Je Yoon POV

I felt a little uncomfortable sitting next to Taemin, considering the fact that I didn't know him at all. We were just both awkwardly sitting silently as people passed by and found their seats after coming out of the lavatory. Luckily, the small restrooms were nowhere near our seats, so we didn't have to worry about any horrible odors entering our noses.

Deciding that I had enough of the unfamiliarity between us, I looked at him and rambled my mind for any form of conversation.

"You like cupcakes?" I asked him, noting our first meeting.

He nodded his head and grinned. "Of course! Who doesn't? I was a doubtful about going into an actual bakery because I usually get desserts at a random grocery stor--"

"Wait.. what?" I furrowed my eyebrows at him and shook my head furiously. "You're crazy. Pastries from stores don't really count as real desserts. When it comes from a bakery, it comes from soul and dedication. Store-bought things from food chains, that sell other items like toothpaste and dolls are made for mass production. Mass production is the same as making a lot of money. Bakeries care about making the customer happy."

Taemin's face was covered in a mix of confusion and regret, a combination that made me feel slightly uneasy.

"Maybe I'm only saying that because I have a passion for baking..?" I coughed out, hoping to cover up the rant I blurted out.

"Maybe," he agreed, allowing me to sigh in relief. "I guess I'm too young to find a 'passion.'"

"How old are you?"

"I turned fifteen a few weeks ago," he cheekily smiled.

I blinked a few times and almost snorted when he announced his age. He's young. I didn't expect him to be that young, but it was crazy, really. I was only a year older, but I expected him to be as old as me or at least a few months younger. Not an entire year.

"Are you going to ask how old I am?" 

Taemin pressed his lips together and titlted his head. "Nah.. You seem around the age of sixteen."

"How'd you guess?" I was surprised, and the shock was evident on my face.

"Well, you were working, and I don't think they let young people like me take on a job already."

"Smart," I commented on his observations.

After a while, I bothered him to get the bag he placed nicely above us. Thanks to that, we were able to kill some time by battling our Pokemon against each other. I won all the battles, and that was mainly because my Pokemon were around fifty levels above his. He swore that he had better ones hidden in the PC, but I laughed it off, knowing that it was a fib. Like a good sport, he congratulated me after every single one of his loss and my victories. 

There were only two hours left until midnight would strike, and I couldn't wait to get to Korea already.

Ever since our attentions drifted away from the video game, Taemin switched to watching a movie on the small TV screen that was connected to the seat in front of him.

Now, I was terribly bored and left alone with nothing to entertain me. People were sleeping, waching, or just staring at the ceiling while waiting for the plane to depart California. Darn the delay. Is there something wrong with the plane? Why couldn't they have checked it before everyone boarded?

I thought about reading a book, but it was too much trouble for me to take it out and turn on the overhead light for my own pleasure. I would listen to music, but I only did that before I went to sleep at times.

Taemin turned off the mini TV and looked at me intently. "Uh... Do you need anything, noona?"

"N-no. Why?" I scratched the back of my head and adjusted the glasses that were resting on the bridge of my nose. The black frames were a little too big for my face, but Sun Yee told me that it suited me just right.

"You've been staring at me for the past few minutes, so I told myself that you must have wanted to talk to me or something."

"Oh. Not really." I examined my fingernails and spoke again, "I would offer you chocolate, but we haven't eaten dinner yet. I don't want to spoil your appetite."

"You act like a mom," he told me.

At once, I frowned and crossed my arms. He was probably saying that I reminded him of a good mother. Not mine. Or are my actions reflecting hers? If that was the case, then I made a huge mistake. "I'm sorry," I mumbled, shifting to look straight ahead of me.

He took in my appearance and nudged me lightly. "I didn't mean for it to be a bad thing! I just meant that since you were looking after me and caring about my health... it just made sense to compare you to a mom. If you don't like that, then I'll keep that in mind for the rest of the trip."

I loosed up a bit and realized how irrational I was being. "N-no, it's fine. I wasn't thinking right."

Then, we were silent.

My hunger began to grow as well as my impatience, and I didn't want to do anything except for run out of the plane and call it a day. I could tell that it was the same for many other people because more and more people went out of their seats to stretch or merely went back into the airport for a minute or two to get some fresh air.

"I'm hungry, noona," he complained, laying on my shoulder.

I wanted to push his head off but reminded myself that I wouldn't be able to make any friends if I kept up with that type of attitude. I had to keep my cool and actually go through the motions that I was social.

"Me too," I said at the same my stomach growled.

As if it were some sort of signal, Taemin's did the same and so did the old man's next to me. I scooted closer to Taemin and found it really weird that the man was now smiling at me before his lips.

"Uh.. I think I'm going to sleep away my hunger," I yawned.

He gave me a thumbs-up and that was all I could remember before I dozed off.

----------

I don't know how long I fell asleep for, but once I woke up, there was a tray of food right in front of me. Taemin was already halfway through his, and he was chewing happily, motioning to my food when I looked at him.

"What time is it?" I groaned, rubbing my eyes to cure the blurriness.

