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Ayan wakes to clear skies and warm sunshine filtering through the blinds in their dorm. A lazy smile of satisfaction curls on his lips. The weather is perfect. He stretches, looks about the room and sees Akk sleeping soundly. His smile grows as he takes in the sight of Akk beside him.
The sudden overwhelming urge to touch makes his fingers twitch. After a moment of hesitation, he reaches out and gently strokes the back of his knuckles along the perimeter of Akk's face in a whisper-soft touch. He ends the motion with the tiniest boop of Akk's nose. The boop earns him the cutest of nose scrunches and Akk's left eye opens slightly, brows furrowing.
"Unnng," he says, clearly not awake enough to be properly verbal, but still of a mind to lodge complaint. Ayan's smile is a full blown grin as the warmth in his chest swells, making him almost giddy with affection. He leans down and presses a soft kiss to the furrow between Akk's brows.
"Go back to sleep, Bigfoot. It's early."
Akk purses his lips in a sleepy pout, inviting another kiss, before he rolls over and drifts back to sleep. Ayan allows himself one more moment to admire his boyfriend before he forces himself to leave the bed, shower, and start cooking their breakfast. Halfway through the process, Akk appears. His hair is a wild nest on one side, flat on the other, and there are pillow creases on his cheek. He's the most beautiful thing Ayan's ever seen.
"Smells good," Akk murmurs, shuffling over to wrap his arms around Ayan's waist, chin on his shoulder.
After a few moments of wallowing in the cradle of his arms, Ayan gives Akk a gentle nudge. "Go sit, it's almost ready."
"Mn-m," Akk replies, nuzzling into the crook of Ayan's neck. "Comfy."
A slight shiver of delight runs through him and Ayan acquiesces, continuing to fix breakfast as Akk holds him. It makes cooking slightly more awkward, but it's worth it to see his partner - someone who had been so afraid to show affection at the beginning of their relationship - shamelessly clinging without even the slightest hint of self-consciousness. Together, they bring the finished meal to the table and begin to eat.
"You're free today, right?" Ayan asks
Akk nods and offers him a small smile. Under the table, Ayan feels his legs bracketed by Akk's long ones, a warm cradle of touch. Once they got past the bumps in the road, it had turned out Akk was an insatiable cuddle bug and honestly Ayan couldn't get enough.
"Okay, good."
Akk's eyes narrow. "Why are you asking?"
The suspicion in his tone amuses Ayan, but he holds back a smile and instead widens his eyes in an attempt to look innocent. "No reason," he replies. "It's just nice that we both have a day off, that's all."
He wiggles his legs where they rest between Akk's and takes a sip of his coffee. It's quiet for a moment as Akk continues to squint at him and he considers whether or not he should tell Akk about his plan. Studying the expression still lingering on Akk's face, Ayan decides to keep it to himself. It's more fun to make it a surprise. Besides, seeing Akk pout like this reminds him of their early days and he's feeling nostalgic.
They clear the dishes together and Akk finally goes to take a shower. While he's distracted, Ayan takes the time to survey his list to make sure he has all the things he needs already. Ayan checks the backpack he's filled with everything he needs, marking each item against a list he then shoves into a little side pocket. Everything is accounted for. All he has to do now is kill time. He glances toward the window to confirm the weather - the sky is still bright and clear - before grabbing his school bag and setting up at the table. Akk joins him a bit later, fresh-faced, and sets up in the spot beside him.
They work together on their various assignments for a few hours when suddenly
Ayan's attention is drawn away from the last bit of his work by a long, low rumble; the unmistakable sound of thunder. He waits a moment, hoping he's somehow misheard, only for another rumble to sound, this time even louder. Cursing inwardly, Ayan stands and quickly moves to the sitting room window, peering out. The once bright, clear blue sky is now filled with thick, oppressive clouds. As he watches, the clouds seem to open up all at once and a deluge of rain falls, obscuring his vision behind a curtain of water.
