The Late Bus
Title: The Late Bus
Author: hyuukie
Pairing: Jaejoong/Yunho
Genre: AU, humor
Summary: Yunho is a very punctual man, and Jaejoong is the guy who's always late.
A/N: Because I haven't written in a while.
Disclaimer: Don't own the pairing
Monday. 3:30 PM.
Yunho tapped his foot on the ground, hands clenched in his coat pockets.
It was freezing, absolutely freezing. Yunho couldn't feel his lips, he couldn't move his arms or legs, and it was very hard to blink. The cold wind whipped his face, leaving a red tinge in its wake.
Monday. 3:33 PM.
Yunho, bravely, pulled his right hand out of his pocket to check his watch. Three minutes over. The bus was scheduled to come three minutes ago. It was never late.
Scowling, Yunho hastily shoved his hand back into his pocket. What was keeping that damn bus?
The twenty five year old scanned the people waiting as well for the bus.
A teenager with an unhealthy amount of piercings was leaning against the lamp post, his music blasting at top volume for the world to hear.
An old woman wrapped in heavy scarves remained in the bus shelter, occasionally blowing her already red nose into a much-too-used tissue.
And then there was a moody looking elementary schooler whose lip seemed to be in a permanent pout. A single line of snot connected her right nostril to her upper lip.
Yunho quickly turned away when he saw her lick the snot away with the tip of her tongue.
Monday. 3:40 PM.
At this rate, when the 3:30 bus came, the 3:45 bus would be trailing right behind it. Yunho didn't like it when the buses were cluttered. Time was essential.
The only person who didn't seem to care that the bus was late was the heavily pierced teenager. He looked content with his music.
Yunho couldn't help but feel irritated when he spotted the bus coming around the corner. He almost burst out with rage when he caught a glimpse of the 3:45 bus following the first bus.
When the 3:30 bus stopped, the 3:45 bus went around it, moving on.
The teenager moved onto the bus first being the closest to it, then the elementary schooler, Yunho helped the old lady onto the steps, and then Yunho himself stepped up to the driver to pay his fare.
"Do you have any idea what time it is?" He said calmly, dropping his bus ticket into the slot beside the driver.
"Uh," The driver, Yunho was shocked to find, was very young, and not the usual 3:30 bus driver. He lifted his left arm and checked his watch. Yunho noticed he had a digital clock that was on the underside of his wrist, unlike Yunho's, which was an analog clock that was perched on top of his right wrist. "It's 3:45:46."
"Yes, it is. And did you have the knowledge that you were to arrive at this exact bus stop fifteen minutes and forty eight... Forty nine seconds ago?"
The man, whose nametag read "Jaejoong", raised an eyebrow. "Dude, chill, there were like a million people at that last bus stop. What do you want me to do, close the doors in peoples' faces just to accomodate you?"
"The 3:45 bus was on time, and now it is ahead of you. Do you have any idea how cold it is outside?"
"Er, judging by your face colour and that little girl's runny nose, I'd say pretty cold."
"There should be no excuse for your tardiness!" Yunho glared at the driver. He checked at his watch again and let out a fustrated sigh.
Monday. 3:49 PM.
"And now I've made you even more late by conversing with you! The 4:00 bus is due in eleven minutes..."
"Okay, man, okay. I'll drive." Jaejoong closed the doors and stepped on the gas pedal, only to move forward a bit and be halted by a crossing guard. "Here."
Yunho, in his fury, did not notice he was still standing beside Jaejoong. He was taken aback by a silver wrapped piece of candy that was put on the fare box. He picked it up and examined the candy's shining wrapping paper, brown diagonal stripes graced the silver.
"A Hershey Kiss for all the trouble I've caused you, so please move to the back of the bus."
Yunho reached for a pole to hold onto as Jaejoong moved the bus forward after the little children had finished crossing. "... Hug."
Jaejoong gave Yunho a sideways glance. "Did you say something?"
"It's a Hershey Hug, not a Kiss. Kisses don't have diagonal stripes. They're just plain silver."
"Okay, then." Jaejoong pressed down on the break and opened the doors. "You can still have it. Just eat it back there or something, you're kind of blocking the doorway."
Yunho threw Jaejoong one last glare before making his way to his usual seat at the back of the bus. He stared at the Hershey Hug for a few minutes before offering it to the elementary schooler, who worried him by gladly accepting the piece of candy from him, a total stranger.
_______________________________________
Tuesday. 3:31 PM.
One damn minute over when the 3:30 bus pulled up in front of him.
Yunho let the teenager, the old woman, and the elementary schooler (who seemed to brighten up at the sight of him and even waved) go inside first before stepping onto the bus.
"It's 3:31." He stated when he put his ticket in the slot.
