Mina scooted one seat over, for the same girl every time, in a dimly lit bus under dimly lit stars,  just like she did every night. The girl only nodded a thanks as she set her bag down in the aisle, hair tousled in clumps that stuck to multiple parts of her coat and eyes dangerously hooded as sleep threatened to take her.

Mina never looked too long, in fear of being caught, but tonight, she let her gaze linger just a little longer on this beautiful woman. (Her name was Sana. They shared some friends, and they knew of the other, but that was about it.) They never talked, but they weren't strangers, either, sharing some sort of silent bond over their late-night bus rides back to their dorms.

In the back of her mind, it was always something Mina looked forward to at the end of her day, a constant she knew she could rely on to keep her sane as her work grew heavier and the year grew longer.

The trip wasn't long, fifteen minutes at most, but with the calming music playing through her headphones, the flashing lights of cars and family-owned shops, and the mere presence of Sana sitting peacefully beside her, time flew. (Some days, Mina wished it didn't.)

Their stop had arrived, and just like clockwork, the pair picked up their bags and exited the bus. At the bottom of the steps, they both shot the other a fleeting smile before they headed their separate ways.

And just like always, the smile stayed on both their faces for the rest of their journey.

 

---

 

Mina frowned when the doors hissed closed without the entrance of a certain someone. Before it was out of view, her neck craned back in time to catch a glimpse of an empty bench at a familiar stop.

The ride back was the way it always was, same music, same scenery—except this time she stayed on the outer seat, and this time there wasn't the same girl sitting beside her, just like she did every night.

Time didn't fly that night. Instead, it felt like an hour until her feet finally hit the pavement and she was off on her own, finding herself missing the smile that never failed to send her off (until then, at least).

 

---

 

The next time they saw each other was the first time they ever spoke.

"I missed you the other day," Mina casually remarked as she naturally moved one seat over.

And to that, Sana's jaw dropped, seemingly too shocked at the very sudden and very new conversation to reply within a reasonable timeframe. "Uh, yeah, me too," was all she managed to say before blinking her eyes hard and clearing . "Sorry about that," she tried again, "I got caught up in a project."

Mina waved her hands dismissively. "No need to apologize. It just felt weird not sitting next to you that night."

"Yeah," Sana chuckled, "it felt weird for me too."

Their words stopped at that, and Mina allowed her music to drown out the rest of the sound and her head to turn to the window side. But as they passed, the songs never fully registered, and neither did the car lights or family-owned shops. Too caught up in her thoughts, Mina couldn't drink in anything except the girl she was staring at through the window's reflection.

Sana looked so tired, Mina felt the urge to do something to make the ride back a little easier on her. But when nothing sprung to mind, Mina sighed and pushed the task aside for another night.

And just like clockwork, at the screech of worn out tires in a familiar street, they picked up their bags and exited the bus.

Except this time, in addition to their fleeting smiles, Sana also whispered a fleeting "Goodnight" before turning her separate way. Mina whispered a "Goodnight" back, but she was too quiet, and her words got swept away in the wind before Sana could catch them.

 

---

 

"Hey," Sana greeted with a tired smile, setting her bag down and taking her spot on the outer seat.

"Hey," Mina greeted back, taking note of the way Sana's body slumped down with almost no resistance. "Long day?"

"Yeah," Sana chuckled, her response matching up with the start of the bus.

There was a brief pause before Mina let her thoughts speak faster than her brain. "Wanna take a quick nap then?" she blurted.

Sana raised an eyebrow at that, to which Mina hastily continued before Sana could deny it.

"I'll wake you up at our stop," Mina sheepishly offered, before shyly raising her hand. "Pinky promise."

Sana could only laugh an endearing "Okay" as she linked her pinky with Mina's.

Not even a minute had passed before Sana's eyes closed. Not even two minutes had passed before Sana's breathing steadied. And not even three minutes had passed before Sana's head had found its rightful place on Mina's shoulder.