"Time for you to eat!" he beamed, taking the lid off of my food and pushing it towards me. "I didn't know if you preferred beef or chicken, but I chose for you anyway."

"How'd you know I like chicken?" I sent him a humorous look, somewhat playful and doubtful.

"I just know," Taemin replied and continued eating.

Together, we joked about being stuck on the airplane for a month and things we would do in order to survive. It didn't last long before I pointed out the fact that we could just walk out and go back into the waiting lounge of the airport and onto the streets of California. He called it the 'air-pocalypse,' but I didn't think it was a fitting name.

After what felt like the most fulfilling meal ever, it was finally time to take off. 

Taemin was about to fall asleep, until the seatbelt lights blinked on and almost destroyed his drowsy state. I felt like the food I ate was going back up my throat. It was so exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time.

 We were actually leaving California now-- this time... no difficulties. 

We buckled our seatbelts, and the captain began to speak:

"This is Captain Lee, and Korea Airlines is glad to say that we are about to depart. We are sorry for the prolonged delay. Thank you for your time and patience. We are about to take off in a few minutes. Everyone must remain seated; refrain from standing up and getting your belongings in the compartment above you. If you need to get something, please do so now. Put your trays up and make sure the seats are at the proper level. The stewards and stewardesses will come by to ensure that you have properly done so. Again, we apologize for the wait. Please fasten your seatbelts. Thank you."

The TVs in front of everyone showed a map of where we were, the time, temperature, and how long 'til we reach South Korea.  Thirteen hours.
Taemin seemed like he didn't have to sleep anymore; he was too full of energy.

I looked back to the TV and clapped. I have never been anymore excited in my entire life.

"Where are you going to go once you reach Korea?" he asked, eyes gleaming wanting to hear my reply.

"I'm going to live with my cousin."

"What's his name?"

"Minhoppa." I scratched my head in shock. I wasn't supposed to say Minhoppa. My childhood nickname for him never went away. Most of the time, I was able to keep it to myself, but I didn't know why it slipped this time.

Taemin didn't seem to notice, since he snapped his fingers. "Dammit, I wish you could stay with me."

His disappointment made me happy. I don't know if that's a good thing or not, but the way I put it makes it sound bad. "I'm sure we'll see each other. Let's exchange AIMs," I suggested.

"Power_Taem. P-o-w-e-r underscore T-a-e-m."

Hm, clever.

"Chubzjeyoon. C-h-u-b-z-j-e-y-o-o-n. No space." I had Minho make it for me when we were younger

We laughed at each other's usernames before being interrupted by an old lady in the middle section.  "Shhh," she hissed, "I'm trying to sleep here."

I didn't even notice that we were being that loud. Taemin and I both bowed our heads in respects, but I chose to be the bigger person and apologize to the elderly.

Taemin POV
It that Je Yoon wouldn't be able to live with me and the hyungs, but at least she said that we could meet up with each other. That was enough to make me feel confident about out friendship.

"We are ready to take off," the captain spoke again. 

A steward walked by our aisle- making sure that we were safe and secure- and then took his seat. He warned a few people to put their seats back upright and to secure their seatbelts.

Before anyone knew it, we were already moving. Je Yoon noona and I gaped outside the little window beside me, watching the lights pass by. Soon enough, everything became a blur as we accelerated.

The sound of wind filled our ears, making noona shut her eyes.

"Scared?" I question, hoping to comfort her if she needed it.

"Frightened," she whispered softly, the color from her face draining.

"Of the sound?"

"No. The fact that we are going to be so high up from the ground."

"We're not in the air yet," I told her. We were still on the runway, and people in the plane were smiling or sleeping. It was one or the other.

"Soon we are," she gasped.

The plane became faster; voices were becoming muffled. Je Yoon was shaking beside me, and I lightly poked her causing her to whimper. She was being really adorable, but I knew she didn't intend for that to happen.

"We're in the air," I announced to cure her air sickness.

"I know."

"You can open your eyes now. Nothing bad is going to happen."

One by one, her eyes became visible.

"Okay," she exhaled. She admired the many lights from the buildings as they grew smaller by the minute. Her eyes grew larger by the minute, and the fear in her eyes were replaced with an indescribable happiness.

"Goodbye California," we breathed.

Thirty minutes passed by and none of us could fall asleep.

"You think it's safe to go to the lavatory now?" 

Her eyes wandered around the plane. "I think so."

Luckily, our seats were approximately thirty steps away. In less than a minute, I was in the dreaded room. I hate airplane restrooms. They're so small and crowded. How do they expect anyone to do their business properly? I zipped down my pants and began to pee. I was about to flush the toilet, but a pain formed in my stomach. Why is this happening to me?

I put tissue on the toilet seat and sat down as fast as I could. A sigh escaped from my mouth as the discomfort decreased. I knew that it would just take a few more grunts and pushes until I was completely done. But then the plane started to shake.

"We are experiencing some turbulence. Please hang on and tighten your seatbelts."

I hit my forehead. "I should have waited a few more minutes."

The toilet water began slushing together, and an unpleasant liquid hit my . I stomped my foot against the tile floor of the restroom. "Ugh, this is not good."

