Warmth suffocated Jongup as he slowly unstuck his from the couch and leaned forward to hook an ice cube out of his drink and slip it into his mouth. It didn't help much but with all the windows open and him only in his boxers – due to Taehyung protesting loudly when he attempted full frontal – he really didn't have any other choice. He'd loaded up a game on screen that he was currently in a large wintry zone in hoping that it would trick his mind into thinking it was cooler, but instead the controller had warmed up in his hand and he had ditched it on the floor in favour of staring absently at the screen.

“You know what Daehyun and Youngjae are coming over today, right?” Junhong asked, staring down at his half- friend with an amused expression.

“Send them home. It's too warm for anyone else to be in this house.” Jongup waved a hand dismissively.

“Daehyun's really going to want to play video games with you-”

“He's too warm. His body heat will melt me.”

“You don't have to sit next to him.” Junhong smirked.

Jongup narrowed his eyes at him. “That's not the point. He's still too warm.”

“I'm heading out to meet Junkook at the ice cream parlour- Jesus, Jongup, please put some clothes on!” Taehyung held up a hand to block his view of the barely clad boy.

“Is that the new one that opened out by the park?” Junhong asked, interested.

“Yep! They have like a hundred toppings and you can combine flavours and they let you put your own sauces on it. I'm going to have all of them in one tub and put it in my face.”

“You do that bro,” Junhong whispered, pretending to cry with a hand to his heart in faux-pride.

“I will do it with honour, my son.” Taehyung took Junhong's free hand dramatically before heading to the door.

“I'm not your- okay...” The youngest huffed a little and turned to the remaining housemate. “Come on, at least put some shorts on or something. They'll be here soon and I don't think they'll be happy if they can literally see your through your boxers when they walk in.”

Jongup groaned but rolled himself off the couch and dragged himself up to his room. He rummaged around for a pair of shorts that didn't look like they'd bake him alive before he finally dragged himself back downstairs in a loose pair that he usually used for dance practice. He had no intention of wearing anything more in this heat.

He spent a while sprawled on the couch with the controller balanced on his knee, debating to himself if it was worth trying to play at least some of it and not waste their electricity and make their bill stupidly expensive. He was just considering turning the game off when a weight dropped down beside him, dragging him from his thoughts.

“Are you going to teach me how to play this one as well?” Daehyun asked.

Jongup groaned and pushed the older boy away. “Go away. You're too warm.”

“Wha'?”

“Go away.” Jongup gave him another push before slumping down onto the floor face-down. “Too warm.”

Daehyun grinned down at him. “Have you tried going outside?”

“Too hot.”

“It's cooler outside. There's a breeze.”

Jongup shook his head, nose rubbing against the wooden boards.

“Come outside.”

Go away.

“I promise you it's cooler.”

Leave.

“I'll buy you ice cream.”

Jongup frowned and slowly looked at the older boy.

Daehyun grinned. “Put a top on and we'll go get ice cream.”

Jongup narrowed his eyes but pushed himself up and dragged his feet up the stairs to his room once more. He reluctantly forced himself into a loose vest top and brushed his hair back from his face, the sweat keeping it in the scraped back style. He wiped his face down in the bathroom and added yet another spray of deodorant in the hope of not suffocating everyone in a fifty mile range before slowly making his way back down.

Daehyun was stood at the bottom of the stairs with an expectant smile. “Let's go!”

Youngjae snorted from where he and Junhong had taken over the couch, a movie selection screen on the tv. “The poor guy. You're going to wear him out before you get out the door. Look at him, he's like a wet cloth.”

Junhong leaned forwards to grin at his best friend. “Cheer up, Jongup, what happened to accepting the heat?”

“I can accept the heat in my own home, thanks,” Jongup grumbled, “I'm only moving for ice cream.”

“Come on, you'll feel better once you're outside.” Daehyun grabbed Jongup's wrist and pulled him out the front door, nearly throwing the younger off balance as he pulled his shoes on.

Jongup groaned and pulled himself free, feeling like the older's warm hand would melt his wrist. They fell into a comfortable walk as they made their was to the park, Daehyun chatting happily and Jongup begrudgingly admitting to himself that it was in fact cooler outside. A gentle breeze ruffled their hair and brushed away the humidity that sat over the city.

We can get ice cream, sit in the nice air conditioned building, then go back and I can go to sleep, Jongup told himself, He can sleep as well if he wants but not near me or I'll wake up in an oven.

The ice cream parlour was fairly busy and there was nowhere to sit. Jongup relented to standing beside Daehyun in the line as he eyed the brightly coloured board with all the available flavours and toppings. He squinted at the words, trying to work out what the hell crab ice cream was supposed to taste like.