Mina held her breath at the sudden weight, unsure of what else to do except remain as still as possible so as to not wake Sana up.

Looking down at the peaceful girl asleep on her shoulder, Mina sighed, equal parts excited and anxious as to what exactly she had gotten herself into. She didn't dwell on it for too long, though, not when, despite her messy hair and little snores, Sana perfectly embodied the word 'angel', and not when that was all Mina could think about.

This was one of the nights Mina wished time didn't fly by. But, like all good things in the world did, the moment came to an end when the bus turned the corner of their street.

Carefully, gently, Mina used her free hand to tap Sana awake. Sana whined, and Mina felt her heart warm at the sight.

Once more, carefully, gently, Mina tapped Sana awake.

"Sana, wake up. We're here," she whispered.

In a daze, Sana slowly lifted her head off Mina's shoulder, taking a couple of seconds to blink her eyes open before they widened in surprise, her neck whipping to see where she had just risen from.

"Oh my God," Sana gasped, a rosy tint automatically filling her cheeks at the realization. "I'm so sorry," she apologized. "You could've woken me up."

Mina smiled, in all honesty missing Sana's warmth a little. "It's okay. You were tired, I get it."

Sana's blush stayed where it was, but a smile soon grew to accompany it. "Thank you."

"No problem."

When the bus ground to a halt, they grabbed their bags and headed off.

At their usual parting, Sana flashed one more smile and another fleeting, "Goodnight, Mina."

"You too, Sana," Mina said, and this time, Sana caught it, before they both turned and walked their separate ways.

And just like always, a smile graced their hearts the entire journey back.

 

---

 

"Do you mind if I sit on the inside this time?" Sana asked as Mina began to move over.

Dropping her bag back onto the aisle, Mina shrugged and tucked her legs aside, making room for Sana to squeeze into the window seat.

Mina didn't think much of the request, just turned her head to the opposite window to stare at different car lights and family-owned shops. Her headphones were in snug as Mina rested her eyes for a bit. The music played softly, just loud enough to hear the beat of the songs and the hum of the bus at the same time.

The sudden clacking almost jolted Mina out of her seat. When she turned her head, she winced to see Sana's head bouncing against the window in a supposed attempt to fall asleep. Mina sighed, internally chiding the girl. That's why she wanted the window seat.

Sympathetic to her, and without any better solution, Mina reached over and softly guided Sana's head away from the glass and onto her shoulder, just like before. Mina didn't know if Sana was awake (she had to be, though, no one could fall asleep against a bus window), but Sana didn't say anything, so Mina left them like that.

Sana did, however, scooch (if only an inch) closer into Mina's side, unknowingly leaving a smile on both their faces.

And just to her luck, time didn't fly by that night.

 

---

 

Mina came prepared the next night.

"What's that?" Sana raised a brow as she set her bag in the aisle, back to her seat on the outer edge.

"It's a neck pillow," Mina smiled, neatly placing the cushion on Sana's lap.

Sana held the pillow tightly, a blush creeping its way up her cheeks as she looked down shyly. "I'm sorry I fell asleep on you again. I'll stay awake today, I promise—pinky promise."

She extended her pinky, but Mina kindly pushed her hand back down.

"It's not that, silly," Mina soothed. "You look really cute when you sleep. It's just that, my shoulder gets a little sore when you lean on it for too long," she confessed, now wearing a shade of red that matched Sana's. "So I got you a pillow."

Sana eagerly wrapped the pillow around her neck, feeling giddy despite the fatigue that wracked her body. Giddy, because the pillow had the most adorable penguin design she had ever seen, because Mina was just so thoughtful and understanding, and because Mina called her cute. She didn't let her emotions show, though, afraid of embarrassing herself even more.

But Mina didn't seem to mind, not with how equally giddy she got when Sana gushed over how much she loved the cushion.

"Go to sleep now, Sana," Mina urged. "I'll wake you up at our stop."

"Pinky promise?" Sana quirked, extending her pinky once more.

