for moemoecilago. partially based on the music video for the song.

a little summer :)

The moment Myungsoo stepped out of the taxi, he already knew he wanted to go home. It was the summer holiday and his parents had decided it would be good for him to spend it at his aunt's hotel out in the countryside, whether he liked it or not. Myungsoo paused outside of the vehicle, checked his wallet, and sighed in disappointment. He didn't have nearly enough to get him back home. Begrudgingly, he thanked and paid the driver and collected his things, heading into the hotel.

The air conditioned building provided relief from the scorching sun outside, but it didn't change the fact that he was stranded in the middle of nowhere with an aunt he barely knew instead of spending his summer going out and having fun with friends. Nonetheless, he had already accepted his fate, and he trudged to the main desk to check in.

"Good afternoon, sir, and welcome to Sunny Days Hotel. Are you checking in?" the worker didn't look much older than Myungsoo. He had sharp eyes and a giant smile, so bright that it couldn't possibly be genuine.

"Yes, it should be booked for Kim Myungsoo."

The boy tapped in his name on the computer, then turned back to him. "Would you like a room on ground level or the second floor?"

"Second floor, please." Less accommodations meant less disturbances, right?

"Not a problem,"

Why would he offer if it were a problem?

"Your room number is 205, could I get you to sign a few things while I get the keys?"

Was it possible to decline? Myungsoo took the papers that were slid across the desk. "Of course,"

The worker continued to chat, "The room is non-smoking and no pets are permitted. If you'd like to smoke on the premises, there's a designated area out by the swimming pool, and we ask that you discard any cigarette butts in the ashtrays provided. Failure to comply with these regulations may result in charges, and banning from the hotel in serious cases. You'll find the swimming pool at the back when you exit the lounge. Towels are provided at the pool, and we ask that you remove your shoes before entering the area for hygienic purposes."

Because what could be cleaner than a bunch of people running around barefoot?

"Breakfast is served every morning from five to eleven a.m. in the dining area across from the lobby."

Why would breakfast even be served at five p.m.?

"If you'd like to go sightseeing,"

There's literally nothing to see, it's the middle of nowhere.

"We have brochures in the dining area. Do you have any questions at this time?"

"Ah, yes. These forms are to be signed by an adult, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"I'm not eighteen yet."

The boy's eyes widened. "Oh! I'm sorry! I just - I assumed - my apologies, sir! You wouldn't happen to have a guardian with you, by any chance?"

Why would I be asking this if I had a guardian with me? "Could I speak to the hotel owner?"

"Yes, I'll call her immediately, please excuse me for a moment." He hurried into the back room and emerged tailing a small woman with a round face.

The woman looked at Myungsoo and her eyes lit up, "Myungsoo! Your mother's told me so much about you, you know? You look so much more handsome in person than in the pictures!"

The boy who had just been serving him seemed to realize what was happening, a hand going up to cover his mouth as he flushed pink.

"Thank you, Auntie Jung," he smiled. "My mother really brags about me too much, it's embarrassing."

"She does it with good reason, if I had a son like you I'd make sure the world knew! Ah, you need help with the papers? Don't worry about it, I'll do it, go to your room and relax! You must be tired from the drive, right? I'll call somebody to take your bag."

Finally, something good is happening. "That would be wonderful, thank you."

She beamed and rang the little bell on the counter. "Sungyeol!! Come help our guest with his bags!"

A tall boy rushed in, "Yes Boss, what is it?"

"Bring Mr. Kim's things up to his room. Dongwoo here is working so hard, what have you been doing?!" She turned to Myungsoo, "Don't leave him a tip, he's been slacking."

"Sorry, Boss, I was chatting with the guests in the lounge. I'll get on it right away." He picked up Myungsoo's bags, "What's the room number?"

"205."

"Follow me, please," Sungyeol turned and exited the lobby, walking through the lounge and down the hallway to the elevator. "So, what brings you here? A little hotel in Timbuktu, and a minor traveling alone. Doesn't that make it seem like you ran away from home?"

