Work Text:
The rain had never much bothered Choi Beomgyu. Not in the sense that he liked to get soaked on his way to class, or that he deliberately went out of his way to forget his umbrella when the skies turned murky, but mostly it was the sense of calm that the gentle patering of raindrops against his bedroom window gave him, especially when he went to bed. Beomgyu liked nothing more than to open his window just a bit, turn on his humidifier and feel the cool breeze that came with the rain drift into his bedroom, lulled to sleep by the pitter patter of raindrops against the glass. To him, the rain was almost like music, the rhythm reassuring, constant, and it always guaranteed to mean that he'd have a good night’s sleep.
So when he’d heard the steady drip of rain falling against his windows one night as he said goodnight to his flatmate Soobin, all he was expecting that night was to be lulled to sleep as usual, and wake up feeling refreshed, but with no extra surprises. But unfortunately, or maybe very fortunately, depending on how you looked at it, he couldn’t have been more wrong.
Beomgyu had started his second year at university excited to meet his new flat mate. He’d always been a forward person, keen to make friends, so at the beginning, when he was placed with third year Psychology major Choi Soobin, he'd honestly been (although his opinion had changed drastically since) a little disappointed.
The older boy had struck him as being shy, quiet and polite, and had an annoying habit of retreating into his room and not coming out for hours at a time. At first, no matter how hard Beomgyu tried, the boy remained that way, their personalities simply not gelling together as Beomgyu had initially hoped. But over the course of three months, Beomgyu had realized that Soobin was in fact just as chaotic as he was, that was, if he could engineer the situation to his advantage.
And so, it had happened that one day, Beomgyu had brought over some alcohol to the flat, and had managed to find an old karaoke machine from another student in his music class, brought it back to the flat and had started belting out “I Will Always Love you” at the top of his lungs.
To his surprise, this very moment had been the catalyst that had sparked his and Soobin’s friendship, as he older boy had emerged like a hedgehog out of hibernation to witness Beomgyu dramatically clutching his chest, mic in hand, singing his heart out while drunk, and, instead of ignoring him and walking past as he normally did, Soobin had joined in, which was how they’d both found themselves still singing along to “Young drunk and broke” wearing fruit hats, Beomgyu sporting a yellow pineapple hat that made the other boy laugh and make references to Spongebob square pants, which also provoked Beomgyu to point out that Soobin’s own avocado hat practically made him look almost bald.
Their friendship had blossomed from there, and with it came the strange feeling that had crept up on Beomgyu unnoticed, the weird flutter in his heart as after that drunken night, where they’d both passed out on the couch, Soobin had smiled at him the next morning, so warmly and had said that they should “Do this more often”, or the strange fuzzy feeling Beomgyu had whenever the older boy would cook him ramen, and then laugh as Beomgyu would complain that the noodles were both “too cooked and too raw” at the same time. Or that one time when he thought he’d have a mini heart attack when he’d given himself a paper cut, and Soobin had rushed to the medical office simply to get a plaster, threatening to kiss Beomgyu’s finger better, intended it as a joke but making Beomgyu’s stomach swirl with butterflies. This feeling that he’d harbored for three months, the one that he now could no longer hide from himself: he liked Choi Soobin. A lot.
But for now, all Beomgyu could think of was to fall asleep. He had a class in the morning, and so, with the gentle sound of rain to help send him off to sleep, he shut his eyes and was out almost immediately.
===
Beomgyu awoke a few hours later, and yawning, he rolled over and checked his digital alarm clock, which informed him that it was 1am in the morning.
Beomgyu sighed and lay back down, listening to the rain that was still going, the gentle hum of his humidifier in the corner, the wind swirling outside the flat.
He turned his head to one side, to look out of the window, and then, to his shock, he saw a sudden flash of lightning. In a few hours, the weather had changed, from gentle rain to a storm. The windows rattled as a huge gust of wind shook the entire building, and then, the rain came down harder, practically battering the window.
Beomgyu now sat up and slowly got out of bed, walking to the window and shutting it closed. He didn't want his bedroom to become flooded after all.