Mina chuckled. "Pinky promise," she said, linking their pinkies together as their hands fell down in sync (their pinkies never quite letting go of the other's).

(Sana closed her eyes, but she didn't fall asleep that night. And yet, somehow, even with the pillow, her head still ended up on Mina's shoulder. Neither complained, though, not when the shared warmth brought huge smiles to both of them.)

And just like that, they were walking down the steps of the bus, Mina's pillow still tightly secured around Sana's neck.

"Thanks again for the pillow, Mina," Sana said. "I'll make sure to pay you back."

"You don't need to do that," Mina replied.

"I know. I want to," Sana winked, and then she was off on her own. "Goodnight Mina."

"Goodnight Sana."

And even more so than normal, Mina found herself looking forward to the next night with a dumb smile plastered on her face for the rest of her trip.

 

---

 

Sana repaid her with a bag of candies, an act that was just so Sana that Mina couldn't contain her amused laughter.

For the first time in a while, Sana stayed awake to share the star candies with Mina, sitting comfortably in a dimly lit bus under dimly lit stars.

(Sana considered staying awake more often after that night.)

 

---

 

The next night, it was Mina who looked like absolute hell (not that Sana could ever look bad, of course, or Mina for that matter).

Sana raised her brow when Mina all but fell into the window seat as she made room for Sana.

"Long day?" Sana echoed, amused.

Mina's eyes were barely open, and all she could offer was a weak grunt of affirmation.

Sana ached at the sight, and before she knew it, she had wrapped a familiar penguin pillow around Mina's slumped neck.

Smiling at the gesture, and perhaps taken over by her dazed conscious, Mina lifted her head and plopped it determinedly on Sana's shoulder, a content sigh leaving her lips as she did so.

Heart skipping a beat, Sana smiled to herself as she took this time to truly appreciate Mina's beauty, messy hair and all aside. Almost always being the one asleep, she never really got the chance to look at the girl (not that she had the guts to do so when she was awake, anyway).

But that night, Sana felt a certain kind of warmth spread through her body, a sensation that brought along sparkly tingles, from the bottom of her heart to the tip of her toes. Mina was beautiful, anyone could see that. She wished she'd seen it sooner.

Distractingly gorgeous as Mina was, though, Sana was still as tired as ever, and the small detail that both of them falling asleep was a bad idea completely slipped her mind as her head leaned easily against Mina's, her eyes giving way to sweet dreams and her heart giving way to sweet hopes.

(Sana dreamed of star candies and penguin pillows, lying on a field of flowers as she stared at the twinkles in the sky. And she wasn't alone, either.

Mina had her own bag of star cadies, her own penguin neck pillow, and her very own set of twinkles that lived in her nightlike eyes.

Before she knew it, Sana was staring at Mina's starry eyes instead of the galaxy right above her. And she wouldn't have had it any other way.)

"Wake up, girls!" The shout came from far away, and Sana kept her eyes closed on the off chance that she had imagined it.

"Last stop!"

Mina jerked at that, knocking her head against Sana's hard enough to wake up both of them.

"Oh my God," Mina muttered before her hand lightly shook Sana's shoulder. "Wake up, Sana. We are… not at our stop."

Sana held her breath, embarrassed as she put two and two together.

The pair quickly grabbed their bags and exited the bus, too shameful to stay in the vehicle for any longer.

As they stood on unfamiliar ground, Mina appraised the area while Sana twiddled her thumbs.

"I'm sorry, Mina," Sana apologized. "You fell asleep, so I should've been the one to wake you up, but then I fell asleep, and now we're stranded in the middle of nowhere!" she lamented. "It's all my fault."

Mina kept her back turned, unable to contain both her blush and her laugh.

Sana pouted, looking up just in time to meet Mina's gaze. "What's so funny?" she asked.

Mina only shook her head and pointed down the street. "We're at the edge of campus, Sana. The dorms are only like, a twenty-minute walk away."

