𝗕𝘂𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽. 🚏 sunki

👥 he? - 𝘊𝘏. 07

"𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦."

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

The next morning, Sunoo woke to find Seol-ya sprawled out across his bed, fast asleep, while Luni nestled comfortably on her pillow. The sight made him smile. The rare treat of having his sister visit reminded him just how much he missed these easy moments of laughter and comfort. 

Careful not to wake them, he moved quietly as he got ready for the day. After grabbing a quick breakfast, he scribbled a note and left it on the table: 

"Thanks for staying over! Hope you didn't have too many nightmares from the movies. Text me later!"

At the bus stop, the brisk morning air bit at his cheeks. He tucked his hands into his jacket pockets, hoping the bus wouldn't take too long. His thoughts wandered to last night's conversation. Seol-ya's words had lingered longer than he expected, her teasing tone laced with just enough truth to make him wonder. 

He was about to check his phone when movement caught his eye. Turning, he spotted a familiar figure walking up the street. Riki. 

Sunoo's heart did a little flip as Riki approached, his AirPods in, his backpack slung over one shoulder, exuding his usual effortless confidence. A slight grin tugged at Riki's lips when their eyes met. 

"Fancy seeing you here," Riki said, pulling out one earbud. 

"Seems like the universe has a schedule for us," Sunoo replied with a chuckle, his breath visible in the cold air. "Car still in the shop?" 

"Yeah," Riki replied with a sigh. "They said it'll be ready tomorrow, though. Guess this is one of my last 'bus bonding' sessions." 

Sunoo's smile faltered just slightly, disappointment flickering in his chest. "Well, enjoy it while you can, I guess." 

They boarded the bus together and slid into a spot near the back. As the bus started to move, Riki turned to Sunoo, tilting his head slightly. "So, what did you get up to last night? You look... happier than usual." 

Sunoo bit his lip, trying not to read too much into Riki's comment. "Actually, my sister surprised me with a visit. We had a little sleepover and stayed up watching horror movies." 

"A sleepover?" Riki raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Thought that was more of a kid thing." 

"Guess we're just close like that," Sunoo said with a shrug, trying to play it off. "She's four years older, but we've always been tight." 

"That's cool," Riki said thoughtfully. "I've got two sisters myself, but they're more into tormenting me than hanging out." 

Sunoo laughed, the image of Riki being bossed around by his sisters popping into his head. "I get that. Seol-ya and I still have our moments. She acts like my second mom sometimes." 

"So," Riki said, his tone light but teasing, "did your sister give you any life advice last night? Or was it all just horror movies and junk food?" 

Sunoo hesitated, his cheeks warming at the memory. "Well... she did ask if I'd found anyone special." 

Riki's eyebrows rose, genuine interest flickering in his eyes. "And?" 

Sunoo shrugged, trying to keep his tone casual. "I told her there's someone who's caught my eye. But I don't even know if he feels the same way." 

Riki went quiet for a moment, his expression shifting into something unreadable. "Oh, a 'he,' huh?" he said softly, his gaze locking onto Sunoo's face. 

Sunoo's heart stuttered, panic bubbling beneath his skin. Did I just say too much? He cleared his throat, looking away. "Yeah. I mean, it's not a big deal. Just... complicated." 

Riki stayed quiet long enough for Sunoo to glance back at him. When he finally spoke, his voice was gentle. "Complicated or not, it sounds like you should see where it goes." 

Sunoo blinked, surprised by the unexpected sincerity in Riki's tone. "You think so?" 

Riki's grin returned, playful but with a glimmer of something deeper in his eyes. "You'll never know if you don't try, right?" 

Before Sunoo could respond, the bus came to a halt at their stop. They stepped off together, the morning sun breaking through the clouds as they walked toward campus. 

They reached the entrance to Sunoo's building, and Riki gave him a casual nod. "Guess I'll see you around." 

"Yeah, see you," Sunoo replied, warmth spreading through his chest as Riki turned and walked away. 

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Even during Design Fundamentals, where he usually got lost in his sketches, his thoughts kept drifting back to that brief but charged moment on the bus. Riki's words, his tone, the way his eyes softened—it all played on a loop in Sunoo's mind. 

Later, as he made his way back to the bus stop, he found himself scanning the crowd, hoping—just maybe—that Riki would still be there, AirPods in, waiting.