"Well sorry," Jaejoong drawled out; Yunho detected the sarcasm. Jaejoong closed the doors and continued the route. Before he moved, he placed another chocolate in Yunho's frozen hand.
"Another Kis--- I mean, Hug."
"Why do you have so many of these?" Yunho asked, observing the Hershey, noticing that it was now red with brown stripes.
"Because they're delicious." Jaejoong said simply.
Yunho stared at Jaejoong as if to bore a hole into his head. Instead, he just noted how good looking the bus driver was. He had jet black hair, the front in a neat fringe, pale skin, especially in comparison with Yunho's own tanned skin, and grey eyes.
Yunho guessed he was in his mid twenties.
"Excuse me... What's your name?"
"It's Yunho." The man breathed out, snapping back to reality to find Jaejoong rolling his eyes.
"Excuse me, Yunho, sir, but you need to take a seat." Jaejoong waved Yunho off as he opened the door for people to enter.
Once again, Yunho gave the chocolate to the girl and plopped down in his usual seat.
____________________________________
About two weeks had passed.
Two weeks of the bus arriving late, two weeks full of Hershey Hugs.
And Yunho dreaded to admit, two weeks of seeing Jaejoong.
It wasn't seeing him that Yunho dreaded to admit, it was more along the lines of... well, Yunho... sort of liked him.
Though the man downright despised Jaejoong's lack of punctuality, he couldn't help but feel... at ease with the driver.
From his plump red lips Yunho found himself looking at occasionally to his everyday apology Hershey Hugs.
Yunho found that the highlight of his days were starting to be the end of it, when he met Jaejoong on the bus.
Yunho hadn't had a girlfriend in a while, due to his, as all girls who went on dates with him called it, 'annoying habits'.
Punctuality came in handy when it came to picking the girl up for a date, and getting to the restaurant on time for the reservation, but he became irritated when he did not bring the girl home on time, or was always afraid he was standing in front of her house too long.
An example would be when Yunho drove a date home and pulled up into her driveway at exactly 9:55 PM. He walked her to her front door and she invited him inside, making remarks Yunho was sure that hinted it was a little more than just a 'tour-around-my-house' invitation. But the clock struck 10:00 PM, and that was the time the girl said her curfew was. He ushered her into her house and made a dash for the car.
She did not call him after that.
Yunho then took a very long break from the dating world and focused, at that time, on school. But now that he grew out of his teenage years, he only had time for his job, and now, cussing off the bus driver.
Wednesday. 3:33 PM.
When Yunho got on, Jaejoong immediately gave him a Hershey Hug after he paid his fare.
"You know these don't have any affect on me. I don't know why you think chocolate will make me forget that you're supposed to come at three thir---"
Yunho was shocked, then in pain, when his face slammed right against the bus's front window.
He had forgot to take hold of something, and Jaejoong stepped on the gas pedal, moving the bus and then abruptly slammed down on the break, causing Yunho to go flying forwards, his forehead knocking right into the glass.
"Hey!" He yelled out angrily, rubbing his forehead, many passengers not paying attention to the man, except the elementary schooler who watched him carefully, waiting for him to give her his chocolate.
"Why can't you just accept that I don't come exactly at 3:30 PM? Nobody arrives at exactly 3:30, man!" Jaejoong put a lot of emphasis on the world 'exactly'. "Maybe Mr. Cho did, but he's like sixty two years old and he retired, so you're just going to have to deal with me coming late, Mr. Yunho!" He blinked a couple of times, and Yunho, despite the pain in his head, watched his eyelashes flutter.
"Besides, that's a Hershey Kiss, for your information. It doesn't have stripes." Jaejoong pointed out, and Yunho looked down at the cone shaped piece of chocolate in his palm. Indeed, it was all silver, not a single stripe to be seen.
"If you hate me coming late so much, you should just drive yourself around. If you have a car, that is."
Yunho scoffed, "That's such a waste of gas. Public transit is more eco-friendly. I only use my car on weekends."
Jaejoong tilted his head, impressed. "Well, I'd love to chat, but people need to get on." Jaejoong opened the doors and Yunho moved to the back, handing the girl the Kiss before sitting down.
____________________________________________
Thursday. 3:37 PM.
Yunho purposely let a heavy sigh out, watching his breath come out in a big puff, the heat making contact with the cold air.
He was extra cold today, as he had forgotten his coat at home.
Since for the first time in his life, Yunho was late for work.
For the first time in his life, Yunho woke up late.
For the first time in his life, Yunho had a dream about someone.
The dream was about Jaejoong, and in the dream, the two were on a romantic date; a quiet dinner, a long walk outside holding hands, a goodnight kiss.
An almost goodnight kiss, as before Yunho could press his lips to the other man's, he woke up in his bed, to the real world, his clock reading 6:02 AM.
