Exception

VI. Robin Hood

"What happened to you?" was the first thing Jooheon asked Minhyuk, who showed up in front of the door soaking wet. "Wait here, I'll grab a towel."

While Minhyuk was scrubbing furiously at his face, Jooheon noticed someone was missing. "Wait... where's Daehyun?"

"Why else do you think it started raining cats and dogs even though the weather report said it was going to be sunny?"

"You mean... he did this?" Jooheon went to the living room, pulled open the curtains and listened to the sound of rain hitting the glass, which wasn't unlike the sound of pellets being hurled at the window.

Minhyuk started to say something but was interrupted by a sneeze, which caught Jooheon's attention. "Did you catch a cold already?" He abandoned his spot at the window and rushed over. It was only then did he realize even Minhyuk's clothes were drenched. "Take off your clothes already!"

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, it struck him that whatever he just said sounded really, really wrong. Both Jooheon and Minhyuk froze and watched each other's face turn a deep shade of red. Then, at the same time, they turned their heads away and started mumbling all at once.

"Um, what I meant was-"

"Uh, maybe I should-"

The two of them locked gazes and laughed sheepishly. Jooheon felt his body heat up to an unbearable temperature, and he himself wanted to strip.

Finally, Minhyuk seemed to notice the awkward tension in the air and said, "If you don't mind, may I borrow some clothes?"

"Oh, of course." Jooheon cleared his throat. "Just go to the washroom first, I'll bring you them." Then he hurried off to his bedroom.

Minhyuk was peeling off his damp t-shirt when there was a knock on the door. He opened it a crack and a slightly chubby, smooth-skinned arm slipped in with a stack of garments clamped in its hand.

"Don't worry, all of them are clean, and, um, the underwear is new." Jooheon's tender voice floated into the washroom. "I'll prepare dinner after I wipe up the floor. So if you'd like you can take a shower."

"You are my savior! I love you, Jooheonie!" Minhyuk shouted as he accepted the towel that Jooheon passed in after.

"You're welcome, hyung," said Jooheon. Although he probably heard Minhyuk say the same thing everyday, and he probably should've been used to the random showers of affection by now, he still felt the skin of his cheek warm up.

When Minhyuk stepped out of the steaming bathroom, the dining table was already filled with food.

Minhyuk placed down his empty bowl and chopsticks, rubbing his full stomach with satisfaction. He started to stand up and help with the dishes, but Jooheon made him sit back down. "Tell me, what happened to Daehyun?"

Minhyuk placed down the chopsticks he just picked up. "Before it started pouring, Daehyun was talking on the phone with Youngjae, who was coincidentally just on the opposite side of the road." Jooheon's eyelid twitched a little at the mention of that name, but Minhyuk didn't notice. "I think Daehyun lied to him about eating dinner with his aunt or something, and then Youngjae ran away, disappointed, most likely." He took a pause to drain the cup of water on the table. "Obviously, that love-struck fool ran after him and started wreaking havoc to the weather." Unknowingly, he started strangling the empty cup in his hand.

Jooheon stayed quiet, watching his hyung grow more and more irritated as he spoke. After Minhyuk finished his second glass of water, Jooheon deemed it safe enough to talk. With extra caution, he asked in a small voice, "I hope you're not mad at Daehyun..."