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“Oh, it’s raining!”
Nicholas glances up to see that it is, indeed, starting to rain. Fat drops of water splash onto his face, streaking down his cheeks.
Huh. Last he checked the weather forecast; he was pretty sure it was all blue skies and sunshine. But now, it’s like some universal being decided to go haha! just kidding! fuck you! and dump all their godly shower water onto Earth.
God, Nicholas hates those universal beings sometimes. And the rain.
He glances to the side.
Euijoo’s hands have come up to shelter his hair- but it’s no use, their large shopping bags weighing both his arms down. He eventually gives up, letting the rain fall on his hair, bangs plastering to his forehead. But he’s smiling, and Nicholas kind of thinks he looks like a drenched puppy- cute.
He’s getting distracted.
“We should probably find shelter,” he speaks up, squinting for any nearby convenience stores. They’ll probably need umbrellas as well. “Before you catch a cold.”
Right on cue, Euijoo sneezes. He gives a bashful smile to Nicholas, who only grins in response.
“What did I say?”
“I never disagreed, Nicho,” Euijoo replies, rolling his eyes.
“Yeah, well- I can see it in your eyes. You’re planning something.”
“Oh, yeah?” Euijoo tries to come off challenging, but he never knows how to, always ending up pouting by the end.
Nicholas laughs at him. “Yeah.”
Euijoo hums, thoughtful now, the tiniest flicker of mischief creeping into his expression. “To be fair,” he starts, shifting the bags higher onto his elbows, “I was going to suggest we just leg it to your house.”
Nicholas halts in his tracts, squinting at him through the rain. “No.”
“Come on, it’s not even that far-”
“It’s like 10 minutes away, which is 20 minutes in the rain, which is 20 minutes too long-”
“It’ll be fun, Nicho, plus we can run-”
“You’ll get a-”
Cold, is what Nicholas is about to say, but promptly cuts himself off at the hopeful look on Euijoo’s face. He’s using his big, rounded eyes to his advantage, piercing right through Nicholas’s heart and stuttering it to a stop. He’s pleading and- fuck, Nicholas is nothing but a weak, weak, man.
“Fine,” he ends up grumbling out, as if he had any real choice in the matter. He sighs dramatically, like the universe itself has personally inconvenienced him. “But don’t blame me if you end up sneezing your lungs out and dying on my floor.”
“Thanks Nicho!”
It’s a miracle, really, how Euijoo’s face lights up- and before Nicholas can tell his heart slow down, Euijoo grabs his hand and starts to run.
It’s a bit uncomfortable, with their large bags of shopping knocking against their legs and slipping to their hands- but not once do either of them let go. The giggles spill out of Euijoo like little bursts of sunlight in the rain, warm and carefree, and Nicholas hates how much he’s noticing them. He should focus on the puddles, the squelch of his soaked shoes, anything but the soft press of Euijoo’s fingers in his own. But he doesn’t let go. He can’t.
He tightens his grip on Euijoo’s hand- not because he’s worried Euijoo will let go, but because he wants to be steady. He doesn’t want Euijoo to feel like he’s dragging all of Nicholas’s weight.
By the time they reach Nicholas’s apartment, they’re both soaked and wet and shivering-
“See!” Euijoo glows, his cheeks flushed. His eyes sparkle, rain clinging to his lashes. “That wasn’t so bad!”
Nicholas peers up at him. A drop of water slips into Euijoo’s eye, and he scrunches his face, blinking rapidly with a soft oh! as if surprised by it. It’s adorable.
He tells himself it’s just the cold that makes his chest tighten.
“Yeah, yeah,” he mutters, softer now, hoping Euijoo doesn’t notice the hitch in his voice. “Let’s get dry first, okay?”
There’s a soft hum of agreement from Euijoo. As they climb the stairs to Nicholas’s floor (because neither of them can be bothered with the elevator), Euijoo places a warm hand on Nicholas’s back.
He always does that- rests his hand there when he’s feeling particularly grateful. And every single time, Nicholas wonders if Euijoo can feel how fast his heart is pounding through the thin layer of his soaked shirt.
Yeah. It’s all because of the rain.
☆
“Nicho, are you done?”
Tugging on the hem of his light blue zip-up hoodie, Nicholas mutters something incoherent into the fabric. His voice comes out muffled. “Yeah- wait- ”
The soft patter of footsteps grows louder, drawing closer. Euijoo must have wandered into the bathroom.
It comes to a halt somewhere in front of Nicholas. “I just need to dry my hair,” Euijoo says lightly. “Do you have anything I can use?”
Nicholas yanks the zipper up the rest of the way, finally freeing his head from the hoodie. “Mmh, yeah, hold on. I have- ”
The words die in his throat the moment he looks up.