“What do you want?” Daehyun asked when they were at the front.

Jongup stared at the wild variety of colours. “Just get me chocolate.”

“One tub of chocolate and one tub of chocolate, hazelnut and salted caramel with pistachios please!” Daehyun ordered cheerfully.

Jongup stared at Daehyun's tub in quiet horror.

“What? It's good!”

“If you say so..” Jongup looked around as he picked up his own. “Where can we sit?”

“Let's go outside and sit in the shade!” Daehyun hooked an arm around Jongup's and dragged him out of the air conditioned building into the blistering heat.

Jongup whined until they finally found a bench in the shade, by which time his ice cream had a wet shine to it and a small puddle had begun to form at the bottom of the tub. Above them the branches of a large tree created a domed shelter, small streaks of light breaking through and speckling their skin with glowing shapes. The park around them was in full bloom with richly coloured flowers and fresh green leaves bursting out of shrubberies. If they listened carefully, grasshoppers and crickets could be heard chirping in the lush grass.

They ate quietly for a moment, both enjoying the smooth rich flavour. Jongup's eyes settled on a group of friends not far from them who were chatting excitedly. He frowned a little. “I think I've just spotted a concoction worse than yours,” he said and pointed his spoon, still full of ice cream, at one of the boys tubs which was piled high with multicoloured scoops and toppings.

“That's a little too much, even to me,” Daehyun laughed and leaned forwards a little to get a better look, “hey, isn't he your housemate?”

“Wha'?” Jongup squinted. “Oh Jesus, that's Taehyung.”

“Let's call him over. Hey Tae-” Daehyun was swiftly silenced by Jongup's hand.

“Please don't embarrass me in public. Here, eat this and be quiet.” He pushed the spoonful of chocolate ice cream into Daehyun's mouth.

The older was startled into temporary silence before grinning. He pulled the clean spoon from his mouth and scooped some of his own ice cream with it. “Okay, you have some of mine in return.”

Jongup raised his eyebrows but let the older put the spoon in his mouth. He blinked, taken aback by the pleasant taste. “Ah... This is actually nice!” He pulled the spoon out of his mouth, eyes wide.

“See! You need to try this sort of thing!” Daehyun laughed.

“Let me have another bit, I only got the chocolate and caramel.”

“Wha- hey!” Daehyun leaned away, pulling his tub close protectively as Jongup went to attack it with his spoon. “No way, I only had one spoonful of yours!”

“I have you a huge spoon though, you only gave me a taste!”

They wrestled for a moment, laughing as Jongup inched his spoon slowly closer to Daehyun's tub. The older gripped his wrist firmly, trying to protect his ice cream. They struggled for a moment, Daehyun's height advantage quickly being worn down by Jongup's sheer strength. At one point he glanced at the younger's face and found himself staring at the blindingly bright smile in front of him. Disarmed by the discovery of Jongup's smile, Daehyung nearly lost the wrestle until he let go of the boy's wrist completely and instead snatched his tub away.

“Fine! You can have some more, but I measure it out!”

Jongup's smile brightened even more triumphantly. “Yes!” He punched the air once, eyes squeezing shut for a moment under his grin. When he looked at Daehyun again he blinked and tilted his head a little. “Are you okay? Your face looks warm.”

“Must be the weather!” Daehyun answered quickly, and held out a spoon of ice cream. “Here, this is the only extra bit you get. I'm not sharing any more.”

Jongup quirked a brow but leaned in, cupping one hand beneath the spoon in case it dripped and took it into his mouth. He pulled away a second later, a satisfied smirk on his face. “It's good.”

Daehyun stared.

“What? Is there some on my face?” Jongup touched around his lips unsurely.

“No.” Daehyun looked away and stuffed a large spoonful of ice cream into his own mouth, the end of the plastic spoon sticking out from between his lips for a short while.

Jongup shrugged and went back to eating his own.

“You know, this must look like a date to other people,” Daehyun said after a quiet pause.

“How?”

“Just us two out together on a sunny day. Sitting on a bench together. Feeding each other ice cream.”

Jongup frowned. “It's not a date.”

“It could be.”

Jongup gave him a kick. “Don't be weird.”

“Ow! Hey, you're the weird one. You built a picture of a frog in the middle of your mansion in the game.”

“You just don't get it.” Jongup huffed a little.

Daehyun snorted. “Okay. But why can't this be a date?”

“Because we're not dating?”

“We could be.”

Jongup kicked him again and Daehyun laughed.