The next day felt colder.
Not weather-wise—emotion-wise.
Something in the air around Juni had changed.
He laughed less.
Joked less.
Barely spoke.
Every time Elian touched his arm, Juni flinched—not from pain, but from fear of being seen. Whenever Elian asked a question, Juni cut him off with forced brightness.
"I'm fine!"
"Really, I'm doing great!"
"Don't worry about me!"
But Elian wasn't fooled. Not anymore.
When classes ended, students streamed through the gates in energetic clusters, chatter spilling into the streets. Juni slipped quietly past them, head lowered, shoulders tense.
Elian caught up quickly.
"Juni. Wait."
Juni stopped, but didn't turn around.
"…Elian, can we not today?"
Elian's chest tightened.
"I don't want you walking home alone."
Juni's voice softened—frayed at the edges. "You don't have to follow me everywhere."
Elian moved to stand beside him.
"I'm not following you. I'm walking with you."
Juni bit his lip—a tiny tremor shaking his shoulders.
Then, finally, he nodded.
They walked in silence at first, but Juni kept glancing nervously around the neighborhood as they approached the bus stop—as if terrified someone might see them together.
Elian noticed.
"Juni… do you not want me to be seen with you here?"
Juni stopped walking.
A painful expression crossed his face.
"…It's not that."
He swallowed.
"I don't want people from here to think you're… connected to me."
Elian blinked.
"Why?"
Juni's voice dropped to a whisper.
"…Because this neighborhood isn't good."
When the bus dropped them off, Elian stepped into a world he had never seen before.
Narrow streets. Old buildings with peeling paint. Faded signs. Windows patched with cardboard. Kids playing soccer barefoot in the alley. A stray cat weaving through piles of recycling.
It was nothing like the clean, manicured districts Elian grew up in.
Juni rubbed his neck awkwardly.
"It's not bad—just… old. And loud. And kind of messy."
Elian shook his head gently.
"It's okay."
Juni looked at him skeptically.
"Most people don't think so."
But Elian's eyes were soft.
"I'm not 'most people."
Juni's breath caught.
As they walked deeper into the neighborhood, Juni's house became more and more obvious. Elian saw it before Juni spoke a word. A narrow apartment complex with rusted stair rails, mismatched curtains, and a small garden box with dying plants.
One window was cracked. A bike lay collapsed on the side, one tire flat. Juni's steps slowed until he eventually stopped. He clutched his bag tightly, knuckles white.
"This is it."
Elian turned to him.
"Juni… you could have told me."
Juni squeezed his eyes shut.
"I didn't want you to see this."
"Why?"
Juni laughed weakly.
"Because I didn't want you to think I'm… pathetic."
Elian stepped closer.
"You are not pathetic."
Juni shook his head, teeth sinking into his lip.
"You live in a nice house. You have everything. And then there's me—living in a place where the lights flicker and the water shuts off sometimes."
Elian touched his shoulder gently.
"I don't care about your house."
Juni blinked rapidly.
"Then what do you care about?"
Elian hesitated. Just a heartbeat.
Just long enough for Juni to hold his breath.
Then he answered.
"You."