"I got kicked out, actually. My aunt owns this place and my parents wanted me to experience life outside of the city, so it looks like I'm stuck here all summer."

"Come again? Your aunt owns the place?"

Didn't I just say that? "Yeah, Auntie Jung."

"Hey, any chance you can ask her to give me a raise? I really do work hard, y'know? It's important to entertain visitors instead of just serving them, but it gets really tiring, too, and recently I'm trying to get this birthday present for my kid brother but helping out my folks with the necessities comes first, yeah?"

"You're working here to put food on the table?"

Sungyeol only blushed a tiny bit, but Myungsoo caught on. "Yeah, I am."

Liar. "What do your parents do?"

"My mom, well, she's an accountant but around here everybody learned how to do their own taxes and she's stumbled upon tough times,"

"And your dad?"

"Ah, well, he uhm, he..."

"Nice try, rich boy."

"Hey! Honestly, I'm just trying to help out my family!"

"By spoiling yourself so you don't have to ask your parents for pocket money? It's not good to make visitors pity you for tips. Especially if you're lying through your teeth."

By that point Sungyeol's ears were completely red. He was silent for the remainder of the walk.

"This is the room, right?" Myungsoo unlocked the door and turned to Sungyeol. "I can take my things from here, thanks for the help." He made a move to grab his bags but Sungyeol held onto them tightly.

"Listen, I really don't mean any bad by doing this. It's just something that's become natural for me, I'm a talker and talking earns me some extra cash, so I'm just trying to make the most of it. But, uhm, I'm sorry for trying to play off of your sympathy."

"Good." Myungsoo yanked his bags into the room, "Don't do it again." He slammed the door.

As soon as he was alone, Sungyeol  in a deep breath and placed his palm on his thudding chest. It looked like his summer was going to be very different from what he'd anticipated.

Myungsoo woke up to knocking at his door and a woman's voice offering cleaning service. Ugh, just go away already. The door is latched, can't you tell somebody's in here? "Could you come back later, please?" He called.

The woman apologized and rolled her cleaning cart off to the next room.

Much better. Myungsoo checked the time and sighed. How long had he slept? After being shown to his room he'd only unpacked and washed up, then passed out. It couldn't have been any later than four in the afternoon then, and yet there he was, 24 hours later, just waking up. Summer heat can do strange things.

A single table in the dining area was occupied by two women who looked to be friends in their mid-20s taking a vacation together. Oh? But of course, Sungyeol was sitting with them, too. They turned to look when they heard Myungsoo walk in, pausing whatever conversation they were in the middle of.

"Myungsoo! Sleep well? You missed breakfast!" Sungyeol turned back to the women, "He checked in yesterday, and he's going to be here for the whole month!"

The ladies smiled at Myungsoo, "You're lucky there's somebody like Sungyeol around here to keep you company~"

Yeah, sure. He forced a smile back. "Yes, I'm sure he's a very diligent worker. Any chance he could see if there's food left in the kitchen? It'd be a shame to disappoint a guest on their first full day here, right?"

"Oh my, Sungyeol, you ought to go fetch something for him to eat. He looks like a growing boy, after all!"

"Of course, it'd be my pleasure!" Sungyeol stood up and headed for the kitchen, pausing partway and looking back. "Aren't you coming?"

I'm not a dog, why would I be following you? "Ah, sure."

The women looked confused, but Sungyeol quickly reassured them with a smile, "Don't worry, he's my boss' nephew! He practically has free reign around here."

So much for keeping a low profile.

By the time Myungsoo had polished off some leftover pastries from breakfast (super buttery, probably French) and a bowl of fruit salad, the two women had left to go sightseeing and Sungyeol was sitting across the table from him, chattering endlessly about Dongwoo's silly antics. He hadn't been listening, and only really caught on to the facts that A) Dongwoo stayed in a room on the first floor during his summer work, and B) Dongwoo was a killer dancer.