Soft.
It’s the first thought that crashes into Nicholas’s brain. Not just the word but the sensation- how Euijoo looks, feels, is. Soft. His striped, blue jumper hangs loosely on his frame, the slightly oversized sleeves brushing his wrists. Damp hair falls messily over his forehead, the faintest hints of brown catching the light, and his cheeks are faintly pink from the shower or the cold- or maybe something else.
Nicholas blinks. Soft. Squishy. Soft.
Oh no.
He swallows, trying to clear the sudden tightness in his chest. "Um- ” His voice cracks, so he coughs. Twice. “Do you want me to… dry your hair?”
He’s glad he’s at least sitting down on the edge of the bathtub, because he doesn’t know what he would do if he was standing. “I mean- you’ll get an even worse cold if you leave your hair wet,” Nicholas adds quickly, “and it won’t take me long-”
The rest of his words die in his throat as Euijoo, clad in his striped, blue jumper and his blue jeans, just lowers himself on the floor and scoots backwards, coming to rest between Nicholas’s legs.
Nicholas freezes.
Well, fuck.
This was not part of the plan.
Nicholas sits there like a statue, his body stiff as Euijoo shifts into position. His damp hair brushes against the fabric of Nicholas’s jeans, and the sensation sends every nerve in his legs haywire. He gulps, his throat dry.
At least Euijoo isn’t facing him. Small mercies. He’s sitting cross-legged with his back to Nicholas, utterly oblivious to the fact that Nicholas is currently short-circuiting.
Still. This situation is... dangerous.
Nicholas drops his face into his hands, his cheeks burning. Oh no. Oh no. His thoughts teeter dangerously on the edge of a cliff he knows he’ll never recover from- especially not with Euijoo wedged between his legs like this.
He needs to focus. Breathe. He’s here to dry Euijoo’s hair. That’s it. That’s all. Nothing else.
Right. Hair.
He’s here to dry Euijoo’s hair.
“Towel,” he mumbles, his voice barely audible.
Euijoo shifts again, leaning slightly to the side. His head brushes Nicholas’s thigh in the process, and Nicholas feels his legs go numb.
“Here.” Euijoo hands him a towel over his shoulder, his voice soft but casual. Then he glances up, the corner of his mouth curving into a small smile. “But don’t be too harsh,” he warns. “I just dyed my hair.”
Nicholas doesn’t trust himself to say anything beyond a weak, “Right.”
He focuses on the towel in his hands, clutching it like it’s a lifeline. Carefully, he starts rubbing it through Euijoo’s hair, slow and gentle. The light brown strands are soft beneath his fingers, slightly damp but warm. He uses both hands, massaging through the towel, mindful not to tug too hard.
It feels so natural, so… domestic, that Nicholas goes lightheaded at the thought.
To distract himself, he speaks. “This okay?” His voice is quieter now, more careful.
Euijoo doesn’t respond right away. Nicholas watches as the tips of Euijoo’s ears, barely visible beneath his hair, start to turn pink. He wonders if it’s from the shower, or the rain, or-
“Yeah.”
The single word comes out softer than Nicholas expects.
Euijoo just remains as he is, cross-legged on the floor. He looks so serene, peaceful- like there’s nowhere else he’d rather be, being trapped between Nicholas’s legs. His shoulders relax under Nicholas’s hands, his head tilting slightly forward, giving Nicholas better access.
Nicholas swallows hard. He’s not sure how much more he can take.
The silence stretches, broken only by the occasional rustle of the towel. Nicholas forces himself to focus on the task at hand- drying hair, nothing more. But his mind won’t stop spiralling.
He looks so peaceful, Nicholas thinks, brushing the towel across Euijoo’s bangs. How can he be so calm right now?
Because Nicholas isn’t calm. Not even close. His heart is doing its best impression of a jackhammer, pounding so hard he’s half-worried Euijoo will feel it through his jeans.
He wants to say something- needs to say something. But the words get stuck, tangled somewhere between his brain and his throat.
So instead, he stays silent, hands still moving gently through Euijoo’s hair. And Euijoo… Euijoo just lets him.
Nicholas isn’t sure how much time passes before he finishes.
“There,” he says softly, letting the towel fall to his lap. “Done.”
Euijoo doesn’t move right away. He stays exactly where he is, his back resting lightly against Nicholas’s legs, his head still tilted forward.
“Thanks,” he murmurs after a beat.
His voice is quiet, almost drowsy, and Nicholas feels lulled by it too- but then Euijoo shifts, leaning forward to stretch his arms out in front of him, and the spell breaks.
He tilts his head back slightly, looking up at Nicholas with a small smile. “Thanks, Nicho.”
