June 14^th 2020

The sixth time they meet, it's again, because of Jongdae.

On an overcast morning, Chanyeol found himself hunched over a bowl of instant noodles, long legs folded on his couch as he watched the news on the television. His phone kept ringing with the sound of notifications, causing the tall boy to furrow his brow before switching his phone to silent.

It only granted him a few moments of peace before the ringing turned into aggressive buzzing that left the whole coffee table shaking underneath it. He groaned around a mouthful of noodles, picking up his phone to see what was going on.

15 New Messages!

Kim Jongdumb
hey ass
i’m at your door
let me in
hey
hey
hey
hey
hey
stop ignoring me you
hey
chnyeoll
chanyol
chanyeol
chanyeol
let me in  

Chanyeol placed his noodles down on the table tentatively, walking quietly to the front door and peering through the door’s peephole to find Jongdae still typing away on his phone. The taller rolled his eyes, unlocking the door and swinging it open.

“How did you even get up here?” Chanyeol asked.

“Good morning to you too, Yeollie,” Jongdae said, kicking off his shoes and waltzing into the apartment.

“Jongdae—“

“All the people that work in your building already know me. They saw me standing there and opened the door for me.”

“Of course they did. Remind me to file a complaint with security later. Now why are you here?”

“Let’s go to the beach.”

Chanyeol raised a brow. “Today?”

“Yeah, why not?”

“Isn’t it supposed to rain today?”

“It’s supposed to clear up by the afternoon. We’ll be fine,” he said, jumping onto the couch. “Instant noodles for breakfast Yeollie? Is this the best choice?”

“Did you come all the way here to ask me to go to the beach and critique my diet?”

“Your body is a temple, Chanyeol. At least eat an apple or something.”

Chanyeol rolled his eyes.

“And no, I didn’t just come here to ask you to go to the beach with me. I came because you own a car.”

“Doesn’t Junmyeon—“

“Junmyeon’s car is already full.”

“I swear to god—“

“Baek’s packing his right now, but he said he’ll be over in like half an hour. It’ll be a fun road trip, don’t you think?”

“You’re the worst, you know that?”

“I’m not hearing a no~”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, you’re just lucky I didn’t have any plans today.”

“Does it count as luck if you don’t have any plans ever?”

“Do you want that ride or not?”  

“You know I’m just teasing, Yeollie. Now go get ready, Baek’s gonna head out soon.”

~~~~~

Almost an hour later they find themselves in Chanyeol’s car, driving to the nearest beach. Jongdae is seated comfortably in the passenger seat with Baekhyun in the backseat, a hand draped over the seat next to him to keep a hold on all their bags.

Chanyeol pursed his lips as he stared up at the sky, dark clouds refusing to disperse from the overcast skies.

“Are you sure it’s not gonna rain today?” he asked, unsure.

“Forecast says it’s not meant to rain today,” Jongdae reassured him, not looking up from the phone in his hands. “We should be fine.”

Baekhyun hummed from the backseat. “Even if it does rain, we should be fine. We’re going to the beach after all. I’m sure everyone at least brought a change of clothes.”

Chanyeol cleared his throat awkwardly. “I, uh… I didn’t.”

Jongdae lowered his phone. “Did you bring a towel with you?”

The taller stayed silent.

“Chanyeol—“ Baekhyun began.

“How were you planning on swimming if you didn’t bring anything with you dummy?” Jongdae asked.

“I figured I probably wouldn’t end up swimming anyways. If everyone wants to go, I can just stay back and watch our things,” Chanyeol said, pulling into a parking lot nearby the beach. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

“You can always come back to the car if anything!” Baekhyun supplied, Chanyeol humming in agreement as he made work of backing into a spot.

Jongdae lets out a breath through his nose, unbuckling his seatbelt. “If you’re sure Yeollie.”

~~~~~

Arms full with their bags, the trio find the rest of their friends already settled with their things, lounging on the sand and enjoying drinks together. They let their stuff down, setting out their own beach towels onto the sand, the others already handing them drinks from a cooler. Chanyeol takes a soda, giving a smile to Junmyeon who had done the same. They clinked their cans together in understanding as the others went straight for the alcohol.

“To designated driving,” Junmyeon said with a smile, lifting the can to his mouth.

“To being the only responsible ones here,” Chanyeol responded.

“Hey, if we’re about to get drenched in rain because Jongdae doesn’t know how to check the weather, then I reserve the right to drink,” Sehun said.

“Yeah, yeah, blame the alcoholism on me,” Jongdae said good-naturedly. “You’re lucky you’re young, your liver still has a long way to go.”

“Oh shut up grandpa, you’re only two years older than me.”

“And those two extra years have hardened me into the man I am today!” Jongdae cried dramatically. “I can only pray for a liver as spry as yours.”

Jongin sputtered. “What the does having a spry liver mean?”

“I wouldn’t expect you to know either, you sweet summer child,” Baekhyun said, resting a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “But it’s only a matter of time until you make it to our old age.”

“You guys are the worst.”

