R̶i̶d̶e̶
Description|_After a devastating event, you decided to take Route 66, aka the most famous road in America. You catch a hitchhike from a seven member motorcycle gang, vying for their mysterious leader’s attention amongst the endless mountains and winding roads.
Pairing(s)|_Biker!Jungkook x Fem!Reader
Genre(s)|_Americana, biker au, strangers to lovers, open road au
WC: 10.5 k
Warning(s)|_Swearing, use of cigarettes, brief suicidal thoughts, gun violence, blood, brief mentions of infidelity, sexually explicit content: dom jungkook, sub reader, handcuffs, unprotected sex (be safe!), multiple orgasms, semi-public sex
A/N: Here is a ff based off of Lana Del Rey’s, “Ride”. If y’all haven’t listened to that song, omg do yourself a favor and listen to it! It fits the vibe of this fic so well! I’m also soo proud of this. I wrote it so quickly (literally in like a couple of hours) and I’ve always been obsessed w the Americana aesthetic, especially Route 66. I hope you guys enjoy this cute little summer fic! :))
You rush down the road as quickly as you can, your feet giving out underneath you, your heels way too tall as your trip through large puddles on the pavement.
You sob uncontrollably, your face and hair a mess as you run down the street, needing to get away from this fucking town.
You open your phone, the torrential rain making it hard to operate as you open Siri.
“Fastest and cheapest way to get out of Chicago,” You scream into your phone over the rain.
“Sorry, I didn’t get that,” She replies in her monotone voice as you almost trip over your heels again.
“I said, fastest way- Fuck!” You scream as a car rushes into a puddle next to you, soaking you even more than you already are. You throw your phone onto the ground in anger, and it cracks instantly, broken beyond repair. Could this seriously get any worse?
“You doing alright, sweetheart?” A middle aged man asks, holding an umbrella as he looks at you with concern. You can only imagine how insane you look right now.
You don’t even have to consider his question. No, you’re not okay. You’re not even close. After your mom kicked you out because she’s sick of your partying habits, you decided to head to the mall and try to make yourself feel better by spending all your money on a really nice dress to surprise your boyfriend with. When you walked in, all you saw was him fucking your best friend. He hadn’t even cared enough to stop.
Now you have no money, no phone, a ruined outfit and a broken heart. And absolutely no where to go.
“No. I need to get out of here, fast and for cheap,” You try to explain over your sobs. Luckily, the man picks up what you’re saying. He smiles, pointing beside you.
“Take Route 66. It’ll take you all the way down to California. You’re pretty enough, I’m sure someone will give you a ride.”
You look beside you. A brown sign you hadn’t realized was there reads, “Historic Route, 66, Begin.” You quirk a brow, turning back to the man, but he’s gone, disappeared into the rain.
You decide to take his advice as you have no other option. You try to flag down the occasional car in the road, but none of them stop, instead spraying you with the dirty city water.
You hurriedly try to wave down a taxi, but your heel catches on the side of the sidewalk and you trip, falling into a giant puddle, sprawled out onto the middle of the road. You let out a desperate sob. Fuck this. Maybe you should lay down here and wait for it to all be over.
You don’t know how much time passes when you hear the loud sound of engines revving. You open your eyes, and to your surprise, you spot a couple of motorcycles pull over next to you, the smell of smoke and gas filling your nostrils.
You can hardly see how many there are, the rain making your vision blurry.
“Need a ride?” A voice asks. Without even thinking, you push yourself up, stumbling as you slowly make your way over to the biker that had spoken.
His bike is completely black, with chrome lighting decals spiraling up the body. The handles are decorated with various sorts of keychains and stickers. You look over at the man. He is dressed in all black like his bike: black cargo pants, black boots, a black t-shirt, and a leather jacket. The only sort of color is the silver necklace around his neck with the number 7 attached to the end, glinting at you through the darkness.
Your gaze meets his. His head is covered by a black helmet, but his eyes meet yours. They contradict the rest of his vibe, being wide and curious, drinking you in as you narrow your eyes at him.
“How do I know you’re not some kind of kidnapper?” You ask, your own voice seeming far away. His eyes squint, as if smiling.
“If I were a kidnapper, I'd be a pretty terrible one. Asking politely and taking you on a bike where everyone could see you? C’mon.”
Despite yourself, you smile. The stranger holds out a helmet for you. You hesitantly take it and place it on your head, tightening the straps and straddling the bike behind him. Honestly, what other option do you have? You have nothing here. Even if you were kidnapped, you’re sure no one would notice, let alone care.
“Hold on tight,” He says, and you follow his instructions. He revs his engine, and so do the other bikers you had forgotten were there. He takes off, the rumbling of the engine surprising you.
The bike shoots through the empty Chicago night, the rain pelting you and the sound of the bike roaring in your ears. You grip the man’s jacket as hard as you can, as this is your first time on a motorcycle. He smells like cedar wood, smoke and bad decisions.
Despite all the awful circumstances, you can feel yourself grow weary. Your eyes feel heavy as you grab onto the man harder, basking in his warmth as you drift off to sleep.
Your eyes flutter open at the sound of thundering wind. You wake with a start, your eyes darting around you as you drink in your surroundings.
For miles ahead, all you can see is road and field. Panic settles in your heart as you realize that you’re sitting on a motorcycle, your arms around a man you don’t know. In fact, your hands seem to be bound together around him so you can’t move.
The memory of last night washes over you, and your heart is broken all over again. But more than anything, you feel panic. You don’t know where you are, who the people you are with are, not to mention the lack of money and phone. You’re completely fucked.
Before you can start freaking out, the man pulls over, pulling into the lot of a small gas station you hadn’t seen before. Once he turns off the engine, you start yelling.
“Where am I? Who are you? Why the fuck are my hands-“ You scream, but he interrupts you.
“Calm down! Give me a sec,” He mutters, and you can feel him fiddling with something around your hands. You hear a click and all of a sudden you’re free. You immediately pull your hands back, practically falling off the bike, demanding answers with your eyes.
“Why the hell did you handcuff me?” You ask, eyeing the black handcuffs that he’s spinning around his finger.
