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It’s always cold in the mornings. Even if he holds a sky blue thermo with warm coffee in his hands, for Lan Zhan mornings are always cold as he waits for his bus at the stop.
That is until, in the crowd of people pulling and pushing to ride in he catches sight of the most beautiful smile he has ever seen.
He has never felt warmer.
It is strange, for he usually is not one to give a second glance to people unless he is directly addressed. It is not that he is not a caring person of other people’s concerns but, in the aspect of minding his own business and not being a very easygoing person when it comes to socializing, well… Yes, he is not one to persist in being curious about another person he has crossed paths with.
Nevertheless, this one person … Bizarrely has struck his heart with the force of an arrow, and Lan Zhan has absolutely no clue what to make of it.
As this comes to mind to him, he takes his usual seat on the bus and, as if the universe were beginning to take some kind of pity on his newly born crisis, the man of the beautiful smile sits right to his side.
He freezes, of course, since he is a complete disaster when it comes to seeming a welcoming person. People usually avoid him for that exact fact and, for some God-only-knows-reason, he really does not want to come off as cold in front of this man. It’s the first time he has ever felt this way– nervous and with a light fluttering heart. He feels a bit of sweat on the back of his neck, a heating sensation on the tip of his ears and he just cannot hold back from looking slightly to his side.
The man is putting on his earphones, a red hood over his head. This does nothing to hide his too handsome features, much less his lazy but genuine smile as he chooses a song on his phone’s playlist.
Lan Zhan should stop looking.
Pretty , he thinks; before glimmering, grey eyes stare back at him.
And then that smile is given to him and Lan Zhan thinks he might be in love, no matter how ridiculous or shameless that sounds.
But, as predicted, Lan Zhan fucks up, and he’s not one to curse but this situation merits it for he, instead of smiling back even the littlest of smiles, scowls and looks away and out the window.
It pains him, how he ruined whatever that wonderful smile meant.
A few minutes later of murmuring background conversations and three stops, he risks a sidelong glance towards the man, finding him reading a comic book. For a passing second, Lan Zhan wanted to be that comic book.
At least that way he would make the man smile, even if it’s just once.
+
The next day, a cold morning once again, Lan Zhan arrives a bit late to the bus stop; just right when everyone else is boarding. His usual seat is available but for a business man already sitting by the window. Lan Zhan’s heart does this weird… deflating thing, not even aware of having his hopes up to see someone else there.
The bus begins to move, the engines making a soft purr, when a red hood two seats up front on the other side of the bus catches his eye. Then, the owner of said hood turns around just a little and meets eyes with him. Just for a second. Barely.
The man smiles, warm and sweet and Lan Zhan thinks he forgot how to breathe.
After a moment, the man looks away, scratches the back of his neck. Lan Zhan feels a bit dizzy, and finally sighs the breath he’d been holding. The bus stops at a red light and he blinks. Twice, for measure. The man is still sitting up front, slightly in a diagonal position in the corner of the seat. Lan Zhan thinks he catches him looking back, but then when he glances again, the man is sitting straight as a log.
A blush smears Lan Zhan’s ears, a light wave of warmth washing over his heart.
He doesn’t notice the small curve formed on the corner of his mouth.
+
After that day, Lan Zhan finds himself entangled with that man in every step he takes.
It is something silly, truly, for a person like him to think about love at first sight. But then again, it is hard to find an explanation for this.
For the way his heart skips two beats when he crossed paths with the man exiting a cafe, or the way he always makes him look back after they step out of the bus. An explanation for him always searching in a crowd for a sight of a sunlit smile calling for him. What else could explain this if it’s not love?
It's just like that, always close to touching the end of the string but too of a coward to take the final, and only step, that could change everything.
But… it is alright, Lan Zhan thinks, as he meets eyes again with the man.
It’s been two weeks without missing a day where they don’t glance at each other. A smile, gentle and breathtaking from the man and, what Lan Zhan hopes to be the softest of stares he can muster, from himself.
There are no murmuring conversations, no purr of engines nor passing cars.
It’s just them and even in the silence of their thoughts, the exchange of glances and unspoken words, it’s still warm.
It’s still warm this way, Lan Zhan thinks.
Like a cup of coffee on a rainy day.
+
Lan Zhan usually gets off work pretty early. Being a Chinese professor at a South Korean university is a comfortable position for his routine and daily life, besides the fact that he enjoys it quite a lot. However, there are times when he simply needs to stay afterworks to offer students some guidance or attend a faculty meeting and the sort.
Coincidentally, today is one of those evenings.
