Hands sweating. Breathing shallow. Heart pounding like a drum in his chest.
Kai sat stiffly in his seat, eyes wide with anxiety as he fidgeted on the edge of his chair. In mere minutes, he and Beomgyu would be called up to present their science project in front of the entire class. But Kai's mind wasn't in the room. It was lost in an echo chamber of panic and memories he didn't want to remember.
He could barely hear the students currently presenting. Their words blurred into static, and the classroom felt distant — like a dream he wanted to wake up from.
Until a warm hand took his own.
"Hey," Beomgyu whispered gently, his thumb brushing over Kai's knuckles. "I'm here. You've got this, okay? We'll do it together."
That small gesture pulled Kai back from the edge. He looked down at Beomgyu's hand, then up at his soft smile, and finally nodded.
When their turn came, the two stood up and carried their project — a clay model of the human heart — to the front of the classroom. Gyu began the presentation smoothly, explaining the chambers and function of the heart, gesturing to the model with practiced ease.
Then it was Kai's turn.
He looked up... and froze.
A few quiet chuckles from the back row reached his ears. He didn't need to look. He knew it was them — the ones who had taken everything from him. The moment he glanced their way, their mocking eyes were waiting. And suddenly, he was back in that horrible night. Back in that darkness.
His lips parted, but no words came.
The classroom fell quiet. Eyes turned to Kai. A whisper of laughter somewhere in the back. Kai stood frozen, trembling, throat dry, eyes shimmering with restrained tears.
Then—
"Kai," Soobin's voice said softly from his desk.
Kai looked at him.
Soobin gave him a gentle nod. His gaze held no pressure, only warmth. "Just look at me," he seemed to say with his eyes. "You're safe now."
And for a moment, Kai believed him.
Drawing in a shaky breath, Kai began to speak, slowly at first — but with each sentence, he grew steadier, finding his rhythm and strength again.
By the end, the class was silent, and Soobin clapped first.
"That was wonderful. Thank you, Beomgyu and Kai," he said warmly. "You both did great."
Beomgyu smiled proudly at Kai, whispering, "You were amazing."
But Kai couldn't smile fully. He quickly looked away when Soobin met his gaze again, ashamed and overwhelmed. Soobin's smile faltered too, the rejection stinging quietly in his chest.
Meanwhile, Beomgyu cast a cold glance at the back of the room — straight at the jocks. His fingers curled into fists. They'd pay for what they did to Kai.
+×+
Inside the boys' restroom, the jocks were laughing — not a care in the world.
"What next?" Junhui smirked. "We hunt another lamb?"
Mingyu leaned against the sink, eyes dark with amusement. "Beomgyu, maybe? He's fun to mess with. Let's see how the genius breaks."
What they didn't know was that Taehyun was quietly hidden in one of the stalls, recording every word on his phone.
Everything was going according to plan.
Moments later, the door swung open — and Beomgyu walked in.
"Well, well," Vernon drawled. "Looks like our little lamb came straight to the slaughter."
But Beomgyu wasn't afraid.
He walked right up to Mingyu and grabbed his collar, slamming him against the wall. "You sick freak. You think no one's going to hold you accountable for what you did to Kai?"
The smirk didn't fade from Mingyu's face. "Aw, are you angry?" he taunted. "You're not gonna stop us. Nobody ever does."
Just then, Vernon and Junhui grabbed Beomgyu, holding him tight. Mingyu stepped forward, too close, his breath hot with venomous pride.
"You should've kept your head down," he hissed. "Now you'll end up just like your little friend."
Beomgyu didn't flinch — even as Mingyu reached for his shirt.
But before anything else could happen—
BANG.
Taehyun burst from the stall and launched a kick straight into Mingyu's side. The older boy doubled over, howling in pain. Junhui lunged, only to be flipped to the floor by Taehyun's quick movements. Vernon tried to punch Taehyun — but Beomgyu landed a clean, burning punch to his face.
