a member of Owen's team.
And Light Cavalry members aren't lauded as world-class just because of Owen alone, no.
The members that stand beside him are just as good, and all of them hold the skills that made them Light Cavalry.
In hindsight, Noah lost that first race with Four-Eyes because of her pride. Her own foolishness. Spending time with Hyeok who makes it a regular thing to ruthlessly break her ego to pieces made her... Hm. Made her a little more tolerant of the idea of her flaws.
And the first flaw of hers that Hyeok had mercilessly exploited is her pride. From the moment they met, he already knew, and he honed in on it like a hunting hound on a scent.
That's why...
"Sorry, Four-Eyes." Noah murmurs, her words lost in the wind as she readjusts her grip, tenses her muscles. "I'm taking a win this time."
She's Noah Brookes, of Light Cavalry.
And just as pride is her weakness, it is her strength.
Noah hurtles through the finish line of the course 4 whole seconds before Four-Eyes, and her victory tastes bittersweet across her tongue, and the look of bafflement on Four-Eyes didn't bring her as much pleasure as it should.
Hm. How odd. But nonetheless-
"You're good, Four-Eyes." Noah says as Four-Eyes skids to a stop, his breathing hard and erratic, his composure lost. He stares at Noah as if seeing someone new. "But you still have a lot to go yet."
Noah, in a moment of pity, let's Four-Eyes catch his breath while she idly sips her water. She doesn't look like it, but her lungs are actually burning from exertion. She's had practice in breathing properly for races like that, from sudden exertion to sudden idleness.
Noah knows Four-Eyes is trying his best not to show how his lungs are aching, and she doesn't pity him one bit. He'll probably learn how to deal with it. Sooner or later, if he olans to go pro, that is.
At that thought, Noah cocks her head, looking at Four-Eyes with a critical eye.
"I don't get it." She mutters. "Why is Owen so obsessed with you?"
Not even in professional races can get Owen's knickers in a twist. He'd complain about them, sure - the guy likes to complain, after all - but never had he lost his mind like this. Flown all the way from England to a place he's never been to, chasing after a girl-
"All over a girl?" Noah mutters. She doesn't know whether to be jealous or pity this girl. This Shelly Scott.
Four-Eyes doesn't answer, not right away at least. But to Noah's surprise, he actually replies.
"It's... Owen hates me for taking Shelly away." He answers, and he says it in a way that he can't believe his own answer. "I never took Shelly. She's her own person and she-"
Four-Eyes looks away.
"She chose me. Somehow. Again and again."
Noah-
Noah actually has nothing to say to that. It was actually an honest answer, the kind that has to be dragged out in the open, kicking and screaming, and judging from the dazed look on Four-Eyes's face, he himself can't believe that he admitted something as honest as that. And to Noah, of all people.
(In her defense, she really wasn't expecting him to answer. So it's... not her fault the guy suddenly got uncomfortably honest with her...
Right? Right.)
There's... An uncomfortable silence around them now, and Noah just. Just stands there, twiddling her thumbs.
So... What does she do now...?
She's saved from answering when Four-Eyes huffs one last time, and he picks up his bike to turn it the other way, throwing his leg over it once his done and getting ready to bike away. back to where his friends are, probably.
"Anyways, you've had your race, so you hold up your end of the deal." He says, voice rough with emotion. Kid's probably going through emotional crisis right now or some shit. "Leave us alone."
"Yeah, yeah, sure thing." She did promise to leave him alone, whether she wins or not, just that she gets a rematch with him. It wasn't... satisfying, her victory, but that's neither here nor there. Noah watches Four-Eyes pedal, and then- "Hey."
She could literally feel him get irritated. "What is it now?" He practically growls and Noah has to dig her nails into her palms to stop herself from grinning in amusement.
"What's your name?" Noah asks, and this clearly throws off Four-Eyes, who twists in his seat to stare at Noah, obviously floundering. Noah just waits, a brow cocked.
"My Western name is Jay." He finally says, and Noah nods, accepting. "Now, leave us alone. You got what you want."
Noah nods in agreement. "My word is my promise." She says, and Four-Eyes, Jay, bikes away. Just to be annoying, for one last time, Noah calls out in a sing-song voice. "See you in a few years, Jay~. Meet you again when you finally go professional!"
If Noah cackled when Jay the Four-Eyed Cyclist almost lost balance, then. Well. It was pretty funny for her.
All in all, Noah is pretty content with what she managed to do today, even if it started, well, not so peaceful. She's had her rematch, had her dose of adrenaline from said race, and mind is finally - blessedly - quiet. She feels more stable now, more grounded, and she can probably deal with her problems in a much more reasonable manner. Relatively reasonable, of course.
She's got this. She'll be fine.
So, leaning against her bike as she takes a few minutes of rest, Noah turns her face up to the sky and closes her eyes, basking in the warmth of the dying afternoon sun.
She'll be fine.