Work Text:
Zhuo Cheng was choosing some tomatoes when he felt his phone vibrate. He reached into his shorts’ pocket to pull it out and saw a notification for a message from his boyfriend. Zhuo Cheng smiled sweetly as he opened it.
Kuan-ge <3 : A-Cheng, r u not at home? Where did u go? It’s raining.
Zhuo Cheng was surprised. It was 3:30 PM and Hai Kuan was still at work, so how did he know that Zhuo Cheng was not at home? Hai Kuan usually came back home late evening before dinner, and today Zhuo Cheng felt like cooking because of the rainy weather, which was why he was at the nearby mart to get some groceries. He replied to Hai Kuan, Ehhhh how did u know?! M at the mart, Kuan-ge, buying some stuff for dinner. Will be back soon. DO NOT worry! Brought my raincoat. He saw Hai Kuan typing and waited for the response.
Kuan-ge <3 : ☹ Did u not bring an umbrella..?
Zhuo Cheng puffed his cheeks. He didn’t bring an umbrella because it was only drizzling, and he needed both hands in case he overbought things (which he usually did since he was an impulse buyer). But he understood Hai Kuan’s concern; a raincoat was not enough to keep him fully dry and warm, and Zhuo Cheng tended to have a bad case of sniffles when he was cold. Zhuo Cheng bit his lip as he thought of an acceptable excuse, but ended up typing, Ehehehehe… erm erm… and sending a sticker of LINE Brown scratching his head.
Kuan-ge <3: Wait for me, then.
Zhuo Cheng was confused. What did his boyfriend mean? Hai Kuan was at the office and would take him about an hour to reach home, so waiting for him was ridiculous. He replied with a sticker of LINE Brown with question marks on his head and shrugged as he slid his phone back into his pocket to continue shopping.
After a while, Zhuo Cheng was sure that he had all the things he needed in his shopping basket, so he carried it to the cashier counter. He was pleased when everything fitted into the single waterproof recyclable shopping bag that he brought with him. After paying, he lifted the bag and walked outside the mart to grab his wet yellow raincoat from the designated area. He put it on and lifted the hood over his head. He stepped into the light rain and kept to the side path. The neighbourhood area was quiet, though he could see some people out and about walking in the rain with their umbrellas. Passing a playground, he saw some children playing, stomping into puddles, trying to splash water onto each other, while laughing and shrieking.
Zhuo Cheng smiled and tilted his face up. He loved the rain; preferred it over the heat of the sun. He enjoyed the mild sting of the rain droplets on his skin; it was quite therapeutic. He loved the scent of rain hitting the ground; a fresh earthy aroma that reminded him of his childhood. He loved the feeling of wet leaves; soft and moist against his fingers as he lifted them to brush against the bushes along the road. He relished the feeling of his wet shoes plodding into a puddle of water; the kid in him chuckling in delight at the simple joy. His white shirt and black shorts were already damp anyway, so he decided to play a self-game of stepping into all the water puddles, left-right-left-right, and kicking the water up for his own entertainment.
He was busy splashing water while turning around a corner when he bumped into someone taller than him. He was about to apologise when he saw who it was. “Kuan-ge!” he shouted excitedly.
Hai Kuan, still in his work coat and attire, stood in front of him with an umbrella in his hand and a small smile. “There’s my cute duckling. Didn’t I tell you to wait for me?” He narrowed his eyes as he looked at his boyfriend’s wet hair and clothing. He lifted his eyebrows at Zhuo Cheng, waiting for an explanation. Zhuo Cheng gave Hai Kuan a sheepish grin. He did not expect to run into Hai Kuan on his way back, so since he was busted anyway, he just beamed and gave his boyfriend his best puppy-face look. Hai Kuan sighed as he pulled Zhuo Cheng to stand closer to him under the umbrella. He took out a handkerchief from his coat pocket so he could wipe Zhuo Cheng’s face. Zhuo Cheng kept still and let his boyfriend fuss.
“I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist playing in the rain.” Hai Kuan muttered as he squeezed at Zhuo Cheng’s nose with the hanky.
Zhuo Cheng sniffled and nodded enthusiastically. “It was so fun, Kuan-ge, you know how much I love it.”
“I know, A-Cheng, but I don’t want you to get ill from the cold.” Hai Kuan admonished him lightly.
“I’m sorry, Kuan-ge. I will take a hot shower immediately once we get home. Scout’s honour!” Zhuo Cheng knew his boyfriend meant well, so he made an immediate salute and promise to appease him.
