Eunhyuk stood and shook water off his face, rubbing at his chlorine-irritated eyes. The child that had been clinging to his back laughed as he lost his grip, plunging back into the pool. “Yah!” Donghae yelled, wading through the water with his own toddler. “Be more careful! The water isn’t that deep here!”

“Eh? It’s fine,” Eunhyuk replied as the kid surfaced, sputtering but still alive. The redhead grabbed the youngster, lifting him from the pool and gently tossing him back into the water. “See? He’s too small to even reach the bottom when I throw him, and he keeps coming back for more!”

The little girl on Donghae’s back started to whimper when they were splashed and he quickly calmed her, hiking her further onto his shoulders to keep her away from the water. “You should still be careful,” the younger scolded.

“Ya! Who allowed the kids to climb all over us in the first place, eh? If I have to play with them, then this is how I’ll do it!”

Donghae was about to retort when Eunhyuk’s little boy surfaced once more and screamed, “I wanna play chicken!!”

“Chicken? Ah, is he hungry?” Eunhyuk asked. Donghae didn’t respond – his shy little angel had suddenly climbed him like a monkey until she was on his shoulders, chanting “Chicken!” with her older brother.

“What is chicken?” Eunhyuk asked in rough English, and the little boy cheered, explaining with too much enthusiasm for Eunhyuk to even keep up.

“Like this, like this,” the kid said, making Eunhyuk crouch down so he could sit on the man’s shoulders. “And then we fight!”

“Ahhh, I think it’s like kibasen! Do you remember when we played in Japan?”

“Oh, that one? Isn’t that dangerous for kids to be playing?...”

“Do you really think they’ll let us bow out now?” Donghae asked with a laugh. “It’s fine, just stay far enough way that they can’t actually hurt each other.”

“Our team definitely has the advantage,” Eunhyuk smirked, holding onto his partner’s legs as he stepped forward, leaving almost a foot between Donghae and himself. “Ready?” he asked in English. “Go!”

The two kids immediately leaned forward, scrambling to reach and knock the other person off. “Closer!” the girl demanded, and Donghae hesitated only a moment before stepping forward, his toes touching Eunhyuk’s at the bottom of the pool. The siblings locked hands, wrestling with each other in the air but not making much progress. Eunhyuk held the boy’s knees down so that he couldn’t actually push the girl off Donghae’s shoulders.

“You are slow~” Donghae sang, teasing the boy. Eunhyuk frowned and kicked him underwater, although the water resisted him so much that it wasn’t actually much of a kick at all. Donghae stuck his tongue out, letting go off the girl so he could reach forward and grab Eunhyuk’s bare sides. The elder reacted immediately, slipping backwards in the water to get away from Donghae and bringing the small boy with him. The boy’s chin hit Donghae’s chest as he fell into the water, sliding off of Eunhyuk’s shoulders. His sister immediately began to cheer but Donghae was worried, fishing the boy out of the water and holding him upright as he began to sniffle and cry.

“K.O.!” The girl screamed, unconcerned for her brother’s condition.

“Eunhyuk!” Donghae yelled. “What the heck, come take responsibility!”

“You’re the one who made it happen!” Eunhyuk retorted, wiping water off his face angrily. Still, he lifted the girl off of Donghae’s shoulders and took her to the edge of the pool. Donghae hefted the boy into his arms and followed Eunhyuk, setting the boy beside his sister so he could get a look at his chin.

“Oh my, are you alright?” An elderly woman hobbled over to the group, her sun hat almost lifting off her head in the breeze. “Let me see, let me see.” The little boy turned to face her, still bawling. She tilted his chin this way and that before tsking and telling him, “You’re fine! There’s no blood! Does your neck hurt any?” She wiped away his tears and he shrugged, finally calming down a little. Donghae and Eunhyuk glanced at each other, both feeling slightly responsible but glad that nothing was actually wrong.

The little boy mumbled something about wanting to go home and the grandma agreed readily, taking both children by the hands. Before she left the little girl waved to the two men, saying “Goodbye!” with a smile that was missing some teeth.

