Stay ~ A Stray Kids Fanfic

Han

Han's POV

"God damn it," Changbin mutters before going to retrieve the basketball.

I look up from my phone, pulling an earbud out as I do so. The older boy eyes me as he prepares for another shot. "You wanna play for once?" He chuckles lightly.

The ball is chucked my way. Out of panic, I set my phone aside to catch the ball. "You always sit and watch. I feel bad," he goes on while I inspect the rough exterior. The warmth from his hands still bore onto a few of the sides.

"I like watching," I croak out. I inhale a deep breath at the feeling of my heart increasing speed. "So don't feel bad." I pass the ball back to him, clasping my shaky hands and stuffing them in my lap.

He shrugs, but the guilt was still there.

'Calm down now. It's just us two,' I think, scanning the perimeter of the gym to find no one else.

Plugging my music back in, the bouncing of the ball returns as well as the song. 'You probably made him feel worse...why did you have to ruin the moment?'

My legs tighten closer together and my fingers glitch over the screen. 'Stop it,' I tell myself. 'It's okay. I can just go home once the basketball team needs the gym.'

I glance to the top corner of my screen. '10 minutes. Calm down.'

My body refuses the command the second more basketballs are heard echoing into the gym. I shoot up, Changbin cursing himself over another miss.

"Alrighty then," Changbin stretches up to the sky. Retrieving his ball, he goes over to me and ushers me to the doors. "Want me to walk you to the bus stop today?"

I jerk away from the approaching people, my heart rate skyrocketing again. "No, it's okay," I say almost breathlessly.

I hold the door open for him where we then find ourselves in the center of an empty hall. A draft seemed to be ajar, for my arms ran up and down in shivers. "See you tomorrow," I wave.

He waves back and goes the opposite direction. I wind my way through the commons before exiting into the cool, evening setting. My hood pulls up and the volume of the song increases.

I let myself inhale the fresh air to soften my pulse. It was a wonder Changbin didn't see my reaction. Sometimes it was hard to hide.

My feet take me to the bus stop illuminated by street lamps and a bench. I lean against the cool, rusting pole, whilst watching the cars drive back home. The sidewalks were scarcely littered with people, mostly teens. I recognized few, but kept my hood up to avoid any confrontation.

When the bus came into view, I straightened up and lowered my volume. The doors welcome me as they usually do and I check my student ID before moving to the back. Few people went home this late, so luckily, it was just me and a few other adults on their way home.

I took a window seat, giving my head the rest it needed. Too many tests were happening for the 3rd week of school. On top of that, I had to grow up a bit at home.

'I doubt she's even home,' I think to myself. The image of her at a bar when dinner seized to exist at home for my youngest brother chilled me.

The volume goes back up, pushing the image back with it.

Another student enters the bus just when a second runs to the side. My brows furrow in the middle at the notice of a man chasing him.

He climbs on the bus, winded, and shuffling all the way to the back. I only grow more curious when he sits beside me. "Sorry, but can you hide me real quick?" He asks, his brunette bangs damp in front of his forehead. 'How long was he running for?'

"I-" words escape as he pulls his hood up in a panic and draws the drawstrings tight. His head meets my shoulder just as the man in a dark, well-fit suit comes on board.

I jerk away at his stone-hard eyes landing on me. The bus driver, thankfully, urges him to pay as he continues scanning for the boy sleeping at my side. My heart rate subsides, though, the moment he curses himself off and back outside.

The vehicle jerks foreword, giving the boy beside me the signal to unveil himself. "Thank god," he breathes a huff of relief.

His ghost lingers on my shoulder. "Um...I'm sorry, but can you explain why-"

"Oh, my bad," he turns to face me. I got a better glimpse of his features. His face was small and fit his body well. Hazel pigmented his boba pearls, and a brush stroke of pink to his mouth. "I'm Minho. I think we take a few classes together."

'Did we?' I never recalled anyone from class except Changbin and maybe a few others with high reputations. It was hard to avoid them when everything revolved around them.

"And your name?" He asks, the silence cutting away.

"Oh," I blush, my heartbeat soaring again. Meeting people is hard, and I hate it with all I have. "Han Jisung," I chirp.

A corner of his mouth lifts in a smile. "Cute," he pets my head. I freeze in that position, my hair tingling from his touch. "I've seen you in class. I hear you get some of the best scores in our grade. That's impressive."

'Drive faster,' was all I could think before nodding my head slowly. "I suppose," I say.

"But anyways," he says, noticing my uneasiness, "that man you saw was my dad. Why was he chasing me? Well," he goes on. It felt like he was telling a children's story: so much character. "I'm on the basketball team, right? You've seen me on the court, right?" He points into my chest.

'Have I?' I couldn't remember so I shake my head. He draws back, clearly disappointed. "I'll take you to my next game. But anyways, I'm technically not allowed to play because my dad thinks I'll become a doctor when I'm older. That's not what I want at all! So when I told him-"

"Your dad won't let you play basketball?" I ask, immediately regretting the mild interruption. He takes a moment, as if to read my expression before nodding sadly. "What will he do when he finds out?"

Wrong question. Minho tensed up and leaned back, his eyes now focused on the front of the bus. The silence was penetrating, deadly. I already knew the answer to such silence. "Sorry," I muster.

He glanced back at me now twirling the headphone cord around my forefinger. "It's okay. Not your fault my dad hates everything I love."

I began shaking a bit. My hands bury themselves in my lap and I go to the window now dotted with rain. 'Damn,' I think. Good thing I was only 5 minutes away. 'Just wait 5 minutes. You can do this.'

"What're you listening to anyways?" He suddenly picks up a bud and puts it in his ear. With a tap of my screen, the upbeat music returns. His lips curve up into a smile. "I didn't know smart kid had taste."

I couldn't help but smile at that one. The grin spread evenly to the both of us before we both lean back, the sound pulling us away from reality for the five minutes we had left.