Yunho had never screamed and cursed so much in his twenty five years of living. He didn't plan to sleep in two minutes over ever again.
But the thought of Jaejoong warmed Yunho up a little. He felt his cheeks and fingertips tingle, and he definitely knew that it wasn't from the cold.
"Hey, Mister, if you're cold, you can borrow my mittens!" A voice squeaked below, a pair of pink and purple mittens were shoved under Yunho's nose.
The elementary schooler had started whacking Yunho in the face with her fuzzy mittens, trying to catch his attention.
"Er, no, that's okay." Yunho attempted to push his hands deeper into his pant pockets and took a step backwards, away from the mittens the girl was waving around. "They wouldn't fit me."
The girl seemed to have finally noticed this. "Well, you could keep your pinky warm. Or maybe even your ears. I'm sure they fit your ears. Just put them on your ears, Mister."
Yunho chuckled, "No thanks."
The girl shrugged and hastily put her mittens back on.
Thursday. 3:44 PM.
The bus stopped in front of the pierced teenager, who got on first. The old lady followed suit, then the girl, and then, as usual, Yunho.
Yunho, for the second time that day, sighed as he gazed after the 3:45 bus, which swerved around the 3:30 bus.
Jaejoong handed Yunho two Hersheys. "I admit this time, I left the station late."
Yunho frowned, making sure he held onto something before he spoke, in case Jaejoong decided to press the gas pedal unexpectedly. "Is that why you always come late?"
Jaejoong shook his head, moving the bus when the crossing guard made his way to the other side of the street. "No. I told you yesterday as I accidentally stepped on the gas and smashed your attractive face into the window, I can't come on time. It's just not possible, whether I leave the station late or not."
"Then can't you just--- attractive face?" Yunho had just caught onto Jaejoong's words, his ears feeling uncomfortably hot. He suddenly wished he had accepted the elementary schooler's mittens to put on his ears.
Jaejoong's mouth formed into an 'o', just realizing what he had said. "I mean, you know, you're an... An attractive guy..."
"Well, uh, thank you. I guess," Yunho scratched the back of his head, his eyes darting around, looking anywhere but at Jaejoong.
"You should probably sit, there are people who want to get on." Jaejoong cleared his throat unnecessarily and opened the doors just as Yunho headed to the back, towards his usual seat.
Yunho stood awkwardly in front of the elementary schooler who was sitting in his seat, her legs swaying underneath her as they could not touch the floor.
Before he could say anything to her, she spoke first with a huge grin on her face.
"You like him, don't you?"
Yunho gaped at her. "Excuse me?"
"The bus driver. You like him! You do! He gives you the chocolate everyday!" She giggled behind her hands.
The few people who were also sitting in the back gave Yunho amused stares. The old lady buried in scarves even nodded at him.
"I do not!" He hissed, settling down beside the girl, giving her the Hershey Kisses.
"Hershey Kisses, Mister." She commented, unwrapping the silver foil. "He buys you Hershey Kisses now. He likes you too."
Yunho contemplated whether or not he should ignore the girl. "You don't know that. It's just chocolate."
"I can tell." She popped the chocolate into her mouth and smiled toothily.
Yunho spotted a bit of chocolate stuck in between her two front teeth and one missing tooth beside the right front tooth.
"If you don't believe me, I can go ask him!" She hopped off her seat and hurriedly approached the front of the bus, standing right beside Jaejoong, on her tip-toes.
Yunho buried his face into his cold hands, unable to watch what she was doing. He peeked between his fingers for a split second to find the girl pointing at him and Jaejoong looking in his direction.
The old lady poked his shin with her cane. "Son, there's nothing to be ashamed of, love is love."
"What?" Yunho removed his hands from his face and glowered at the lady, who just beamed at him.
"I was right, Mister! He likes you too--- Oh, my stop!" The girl gave Yunho a thumbs up and then a wave before pushing the doors open and exiting the bus.
By now, every occupant on the bus was grinning and snickering at Yunho.
Yunho was actually considering this to be worse than waking up at 6:02 AM.
______________________________________________
Friday. 3:29 PM.
Yunho had brought gloves with him today, as he did not want cold hands. He also did not want the elementary schooler to offer him her mittens again, as she had insisted they would work as earmuffs.
He surveyed the cement gound, drawing imaginary patterns with his eyes, knowing he was going to have to wait for a bit for the bus.
He was tired, as he had attended five meetings and spent the last few hours at work typing at his computer. He literally could not feel his eyelids.
Yunho wanted nothing more than to go home and flop down on his bed.
"Mister, if you don't get on, the bus will leave without you." A voice yelled out, making Yunho's head snap up.
The elementary schooler was boarding the bus behind the teenager and old lady; she was looking behind her, calling out to Yunho.
Shocked, Yunho checked his watch as he climbed onto the bus as well.
