#is this proof read? nope hahahahhaha

[cannedapricot]

winter sun.

in which a boy who resembles the summer sun waltzes into your life on a cold winter’s day. 

word count: 3.4k of fluff and slice of life again because i’m unable to write anything else kms

The first time you encountered Lee Donghyuck was on a day where little white ice crystals fell from the grey sky, tossing and turning in the air until they eventually came to a halt, falling on top of one another as they rest on the man made roads.

Even the trees were shivering in the temperature. They shook their bare branches every time someone moved passed them with heavy steps, ridding themselves of some of the freezing snow that built up on them overnight.

Shuffling along the snow strewn walkway, you attempted to nuzzle your red,  numb nose further into the red, thick scarf that you had tightly wrapped around your neck. It was a gift from your grandma for Christmas, a set along with the  red gloves and beanie hat from the multiple holiday seasons before. The color choice was bright and obnoxious, contrasting against the plain, white background you were walking through in order to get to your destination. 

You scowled as your scarf loosens up and gets caught on the bag on your back, exposing the tiniest bit of your neck to the cold. Pulling your covered hands out of your coat pockets, you clumsily readjusted the woolen armor that was fending you from the bite of winter, making sure that it won’t come loose again on your journey.

A puff of hot air escaped your lips as you quickened your pace, wanting to escape the tormenting weather as soon as possible. As much as you loved snow, the temperature forced you inside for many of the cold days, cowering before the crackling fireplace.

The glass door creaked open as you pushed on it. It was as if it was whining about the weather with you. Letting out a sigh of relief at how warm the interior of the small, local coffee shop was, you make your way towards the back table, where two of your friends were already seated.

“Good Morning, Y/N.” Jeno greeted. The boy’s eyes curves up into crescents at the sight of your nose matching the rest of your attire as you stumbled over to him.

You collapsed onto the old, bouncy sofa opposite him. It let out a low pitched wheeze at the sudden weight as Jaemin, the boy situated next to Jeno, raised an eyebrow at you in amusement. 

“Matching your clothing pieces with your nose?” He asks jokingly, sliding the hot mug of coffee he had ordered for you across the table. You scoffed, prying the thick, knitted gloves off of your fingers. Which were also, a matching red.

“At least I won’t get lost in a snowstorm being this bright.”

Jeno laughed heartily at your retort, earning a weird glance from the group of middle aged women from the table over.

“Let’s get onto this stupid project now, shall we?” You said with a roll of your eyes. Though the small smile you had hanging off your lips gave it away that you didn’t feel annoyed at all.

You had thanked the gods when your history teacher told you that you could choose the people you worked with. You may as well loose your mind if your were put with Chenle and Jisung again. They were fun to be with, yes, but did they do any of the work? Nope. At least Jaemin and Jeno did work.

Pulling a sleek laptop out of the bag you heaved through the snow, you started the discussion about King Philip's War in the 1670s. It was as if the three of you fell through a wormhole once the research started. The warm smell of coffee beans that had once filled the air disappearing as you dived head first into the war between the English Colonists and the Native American Tribes. 

None of you paid attention to the chiming of the bell against the door whenever someone trudged with a trail of snow in their wake, opting to joke around with each other during break times instead.

But when a soft, warm breeze floated through the open door instead of the usual harsh, winter wind, you couldn’t help but look up from the Wikipedia page you were on.

There, standing in front of the fragile glass door, stood a light haired male brushing snow off of his dark coat. The said person met the barista’s eyes and when a smile broke out on his face, you felt the whole temperature of the room rise. 

“Hiya Mark, sorry I’m late. A snowstorm just kicked up outside.” He voiced, an almost honey-like sound filling the air before moving across to the counter.  Mark, the part time barista you had gotten familiar with thanks to the many times you frequented this particular coffee shop, clicked his tongue before meeting his friend. 

“I guess we’ll have to wait it out before leaving, huh?” 

“Does this count as overtime? You should ask your boss and earn some extra cash.” 

“Lee Donghyuck, my boss hesitates when we ask for our paychecks in advance, do you really think he’ll agree?”

“Lee Donghyuck.” You breathed, voice barely a whisper as you processed the name in your head. Snickers were suddenly heard from the boys right in front of you. Snapping your head to glare at them, you found them trying to hide their mouths behind their mugs. 

