The bus stop looked different the second morning. Not because anything had changed—but because Elian knew where to stand.
He arrived early, backpack slung over one shoulder, the street still damp from last night's rain. The sky was pale and overcast, the air cool enough to ease the tightness in his chest. He sat on the bench and waited.
A few minutes passed.
Then footsteps.
Elian looked up just as Juni appeared at the corner of the street, hair still slightly damp, uniform hastily pressed. He slowed when he saw Elian, surprise flickering across his face before something softer replaced it.
"…Morning," Juni said.
"Morning."
Juni sat beside him, leaving just enough space to be polite. They didn't speak right away. The quiet felt easier this time.
The same battered blue bus arrived, brakes screeching as it pulled up to the curb. They boarded together without thinking. The seat by the window was still free.
Juni took the aisle seat this time, angling his knees inward to make space as Elian slid past. Their shoulders brushed lightly.
Neither reacted.
Outside, the city moved past in familiar blurs—shops opening, students gathering, the morning unfolding with quiet inevitability.
Elian watched the window. Juni watched Elian. Juni shifted after a while, fumbling with his bag.
"…You don't have to sit here every day," he said, not looking at him.
Elian turned slightly. "I want to."
Juni's fingers stilled. "Oh."
The word carried more weight than it should have.
A group of students farther up the bus laughed loudly. Juni flinched—barely noticeable, but Elian caught it. Elian leaned back in his seat, deliberately blocking Juni from view.
Not obvious. Just enough.
Juni noticed anyway. "…Thanks," he murmured. Elian shrugged. "For what?" Juni didn't answer. But his shoulders loosened.
When the bus slowed near the school, Juni stood first. He hesitated, then turned. "…Same seat tomorrow?"
Elian nodded. "Same seat."
Juni smiled—not careful this time, just real—and stepped into the aisle. Elian followed, heart steady in a way it hadn't been the day before.
As they walked toward the gates, rain clouds hanging low overhead, Elian realized something quietly important. This wasn't just habit forming.
It was trust.