It was already six in the evening when Luna stood at the bus stop, waiting patiently. A sudden tap on her shoulder made her flinch. She turned around, only to find no one there.
Her brows furrowed, and then—there he was. Niki, crouched down like a mischievous kid, trying to hide his laugh.
Luna sighed, kicked his leg lightly, and muttered, "Don't pull these childish tricks on me."
He straightened up, a basketball tucked under his arm, that smug smile plastered across his face.
"Finished practicing already?" Luna asked, raising a brow.
"Yeah," he said with a teasing glint in his eyes. "Not like you, who doesn't even know the difference between a basketball and a volleyball."
Luna narrowed her eyes at him, but he only chuckled, clearly enjoying himself.
"hello mr. clown I know it's vollyball" she said proudly. made him hold his laugh and came closer to ear , before whispering
"Sorry, Miss Dumbo, it's basketball," he whispered with a sly grin.
Her face heated up instantly, and she shoved his arm away with a scoff.
"Yeah, yeah. Just go home already. Why are you even here?"
Niki smirked, spinning the ball effortlessly on his finger like it was second nature. "Because I'm waiting for the bus wait-" he act surprised "do you think I'm following you?? WOAH what a delusional kid"
"Excuse me?!" Luna glared at him, her voice rising, but he only laughed harder.
then bus arrived
As soon as the bus stopped, Luna stepped in and dropped her coins into the ticket box. She was about to find a seat when she noticed Niki casually hopping in right behind her—without even reaching for his wallet.
The bus driver raised an eyebrow. "Young boy, pay the ticket."
Niki, with the most innocent face, pointed at Luna. "She's my friend. She'll pay."
Luna's jaw dropped. "WHAT?!" she shouted so loud half the bus turned to look.
The driver frowned. "Is that true?"
Niki leaned closer to Luna, lowering his voice but making sure the driver still heard. "Come on, Miss Dumbo, friends should help each other. Be generous."
Luna smacked his arm. "I'm not your personal ATM!"
The driver coughed. "Well, young lady, are you paying or should I kick him out?"
Niki clutched his chest dramatically. "Luna, you'll let your childhood friend walk home? In this cruel world? Heartless!"
Everyone on the bus chuckled. Luna rolled her eyes, shoved a coin at the driver, and hissed, "You owe me big time."
Niki grinned from ear to ear, plopping into the seat next to her. "See? You really do care about me."
"what the- Next time, I'll let them throw you out."
"Sure, sure," Niki Said
( Niki pov )
Niki slouched lazily on the bus seat, pretending to scroll on his phone, but his eyes kept wandering to Luna.
She pulled out a tiny music box and her headphones from her backpack, carefully untangling the cord. Sliding her hair back from her face, she tucked the buds into her ears and leaned against the window. The soft light of the evening hit her profile just right, and for a moment, she looked… different. Calm. Dreamy.
Niki found himself staring, completely forgetting to blink. He wasn't teasing her, not smirking like usual—just silently watching. The way she tapped her fingers lightly to the beat, the way her lips curved into a small, peaceful smile.
His chest did this weird flip, and before he realized, he had been looking too long.
He cleared his throat sharply—ahem—and whipped his gaze to the other side, pretending to be super invested in the bus advertisement about cough syrup. His ears burned red, but he refused to admit why.
Luna, oblivious, kept admiring the passing streets outside.
Niki muttered under his breath, "Tch… why she gotta look like that.."
When the bus screeched to a stop, Luna slung her bag over her shoulder and stepped off. Stretching a little, she started walking when she caught Niki hopping down right behind her.
Her brows furrowed.
"Why are you following me?" she asked, turning to glare at him.
Niki shoved his hands deeper into his pockets, his expression annoyingly calm.
"Girl, this world isn't your house. It just happens to be the way to my home," he said smoothly.
Luna narrowed her eyes, clicking her tongue.
"Whatever," she muttered and sped up, refusing to walk beside him.
But Niki didn't argue. He just let his long strides carry him a few steps behind her, hands in his pockets, head tilted slightly down. His gaze, though, stayed fixed on her. The way she swung her bag impatiently, the little bounce in her steps
By the time Luna reached her gate, she finally turned back.
Niki stood a few feet away
She raised a brow.
"Still your house hasn't arrived? Or are you… homeless?" she said with a smirk, hands on her hips.
Niki blinked, then laughed, shaking his head.
"Wow. You're heartless. What if I was homeless?"
"Then go sleep in the basketball court," Luna shot back instantly.
He placed a hand over his chest dramatically.
"Ouch, Miss Dumbo. You wound me."
She rolled her eyes and pushed open her gate.
"Good. Now go home before you start camping outside mine, bye."
Niki tilted his head, smiling faintly as he watched her disappear inside. Under his breath, he muttered,
"Not a bad idea, though."
And with that, he finally turned to walk toward his own street.
Niki POV
After Luna disappeared into her house, Niki turned around, hands in his pockets, strolling lazily down the street. He passed by a small rent board hanging on a quiet house. It looked old, but neat and rent is affordable.
"Perfect. Grandma and I could live just fine here," he muttered, noting down the number before heading back toward the bus stop that would take him home.
( niki flashback in class )
Niki sat at his desk, leaning back with his arm covering his eyes, pretending to sleep. His ears, though, were sharper than ever. He heard Luna's voice a besides him , chatting with Nicola, Nemesis, and Jeanette.
"…I'll try to go home alone today," Luna said softly, though there was a little tremble in her tone. "First time, so I'm a little nervous."
niki Heard the conversation
Evening – Basketball Court
It was 5:50 PM. Sweat ran down Niki's forehead as he dribbled the ball, his teammates cheering. The final match was coming this week; the coach wanted him at his best.
"Again, Niki!" the coach shouted.
Niki glanced at the clock. His stomach dropped.
"Shoot."
He quickly grabbed his bag, taks the ball in his hand, and bolted toward the exit.
"Niki!" the coach bellowed. "The final is this week! Where are you going?"
"I'll be back tomorrow, Coach! Sorry! Sorry!" Niki yelled back, bowing multiple times while running away.
The coach rubbed his forehead, sighing.
"This boy…"
Bus Stop
Niki finally reached the bus stop, slightly panting. And there she was. Luna stood quietly, her small backpack slung over her shoulders, nervously shifting from one foot to another while waiting for the bus.
Niki took a deep breath, fixing his hair, and muttered to himself,
"Alright… act cool."
( flashback end )