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“I swear,” muttered Sian. “Nine never goes on patrol when it’s his turn.”
“Let it go, Sian.” You moved your arm in a slow arc, the flashlight you held illuminating the dark corners of the hallway.
“I’m just saying, why should the manager go on patrol? Isn’t this a r-eep!”
He jumped mid-sentence, and you flicked your beam in his direction. The light fell harshly onto a rolled-up sock, sitting perfectly still against the school lockers. You glanced back at Sian, raising an eyebrow at the flustered boy.
“I-I thought it was a rat, okay?!” He glowered at you for a moment before huffing and continuing the patrol. You smiled to yourself, watching the white of his hair bob as he stormed ahead.
You jogged to catch up to him, noting how he refused to look in your direction..
“You’re so jumpy, Sian.” You reached out a finger to tug at the cuff of his sleeve. “Would you feel safer if I held your hand?”
He stammered in response as his face turned red. His eyes narrowed, turning his cute expression into a glare.
“As if!”
The two of you continued in silence. With it being so early into the patrol, you didn’t want to ruffle Sian too much, too soon. You periodically glanced at the ex-idol, eyes roaming his shoulders and side profile. At the beginning of the patrol he was so tense his ears almost touched his shoulders; now, you were relieved to see them sit at their normal height. The flush on his face had slightly faded since you poked fun, yet you couldn’t help but notice how he chewed on his bottom lip.
As you dragged your gaze back up to his, Sian looked back at you. His eyes grew wide, and you opened your mouth to speak as he began his usual bluff.
“Hey! How long have you been staring at me?” he huffed, turning towards you.
You felt completely caught-in-the-act, heat rushing to your face. Your lips remained parted yet no words exited your mouth. You watched as Sian faced you, his expression heated and stance confrontational.
It happened in slow motion-- he lifted his foot to move towards you, while his other firmly held down his shoelaces. The resulting tug was enough to destabilize Sian, and the white-haired boy tumbled towards you, his expression pure panic.
You moved to take a step back, but not before Sian fell into you, sending you both crashing to the floor. It hurt less than you expected. As you opened your eyes, you realized Sian had managed to keep his face from colliding with yours. His face hovered just inches from yours, and the panicked expression from earlier remained, now complemented by the deep blush you had seen earlier.
He stammered as he tried to untangle himself from you, eyes darting everywhere but never meeting your own.
In a moment of bravery you slipped your hand below his ear, gently but swiftly guiding his face to yours. He immediately shut up, and you could feel the heat from his blushing on your face. It was barely a second before he kissed back and you could feel him shifting closer. His lips tasted faintly of fruit, and you recalled the gummies he had been snacking on earlier.
When the kiss broke, neither of you spoke. Sian immediately wiped at his mouth, trying in vain to hide the grin quickly spreading on his face. It made you smile too, and you took the hand he offered as you both picked yourselves up off the floor.
You retrieved your flashlight, and turned back to Sian. He watched as you approached, sliding his free hand into yours.
“Had a change of heart?” you laughed, giving it a squeeze. He smiled and aimed his flashlight back down the hallway.
“Something like that.”