Peering out of the window, he saw next to nothing, only the one lonely street lamp that was always on outside their apartment complex, and next to that the old gnarled tree, with its branches swaying wildly.
It was almost a prefect set up for a horror film he thought to himself, and then shook his head, trying to rid himself of that thought. Beomgyu was actually quite good with scary movies, he could watch them without hiding behind a cushion, or looking away, but it was always the after effects, lying in his bed and thinking about it afterwards that got him.
“Just a storm. Nothing to be scared of.” he muttered to himself, and he then walked over to his bedroom door and stepped out, padding down the narrow hallway to the kitchen, thinking that he’d just get himself a drink and then go to bed once more. But as he was making his way back to his room, he passed Soobin's bedroom, and noticed a faint glow coming from under the door, as though a lamp was on.
Surely Soobin wasn’t awake at this hour? Besides, Beomgyu knew Soobin's timetable by heart, and Soobin had a 9am class the next day.
“Soobin hyung? Are you awake?” Beomgyu called softly, gently leaning against the bedroom door and pressing his ear to it listening out for his flatmate, but he got no response.
Weird, Beomgyu thought, and then he knocked on the door, gently at first, but then a little harder.
"Are you awake? Are you ok in there?” he asked once more, but still, response.
Had Soobin simply fallen asleep with his lamp on? That was certainly a possibility, but somehow, Beomgyu didn’t think that was the case.
And so, despite the fact that it was late, and he really should be asleep, and Soobin was probably just fine, Beomgyu felt his curiosity, mixed in with a little pang of worry take hold of him as he gripped the door handle and pushed the door slowly open and stepped inside the room.
Beomgyu looked around, expecting to see Soobin lying in bed, or maybe sitting up reading a manga or something, but there was nothing. As he’d expected, the lamp was on, shining a warm yellow glow in the corner of the room, and on the bedside table were Soobin’s plants, flourishing like a little rainforest, with an open manga next to it. His bed however, was empty, only the sheets were pulled back, as though the older boy had hastily gotten out of bed in a rush, but then, if that were the case, where on earth did he go?
“Soobin hyung?” Beomgyu called out, not really expecting an answer. Was he somewhere else in the flat? But Beomgyu hadn’t seen any other lights on, not in the bathroom, which he’d already passed on his way, or the kitchen, which connected to the lounge area. So where was he?
And then suddenly there was an almighty crash from outside, and Beomgyu quickly whipped his head round to see another spark of lighting briefly illuminate the sky, before the view blacked out once more. The rain whipped against the window by the wind, like little stones falling from the sky, and Beomgyu wouldn’t have been surprised if it had started to hail.
And then he looked round at the wardrobe, and frowned. The door was slightly open, as though...but no...that couldn’t be possible, could it?
Beomgyu took a few steps forwards, and then crouched down so that he could peer through the gap, but it was so small, and the inside so dark, that he couldn’t make out a thing.
"Hyung?” he asked tentatively, sure he was wrong, Soobin couldn't possibly-
“Go away, I’m fine.” came the sudden muffled voice of Soobin, and Beomgyu nearly jumped. He had not been expecting this, not at all. And then he felt his face turn to a smirk at the thought of Soobin, hiding in a wardrobe of all places. But why?
“What are you doing in there?" Beomgyu asked, now standing up but not backing away from the wardrobe.
"None of your business! Go away!" Came the disgruntled reply.
"Are you trying to get to Narnia? Can I come with you?” Beomgyu asked, jokingly, still not putting two and two together.
“No! Beomgyu, look, please just leave me alone! I’m fine.” the other boy now said, and he sounded slightly panicked.
This caused concern to tug at Beomgyu’s heart, because despite his reassurances, Soobin sounded anything but fine, and Beomgyu immediately dropped his teasing tone to switch to one of worry
“What’s wrong? Did someone upset you? What happened?” he said softly, struggling to speak through the crack, even as he attempted to half tug the door open, only to be met with resistance from Soobin, who was grasping it from the other side.
“No, no, nothing like that….” came another muffled reply, just as another crash of thunder and lightning made the floor shudder under Beomgyu’s feet. This had got to be the biggest storm he’d encountered in a while.
