Taeil sat splayed out on the living room couch, ineffectively trying to keep his body from retaining any heat. This summer day was especially oppressive, and although he usually handled the heat well, their dorm lacked air conditioning and right now was no better than a sauna. He checked his phone. 10:23am. It wasn’t even noon yet and the heat had beat all the energy out of him. Today was a day off - not just a couple hours of freedom - a day off, a rare time of peace in the midst of preparing for promotions. Nonetheless, some members still decided to head down to the practice room - it at least had air conditioning. Taeil weighed his options for a second, but since even doing so only further exhausted him, he thought better of it and chose to remain in the dorm. So, begrudgingly, he sat up straight and the news in an effort to distract himself from the vehemence of the summer.

Short, uninteresting media was flying by, mostly only reminding him of how hot it was, when he heard a groan – followed by dragging footsteps and another vaguely zombie-like sound. Taeil turned his head, amused by the absolute image of defeat Johnny was as he plodded into the living room. His eyes were barely open, perhaps from just waking up, or maybe the white walls of their dorm shone a bit too brilliant as they reflected the late morning sun. Probably both. His long, dark hair was mussed – bed fresh – and his white t-shirt clung to the moisture on his skin. He sluggishly tugged at the collar of his shirt, desperate for relief, as he headed for the couch.

“Hot?” Taeil asked, not bothering to hide his mirth at Johnny’s suffering, despite feeling the same heat. He watched the younger practically drag himself towards the couch to sit next to him.

Obviously refusing to acknowledge the rhetorical aspect of the question, Johnny quipped “Aren’t I always?” in response. As he plopped into the seat next to Taeil, and then into his lap, he let out a sigh. He let his head rest on Taeil’s thigh while his feet dangled over the arm rest further down, wiggling a bit as he got comfortable.

Only gracing his confidence with a snort, Taeil moved on, “C’mon” he jostled his legs a bit, “get off me, it’s hot as balls and your breath stinks.” By the end of his complaint though, he acquiesced and instead opted to let his hand rest on Johnny’s head. There was a visible sheen of sweat over his body and his breath really did kind of stink, but Taeil honestly didn’t mind any of it.

In the back of his mind, Johnny thought about how he liked the side of Taeil that wasn’t bothered by sweat, dirt, and the like. Few things seemed to get to him, honestly. Johnny settled into Taeil’s lap, comfortable under the light touch of his hand, and ignored the man who he'd chosen as a pillow. “Ah… it seriously is way too hot today, I feel like a human crockpot.”

“Gross” Taeil snorted again, grinning a bit this time.

“I’m serious; I think I can actually see the steam coming off of me.” Johnny lifted his arm, seemingly with all the strength he could muster, before looking at it closely and letting it fall back down over the side of the couch. He sighed again - pointedly towards Taeil this time, who was quick to retaliate with a light hit on Johnny’s chest, cutting his breath short.

“Maybe you’d cool off a bit if you stopped talking” Taeil retorted, his sharp words softened by a light laugh.

Johnny quirked an incredulous eyebrow up and gave a drowsy grin. “I’m not sure that’s how that works, but whatever. I’ll let you get back to your boring news.” And he relaxed even more under Taeil, eyes closed, tension seeping out his body bit by bit.

This time, he held back his sigh as he felt a hand absentmindedly his head. Normally Johnny would poke fun at Taeil for it, but he didn't have the energy, and he had to admit: although Taeil was characteristically kind, being so blatantly pampered by him was a rare treat. He was likely just keeping his hand busy, and something about his fingers combing through Johnny’s dark locks felt natural. A comfortable silence grew between them. The sound of news anchors and commercials faded into the background, instead filled with the placid sounds of summer drifting in from the open balcony: chirping cicadas, kids playing, the occasional car passing by. Feeling particularly content, Johnny was easily lulled into dozing.

At first, Taeil really was barely conscious of his hands in Johnny’s hair – it was just a habit he fell into after growing up with many pets – but a particularly boring commercial diverted his attention from the TV and towards the man in his lap. He let his hands continue to and comb through Johnny’s hair as he took an interest in his features. When he wasn’t being an , there really was a lot to compliment. His long, brown lashes - beautiful. The sweat that glistened off his high cheekbones and arched brows - alluring. Something untraceable tugged at Taeil, and he found himself softly caressing Johnny’s facial features as he admired them in turn. He brought his hand to cup at Johnny’s neck, thumb brushing over his jaw and chin while his fingers combed between the dampened hair at his nape. Even in this dry heat, his lips looked plush. Perhaps it was another lapse in conscious judgment that brought his thumb towards said lips, but before they could be as equally admired as the rest of his face, Johnny’s eyes fluttered open.

Neither started or spoke, just looked at each other. Taeil returned his hands to Johnny’s nape, caressing it just the same – but this time with his hazy eyes glancing from his lips, to his eyes, then back again. It was impossible to define but there it was, something just tugging at him again.

Johnny looked up at Taeil, the gentle traveling of the older’s hand bringing him back to full consciousness. Although still drowsy, he thought their faces were closer than he remembered. Taeil gazed at him - glancing down, then back again, his expression stoic and unreadable. His jaw seemed to be tightened just a bit, pensive. Light streamed in from the patio, making his silhouette glow against the walls of the living room, hazy and angelic. Johnny felt the beating of his heart as it rushed at his ears and drowned out the summer noise, somehow making him even hotter. He shifted a bit, suddenly uncomfortable in his clingy shirt, under Taeil’s scrutinizing gaze. The few seconds of silence between them now felt like an eternity, and although neither knew or understood why, the same thought was running through their minds:

Man, I want to kiss him.

A/N: How did you guys enjoy this first chapter? Theres been more Tenny lately than Johnil, so maybe this is a bad time to post it lol. This has been written for months now, but I've been hesitant in sharing it. This will be the only chapter for now, but once the entire fic is completed, I'll begin posting them on a weekly basis. Thank you so much for reading<3