Nicholas forces himself to chuckle, though it comes out breathless. “Yeah,” he manages, his hands gripping the towel in his lap like it might ground him. “No problem.”
Euijoo stands, brushing his hands against his jumper. “I’ll grab us something warm to drink,” he says, already heading toward the door. “Tea?”
Nicholas nods, unable to trust himself to speak.
As soon as Euijoo disappears into the hallway, Nicholas exhales shakily, dropping his head into his hands again.
I’m going to die.
☆
It’s not like it’s the first time Euijoo’s been round to his house- but it is the first time he’s stayed over. The rain had continued, relentless- and, well, Nicholas was not about to send Euijoo back out there.
They ended up deciding to watch a movie. Since he doesn’t have a TV yet (no thanks to a certain Taki who broke it), Euijoo suggested they watch it on Nicholas’s phone. On Nicholas’s bed.
“It’ll be more comfortable,” Euijoo had argued- and Nicholas had no energy to argue back.
They rested on the sheets, side by side, maybe Euijoo a bit higher than Nicholas- and started the movie.
Honestly, Nicholas had no idea what the fuck was happening. But Euijoo seemed to like it, smiling and laughing at places, and- well-
Nicholas’s favourite feature of Euijoo’s face has always been his mouth. The corners curve slightly upwards, making him look like a puppy. Nicholas could stare forever and ever- that he doesn’t even notice the end credits rolling. Euijoo nudges him with his foot.
“What are you thinking about?” he whispers. “You’ve been staring for ages.”
This lame ass movie, this cramped bed, the rain, us, you-
“Your mouth,” Nicholas blurts, stupidly.
Euijoo blinks at him, his plush lips parting into a perfect ‘o’- and fuck, there Nicholas goes again, thinking and looking at his mouth-
His brain scrambles to say something else, but evidently his big mouth just can’t keep shut. “It’s cute. Your mouth.” His face burns. “Like a puppy.”
“Oh.” Euijoo’s face is also flushed, a deep crimson coloring his cheeks. It’s the same colour as his lips. Nicholas thinks he’s well and truly fucked up this time- good going, idiot- and spirals into a hole that he nearly misses what Euijoo says next.
“- eyes,” he mumbles, not looking at Nicholas.
He replies with an intelligent, “Uh?”
Euijoo gives him a little shove. “Your eyes,” he repeats- and oh, Nicholas is done for. “At first, they look cool and serious, but when you smile-”
He looks intently at Nicholas, like he’s trying to memorise every part of his face.
“They get droopy. Which is also cute.”
“Droopy,” Nicholas repeats.
Euijoo scrambles for a response, cheeks flushing darker. “I mean- like- curved- like this!” He reaches out and squishes Nicholas’s face between his palms, his thumbs pressing into the soft curves of Nicholas’s cheeks, pushing them into something resembling a lopsided smile.
“There,” Euijoo whispers, his hands still on Nicholas’s face. His voice softens. “Just like that.”
Nicholas’s heart races, each beat pounding harder than the last. Euijoo’s hands are warm, their touch sending little jolts of electricity through his skin. He’s hyper-aware of everything- Euijoo’s steady breathing, the faint scent of his shampoo, the slight tremor in his hands as they linger.
Nicholas swallows hard. “Euijoo,” he murmurs, voice barely audible. His gaze flickers to Euijoo’s lips, which are so close now. Too close.
Euijoo doesn’t move, doesn’t pull away. His thumbs relax against Nicholas’s cheeks, but his hands remain where they are. A tiny smile ghosts across his face.
“Say it again,” Euijoo says, barely above a whisper.
Nicholas blinks, confused. “Say what?”
Euijoo’s smile grows, and his thumbs gently brush the edges of Nicholas’s jaw. “That you think I’m cute.”
Nicholas exhales shakily, his face burning. But this time, he doesn’t hesitate. “You’re cute,” he says. “So fucking cute.”
Something shifts in Euijoo’s expression- something soft and vulnerable- and Nicholas feels like he’s freefalling. Euijoo’s hands slide away from his face, but not far. They hover at his jawline, fingertips brushing the sensitive skin there. And then, slowly, tentatively, Euijoo leans closer.
Nicholas’s breath catches. He closes his eyes, his heart slamming against his ribcage as they meet each other halfway.
It’s soft. Warmer than Nicholas expects. A little clumsy- Euijoo presses in too fast at first, and Nicholas’s nose ends up slightly squished- but that doesn’t seem to matter. His mind goes blissfully blank, focused only on the faint tickle of Euijoo’s breath, the way their mouths fit together.
Euijoo pulls back first, his cheeks flushed and lips faintly shiny. He looks dazed, blinking at Nicholas like he’s just short-circuited.
For a moment, everything is still.
Then Euijoo whispers, “You’re cute too.”