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Euijoo and Nicholas were going shopping today. Nicholas had long wanted to go, but they hadn't had enough time before. Nicholas was so excited that he was almost skipping while walking. They arrived at the store Nicholas had picked: a boutique selling second-hand clothes. He always knew where to find the most unique and high-quality pieces of clothing. Luckily the store was quite empty; only a couple of people were there quietly browsing the clothes. Euijoo could still feel eyes on them. They stood out quickly as two tall guys, and Nicholas especially stood out with his unique style and blonde hair. They started browsing the clothes. Nicholas always scoured the pieces, feeling the fabric, analyzing the design, thinking about what it could be styled with, and checking the price if he liked it, while Euijoo just skimmed through them, only examining the price of the ones that caught his eye. Euijoo had some interest in fashion; recently he had tried to put more effort into his outfits, but his interest and knowledge didn’t compare to Nicholas’. Whenever they went shopping together, Nicholas loved picking clothes for Euijoo. He didn't miss with his picks. Every single piece suited Euijoo and highlighted one of his features. The only ones he didn't end up buying were either too expensive or too flashy for him.
"Juju, try this." Nicholas showed him a buff-colored cropped sweater. He always tried to get Euijoo out of his comfort zone, usually by making him wear a color or an accessory he usually didn’t wear. Sometimes it would be something more daring, like crop tops or skirts. Euijoo had worn pieces like that for stage outfits, but they felt a bit too showy for his daily style. He liked how those things looked on Nicholas, but he didn't have the same confidence to pull it off.
"Hmm, I don't know," Euijoo mumbled, tilting his head.
"Come on, at least try it. I think it would look good on you," Nicholas reassured him, pushing the sweater into his hands.
"Fine, I'll try it on," Euijoo agreed, taking the sweater.
"Yes! Wait just a sec, I'll find you some pants to match with it," Nicholas said, starting to rummage through the pants section. Quickly he found a pair of grey jeans that matched the warm tone of the sweater. "Here. Try these on."
Euijoo headed to the fitting room and changed into the outfit Nicholas gave him. He glanced at himself in the mirror. The outfit was actually nice, he thought. The pants and the crop top combined highlighted his height and his waist, and the colors matched his hair and skin tone nicely. He poked his head out from the curtains, searching for Nicholas with his eyes. "Nichol?"
Nicholas noticed him and stopped his browsing to go to Euijoo. Euijoo stepped out, revealing the full outfit. Nicholas looked him up and down and smiled, satisfied with his efforts.
"Wow... you look really good," Nicholas said, his mouth parting and eyes scanning all of Euijoo again. "As expected since I picked it out," Nicholas said smugly.
Euijoo chuckled, "I actually like it."
Nicholas smiled mischievously. “Me too. Especially this.” Nicholas lifted the hem of Euijoo’s shirt, revealing his bare abdomen.
Euijoo snagged Nicholas’ hand. “Nichol!” Euijoo shrieked a bit louder than he had intended. He glanced around him, checking whether anyone had noticed them. Fortunately everyone was focused on their own shopping.
“Sorry, I couldn’t hold myself back,” Nicholas laughed. Euijoo sighed through his nose, trying to frown, but the corners of his mouth were itching to smile.
Euijoo changed out of the outfit, and Nicholas went to the fitting room to try a few pieces he had found. Euijoo leisurely browsed through the clothes, mostly just trying to kill time while waiting for Nicholas.
"Euijoo, can you help me with this?" Nicholas called from the fitting room.
Euijoo quickly rushed over. "What is it?"
"Help me with the zipper," Nicholas said, turning around.
Euijoo’s eyes met with a streak of Nicholas’ bare back just around his spine. He ignored the heat blooming in his cheeks and zipped up the shirt. Nicholas turned around, presenting the outfit to him. Now that Euijoo got a proper look at him, he felt his breath catching. Nicholas was wearing a black fitted long-sleeve shirt with corset-like stringing in the front. Euijoo had to take a second to swallow how good Nicholas looked. The shirt accentuated Nicholas' small waist, broad shoulders, and toned arms. Euijoo had seen Nicholas in outfits like this while performing, but it always felt different when he wore something so fitting outside of schedules.
"You like this one?" Nicholas asked, smirking slightly.
Euijoo nodded sincerely. "Yeah, you look amazing."
Nicholas smiled shyly, lowering his head. “Thanks, I like this too.” Nicholas examined the shirt, adjusting it on his body. “Help me get this off too,” Nicholas said, turning his back towards Euijoo.
Euijoo stepped inside the fitting room, closing the curtains behind him. He could've just helped Nicholas from the outside again, but maybe he wanted Nicholas in this ridiculously flattering shirt all to himself, even for just a few seconds. Euijoo stepped closer to zip down the shirt's zipper, but before he could do that, Nicholas grabbed his hands and brought them to his waist, making Euijoo backhug him.
"Not here, Nichol," Euijoo said instinctively.
"Why? No one can see us," Nicholas complained, pouting his lips.
He was right. There was a curtain covering them, and no one would come to an occupied fitting room. Euijoo relaxed slightly, placing his head on Nicholas' shoulder. Nicholas leaned into him and softly caressed Euijoo's hands on his waist. Euijoo studied their reflection in the mirror. Nicholas looked truly happy and relaxed in his arms. He wished he could relax like him, but the anxiety of people seeing them like this crept constantly at the back of his head.
"Just a few seconds. People will get suspicious if I stay here with you for a long time," Euijoo said. The words made Nicholas frown slightly, but he still nodded understandingly.
