OBLIVIOUS, robin arellano

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐧 - warm inside

The heater in the school broke, and it wouldn't be able to be fixed until later in the day. Everyone huddled together and snuggled in their jackets during class. It was below freezing outside, and it was snowing as well. 

Y/n shivered as she wrote down the notes for class. Her hand was so cold it began to turn numb. Once she finished taking them down, she immediately put her hands in her pocket. Looking around, everyone was shaking, even the teacher. Nevertheless, she had to continue teaching.

During passing periods, it was worse. The hallways were the coldest, so everyone rushed to their classes as fast as possible. No one had time to stop by and talk with their friends in the hallway. 

Unfortunately, Y/n left textbooks in her locker before the heater broke; the lockers were icy cold. 

Y/n's hand unsteadily turned the padlock, trying her best to open her locker without messing up. She tried pulling the padlock, but it wouldn't budge. "Shit," she muttered. She tried once again. It was another failure. She decided to try once again. Nothing happened. Y/n was about to give up and leave when she heard a familiar voice. 

"Need any help?" 

Y/n smiled when she heard Bruce Yamada leaning on the locker next to her. She nodded as she moved away so he could help her. "What's your code?" he asked sweetly. 

"It's thirty-three, seven, and twenty-nine," she recited. Bruce managed to open Y/n's locker on his first try. Y/n nodded, saying thank you before taking the textbooks out of her locker.

Bruce blew into his hands to try and stay warm. "What did your parents say about detention?" He asked. 

"They don't know. I lied to them," Y/n muttered, slamming the locker. They started to walk to their next and final class of the day after what felt like an eternity of freezing.

"My parents got confused because of the reason why I got detention," Bruce chuckled.

 Y/n also laughed a bit as well. "Why did you stand up?" she questioned. Bruce's breath hitched. 

"Uh," Bruce starts. "I don't know, actually," he responds. Y/n gets suspicious of his answer, but she has no choice but to brush it off since the bell rang. 

-

Once the final bell rang, Y/n rushed out of the class. While walking, she accidentally bumped into someone, with Y/n's stuff falling everywhere.

"Oh! I'm so sorry," Y/n apologizes as she picks up her supplies. She realized it was Bruce. Her eyes lit up as she saw him. 

Bruce shakes his head. "No, it's fine," he smiles. Y/n starts to walk home. Bruce hesitates before rushing over to her. 

"Y/n?" He murmurs. Y/n turns around and sees Bruce right behind her. 

"Do you have anything to do later today?" Y/n shakes her head. Bruce sighs in relief. "Do you wanna go to the town square with me?"

Y/n nods without hesitation. When they start walking to the town square, Robin catches Y/n's eye. He looked disappointed about something. She frowns slightly, wondering what he is thinking. 

-

The town square was rather small, but it was a great place to be when you had nothing to do. It had bakeries, markets, cafés, and more. It was Y/n's favorite place in the world.

Since it was wintertime, the town square was festive; the Christmas tree lit up in the middle of the area, and garlands and lights were everywhere.

Bruce led Y/n to a quaint café across the street. It was famous in town, yet no one was there. The bakery usually had many residents and visitors inside. 

Taking a seat near the window, Bruce orders two hot chocolates for both of them. 

"This time, I'm paying," Y/n says as Bruce puts the money away in his wallet. Y/n smiles while the bakery owner strides up to them and places their drinks. 

As Y/n sips the drink, she instantly warms up. Bruce laughs at her. "What?" she asks, wiping any whipped cream possibly on her face. 

Bruce shakes his head. "Nothing, you—" he trails off. Y/n assumed he had a habit of doing that since he always trailed off when he talked to her. 

Y/n ignores it as she continues to drink. Christmas music plays in the café as they sit in silence. It was a comfortable silence, though. They didn't mind.  

Y/n coughed suddenly to catch Bruce's attention. He looked up at her. "Do you— want to go to the bookstore with me?" she quietly asks. 

He nods in reply. Y/n pays for the drinks before they walk outside. After drinking the hot chocolate, they warmed up; it wasn't that cold. 

-

The bookstore did not have many people inside, just one or two. Y/n scanned the small bookshelves to try and find a new book to read. She hasn't read a book in a few months. Bruce followed her, also trying to find something to read. 

Y/n pulls a small book from the shelf. "You should read this. I've heard it's good," she recommends. It was a copy of Stephen King's 'The Shining.' Bruce shakes his head. 

"I'm not a fan of horror," Bruce remarks. 

She scoffs. "Seriously? Then what do you watch or read?" Y/n questions. 

"Whatever's on, I guess. As long as it isn't scary."

Pursing her lips, Y/n takes another book from the shelf. "Read this. It's not too scary. I have one at home," she mentions. It was another Stephen King book, 'Salem's Lot.' 

"You like him a lot, don't you?" Bruce comments. 

Y/n shrugs. "I like some of King's books."

Bruce laughs at her before going to another section. Y/n didn't want to be alone, so she followed. 

After a few minutes of walking around the small bookstore, Y/n decided to purchase 'The Shining.' 

"Want me to walk you home?" Bruce offers. Y/n accepts. She doesn't know why he continues to ask; he always walks her home if Finney and Robin aren't with her. 

They arrived at Y/n's home after fifteen minutes. Before Y/n went inside, Bruce decided to ask her a question.

"We're still up for Friday? This hangout doesn't count," Bruce assured.

Y/n nodded in reply. "Of course."

It was a fun day. Even if it was still freezing, they felt warm inside.