And then something in Beomgyu’s brain clicked.
“Are- are you afraid of storms?” he asked, half expecting to be wrong, but Soobin refused to reply.
“Look, I’m going to open the door.” he said, now about to reach for the handle once more, but then he had an idea. “Wait. I’m coming back, I just need to get something. It’ll help, I promise." he said, hoping that was true.
“Wait! That’s not necessary!” he heard Soobin protest from the other side of the door, but Beomgyu was already rushing out of the room, and back down the hallway and into his own bedroom before Soobin finished speaking. Beomgyu hastily picked up his phone and earbuds, and a dark blue fuzzy blanket that he liked to curl up in when watching movies on his laptop with Soobin, or on the brief occasions when he gave in to Soobin's nagging and resigned himself to watch whatever new anime Soobin had picked out.
Beomgyu carried all of these things back into Soobin’s room, and he set them down haphazardly on the floor.
"Hyung, you still there?" Beomgyu asked breathlessly, but before giving Soobin a chance to answer, Beomgyu grabbed the handle and flung the door open.
Another almighty crash of thunder and lightning was heard, and in that instant, all Beomgyu could make out was the top of Soobin’s head, buried in his knees, which were drawn up to his chest, his arms hugging his legs.
Looking down at this sight of Soobin, curled up at the bottom of the wardrobe, in a baggy white t-shirt and tartan pajama pants, his feet in fluffy bunny slippers and his head now slightly lifted, dark hair a mess across his forehead. It was almost impossible for Beomgyu not to see the humor in the situation, especially as Soobin was tall, so tall that the fact that he’d managed to fit himself into the small corner of his wardrobe was quite an achievement, but then the older boy pouted his cupid’s bow lips and stared up at Beomgyu with such a mournful expression in his dark eyes that Beomgyu’s heart almost broke, and he immediately stepped into the wardrobe and sat next to Soobin, bringing the blanket that he'd brought and wrapping the both of them up in it as they huddled together.
“Please don’t make fun of me.” Soobin said, his voice a half whisper, and Beomgyu shook his head slightly, shuffling closer to Soobin even as a couple of shirts hanging above threatened to knock him in the face.
“I won’t.” he said simply, giving the other boy a gentle smile, which Soobin returned, although a little half heartedly, and then Beomgyu took his phone and scrolled through his playlist, hoping that this would work, he just needed the right song.
“I’ve always been afraid of storms. When I was little, about five or six, I’d stay at my grandparents house for a few weeks during summer, and it was great, except for this one time when it started to rain, and then a huge storm started. My grandparents' house was quite big, and I always got lost, so when I heard the storm, I wanted to find my grandparents room, but I couldn't find it, especially in the dark, so I hid in a closet, all alone, just like this until morning.” Soobin explained, and while he’d been talking, Beomgyu had looked up from his phone, watching as the older boy became progressively more embarrassed as he told his story, ears turning pink.
This explanation made Beomgyu's heartstrings tug a little at the thought of little five year old Soobin, running around a big house looking for his grandparents, and then cowering in a closet on his own.
“Well, you’re not alone now.” Beomgyu said softly, and this made Soobin look up, straight at him, his face breaking in a small but genuine smile, as Beomgyu handed him his phone and earphones.
“What’s this?” Soobin asked, confused.
“Don’t question my methods. Just listen.” Beomgyu said, waggling his finger at the older, who rolled his eyes, almost like his usual self as he muttered:
“Your methods make no sense.” referring to all the weird situations Beomgyu had forced upon him, the karaoke night being just one of many, before putting in the ear phones and clutching the phone, listening to the song Beomgyu had chosen.
They both sat there, huddled together as the storm raged on, but now, with the earphones firmly on, Soobin seemed to relax a bit, and Beomgyu smiled as he saw that Soobin had started to tap his feet a little to the beat, bunny slipper ears bouncing along. With earphones in and a song playing, there was next to no chance of Soobin hearing the storm, and it made Beomgyu was delighted to see a smile appear on Soobin’s face, the song comforting him in a way that only music could.