“You fell asleep. I didn’t want you to fall off. Oh, by the way, in my twenty eight years of life, never have I ever seen someone fall asleep on a motorcycle. That’s impressive,” He states. Your eyebrows raise. Well, he’s definitely your elder- by five years, in fact- but he’s not a creepy old man like you had feared, so that’s good.
“I had a long night, okay? Also, why do you just have handcuffs on you?” You ask. Even though you can’t see his face, the sly look in his eyes tells you all you need to know.
You throw your hands up, turning around to storm into the gas station. You need to get a phone and call someone to come and get you. You don’t know who would at this point, but you could try.
“Hey, wait a second, where are you going?” He shouts, chasing after you.
“What could you possibly-“ Your voice catches as you turn around, meeting his stare.
He had taken his helmet off, and holy shit, is he gorgeous. His raven black hair is messy in a way that’s still sexy, his face devastatingly handsome yet one that holds a childlike mischievousness even though he’s pushing thirty. He’s much taller than you had initially realized, and his shirt hugs a body that promises strong muscles.
You feel stupid at how you become speechless, and he quirks a smile, noticing it too. He folds his arm and taps his finger against his arm, like an impatient teacher. You finally find your words, clearing your throat as your cheeks heat. You suddenly feel insecure. You must look insane right now.
“Where am I, who are you, and why did you give me a ride?” You ask the most pressing questions in your mind.
“You’re still in Illinois, but we’re close to the border of Missouri. We’re on Route 66. Y’know, the most famous road in America?” You nod, having already figured that out, and he continues, “My name is Jungkook. I’m a biker. My friends and I travel this road often, so you’re in good hands.”
He gestures to the group you hadn’t realized gathered around you. You look around, studying all their faces and finding no danger. At least, none that you can detect. They all look relatively friendly.
“The one in pink is Namjoon. Blue is Taehyung. Yellow is Hoseok, purple is Jin, green is Yoongi, orange is Jimin, and my color is black, of course,” He introduces each man who waves at you, the helmets in their hands matching their bike colors.
“Okay, now answer my last question. Why did you take me with you?” You question. Jungkook stares at you as if you had asked a dumb question.
“You needed help,” He says as if it was obvious, “plus, it’s nice to look at a pretty girl after weeks of staring at these losers.” He punctuates his sentence by punching Jimin in the chest, to which he shoves him back with a laugh.
You don’t know why your face gets red when Jungkook calls you pretty. This is definitely a weird situation you’ve gotten yourself into, but you don’t seem to be in danger. You actually find yourself kind of excited. Having been living near the start of it, you had heard of Route 66 but had never imagined yourself traveling it, let alone with nothing on you but clothes.
“C’mon, let’s freshen you up. We know the owner of this place, she’s cool,” Hoseok says as you follow him into the gas station.
It’s a cozy little place, with only a few gas pumps and a small building. You walk inside to be met with a heavily decorated area, with many stickers and memorabilia of Route 66, the most notable one being a giant, lit up cowboy hat with the gas station’s name on it.
Your newly found friends seem to be friendly with the owner, which tells you they really have taken this route a bunch of times. You make a mental note to ask why as the owner leads you behind the counter into the back room.
She hands you shorts, a T-shirt with a horse shoe on it, and boots. She leaves you to change and you freshen up in a little bathroom she has back there, feeling embarrassed by how crazy you look. You manage to wipe off your makeup and mangle your hair into a braid before pulling on your outfit. It feels a bit weird, especially since you’re used to the basic city outfits of sneakers and leggings, but it’s better than nothing.
You exit feeling better, but a little bit out of place.
“You should grab something to eat. The next rest stop is pretty far away,” Taehyung suggests. You nod and grab some snacks and a drink, placing it on the counter as he pulls out a wad of cash. Normally you would feel awkward about letting someone else pay for you, but you don’t really have another option.
As you’re checking out, your eyes narrow onto a heart that’s carved into the wall. It reads, “A+J, Route 66, 2001.” Your heart sinks at that. You and your ex had shared that out loud, fearless kind of love. Had. You hold back tears as you grab your snacks and exit the gas station with the rest of the boys.
You hop on Jungkook’s bike behind him as he revs up the engine and starts off again. You note how the other boys seem to follow him, forming into a seamless position behind him like it’s rehearsed.
Your heart lurches at the speed, but you find yourself used to it as you lean back a little, observing your surroundings. The breeze chills you a bit, notifying you that you’re definitely still in Illinois.
“So, can I ask what happened that made you lie down in the middle of the street last night?” Jungkook asks, disturbing your thoughts. You scrunch your eyebrows. You don’t like even thinking about it, much less putting it into words with him.
“No,” You state plainly, your hair whipping around your face.
“Ooh, what a mystery. Do I have the privilege of knowing where you work? How old you are? Your name?” You sigh as if giving this information is a burden.
“My name is ___. I am twenty three years old, and I am… a freelance writer,” You say hesitantly. Well, to be fair, it’s kind of true. You studied journalism but struggled to find a job after school, landing you in a permanent spot in your mom’s basement, hence why she kicked you out.
“Ah, okay, so the kind of youth that makes you stupid and a job that isn’t actually a job. Cool, I’ve picked up a rebellious stowaway,” Jungkook quips with humor in his voice. His words should sting, but they don’t, because they’re true. Honestly, they paint you better than what you are: the fuck up that still lives with her parents. You instead playfully hit him in the arm.
“Hey, you’re only five years older than me. And I would call ‘mysterious road biker’ a job, either,” You quip, expecting him to bite back, but he grows silent.
“You’d be surprised by how much can happen in five years,” He mutters so quietly you almost miss it. You decide to drop it, instead focusing your eyes on the beautiful scenery ahead of you.
It’s gorgeous, honestly, the lack of anything. Just plain fields and roads for as far as you can see. The vacancy in a world that is always busy is a nice change of pace. You hadn’t even seen someone else go by yet.
“How will it take to get to California?” You ask, suddenly excited by the destination that you had forgotten about.
“Two weeks if we’re fast. Close to a month if you want the sightseeing vibe.”
You go still.
A month… with seven strangers you don’t know, and absolutely nothing to your name.
What have you gotten yourself into?
