Jongin sometimes liked to take the bus to go to work.

Before, it was just something he occasionaly did, mostly out of boredom or when he happened to wake up too early. Just to change his routine up a bit. But then, without Jongin himself fully understanding how, a few months ago taking the bus on every Wednesday morning became sort of a tradition.

Obviously he had a car for the matter of going to work. It would be strange if he wouldn't, having in mind that he was working in one of the wealthiest companies in the entire country. But for Jongin, there just was something about waking up early in the morning and walking to the bus stop by himself. With a cup of hot coffee warming his hands pleasantly, and giving him a tender wake-up call from the morning slumber. There was also something about sitting next to the window, as the bus steadily went along it's way, and just remembering things he didn't want to forget. 

Early mornings in a seat of a bus were the best time for Jongin to let his thoughts go back to the past, and relive the memories he longed for. The memories of the time when he was still happy, and had everything and everyone he needed. The beautiful past.

So that one Wednesday morning, with a nice warm caramel macchiato in his hands, Jongin boarded the bus together with other passengers as usually, and picked the seat near the back of the bus. Right beside the foggy window. Composed, he took out his earphones out of his pocket, and absent-mindedly put both pieces into his ears. But Jongin never, on any of those mornings in bus, listened to any music.

Honestly, he just wanted silence, without any distractions and unnecessary background noise, and that was what the earphones served for. To give him silence and sense of calmth.

And like every Wednesday, as soon as the bus took off, Jongin's thoughts were too already gone.

"Careful.. careful.. carefu- for God's sake, Jongin, STOP!"

Panicked Kyungsoo, with the eyes huge as saucers, pulled Jongin back hastily to the middle of the sidewalk.

It was a nice, yet a bit chilly morning, and Jongin as usually was walking him to school. He had proposed to do that about a month ago, and have been doing it diligently ever since. 

"What the hell are you doing, prez?!", Jongin instantly protested, disatisfied. How could he be satisfied, when his game was so bluntly interrupted? "I was close to walking ten minutes without losing my balance! And that's a record!"

Sadly, the look on Kyungsoo's face showed openly, how little he cared for that.

"You were also close to falling into the road, and to your death." he informed Jongin seriously, at the same time fixing the straps of his backpack. "Don't you know how dangerous it is to play like that beside the road? It's a one-way ticket to being hit by a car!"

"Nonsense!"

"What is?"

And being stubborn as he was, Jongin really wanted to keep arguing. But something about the way Kyungsoo reprimanded him, and more importantly looked at him, made Jongin change his mind pretty quickly. Kyungsoo was obviously worried. 

Instantly, Jongin felt his cheeks warm up at the thought of him, Kim Jongin, being the cause of Kyungsoo worry.

He has been in love with the boy for a while now. And thinking about Kyungsoo, worrying over him, made Jongin's heart quiver violently in his chest, till his head became awfully dizzy, and his stomach filled up with strange flutters.

Maybe, just maybe, Kyungsoo was starting to have feelings for him, too, thought Jongin. Maybe? Honestly, he kind of wished for that, but at the same time absolutely feared it; after all, Jongin was completely inexperienced when it came to love and dating. He had absolutely no idea what he would do, if his feelings happened to be returned. Would he dare to ask Kyungsoo out? Would he dare to..to

.. to k-kiss him?..

Darn it, even only thinking about doing that had Jongin blushing furiously.

Quickly, he shook off the thoughts of certain heart-shaped lips, and gathered his mind back together.

For now, he will just settle on keeping this secret hidden. He has to wait, to see, to observe everything around, and only then he can make somekind of move. And absolutely in NO WAY he could now show Kyungsoo what his words or actions really made him feel like.

Well, not yet at least.

So he decided to keep the argument going, and annoy Kyungsoo further. Quite stupidly, really, but according to Luhan and everybody else, Jongin was always an idiot when it came to Kyungsoo.

"I guess it's dangerous, if you're completely uncoordinated, which I'm not." Jongin announced proudly, and then leaned towards the smaller boy, squinting. "You watched too many of those road danger shows, didn't you, prez? That's why freaking out now like a little-"

"'I'm not freaking out!" Kyungsoo cut him off, and gave Jongin an offended frown and a glare. "I had actually seen someone get hit, and pardon me for trying not to let the same happen to you!"

Jongin perked his ears up at those words. His chocolate coloured eyes instantly sparkled with interest. What could be more interesting for an eighteen year old than car accidents?

