"Watermelon? Yoohoo~ Watermelon? Come out, come out, wherever you are~"

It's been a week already, (or something, who even keeps track of time during summer?) since Baekhyun started his so-called house-sitting job for his friend, Chanyeol, for the whole summer. He agreed since he was bored, and had nothing to do, and he wasn't really fond of going home to visit his family, and also at the promise of souvenirs from their European tour, and pay (plus pocket money for expenses). 

It wasn't that big of a job. All he had to do was water the plants at the timetable Chanyeol's mom gave him, and stay at home. Preferably, wide awake in the morning, since the Park's call in, and ask him how he's doing. Even though nothing exciting really happens. 

Until that one day.

//>.>.>//>.>.>//>.>.>//

Baekhyun had just gotten up from his afternoon nap. Hey, I'm still a growing boy, okay? He got up, and helped himself to some chilled milk in the fridge. He checked the note left by Auntie Park, and it said that the next time he should water her garden is around 4 PM. Which was basically ten minutes from now. Baekhyun proceeded further down the fridge, and reached for a Baby Ruth bar. 

He ripped the wrapper in one swipe, and bit into the candy with much gusto. Though he's been told countless times chocolate is bad for a singer's throat, eh, no one can see him now, right? 

...

Miaow~

...

Baekhyun paused midway his chewing to look for the source of the eerie mewling. He looked under the table, in the cabinets, but he saw nothing. He passed the fridge, and for sure, behind it, he saw something white. With green eyes. Staring back up at him. He let out the manliest shriek he could muster, choking and coughing through the candy bar he was eating. The white thing hissed at Baekhyun, and moved backward, so now it's halfway behind the fridge.

Baekhyun returned the candy bar in the fridge, and took out a bottle of water, and chugged the entire bottle in one go. After regaining his consciousness of things, he went back to check behind the fridge, but the thing wasn't there anymore. Was I imagining things?, Baekhyun thought to himself. He snapped out of his train of thoughts when he felt something warm and fluffy move between his legs.

He looked down, and saw a cat walking around his legs, mewling affectionately. Of course, Baekhyun fell on his . He was surprised the cat crawled up to him, and nuzzled its head into his chest. "Weird," Baekhyun said to the cat, but rubbed the top of its head. The cat leaned against Baekhyun's touch, and followed whenever Baekhyun retracted his hand.

He gently pushed the cat off of him so he could stand up, and he fished his phone out of his jeans pocket. He double tapped Chanyeol's name to call him. His line rung three times before it was picked up. 

"Baekhyun?"

"Chanyeol! Where are you? How are you?"

"We just got back to our hotel. We're in Paris, now," Chanyeol answered, as Baekhyun heard a yawn from Chanyeol's end. 

"I'm not disturbing you, am I?"

"Not re-- *yawn* Not really. Sorry. Why, what's wrong?"

"Oh, um. There's this thing I found... Um,behind your fridge, too..." Baekhyun said, spine tingling when the cat made love yet again to Baekhyun's legs. And Baekhyun just had to shriek into Chanyeol's ear. 

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry, Chanyeol! Oh gosh, this cat just appeared out of nowhere, and--"

"Wait, a cat? You found a cat behind our fridge?" Chanyeol asked.

"Uh, yeah. I'm really sorry, but I really ahve no idea where it came from, I swear!" Baekhyun wailed.

"..." there was a short silence on Chanyeol's end, but Baekhyun heard a snort, before breaking out in his loud, obnoxious laughter.

"Stop laughing! I don't even know why you're laughing," Baekhyun whined, which only made Chanyeol laugh some more.

"I'm sor-- *snort* sorry! LOL Oh god. I thought it was something bad!" Chanyeol managed to choke out, as he let his high from laughing too much end.

"Did you just say 'LOL' like, a word?" Baekhyun said, as he tried to shake the cat off of his leg. Dammit.

"Sorry, sorry. OMG There's cat food in the cupboard, though, if it gets hungry. Oh, wait, I have to go now. We're going to Germany tomorrow. We're meeting Gayoung there, with her parents. Anything you'd want?" Chanyeol said, as Baekhyun heard ruffling sounds from the other end. 

"Nah. Just have fun. And tell her I said hi! Bye. Thanks for, er, I dunno, man. Just, yeah. Leave the house to me," Baekhyun said, a small smile forming on his lips.

Baekhyun hung up, and went to look for the supposed cat food. Why they had some, Baekhyun will never know. Baekhyun had no idea, either, that the Park's had gotten a pet lately. Chanyeol and his sister were more of dog persons, so is Chanyeol's girlfriend, Gayoung. At the moment, Baekhyun was reading the label on the red box with a picture of a cat on it, even turning the box over to read the nutritional content.

He found a dish he could just wash, and poured some of the dry, cat food mix, and placed it on the floor beside the frdge. The cat was nowhere in sight. Was it just my imagination? Am I going mad? Baekhyun thought, as he looked all over the kitchen for the cat.

He then ended up in front of the fridge, when an idea hit him in the face like a monster truck.

He brought out another dish, and pulled open the fridge door, and took the milk carton. He poured a generous serving, and placed it on the floor beside the dish with cat food. Sure enough, the cat appeared from behind the fridge. The cat crept over towards the milk first, before taking notice of the cat food. The cat, which Baekhyun decided to call, 'Cracklesqueak', was a boy, upon further inspection.