A little bored, Myungsoo interrupted Sungyeol, "Hey, what's there to do around here?"

"Hmm? To do?"

Yes, that's what I asked. "Activities? Sights?"

"Well, I mean, we're surrounded by nature, that's a start. If you go out the main entrance, turn left, and head down the road for about ten minutes there's a hiking trail. Oh, but, uhm.." He scratched his head, chuckling nervously, "There have been a couple pit viper sightings along that path, so you should probably take somebody with you. Just in case."

Great. So I don't die alone. "You trying to get me to let you tag along?"

"No, no! I mean, not that I'd mind, I get off too late to go these next few days, but I'm off at eight on the weekend so it'd cool down by then and we'd still have an hour or so of daylight, and Hoya could come, too – he's the lifeguard, by the way, super ripped, could probably kill a snake with his bare hands, I think he works out in his spare time because there's no way he could've gotten that six-pack from being a lifeguard, the only times I've seen him in the water were to save a lizard and to unclog the drain-"

"Okay, okay, I get it, Hoya. Lifeguard. Your Man Crush Monday, every Monday. You guys can come."

Sungyeol gaped.

Oh, so now he's at a loss for words.

"Hoya is not my MCM! I'll have you know it varies based on the rotation of guests. And you most definitely will not be a candidate." Sungyeol stood up and grabbed Myungsoo's plate to bring it back to the kitchen. "Also, I'll have you know I'll definitely be coming. Hoya, too."

Myungsoo scoffed as he watched Sungyeol disappear through the swinging door. Maybe going to meet Hoya would help pass the time.

The pool was empty aside from a tan boy in a red polo shirt and white swim trunks, reading a magazine in the shade of his personal umbrella. Myungsoo dawdled over, pausing once the other raised his head to look at him.

"Oh, hello! Have you come to enjoy our pool? The water's really refreshing on a hot day like this!"

Thinking about it now, it was really hot. Maybe wearing all black had been a bad choice on Myungsoo's part.

"Nah, I'm not much of a swimmer."

The kid looked a little disappointed and Myungsoo almost felt bad, but he reminded himself that getting paid to do nothing was a pretty sweet deal, and this guy got to do just that. He continued, "I just thought I'd take a look around the place. I'm Myungsoo, by the way."

"I'm Hoya, lifeguard around here. If you ever want swimming lessons, I'd be more than happy to help."

"Thanks, man. Y'know, Sungyeol's told me a lot about you."

"He has?"

"Yeah, he said you've got a super hot-" he jumped as a shadow appeared behind him, mystery hands clamping down hard onto his shoulders.

"Who said what?" Sungyeol asked through a tight smile.

"You said he's got a hot bod." He spat out quickly, cracking up at the way Sungyeol flushed, as if he hadn't really expected Myungsoo to say it.

"That so?" Hoya gave a smug little smile.

"Hell no, why would you trust a guy wearing socks and sandals?"

Myungsoo looked down at his black, mid-calf length socks and his Nike slides. It was undoubtedly ugly, but comfort came first, right? "Isn't this what stereotypical tropical hotel workers wear?" He looked over at Sungyeol's feet, gawking and pointing viciously when he saw Sungyeol's white knee-highs and black loafers. "How is that any better?!"

Hoya started cackling, "Hypocrite! That's not even part of the required uniform, you just wear it because you're embarrassed about the weird scar on your leg!"

"I told you not to mention that!"

"Sorry, sorry, caught up in the moment." Hoya caught his breath, "Geez, what a great first impression. Glad to have you around, Myungsoo."

"Thanks," Maybe this summer wouldn't be terrible.

After their little episode, Sungyeol asked Hoya to walk the paths with them. Hoya said no, but with a little more "smooth-talking," which was what Sungyeol called offering to bring Hoya breakfast in bed for a week, Hoya agreed.