"Someone? Have you seen a car hit a person? When? Who? Did you know him?!"

"N-not necessarily a person.." Kyungsoo murmured in response, embarassed. His pale ears slowly started turning beet red, and milky cheeks followed close behind. Kyungsoo was clearly regretting the whole conversation now.

"It doesn't change the point, Jongin ah. You should be more careful beside the road."

 Jongin was suddenly having a hard time, trying not to give in to the urge to pull Kyungsoo into his arms, and squish the life out of the smaller boy. God, embarassed Kyungsoo was just too much to handle.

Can you stop being so damn perfectly adorable?!, Jongin asked in his mind, fingers curling into fists as he fought his urges.

"What was it then? A bird?" he asked ironically, and then pretended to heave a sigh. "Seriously, prez. You're freaking out at me now because you once saw a bird getting run over."

As if deciding whether to kill Jongin or not, Kyungsoo just looked away from him.

"Well, that can be considered as a trauma. Poor little birdie, I guess. You feeling okay there, prez?"

"It wasn't a bird." Kyungsoo grumbled irately under his nose in response, and crossed his arms on his chest, not intenting to say another word.

Jongin didn't deserve it.

Well of course, excuse Kyungsoo for worrying over the guy's life. He won't do such a mistake again. He will just continue walking to school, and if Jongin gets hit by a car while playing stupid games, so be it, when was that any of his business? Let the fool have it his way!

Being observant as he was, Jongin could read them all, the thoughts the smaller was having now. He could see the obvious anger, and serious irritation. But the little flinchs Kyungsoo made everytime he, Jongin, seemed to move strangely, or lose his balance on the spur of the moment also spoke volumes. So did the way his big eyes watched every passing car with fear, and how his fingers curled nervously, when he felt the urge to pull Jongin away from the road.

And all those little things he did, made Jongin's heart pound in the cage of this ribs.

Because every little thing Kyungsoo did to worry over him showed that he cared. He cared whether Jongin was okay, if he was safe, and most importantly, he wanted him to be safe. For Kyungsoo, Jongin was important.

"Poor prez's cat." Jongin murmured, at the same time trying hard to hide the affectionate smile, that was threathening to slip out uninvited. He even had to turn away.

He was trying to get used to it. Teasing Kyungsoo instead of showing him affection. It was difficult, but there was no other way around it.

He was just that hopelessly in love.

Yet Kyungsoo was now ignoring him. 

"Prez.." Jongin poked Kyungsoo's side, noting the slight frown the latter carried on his face. "Don't be mad, prez. Let's remember your cat with gratefulness, shall we? It lived a good life after all."

"How would you know?" Kyungsoo pursed his lips irately, still refusing to look at the taller. "You never met it."

"Well, any pet who has the happiness to live with you just had to have a good life." Jongin reasoned matter-off-factly, and looked up at the sky. "I bet it's having a blast now in heaven, chasing mice and hating on cars from above. Right?"

"You're never serious."

"That's one of my many charms."

Giving up, Kyungsoo shook his head, and continued walking. He wasn't going to give in to Jongin that easily. The taller was clearly trying to get on his nerves (like he constantly was), and Kyungsoo wasn't going to give him the joy of succeeding this time. It was a match, and he was going to be the winner.

So he decided to ignore him again. Jongin hated being ignored. And that was a way for Kyungsoo to get back at him.

"Prez."

Ignored.

"Prez, don't be childish."

Still totally ignored.

"You asked for it."

What?

Kyungsoo turned to see what Jongin had in mind by that, and that was when he found the taller much closer than he was a second before. Jongin was bending his knees in front of him, and giving him a mischievous smirk.

"What are you doing?"

"You're too late."

Like a hawk, Jongin dove for Kyungsoo's waist, and s his both arms around the boy's sides to lift him up. Caught unexpectedly, Kyungsoo let out a tiny squeal as he was suddenly lifted by his waist into the air. He almost screamed when Jongin started walking with him lifted, as if he was just carrying a baby he just took out from the crib. Totally relaxed.

Automatically, Kyungsoo wrapped his arms tightly around the taller's neck in nervousness, and then pleaded:

"Put me down, Jongin, please."

"Nuh-uh." Jongin chuckled as he lifted Kyungsoo a little bit more and left him standing on the sidewalk jersey barrier. "You've never walked on the side barrier before, right? Well, it's time to try this out."

