It’s raining.

Against his window, droplets splash, fat and heavy, leaving streaks on the dusty glass. Changkyun lies on his bed. He wants to just stay in, curl under his duvet where it’s nice and warm. But he’s meeting Hoseok at the gym and he should have left five minutes ago. He rolls over, rests his chin on his arm. Hoseok had been excited when he had asked to join him at the gym.

“Ah, I didn’t know you gym now, Kkukungie! You’ve really grown up eh? We can work out together at my gym, it’ll be fun!”

Hoseok had been genuinely thrilled at the idea and somehow, Changkyun can’t quite find it in himself to cancel. He blows out a puff of air through his mouth, watches it ruffle his fringe. Maybe Jooheon was right. Maybe he cares more about Hoseok that he’d realised if he’s willing to exercise just to spend more time with him.

(Going to gym with Hoseok to spend more time with him had been a drunken idea from 3 a.m. Changkyun. It had sounded like a good move, a great move even, until sober Changkyun wakes up at noon to find that Hoseok’s already asked to meet at his local gym and Changkyun’s never stepped foot into any gym ever and would probably expose his couch potato the second he has to use any of the equipment. In panic, sober Changkyun had ended up spending most of the day googling and watching youtube tutorials on how to use gym equipment and now he kind of just wants to sleep.)

Lingering in the warmth of his bed for a little longer, Changkyun squeezes his eyes shut, then sighs. It was a lost battle from the start. He had studied about gym equipment. Studied. Before he even ate lunch. There was no way he would intentionally disappoint Hoseok because of a little rain after that. With a last roll in bed, Changkyun gets up, moves to haul his to the gym.

Hoseok’s soaked when he comes.

“Sorry I’m late,” he starts to say once he spots Changkyun, only to sneeze. Before Changkyun can say anything about it, Hoseok’s already nudged him, leading them past the reception counter towards the changing room. Changkyun raises a brow, but it goes unnoticed. In the end, he ends up just following, Hoseok’s broad back taking up most of his vision as they walk down the corridor. This close, it’s obvious that Hoseok’s pale blue button-up has turned translucent where the rain had seeped through and Changkyun doesn’t realise he’s blatantly staring until Hoseok turns to look back at him.

“Aren’t you cold?” Changkyun blurts out with thinking.

Hoseok’s mouth is parted like he’d meant to speak until Changkyun interrupted. It takes him a few blinks to answer. “I’ll be fine once I change to my exercise clothes.”

He pushes the door to the changing room, holding it open to let Changkyun in.

“Anyway, I, ah, wanted to ask you if you’ve eaten? I prefer exercising on an empty stomach, but it’s going to be quite late after we finish even though I came here straight after work.”

Changkyun finds the nearest unoccupied locker, sets his bag down.

“I’m okay. I had a late lunch, and we can have supper together afterwards instead, I guess?”

Hoseok grins.

“Sounds good.”

Changkyun hums in response, already shrugging off his flannel shirt. He’s pulling on a t-shirt when he feels fingertips trace his shoulder.

“You have a tattoo?”

There’s something like surprise in Hoseok’s voice, or maybe it’s amazement, and Hoseok’s too close behind when Changkyun tilts his head to look at him. Hoseok’s lips are pursed as he reads the inked phrase. The English words roll off his tongue in pieces, interspersed with silence as he traces the words on Changkyun’s shoulder.

“One who… wear the crown, bear the crown.”

“Yeah,” Changkyun says, apropos of nothing. Hoseok’s looking at him now, instead of his tattoo, but his hand is still on Changkyun’s back, flat and warm. And then, in the next moment, Hoseok blinks, and the hand slips away.

“Let’s quickly get changed so we can start working out, mm?”

Hoseok turns until his back is to Changkyun, but it’s not like Changkyun really understands what’s going on – what had just happened – even if he could see Hoseok’s face. Changkyun tugs the hem of his t-shirt over his stomach, kicking off his shoes so he can change his pants.

“Okay,” Changkyun finally says, even though working out is the furthest thing on his mind right now.

They work out. Or more specifically, Changkyun uses the treadmill while Hoseok cycles through stretching, various sets of weights, and a whole bunch of equipment Changkyun only vaguely remembers the use of. The treadmills are lined in a row facing glass windows that spans floor to ceiling. It’s meant to offer a view of the streets below but it’s dark outside now and all Changkyun sees in the glass as he runs is the reflection of Hoseok’s milky skin, arms on display in his tank top, muscles rippling as he moves, sweat-drenched. His perspiration has soaked through his tank top and Changkyun’s not sure if he’s glad or not that it’s grey so it doesn’t go translucent.

(What he means is, it’s torture, and Changkyun isn’t referring to his endless running, although that is torturous too.)

His legs are sh