“That….was stressful,” Donghae sighed as the three left. “That grandma didn’t even look once at us! I’m glad we didn’t have to explain anything…but do you think she blamed us?”

“What does it matter? He was fine, right? Just a little shocked. If it had happened in Korea you’d probably be in the papers for being the reason a kid cried.” Eunhyuk hefted himself out of the pool, creating a huge puddle on the cement. “We should think about leaving too, I’m getting really hot and I think I might have a sunburn or something.”

Donghae frowned, swimming after Eunhyuk until he got to a ladder. The redhead lead the way to the locker room without once looking back to see if Donghae was following him. He was getting a towel out of Donghae’s backpack when Donghae entered and barely glanced at the man as he walked to the showers. Donghae went to get his own towel before realizing that he only packed one.

“Hyukkie~” he whined, letting himself into the cubicle, “don’t get the towel too wet! I only packed one, so I need to use it too.”

“Arasso, take it now and get out.” The grumbly redhead threw the towel to him before turning to the shower controls, hissing when the water came out ice cold.

Hanging the towel on the curtain rod Donghae moved to shield Eunhyuk from the cold water, wrapping his arms around Eunhyuk’s chest. “Share the shower too,” he prompted with a bucket full of aegyo, knowing that his Hyukkie would rather shove him out and make him shower by himself.

“Tch, does this water get warm at all?”

“Maybe it’s backwards, try turning it the other way.”

“I already tried that! I think it’s one temperature only.”

“You have to let it stay there for longer than that, otherwise the water doesn’t have time to heat up!”

“Fine! You fix it then!” Eunhyuk wriggled out of Donghae’s hold, facing him with a frown.

Donghae stepped closer, pressing Eunhyuk lightly against the wall. “You’re hopeless and impatient,” he murmured, reaching past the redhead to set the controls to his own standards.

“Yah, back up! The wall is cold too you know!” Eunhyuk complained.

“So is the spray coming down my back,” Donghae retorted. “Ah, wait! I think it’s getting warmer!”

“Really?” Eunhyuk reached a hand into the falling water. “Hmm. Move, so we can get the smell of chlorine off.”

“Nope.” Donghae held Eunhyuk against the wall, grinning with closed lips. “Not until you admit that I was right. Also, you have to say: ‘Donghae is daebak~!’”

“What sort of lame rules are those? Let’s hurry, somebody probably needs to use this shower soon,” Eunhyuk argued, trying to muscle his way past Donghae.

Donghae pinned the taller man to the wall, leaving almost no room for escape. He cocked his head lightly before innocently replying, “Really? I haven’t heard anyone recently, it seems like we’re the only ones here. Besides, kids are little so you can fit more in one stall. It’s alright for us to take one shower for ourselves.”

“Donghae, seriously!” Frustrated, Eunhyuk brought his hands up and shoved, only jarring Donghae a tiny bit. “This is childish, we both smell nasty and if you don’t want me to order half the restaurant when we go to lunch—“

“Ah, Alex wait! You have to take that off before getting in the water, okay? Let’s put it in the locker here for when we’re done.”

Eunhyuk bit the hand that had suddenly covered his mouth, smirking when Donghae immediately drew it away and gave him a shocked look. “It’s just another grandma and her kid, so why are you pretending we’re in hiding or something?” he asked.

“You bit me!” Donghae exclaimed, cradling his hand. “Repent! Repent, sinner!”

“Who is that impersonation supposed to be, Shisus?” Eunhyuk moved to slide past Donghae but the man reacted quickly, blocking his escape route.

“Kiss it better,” the brunette said seriously, holding his hand up for the expected service.

Eunhyuk stared at the bite mark for a moment before asking, “Are you serious? That’s so childish.” He moved away again and Donghae used his body to pin him once more, the lukewarm water splashing down his shoulders as he shifted.

In a deadpan Donghae replied, “Ahh, you’re right. Not all medicine will work at the source of the pain. Sometimes you have to ingest medicine to make things heal from the inside. But things like pills…don’t you usually use your mouth to swallow them?”