I swear I made the turbulence even worse because right when I stomped, the plane jerked, and I almost fell off. Stupid turbulence. Now, my is covered with toilet water. And the toilet water was contaminated with... things that should not be touched. The plane stopped shaking, and everything seemed back to normal. I cleaned myself up as much as I could and flushed the toilet. The flush scares me each time. It's so loud and powerful. I feel like anything could get up. I began to wash my hands, and why am I so lucky?

Hah. Turbulence. Again. The plane violently shook causing me to fall. One hand landed into the toilet. So many people have used the same toilet, and who knows what's been in there? 

I let out a small sigh as I furiously rubbed my hands with soap when everything seemed calm. Making sure I was clean, I made my way back to Je Yoon who gave me a worried expression.

"Are you okay?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "The turbulence was pretty bad just now. I almost fell out of my seat even with my seatbelt on," she joked to ease the tension.

"Better than ever. Just a few issues," I admitted.

She eyed my shirt meticulously and nodded. "Okay."

I took my seat and made sure I was prepared for any aftershocks. I did not want to experience any more problems. The night was already bad enough because of the restroom.

"You smell weird," she commented, pinching her nose shut. "I was glad we weren't near the lavatories, but you seemed to have brought the entire sewer with you within five minutes."

"I know." Water seeped through the bottom of my shirt, and I wished that it was because I didn't dry my hands properly. It wasn't from the toilet. I wiped my hands on my shirt because I wasn't thinking right. And it just seemed the most sanitary. That was it-- I think.

Je Yoon tapped my shoulder and handed me some hand sanitizer. I noticed that she had a container for a small bottle hanging from one of her belt loops.

"Use this... To get rid of the stench. Make sure you're clean too," she murmured, trying not make any eye contact with me.

"T-thanks." I squirted almost half of the bottle onto my hand and lathered the floral liquid all over my arms and clothes.

----------

I woke up to the sound of Je Yoon sniffling, and I almost panicked thinking that something bad had happened. 

"Noona," I weakly said, "what's wrong?" I was far too tired to open my eyes and check out the problem, but her silence only made things worse for my thoughts. Forcing my eyes open, I glanced over at her and saw her body covered in an itchy blanket. The headphones the plane provided us with occupied her ears, and that's when I realized that she watching a drama.

Hana Yori Dango? I watched it before because one of my friends convinced me to, but I didn't expect Je Yoon to be the type.

She shook her head and decided to stop watching. The TV was shut off, and the headphones were placed back into the compartment in front of her. She somewhat flinched when she saw me looking at her. "Y-you saw that?" she coughed.

I nodded telling her that I woke up hearing her sobs.

"Sorry, Taemin.." Her eyes shot straight down, and I could tell that I made her sad.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it. There's really nothing to be sorry about."

She nodded and changed the topic of our conversation. "Did you have a good sleep?"

"Ehhh, it was kinda uncomfortable.. But I got used to it. Did you sleep at all?"

She laughed and gave me an expression that screamed out 'you're-kidding-right?' "No. After your whole bathroom incident, I didn't wanna sleep. But you... You seemed really tired after the whole thing. Right when you sat down, you shut your eyes and slept."

Je Yoon POV
"And you decided to watch Hana Yori Dango?" Taemin pointed an accusing my finger at me.

"Someone watches dramas," I teased. It was my all-time favorite. I watched the second one as well as the movie. Each one made me cry, and I could never get over their love.

He denied everything and covered his face. "My friend makes me."

"No need for your lies." I was curious about this friend of his. Always talking about this one friend.. or was it multiple friends?

"Whatever.. How much more time until we get to Korea?"

I the TV and examined the main screen. "Oh, thirty minutes left!"

Taemin's eyes widened. "Are you telling me that I fell asleep for twelve hours and thirty minutes?!"

I snorted, "It's totally possible. But you waited thirty minutes until you went to the lavatory, and you took a long time in there.."

"Eleven hours then?"

I tapped my chin lightly, pretending that I was thinking about it. "Yep!"

"You didn't sleep at all?"

"I couldn't sleep," I shrugged, "It happens a lot. Don't worry. And besides, once we get there.. I'm sure I'll be able to sleep."

Taemin poked my cheek. "Yah~ We're getting there at seven in the morning."

Seven in the morning?! Minho isn't going to let me sleep. He's going to want to take me places. By that, I mean everywhere. He's probably going to show me the old supermarket that we got chased out of for dropping all the fruit and the park where I always spilled my ice cream. 

"Do you think I can fall asleep right now?" I felt guilty once the question escaped my mouth because Taemin just woke up himself. It didn't seem like that case because his lips shot up into a cheeky grin.

He looked around and saw people shift in their sleep, watch TV, or just waiting for the plane to land.

"Possibly. Everyone seems quiet enough," he noted.

With that, I attempted to sleep.

--

I tried making this chapter longer than usual because I didn't update on time :( Also, what do you guys think of the POV changes? I don't know if you want to know what the other people think, but I put just in case. Please leave your input though!

The '----------' indicates a time lapse.