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They met up to walk back home together after another late evening at their studios.
Exchanging content smiles as their greetings, they set off. Neither spoke. The silence was soothing, just the two of them in a silent bubble, making their path through a city that was always abuzz. Changkyun breathed in deeply to get his shoulders to relax a little. The smell was distinct.
“It’s gonna rain,” he announced silently, feeling it in the air around him more clearly now that he’d picked up on it.
Jooheon hummed in acknowledgement, “Hopefully we make it home before it starts.”
They’d made it about twenty meters before they first heard the pitter-patter against the concrete. Felt it against the tops of their heads.
Jooheon was grumbling under his breath, but they kept walking. Changkyun, having already tugged his hood on over his head, reached out to pull Jooheon’s one over his red mane as well. He made sure it settled well before retracting his hand.
Changkyun liked the rain. He liked feeling the slightly cool drops on the tip of his nose and the tops of his cheekbones, where the hood couldn’t cover his face. He liked taking in deep breaths of the crisp rainy air, feeling it fill up his chest.
The rain was picking up slightly and steadily, but Jooheon had made no move to get them under shelter and the shorter of the two didn’t mind one bit.
He spotted an already formed puddle and moved a little off path to make sure his sneakers splashed into it, sending more drops of water into the air and the puddle into ripples, and smiled at the sight.
Looking up, he noticed Jooheon had halted in his path and was waiting for him. His face unreadable, hands deep in the pockets of his hoodie, he looked tired.
Changkyun had just missed the warm smile tugging at chilled, plump lips.
He hurried back and pulled a little at his friend’s sleeve in silent apology and they kept walking in silence.
The raindrops only seemed to be getting heavier, bigger and more frequent with each passing minute. Jooheon could feel himself tensing up with cold and unease, the autumn night chill settling into him. They were both dressed quite lightly, after all.
Beside him, Changkyun had drifted into thought. He let himself feel the drops of water hitting against his skin, watched them hit the pavement before their feet and disturb the small bodies of water forming all around, he listened to the sounds of his shoes squeaking and those of the people hurrying by them, he gazed at the hasty shapes moving under lamp lights. Wondrous. Changkyun liked the rain.
A breeze picked up and, feeling himself shiver, Changkyun stopped and raised both his arms in welcome. He turned his head up at the dark skies, tinted a light orange by the city, and took a deep breath in. Stayed there. Changkyun really liked the rain.
He heard a laugh from beside him. Jooheon.
His arms dropping back by his sides, he quickly muttered, “Sorry,” having forgotten he was, indeed, not alone. Having Jooheon by his side always made him feel so comfortable, at ease.
Jooheon had noticed a while ago that the boy beside him had wandered off in his own mind and he’d stopped to let the wonder seeker enjoy himself. Looked on as Changkyun, instead of tensing up and closing himself off, decided to take it in fully. He could feel the tension in the muscles of his back and face melt away. Felt a smile grow, unrestrained, bunching his cheeks beneath his eyes. Let himself enjoy the sight that was Changkyun. Wondrous.
Let a laugh freely exit his suddenly full chest.
Watched Changkyun tense up a little before snapping out of his daze.
Felt his throat close up the tiniest bit and spoke gently, “There’s no need to be sorry, Changkyunie.”
To add more effect to his words and taking advantage of the light energy he knew he could thank his younger friend for, Jooheon, too, lifted both arms to feel the wind and the rain. It was cold. It was nice. Out of the corner of his slitted eyes, he could see Changkyun’s lips pull at the corners.
Jooheon stood like that for a little while before he heard the music being carried over from the café across the street. He felt the beat and let his body move. His hips were wiggling gently, arms waving about, lips pursed. He heard Changkyun’s delightful giggle bubble out into the air around them and smiled.
Not halting the movement of his limbs, he turned to Changkyun, a challenge alight in his eyes.
It took Changkyun no time at all to respond, moving his own body freely with the music, keeping eye contact.
The smiles on both their faces were wide and ever-stretching as the music continued and their gestures became more and more nonsensical, each of them stepping the level of ridiculousness up with every absurd expression exchanged, every exaggerated dance move.
Onlookers were having a great time passing by them, but the two rappers paid no mind at all to the world outside of their own.
They danced until the song ended and promptly fell against each other, their stomachs hurting pleasantly and raspy, breathless laughs and giggles escaping them.
They were still breathless when Changkyun let himself take in the boy stood before him, shaking with silent laughter, soaked through to skin, eyes and face alight with laughter and life and light from deep within and from the lights around them, specks of water reflecting on skin and the corners of his pink lips high, very high, dimples the deepest Changkyun had ever seen them, and he nudged the older with a bony elbow, prompting Jooheon to look up at liquidized, starry eyes still half-eaten by round cheeks.
“You’re so beautiful, hyung.”
Jooheon smiled harder, felt something stir in his belly and his laughter cease because, suddenly, he didn’t have enough air in his lungs. Changkyun never seemed to make any sense to him. He loved it. “I’m sopping wet,” he breathed out.
“Yeah,” Changkyun laughed, smile and gaze unwavering. He saw a faint pink fill Jooheon’s cheeks. Tilted his head and turned his body, nudging the chest beside his, “We should hurry back, it’s getting so late. I’ll race you.”
Jooheon chuckled. Took another deep breath in. Noted the relaxed state of his muscles. How light his heart felt. How nicely his cheeks ached. How refreshing the air he inhaled was, “Let’s go, then.”
And he set off.
Half a second behind, Changkyun let the soles of his feet slap against the pavement, eyes on Jooheon’s soaked through hood as it flopped against his back.
They were definitely going to be sniffling and coughing tomorrow. Changkyun loved the rain.