[9:04pm]
y/n sat on the sofa, cuddled up with a blanket and their phone in their hand. the AC in their apartment had broken down a few days ago and it didn't help that the weather was starting to get chilly. a maintenance worker was scheduled to come in on the weekend when changbin was free and said he'd promise to come visit and help them get it fixed.
being an idol, changbin's busy schedule made it difficult to squeeze in a relationship but y/n had always been patient and flexible. that was something the other members admired about them because it definitely wasn't easy considering stray kids were constantly working towards producing new music.
with that being said, the two rarely met up anymore these days since y/n was also focused on their studies. so tonight they sat alone, anxiously waiting for at least a text acknowledging that it was their one year anniversary together. to be honest, they didn't really expect him to remember—and they didn't blame him either. stray kids' growing popularity and demand for more content put a strain on their relationship and it was hard to stay in touch.
if there was one flaw their relationship had, it would be communication. although changbin was easily able to show his affection for y/n through actions, he continued to have difficulty when it came to verbally expressing his emotions. changbin was never good at saying "i love you" and in fact, y/n couldn't even recall a time where he had said those three words to them.
they knew it wasn't his fault and they knew he was trying, but sometimes they just wanted simplicity. y/n remembered that for their six month anniversary he had prepared a rap for them that included all his favourite things about them. music was a special way for him to channel his emotions and y/n loved when he wrote pieces about them, but sometimes they wished he could say a simple "i love you" every now and then...
y/n looked up at the round clock that hung on the wall in their apartment. it read half past eight. they sighed with disappointment and rested their phone on the coffee table in front of the sofa. changbin would've just arrived home at this time after having a late night practice.
despite changbin's forgetfulness, y/n wasn't about to let some silly anniversary get them down. asides from that, they had a decent day at school and even got to facetime their best friend who never failed to put a smile on their face. just thinking about the fun they had talking for hours made them laugh out loud which almost drowned out the faint sounds of someone knocking on the door.
without thinking anything, y/m kicked off the blanket and went to open the door, their fuzzy pink socks sliding across the hardwood. their eyes widened when they were greeted by a smiling changbin, dressed in sweats and holding two hot chocolates—the best drink to have in the cold weather.
"you thought that i'd forget, didn't you?" he said with that sly smile on his face that always made their heart flutter.
y/n moved aside and held the door open for him so that he could come in from standing in the hallway. they could smell the sweet scent of hot chocolate as he passed, "maybe."
"come on, i'm not a bad boyfriend," he laughed. "i brought some hot chocolate to share because i know how cold your apartment has been recently. by the way, i called the maintenance guy and he confirmed for this weekend."
in all honesty, changbin's words faded away as y/n's happiness overshadowed all their other thoughts. it was so unexpected for him to show up like this for a surprise visit, but they weren't complaining. y/n watched as he brought the cup to his lips and took the first sip of hot chocolate, quickly pulling away once he realized it was too hot. they laughed at his stupidness.
"ah, it's so hot!" he handed y/n their cup before warning them. "here, but don't drink it yet! don't act like me and burn yourself."
the pair sat down on the sofa next to each other, y/n resting their head on his shoulder and using the cup of hot chocolate to warm their cold hands. they sat in silence for what must have been minutes, simply enjoying each other's company for once.
y/n broke the silence, "i missed you."
changbin grit his teeth and ran his fingers through his hair. y/n looked the slightest bit sad and he couldn't help but feel guilty for making them feel that way. in an attempt to brighten the mood he said, "of course you missed me, that's because i'm so sweet right?"
y/n cracked a smile and rolled their eyes at their boyfriend's cockiness, yet he continued with with more cheesy lines. "this hot chocolate is pretty sweet too, but you know what's sweeter than that?"
for a second, y/n almost fooled them-self thinking he was going to say their name. it wasn't a surprise that he responded with "me".
as the night went on, they caught up with their busy lives—from changbin telling funny stories about the rest of the boys, making y/n laugh uncontrollably, to y/n ranting about how much of a pain school was. they were glad to finally have some fun with changbin but ever so slowly felt their eyes growing heavy. they yawned and laid down across his lap.
changbin looked down at them. they looked so calm and peaceful—a true form of art. sometimes he wondered how he had gotten so lucky to meet a person as wonderful as y/n was. he missed gazing into their eyes but he knew they must've been drained from school so he let them close their eyes to rest. a small smile formed across his face as he twirled strands of their hair through his fingers. he knew they always felt most relaxed when he did that.
as their breathing slowed, changbin knew they was close to falling asleep. with that thought in mind, he leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on their forehead. he lingered a bit longer before sitting up straight again.
"i love you," he whispered—his warm breath tickling their neck. changbin quickly sat up, searching for any sort of response from them. his hands clenched the blanket that had been wrapped around y/n earlier that now lied next to them. seconds—which felt like hours—passed and changbin felt as if his heart was nearly about to leap out of his chest. but all feelings of nervousness dissolved when he saw the tiniest smile appear on y/n's face. they looked so cute when they were sleeping and he was glad they acknowledged what he said. even if they were to forget it by the morning, he was content with this moment for now.
until next time, when hopefully he would have built up enough courage to say those words to her face to face, he was happy with this "i love you" and hot chocolate.
