Chapter Text
It was 10:54 p.m. by the time Choi Soobin arrived at the peaceful train station.
To some, it may have seemed inhumane and depressing that he never managed to get off work earlier at night, but it barely bothered him. Quite often, friends and family had advised him to start searching for a new job, but he was content. He loved working at the small coffee shop where he had been promoted to vice branch manager two years ago. For his young 22 years at the time, that had been pretty remarkable. He felt a sense of accomplishment and honor.
When the café had first begun serving cocktails in the evenings six months ago and the opening hours had been extended to 10 p.m., he hadn't been too thrilled, but had quickly adapted to the new arrangement like a good employee. It hadn't taken long for it to become obvious that the 24-year-old was by far the team's most talented cocktail mixer. On top of that, his calm and, according to his co-workers, 'mysterious' nature was attracting quite a few people plus tips. After a few days, he was baptized with the embarrassing nickname 'babe magnet', as women were fighting in line to have the attractive, tall blond mix them a Sex on the Beach, causing him to blush furiously while they devoured him with drunken heart eyes drowning him in all the attention of the world.
Since his boss got a hold of this information, he was given the late shift on his work schedule pretty much every day.
He didn’t mind though.
Some would consider Soobin's life boring, but he liked it. He got up, finished getting ready, watched a few episodes of his favorite show on the train ride into town, worked, read a book on his ride home, before falling into his bed and drifting off into the world of dreams. The next morning, it all started over again. On his days off, he would meet up with friends and family and pursue his favorite hobbies: eating and sleeping. He didn't need more than that.
With half-open eyes, he kicked a pebble down the stairs and buried his face a little deeper in his scarf. While spring made its coming felt during the day, there was no sign of it at this ungodly time. An icy wind swept mercilessly over the platform, bringing tears to his eyes.
It was 11:09 p.m. when a distressed cry shattered the languid tranquility of the night.
Suddenly, Soobin was more awake than ever.
His alert eyes flew over the lonely platform. He caught sight of two black silhouettes a few meters in the distance, who seemed to be engaged in a scuffle. His heart skipped a beat before it continued to race at double speed. Hesitantly, he took a few steps towards them to get a clearer overview of the scene.
A man grabbed another younger man roughly by his collar and slammed him against a brick wall. The restrained man squirmed uselessly and let out a frightened whimper as he attempted to kick his opponent in the nuts. To no avail. The old man proceeded to jolt the other and firmly buried a hand in his hair, aggressively pulling the younger’s head back and exposing his neck. Something silver glistened in the faint glow of the moonlight.
"That necklace must be worth a whole car, right sweetheart?" The old man's words were gruff and slurred. Soobin had no doubt that the man was wasted. Maybe even on drugs. “But those pretty, expensive lips of yours are probably worth even more?”
Soobin watched in horror as the man, without any warning, grabbed the jaw of his whimpering counterpart and proceeded to straight up lick over the younger man's lips. He wanted to vomit.
"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing? Get off him right now!" Soobin tried to look as assertive as possible, unconsciously making himself stand even taller and more upright. He towered over the other two men by a few inches, which gave him a bit more confidence.
The old, gross fuck gave him a quick, disparaging once-over.
"'Piss off! Mind your own business!" he spat, as a pair of desperate, teary eyes met Soobin's appalled ones.
"I'll call the police!" Soobin was trembling with fear and anxiety. He tried to make it look like self-assured anger, but on the inside, he was about to faint.
The other merely rolled his eyes and snorted in contempt. He turned his gaze back to the cowering man pressed against the wall in front of him and completely disregarded Soobin's existence.
Soobin had never been part of a physical confrontation. He hated any kind of conflict. His movements were usually rather clumsy and awkward and his gym teacher had always teased him back then, telling him that he had two left feet and two left hands. He didn't know how to fight and didn't really want to learn. But when the disgusting creep suddenly slid his hands into the other guy's back jeans pocket and the latter flinched in revulsion and shot the blond a pleading look, Soobin's body automatically set itself in motion.