Friday. 3:30 PM.
"You're... You're on time." Yunho said as he let his ticket drop into the fare box.
Jaejoong smirked, "Impressed?"
"Very." Yunho examined his watch to make sure it wasn't broken and telling the wrong time.
"I figured I'd just run all the red lights and drive right past everybody waiting at the bus stops to get here at 3:30 PM."
Yunho's eyes widened.
"I'm joking," Jaejoong laughed and punched Yunho lightly in the arm. "I just left the station a bit early."
Yunho felt the place where Jaejoong touched throb, though the other did not hit hard. "Oh. That's great."
"And regarding that little girl announcing to the world about me liking you... It's true," Jaejoong smiled and perched a red and silver striped Hershey on top of the fare box. "I had to get more chocolate, and the bag said Hershey Hugs and Kisses." Jaejoong held up the bag as if to prove he wasn't lying.
Yunho gawked at the other man, wordlessly taking the chocolate.
Unable to say anything, as a huge lump decided to form itself in his throat, he just timidly nodded a thanks and almost broke out into a run to get to the back of the bus.
The elementary schooler was not sitting in his seat, but in the seat beside his regular spot.
He held out the hand that was clutching the chocolate and gestured for her to take it.
She shook her head. "It's a Hershey Hug and Kiss. It's no longer chocolate, Mister, it's a love confession."
This left Yunho wondering how kids these days knew about such mature things.
_________________________________________________
Seven months later.
Saturday. 9:20 AM.
"Hey, Yun, can you drive me to the station today?"
Yunho looked up from his newspaper and saw Jaejoong struggling to put on his tie. "Yeah, sure. What time do you have to get there?"
"Nine thirty." Jaejoong slipped on his shoes.
Yunho took a sip of his coffee and glanced at the clock. He immediately spit out the liquid, coughing. "I can't get you there in ten minutes!"
"Come on, it doesn't really matter if I'm late, I just have to---" Jaejoong didn't finish his sentence as Yunho grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the house, throwing him into the passenger seat of the car. "No rush, Yun---"
Yunho appeared to not have heard him over the rumbling of the engine. Yunho sped out of the driveway, so fast that Jaejoong was unable to buckle himself into his seat.
"Argh!" The side of Jaejoong's forehead collided with his window, his hands desparately groping for the seat belt.
Yunho did not ask if the other man was okay. He kept his eyes focused on the road, and on the clock.
Saturday. 9:23 AM.
"This isn't safe!" Jaejoong shouted, just as Yunho pressed down hard on the gas pedal, barely making the light which was about to turn red. "I can be at least a minute late, it doesn't matter!"
"It matters to me, Kim Jaejoong!" Yunho yelled right back, weaving in between cars. He was very close to rear ending a black SUV. "Why didn't you wake up earlier?!"
"I forgot I had work today!" Jaejoong turned around in his seat to find the wretched saftey belt. It was twisted behind his chair.
"How can you forget?" Yunho cut off the lady beside him, who honked angrily, just to make a quick right turn. "Next time, think about your work schedule before coming over to my house."
"Yeah, yeah." Jaejoong tugged on the twisted seat belt, wrapping an arm securely around his head rest for support.
Saturday. 9:26 AM.
Yunho actually did run a red light , narrowly avoiding a walking pedestrian and a bright yellow buggy turning left. He was gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were turning white.
"There, there!" Jaejoong shrieked, flailing his free arm around in the direction of the bus station, hanging onto the head rest like a koala for dear life as Yunho zoomed right past it.
"Are you serious?" Yunho stamped his foot down on the breaks and turned the wheel violently, the car swerving to do a U-Turn. The car wheels made horrible screeching sounds and Jaejoong could smell burning rubber.
"God damn, you crazy, punctual man!" Jaejoong cried out as Yunho turned into the station and put the car into park in front of the entrance.
Saturday. 9:28 AM.
"If you do not leave this car right now, you're going to be late, and my efforts will have been in vain."
"I'll be happy to leave this death trap right now. Are you trying to kill someone?!" Jaejoong gulped, releasing his hold on the head rest.
"Go, or you'll be late!" Yunho urged, giving Jaejoong a slight push.
"I'm going, I'm going!" Jaejoong said sourly, opening the door. Before he stepped out, he gave Yunho a peck on the cheek, "Thanks though, even if you did try to murder me."
"You don't have time to kiss me, it's now nine twenty nine!" Yunho practically kicked Jaejoong out of the car.
Jaejoong rolled his eyes. "Why did I agree to go out with a guy like him?!" He mumbled under his breath, watching Yunho drive away.
Saturday. 9:30 AM.
"Oops, I'm late!"