"Shit," Ayan mutters to himself, his heart sinking in disappointment. It seems his idea of a picnic in the park is being washed away before his eyes. It's been so long since he and Akk had a chance to spend proper time together as a couple outside of uni and he was really looking forward to it. He lets himself wallow internally for a few moments before he straightens up.
Okay, this is fine. Not ideal, but Ayan can still make it work.
He has all the supplies still neatly packed and ready for transporting in his innocuous-looking backpack. The park he'd wanted to set up in is clearly out of the question - even if the rain stopped, the ground would be too soft to tolerate the weight of a picnic right now, especially given how heavy the rain is. Driving in this weather is also out of the question, so that really only leaves two choices. Their apartment or the building manager's greenhouse.
Ayan had made it a point when they moved in last spring to get to know the building manager, sure that it would be a beneficial connection to have. He'd spent the summer getting to know P'Aof - and his fascination with plants - and had eventually earned his trust, gaining access to a set of keys for the greenhouse the man kept up on the roof. He'd been tasked with watering P'Aof's precious collection of greenery last month when he'd left for an extended visit to Chiang Mai and P'Aof had never taken back the keys.
The green house is prettier, he decides. Plus it'll be much easier to keep Akk distracted in the apartment while he works outside of it rather than trying to find some reason to keep him in the bedroom alone. He can make the greenhouse work, he just has to grab a few things from P'Aof's storage closet for the final touches.
A pair of hands grabs his waist as another streak of lightning lights up the sky. Ayan startles, biting back a yelp, as his train of thought is suddenly interrupted. Akk sighs and rests his chin on Ayan's shoulder, gaze on the rainy weather outside.
"What a mess," he sighs. "The first break we've had in ages and we can't even go anywhere. Whatever shall we do?"
There's an edge of mischief to his tone - one Ayan's intimately familiar with and utterly fond of - and for a moment Ayan's tempted to say 'screw the plan' and stay in. Ayan considers his options for a moment and then internally scoffs at the idea that he'd ever willingly walk away from an invitation like that. He relaxes into Akk's arms and offers him a flirtatious smirk.
"I'm sure we can think of something." Without another word, Ayan slinks out of Akk's hold and practically struts to the bedroom, weather and picnic plans momentarily abandoned. There's plenty of time before they'd look for lunch anyway and, really, isn't it more fun to have dessert before a meal?
An hour later, the rain is still a torrential downpour, the battering of it against the bedroom window an almost-pleasant hum of white noise as they lay together in the afterglow. He glances toward Akk and sees he's currently passed out, a small smile on his face. Seeing his chance, Ayan silently rises from his bed, pulls on his clothes and backpack, and slips out the door. He grabs his keys and makes his way out into the hallway and up to the top floor storage, where he begins his search for the last few bits he needs to make the greenhouse special.
Ayan finds a length of fairy lights as well as a box of various spare blankets and pillows. It should make the floor of the greenhouse a bit more cosy than just the picnic blanket in his backpack can. on his way out, he spies a little battery powered radio on the shelf. He tests it briefly to ensure it works, then puts it on the top of his pile. Satisfied with his additions, Ayan climbs the stairway to the roof, braces himself, and opens the door.
In the time it takes to make it the less-than-10 feet from the rooftop door to the greenhouse, Ayan is nearly soaked through. He fumbles the keys in one hand, balancing the box in the other and lets himself into the glass structure with a gasp. He takes a moment to breathe, shivering slightly as the cool rain drops down his skin. Once he feels more or less centred, Ayan moves deeper into the room and immediately trips over a pot that was left just inside the door of the greenhouse.
"Shit!" he exclaims as he stumbles into the room. He only just manages to avoid falling and catches himself against one of the long, plant-laden tables that run around the perimeter of the space. Today is going a bit more sideways than he'd thought it could, but it's fine. He's good, he can and will salvage this.
