Way Back Home

You Never Walk Alone

That's why.

He kept her around because no matter how cold he was to her, she always smiled at him. When he started to fall deeper into his own depression she was the one to grab his hand and pull him back up. Maybe his world would be more peaceful without her, but it would be a world not worth living in. He needed her.

Yoongi grabbed the sweater and gave her a small smile—a rarity this early in the morning. But Chaerin grinned back regardless, she always did.

Once Yoongi was all bundled up in several layers of winter clothing Chaerin grabbed his hand and dragged him outside, stopping briefly to put on her own coat and shoes. As soon as her feet hit the snowy backyard a massive grin lit up Chaerin's face. It was the kind of smile that made people stop and stare for a moment. It was that smile that made adult fawn over her when they were little kids. It made boys fall in love with her, although she was too blind to notice it. That smile made Yoongi love her even more. It made him happy.

Yoongi's head whipped to the side. The force of impact from the snowball that hit his head broke him abruptly out of his thoughts. He slowly narrowed his eyes at Chaerin. She stood with her hands behind her back, rocking back and forth on her heels, looking perfectly innocent. But Yoongi knew better.

"Oh you're gonna get it," he teased and started towards her, scooping up snow on his way. Chaerin shrieked and sprinted away, with Yoongi giving chase.

ㄴㅇㄱ

Cherin sprinted inside the house, Yoongi following right on her heels. Their cheeks and the tips of their noses were red from the cold and their clothes were soaked from hours of playing in the snow but they were both laughing.

"You know, you didn't have to shove snow down the back of my shirt," Chaerin chuckled as she hastily shed her coat and boots.

"Well you didn't have to push me face-first into that snow pile," he countered. "I was only getting even."

Chaerin threw her head back  and laughed, "Well I did that just because I wanted to, so I guess we're even now!"

Yoongi's eyes narrowed. "Uh huh, we're even, but that doesn't mean that I won't kick your ass at Monopoly."

"Oh you can try, mister, but we both know I'm the Monopoly Queen," Chaerin made a silly, mock-bow, her arms out as if holding up the skirts of an invisible dress.

"The game is on, my lady," Yoongi teased.

They both wriggled out of their outdoor wear and ran up the stairs to Yoongi's room. Chaerin belly flopped onto the bed while Yoongi dug through his closet for a change of clothes, his current outfit was freezing and the knees of his pants were soaked with melted snow. He changed quickly in the small space of the closet, using the door as a screen. Once he was warm, Yoongi grabbed a t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants and tossed them at Chaerin, who got a face full of flannel just as she was sitting up.

"Change or you'll freeze," he told her while digging through his board games in search of Monopoly.

"Bossy," Chaerin mumbled as she walked to the bathroom to change.

After closing the bathroom door, Chaerin quickly peeled off her soaking clothes and replaced them with the pajamas Yoongi had given her. The pants were a bit big on her and they dragged on the floor, but overall the clothes were comfortable and they smelled like Yoongi, which made Chaerin smile.