As they both sat there in the silence, Beomgyu's hand found Soobin's in the darkness, intertwining their fingers together. Soobin himself didn't seem to mind, and he made no mention of it at all, only gave Beomgyu’s hand a thankful squeeze as the song finally ended, and he tugged the earphones out to peer at Beomgyu through his messy hair.
“That song, what was it called?”
“You! by Lany. I covered it myself a while back for an assignment.” Beomgyu said, feeling a little shy and sensing the warmth rush to his face. The song was special to him. He’d never shared it with anyone before, and it was only now that he realized what it meant: it perfectly described his feelings for Soobin.
But of course, Soobin knew none of this.
“It’s beautiful. Your voice suits it perfectly. It's sort of like you're worshiping this amazing person that completes you. Does that make sense?” Soobin asked, trying to describe the lyrics, waving his hands vaguely as he explained, but Beomgyu knew exactly what he meant. He'd had Soobin in mind when he'd recorded this song, meaning to sing it as a homage to how much Soobin meant to him.
"That’s exactly how I see it. I’m glad you liked it.” Beomgyu said, looking straight into the other’s eyes, wishing that Soobin really understood what he was trying to convey.
But then the moment was broken as another crash sounded from outside, rattling the windows and making Soobin jump, but this time, he didn’t duck his head, didn’t curl up tighter. Instead, Soobin took a shuddery breath, the kind you take when you’re forcing yourself to be brave, and he silently leaned his head lightly against Beomgyu’s shoulder, shifting closer under the blanket.
At this Beomgyu felt his heartbeat starting to race, felt the warm flush go up to his cheeks, felt that warm fuzzy feeling in his chest once more, and he smiled to himself as he grasped onto Soobin’s hand, still tightly in his, and leaned his head against Soobin’s.
It was strange. They’d never been this close before, neve been this emotionally intimate. There was always teasing, banter, stupid decisions and a whole load of chaoticness thrown into the mix whenever Beomgyu was with Soobin, the small caring moments only appearing once in a blue moon, but precious nonetheless, but this was different. To Beomgyu, this felt right, as though they fit together somehow, and it was one of the best feelings Beomgyu had ever had.
Beomgyu wasn’t sure how long they simply sat there, huddled against each other, but he was pretty sure it had been quite a while, because just as he was starting to get drowsy, he suddenly felt Soobin shift beside him, getting up off of the floor that they'd both been sitting on for what felt like hours, and tugging Beomgyu up with him, out of the wardrobe.
Beomgyu stifled a yawn and rubbed his eyes with his free hand, and looked out of the bedroom window. It was still raining, but the wind had died down somewhat, and there hadn’t been the sound of thunder for a while now.
He then turned back towards Soobin, who now looked a little sheepish, awkwardly holding Beomgyu’s earbuds and phone in his hand, but Beomgyu was still extremely aware of the fact that their hands were still firmly intertwined, sure that his slightly clammy palms were giving his feelings away. As soon as he thought this, Soobin seemed to realize too, and suddenly he let go, while Beomgyu gulped down the strangely disappointed feeling that came with it.
“Thank you, the music really helped. I think I’ll be able to sleep now.” Soobin said, breaking the silence as he awkwardly offered Beomgyu back his phone and earbuds, but Beomgyu shook his head.
“You keep them, you can listen to my whole playlist if you like.” Beomgyu said, feeling his cheeks flush at this thought, but trying to make the gesture seem casual. He’d never really been one to openly share the songs that were most dear to him, but if it would help Soobin, then he was willing to do anything.
Soobin smiled in response, his face softening into that cute bunny expression that never failed to make Beomgyu’s heart flutter.
“Ok, I will.” and then Soobin added, “I’m sorry, I’ve kept you up half the night because of me. Is there...I mean, is there anything that I can do to make it up to you?” and now it was Soobin who was looking awkward, and was it Beomgyu’s imagination, or did Soobin have a slight pinkish tint to his ears that only occurred when he was feeling self conscious?