Eunhyuk had only a moment for protest before Donghae tilted his head, catching the redhead’s lips with his own. Donghae had a grip on his upper arms so he only had the flexibility to reach Donghae’s waist, smacking the skin there. When the brunette stubbornly kept their lips attached Eunhyuk bit his lower lip, receiving an immediate response.

Donghae stumbled back, bringing his fingers to his swollen lip. “What is wrong with you today?” he asked incredulously. “What bad role model taught you to bite people? That’s definitely a bad habit that should be punished and fixed…” Eunhyuk had time for a small smirk before Donghae attacked him once more, forcing his way into the redhead’s mouth. The elder gripped Donghae tightly, massaging his tan flesh and teasing with his mouth, pushing the brunette’s tongue away with his own even as he pulled the man closer. Donghae shivered as the shower water dripped off of him, his senses tickled by the water raining from the faucet just above his head. A few drops fell onto his shoulder, sliding down his chest and abs until it met Eunhyuk’s stomach, where it dissipated.

Suddenly realizing that he had a wonderfully willing Hyukkie under his control, Donghae released his hold on the redhead and slid his hands up a bare torso, avoiding the man’s ticklish areas. Eunhyuk twitched when he passed by his rosy s so Donghae flattened his entire palm over the buds, rolling them like dough and relishing in the hitched breath that was released into his mouth.

Eunhyuk’s eyelids fluttered and Donghae released his lips with a light le, moving to tease the redhead’s ears and neck. The man’s body was pliant under his hands until they began to descend, coming to rest on the waistline of quickly drying swim trunks.

“Donghae-ah, wait,” Eunhyuk breathed out, “leave them on.” Donghae’s fingers automatically tucked themselves into the elastic and Eunhyuk reached down to pull them out. “If we shower with them on then they won’t smell like chlorine as much either…so your backpack won’t smell bad.”

Donghae sighed, letting Eunhyuk hold his hands to keep them from his ious actions. He left a kiss on the redhead’s shoulder before stepping back. He smiled, lips dark. “You always think so well, Hyukkie,” he complimented, pulling the man under the spray with him. “Aish, it got cold again while we weren’t looking!”

“I think it’s just because your body is hotter,” Eunhyuk replied absentmindedly. He soaked his head, releasing Donghae’s hands to scrub the water in well. Donghae smirked at the double-meaning, following Eunhyuk’s lead and rinsing the chlorine off his body. Eunhyuk turned the water off a moment later, grabbing the towel and asking Donghae to get their clothes from the bench. They dressed in silence, sharing the towel and trying not to let their clothes touch the pooled water at their feet.

“Ice cream…sounds good right now,” Donghae sighed. He rubbed the towel against his head before leaving the cubicle, tossing the towel into his backpack and slipping into his shoes. “What do you think?”

“You’re treating, right?” Eunhyuk asked teasingly, and Donghae threw his socks at him with a smile.

“When do I ever not? Since you’re a stingy hyung…” Eunhyuk smiled innocently in return and tied his shoes, slapping his thighs when he was done.

“Since it’s on the way, let’s take it home and eat out on the porch. Then we won’t have to worry about walking around in the heat with full stomachs.”

Agreeing wholeheartedly, Donghae grabbed his bag and they left. Without thinking the brunette slipped his hand into his pocket to check his phone, skimming through the few messages he had. He read a few aloud to Eunhyuk, who hummed to show he was paying attention but didn’t have much to say in response. Donghae kept his nose in his phone even until they were in line to buy their ice cream.

“I can’t read the menu~!” Eunhyuk sang to himself. “Yah, Hae, what do you want?”

“Hmm? Mm, maybe just chocolate? You should get strawberry, so we can share.”