_____________________________________________
I'm feeling a bit angry, since I found out my YouTube account has been hacked... I don't know what I should do about it though :/
Anyway, hope you enjoyed this! :)
Author: hyuukie
Pairing: Jaejoong/Yunho
Genre: AU, humor
Summary: Yunho is a very punctual man, and Jaejoong is the guy who's always late.
A/N: Because I haven't written in a while.
Disclaimer: Don't own the pairing
Monday. 3:30 PM.
Yunho tapped his foot on the ground, hands clenched in his coat pockets.
It was freezing, absolutely freezing. Yunho couldn't feel his lips, he couldn't move his arms or legs, and it was very hard to blink. The cold wind whipped his face, leaving a red tinge in its wake.
Monday. 3:33 PM.
Yunho, bravely, pulled his right hand out of his pocket to check his watch. Three minutes over. The bus was scheduled to come three minutes ago. It was never late.
Scowling, Yunho hastily shoved his hand back into his pocket. What was keeping that damn bus?
The twenty five year old scanned the people waiting as well for the bus.
A teenager with an unhealthy amount of piercings was leaning against the lamp post, his music blasting at top volume for the world to hear.
An old woman wrapped in heavy scarves remained in the bus shelter, occasionally blowing her already red nose into a much-too-used tissue.
And then there was a moody looking elementary schooler whose lip seemed to be in a permanent pout. A single line of snot connected her right nostril to her upper lip.
Yunho quickly turned away when he saw her lick the snot away with the tip of her tongue.
Monday. 3:40 PM.
At this rate, when the 3:30 bus came, the 3:45 bus would be trailing right behind it. Yunho didn't like it when the buses were cluttered. Time was essential.
The only person who didn't seem to care that the bus was late was the heavily pierced teenager. He looked content with his music.
Yunho couldn't help but feel irritated when he spotted the bus coming around the corner. He almost burst out with rage when he caught a glimpse of the 3:45 bus following the first bus.
When the 3:30 bus stopped, the 3:45 bus went around it, moving on.
The teenager moved onto the bus first being the closest to it, then the elementary schooler, Yunho helped the old lady onto the steps, and then Yunho himself stepped up to the driver to pay his fare.
"Do you have any idea what time it is?" He said calmly, dropping his bus ticket into the slot beside the driver.
"Uh," The driver, Yunho was shocked to find, was very young, and not the usual 3:30 bus driver. He lifted his left arm and checked his watch. Yunho noticed he had a digital clock that was on the underside of his wrist, unlike Yunho's, which was an analog clock that was perched on top of his right wrist. "It's 3:45:46."
"Yes, it is. And did you have the knowledge that you were to arrive at this exact bus stop fifteen minutes and forty eight... Forty nine seconds ago?"
The man, whose nametag read "Jaejoong", raised an eyebrow. "Dude, chill, there were like a million people at that last bus stop. What do you want me to do, close the doors in peoples' faces just to accomodate you?"
"The 3:45 bus was on time, and now it is ahead of you. Do you have any idea how cold it is outside?"
"Er, judging by your face colour and that little girl's runny nose, I'd say pretty cold."
"There should be no excuse for your tardiness!" Yunho glared at the driver. He checked at his watch again and let out a fustrated sigh.
Monday. 3:49 PM.
"And now I've made you even more late by conversing with you! The 4:00 bus is due in eleven minutes..."
"Okay, man, okay. I'll drive." Jaejoong closed the doors and stepped on the gas pedal, only to move forward a bit and be halted by a crossing guard. "Here."
Yunho, in his fury, did not notice he was still standing beside Jaejoong. He was taken aback by a silver wrapped piece of candy that was put on the fare box. He picked it up and examined the candy's shining wrapping paper, brown diagonal stripes graced the silver.
"A Hershey Kiss for all the trouble I've caused you, so please move to the back of the bus."
Yunho reached for a pole to hold onto as Jaejoong moved the bus forward after the little children had finished crossing. "... Hug."
Jaejoong gave Yunho a sideways glance. "Did you say something?"
"It's a Hershey Hug, not a Kiss. Kisses don't have diagonal stripes. They're just plain silver."
"Okay, then." Jaejoong pressed down on the break and opened the doors. "You can still have it. Just eat it back there or something, you're kind of blocking the doorway."
Yunho threw Jaejoong one last glare before making his way to his usual seat at the back of the bus. He stared at the Hershey Hug for a few minutes before offering it to the elementary schooler, who worried him by gladly accepting the piece of candy from him, a total stranger.
_______________________________________
Tuesday. 3:31 PM.
One damn minute over when the 3:30 bus pulled up in front of him.
Yunho let the teenager, the old woman, and the elementary schooler (who seemed to brighten up at the sight of him and even waved) go inside first before stepping onto the bus.
"It's 3:31." He stated when he put his ticket in the slot.
