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the weather was gloomy. rain poured from the sky, pattering against the windows of chan’s apartment. the stormy clouds were blocking the sun, leaving the city covered in a deep grey veil. chan had the curtains open, he was always a fan of the rain. he’d flicked on a lamp for some extra light, getting ready to watch a movie when the front door opened. it took a couple seconds, but the door eventually closed, and his roommate entered.
“woah, you’re soaked.” chan observed out loud.
his roommate, changbin, looked miserable. clearly he’d forgotten to check the weather before leaving, so he was drenched in rain from head to toe. chan thought he looked like a sad puppy, cute.
“yeah. forgot an umbrella.” changbin replied.
chan chuckled, but then remembered that his friend was supposed to be out on a date. changbin was home less than an hour after he’d left, surely the date wasn’t that short?
“did it not go well..? you’re home early.” he asked.
“he didn’t show up. i waited at the café for half an hour, i just gave up. he wouldn’t respond to my texts and it was getting embarrassing waiting alone, so here i am.” it was painfully obvious that changbin was using all of his energy to not burst into tears. his voice was shaky, and chan could see his furrowed brows from across the room.
to say chan was pissed was an understatement. changbin was so excited to go on this date, he hadn’t stopped talking about it for hours while getting ready. seeing him come back not only soaked from rain, but miserable, made chan want to send the asshole who stood him up to an early grave. changbin was a sweetheart to his core, always putting others before himself. for him to finally focus on his own happiness for once and get this in return was heartbreaking.
“i’ll take you.” chan spoke without thinking, his eyes widening and heart racing in his ears once he realized what he said.
“huh? take me where?” changbin was confused, rightfully so.
“i’ll take you. t-to the café. we can go together. you’ve been excited to go, it's not fair that this happened to you.” he cursed himself for stuttering.
“what? no, you don’t have to do that, it’s really fine. i didn’t want to go that bad anyway.” he added a dry scoff to his words, clearly trying to sound unbothered.
“no, we’re going. go dry off, get changed, and we’ll go. together.” chan hardened his voice, and changbin sighed, but ultimately complied. he toed his shoes off, making his way to his bedroom, leaving a trail of water droplets behind him.
twenty minutes went by and chan was beginning to believe that changbin wasn’t coming after all. he sighed, feeling like his plan to finally prove to changbin that he was worthy of being his lover had failed. suddenly, he heard footsteps make their way down the hall, and looked up to see his roommate standing before him, cutting his sulking short. changbin was wearing a deep green hoodie and some black jeans. it was a plain outfit, but chan thought he looked beautiful. changbin’s black hair was fluffy and thick, having just been blow dried to get the rain out of it.
“you ready?” chan asked, a smile on his face. changbin nodded, a small smile creeping onto his own face.
the pair left the apartment, chan remembering to bring an umbrella before they left. he only grabbed one, leaving changbin no choice but to link arms with chan to fit under the rain protector. if anyone asked, chan didn’t do it on purpose. they made small talk on their way to the café, but it was mostly chan rambling and changbin listening. it wasn’t a problem though, they were more than comfortable with each other.
“oh, we’re here!” chan spoke up. they’d been so focused on their conversation that they almost walked past the entrance.
the café was very cozy. it was filled with warm tones and smelt like fresh coffee. display cases were filled with different pastries, ranging from a plain croissant to very intricate slices of cake. chan had trouble taking his eyes off of changbin, the lighting of the café making his features even softer. giving himself an excuse to stare at his roommate, chan began to speak,
“was there anything specific you wanted to try? like, a drink or one of the pastries?” he asked. he wanted to spoil changbin, make him realize that none of his other flings could ever compare to chan and his endless chivalry.
“there was this one chocolate cake that i saw on an instagram reel…” changbin spoke, searching the display for what he wanted. “oh! that one, right there!” changbin was visibly more excited now, pointing at the slice of chocolate cake with a grin on his face. it was the most he’d smiled all day, and chan’s ego was through the roof and poking through the rainy clouds over the fact that he was the reason changbin was in such a good mood.
once the two decided on what to get, they made their way to the front counter to order. changbin chose the slice of chocolate cake and a hot chocolate, and chan decided on a glazed donut and a coffee. the cashier relayed the final price, and chan quickly whipped out his wallet to pay for the both of them.
“hey, wait, let me pay for my own!” changbin protested.
“it’s my treat. you deserve it, yeah?” chan handed the cashier his cash, smirking when he caught a glimpse of changbin’s angry pout.
“let’s find somewhere to sit. is a spot by the window okay with you?” chan changes the subject, focusing on getting settled to try their fresh treats. changbin nods, moving to claim one of the empty window booths before it gets taken.
the pair settled into their seats across from each other. changbin moves to grab the fork to try his cake, but chan stops him with a hand,
“wait! let me take a picture of everything, so i can remember this moment.”
he takes his phone out, opening the camera. he rearranges the plates and cups so that they’re in a more pleasing position and hovers his phone over them to snap a couple photos. looking up, he notices changbin has gotten distracted by the rain outside and takes his chance. chan lifts his phone and aims it towards the other, quickly taking a photo.
“hey, i saw that.” changbin narrows his eyes at chan, who giggles.
“sorry, i wanted to take a picture of all the sweets i have in front of me.” chan flirts. changbin makes a dramatic hurling noise, but the tips of his ears go red, giving him away.
“whatever. can i eat my food now? you done being a photographer?”
chan nods, still laughing at his own joke. they begin to eat their desserts together, sitting in comfortable silence. changbin offers chan a bite of his chocolate cake, to which chan gladly accepts. he makes another shitty pickup line, something along the lines of this cake is sweet, but i think you’re sweeter, making changbin roll his eyes.
the desserts are finished, and the two are finishing the rest of their drinks when changbin speaks up.
“you didn’t have to do this, y’know. i can pay you back later.” he speaks lowly, clearly feeling guilty for taking up his roommates time. chan is already a busy man, so for him to go out of his way to spend his rare free time with changbin is a lot.
“i know, but i wanted to. i like spending time with you, and making you happy. did you have a good time? it wasn’t too much, was it..?” chan loses confidence the longer he speaks, choosing to just stop talking to save himself from any further embarrassment.
“i had a great time, actually. thank you, for real. i like spending time with you too, chris.” changbin speaks seriously, making chan’s cheeks heat up. chan is seriously above the clouds now, his crush of a good two years just admitted to enjoying being around him? he must be dreaming.
the lovebirds sit in awkward silence, a rare occurrence for them. it isn’t until an employee comes over to the table and collects their empty dishes that chan decides to take the next step.
“would you, i was thinking, well— if this was a good time for you, would you maybe like to… do it again? like- hang out i mean. or, i guess it would be more of a date? sorry, im talking too much-”
“i would love to, chan. i’ll go on a date with you.” changbin cuts off his nervous rambling with a statement of pure honesty.
“really? you’re being serious?” chan asks.
“of course, why would i joke about something like this?” he’s still very serious, wanting to let it be known that there’s not a single part of him that would ever decline a date with chan.
chan grins, red in the face and a little sweaty from the nerves. he stands, wiping his sweaty hand on his jeans before offering it to changbin, who takes it with a giggle.
they walk back to their shared apartment hand in hand, huddled closely together under the umbrella. anyone walking past the duo would think they were already married with the way they giggled and looked at each other.
many more dates were held between changbin and chan, and eventually the two were virtually inseparable, bound by love.