Inches close, they stood there, frozen.

Unable to move or speak, their faces gradually turned red, as if someone dusted their cheeks, neck, and even their ears with blush. Every moment felt like an eternity as they stood there, lost in their thoughts until the station's buzz made Mine quickly turn and witness their train's arrival.

"THAT'S OUR RIDE!!" Mine exclaimed, quickly standing up.

Losing a cliché moment was forgivable, but that ride, never!

Mine grabbed his bag, Addai's hand and quickly hopped inside the subway train. They barely entered and the doors closed, almost trapping Mine's bag outside. The people who entered alongside them also noticed how odd that stop was once all the wagons were empty.

Its lights were odd, but nothing out of normality once they were already quite old. Mine chose a good seat for them, next to a greasy window.

“Sorry to startle you,” Mine apologized, not looking at Addai’s face.

“T-That’s ok,” Addai nodded, not looking at Mine’s face.

Oh… the awkward silence.

The swaying of the train on the tracks, the rattling of the metal supports that some people held on, the noise of the working hardware and the creaking engine brought strange comfort to Mine, who eagerly waited to be able to see the view of the beach.

The clouds outside were sparse, and it certainly looked windy. It was a beautiful day, and as much as he wanted to sleep, it would be a sin to let that morning go completely to waste. Daydreaming, Mine smiled, imagining what it was like outside, how the wind was blowing and how the sun was warming.

It really was a beautiful day... despite the dead silence between him and Addai.

Mine began to feel the first waves of sleep as the train swayed. It was a strange but enveloping sleep, just like the feeling of fainting. The only difference was that Mine could still control the urge to sleep.

Where was he going again?

Why did he take that line?

Ah... he was supposed to go to a little shop at the second stop... the first would lead to Addai's neighborhood. The second stop would be Mine’s final stop, which would still have to walk a long way to get to the little shop near the waterfront.

Addai remained quiet, and Mine didn't dare to break the silence in any way. Instead, he held the tip of Addai's backpack strap, who didn't object or complain.

The rattling of the train was giving shape to the enveloping and numbing sleep.

Mine would no longer be able to resist, but he still tried.

It was unbearably difficult to keep his eyes open.

Sleep won the battle, along with the cold air conditioning - which was at the perfect temperature that day.

Mine didn't want to sleep. What if he missed his stop?! Addai would leave before him, so he couldn't count on a human alarm clock!

Sleep gained more space, making Mine's eyes feel heavy, just like his neck, like the feeling of tiredness after a day of a lot of physical effort.

Something brought him close.

He no longer knew if it was a hallucination or true, but he felt something warm on his shoulder. His head then leaned towards the source of heat, touching something that seemed large enough to serve as a pillow.

Mine, drunk with sleep, smiled as he finally got comfortable.

But that smile made his pillow feel slightly stiff, but nothing that would disturb his sleep.

“You sure know how to give me trouble, right?" Addai grumbled, taking Mine closer. “Oh, this is so uncomfortable…” he groaned, feeling his arm numb.

He then shifted the positions, and Mine was still passed out.

Addai awkwardly settled Mine beside him in the default “sleeping in the subway position.” He refrained from touching Mine further, so he stayed there like a log.

Mumbling as he dozed, Mine’s brow and lips trembled. Addai tapped his cheeks twice, and he woke up briefly. He grumbled gibberish and settled back on Addai's shoulder, sleeping with his arms crossed. It wasn't long before Mine's arms were completely loose, and he almost fell off the bench if it weren't for his bag that caught on Addai's keychain and stopped his fall, as Addai was also almost dozing off.

This time, Addai was the one who grumbled and almost gave up on serving as support for the sleep-drunk, but he didn't expect Mine to hold on Addai's arm.

“Hmmm..." Mine muttered, rubbing his face against Addai's arm. "Hm," he smiled.

Addai looked at him and hesitated a little.

He once wondered if Mine's hair was soft and fragrant, which it indeed was. The smell of cotton blossom and lavender was as striking as the softness of the thin, greenish strands. Addai removed the unruly strands that stuck to Mine's cheeks and forehead, placing them behind his ears.

Everything about him seemed delicate, from the design of his lips to his eyelashes and ears. It was hard to believe that his personality contrasted with all that.

He leaned over a little, brushing his lips on Mine's soft, cold hair.

It was ticklish but kind of… addictive.

Oh no.

What…? Addai thought, cheeks burning.

A fluttering feeling burnt him inside. A foreign feeling.

Bewitching, burning feeling.

What did you do to me? Addai thought again, gazing at Mine’s sleeping face.

It was like a small cube of sugar slowly melting in a glass of cold juice.

Slowly sweetening the acidic juice.

The sweetness of that bewitching feeling.

“----------------" Addai muttered something inaudible.

It was warm, and Mine could feel that.

Something warm marked his forehead.

Once it was a nice, gentle, and comfortable touch... Mine didn't want to overthink, so he enjoyed it. A slim smile sketched on his face while he nuzzled on that warm thing that smelled a faint musky perfume, like sandalwood and cedar mixed. It was pleasant, and no words could perfectly translate such comfiness.

Then, what once was warm turned into a chilly wind that blew Mine's face and body. The cold breeze suddenly transformed into a sensation of burning and throbbing pain.

Wake up. A gentle voice whispered.

Lost in that unpleasant synesthesia – the hazy transition between sleep and wakefulness – Mine attempted to move, but his limbs felt as if they were encased in concrete. He tried to talk, but nothing came out. He tried to shout, much less it sounded. He tried to open his eyes, but it was nearly impossible.

Wake up. The voice was stern.

Mine gasped and finally opened his eyes wide.

The headache and dizziness immediately pierced his head and blurred his vision.

It was chaotic. Wherever he looked, he noticed that his surroundings were not the same as before. It seemed as if something had placed a dark, purplish filter on his vision and a speaker emitting grunts, screams, and the classic noise of a spell hitting someone.

“Ugh...” he mumbled and felt something hold him tighter.

“Hold tight, and don’t you dare to hop off!” a voice shouted, and Mine then turned wide awake!

“Addai?!” he gasped, grabbing Addai’s clothes to not fall. "What's going on?!"

"The wagons were hijacked!" he replied, dodging a few curses cast by who-knows-what, and whistled loud. "Our wagon is destroyed! I'm taking us to the next emergency exit.”

“My bag! Where’s my bag?!” Mine fretted.

“Does that even matter?!” Addai replied, his voice laced with urgency.