You’re mad at Jungkook, and you’ve only known him for two days.
Yesterday, you all rode for the entire day, only stopping twice for a rest. You loved it, though, the feeling of wind in your hair and freedom pungent on your tongue.
That is, however, until Jungkook informed you that he and his friends had lost all of their gear in a “conflict” just before they picked you up. That means their tents, sleeping bags, and even their car that they kept all their shit in.
For sleeping arrangements, Namjoon had dragged all eight of you a mile off the road until he deemed it was safe, under a tree, barely concealed from the main road so there was really no point. You had slept fretfully, the ground not soothing your muscles since you were sore from sleeping on a motorcycle the night before, and little ants biting your ass.
You woke up before everyone else, and had spotted Jungkooo perched on a rock, watching the sunrise as it peeked above the mountains. You had wordlessly joined him, watching as the darkness gave way to colors you had never seen in Chicago, a watercolor of soft blues and pinks and oranges that you wished you could engrave into your head forever. As if he could read your thoughts, he spoke.
“Don’t worry too much. You’ll see it tomorrow morning, too. And the next. I think I’ve seen this exact sunrise a million times,” He said breathlessly. You peeked over at him, admiring his face that was washed in sunlight orange.
“Don’t you get sick of it?” You asked. His eyes had slowly met yours. He didn’t speak for a few seconds, building up your anticipation for what he was about to say.
“Would you?” He answered simply. You peeked back at the sunrise, and after a few moments, you shook your head no. You somehow knew he smiled without even looking at him.
He had left as quietly as you had arrived, but you had stayed long after, staring at the sky until the colors melted away into its normal, bright blue. You made a silent vow to come and watch this, every single day, no matter what.
That interaction with Jungkook had left you feeling fluttery, and you had even felt too flushed to grab onto him on the motorcycle when you all had left this morning.
But now? Oh, now you’re pissed off at him. You are currently straddling his bike, watching him with your arms crossed as he thumbs out bills. He had stopped a poor man trying to travel the road to offer him what has to be thousands of dollars for his car and all the gear he has on him.
“… we’ll leave it in Santa Monica, at the local hospital, in tip-top shape, I promise,” You hear Jungkook say, holding out so many wads of cash he could barely even hold it. You watch as the man looks back and forth between the money and his red, five seater convertible.
“Deal,” He finally says, and Jungkook and all of his friends jump up in joy. You jump in surprise as they all run towards you. Jimin and Taehyung practically pull the bike from underneath you. Jungkook just barely saves you from falling on your ass by grabbing your arm and pulling you forward.
He pulls you towards the convertible as Jimin and Taehyung load his and their bikes into the trunk and backseat, hopping in the back with a laugh. Your face scrunches.
“C’mon, get in!” Jungkook exclaims, opening the passenger door and pushing you inside. You yelp as he hops over the driver's door.
“Why me?” You yell loudly over all the excitement. He laughs manically as he starts the engine.
“You’ve never been in a nice ass convertible in the middle of nowhere, have you, City Girl?” He asks, not bothering to put on his seatbelt as he revs the engine a few times before taking off, the car swerving back and forth a few times before shooting away. You grip the sides of the open vehicle, your heart racing. You glance at the man who you had gotten this car from in the review mirror, watching as he stands aimlessly in the middle of the road, watching you all leave.
“So we’re just leaving that guy there? He isn’t gonna get his car back?” You question as you notice the remaining members form a circle around the car, and you shoot a nervous smile at Namjoon who is flanking your side.
“He said he has a friend who can give him a ride at a gas station down the road. Plus, we’ll leave the car somewhere in Cali where he can get it. Probably,” Jungkook tells you.
“Probably? What does that mea- whoa!” Your sentence is interrupted as Jungkook speeds up immensely.
“Is it legal to go this fast?!” You scream, clutching the outside of your door as the car swerves slightly from the high speed.
“No, its Route fucking 66!” Jungkook yells in response, his laughter echoing throughout your ears.
“C’mon, ___, live a little!” You hear Jimin shout from the backseat. You turn around to see them both standing up, their hands in the hair as they laugh.
Jimin's words ring throughout your head. The whole purpose of this trip is to leave everything about your past life behind, including who you once were. This is about stepping outside of your comfort zone. And if you could put standing up in a convertible going 90 miles per hour down on the board, it would be about as far from your comfort zone as you could get.
Slowly, you stand up, gripping the windshield. You’re surprised about how ferocious the wind is, slapping you in the face. Your heart is pounding as you stand up.
You look around. Holy shit. Are you flying? It feels like you’re flying! A giggle escapes your throat as you slowly take your hand off the windshield, letting your arms stretch out on either side.
Adrenaline pumps through your body as the car and the motorcycles shoot down the road. You rip the hair tie out of your hair, wanting to feel your hair fly around your head, relishing in the wind's vicious bite, wanting to feel every real aspect of this moment, good or not, because it was perfect nonetheless.
Your stomach grumbles Jungkook pulls into what seems to be a little diner off the road. After two whole days of living off of rest stop snacks, you're relieved to finally have a real dinner.
“Mama Gray’s Diner is the best restaurant on Route 66, I’ll tell you that much,” Jimin retorts from the backseat. Your stomach rumbles louder as you can hardly wait, jumping out of the car.
Luckily, you had found a little brush so you could tame your hair a bit. What you really crave is a shower, but Jungkook promised this diner would have everything you all would need to “rejuvenate yourselves”. You don't know if you really trust his idea of “rejuvenate”, but you have no option but to go along with it anyway.
You walk into the diner, a little bell dinging as you do. You immediately notice how good the air smells, like fresh french fries. Your mouth practically waters at the aroma. The space is small, with a bar on one side and an arrangement of booths on the other facing a wall that is a window from top to bottom that shows the view of the endless road. You have found that the sunsets are just as beautiful as the sunrises.
A waitress leads you all to your booths, you, Hoseok, Namjoon, Jimin and Taehyung filling up one, and the rest filling up the other. You immediately order a sweet tea, the Mama Gray burger and a milkshake. You start munching on the table bread as the rest finish up their order.
“So, ___, what-“ Hoseok starts.