“Chocolate and strawberry don’t go together well,” Eunhyuk pouted. “I wonder if they have banana…”

In the end Eunhyuk got strawberry frozen yogurt and Donghae got a mixture of chocolate and banana with a name that neither of them had been able to follow, but still tasted like regular ice cream. Eunhyuk took a bite of the younger’s before he could even taste it, humming in appreciation. Pouting, Donghae asked for a bite of the strawberry and was forced to chase the redhead as he ran off to protect his precious ice cream. He finally caught up to Eunhyuk at their front step, two blocks later. Grabbing Eunhyuk he forced his way to the ice cream and Eunhyuk finally gave in, so that Donghae’s efforts wouldn’t send his cone flying off onto the sidewalk.

“It’s good, but mine’s better,” Donghae said after his lips. “Can you hold my cone while I look for the keys?”

“Hold it yourself,” Eunhyuk told him, childishly turning his back on his friend. Donghae rolled his eyes, trying to open his backpack and search through it with one hand. Unfortunately, it seemed like his keys were completely at the bottom, in Neverland. Getting bored, Eunhyuk waved at the door and whispered, “Abracadabra~” before turning the handle, as if the magic spell would actually work.

Except the door really did open, and Eunhyuk laughed before asking, “Yah, did you forget to lock this earlier when we left?” Donghae looked up from his search with a total blank face.

“Maybe?...”

“It doesn’t look like anyone got in,” Eunhyuk said, walking further inside and finding Donghae’s laptop on the kitchen counter. “Then again this is a pretty quiet neighborhood, I’m sure we don’t have to worry about that kind of thing anyways.”

Donghae followed his hyung inside, shutting and locking the door behind himself. “Yeah, you’re right. But we should still keep it locked, I guess…since we don’t have much to lose, but the owners do. Not that a big plasma tv is easy to steal anyways.”

Eunhyuk walked to the front door, opening it to the screened in porch. The material covering the windows was sheer and blocked out a lot of the light from outside, but the porch was still cheery and cool despite that. A car passed by just as Eunhyuk took a seat on the wicker furniture, at his ice cream cone peacefully. “I want to live in a place like this with everyone,” he told Donghae when the younger came outside. “I think the others would really like this place too, although the neighborhood would be a lot louder if we moved here.”

Donghae smiled and took a seat next to Eunhyuk, slinging an arm around the man. “I’m sure if we converted everyone in the neighborhood to ELFs they wouldn’t mind,” he teased while trying to keep rivers of melted ice cream from spilling onto his hand. His phone buzzed at that moment and he retrieved it from his pocket, unslinging his arm from Eunhyuk’s shoulder. “Oh, speaking of the rest of the members,” he started as he read through his new text, “let’s send them a picture to let them know we’re doing well. I’ll tell them not to let Siwon put it on twitter.”

“Mm, sure,” Eunhyuk agreed, wiping a smear of strawberry off his mouth with the back of his hand. Donghae held his phone out to take the picture and they leaned their heads together, smiling and showing off their ice creams. Donghae took the photo and checked it, nodding his head and saving it. “It’s good, but let’s take another.” Before Eunhyuk could reply Donghae held out his phone once more and kissed Eunhyuk lightly on the cheek just as the photo snapped. He looked at the final result, smiling at the blank look in Eunhyuk’s eyes and the amount of pink ice cream coating his lips, even in the way his own lips brushed the man’s cheek ever so slightly.

“Yah,” Eunhyuk finally protested, “that better not go out to anyone!”

“Of course not,” Donghae scoffed lightly, at his cone as he saved and locked the picture with a password. “It’s going in my personal collection.”

“Good.” Satisfied, Eunhyuk bit into his cone and looked over Donghae’s shoulder. “Let me see how it came out.”

Smirking, Donghae shook his head and held out the phone once more. “I don’t think it came out well, let’s take another.” Eunhyuk pouted and barely turned away as Donghae dove for his lips, resulting in a blurry picture.

his lips, Eunhyuk scowled. “YAH! Strawberry and chocolate do NOT go well together!”

“Hyukkie, do it right, just this once?...”

“NO, your lips taste gross! Get away, get away!”

“Then let me have some of your cone!”

“The ice cream’s already gone, you’ll just taint the rest with your foul taste!”

“Hyukkie~!”