23 Days of NCT

Hot Chocolate - Johnny

"(Y/N)!" Your boyfriend of two years called out to you. You looked up from your spot on the bench and saw Johnny making his way towards you, two biodegradable cups in his hands. "What are you doing here?" He asks.

"I was waiting for this place to open," you put your phone back into your purse and pointed at the ceramics store as he sat next to you, handing you one of the cups. "What's this?"

"Hot chocolate, true to our December tradition," he tugs on his scarf slightly before taking a drink.

"Why're you here?" You asked. He points behind him.

"Filming a JCC over there with Jaehyun," he says. "He actually saw you out here before I did."

"Sometimes I think that Jae might be my actual boyfriend," you teased him.

"Jae? Nah, never, you know him."

"Yeah, I do," you laughed. Johnny pulled his mask up and drank more of his hot chocolate, and you drank your own slowly, being sure not to burn your tongue.

It had snowed the night before and the ground was covered in a rather shallow layer of snow, enough to still walk in but not to impede movement, and there was a slight chance of more soon. You and Johnny had this little tradition of meeting up at this exact place with a ceremonial cup of hot chocolate true to how the two of you met in the first place. He was on schedule, you were late to work, you both had hot chocolate, and you both ended up in the hospital.

That's a story for another time, though.

For now, sitting next to each other in the cold, this was all you needed. It's a nice change of pace from the mess that is your life at the moment. You had to admit, it must've looked comical to see someone of your stature next to Johnny's on this bench, and it probably looked sketchy for someone like you to be next to someone who was essentially covered head-to-toe, the life of a celebrity out in public naturally, but also understandable. Despite the many years in your relationship, and despite the fact that you're rather close with the other 127 members, your relationship as a whole is kept off the radar.

"How's work?" He asks.

"You know, usual. Boring, got yelled at by my supervisor, but what's new?" You laughed tiredly. "And you? How's the company treating you?"

"Shitty as always," Johnny leans back on the bench and looks up at the sky. "Hey, it's starting to snow." You looked up and watched the sprinkles of snow begin to descend, immediately melting upon contact with the lid of the paper cup. You shivered slightly and drank more of your hot chocolate, letting the warm drink keep you cozy despite the freezing temperatures. Johnny moved closer to you and howled loudly, causing you to flinch in your spot.

"Oh my god! Warn me before doing that!" You laughed, making sure none of the hot chocolate spilled on your outfit.

"Just do it (Y/N), it's cold as fuck and I should've bought a larger size."

"No, what? Look, everyone's staring at us!" You looked at the sparse amount of people walking around and waved awkwardly.

"You'll feel so much warmer, promise. Get's the blood rushing."

"My blood started rushing when you scared me like that," you nudged his side. "Plus, you look plenty warm under all those layers, Johnny," you said his name quietly, being sure that no one was listening.

"Yeah, I'm actually sweating like crazy under this coat. In fact, here, you take it," he takes it off and places it around your shoulders. The large wool lined coat was heavy around you, immediately warming you entirely despite the freezing weather. Johnny stood up from the bench, the small snow crystals landing delicately on his indigo sweater. "Is it okay if I drop by later?"

"Sure. I'm not doing anything," you responded. "Why though?"

"Just cuz," he hums, he looks behind him, the manager calling him back inside. "I'll see you later then?"

"See you later then," you watched him walk back into the cafe across the street behind you and you drank the last of your hot chocolate, chucking the cup in the nearest bin to you. You pulled the sleeves of the coat over your arms and walked into the ceramics shop that had finally opened and you pushed your hands into the pockets, then you felt something solid inside of them. You pulled out the small box and rotated it in your hands, it was just about the same size as your palm, and you opened it slowly, having a small expectation as what to see. But all you could do was let out a soft chuckle when you pulled out the piece of paper with Johnny's handwriting scrawled across it.

'Here's a little hint for tonight! You'll have to wait a bit though!'

Meanwhile, in the cafe, Johnny listened to what the barista said carefully every so now and then stealing a glance at the shop across the way. Jaehyun would follow Johnny's attention and laugh to himself, surprised that his friend could be so whipped for someone he's known for so long, but Johnny couldn't say anything about that. He already knew it, but this Christmas was going to be a little more special.