Work Text:
Sehun never quite understood people who romanticized their commute. Going from their home to their school and back, and later in life, from home to their jobs and back. To be fair, Sehun lived at the outskirts of his town and experience had told him that the time spent in the bus trying and many times failing to sleep a bit more, or studying, or going through the tasks he would have to complete during the day, would never be one hundred percent exploited. It irked him, to waste it so much.
And then, he met Junmyeon.
It took them a few days to notice each other, and it had been Sehun the one that saw him first. They both got off in one of the last stops of the route and not a lot of people would and how couldn’t he notice him? When Junmyeon’s bright face stood up so obviously and beautifully against the dull grey of the city that welcomed them every day.
The day after he first saw him something deep inside him hoped to see him again, and when he did, waiting in line to get on the bus, hair moving softly with the winter wind, red cheeks fighting the cold, Sehun started to understand a little bit more the romantic glasses people wore around commuting.
«cotton» you coming?
«you» mhm
«you» same bus as usual
«you» where are u
«cotton» good. i made snacks for you
«cotton» i was locking the door. almots got my finger crushed.
«you» lol
«cotton» hey!
«cotton» no snacks for you then
There was something understatedly but distintively hard about getting up the steps of a bus, Junmyeon thought. He’d had so many slipping incidents that he was a bit terrefied of it even. But practice makes perfect and unexpectedly, he had found a willing hand to help him up if needed.
Sehun had asked about it a month into their first meeting. Why is he always looking down when he gets on, why is he bitting his lip, why does he look so focused on his feet. Junmyeon laughed at the way genuine curiosity laced Sehun’s voice, head thrown back and hand covering his mouth, and then laughed harder still when Sehun’s face scrunched in confusion at his reaction.
Sehun’s hand found his sleeve and pulled him down, tried to gently quiet him down in the process, looking everywhere to see if their fellow night commuters were sending them death glares. He politely bowed a couple times to people who were looking at them and threw his arm around Junmyeon to bring him close and keep his stiffling chuckles down.
Junmyeon couldn’t help hiding his face on Sehun’s neck, still smiling. Still thanking the heavens for sending him this particular helping hand.
«hunhun» i liked today’s cookies btw i forgot to tell you earlier
«you» yeah?
«you» you should. i made them with love
«hunhun» so all the others…
«you» were also made with love
«hunhun» of course
«you» of course
«hunhun» so what changed then
«you» you can be so annoying sometimes
«hunhun» hahahaha
«hunhun» just say your improv skills are not uo to par, hyung
«hunhun» up*
«hunhun» hyung?
«hunhun» :(
«you» shush
«you» /)/)
( . .)
( づ🍪
Sehun had learned, with time, to enjoy his time going from point A to point B on a bus. He eventually came to the realization that he didn’t have to use that time for anything “productive”, didn’t need to be efficient or effective in any way other that arriving safely to his destination.
He had learned to let the journey slide along his skin and look out of the windows to give a small nod and pressed-lips smile to strangers that were also going through the motions.
He learned that by himself. Almost. He’d had help, in the shape of a man scared of the steps of the bus but who would always be willing to double the recipe of everything just to share his snacks.
With Junmyeon by his side, head on his shoulder and the street lights going by, Sehun finally understood why people sometimes loved their commute.
«cotton» lmk when you’re home
«cotton» sehun
«you» im home
«cotton» don’t take that long to answer next time, sehunie
«you» sorry, i got distracted
«cotton» i noticed. you didn’t tease me when i mispronounced aluminum
«cotton ♡» everything okay?
«you» yeah
«you» everything okay, myeonie
«cotton ♡» oh
«you» ❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