"Well sorry," Jaejoong drawled out; Yunho detected the sarcasm. Jaejoong closed the doors and continued the route. Before he moved, he placed another chocolate in Yunho's frozen hand.
"Another Kis--- I mean, Hug."
"Why do you have so many of these?" Yunho asked, observing the Hershey, noticing that it was now red with brown stripes.
"Because they're delicious." Jaejoong said simply.
Yunho stared at Jaejoong as if to bore a hole into his head. Instead, he just noted how good looking the bus driver was. He had jet black hair, the front in a neat fringe, pale skin, especially in comparison with Yunho's own tanned skin, and grey eyes.
Yunho guessed he was in his mid twenties.
"Excuse me... What's your name?"
"It's Yunho." The man breathed out, snapping back to reality to find Jaejoong rolling his eyes.
"Excuse me, Yunho, sir, but you need to take a seat." Jaejoong waved Yunho off as he opened the door for people to enter.
Once again, Yunho gave the chocolate to the girl and plopped down in his usual seat.
____________________________________
About two weeks had passed.
Two weeks of the bus arriving late, two weeks full of Hershey Hugs.
And Yunho dreaded to admit, two weeks of seeing Jaejoong.
It wasn't seeing him that Yunho dreaded to admit, it was more along the lines of... well, Yunho... sort of liked him.
Though the man downright despised Jaejoong's lack of punctuality, he couldn't help but feel... at ease with the driver.
From his plump red lips Yunho found himself looking at occasionally to his everyday apology Hershey Hugs.
Yunho found that the highlight of his days were starting to be the end of it, when he met Jaejoong on the bus.
Yunho hadn't had a girlfriend in a while, due to his, as all girls who went on dates with him called it, 'annoying habits'.
Punctuality came in handy when it came to picking the girl up for a date, and getting to the restaurant on time for the reservation, but he became irritated when he did not bring the girl home on time, or was always afraid he was standing in front of her house too long.
An example would be when Yunho drove a date home and pulled up into her driveway at exactly 9:55 PM. He walked her to her front door and she invited him inside, making remarks Yunho was sure that hinted it was a little more than just a 'tour-around-my-house' invitation. But the clock struck 10:00 PM, and that was the time the girl said her curfew was. He ushered her into her house and made a dash for the car.
She did not call him after that.
Yunho then took a very long break from the dating world and focused, at that time, on school. But now that he grew out of his teenage years, he only had time for his job, and now, cussing off the bus driver.
Wednesday. 3:33 PM.
When Yunho got on, Jaejoong immediately gave him a Hershey Hug after he paid his fare.
"You know these don't have any affect on me. I don't know why you think chocolate will make me forget that you're supposed to come at three thir---"
Yunho was shocked, then in pain, when his face slammed right against the bus's front window.
He had forgot to take hold of something, and Jaejoong stepped on the gas pedal, moving the bus and then abruptly slammed down on the break, causing Yunho to go flying forwards, his forehead knocking right into the glass.
"Hey!" He yelled out angrily, rubbing his forehead, many passengers not paying attention to the man, except the elementary schooler who watched him carefully, waiting for him to give her his chocolate.
"Why can't you just accept that I don't come exactly at 3:30 PM? Nobody arrives at exactly 3:30, man!" Jaejoong put a lot of emphasis on the world 'exactly'. "Maybe Mr. Cho did, but he's like sixty two years old and he retired, so you're just going to have to deal with me coming late, Mr. Yunho!" He blinked a couple of times, and Yunho, despite the pain in his head, watched his eyelashes flutter.
"Besides, that's a Hershey Kiss, for your information. It doesn't have stripes." Jaejoong pointed out, and Yunho looked down at the cone shaped piece of chocolate in his palm. Indeed, it was all silver, not a single stripe to be seen.
"If you hate me coming late so much, you should just drive yourself around. If you have a car, that is."
Yunho scoffed, "That's such a waste of gas. Public transit is more eco-friendly. I only use my car on weekends."
Jaejoong tilted his head, impressed. "Well, I'd love to chat, but people need to get on." Jaejoong opened the doors and Yunho moved to the back, handing the girl the Kiss before sitting down.
____________________________________________
Thursday. 3:37 PM.
Yunho purposely let a heavy sigh out, watching his breath come out in a big puff, the heat making contact with the cold air.
He was extra cold today, as he had forgotten his coat at home.
Since for the first time in his life, Yunho was late for work.
For the first time in his life, Yunho woke up late.
For the first time in his life, Yunho had a dream about someone.
The dream was about Jaejoong, and in the dream, the two were on a romantic date; a quiet dinner, a long walk outside holding hands, a goodnight kiss.
An almost goodnight kiss, as before Yunho could press his lips to the other man's, he woke up in his bed, to the real world, his clock reading 6:02 AM.