But then Beomgyu’s tired brain lit up once more, and he felt his pulse quicken, that fluttering in his stomach of both excitement and nerves kick in as he had a thought. It was slightly mad, and he blamed his sleep deprived brain for coming up with it, but this could be his only chance.
“Yes, there is actually.” Beomgyu started, and he caught the other boy’s head snap up from where he’d been looking intently at the floor, a mildly shocked expression on the other’s face.
“Yes? Go on.” Soobin said with a small smile, and Beomgyu gulped down his nerves as he continued.
“Will you...would you go on a date? With me that is? Like a date- date, you know, to somewhere nice. At the weekend maybe….?” Beomgyu said, feeling himself cringe at how much he was rambling and stuttering in his nervousness, already prepared to take back what he’d said and claim insanity, but then Soobin’s face broke into a wide smile.
“Yes! Yes! Of course I’ll go on a date with you, dummy! God, it was like your brain was malfunctioning there for a second!” and to Beomgyu’s surprise, Soobin actually let out a small giggle, and then whacked Beomgyu across the arm playfully.
“OW!”
Beomgyu let out a fake scream, pouting dramatically and feigning agony, but he couldn’t help the warm glow that had started spreading through his chest now as he allowed himself to smile back.
“Really?” He asked once more, tentatively now, almost unsure of whether this was really happening, but now Soobin placed Beomgyu’s earphones and phone onto the bed and grabbed Beomgyu by the shoulders, so that he had no choice but to look the older boy straight in the eyes. Beomgyu felt his breath hitch as he stared up into Soobin’s eyes, so dark and beautiful, especially when they crinked whenever Soobin smiled, just like he was doing now.
“Yes. I, Choi Soobin, will go on a date with you, Choi Beomgyu. Ok?”
“OK.” Beomgyu said in a tiny squeak, but inside his heart was dancing the conga even as Soobin let go of him, letting his arms hang at his sides. They both looked at each other for a second more, and then Soobin broke the silence.
“We really should go to bed now. Don’t you have a class tomorrow?” he asked Beomgyu, who raised an eyebrow.
“No, that’s you, hyung.” Beomgyu replied, glad that although Soobin seemed to be marginally less flustered than Beomgyu felt, it was nice to know that his brain was also scrambled by that night’s revelations.
“Oh, right.” Soobin said, cheeks flushing brilliantly. “Well then...I guess I'll see you in the morning. Thank you again, for sitting with me, and you know...everything else. Goodnight.” Soobin said softly, and before Beomgyu could process what was happening, Soobin had quickly leaned forwards and was planting a gently kiss on the left side on his face, so light and gentle and quick that if Beomgyu hadn’t been paying so much attention, he could have sworn that it almost hadn’t happened, but then Soobin stepped back, and there was no denying the heat that was spreading over Beomgyu’s face right from where the kiss had been planted.
“Goodnight Soobin hyung.” Beomgyu just about managed to say to a now awkward but pleased looking Soobin, who gave him a shy yet adorable wave as he turned around and walked out of the room.
But just as he’d reached the doorway, Beomgyu heard Soobin call out:
“Beomgyu?”
“Yes?” Beomgyu turned back round, leaning half in and half out of the doorway to see Soobin cross legged on the bed, still with those bunny slippers on his feet.
“I can’t wait for our date.” he said, winking playfully at Beomgyu, who was glad that his face was half in the shadows, because he was sure that he now resembled a tomato, and Beomgyu hated tomatoes.
“Me too.” he replied, and he meant it.
And with that, Beomgyu gently closed the door behind him and padded back to his own bedroom, still feeling his whole face burning.
As he lay in bed a few moments later, he raised his hand up to his left cheek, exactly to where Soobin had planted that kiss, and he smiled to himself, feeling his happiness spread through him like a warm hug.
After every storm, there was sunshine, and Beomgyu firmly believed in that, not just literally, but metaphorically too. Beomgyu had always loved listening to a storm at night, hearing the wind howl, the rain lash, the thunder growl, but he had always loved the morning after, when the sun came out, with blue skies and dewy grass too. And Soobin, Soobin was that sunshine after the storm, and to Beomgyu, that was the most beautiful thing in the world.