He arrives right before the bus takes leave. In the midst of his hurried chase for the closing doors, he misses grey eyes inside the bus following behind him.
A bit breathless, Lan Zhan is able to pay and take his usual seat.
After a moment, his eyes land on a yellow sticky-note pasted on the back of the seat in front of him.
He picks it up gently, squeezing his eyes a little to read for he forgot his glasses back in his office.
“안녕!” the note reads.
“Hello…?” Lan Zhan mouths as he reads in silence.
Then he looks to his side, quickly enough to get a whisplash and he is sure, pretty fucking sure, his heart could have beaten out of his chest right then because…
Looking at him, right at the seat on his left at the other side of the bus, is the man that has made Lan Zhan’s heart and head an absolute mess.
Lan Zhan is speechless as the man raises a hand and waves gently, a grin breaking out on his— Heavens — too beautiful face. There’s a pause in time, Lan Zhan knows. It feels as if that one step needed has finally been taken and he cannot help the slight pull at the corner of his lips as he raises his hand ever so slightly and waves back.
And, as the man laughs in response, Lan Zhan realizes that the ride on this bus has barely begun.
+
“Lan Zhan!”
The loud voice echoes along the crowded seats, reaching Lan Zhan’s heart like a soft kiss. He looks up, searching for a loose bun and sleep deprived yet lovely grey eyes.
He sighs as he sees the man walking over to sit beside him.
“Wei Ying,” he replies in admonishment— though it comes out too enamored-ly soft to seem so. “Did you lose sleep again?”
Wei Ying slumps on the seat, pouts and looks at Lan Zhan’s eyes. The latter swallows for he knows what’s about to come and how he is, unmistakably— and almost embarrassingly— weak to it.
“I’m sorry, Lan Zhan,” Wei Ying whines gently as he moves closer to Lan Zhan’s side. He shyly grabs Lan Zhan’s hand on his before resting his chin on Lan Zhan’s shoulder. He blinks, looking like a small and fluffy bunny, says, “It was just this once, okay? I really needed to finish it since… well, today’s the deadline you know?”
Lan Zhan breathes in. It takes quite the effort when Wei Ying is nuzzling his jaw like that .
“Wei Ying,” he manages. “Stop. Distracting me.”
This makes him perk up, “Oh? Lan Zhan? How could you think I’m doing such a thing? I could never!”
And he smirks, holding back a giggle. He looks so pretty, with flushed cheeks grazed by the cold breeze and his hair left just as he got out of bed and a smile that could melt snow to spring…
And Lan Zhan is just a weak man.
“I… Will let it go. Just this once,” Wei Ying grins at his words. “But, if it happens again, I will personally organize a schedule with proper meal and sleep hours, healthy food choices and no caffeine for an entire month.”
Wei Ying nods enthusiastically, pulling Lan Zhan closer to his warmth to peck him on the cheek, “Okay, okay! It’s a deal, Lan Zhan!”
“Mn. Please… take care of yourself.”
“But why would I do that when I have you? Won’t you take care of little, poor me?”
This is not unusual—a daily banter between the two, something familiar and… warm. Like a cozy blanket being pulled over on a rainy morning when all there is it’s all the time in the world and kisses and laughter.
It has been quite some time since it came to this. The most precious time in Lan Zhan’s life. He still keeps safely tucked in his wallet the note Wei Ying gave him when they finally talked the first time, and still remembers with a fluttering heart their first exchange.
“I’m Wei Ying. Sorry, I’m still… learning Korean…”
Lan Zhan’s ears were about to burn out, “It is alright. I speak Chinese.”
Wei Ying had brightened like a star, “Wait, you do!? Hahaha that’s a relief!” He laughed. Lan Zhan died a little. “I wasn’t sure… you seemed Chinese but… so I wrote hello in Korean just in case and…”
He rambled on and on and it was the most adorable thing Lan Zhan had ever seen.
“Ah, sorry I’m not making any sense. I suppose the only thing I really want to say, and wow did I do research for it in case I had to do it in a Korean way hahaha but yeah please go out with me?”
Lan Zhan had wanted to kiss his blushing cheeks, “I would… really like that.”
The bus is still on the move. Wei Ying’s hand in his is a warm and true reassurance. His mischief sparkling eyes are so pretty and his entire existence is Lan Zhan’s entire world.
Lan Zhan likes him so much.
He then replies, tenderly brushing his messy hair off his face, “Mn. Will take care of Wei Ying. Always.”
As long as Wei Ying wants him to, he will ride on this bus for the rest of his life.