"Don't be an idiot, Jongin ah." Kyungsoo shooks his head, and turned to get off. "I'm getting down, please move."

He was standing on that barrier (that was not beside the actual street, but separating the sidewalk from the bicycle road), and feeling like every passenger was staring at him judgingly. Some actually were. Kyungsoo was no way amused and utterly embarassed with that thought, but Jongin, on the other hand, certainly was enjoying it. He was still standing right in front of him, and not letting the smaller boy get off of the barrier by any means.

Teasing Kyungsoo was fun.

"I'm afraid that the only way down is jumping into my arms, prez." Jongin said playfully as he opened his arms, with a cheeky grin plastered onto his lips.

"Aren't you in big trouble now."

Kyungsoo's cheeks turned pink instantly, only thinking about doing something like that. In the middle of the street. With people watching.

No, he wasn't going to.

Absolutely not.

"Jongin ah." he whined. "We're going to be late for school."

Jongin just opened his arms wider, and quirked his eyebrow in response.

Of course, he was one hundred percent sure Kyungsoo will never jump. That was not something the boy could do. Never in a million years. He will just have to continue walking on the jersey, and after some time, Jongin will kindly let him get off. But only after he gets all the satisfaction possible from making Kyungsoo mad and embarassed.

Actually, Kyungsoo thought about that, but then again, time was ticking quickly. And the first lesson was math. Math was his favourite subject.

"Just catch me, okay?" he asked silently, and Jongin's eyes widened. 

"Wait, prez-"

One second, Kyungsoo was on the barrier, and on the other, he was in Jongin's arms.  His own palms wrapped tightly around the taller's neck. He was clutching onto Jongin so tightly, that Jongin unconsciously wrapped his arms around him in response. Kyungsoo was so small, so light. Jongin could feel heat and cold wash over him as he held him, his crush, and the thoughts in his head were suddenly all gone.

It was just fastened heart beats, ringing in his ears, deafening and great like a thousand heavy drums. 

After a moment, that felt like an eternity, Kyungsoo squirmed in his arms, and Jongin got that as a signal the boy wanted to stand on his own two feet. He relunctantly loosened his hold on him, and bent slightly. A little unwilling to let go, Jongin let the boy touch the ground safely. And when Kyungsoo was standing on the ground firmly, Jongin took an unhappy step backwards.

His arms felt really empty.

"Uhm..." Kyungsoo's cheeks were coloured in the brightest pink, as he once again fixed his backpack straps nervously. 

"L-let's go." Jongin ushered, and turned away, hiding his face from Kyungsoo.

To be honest, he was also flustered by what just happened. He never, never in a million years expected Kyungsoo to actually jump. But he did.

They walked all the way till the school in an awkward silence, both slightly blushing at the memory of what happened in between them minutes ago. Differently from the embarassed smaller, by the end of the walk Jongin was actually starting to smile, thinking about how Kyungsoo trusted him to catch him and not let him fall. That meant he had trust in him, right? And all love starts with trust.

So Jongin's mood was quite cheery as the two of them stepped into the school yard. 

"Do Kyungsoo?" 

Not for long.

"Y-yes?" Kyungsoo answered the good looking blond guy, flustered. 

Who was he? Strangers rarely talked to Kyungsoo, and not to mention that even Jongin had never seen this guy before. Yet he was standing in front of them, with his uniform jacket thrown over his elbow cooly, and was giving Kyungsoo the strangest stare ever.

Jongin took a step backwards, ready to step in between the blond and Kyungsoo. 

"You're the class' 4B president?" the blond guy asked, now smiling.

Jongin hated him already.

"Y-yes?" Kyungsoo answered, or more like questioned. "W-who?.."

"Oh, sorry, I forgot." the guy chuckled, and reached out his hand for a handshake. "I'm Im Jaebum. President of the class 4A. It's nice to meet you, Kyungsoo."

Jongin took out his bottle of water, and observed the blond shake hands with Kyungsoo like a suspicious hawk. 

"I'm Do Kyungsoo, president of class 4B." Kyungsoo introduced himself, taking Jaebum's hand politely. "It's nice to meet you too."

As soon as the introductions were over, Kyungsoo seemed to wish to take his hand back, but the blond was having none of it.

"You know, when I was looking for you, everybody said that you're.." Jaebum shook his head with a chuckle, still holding onto Kyungsoo's tiny palm. "..ugly?"

Jongin's eyes widened.

"Nobody told me I was actually going to meet a little angel look-alike." the blond smi