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Jisung

It was an absurd statement.

One that had taken Jisung aback by such a step that he found himself not consumed, but at a loss for the words he was expected to reply with. His lips were parted slightly, leaving every way for speech to form and travel out his mouth yet all he could do was blink, tongue-tied and inarticulate.

He had been asked many things in his life, from maths questions to English literature, for flashcards to university applications. But not once had their expectancy been opposed with the proposition of something so surreally spontaneous.

Did the boy really expect for him to get on the bus with him? With every disagreement they had come across in the span of a first conversation, how was he expecting a simple yes? How was it even possible that he was willing to expand an encounter that would only eventually end?

Yet what was even stranger to Jisung, was that once he closed his mouth and blinked a little more, the bewilderment that he had believed to have consumed him became nothing more than a wave that had inveigled him momentarily only to leave him stranded on the sand once more.

The last thing he expected to follow its betrayal was a new wave of unease mingled upon doubt, threatening him with regret if he did not take the opportunity. After everything that had already happened, he supposed it didn't seem completely unreasonable to take the vehicle. After all, it would save him some walking — not to mention the cold if the rain decided to make a reappearance.

Jisung looked up. The bus was undoubtedly a contrary to the school's one, its sides splattered with dried mud and rickety doors pausing before they opened. It was clear that likewise any other city bus, it had been stained by the numerous unconscious actions of people who faced their idle yet necessary journeys. There was only one thing still missing, "You don't even know my name."

"Names hardly represent the person inside but sure tell me yours?"

The brunette looked down, suddenly feeling rather self-conscious, "Han Jisung."

He watched as Minho stood up, streetlight reflecting in his eyes as he walked towards the younger. Up close it became clear, that the reflection was more so the glitter of a smile, accentuating the one that already played gently on his lips as he motioned towards the vehicle's open doors, "After you, Jisung."

Slowly, Jisung managed to take a few steps forward before a sudden hesitation overcame him, persuading him to lower the foot he had just lifted in order to board and turn in apprehension, "Are you sure it's safe?"

Minho snorted but upon realising that the question had been born from genuine curiosity, gave a reassuring smile, "It's not exactly your castle, but you'll be fine princess."

It was nothing more than a light-hearted statement meant to relieve his uneasiness and wash away his hesitation, yet rather than due to feeling reassured, Jisung found himself climbing onto the bus in order to avoid having to turn around and showcase the fluster that had suddenly spread across his cheeks.

With his mind lost elsewhere, Jisung still managed to follow the routine of nimble fingers pulling out the lanyard that had been hidden under his shirt and lowering it in order for his card to be met with the familiar beep of the scanner as the bus welcomed them aboard.

He hadn't wanted to but he couldn't help it. His eyes moved faster than his brain, landing themselves onto Minho who hopped up the stairs behind him like the day hadn't drank up his energy and the night only promised more. He watched as the boy fumbled around inside his jacket before pulling out a card that had to be pressed a couple of times in order for the sound to register. Unfazed by the bends of the pass, he smiled at the driver once its tattered state was finally accepted and strolled leisurely down the vehicle's aisle, making his way past Jisung.