“Nuh-uh. You guys have been asking me about me this entire time. I wanna know about you guys,” You point your straw at them as the waitress places down your drinks. A soft, jazzy song plays from a jukebox in the corner, filling the space with a nice ambience. Hoseok quirks a smile, leaning back.
“Okay, then, shoot.”
“Well, first of all, how long have you all been friends?” You question, sipping on your tea.
“Shit, longer than I can remember. Ten years? Maybe more?” Jimin replies, his eyes full of memories. You whistle.
“Wow, you guys are old,” You comment. The others laugh.
“That’s easy to say when you’re young,” Namjoon says. You raise a brow.
“What’s the point of driving Route 66 so many times? What do you guys do?” You question. They all look at each other quickly but long enough for you to be suspicious. You narrow your eyes at them.
“We just love it. It’s an escape for us, y’know? Every summer we take one month to just ride. It’s freeing,” Jimin explains. You don’t really buy it, but you decide to keep your mouth shut. Your ears perk up at a chuckle, your eyes drifting over to Jungkook, who’s laughing at something Taehyung had said. He catches your eye before giving you a quirky grin, and you can’t help but smile.
“What about Jungkook?” You ask, tearing your eyes away and meeting Namjoon’s knowing stare. He had obviously been watching you.
“He’s kind of like our leader. He’s the youngest, but he has a really good sense of leadership. He’s chaotic and wild, but he also knows what’s best for our group and keeps us safe,” He replies thoughtfully, and you relish in his answer as the food finally arrives.
You scarf it down, not caring in the slightest to appear ladylike. The burger is perfect, the meat juicy with a crunch from the onions and lettuce and a bite from the spicy mayo. The fries complete it, and you practically moan when you taste the milkshake. You can see why they praise this place so much.
You’re practically licking the plate when you’re done, feeling satisfyingly full.
“Follow me,” Namjoon says, so you do as he and the boys push through a door in the back. It leads outside to a small area in the back of the diner.
A large canopy is set up, with a bunch of mismatched pillows and blankets littering a fluffy carpet that sits on top of the grass. To the left are a couple of porta potties and three outside showers. In front of the canopy is a large projector screen, playing an old movie. You notice that the convertible is parked back here, kind of like a drive-in movie.
“Here you go, ma’am, ladies first” Jungkook bows dramatically, handing you a pair of comfy shorts and a T-shirt, pointing to one of the showers. You have realized that when you’re on the road, you kind of take whatever clothes you can get. At least you’ll finally be wearing something somewhat comfortable.
You offer him a faux annoyed look before heading to the shower. Luckily, it has a curtain, so you can shower in private. It’s the first real shower you’ve had in forever. It’s not luxurious by any means, but you feel like a new woman once you exit.
The sky is dark, stars dotting the black canvas as you all settle onto the blankets. Everyone falls asleep almost immediately, but you can’t for some reason, staring at the stars. You can’t help but wonder if your ex is looking at them too. Maybe he’s thinking of you. Or maybe he’s watching them with your best friend, pointing out constellations and whispering sweet nothings.
Your heart wrenches, and you have to sit up, panic settling in suddenly. You stare absentmindedly at the movie. You need a smoke.
You walk over to the parked car, hopping into the passenger seat and pulling out a box of cigarettes and a lighter you had found in the glove box. A bad habit of yours; another reason your mom had kicked you out.
The smoke fills your lungs, and a sense of relief washes over you.
“I can’t sleep either,” You hear a soft voice say from behind you. Jungkook slides into the seat beside you. You notice him eye the cigarette between your fingers, and you roll your eyes.
“Just say it. I’m too young to be doing this, or it’s bad for me, or-“
“No, I was just gonna ask for one,” He interrupts.
Your eyebrows raise involuntarily at his answer. You don’t know why you’re shocked; he’s obviously a motorcycle riding delinquent, but it still shocks you when you hand him one and he actually takes it. He pushes the cigarette between his lips, waiting for you to light it for him.
Your breath catches as you turn on the lighter, the uncertain licks of flames matching the uneven beating in your heart. You hold the lighter to the end of his cigarette until it glows, and Jungkook’s pressing gaze never leaves your eyes once.
You place the lighter in the cup holder, looking ahead and trying to focus on the movie, but you can’t. You can still feel his gaze on yours, the smell of smoke flooding your nose.
“Why are you looking at me?” You ask without meeting his eyes. You hear him sigh.
“You’re curious to me, ____. I hardly know anything about you. I found you in a weird way, yet you refuse to tell us anything about your life besides the basics, so excuse me for being curious,” He mutters. You finally look over at him, anger flaring in your chest.
“Why would I tell a stranger my whole life story? I don’t know anything about you either,” You quip back, looking away and staring at the mountains in the distance. Silence rings between you two, the only thing breaking the quiet night being the muffled, vintage voices from the movie.
A breeze flutters through your hair, and you shiver. It gets hot during the day, but at night it cools down a lot, and you don’t have so much as a blanket. You jump slightly when you feel Jungkook wrap his leather jacket around you, and you instantly feel warmer and comforted by his smell, the small action seeming so grand.
“Four years ago, while we were on the road, we had a run in with our rivals. To get back at me for something, they shot and killed my fiancé. I was devastated, and I blamed myself for the longest time. I still do. I miss her so much, every single day. Some days are harder than others. This was her favorite spot…” He trails off for a second before clearing his throat and continuing, “but I keep going. Route 66 was her safe space. I will continue to honor her, and try to be happy. As much as you can be.”
His confession rings loudly in your ears. You don’t speak. You don’t offer your condolences. How can you? In that situation, no amount of pity can ever make anything feel better. Instead you sit in silence, one of understanding. One that offers comfort without the harshness and reality of words.
“The night you found me, I had just walked in on my best friend and boyfriend together. I went to his house because I was upset since my mom kicked me out of her house. It felt like the world was ending, so I saw no point of staying. When you saw me, that was the lowest I’ve ever been. It felt like no one wanted me. Both of them had been the most important people in my life. I haven’t talked about it because every time I do, it tears my heart open all over again. I don’t want sympathy, I just want to forget.”