So there they were a few days later, trekking down the side of the road with first-aid material and water stuffed in backpacks. They probably looked like hitchhikers, minus the thumbs-ups. On the bright side of things, Sungyeol had been right; it had cooled down significantly and there was a comfortable warm air sitting around them.

"How much longer to the path?" Hoya asked.

"A couple minutes." Sungyeol leaned down and grabbed a large stick off the ground. He wielded it like a club and smacked it against his palm, grinning at Myungsoo. "For snake killing. I'll protect you, so don't worry!"

Oh, God, snakes again? Were there really that many?

"Don't mind Sungyeol, he's just trying to scare you. There aren't many snakes around, and even if we run into one, they don't really bother people."

Unfortunately for the three of them, Hoya had been wrong. So here they were, seven feet away from an angry coil of snake.

We're gonna die. No. Sungyeol's gonna die. He should sacrifice himself because this was his idea.

"Sungyeol. Pass the stick." Hoya reached out, eyes never leaving the snake.

"What're you gonna do?! You can't club snakes to death! They'll just wrap around the stick and cushion themselves with the mice in their stomachs!" Sungyeol shoved the stick into Hoya's hand anyway.

So many things wrong with that, but not the thing to be worrying about right now. "Can't we just back away slowly?"

"Oh sure, Myungsoo, just back away slowly and the devil-worm will leave you alone, that always - " Sungyeol shrieked as the snake darted towards them.

Hoya brought the stick down with a whoosh, somehow managing to scoop up the snake and fling it into oblivion. "Run!! Go go go!" He dropped the stick and turned tail, Myungsoo and Sungyeol following close behind.

The three of them stumbled out of the woods and continued to run uphill along the shoulder of the road until they reached the hotel. They fell into the chairs in the lobby, panting hard.

Sungyeol started cackling, still gasping for breath from their escape between bits of laughter. "That was so funny, man! Hoya threw that snake into another freaking life!"

He sure is something. But honestly, it was pretty funny.

Hoya started laughing, too, and soon Myungsoo couldn't help but join in.

We probably look like three nutcases, covered in sweat and dirt and losing our minds in a hotel lobby.

Dongwoo came out to the front desk, confused but amused, "You guys went hiking? While I was stuck here with nothing to do?"

"We-" Sungyeol burst out laughing again, "So there was a snake, right? And Hoya-!"

"I took a stick and sent it flying!" He mimicked a golfer's swing before falling back into the chair again, shaking with laughter.

Dongwoo had joined in by then, reeling over the surface of the front desk. "Take me next time! I want to see Hoya wrangling snakes!"

They calmed down a bit, grinning and out of breath all over again.

"Hey, you guys should go wash up. Boss would be mad if you got the chairs dirty." Dongwoo waved them away, heading off to grab a mop for the mud they tracked in.

Myungsoo patted Hoya on the shoulder, thanking him for his service, before heading to the elevator. Sungyeol followed him in.

"Aren't you staying on the first floor?"

"Well, yeah, but lately the shower's acting up, so.."

"Dude, just go use Hoya's."

"No, you don't get it, Hoya has this freaky little cat decoration that he keeps in the washroom, and it stares while you shower. He won't let me touch it to turn it around, either, and he can always tell if I have because it's totally covered in dust for some reason. I don't even know how it gets so dusty! Nothing else around there is dusty, so it's probably some sort of creepy dust curse."

They stepped out of the elevator, but Myungsoo held the door open.

Dust curse? Cat figurine? Well, whatever. "Don't you need to grab a change of clothes?"

"Ugh, you're really gonna make me go all the way down and come all the way back up again?"

"Yeah, just go down. It's not like you can shower right away anyway."

Sungyeol looked confused.

"It's my room and I'm a guest, so I get to go first. Go down and come knock in ten minutes."

He sighed and stepped back into the elevator.

"Oh, and bring me a Kit Kat or something from the vending machine. As payment for almost getting me killed. And using my shower."

