SUBURBIA ━ hyunbinlix ✓

九

Monday, October 7th

The weekend had left Changbin feeling anything but refreshed, seeing as the two days off from school were, in fact, his least favorite days of the week— despite that opinion contradicting the weekends whole purpose.

Sunday nights void was attempted to be filled by the boys nightly walk through the surrounding woods near his house, however even the calm call of nature wasn't enough to persuade his body into feeling as tired as his mind did. All it truly succeeded in doing was causing a cold-induced headache, as well as causing his hands to be even colder than they usually were, making his fingertips numb on top of all of that.

That was how he found himself the following morning, after yet another night lacking sleep, awaiting the school day that he knew would drag on even slower than usual. He wished that he could lay in bed, even for just a few moments more, however he knew he couldn't afford to be late to school— his father didn't particularly appreciate that.

Changbins morning continued on as per usual, the never ending cycle of him struggling to find a decent outfit and having a not-so-smooth ride to school playing out each day, as if he was living the life of a broken record player that no one ever bothered to fix.

He would just keep repeating, the same lines over and over again, until someone decided to make the effort to fix him.

As he entered the school, he was welcomed by the halls being heated generously, a great contrast to the cold air that flooded his entire body outside. He knew he would have to start layering up soon once winter came along, especially since he skated to school each morning without fail.

Hugging his skateboard to his chest, the dark haired boy weaved his way around the bodies of his fellow high school students, careful not to accidentally slam into one of them with his board. That would be an absolute disaster. His mind wandered off to Felix, who had been unfortunate enough to collide with the elder boy twice. At least his skateboard was hanging by his side during those times, however.

Without realizing it, his feet had carried him to a familiar back hall, and Changbin found himself face to face with the bathrooms door.

He found it kind of funny, how he was relying on two people he had never met before to feel at least even the slightest bit validated. He hated to admit it, but being able to see if there was a new response was beginning to become a highlight of his day.

The raven haired boy pushed open the door, letting his skateboard hang by his side as he made his way into the handicapped stall.

As expected, new additions had been imprinted onto the wall, and he squinted his eyes to get a better look.

'I know it's hard. Please stay alive, for me.'

Changbins heart swelled slightly at those words, and he even managed to crack a slight smile. It was almost laughable, how this stranger seemed to care more about him than anyone else who had ever wandered into his life.

Again, his eyes traveled along the sharpie that had been left on the wall, and he came across a message from the other unknown boy, the one who used purple ink. Except this time, he had written words for the first time.

'thank you :)' he had written in response to Changbins previous compliment on his art. 'also i hope things get better for you.'

Not only did the boy leave that, but he also doodled the careful image of a sunflower, which smiled at Changbin from off the white tile walls.

'i hope things get better too' he wrote, in response to both of the other students comments. 'but it's not likely'.

Changbin capped the marker, letting a soft sigh escape from his lips, one of the only sounds his body seemed capable of releasing comfortably nowadays.

Shoving his marker back within the depths of his backpack, Changbin pulled up the hood of his sweatshirt and made his way out of the bathroom, only partly ready for first period. It would be much more enjoyable if someone in that class actually wanted to talk to him, in his opinion.

. . .

"Have we always had lunch together?"

Changbin looked up from his phone, eyebrows raising a bit in surprise at the sudden appearance of the boy before him. He shrugged a bit in response, being sure to add in the slightest of smiles so that he wouldn't be considered impolite.

Felix took a seat at the table, giving the boy company during the lunch period for the first time in his entire high school career. The dark haired boy found himself feeling elated by the ginger boys sudden appearance in his life, however at the same time he felt as if it was all occurring to fast for him to comprehend. From being alone to having a friend in the span of two school days was a fantasy concept before the younger boy came along.

Changbin was quick to pull up his notes app, typing away as Felix waited patiently.

'i like to sit alone' he typed, pausing for a moment. 'but i don't mind if you sit with me.'

Felix's features broke out into a smile, and he didn't hesitate to go off into a rant about nothing in specific as he began to eat the lunch he'd brought from home.

Changbin sat listening carefully to the boys words, arms wrapped around himself in a secure hug as the period continued on. He was grateful that Felix didn't mind his lack of input on the current conversations subject, however he did make sure to make the occasional comments via his cellphone.

"Do you skate?" Felix suddenly questioned, seeming to just then take notice of the skateboard that rested by Changbins feet on the cafeteria floor.

Changbin tilted his head, slightly confused by the subject change at first, however he nodded in confirmation. Felix's eyes practically lit up, which the elder boy hadn't been anticipating. Felix was shy upon their first interaction together, however that side of him seemed to have been completely abandoned as he continued on their conversation at the lunch table.

"That's so cool," Felix hummed, tapping his fingers against the surface of the table. "You should teach me some day. I'm not coordinated at all, but I think it'd be cool, yeah? Since we're friends and all."

Changbin liked that.

friends.