Thankfully, Jungkook offers the same thing you had offered him: quiet understanding. Your problems suddenly seem so small next to his, but he still remains silent, mourning for you as well.
Then, wordlessly, he wraps his arm around yours, and you quietly slip into sleep, basking in his warmth, relishing in a new sense of relief.
You blow a bubble with the bubblegum in your mouth, your arms wrapped around Jungkook’s waist as you fly through the late June Oklahoma air.
After a week and a half with Jungkook and his friends, you guys are creeping up on the halfway point. You have grown to love your new lifestyle. Every time you feel a twinge of pain, you replace it by driving as fast as you can in the convertible, or have a drink at a small off the road bar.
Nothing has happened between you and Jungkook since you woke up in his arms at the drive-in movie. There are some traditions that you have now, like how you always ride on his bike, or how he always pays for your food and outfits. You’ve realized he likes dressing you up, especially in traditional “Route 66 Fashion”, as he calls it.
Today, you’re wearing something more impractical than usual: a mini red gingham dress with matching converse and a red bow holding up your ponytail. It’s hard to find cute outfits out here, but you manage.
You take a sip from your glass Coke bottle, the flavor mixing with your bubblegum as you look over at the convertible, watching as Jimin drives it recklessly (which is saying a lot for this group) as Taehyung eggs him on in the backseat. You can’t help but smile at this.
Jungkook waves an arm, and everyone pulls over. You scrunch your eyebrows, pushing yourself off the bike. There aren’t any rest stops, so there’s no need to be stopped right now.
“Why are we stopped?” You question, placing down your soda and popping your gum. Jungkook watches you with an amused look as you cross your arms.
“I think it’s finally time we teach you how to ride a bike,” He answers. You immediately shake your head, your ponytail swishing around your shoulders.
“Nope. Absolutely not,” You say. You had only bothered to get your license two years ago after your mother made you, and you suck at operating a car, let alone a tiny bike with two wheels.
“Come on, what happened to taking risks? Isn’t that what you want?” Taehyung muses from the car, hitting a sensitive spot he knew he would. He’s right, but it doesn’t make you any less nervous.
The boys cheer as you hesitantly get onto the drivers seat of Jungkook’s bike, gnawing on your lip as you pull your helmet back on.
“Just relax. It’s amazing, okay? Just start the engine, kick back, and ride,” He says dramatically, and you roll your eyes at him in an attempt to hide your nerves.
You follow his instructions and start the engine. Although you’ve felt this rumble for the past almost two weeks, it feels stranger now that you’re the driver. You take a deep breath, and kick off.
At first, the bike swerves back and forth, refusing to listen to you. You scream as you almost topple over, just barely catching yourself.
“Just let go, ___! Just go!” You hear Hoseok yell from behind you. You take a deep breath in and then speed up, shooting off into the distance.
After a few moments, you start to get the hang of it. The bike purrs underneath you, and you continue to rev the engine, egging the bike to go faster and faster. Oh, you like this. You like this a lot.
A laugh escapes your lips as you shoot faster down the road, dust clouds in your wake. This is different from driving the convertible or sitting in the back seat of Jungkook’s bike. Now you really, truly feel like you’re riding.
“Shit! You’re a fucking natural!” You hear Jimin yell from as the convertible pulls up beside you, this time with Jungkook in the backseat. He shoots you a proud smile you never want to forget.
You suddenly realize you’re in the front, leading the group, and you feel an overwhelming sense of joy, and suddenly, you understand everything. You understand why these men take this route so often, why they ride until dark. It takes away the pain, the sorrow, the fear, and leaves it all behind you in the open road, swirling in a cloud of dust until it disappears forever.
“At this point, it’s your bike, not mine,” Jungkook remarks as he watches you press another pink sticker against his sleek black bike.
“Maybe it should be,” You quip back, to which he chuckles in response. You stand up and brush off your shorts, turning around and looking at the dingy motel you’d have to sleep in tonight.
Since they had blown all their money on the convertible, they saved money by mostly sleeping in the car or on the side of the road, but now, after all of your begging, they had finally agreed to getting a motel for one night.
Besides, it isn’t just any night: it’s the fourth of July. You love this holiday for many reasons, but when you were a kid, your mom would always fill up the little inflatable pool in the backyard and make homemade popsicles while you splashed around with you dog-
You stop yourself. Those memories are long gone, and the place you had made those memories in are gone for you, too. There’s no point in dwelling in them. Still, you had dressed up: throwing on an off the shoulder American flag T-shirt and a matching bandana. You had even conjured up some makeup on your face, for the first time in weeks.
“You look nice,” Jungkook comments, gazing at you as the sunset washes him in a deep orange glow. You twist the ends of your hair, playing with a smile before walking away, leaving him waiting. The little crush you have formed on Jungkook has grown into something more pressing- something that’s getting hard for the both of you to ignore.
Apparently, the girl working the desk has a big crush on Yoongi and he thinks he can get you all your own rooms. You really hope so. It gets tiring to be around people 24/7, and you crave a real shower more than anything.
The motel is small, with two stories and twenty four windows. The boys all park their bikes and the car in the lot before walking up to the customer service desk, and you notice the young blonde working the counter immediately peeking up. They really must travel this route often- it feels like everywhere you guys go, they know everyone they see and are able to pull some strings.
“Hello, boys, nice to see you all again. How can I help you?” She asks, and you don’t miss the dirty look she shoots your way. Yoongi leans forward on the desk, and her face immediately flushes.
“We have kind of a problem. We’re out of money, and we need a place to sleep for the night. Can you help us out?” He asks, a charm the quiet man doesn’t usually have suddenly turning on. She bites on her lip flirtatiously.
“Maybe I’ll look past it if I’m somehow distracted tonight…” She trails off.
“Perfect, I’ll be a great distraction,” He turns around, a wide grin on his face, “boys, er, people, we have a place to stay tonight.”
You hardly spend time celebrating before you are sprinting to your room, rushing in and flopping on the bed. You groan from how good it feels to have an actual comforter beneath you.
You heat up a meal you had gotten from a diner this morning and hop in the shower. You hadn’t realized how much of a luxury hot water is, but you relish in the feeling as it races down your body, washing away all of the dirt from weeks on the road.