“What’s so funny?” You asked, taking a sip of your own caffeinated drink. 

“The fact that you’re staring so boldly.” Jaemin stated, a dumb smile you wanted to wipe off on his face. 

“Also, it’s worth mentioning that the redness on your nose spread onto the whole of your face. It’s matching the scarf even more now.” 

It was hard to stop yourself from pulling Jaemin into a headlock right then and there, so you settled for a kick to his shin. As your meddling friend hissed in pain with Jeno laughing into his latte, you felt a pair of eyes on you. Directing your eyes towards the direction, you wanted the creaky floorboards to swallow you whole in that moment. Because Lee Donghyuck had witnessed all of this with a sparkle in his eyes.

The second time you, encountered Lee Donghyuck was on an awfully dreary day. The sun must’ve had a fight with the moon that day because the heavens were crying, sending a heavy shower over your little town. 

Fat tears fell with a dramatic plop, spreading themselves out on the pathways. Lucky ones met with their friends and formed a puddle together, reflecting the sky and reminding everyone with their eyes on the ground about the grey sky above.

It was days like this that made you crave instant noodles. So you took the chance when the clouds seemed like they were starting to calm down from their sobbing fit. You threw on your old, neon green raincoat, which helped very little against harsh rain, and decided to head out to your nearest convenience store.

You danced around the puddles of water, twisting and turning in order to save your sneakers and jeans from getting wet. The last thing you wanted was the gross feeling of clothing sticking to your skin when it could’ve been avoided.

A pleasant tune flowed from your lips as the dainty bell rang above your head, announcing your entrance to whoever was in the store during the humid weather. 

The unknown song you were humming echoed throughout the mini mart, following your figure as you took your time browsing through the aisles. Your eyes light up the sight of your favorite brand of noodles being in stock before sweeping a bulk bag of five into your arms. Having the goods in your clutch, you make a beeline for the checkout, wanting to start eating as soon as possible.

“Hello, Y/N” The cashier, Renjun, greets as you appear in front of him. You nod in return to his greeting, attention taken by the Chupa Chups that were to the part-timer’s right.

“Were you planning to eat one here?” The Chinese boy asks, settling your food down into a plastic bag. You hum, answering positive to his question. Renjun’s brows then drew together in a crease.

“Unlucky, the rain’s really coming down hard now, our tables and chairs are soaked.”

“What?” You flipped your head around to observe the furniture placed outside, groaning at the sight of water droplets falling onto the smooth surface with no mercy. Your acquaintance pats your arm in pity, handing you your bag.

“I’ll have to wait it out, this stupid jacket won’t do anything against this rain.” 

So you found yourself leaning against the brightly painted exterior walls of the twenty-four hour mart, seeking refuge under the slight overhang as the clouds laughed at your misery. You cursed the weather under your breath, looking up at the heavens with frown on your face. How dare they delay you from eating your warm meal.

A hooded figure that came splashing through the wet conditions suddenly caught your eye and you immediately rose up from your sulking position, eyes on the newcomer in curiosity. You felt a familiar rise in temperature as the hood came off and the person turned to smile brightly at you.

“Terrible day isn’t it?” 

Your eyes turned into saucers as the pleasant voice canceled out the snickers of the harsh clouds above. The boy at the coffee shop had once again slid into your line of vision. 

“Yeah.” You mumbled, stuttering to get the word out. Turning your eyes away from the beaming male, you cringed. Why did you stutter? Why did your voice barely come out louder than a whisper? Why did your ears feel as though they were on fire?

“Nice coat.” Lee Donghyuck mentions casually, glancing at the neon choice with a glint in his eyes.

“It’s just as bright as your scarf from the other day.” 

Great. He remembers. You mentally start beating yourself up, why does the cutest boy in town have to catch you wearing the brightest clothes in your closet every time you meet.

A small smile spreads across Donghyuck’s face. You were embarrassed, it was obvious. The red ears, the way your face scrunched up in regret, it was endearing. 

He’d love to get to know you more.

“Wait here, I’ll be right back.” He says, clumsily pulling his fingers out of the pockets of the thick, dark jacket. You watch, confused as he makes his way into the mart, waving to Renjun as he does. The temperature drops down again as he disappears.