Myungsoo was sitting on his bed, hair still damp, scrolling through social media as he waited for Sungyeol to finish washing up. A Kit Kat bar sat on the pillow beside him. He looked up when he heard the door open, humidity and the smell of soap wafting out of the bathroom.

"Wow, I feel so fresh!" Sungyeol walked over and flopped down beside Myungsoo, feet clad in hotel slippers hanging over the edge.

"Hey, don't get too comfortable. You're getting the sheets all wet."

"They'll dry." He kicked off his slippers and rolled over, grabbing the chocolate bar. "You didn't eat it yet?"

I totally ate it. That's why it's right there. In your hand. "You can have it."

"What? Then why'd you ask for it if you weren't gonna eat it?"

"Because I thought you were gonna raid the fridge if you didn't have something to eat. The pudding cups in there are mine. Don't touch."

"You have a lot of foresight, man." Sungyeol started peeling the plastic wrapper open.

"Hey, go back to your room and eat it. I wanna go to sleep."

"Come on, just let me chill here a little longer. We almost died together, but we didn't, so we're basically bros now."

"That's how it works?"

"Yup."

Myungsoo chuckled and set his phone aside. "You know, I've only known you for a week, but..."

"But you already love me, right?"

"No, I was gonna say that it already feels like it's been too long,"

Sungyeol frowned and stuffed another piece of Kit Kat into his mouth. "That's rude."

"Kidding, what I really meant to say is that it feels like I've known you forever. It's weird."

"Yeah, that's weird. You're a weird guy." He lay down, letting his head sink into the pillow, "I'm sleeping here."

"It's cramped, go to your own room."

"Shh, just pretend we're on a school trip. It'll be fun, we can gossip about the teachers we hate and how annoying that kid who sits next to you in class is. Anything you want."

Anything? "Then tell me about the leg scar Hoya mentioned."

Sungyeol paused, then sighed. "I got in a fight with some nut during freshman year."

"Over what?"

"Something stupid, honestly. He thought I was trying to make moves on his girlfriend. I got paired with her for an assignment and she was the one coming onto me, so I told her I wasn't interested and that I didn't want trouble with her boyfriend. But she kept hanging around me and being all touchy and stuff, so the guy grabbed me after school one day and shoved a pen in my leg."

Myungsoo's eyes widened. A pen?! What kind of high school has psychos like that?!

"But I got kinda lucky, I guess, because he didn't cause major damage to any of my muscles. Worst case scenario, I could've come out of it unable to walk. The doctors were able to stitch me up pretty well, considering the injury, and all I have is a scar."

"That's insane, man. I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything." Sungyeol rolled over so that his back was facing Myungsoo.

An awkward silence settled over them.

What can I say to that? Myungsoo sat for a moment, thinking, before he awkwardly blurted out, "What do you think of that Hoya kid in class three?"

Sungyeol rolled back over to face him, grinning, "We're really gonna pretend to do school trip gossip?"

Myungsoo nodded bashfully.

"Okay, well I heard Hoya's always sleeping in class so he's always getting detention. I think he'll end up repeating a year." Sungyeol stated it matter-of-factly, holding back the urge to giggle at the thought. "What do you think of that Myungsoo kid in class two?" He pulled the edges of the blanket out from under the mattress and started to tuck himself in.

"Wait- if we're talking about me then who am I? And stop that, you're going back to your own room after this."

"Don't worry; I won't fall asleep. You can be some rando. I'll be a rando, too."

"Okay, rando, I heard Myungsoo's really smart. Like, way smarter than Sungyeol in class two." Myungsoo teased.

"We're in the same class?"

"They're in the same class." he corrected.

"Anyway, I think it's totally unfair that Myungsoo's both smart and hot." Sungyeol played with the edge of the blanket, avoiding eye contact with Myungsoo.

"You think he's hot?"

"Well, yeah. I'm pretty sure everybody does."

