OFF OF THE DEEP END | CHANGLIX ✔️

6. in the rain

it's nice to have a friend: Taylor Swift

Felix had arrived again, keeping up his promise for almost a straight week. He'd managed to memorize Changbin's hours, always showing up on one of the early morning or nighttime shifts the worker was partial to. They're developed a sort of routine, engaging in small talk with coffees only if the shop was empty and then searching for yet another book.

Him and Changbin were standing in front of the bookshelf Felix tended to frequent, the shelf stacked with hundreds of romances. As Felix had accomplished the admirable feat of finishing a book every day, Changbin was struggling to find more books that suited the tastes of the bookworm.

They eventually located a book that matched Felix's genre of reading after a few minutes of searching. Changbin had discovered that Felix had a penchant for softer, fluffier novels with the occasional tinge of angst. He tended to stray away from the supernatural fantasies, preferring the more realistic plot lines.

The idol had settled down by the fireplace, curling up in a catlike pose in an armchair. He read his book in the firelight as Changbin prepared their daily coffee.

Felix smiled as Changbin handed the hot beverage to him, his perfect teeth revealed by the absence of the black mask. The idol sipped his coffee while diving into the words inked onto the pages. Changbin alternated between reading paragraphs off of the random book he'd picked and admiring the unmasked features of the other as they contorted into expressions following the twists and turns of the book he was engrossed in.

Changbin had noticed that on the rare occasions where Felix abandoned his mask, it was always when the bookstore was completely empty, no one roaming the assorted shelves besides the two. He remembered Felix's earlier comment about being insecure, and wondered if the man's uneasy attitude to his face was due to wanting to remain anonymous or to his lack of self-confidence he'd hinted at.

Respect and a conscience told him it wasn't his business what Felix thought about his looks, and the guilt of assumption forced him to bury himself into the pages of the book. Changbin's lack of concentration due to him hiding in his own thoughts caused him to absentmindedly read the same paragraph over and over. 

A gasp and a loud thump shattered the comfortable silence, the pair who were once reading peacefully flinching and whipping around to see who the perpetrator of the noise was.

Jisung stood frozen with his mouth gaping open comically, his wide-eyed stare fixated on the figure of poor Felix, who had a coffee half lifted towards his lips. The massive pile of books the fanboy had been holding were scattered everywhere on the floor.

Staring directly into the scared gaze of Felix, Jisung confessed, "I love you."

"I- I should go," Felix stammered, pulling up his mask in panic. He abandoned his book on the chair and dashed out of the bookstore.

Propelling himself out of the armchair, Changbin glared at Jisung, "Don't you dare tell anyone."

"You knew?"

Paying no heed to Jisung's latest words, Changbin grabbed Felix's forgotten book and jogged out the door, yelling to Jisung, "Cover for me!"

He skidded to a stop outside the shop, momentarily stunned by the downpour that greeted him. Torrents of rain crashed down, the cause being one of the abrupt and unpredictable autumn showers.

Shielding his eyes from the rain and scanning wildly for Felix, a familiar hint of maroon caught his eye. The younger's favorite massive red hoodie alerted Changbin to Felix walking about half a block away.

Not caring about the heavy pouring of rain, Changbin streaked across the wet sidewalk towards Felix's figure. He'd never been a fan of cardio, preferring to use other methods to train his body, but at this moment he was incredibly grateful for even the minuscule amount he'd trained, as it allowed him to run as fast as possible to catch up to Felix.