Donghyuck appears again a few moments later, emerging from the little store with a neon green umbrella in his hands. 

“It was the only one they had, I’m not teasing you, I swear.” The boy reminiscent of summer explains, pushing the metal branches up to reveal a frog design on the plastic. Donghyuck steps out into the rain, the frog above his head shielding him from the wet bullets. He motions for you to step under the children’s umbrella with him and because the rain didn’t look like it wanted to stop anytime soon, you did.

Shoulders brushing against each other under the small frog, you were granted a closer look at the breath-taking boy. A quick peek up past your lashes made you realize that the small moles that were spread on his left cheek and his neck formed a familiar constellation you’d see in the night sky. Just when you though he couldn’t get any more ethereal, he did.

“See something you like on my face?” He asks , craning his head to meet your eyes. There it was again, the familiar heat climbing up your neck. 

“I- Uh-”

“You’ve been staring at me the whole time we’ve been together.” His lips rose up in a teasing smirk, adjusting the frog so your shoulder didn’t get wet. 

“Yeah, well, there’s a constellation on your cheek, and people like looking at constellations formed by the stars.”

You were well aware that the babble you had stumbled out made little to no sense. If Jaemin and Jeno were here, they’d be on the floor laughing at your feeble attempts at conversation. 

A rosy hue powders Donghyuck’s cheeks, something you would’ve noticed had you not been wallowing in self-pity. 

“I’ll take that you mean you like looking at my face.” 

The two of you exchange names and numbers at your doorstep (though you already knew his name), agreeing to meet up sometime soon. But as the frog turned back to defend his master from the attack of the rain once again, you noticed how wet his right shoulder was.

Your shoulders was perfectly dry.

The third, fourth, fifth and rest of your encounters were history. The two of you met up often during the last few weeks. You learnt how to hold a decent conversation with the man you oh so adored, you even introduced him to your friends.

“Chenle, Jisung, Jaemin and Jeno, meet Donghyuck. You can call him Hyuck if you’d like.”

“So this is the dude you’ve been gushing to me over text about?”

“Jisung, you better close your trap before I tape it shut.”

And though you didn’t need introducing, you also got close to Mark and Renjun, the people Hyuck claims are the “most closest things he’s got to friends”. Renjun had rolled his eyes at his claim, pulling his same aged friend into a choke hold.

“Yeah right, stop putting on a front, Hyuck. You’d do anything for us.”

You treasured the time you spent with the glowing boy, always feeling as though you were in the middle of summer vacation instead of the winter semester. 

It wasn’t until one day, when the sky sent dainty little crystals down to visit Earth again, when you finally came clean with your feelings for the boy that made it feel like summer whenever he appeared.

It almost felt like deja vu. The sky seemed sick of crying everyday for the last week and, as if an apology, sent fairies that took the form of snowflakes to flutter down make up for the grey weather.

Frost gathered on your glass pane and tinkering sounds could be heard as the fairies bumped into the transparent surface. You watched from the warmth of your bed as a blanket of white started to settle over the town for the second time in a row. The snow fell softly, nudging itself into every nook and cranny. Contrasting against the soft, sparkling background, a hurrying figure that donned a bright red scarf caught your eye.

You blew you nose for what felt like the hundredth time within the hour before throwing the scrunched tissue into the bin, where a pile had been forming. It landed just as Hyuck burst into your cosy room, shaking stray snowflakes out of his coffee colored hair. 

“Hyuck, my carpet’s gonna get wet.” You croaked between your sniffles, already reaching for another piece of tissue. 

“I had to get the medicine to a certain bedridden person asap, didn’t have time to shake it all off before entering.” The boy you grown fond of states, unwrapping the thick scarf you had lent to him. 

Scoffing, you hid a blossoming smile underneath the tissue you prepared to blow your nose in. Acting like you were annoyed, you said,

“Well, if a certain person didn’t start a snowball fight yesterday, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Hey! You definitely started it first, I saw you roll the first ball.” He retorted childishly, flinging the box of pills onto your lap. Shrugging off the same jacket he wore on the day you first met, he wanders off into your kitchen, returning with a glass of water.