Chanyeol smiles into his can as his friends continue their conversation, leaning back on one hand. He spares a glance up out at the rest of the beach, fairly populated with families and young couples alike, some splashing around in the water while others sat together on the sand sharing snacks. He smiles at the sight, turning back to face his friends only to see Kyungsoo frowning.

“Did anyone else feel—” Kyungsoo began, before raindrops began to fall. Slowly at first, just enough to give everyone a chance to realize what was happening, before the fall started getting heavier and heavier.

Chanyeol blinked along with his friends in a moment of confusion, but quickly reached out for his things as he felt the fabric of his shirt sticking to his skin more and more.

“Get to the car first!” Baekhyun said, tossing his bag to Chanyeol. “We’ll take care of everything else!”

The tall boy nodded wordlessly, sprinting to his car, ignoring the prick in his shoes as sand got kicked into them. His fingers fumbled with the keys, but soon enough, he was able to unlock the vehicle, throwing the bags into the backseat and climbing into the driver’s seat. The sound of rain against his car was thundering, the boy’s heart racing as he felt a chill run through his body. He spared his clothes a glance, only to see that there was barely a spot on the fabric that hadn’t gotten wet. He let out a sigh, putting his keys into ignition and turning on the heat. He could feel the chill down to his bones, sitting as still as possible in his car, waiting to warm up again.

The rain was growing heavier and lighter in waves, hitting against his car all the same, leaving him mesmerized at the sight of the water cascading down the front windshield. He jumped in his seat when he heard a knock at the passenger seat window, quickly unlocking the doors to let an equally soaked Baekhyun into the vehicle.

He could hear the small boy let out an audible sigh at the warmth, rubbing the water off his face as he leaned back into the seat.

“You got my bag in, yeah?” he asked, Chanyeol nodding to the backseat in response. Baekhyun hummed, reaching back and digging through his things before producing a towel and a change of clothes. He tossed his towel at Chanyeol as he laid his clothes on his lap. “Get yourself dried up as best you can alright?” he said, starting to peel the wet clothes off his body.

Chanyeol flushed as Baekhyun began pulling off his shirt, revealing milky white skin.

“You!” Chanyeol yelled a little too loud, shocking the smaller to a stop. “You can change in the backseat!”

Baekhyun smiled at the sight of the tall boy’s reddened cheeks, letting out a chuckle. “Never would’ve pegged you for a prude, Park,” he joked good-naturedly. “I’ll change back there then.”

“T-Thank you,” Chanyeol stuttered out, staring down at the towel in his lap as Baekhyun crawled back.

“You might wanna start drying yourself off,” Baekhyun said from the backseat. “You’re gonna catch a cold if you don’t do something soon.”

The giant nodded, draping the towel around his shoulders and averting eye contact with the smaller boy.

“It turns out that the rain was only really heavy for the first few minutes,” Baekhyun said casually, as if he weren’t half in the back of the car. “They found something to hide under and said they’d wait it out for a bit and try to go swimming if the rain got lighter.”

“Why are you getting changed now? Won’t you be out of dry clothes after swimming?”

“I don’t feel like swimming anymore. I’d rather stay in the car with you anyways.”

The giant could feel his heart pick up, but tried to ignore the feeling. With a grunt, Baekhyun climbed back into the passenger seat in dry clothes, settling himself comfortably with a bare foot on the edge of the seat. The rain had calmed from earlier, hitting the windshield now in consistent, but gentler taps. Baekhyun hummed, fingers tapping against his knee.

The silence between the two was comfortable, filled with the pitter patter of the rain and the soft whirring of the car’s heating.

By now, Chanyeol was mostly dry, leaving only the underside of his pants still wet from being pressed against the tattered pleather of his seat. He took the towel off from his shoulders, carefully folding it up onto his lap with a sniffle.

“Are you all dried up?” Baekhyun asked softly. “Be careful not to get sick.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“That’s what you said about going to the beach without a towel or a change of clothes,” Baekhyun said with a laugh.

“But you gave me yours in the end. You’re like my knight in shining armour.”

Baekhyun rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, whatever you say Park.”

There was a moment of pause before a soft growling was heard, forcing a chuckle out of Chanyeol’s throat.

“Hungry?”

“Just a bit,” Baekhyun said. “I was in a bit of a rush on my way out and didn’t get too much to eat.”

Chanyeol smiled, reaching into the backseat for his bag, pulling out two apples. He handed one to Baekhyun who accepted it with a smile and a small thanks.

The taller boy watched as Baekhyun wiped the apple on his shirt, taking a bite into the bright red skin with a crunch. Small droplets of water still clung onto his skin, leaving a wet ring around the neck of his shirt, his lips pulled back into a smile as he chewed. His hair was drying but still considerably wet, small strands clumping together in front of his eyes. If Baekhyun had noticed Chanyeol’s staring, he made no sign of it, looking forward for a few moments more before his eyes flit back to Chanyeol, his smile growing by just a bit.  

“What’s up?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Chanyeol said, blank face betraying a feeling of warmth in him. He took a bite into his own apple, not realizing how hungry he had been before that moment. He leaned back into his seat, feeling more content than he had felt in a long time.

Maybe the rainy beach trip was more worthwhile than he had realized.