Once you’re finished, you dry your hair and put your clothes back on. You flop on the bed with your food and turn on the TV, flipping to a random channel to watch. It feels amazing: the ac, the warm meal, the blankets, a mattress, and finally something to watch other than the road. You feel like yourself again.
Once you’re finished with your food, you can help but think about your life back home. Does your mom miss you? Does your ex wonder where you went? Has your best friend called you?
Your eyes float to the phone sitting on the nightstand, and you feel a sudden urge to call someone. You don’t know who, but your hand reaches out, and before you know it you’re dialing your ex boyfriend’s number. You want to ask him if he misses you, or, more importantly, if he feels bad about what he did to you.
Before you press the last number, you drop the phone, horrified by what you were just about to do. No, he wouldn’t get the satisfaction of hearing your voice, of knowing you were okay. You wanted them all to bask in their actions and regret, forever wondering where you went. You wouldn’t give them closure.
To destroy the urge to call them, you get up, stuffing the keys in your pocket and pushing open the door to your room, fighting back the urge to cry. You don’t know where you’re going, just that you need to leave.
You notice a fire escape ladder that leads to the roof, so you take it, climbing up hurriedly. It’s dark now, the stars twinkling in the sky above you. Suddenly, you feel suffocated. Suffocated by the endless winding roads, the looming mountains and the vastness in every direction. You somehow feel claustrophobic in an endless landscape.
Tears escape your eyes as you come to a sudden, desperate realization: you want to go home.
On the roof, you spot him. Jungkook. Of course. He’s always fucking there, always having the same ideas as you as if you two share the same mind. He’s laying on a blanket, sipping a beer with his head cranked upwards, watching the stars. He hears your crying and turns around.
“___? What’s wrong?” He asks softly.
“I’m tired of feeling like I’m fucking crazy!” You scream, suddenly wanting to release all of this energy, “I’m sick of this shit, of pretending I’m fine when I’m not!”
“__-“
“No, I don’t want your words or your stupid pity. I want to go home, okay? I don’t want this. I didn’t want any of this!” You yell, gesturing around you.
He stares at you for a few seconds, his head cranked to the side slightly, his eyebrows furrowed as he watches you.
“I was just going to ask if you want to watch the fireworks with me,” He states simply. You sniff for a second, a little shocked at his reaction. You sigh before sitting down beside him, leaning back on your hands and looking up at the sky.
“There’s a small town a little bit down there, and they always do a little firework show on the fourth- oh, look, it’s starting!” He points, and you can’t help but crack a little smile as a golden firework explodes in the air and rains down, disappearing into the mountains.
You watch as the fireworks light up the sky, and you exert all your energy into imagining yourself as one of them: exploding into a million little brilliant pieces and then raining down until you vanish into nothing at all.
You breath hitches as you feel his large hand slip over yours, his rough skin feeling so comforting against your hand. You look over at him to find that he’s already watching you.
“The road helps, but it never makes the pain go away. No matter how far you go away from it, it’ll always be there. But it’s up to you to decide how to deal with it. Don’t imagine it being left behind. Instead, take it and use it. Use it for a reason to go on, use it for a reason to be happy, use it to motivate you. You have to utilize it, ___. Don’t let those people have control over you, don’t let the pain control you. You have to control it.”
You look up at him, your heart swelling for the man in front of you. You can see the fireworks’ reflection in his endlessly midnight black eyes, and you can even see yourself. You see yourself choosing between two things: letting your agony command you, or the opposite.
And, goddamnit, you never let anything control you, and you sure as hell weren’t going to start now.
With this realization, you lean forward and you kiss Jungkook, right as the final firework explodes overhead: a glittering explosion of red white and blue, painting the sky with its magnificent colors as it rains down onto the horizon, and the world finally goes quiet again.
You don’t even realize that the fireworks have stopped, though, because a million are going off in your heart as Jungkook kisses you. He kisses you like you’ve never been kissed before, with a hunger like he’s been waiting for a million years to do just this.
“Jungkook,” You moan softly as he intertwines his fingers with your hair, pulling your head back to give himself more access. He latches his mouth onto your neck, sucking and biting in a way that makes heat pool in your stomach.
His hands slowly trail down your body, his curious fingers exploring everywhere, but not once where you need him most. His hand hooks under your thigh and he pulls you on top of him, allowing you to straddle him. You can feel that he’s already growing hard underneath you, his cock pressing against your thigh.
You can’t help but grind down on him, to which you both moan at the delicious friction. You can’t believe you’re doing this right now in the open, but you can’t conjure it up in yourself to care.
His fingers linger on your shoulder, where your T-shirt is falling off, revealing your bra strap. Goosebumps pebble your skin in wake of his touch, lighting your entire body with flames.
“Can I touch you?” He asks in a low voice, looking up at you with hooded eyes. You nod embarrassingly fast. He chuckles a bit at this before slowly pulling your shirt down your shoulder, allowing it to pool around your waist.
Jungkook’s hand reaches behind you, successfully unstrapping your bra with one hand. He slowly lets it falls down, and your nipples immediately pebble due to the cold air. He stares at you as if you’re the most beautiful woman in the world.
A loud moan leaves your mouth as he slowly brings his mouth to your breast, sucking slowly but thoughtfully. It feels so fucking good you can’t help but grip his hair, pulling him down further.
Jungkook’s hand sneaks to your other breast, pinching and rolling your nipple as he sucks on the other one. The sounds leaving your lips become more frequent and louder as his actions begin to speed up, pleasure shooting down your body.
You can’t help but continue to rock on him, the friction through both of your jeans causing your climax to build embarrassingly quickly. But between what he’s doing to your breasts and the pleasure you feel grinding against his cock, you’re already freezing up, your orgasm about to rip through you.
Before you can, though, Jungkook pulls you off him. You whine, euphoria being ripped away from you so suddenly. He smirks at you almost cruelly at your reaction, laying you down on the blanket.
“You asshole,” You mutter under your breath. You notice Jungkook fish something out of his jacket.
“That’s not very nice, is it? Do I need to punish you, ___?” He asks you in a low voice. You bite your lip. You have to admit, being punished by him doesn’t sound so bad. He raises a brow at your lack of a response.