Yunho had never screamed and cursed so much in his twenty five years of living. He didn't plan to sleep in two minutes over ever again.
But the thought of Jaejoong warmed Yunho up a little. He felt his cheeks and fingertips tingle, and he definitely knew that it wasn't from the cold.
"Hey, Mister, if you're cold, you can borrow my mittens!" A voice squeaked below, a pair of pink and purple mittens were shoved under Yunho's nose.
The elementary schooler had started whacking Yunho in the face with her fuzzy mittens, trying to catch his attention.
"Er, no, that's okay." Yunho attempted to push his hands deeper into his pant pockets and took a step backwards, away from the mittens the girl was waving around. "They wouldn't fit me."
The girl seemed to have finally noticed this. "Well, you could keep your pinky warm. Or maybe even your ears. I'm sure they fit your ears. Just put them on your ears, Mister."
Yunho chuckled, "No thanks."
The girl shrugged and hastily put her mittens back on.
Thursday. 3:44 PM.
The bus stopped in front of the pierced teenager, who got on first. The old lady followed suit, then the girl, and then, as usual, Yunho.
Yunho, for the second time that day, sighed as he gazed after the 3:45 bus, which swerved around the 3:30 bus.
Jaejoong handed Yunho two Hersheys. "I admit this time, I left the station late."
Yunho frowned, making sure he held onto something before he spoke, in case Jaejoong decided to press the gas pedal unexpectedly. "Is that why you always come late?"
Jaejoong shook his head, moving the bus when the crossing guard made his way to the other side of the street. "No. I told you yesterday as I accidentally stepped on the gas and smashed your attractive face into the window, I can't come on time. It's just not possible, whether I leave the station late or not."
"Then can't you just--- attractive face?" Yunho had just caught onto Jaejoong's words, his ears feeling uncomfortably hot. He suddenly wished he had accepted the elementary schooler's mittens to put on his ears.
Jaejoong's mouth formed into an 'o', just realizing what he had said. "I mean, you know, you're an... An attractive guy..."
"Well, uh, thank you. I guess," Yunho scratched the back of his head, his eyes darting around, looking anywhere but at Jaejoong.
"You should probably sit, there are people who want to get on." Jaejoong cleared his throat unnecessarily and opened the doors just as Yunho headed to the back, towards his usual seat.
Yunho stood awkwardly in front of the elementary schooler who was sitting in his seat, her legs swaying underneath her as they could not touch the floor.
Before he could say anything to her, she spoke first with a huge grin on her face.
"You like him, don't you?"
Yunho gaped at her. "Excuse me?"
"The bus driver. You like him! You do! He gives you the chocolate everyday!" She giggled behind her hands.
The few people who were also sitting in the back gave Yunho amused stares. The old lady buried in scarves even nodded at him.
"I do not!" He hissed, settling down beside the girl, giving her the Hershey Kisses.
"Hershey Kisses, Mister." She commented, unwrapping the silver foil. "He buys you Hershey Kisses now. He likes you too."
Yunho contemplated whether or not he should ignore the girl. "You don't know that. It's just chocolate."
"I can tell." She popped the chocolate into her mouth and smiled toothily.
Yunho spotted a bit of chocolate stuck in between her two front teeth and one missing tooth beside the right front tooth.
"If you don't believe me, I can go ask him!" She hopped off her seat and hurriedly approached the front of the bus, standing right beside Jaejoong, on her tip-toes.
Yunho buried his face into his cold hands, unable to watch what she was doing. He peeked between his fingers for a split second to find the girl pointing at him and Jaejoong looking in his direction.
The old lady poked his shin with her cane. "Son, there's nothing to be ashamed of, love is love."
"What?" Yunho removed his hands from his face and glowered at the lady, who just beamed at him.
"I was right, Mister! He likes you too--- Oh, my stop!" The girl gave Yunho a thumbs up and then a wave before pushing the doors open and exiting the bus.
By now, every occupant on the bus was grinning and snickering at Yunho.
Yunho was actually considering this to be worse than waking up at 6:02 AM.
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Friday. 3:29 PM.
Yunho had brought gloves with him today, as he did not want cold hands. He also did not want the elementary schooler to offer him her mittens again, as she had insisted they would work as earmuffs.
He surveyed the cement gound, drawing imaginary patterns with his eyes, knowing he was going to have to wait for a bit for the bus.
He was tired, as he had attended five meetings and spent the last few hours at work typing at his computer. He literally could not feel his eyelids.
Yunho wanted nothing more than to go home and flop down on his bed.
"Mister, if you don't get on, the bus will leave without you." A voice yelled out, making Yunho's head snap up.
The elementary schooler was boarding the bus behind the teenager and old lady; she was looking behind her, calling out to Yunho.
Shocked, Yunho checked his watch as he climbed onto the bus as well.