Mingyu groaned on the floor, one eye swelling, as Taehyun pulled Beomgyu to his feet. The two sprinted out of the restroom and down the hallway, heartbeats thundering.
They ducked into a classroom and locked the door, catching their breath.
"You okay?" Taehyun panted.
"Yeah... yeah, thanks. You?"
"Perfect," Taehyun grinned, lifting his phone. "I got everything."
+×+
Carrying a stack of books that Yeonjun had handed him earlier, Kai made his way quietly through the hallway toward the faculty room. He hadn't planned on this errand — Yeonjun had flagged him down and asked if he could drop the books off on his desk. And though Kai had been in the middle of looking for Beomgyu, who'd told him he'd be right back, he agreed without hesitation.
He just didn't expect to run into him.
Kai gently knocked before pushing open the door to the faculty room. His breath caught the moment he stepped inside.
Soobin was alone.
The older boy looked up from his papers, clearly startled to see him. "Kai?"
Kai swallowed hard and lowered his eyes. Without a word, he moved quickly toward Yeonjun's desk and placed the books down carefully, refusing to meet Soobin's gaze. He turned to leave.
But before he could take a step, Soobin's voice stopped him.
"Kai… wait. Please. Can we talk? Just for a moment."
Kai froze, his back still turned. He didn't speak, but he didn't walk away either.
"I-I don't know what to say," Soobin admitted, his voice quieter now. "You've been avoiding me these past few weeks, and… I didn't understand why. I kept thinking maybe I did something wrong, or maybe you regretted it. But… not having you around hurt more than I expected. It felt like something important was missing."
He slowly stepped closer, each word weighed down with sincerity. When he gently rested a hand on Kai's shoulder, the younger boy flinched — but didn't pull away.
"That day… when you kissed me," Soobin whispered, "I felt something. I didn't know what it meant at the time. I was confused. But it never left my mind. It kept replaying in my head… over and over."
Kai's eyes welled up, his throat tightening. He bit back a sob.
"I wasn't disgusted," Soobin continued, his voice trembling. "I wasn't upset. If anything… it opened something inside me. It made me feel alive in a way I hadn't before. I don't know what this is yet, but I know I missed you. I missed us."
Kai couldn't hold it in anymore. A sob escaped him as tears spilled freely down his cheeks. His hands came up to cover his face, but that only seemed to urge Soobin forward.
Without hesitation, Soobin wrapped his arms around Kai from behind, pressing the younger boy to his chest in a tender, protective embrace. Kai broke down completely, crying into his palms, his body shaking with weeks of buried pain and isolation.
Soobin turned him gently around, murmuring his name. He took Kai's trembling hands in his own, guiding them away from his tear-streaked face.
"It's okay," he whispered. "I've got you now."
Kai finally looked up at him, guilt clouding his eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered brokenly. "I didn't mean to make things worse."
"You didn't," Soobin said, shaking his head. "You never did."
He cupped Kai's face in his hands, brushing the tears from his cheeks with his thumbs. His eyes were soft, full of something deeper than he could explain — not just care, not just affection, but something heavier, more permanent.
They stayed like that for a long moment, just breathing in the silence. The tension, the heartache, all melted away.
Soobin's gaze dropped to Kai's lips. He hesitated… then gently touched the corner of Kai's mouth with his fingers.
And then, he leaned in.
Their lips met — softly, at first. A hesitant question. But when Kai responded, everything changed. The kiss deepened, sweet and slow and full of every unspoken word they'd both been holding back.
It wasn't just a kiss. It was a reunion.
When they pulled apart, Soobin was still smiling, thumbs brushing against Kai's jaw. He didn't say anything — he didn't need to. His eyes said it all.
Kai couldn't stop the tears from falling again, but this time, they were happy ones. And when Soobin leaned in for another kiss, Kai met him halfway — no hesitation, no fear, just warmth and hope and a longing finally fulfilled.
Wrapped in each other's arms, it felt like time had stopped. And neither of them wanted it to start again.