In less than two seconds he reached the two figures. Without a second thought, he grabbed the old creep by the hood of his liquor-stinking sweatshirt and yanked him backwards. By the hand of the old one, still buried in his hair, the younger one was dragged along with him and groaned out a sound filled with pain. Both his hands shot up to the arm as he dug his fingernails into the skin. The asshole grunted and released his hair.
"You little whore!"
The old man raised his right hand to grab the other again, but only over Soobin's dead body.
Adrenaline flooded his entire body as he clenched his right hand into a fist and instinctively let it crash against the asshole's jaw. He skillfully dodged the other’s raging, drunkenly slow hands and shoved him backwards with all the force he could muster.
"Kick him in the nuts!" he heard the young man beside him shout in excitement, and he proceeded to do just that.
The old sack sank to his knees groaning and cursing out loud.
At that moment, the incoming train, which was running later than normal, rushed past the three of them before slowly coming to a halt and stopping. Ready to be boarded.
Soobin winced slightly as a cold hand carefully reached for his hand and slowly intertwined their fingers.
"As hot as it is to see you protecting me, we should get on board quickly before that drunk dick gets back to his feet and the train leaves without us," the exhausted yet somewhat excited voice snapped Soobin out of his stupor as he was gently pulled towards the train door.
The door closed behind them, and the train slowly began to move. The two dropped onto a bench seat sighing, and Soobin closed his eyes wearily. As if the badly flirting and mildly annoying ladies from the café had not been exhausting enough today. Soobin was ready for a vacation.
He felt a soft brush against his hand and opened his eyes. Only then did he notice that the other was still holding his left hand tightly while drawing nervous circles on the back with his other free hand.
Soobin’s gaze wandered from their hands, up the other's arms, to his face, which he couldn't make out much of earlier in the dark of the night.
And damn, what the fuck?
This was possibly the prettiest human being he’s ever encountered. He had dark brown, luscious hair that were blown-out and fell gently over his forehead framing his face to perfection. It was a bit longer at the nape of his neck, and Soobin was overcome with a sudden, strong urge to run his fingers over the soft-looking fluff. He held back because how creepy would that be, especially after what just happened?
His cat-shaped eyes were only half-open from fatigue, allowing Soobin to catch a glimpse of bright, ocean-blue eyes. He assumed they were contact lenses. His nose was adorable, but the blonde's gaze lingered mostly on his plump, rose-tinted lips, that looked like he was constantly pouting. Cute.
There was no way that this guy wasn’t a model of some sort.
Suddenly Soobin felt his own shyness coming back. His eyes wandered back to their hands, and he swallowed. Why was he suddenly so nervous?
The brunette seemed to sense his gaze and self-consciously tucked a dark strand of hair behind his ear.
"Sorry. Nervous habit.", he apologized quietly, untangling their hands. The blond just nodded and offered him an understanding smile. He hoped it had a calming effect.
„Don’t worry. It’s ok.“ Soobin sat awkwardly up straighter in his seat and watched as the other toyed anxiously with a thread of his pants. "I'm Soobin, by the way. In case you want to know the name of your knight in shining armor."
He intended the silly line to ease the tense mood a bit, and it did.
The brunette looked up and gave him a genuine, somewhat amused smile.
"Thank you, Soobin, my hero." He dramatically placed a hand over his heart. "How will I ever be able to pay you? I am forever indebted to you.” He bowed jokingly.
Soobin chuckled warmly and noticed the brunette’s tense shoulders relaxing.
“Well, for starters you could tell me the name of the damsel in distress I just saved.”
Soobin was genuinely curious. He had been traveling on this train for several years and had never met his counterpart. In a big city, that was certainly nothing special. But this train went to a little village where almost everyone knew each other. When Soobin had moved into his small apartment three years ago there, the news had immediately spread like a wildfire throughout the entire town, and he had received tons of welcome muffins and visitors. The same would surely be the case if someone as gorgeous as the brunette were to move in.