“Take your medication then get some rest. I’ll go make some soup, yeah?” 

You grunt in response, receiving the glass Donghyuck offered you gratefully. He ruffles your hair before shuffling out of your room, making sure to close the door softly behind him.

Obediently, after swallowing the tasteless pill, you snuggle back under your blanket and lull yourself into a dreamless sleep. Falling asleep in peace knowing that Hyuck was now out of the cold.

You awoke to Donghyuck gently shaking you, fluttering your eyes open to the boy sitting on the edge of your bed with steaming bowl of chicken soup in his hands. 

“Good morning, your highness.” He says as you sit up, the bed creaking from the shift of weight. 

“Care for some soup?” 

Laughter fills the air as you reach for the ceramic bowl. Instead of passing the bowl to you, Hyuck spoons up some of the hearty liquid and presses it to your lips. 

Hesitantly, you accept this offer, though you were arguing as you did.

“Hyuck, give me the bowl, I have hands!”

“You’re sick, I don’t want your shaky hands to spill what I’ve spent the last few hours on.”

“I’m a grown person-”

“Says the person who threw a snowball at me first.”

Pouting, you turn your gaze out the window in mock annoyance. Donghyuck blows on the next spoonful before bringing it in front of you again, afraid that it was still too hot.

Giving in, you allow your friend to spoon feed you and slowly, the bowl became empty. The second Donghyuck placed the bowl down, you pull him down onto the bed with you, screaming in joy as he yelled out in fright.

“What the hell, Y/N?!”

“If I’m sick, you’re getting sick with me!” You announced, rolling around with the boy still in your embrace.

“Let go, I’m warning you!” Hyuck exclaims before his hands wiggled against your sides, resulting in a hysterical laughter bubbling out of you.

The squabble continued on for a while, the two of you messing with each other until your seemingly endless energy finally gave out. Flopping back onto your mattress, the two of you laid side by side, taking in big breaths to calm down from the laughing fit.

“Y/N?”

“Yeah?”

“Have you ever thought of dating anyone?”

Hyuck’s question caught you off guard. Your eyes widened and your breath suddenly gets caught in your throat.

“Of course I have, why?” You ask, propping yourself up to face him.

Donghyuck sits up and looks at the wall opposite the bed. He was fiddling with his t-shirt, bunching it up around his fingers and letting it loose again only to repeat the action.

“The person you think about dating, can it be me?”

His confession came out rushed, his voice unusually quiet and the air silent afterwards.

Again, you felt it. The burning ears, the reddening cheeks and the tingling neck. The feeling when you first met the golden boy, it was still there. 

It never left.

So you crawled up in front of Donghyuck, cupped his equally burning cheeks and brought his face up to meet your eyes.

“I mean, you don’t have to give me a reply now, I just- I just want you to think about the possibility because I really, really like you and-”

“I’ve always thought you talked too much.” You giggled, placing your forehead against his. 

“I’ll date you.”

It was felt his breath hitch and saw his eye widen, the gleam you’ve grown to love sparkling as he processed your words.

“Really? Oh my god, you don’t have to feel pressured just because I asked, I just saw Jaemin holding your hand the other day and got jealous and wanted you to think about me as well-”

“Shut up, Hyuck. I’m not pressured to do anything. I like you.”

Donghyuck let out a excited screech before peppering your face with kisses. He pulls you back down on the bed, a big, bright smile that could rival your scarf on his face.

“Don’t kiss me or you’ll really get sick.” You warned against your new boyfriend’s chest.

“I’ll do what I want.” The boy reminiscent of summer tells you, giddy with happiness.

“You’ll have to look after me anyways.”

“Sunflower, I have class now, you’re going to have to let me go.”

“But you’re warm.” You wine, nuzzling your numb nose into your boyfriend’s arm.

Mark scrunches his face up in distaste as he passes by the table you were situated at in the coffee shop. Jaemin and Jeno both had equally grossed out expressions etched on their face. 

“Alright, but if I fail Physics, I’m blaming you.” Hyuck scolds playfully, placing a gentle peck on the crown of your head.

“Gross. Is it bad if I miss single Hyuck and single Y/N?”

“When they’re doing things like this out in public? No.”