Hai Kuan sighed again, and Zhuo Cheng knew he was forgiven for now. Hai Kuan removed his coat and wrapped it around Zhuo Cheng, not caring if it got wet. Zhuo Cheng was about to protest but Hai Kuan glared at him, so he kept his mouth shut. Hai Kuan then took the shopping bag from Zhuo Cheng with his left hand and handed the umbrella for him to hold, as he wrapped his right arm around Zhuo Cheng’s shoulder. As they walked towards their condominium building, Zhuo Cheng made sure the umbrella was covering them both proportionately.
“Why are you back so early, Kuan-ge?” Zhuo Cheng asked, his right hand lifting to slip his fingers through Hai Kuan’s; the one resting on his shoulder.
“Weather forecast predicted a heavy thunderstorm later in the evening, and a typhoon happening in the next few days, so I informed everyone to leave office early. We will all be working from home starting tomorrow, until the weather gets better. Let’s see how it goes.” Hai Kuan replied as he rubbed his head against Zhuo Cheng’s temple. Zhuo Cheng bobbed his head tacitly. His own work schedule was postponed for a few days due to the bad weather, as they were all supposed to be done outdoors.
As they turned into the mini gardens in front of their condominium, Hai Kuan felt Zhuo Cheng shiver. Alarmed, he stopped and placed the shopping bag down onto the ground. He hastily rubbed his palms together for some warmth before cupping both his hands on Zhuo Cheng’s cheeks.
“A-Cheng, I told you!” Hai Kuan grumbled as he tightened the coat around Zhuo Cheng.
“Kuan-ge, I’m not THAT cold. It was just the wind; it made me shiver a tiny bit. You are overreacting, as usual.” Zhuo Cheng rolled his eyes.
“Well, if you had listened to me and took an umbrella with you in the first place, we would not be having this conversation.” Hai Kuan muttered again sullenly.
Zhuo Cheng scoffed at his grouchy boyfriend. Abruptly, he pulled away from Hai Kuan, taking off the coat, placing it on the shopping bag, and folded the umbrella in. Hai Kuan gaped in surprise as Zhuo Cheng pointed the tip of the umbrella at him, yellow raincoat swirling around him.
“You, kind sir, are no fun. We must rectify this immediately!” Zhuo Cheng proclaimed loudly. Hai Kuan was caught off guard when Zhuo Cheng jumped into a puddle of water beside him, making water splash up and soak his shoes and pants. He gasped in disbelief when Zhuo Cheng kicked at the puddle towards him, soaking his shirt.
Zhuo Cheng was laughing hysterically at Hai Kuan’s expression. Hai Kuan gave up and grinned. He kicked at another water puddle towards Zhuo Cheng, declaring it an all-out water fight. Umbrella forgotten, they both ran around, competing to see who could splash the most water at each other, not caring about the fact that the both of them were already pretty drenched.
After a while, they both stopped, laughing at each other, catching their breaths. Hai Kuan looked at Zhuo Cheng. There was something unrestrained and youthful about Zhuo Cheng being in the rain, and he looked striking with the yellow raincoat wrapped around him. Hai Kuan walked towards Zhuo Cheng and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend’s waist, pressing cold lips against his jaw. Zhuo Cheng shivered at the sensation.
Hai Kuan gave a small smile at the reaction. “Why, are you still cold, baby?” He asked as he softly blew into Zhuo Cheng’s ear, and felt another shiver.
Zhuo Cheng saw the glint in Hai Kuan’s eyes and knew he was being mischievous. “Hmm, I think so. Why don’t you… warm me up, Gege...?” he replied playfully, as he rubbed against Hai Kuan's crotch.
Hai Kuan groaned at his boyfriend's teasing. He cradled Zhuo Cheng’s face gently between his hands and pressed soft yet deep kisses against those sexy lips. Zhuo Cheng melted against his mouth and opened up to Hai Kuan’s seeking tongue. They kissed eagerly, feeling some heat enter their bodies, only half aware that they were still standing in the rain.
Hai Kuan was the first to pull away, reluctantly. He bit at Zhuo Cheng’s lower lip before whispering, “Baby, let’s go home before we get arrested for public indecency.” Zhuo Cheng laughed because he did feel something ‘awaken’ against his thigh. He wrapped his arms around Hai Kuan’s neck, placing a kiss on his boyfriend’s cheek. Hand in hand, they grabbed their things and walked back home.