Ayan takes a moment to catch his breath and let his heart rate slow, then gets to work. He spends the next half hour moving plants, pots, and other gardening accoutrements to the sides of the room, leaving the centre of the room clear.
After a quick sweep to remove any fallen leaves or dirt, he takes the picnic blanket from his bag and unfurls it over the space. He creates a cosy nest around the edges of the blanket with the spare cushions and blankets he got from the storage press and strings the lights along some of the hooks placed around the room with hanging plants dangling from them. The greenhouse is its own standing building and has a small generator that is used for periodic automatic sprinklers that P'Aof still hasn't got around to hooking up. Ayan takes the liberty of plugging in his lights and the space around him is instantly transformed from a dull grey green to a sparkling golden green.
The atmosphere is a perfect bright spot in the darkness of the storm. He can do nothing about the rain hitting the glass, but something about the sound and sight of it adds to the effect that he's standing in a bubble of comfort. Finally, he carefully arranges the food in a visually appealing manner across the surface of the picnic blanket, and stands back to admire his handy work.
Perfect.
Now all he has to do is get Akk here.
he feels nothing but an empty pocket. He blinks in surprise and hurries to check his other pockets. Nothing. He checks the box he'd taken from storage - also nothing. The floor holds only the picnic and some pots - including the one he'd tripped over - but no phone.
Shit.
Peering out through the steamed glass door, he sees his phone on the ground halfway between the rooftop access door and the greenhouse, lying in a puddle.
"No, no, no..." Ayan mutters repeatedly as he braces himself and ducks outside to grab it.
The rain seems slightly less aggressive, but it's still enough to make the drying parts of him soak through again. He pops back into the greenhouse to assess the damage.
The phone rings one and a half times before Akk answers, a frantic edge to his voice.
"Ayan, where the fuck are you? I wake up, the storm is still really bad, the lights are flickering and you're just gone! I waited for like 20 minutes before I started to really worry and you wouldn't answer and-"
Ayan winces with every new bit of information. He really has made a mess of this.
"I'm sorry, Bigfoot," he says, interrupting Akk's rant with a soothing tone. "I didn't mean to worry you. I forgot that I promised P'Aof I'd water his plants today and you were sleeping so soundly, I didn't want to disturb you."
There's a pause during which the only sounds are Akk's breathing and the dull thud of the rain hitting the roof. To Ayan, it feels like an eternity of waiting - after all this, if he’s ended up hurting his boyfriend, he’ll be so fucking mad at himself.
"You could have left a note," Akk grumbles. "Why aren't you back yet?"
The coil of tension in Ayan's gut loosened as he heard the edge of panic leave Akk's tone. He can tell Akk is still upset with him, but at least he's not on the verge of hyperventilation or anything. This whole day has been a mess and honestly, part of him wants to call off the whole surprise, but he's come this far and he can't bring himself to give up.
Knowing he has to say something to entice Akk up to the roof, he says the first thing that comes to mind, “
"I locked my hurt out," he blurts, the two suggestions getting crossed in his mind, making the sentence a tangled bunch of nonsense words.
"What?" Akk asks. Ayan can tell he's less than impressed by him at this stage.
"Sorry, I meant to say that I got locked out. I don't know why, but for some reason, when I try to open the roof door from this side, it won't let me. I was actually calling to see if you would come let me let me back in?"
There's another moment of pause before Akk lets out a heavy sigh.
"I should leave you up there for a while and let you suffer for making me worry, but it's our day off and I don't want to deprive myself just because you decided randomly to water some plants. I'll be right there."
The call ends unceremoniously and Ayan lets out his own sigh of relief. Pocketing his phone, Ayan turns on the little portable radio and tunes it until he finds a station playing older romantic-adjacent music and adjusts the volume to the level of soft ambiance. He waits.
A few long moments pass and Akk’s words ‘I should leave you up there’ echo through his mind. For a minute he worries that’s exactly what his boyfriend will do. His fears, however, are unfounded as less than three minutes later, Akk is opening the door to the greenhouse, dampened by the rain, a sullen expression of censure on his face.
