Letters On Our Skin || BangChan

49

"Has anyone seen my toothbrush?"
"Hyung, did you use my conditioner?"
"I lost my charger!"
"Nobody move! I am missing a plushie!"
"Did someone take my glasses?"
"I can't find my snack box!"

It's 8.35 am.
I've been standing by the door with my shoes and backpack on for ten minutes, waiting for the boys to get ready.
Jisung runs past me, frantically stuffing his pillow into his backpack. Felix sticks out his head from the bathroom holding up a bottle of conditioner.
"Hyunjinnie! I got your conditioner!"
Hyunjin's voice echoes out of his room, "Ah, thank you! Bring it to me please!"
I check my phone and try not to panic. We're almost still on time. We still have ten minutes left before we need to leave the apartment, which should be more than enough times for these boys to get their shoes and jackets on.
But now that I've been listening to their hectic screaming and panicked running, I am not so sure.
"Ollie!" My head whips around to face Jeongin. He's holding up two different kinds of sweatshirt. "Which one should I wear?"
I point to the right one and he disappears again.

Four minutes left.
I put my backpack back on the floor and lean against the wall. This is getting slightly annoying.
This whole day has to start of perfect. If the beginning is perfect, every other part will be perfect as well.
So we need to be on time. We need to leave this apartment in no less than three minutes and twenty-three seconds, so I take a deep breath and shout into the apartment, "It's time to leave! Get dressed!"
The hallway gets a little crowded when all eight boys gather to put on their shoes and jackets, rolling in their suitcases and backpacks, so I open the apartment door and step into the hallway.
Before all of us are finally out of the door, it's already 8.53 am. Now we have to pray the elevator arrives quickly on our level and we don't need a literal age to get down to the parking space.

When we get to the parking space in front of the apartment complex, it's 9.07 am. The bus is here, the driver leaning against the bus, chatting with the three managers that will be accompanying us.
We rush to put our luggage into the belly of the bus before stepping into the bus.
Of course, the boys want to sit all the way in the back, so I'm dragged through the rows.
I sit by the window, Felix beside me.
He is wearing a jean jacket over a multicolored shirt and grey sweatpants. He rummages through his backpack on his lap while the bus pulls out of the parking space and pulls out a blue bag of M&M's, two packs of pretzels, one bag of gummy bears, and a Tupperware container with cold brownies.
"I brought all your favorites," he says as he puts his backpack on the floor and pulls out his headphones, handing me one earbud. "The others are probably just gonna chill, but I thought we could watch a movie."
I stare at the brownies. "When did you have time to make these?"
"Yesterday morning before you came over." Felix opens the box. "I sprinkled them with chocolate chips for extra chocolate. Take one!"
I take a brownie between my fingers and take a bite. A delighted groan leaves my lips and Felix nudges me, winking playfully.
We giggle and Felix pulls out his iPad to get a movie started.
I look around the bus while Seoul passes us by outside the windows and the bus winds it's way through the traffic.
Behind us, Chan and Changbin are leaning against each other, both with a beanie pulled all the way over their eyes. In the very last row, Seungmin has spread out over all five seats, laying flat on his back with a pillow beneath his head.
On the other side, Hyunjin and Jeongin are playing on their phones, probably battling each other in some mobile game.
Minho and Jisung sit next to each other in the row next to Felix and mine.
Jisung's head is resting on Minho's shoulder. Their hands are intertwined, each one of them with an earbud in their ear.
Minho meets my eyes, shortly glancing at Jisung, before smiling shyly at me. He quickly presses his lips to Jisung's hair, before settling in his seat and closing his eyes as well.

I look at Felix and he smiles at me, the freckles on his skin dancing in the morning sun.
"I think we should go with something funny," he says and opens his Disney app, "Like ToyStory or-... No, I know! Emperor's New Groove! I love that one!"
I agree and he starts the movie.
Thank God this bus has WiFi.
Felix opens the bag of gummy bears and plops one into his mouth before holding one up in front of my mouth. I open my lips and he stuffs two inside, laughing like a child.
Then he takes my hand and we snuggle against each other in our seats.

The first half of our trip went by fairly quickly. When we get to a roadside restaurant, it's 11.39 am and everyone needs to pee.
The managers tell us to hurry, there are too many people here that could recognize Stray Kids and we don't have any security guards with us.
And also, we are supposed to be at the villa in 90 minutes, but the boys don't know that.
Still, I rush in the bathroom as much as I can, washing my hands with ice cold water and soap that smells like green apples. When I get back to the bus, Chan is holding a paper tray with four drinks in one hand, and a white paper bag in the other.
Changbin next to him is holding the exact same thing, as is Seungmin by the door.
"We got you an iced tea and a sandwich," Changbin says and taps one of the cups in Chan's tray.
"Oh, thank you! I'm parched, I probably had too many pretzels."
Chan hands me the drink and the bag. Our hands touch for a second and Chan gives me a smile, a curious glint in his eyes.
I swallow thickly. Something is bubbling up in my throat, I can feel it. Something that would certainly blow my cover and I can not have that right now.
"Better get back in the bus," I press out instead and turn to climb the narrow steps into the bus.
We're almost there. This is almost at the finish line. I just have to keep my mouth shut until we get there.