Myungsoo reached over and and jabbed at Sungyeol's side through the blanket, "I thought you said I definitely wouldn't be a candidate for your MCM."

Sungyeol turned and held a piece of Kit Kat in front of Myungsoo's face, "Hush and eat, child."

"Are you courting me right now? Is that what this is?" he leaned forward and took the Kit Kat with his mouth.

"Is that what you think this is?"

A question isn't an answer to a question. "Well, it kinda seems like it."

The tips of Sungyeol's ears flushed pink. "Yeah, I guess it does," he rolled over again, back facing Myungsoo, blanket pulled up to his neck.

What does that even mean? They stayed in awkward silence for a while. Myungsoo traced the buttons on his phone over and over with his fingers. After a while, he spoke up, "Uh, well, I don't really mind if you're courting me."

He was met with silence. He looked over to Sungyeol and nudged him a little. "Hey, wake up, you're gonna get sick if you fall asleep with wet hair."

"Hmm?" Sungyeol sat up, blinking hard. "Dry it for me." He yawned, nose wrinkling.

Cute. "Okay," Myungsoo retrieved the hair dryer from the bathroom and settled back down on the bed. "Come closer, the cord's short."

Sungyeol shuffled over and Myungsoo started drying his hair, ruffling through it with his hand as he went. When he brushed his fingers up Sungyeol's neck, the other shivered, shoulders coming up. He flicked the dryer off.

"Face me so I can do the front."

The boy did as told, eyes closed as Myungsoo continued the job. Suddenly, an idea popped into Myungsoo's head. He grinned and pressed the cool air button, then aimed the air directly at Sungyeol's face as it started to blow harder.

Sungyeol flinched away, reaching out to grab Myungsoo's hands. "Hey! Don't be rude!" He wrestled the dryer from Myungsoo's grip and turned it on the other boy, laughing as his entire face scrunched up. They fought to blast air into each other's faces, taking turns at grabbing the dryer and laughing at each other's reactions. Then, a little rougher than necessary, Myungsoo pushed Sungyeol down and climbed on top of him, pulling the dryer back into his possession. The cord drew taut and fell from the power socket and the room fell quiet as both of them caught their breath between belated huffs of laughter.

Myungsoo put the dryer aside and looked down. Sungyeol's face was flushed and he stared up at Myungsoo in a happy haze, and Myungsoo couldn't help himself – he swooped down to capture Sungyeol's lips.

Sungyeol froze up for a second, but soon he found himself reciprocating the action, moving to match Myungsoo's rhythm. They parted after a minute, both red in the face and a little dizzy from the thrill.

Wait. I shouldn't have done that. Myungsoo started to move away, but Sungyeol grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him in for another kiss, much briefer this time. When they separated again, Myungsoo pressed their foreheads together, grinning. "Oh, you're definitely courting me."

"I could say the same for you."

"You'd be right."

"First rule of courting is that I get to choose my side of the bed."

Myungsoo burst into laughter, getting off of Sungyeol and sitting up on the bed. Unbelievable. "Sharing a bed before marriage? What a sin."

"I don't think you get to be conservative when you just kissed another boy."

Fair point. "So which side do you want?"

Sungyeol beamed, "Left!"

"But I like the left side."

" to be you. I gotta get to sleep. I have an early shift tomorrow." He moved the hair dryer to the night table and shuffled back under the covers. "Can you turn off the lights?"

Myungsoo did as told and returned to the bed, slipping in next to Sungyeol. They both lay on their sides facing each other, Myungsoo playing with the other's fingers.

"I'm cold." Sungyeol's eyes were still closed.

"Then we both get the left side."

His eyes opened in confusion, but he caught on quickly when he felt Myungsoo's weight dipping into the mattress right next to him. Myungsoo snuggled close into his side, soft and warm.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Sungyeol closed his eyes. He could hear his own heart thudding in his chest. But, despite all the nervousness and excitement in his body, he couldn't help but feel like everything was exactly the way it should be.