To your surprise, he presents the handcuffs he had used to bind your hands together, right after he found you in Chicago. He flips you over so you’re laying on your stomach. Without warning, he forcefully pins your hands around your back, snapping the handcuffs around your wrists, rendering you incapable of moving.
“I’ll teach you how to respect your fucking elders,” He whispers in your ear before leaning back, the comfort of his warmth leaving you. He leaves you like for a few moments, all hot and bothered while waiting for him to do something.
You’re about to ask where he went when you suddenly feel him tug on your shorts, lifting your legs so he can pull them off. Your shirt and panties follow, leaving you completely naked in the middle of nowhere.
You’re dripping wet, and the cool air causes you to take a sharp inhale as you wait for Jungkook to do anything. You yelp when he smacks your ass, not once, but twice, leaving a delicious sting in his wake.
You suddenly feel one singular finger trace up your spine, and you can’t help but arch against his touch, desperate for anything.
Once his finger reaches your hair, he grabs a hold of it and then forces your head to the ground, your ass up in the air for him. You practically whine in excitement when you hear his fly go down. You also kind of like how vulnerable you feel, with him being fully clothed and with you baring yourself to him, completely susceptible to whatever he pleases.
You arch back further when you feel his tip pressing against your entrance, coating himself in your essence before forcing himself inside. He does it so harshly you can’t help but yelp into the night, the echo of your own voice ringing in your ears. You pull on your handcuffs, desperate to cling onto something, but to no yield.
With one hand in your hair he fucks himself into you, so hard and so fast you can barely compute it. He’s so big; he fills you up completely and wholly. Just like with simple ideas like watching the sunrises, and even now with how naturally you two seem to fit together, as if it were always meant to be like this, you two just seem to share the exact same mind.
Jungkook slams into you ruthlessly, causing you to cry out his name over and over again. He grips your hip so hard that you think it might bruise, pushing you back into him and fucking you somehow even harder. You pull against your restraints harder, desperate to touch him, to grab onto something to help you deal with the immense pleasure you’re feeling right now.
“That’s right, tell the entire route that you’re my little whore,” He growls.
“Kook!” You yelp on a particularly hard thrust, and he grips you even harder at the nickname you had accidentally given him.
“Yes, fuck yes, say it louder,” You comply, no worry in the world about who could be listening.
Your climax crashes into you suddenly, and you chant his name over and over again, your wrists pulling at the cuffs. Your entire body shivers, but Jungkook never stops.
“Please, let me touch you,” You beg. With a growl of approval he quickly pulls off the handcuffs and flips you around so you’re facing him. He hooks your legs over his shoulders, allowing him to fuck you even deeper.
After the first throes of overstimulation pass, you begin to moan, pleasure building up again. Jungkook’s hand sits on the side of your neck, offering small kisses all over you. You desperately kiss him back, suddenly touch starved from him.
His thrusts become slower and more unsteady as he reaches the end, practically bending you in half as he lovingly continues to kiss you all over. His once dirty words turn sweet.
“You’re so beautiful, ___, you’re fucking perfect for me,” His voice sends shivers up your spine as your orgasm builds up once again.
“Come with me, baby,” He says, and you comply, throwing your head back as you do so. Stars form in your eyes from the pleasure, and you can’t tell them apart from the actual stars in the sky, letting them blend together until all you see is light, the only thing on your mind being the man on top of you.
Jungkook slows down as he releases into you, his breaths heavy. The two of you don’t separate for a long while, living simply in this moment, basking in each other’s presence. When he finally does pull out, it leaves you feeling empty. He pulls you close, putting your head in his shoulder and lightly patting your head.
You weren’t a virgin, but that was definitely by far the best sex you’ve ever had. You get all hot just thinking about it, wanting him all over again. Then, you get hot for another reason.
“Do you think anyone heard us?” You ask, your face red from embarrassment.
“There’s no one out here, and everyone’s on the bottom floor and asleep already. We’re fine,” He assures you, and you let out a breath of relief.
After a few moments of silence, you get up, pulling your clothes back on. Jungkook stares up at you with puppy dog eyes as if he didn’t just rearrange your organs.
“Where are you going?” He asks in a sickly sweet voice. You roll your eyes.
“To pee, unless you want me to get a UTI. Plus, I am not giving up a night in a warm bed,” You remark. As much as you want to stay here with him, you want a comfortable bed even more.
“Can I come with you?” He asks, zipping up his jeans. You offer him a smirk.
“Sure, a bed warmer would be nice,” You quip as you go down the ladder, laughing as he eagerly follows like a lost dog.
“___, those marks on your wrist are worrying me. Did something happen last night?” Taehyung asks knowingly, pulling out of the motel lot. You had opted to ride in the car today, but you immediately regret it, your face growing beet red. You place sunglasses on your face, looking away.
“I had hair ties on,” You quickly lie, watching Jungkook pull out from the lot beside you, sending you a quick wink. Fuck, you love how good he looks while riding. His chain hangs down over his tight black T-shirt, and your mind can’t help but wander to when those hands that are gripping the handles had gripped you the same way last night.
“Damn, those are tight ass, big ass hair ties, then,” Taehyung remarks. You bury your head in your hands, embarrassment taking over. He chuckles, patting your back a few times.
“It’s okay. He’s a good guy, and he deserves someone like you,” He reassures, and when you meet his gaze, he shoots you a soft smile that you return.
Over the next week, you feel as though you’re the happiest you’ve ever been. You all cross into the last state before the final destination, Arizona, and you can’t help but feel a sense of dread that this will all be over soon.
Every time you do, though, or feel anything about back home, you go to Jungkook. He either makes you scream until you forget everything, or takes you on cute little dates. Like a few days ago when he took an entire day to hike up the mountains and show you his favorite constellations until you fell asleep in his arms.
It’s hard to describe your relationship, so you two don’t. It’s just an understanding that you’re both there for each other when past traumas pop up.
Today marks it: only three days left until you reach California. Sadness has been pricking at you all day, so Jungkook resolved to make you feel better by stopping at a cute little shopping strip along the road. Usually you left your clothes behind in odd places along the route and took whatever you could get, so it feels good to finally have something to actually own.