As he steps fully into the greenhouse and turns to look properly, however, the sulk transforms into a look of pure awe. His eyes flit about, taking in the sight of twinkling fairy lights, the spread of his favourite snacks and treats, and the cosy nest that surrounds it, all of it enhanced by soft music and the scent of fresh plants.
"Surprise?" Ayan offers, sheepishly, standing amidst the scene, still quite obviously damp and dishevelled.
"Wow." The word is a barely formed breath of air from parted lips as Akk stares at him.
Suddenly, he steps forward, reaching out for Ayan. "This is so-" His words are abruptly cut off as his foot catches on the same damn pot Ayan had tripped on when he first arrived.
"Fuck!" Akk practically squeaks the curse, his voice cracking around it, as his entire body pitches forward.
Ayan has a split second to wonder how that fucking pot managed to get in the way again - he could have sworn he'd dragged it aside - before he's automatically reacting, catching Akk against his chest. It would be a perfectly gallant and chivalrous moment were it not for the slippery patch of floor beneath Ayan's feet. His body tips back, his feet sliding out from beneath him. The arms wrapped firmly around Akk drag him down with Ayan and together they fall in a heap.
The cushions he set up thankfully break the worst of their fall, but they come within a hair's breadth of smacking their foreheads together. One of Akk’s knees is digging painfully into his thigh and the breath has been all but crushed out of Ayan from the weight of the body on top of him.
“You know,” Ayan says between gasps of air as he tries to calm his racing heartbeat, “this kind of thing ends much more pleasantly on every series I’ve ever seen.”
Warmth glides across his face as Akk huffs out a breathless laugh. “Series, my ass. We’re lucky we didn’t end up breaking each other’s faces.”
“Mm, true. Your face is much too lovely to break, afterall.” Ayan bats his eyelashes aggressively. Akk rolls his eyes in response, but closes the distance between them to offer a small peck of a kiss against his lips. Taking full advantage of their position, Ayan slides his hand around the back of Akk's neck, fingers carding through Akk's hair, and takes the small peck firmly into make-out territory.
He couldn't say how long they lay there, but by the time Akk pulls back, his eyes are nearly all pupil and his lips are delightfully swollen from attention.
"Forgive me?" Ayan murmurs.
Akk blinks. "For what?"
He says it like he's forgotten everything but the kissing and Ayan would be lying if he said it didn't make him just a little bit smug.
"I really didn't mean to worry you before. I had this planned for over a week, but then-'' He gestures vaguely at the rain that's still lashing against the windows of the greenhouse.
"So, basically you're asking if I'm upset that you went to the trouble of not only planning something sweet to begin with, but then bending over backward to make sure I still got to enjoy it as a surprise? You're right, Shortstop, how awful of you. I am very upset." Akk tries to pull an exaggerated angry face, but his smile is too wide and his eyes are too bright to sell anything but adoration. He truly does take Ayan's breath away. He opens his mouth to tell Akk just that, when, before he can say anything, there's a flash of light and a roaring boom. The world outside their little bubble gets that much dimmer as the storm finally manages to knock out the electricity.
Ayan has just enough time to think how fortunate it is that they've at least got the generator for the fairy lights when said lights flicker almost violently and die, leaving them in darkness with nothing but the battery powered radio still going strong.
นะหน้าทอง plays quietly in the background, soothing the edges of Ayan's ire down to something like resignation.
"You've got to be kidding me," he grumbles half-heartedly. He can feel more than hear the chuckle Akk- lets out and his heart practically melts when Akk leans closer and nuzzles their noses together.
"It's okay," he whispers. "Being here with you like this is perfect."
By the time they finally get to enjoy the picnic Ayan laid for them, the rain has stopped. They sit in the nest of blankets, curled around each other, delightfully dishevelled and offering one another bits of food between their conversation. For all the trouble it took to get here, Akk was right.
It's perfect.