Friday. 3:30 PM.
"You're... You're on time." Yunho said as he let his ticket drop into the fare box.
Jaejoong smirked, "Impressed?"
"Very." Yunho examined his watch to make sure it wasn't broken and telling the wrong time.
"I figured I'd just run all the red lights and drive right past everybody waiting at the bus stops to get here at 3:30 PM."
Yunho's eyes widened.
"I'm joking," Jaejoong laughed and punched Yunho lightly in the arm. "I just left the station a bit early."
Yunho felt the place where Jaejoong touched throb, though the other did not hit hard. "Oh. That's great."
"And regarding that little girl announcing to the world about me liking you... It's true," Jaejoong smiled and perched a red and silver striped Hershey on top of the fare box. "I had to get more chocolate, and the bag said Hershey Hugs and Kisses." Jaejoong held up the bag as if to prove he wasn't lying.
Yunho gawked at the other man, wordlessly taking the chocolate.
Unable to say anything, as a huge lump decided to form itself in his throat, he just timidly nodded a thanks and almost broke out into a run to get to the back of the bus.
The elementary schooler was not sitting in his seat, but in the seat beside his regular spot.
He held out the hand that was clutching the chocolate and gestured for her to take it.
She shook her head. "It's a Hershey Hug and Kiss. It's no longer chocolate, Mister, it's a love confession."
This left Yunho wondering how kids these days knew about such mature things.
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Seven months later.
Saturday. 9:20 AM.
"Hey, Yun, can you drive me to the station today?"
Yunho looked up from his newspaper and saw Jaejoong struggling to put on his tie. "Yeah, sure. What time do you have to get there?"
"Nine thirty." Jaejoong slipped on his shoes.
Yunho took a sip of his coffee and glanced at the clock. He immediately spit out the liquid, coughing. "I can't get you there in ten minutes!"
"Come on, it doesn't really matter if I'm late, I just have to---" Jaejoong didn't finish his sentence as Yunho grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the house, throwing him into the passenger seat of the car. "No rush, Yun---"
Yunho appeared to not have heard him over the rumbling of the engine. Yunho sped out of the driveway, so fast that Jaejoong was unable to buckle himself into his seat.
"Argh!" The side of Jaejoong's forehead collided with his window, his hands desparately groping for the seat belt.
Yunho did not ask if the other man was okay. He kept his eyes focused on the road, and on the clock.
Saturday. 9:23 AM.
"This isn't safe!" Jaejoong shouted, just as Yunho pressed down hard on the gas pedal, barely making the light which was about to turn red. "I can be at least a minute late, it doesn't matter!"
"It matters to me, Kim Jaejoong!" Yunho yelled right back, weaving in between cars. He was very close to rear ending a black SUV. "Why didn't you wake up earlier?!"
"I forgot I had work today!" Jaejoong turned around in his seat to find the wretched saftey belt. It was twisted behind his chair.
"How can you forget?" Yunho cut off the lady beside him, who honked angrily, just to make a quick right turn. "Next time, think about your work schedule before coming over to my house."
"Yeah, yeah." Jaejoong tugged on the twisted seat belt, wrapping an arm securely around his head rest for support.
Saturday. 9:26 AM.
Yunho actually did run a red light , narrowly avoiding a walking pedestrian and a bright yellow buggy turning left. He was gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles were turning white.
"There, there!" Jaejoong shrieked, flailing his free arm around in the direction of the bus station, hanging onto the head rest like a koala for dear life as Yunho zoomed right past it.
"Are you serious?" Yunho stamped his foot down on the breaks and turned the wheel violently, the car swerving to do a U-Turn. The car wheels made horrible screeching sounds and Jaejoong could smell burning rubber.
"God damn, you crazy, punctual man!" Jaejoong cried out as Yunho turned into the station and put the car into park in front of the entrance.
Saturday. 9:28 AM.
"If you do not leave this car right now, you're going to be late, and my efforts will have been in vain."
"I'll be happy to leave this death trap right now. Are you trying to kill someone?!" Jaejoong gulped, releasing his hold on the head rest.
"Go, or you'll be late!" Yunho urged, giving Jaejoong a slight push.
"I'm going, I'm going!" Jaejoong said sourly, opening the door. Before he stepped out, he gave Yunho a peck on the cheek, "Thanks though, even if you did try to murder me."
"You don't have time to kiss me, it's now nine twenty nine!" Yunho practically kicked Jaejoong out of the car.
Jaejoong rolled his eyes. "Why did I agree to go out with a guy like him?!" He mumbled under his breath, watching Yunho drive away.
Saturday. 9:30 AM.
"Oops, I'm late!"
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I'm feeling a bit angry, since I found out my YouTube account has been hacked... I don't know what I should do about it though :/
Anyway, hope you enjoyed this! :)