"Oh," Sana said. "Okay," she chirped, instinctively reaching over for Mina's hand as they made their way back.

When Mina reciprocated the action, Sana felt all her stress melt away, like a tempered chocolate dome over two scoops of ice cream, until only a spark of light remained. "I'm still sorry, though," she made sure to add.

Squeezing her hand, Mina dismissed it casually. "We both fell asleep, it's all good."

Sana was about to apologize once more, to further place the blame on herself for all the trouble, but Mina cut her off before she had the chance.

"Think of it as a good thing, Sana," Mina proposed. "When was the last time you looked at the stars?"

I'm looking at one right now, Sana wanted to say, but she held her tongue and said "A long time ago," instead.

"Exactly," Mina emphasized, proving her point. "So take the chance now to look at them. There are so many!" she marveled, her head craned up just to a fuller view. "Just look at them!"

Hands still laced together, feet still crossing the cement, a minute passed before Mina noticed that Sana wasn't looking at the stars with her.

Frowning, Mina met Sana's gaze. "You aren't looking at the stars," she commented.

"Don't worry, I am," was all Sana said, still staring deeply into Mina's eyes.

And just as Mina was about to argue, the words got stuck in as she realized what Sana implied, and the blush that flooded her cheeks came just as quickly. "Shut up," she mumbled.

Sana laughed at that, holding their hands a little tighter as they walked past another street.

They chatted lightly for the rest of the trip, getting to know the other past what little they had already known.

Sana was a law student, which explained why she was always so tired every night. Mina was a business student, and that day she had just presented one of her biggest projects of the semester.

Sana's favorite pastime was watching the news as she solved puzzles; Mina's was knitting scarves and hats as Sailor Moon played in the background.

Sana preferred to be outside whenever she could, while Mina always opted for the comfort of the indoors.

Sana never liked chocolatey desserts, preferred the fruitier selections over everything. Mina had a particular penchant for lemon meringue.

The conversation never ended, and before they knew it (before they liked it), they had made it to the dorms.

Mina was stubborn, though, and she truly didn't remember the last time she had talked so freely with someone else. So, just as they were about to part at their familiar bus stop, Mina kept her hand in Sana's.

"It's later than usual. Let me walk you back," Mina proposed.

In all honesty, it wasn't really that late, there were lights everywhere, and the dorms were in a private sector, but Mina really didn't want their night to end so soon, and neither did Sana. So, Sana smiled graciously.

They made it to Sana's dorm in no time, and Mina was sad to let their hands fall apart.

Sana had an idea, though. "Give me your phone."

Confused, Mina took out her phone and placed it in Sana's hand. Punching in her number, Sana returned her phone with a dazzling smile on her face.

"Text me when you get back, okay? So I know you made it back safe."

It was a simple act, but Mina swore that was the moment she felt herself fall for the girl. "I will."

"Pinky promise?" Sana asked.

"Pinky promise."

They linked pinkies, and with fleeting smiles, Mina went her separate way.

Five minutes later, she sent a text.

Mina: i made it home safe :)

Sana: :D

thank you for walking me back today,,, i would'be gotten lost if it weren't for you~

and sorry again for falling asleep :o

Mina: you're welcome~

and stop apologizing >:((

look on the bright side !! i know all your secrets now :p

Sana: hey! i know yours too :/

A minute passed.

Sana: mina? where'd you go :(

Another minute.

Mina: adfks sorry !!

i kind of fell asleep...

Sana: ah you're so cute ! :OO

okay then, time to go to sleep

goodnight, minari

Mina: minari?

Sana: it's your nickname now! what do you think?

Mina: i think it's cute

        goodnight, satang

Sana: and i think you're cuter !

see you tomorrow <3

And just like always, though maybe a little different that night, a smile stuck to their hearts for the rest of the night, kind of like star candy.

 

 

 

 

---

A/N: fluff feels good after a bunch of angst lol

also, i love referencing past fics

okay that's all i got

bye loves <3