Jungkook wraps his arm around you as you squeal over the bags in your arms. He doesn’t mind that his friends know about you two, the general consensus being to not speak about it.
“I’m so excited. Thank you, Jungkook,” You say, looking up at you. He presses a quick peck to your lips before smiling.
“Of course, baby. Once we get to Cali, I’ll get some more money and I’ll properly spoil you,” He says with a grin before letting out a quick “oh!” and reaching into his bag, “I forgot to give you this.”
Jungkook hands you a small sticker in the shape of a heart that has both of your initials on it, colored and obnoxious pink. You giggle.
“I thought you said no more stickers on your bike,” You remark.
“I think this one will be okay,” He smiles, leaning down to kiss you. You both are interrupted by Namjoon screaming from beside you.
“Get down!” Before you can even process it, Jungkook pushes you onto the ground, covering you as a loud boom sounds, shattering the glass from the store behind you.
You realize with a beat of panic that they’re gunshots. You look over to see Yoongi and Namjoon duck behind their bikes, whipping out guns you didn’t know they had and shooting at people you could see.
Your heartbeat grows faster as you crank your head around. A line of ten men, maybe more, all with motorcycle helmets are shooting at you all.
Jungkook pushes you against his bike, taking out his own gun. He peeks out, shooting a few times before ducking back under. His erratic eyes shoot towards you. A bullet just barely whizzes by your side. He swears under his breath. The bike isn’t big enough to cover both of you.
“___, listen to me, okay? I’m going to distract them. When I say ‘go’, you need to hide behind the convertible. Okay?” You nod your head quickly, your hands shaking as another bullet hits the wall in front of you.
“Okay, three, two, one, go!” He yells, popping above the bike and shooting at someone. You immediately kick up and sprint away towards the convertible, running faster than you ever have before.
You’re almost behind the convertible when you step on a piece of glass, slipping on it and falling to the ground. Your head hits the concrete, and you groan as it rings, pain echoing through your skull.
Before you can get up to go behind the car, you feel something pierce your stomach. You scream as pain shoots up your entire body, paralyzing you completely. You try to hold your wound, but blood is pouring out so much it’s no use. You hear someone scream your name, but your vision goes blurry.
You don’t feel fear anymore. You don’t feel anything anymore, except for the warmth of your own blood lulling you to sleep.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Your eyes flutter open. The smell of disinfectant fills your nostrils. You groan as you try to sit up, but pain stops you. You look around. You’re seemingly in a hospital room.
“___!” You hear a familiar voice shout. Suddenly, Jungkook is on top of you, hugging you tightly. You hug him back, suddenly relieved that he’s here and that your whole road trip wasn’t just some weird dream.
“___, how are you feeling?” A soft voice asks from beside you. You turn your head over to look at a doctor, watching you with a concerned look as she taps on her clipboard.
“My side hurts, and I feel kind of out of it, but I’m fine. Where am I? What happened?” You ask. The doctor smiles at you.
“You’re at a hospital in California. You were involved in a gun attack and suffered from a gunshot wound around two weeks ago. Jungkook here saved your life. By all means, you should’ve been dead. You lost so much blood you went into a coma, and we didn’t think you would make it through the night. But you’re a fighter,” She tells you, to which you smile weakly in response, “you’re healing amazingly, and you should be released in the next one to two weeks.”
Jungkook squeezes your hand and you meet his eyes, ones that are full of tears and relief as he hugs you again.
“I’ll leave you two to it,” The doctor says before softly closing the door behind her.
“I was so scared I was going to loose you just like… fuck, I’m so sorry, ___. I shouldn’t have brought you into this. I shouldn’t have-“ You interrupt him by placing a hand on his cheek.
“Shh, it’s okay, Jungkook. You didn’t bring me into anything. I made this decision. Can you just tell me what happened? Are you all okay?” You ask, to which he sighs, swallowing back his tears.
“Yes, for the most part. They’re all okay. We fought our asses off after you went down, but we decided it was best to run and leave them to the police. I’ve never run from a fight before. Ever. But I did it for you,” He whispers the last part, leaving a kiss on your lips which you smile into.
“I haven’t slept a bit. I’ve been so worried. I couldn’t imagine losing you. It’s stupid, I know, but I felt like my world was being torn away from me. I don’t really know how to say this, or if it’s too early or some shit, but-“
“I love you too,” You say, not wanting to keep it in any longer, suddenly taken aback by how much truth is in those words. His eyes widen before he smiles, kissing you again and pressing his forehead against yours, basking in your presence and bathing in the silence, like you two usually do.
“Come here, let me show you something,” He says, offering his arm. You take it and he lifts you up slowly, gently bringing you to the window. You can see the palm trees in the distance, swaying in the breeze as you smile. You made it, you traveled thousands of miles across Route 66. Albeit the ending was a bit unusual, you still made it.
In the hospital parking lot, you notice the seven motorcycles, except there’s one extra. It’s a sleek, crimson red, with a sun on the side, mimicking the sunsets and sunrises you loved watching while on the road. Jungkook lifts up a pair of keys, clicking to once as the bike beeps in response. To your surprise, he hands the keys to you. Your mouth drops open.
“That’s for me?” You ask in surprise. He nods lightly, and you can’t help but pull him into a hug.
“It’s beautiful,” You whisper. When you pull back, Jungkook stares at you lovingly. He then pulls both of your hands into his.
“___, I’m not perfect by any means. I put you in danger, and you’ve left your entire life behind for this. But I want you to be on the road with me. I want you to be my Route 66 sunrise, something I can look at every day and never get tired of. Will you do that for me?” He asks. You smile. For a second, when you look into his eyes, all you see are the eyes of the kind man who helped a strange girl off of the road and saved her.
He saved you.
“Yes,” You answer, having never been more sure of anything in your life.
Just barely, in the distance, you can hear Lana Del Rey’s “Ride” playing over the radio:
“I hear the birds on the summer breeze, I drive fast, I am alone at midnight.
Been trying hard not to get into trouble, but I, I’ve got a war in my mind.
I just ride.”
No Because I didn't know I needed this. I want to go road tripping now. 💜
