By The Window | YeonBin

fifteen

The next day, the cold air bit at the edges of Yeonjun's skin, despite being indoors. He sat alone on the edge of the bench in the changing room, staring blankly at his feet.

The faint echoes of voices from the field drifted through the open windows. Everyone else had already changed and headed out for PE, but he just sat there, frozen in place, still holding his sweater over his bare arms.

Why didn't I grab the jacket? He cursed himself.

The same jacket he'd tossed to the side in a rush that morning, trying to escape the house before hearing his father's voice again. He couldn't wear his sweater over his PE uniform— freaking school policy.

Yeonjun's fingers tightened on the fabric of the sweater draped over his lap, covering his arms, his scars. He could feel the panic rising in his chest again, the idea of walking outside, exposed, where everyone could see. Where they could see him.

"Yeonjun?"

He tensed at the sudden voice, his heart skipping. He looked up to find Soobin standing at the entrance, the tall boy's eyes searching, concerned. His usual grin was replaced by a furrowed brow, the easy warmth in his face gone.

"Why aren't you at the field?" Soobin stepped closer, his voice soft, but his concern was clear. "Are you sick? Do you not feel—" He stopped mid-sentence.

Yeonjun froze as Soobin's eyes fell on the sweater draped over his arms, his gaze lingering on the hidden sleeves, and then understanding flashed in Soobin's expression. He noticed.

Without missing a beat, Soobin pulled off his jacket. "Here," he said, thrusting it into Yeonjun's lap, trying to act as nonchalant as possible. "It's not that cold outside anyway."

Yeonjun blinked. He stared at the jacket for a moment, then slowly lifted his eyes back to Soobin, who was already turning away, pretending like nothing had happened. He tugged his arms into his uniform shirt as if offering his jacket to someone wasn't a big deal at all.

Something strange flickered in Yeonjun's chest, a feeling he wasn't used to—something warm, despite the cold air. The faint smile Soobin wore as he gestured for him to hurry up tugged at something inside of him.

"Just...wear it, okay?" Soobin glanced back briefly. "I'll see you on the field."

Yeonjun swallowed hard. His heartbeat pounded, heat rushing up to his ears as they turned to the slightest hue of red as he stared at Soobin walking away.

He looked at the jacket again. It wasn't just the fact that Soobin had noticed his hesitation, or the scars he'd been trying so hard to hide from the public— it was the fact that he didn't ask any questions. No judgement, no prodding.

Why are you so nice?

The thought flickered through his mind as he slowly slid his arms into the jacket, pulling it tight around him. It smelled like Soobin— faintly like laundry detergent and something warm he couldn't quite place.

The jacket was oversized, falling past his wrists, and as Yeonjun stood up, he realized his hands were trembling slightly, not from the cold. It was... something else.

He could feel his heart racing in a way it hadn't in a long time, like something had broken through the wall he'd built around himself without him even realizing it.

He closed his eyes for a second, trying to steady his breath, but that fleeting image of Soobin stayed in his mind—

Soobin, standing there with that small, lopsided grin, dimples popping ever so slightly on either side of his face, offering his jacket as if he were handing over something so much more than just a piece of clothing.

A quiet savior. One that didn't demand anything of him.

Yeonjun didn't know how to process that. Didn't know how to process Soobin.

With a deep breath, Yeonjun stepped out of the changing room, pulling the jacket Soobin gave him a little tighter. He headed toward the field, his heart beating a little faster than usual, knowing Soobin would be waiting for him.

"Come on! Mr. Kim's already counting down!" Soobin cupped his hands around his mouth, shouting across the field. "You don't wanna do laps, do you?"

Yeonjun could barely process the words. His eyes were fixed on the way the wind swept through Soobin's bangs, tousling them lightly, the sunlight turning his hair a warm shade of brown.

And that smile— dimples creasing his cheeks so deeply it was impossible to look away. Soobin looked so full of life, glowing in the sunlight, carefree and real.

For a moment, Yeonjun felt something stir inside him. Yeonjun swore he could be drunk right now. It's been a couple of days since he has last drank. But this, this was different— softer, but just as dizzying. It felt like the rush of warmth from the second bottle of soju he downed, but without the weight. Just light.

Yeonjun shook his head, trying to snap himself out of the trance.

Get it together, Jun. he thought, but his feet felt heavy, like they were carrying him somewhere he wasn't sure he wanted to go. Still, he walked toward Soobin, his pulse quickening with every step.

When he finally reached the field, Soobin was still grinning, his dimples deepening as Yeonjun approached. "I guess no laps for you today." Soobin's voice had that usual teasing edge, but there was something softer behind it, something only Yeonjun seemed to notice.

Before Yeonjun could respond, Taehyun jogged up to them, eyeing Yeonjun with a raised brow. "What took you so long?" he asked, his tone playful, but with a hint of concern. "Thought you were gonna ditch us."

Yeonjun forced a smile, shrugging lightly. "Just lost track of time."

Taehyun glanced between Yeonjun and Soobin, clearly picking up on something but deciding not to say anything. Instead, he nudged Yeonjun with his shoulder. "Well, you're lucky. Mr. Kim's in a good mood today, so no laps."

"Thanks to me," Soobin chimed in, flashing that smile again, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

Yeonjun couldn't help but chuckle, though his heart was still pounding in his chest. "Yeah, thanks," he muttered, trying to sound casual but failing miserably.

As they started walking toward the rest of the class, Yeonjun tugged the jacket a little tighter around him, enveloping himself with Soobin's scent.

His mind kept wandering back to the taller boy, his smile, his warmth, his quiet attention. He wasn't used to this feeling, and for the first time in a while, it was something he didn't want to drown out.

____________

a.n.

Where my knight in shining armor that could give me his jacket? Smh....