“That I can do. I’m Yeonjun.” He gifted Soobin with a sheepish and pretty smile, that the blond couldn’t help but mirror. “Nice to meet you, even though the circumstances were slightly…slightly…bad.”
The mood clouded over a bit again and became serious. There was no point in brushing aside what had happened with a few silly jokes and meaningless chatter.
"Yes...did you know the person?", Soobin asked cautiously, not wanting to upset or catch the brunette off guard.
Yeonjun shook his head wearily and let it fall against the back of the seat, sighing.
"I'm not quite sure. He must have followed me after work. I was so tired and didn't even notice him until he jumped me from behind on the train platform, stupid me." He closed his eyes for a second and Soobin felt the desire to remove all worries and troubles from his expression.
“Don’t you dare put this on yourself. That dude was a psycho. None of it is your fault.” The blond gave him a stern look and the brunette opened his eyes. They glistened in the dim light of the train's illuminations, and he sniffled.
"I just felt so weak and helpless. No matter what I did, I couldn't get him off by myself. What would have happened if you weren’t there?" Yeonjun sobbed and hid his face behind trembling hands.
Soobin’s heart broke at the sight.
“But I was there. So don’t even think about it. I can’t imagine what that must feel like but you’re safe now.”
The blond's fingers twitched while the brunette's body was shaken by several sobs as the whole stress of the situation seemed to catch up and overwhelm him.
“I know, I know. But I somehow can’t stop crying.”, the poor guy whimpered with a broken voice, “I’m sorry. I’m usually not an emotional wreck like this.”
Soobin frowned disapprovingly.
“Don’t apologize for being a normal human being.”, he answered softly.
The blond hesitated for a second.
“Can I hug you? Maybe that helps with your anxiety. Oxytocin and all that stuff.”, he awkwardly over-explained and scratched his neck. “Only if you’re comfortable with it.”
Yeonjun croaked out a pathetic, hoarse ‘yes’ and basically threw himself into Soobin as if he’d just been waiting for him to ask.
Soobin chuckled surprised. As gently as possible, he wrapped his arms around the brunette's torso and slowly ran his right hand up and down. A gesture his mother had always used on him when he was upset or sad. Yeonjun let out a sigh and buried his face into his shoulder. With his left hand, he reached into the warm sweater just above Soobin's waist and held tightly onto it, as if Soobin would vanish the moment he let go.
For a few minutes the two of them stayed in this position, enjoying each other's warmth and tranquility. Streetlights and dark woods flashed past the window, while a light drizzle began to fall, and raindrops raced down the glass.
Soobin's right hand, without him noticing, had wandered up the brunette's nape, brushing lightly through the soft brown hair. The other hummed appreciatively and nuzzled deeper into the crook of Soobin’s neck. His nose brushed the blond's throat and he had to remind himself to keep breathing.
How on earth had he ended up like this?
An hour ago, he had been vacuuming away the last crumbs in the coffee shop and cluelessly humming ‘Meant to be’ by Bebe Rexha on the way to the train station and now he was sat here, his current favorite book forgotten in the depths of his backpack, and he was cuddling a beautiful stranger, which could be exciting and thrilling if the circumstances weren't so sad and heavy. Also, his right hand slightly hurt since he punched that guy in the face. Although he really wasn’t a violent person, he was kind of proud of putting that guy in his place.
“You smell good.” The brunette demonstratively took a deep breath as Soobin's cheeks blushed a cherry red.
“You have the softest hair I’ve ever touched.”, he stated as a matter of fact, not knowing what else to say.
Yeonjun giggled which tickled Soobin’s neck and poked him into the side. “It better be. Otherwise, all those products and time would be for nothing.”
“Alright. Please drop your hair and skin care routine.”, Soobin replied, slightly envious of the flawless skin and luxurious hair of the other.
“Actually, my skin is just good genes. I only use water.”