After a few seconds he withdrew his hands from Nicholas’ waist and zipped the shirt down, once again revealing that streak of Nicholas’ back. Euijoo avoided looking at it and hastily stepped out from the fitting room, closing the curtains behind him. He could feel all the suspicious eyes on him. They couldn't know, but Euijoo was sure they did. They had to know. Why would they otherwise be looking at him? His heart drummed in his chest, burying all the other sounds underneath it. His hands trembled as he reached for a hanger with a sweater on it. Everything was boiling to the surface while he drowned at the bottom, unable to breathe.
"Euijoo?" the calmingly familiar voice called from behind him. Nicholas swiftly appeared in front of him. "You okay?"
Euijoo gazed into Nicholas’ eyes, which were filled with concern and adoration, and he felt like he could breathe again. Nicholas’ eyes were so enthralling in the way they pulled Euijoo back to the surface when he was about to drown in his anxiety.
"Mmm, I'm okay," Euijoo assured, giving Nicholas a soft smile.
Nicholas returned the smile and nodded. "Okay. I think I'll take these." He showed Euijoo the black fitted shirt from before and a pair of wide-leg grey jeans with stringing details on the legs. "Are you buying anything?"
"I think I'll take this one," Euijoo said, lifting the brown cropped sweater to show to Nicholas.
"You're not taking the pants?" Nicholas asked, a hint of disappointment in his voice.
"No, I already have a similar pair, and these are kinda expensive," Euijoo explained. Nicholas looked like he was scanning through his catalogue of Euijoo’s wardrobe in his mind, trying to remember the pants Euijoo was talking about. Euijoo noticed how he seemed to have recalled them in the way he hummed and nodded suddenly.
As they had paid for their purchases, they noticed it was raining outside. The earlier busy streets had become almost deserted, leaving only a few people rushing to find shelter from the rain.
"How does it always rain when we go somewhere? Juju, stop bringing the rain with you," Nicholas complained teasingly.
"I'm not! You're the one who brings the rain with you," Euijoo protested.
"Now you're blaming me for the weather? Bad Juju," Nicholas shook his head, frowning.
Euijoo sighed, "You literally just blamed me."
"I didn't do anything." Nicholas waved his hands innocently.
Euijoo groaned, the frustration boiling in his veins. Nicholas always teased him like this. It was his stupid little way of showing his affection. Maybe Euijoo secretly liked it. Maybe he was secretly enjoying every emotion Nicholas made him feel because no one else had ever made him feel so much.
“We don’t have an umbrella though, right?” Nicholas asked.
“No…” Euijoo shook his head and sighed.
“We might make it there pretty dry if we run,” Nicholas suggested.
“Let’s try,” Euijoo agreed.
They glanced at each other and nodded. Then they took off in the direction of the next clothing store Nicholas had chosen. However, the rain kept intensifying, making them drenched in a few minutes. The streets were now completely devoid of people, not a single soul in sight.
"Nichol," Euijoo called. He grabbed Nicholas’ wrist, halting their running. "Let's just enjoy this; we're already completely soaked anyways."
Nicholas gave him a questioning look but quickly nodded. Euijoo slid his hand from Nicholas' wrist to his hand. Nicholas glanced at their now intertwined hands, smiled, and looked at Euijoo. His smile was so incredibly radiant, like the sun peeking through the rain clouds.
Holding hands was something they had never done in public. It would be a bit too much usually. Two guys, idols, holding hands in public. People would talk and take pictures. Soon there would be a dating rumor. Was it even a rumor if it was true? Any other day Euijoo would have already let go of Nicholas' hand. The fear would have already overwritten all the joy and easiness Nicholas' incandescent smile and his hand in Euijoo’s own gave him. Today, however, Euijoo didn't care. Or did he? His brain was still loud, his reason trying to take over while the side that loved Nicholas more than anything tried to argue this was an okay thing to do, that there was no one anywhere to be seen. He looked at Nicholas, really looked at him. How beautiful he was. His hair was sodden from the rain and slicked back, revealing his forehead. His damp shirt clung to his skin. How happy he looked despite how soaked they were. How he was so at ease even though they were holding hands in public. Nicholas had always been the more carefree one in their relationship. Euijoo admired that, and every time he looked at Nicholas, it made him want to live like that: without caring what people think.
He started running around, pulling Nicholas with him. It became some sort of dance with pirouettes, steps, and turns, all uncoordinated but somehow in sync. They probably looked like they were crazy, but for once Euijoo didn’t care. Nicholas spun him around into his hold, and suddenly it was truly just the two of them in this world.
Euijoo had never done something so impulsive. In fact, it was so impulsive that Euijoo hadn't processed it himself until he was kissing Nicholas like there was no tomorrow in the middle of a street in Seoul. Even the rain had quieted down in his mind. All he could hear was Nicholas’ gasp as he deepened the kiss. For the first time, Euijoo didn't care if someone saw them. He dug his fingers into Nicholas’ soaked hair and kissed him slowly like he was savoring the moment, which he was because this could be the first and last time he kissed Nicholas in public. He felt his heart racing, but now it wasn’t because of his anxiety. It was all because of Nicholas and how perfect his lips felt against Euijoo’s. Nicholas clutched his waist, pulling him closer. Euijoo’s lungs were almost ablaze, so he parted to breathe. He still remained close, and Nicholas pressed their foreheads together, smiling. Euijoo returned his smile, leaning into him. They stayed there in the pouring rain, and for a short while, only the two of them existed in this world.