The blond opened his mouth outraged and snorted. What an unfair world. „That’s…just…that’s just mean.”
Yeonjun laughed and momentarily stopped fisting Soobin’s sweater to amusedly pat his waist. “I’m just God’s favourite. Sorry you had to find out this way.”
The door to the compartment opened and the two flinched, pulling apart in surprise. An unenthusiastic ticket inspector appeared and boredly asked the two for their tickets. Soobin's cheeks burned as the man didn't even look at the tickets properly and after a quick nod, walked on, leaving the two alone once again. He cursed him for ruining the wholesome moment him and Yeonjun just had. Now it was back to being slightly awkward. According to his friends he was the quote ‘awkward king’ and deserved a medal for weird interactions and being a dumb idiot with no social skills.
But when he looked to Yeonjun, who returned his gaze with a sleepy smile, he wondered if he really was that terrible at it. The brunette at least seemed to be comfortable with him. So he couldn't be that bad and awkward. Screw his friends. They had no idea and they were the idiots. He was actually acing this.
“So, what is the great Soobin doing for a living?” Yeonjun asked, yawning but still giving the other all of his attention. “Wait! Let me guess! Something with animals? Or Science? Ew wait, no, please tell me it’s not that? A Fashion designer maybe?”
The last one was so ridiculous and unbelievably far away from the truth that the blonde barked out a laughter, earning him a cute pout from the brunette.
“Not even close. I work at a coffee shop, I’m a barista and cocktail mixer as of late.”, he explained amused.
“Ah, that’s why you smell like coffee and sweet syrup. I just thought you were and addict or something.” The blonde playfully boxed the other’s arm and smiled.
“That I am, too. Are you a skin products model or something?”
Soobin’s overflowing curiosity was brutally trampled by Yeonjun’s next words.
“Hm. I’ll keep that a secret for now. You must find out yourself.”, he said, and winked at the blonde as if the two were part of a conspiracy.
“What? That’s unfair.”, Soobin complained and crossed his arms in a fake huff.
Yeonjun simply laughed like a brat. Soobin would have been offended if he wasn't so glad that the sadness had disappeared completely from the brunette's face and the tears had dried and been forgotten. The other looked a lot better and happier again. Still tired though.
The rest of the trip, the two sat together and gazed out the window. Yeonjun hummed a song that the blond didn't know, and Soobin slowly but surely fell asleep.
A warm hand ruffling through his hair startled him and stirred him awake. He wasn't quite sure how long he had been asleep, but when he looked out the window, he saw that the train had stopped and arrived at the little village, the final stop.
"Sorry to wake you, but we're here."
Soobin blinked in confusion and turned to look at the source of the voice. A sleepy smiling brunette appeared in his field of vision. He had already gotten up and thrown his bag around his shoulders, ready to go.
“Thanks for waking me up.”, the blond mumbled with a voice still raspy from sleep.
The two exited the train and stepped into the cold that awaited them. The rain had fortunately stopped, but the wind was blowing as mercilessly as ever.
“Do you want me to accompany you home? I wouldn’t mind.” Soobin offered, watching the shivering Yeonjun with slightly concerned eyes.
The other dismissed it with a smile. "Thank you, but that's not necessary. I don't live far away, I can manage. You look pretty ready for bed." He laughed and pinched the blond's cheek.
"Okay, but it really wouldn't be a problem." Suddenly, Soobin was keen for the other to know that he would be more than willing to make the detour for him if it meant he would feel safer and more at ease.
“It’s fine, really.” Yeonjun bit his lip thoughtfully before taking a step forward and gently wrapping his arms around Soobin for a short but sweet hug. "Thank you, again. See you around!"
Before Soobin could even say a word back, he had already turned around and was skipping into the darkness, the last words the brunette called out laughing into the night somehow still managed to warm the blond's cheeks despite the freezing cold and bring a smile to his tired lips.
„Sleep tight, my saviour!“