After Cracklesqueak was done with the food and the milk, he padded away into the living room. Baekhyun decided to wash the dishes first, before following after the cat. Though he had no idea why he wanted to follow the cat, since he looked like he was already trained, or something.

Maybe he was just curious, right?

//>.>.>//>.>.>//>.>.>//

Baekhyun woke up to a bundle of fur on top of his face. He was out of it when he woke up, but after closing his eyes, and opening him again, he grasped the situation he was in, and pushed Cracklesqueak off of his face. Thankfully, aside from a few scratches on his cheeks, the cat didn't excrete anything un-excretable anywhere near a person's face, so he took a quick shower.

Afterwards, he entered his room, and found the cat lounging on his bed. From where Baekhyun was standing, for a moment, he thought that Cracklesqueak looked a little lonely, and maybe even sad, Do cats get sad over things, like, life, in general, or something?, and Baekhyun just did what a civilised person would do: he walked over to the bed, and scratched a spot behind his ear.

"It's gonna be alright, 'Squeak. We'll get you home," Baekhyun said, as Cracklesqueak just meowed softly in reply, as he leaned his head closer to Baekhyun's touch. If anyone came in, and saw Baekhyun right now, they'd probably think he'd lost his marbles. But Baekhyun, being the nice and sympathetic person that he is, knows when someone feels under the weather.

After getting changed, Baekhyun carried Cracklesqueak with him downstairs. He the television. But even after cranking the volume up, he could still hear a faint, "Watermelon? Where are you~?" from somewhere around the house. Baekhyun thought that it must be the resident nutjob in the neighborhood. Baekhyun flipped the channels, and found Mean Girls on one of the channels, and decided to settle down, and watch.

"Watermelon? Where are youuu~"

Again, the strange phrase floated the air, and reached Baekhyun's ears. Letting out a defeated sigh, he placed the sleeping Cracklesqueak gingerly on his place on the couch. He crept out through the back door, and from over the fence, he could see a boy squatting, and looking behind the bush on his own house's backyard. "Hey!" Baekhyun said loudly, to get the other boy's attention. 

The other kid, turned, and looked up at Baekhyun, through his round-rimmed glasses. He dusted his pants, and got up. "Yeah, what's your problem, man?" the other boy asked, as he scratched the top of his brown, ramen-ahjumma hair. He was wearing a pink sweater, with pictures of galaxies and cats on it. Ew. "Look, but what are you even looking for? I can hear your voice even from inside the bathroom!" Baekhyun said, scrunching his eyebrows in frustration.

"That y, huh?" the other boy commented, waggling his eyebrows in a suggestive manner. "You know what, ew. And lastly, it's the middle of summer, why on earth are you wearing a sweater? And it's ugly, to boot!" Baekhyun said, sending a judging glare at the other boy, and checked him out from head to toe. Nope. Not one bit y. 

The other boy just gave out a hearty chuckle. Which Baekhyun can't deny it sounded so adorable. "Anyway, I'm looking for my cat, Watermelon." he answered curtly, after taking a deep breath from after his laughing high. "You named your cat Watermelon?" Baekhyun stared at him in disbelief. "Hey, it's badass, okay? Chanyeol said so! Also, speaking of Chanyeol, I haven't seen you from anywhere before. Are you new here? Or are you ransacking and crashing at the Park's?" the other boy said in breakneck speed. 

"Excuse me?!" Baekhyun shrieked.

"You're excused," th other boy snorted, but waved his hand in a, 'continue, sorry,' manner. 

Baekhyun cleared his throat, though he hoped the other boy heard the, ' you,' under his breath. "Anyway, I'm Chanyeol's friend, and I'm being paid by Auntie Park to house-sit for them for the whole summer," Baekhyun answered curtly. "Huh. Never thought people would still do those kinda things. Anyway, welcome to the neighborhood, I guess. I'm Jongdae," the boy in the Harry Potter-rimmed glasses said, extending out a hand to Baekhyun to shake.

"I'm Baekhyun," he replied, taking the other's, Jongdae's, hand to shake. Baekhyun looked thoughtful for a moment, then remembered Cracklesqueak. "Oh, well, I guess I should go back, and look for Watermelon, again. See ya later, Baekhyun!" Jongdae said, jogging to the back door of his own house. "Wait!" Baekhyun yelled, before Jongdae could even enter his house.

"I, uh, what does Watermelon look like?" Baekhyun said, shifting his weight, and leaning onto the fence separating them. "Well, Watermelon has white, fluffy fur, and he has green eyes. Why, you wanna help me look for him?" Jongdae said, a sly grin playing on his lips. Baekhyun hated to admit it, but he noticed how the corners of Jongdae's mouth would just curl up every time he talked, and he doesn't know if it can be considered hot, or y, or cute, or all three. 

"Um, I think I found him..? I mean, I found him behind Chanyeol's fridge, so I'm not really sur--"

"You found him? Really?! Golly, thanks, man! Come on, lead me to him, already!" Jongdae said, cutting Baekhyun as he leaped over the fence, and was pulling Baekhyun towards the Park's back door.

-/-/-/-

Baekhyun and Jongdae found the cat sprawled on the couch, as Baekhyun had left him. The moment Jongdae and Cracklesqueak Watermelon's eyes met, the cat made a dash for Jongdae's open arms. "Watermelon, there you are!" Jongdae cooed, as Watermelon purred in reply. "For a moment, I thought I lost you there!" Jongdae said, hugging the feline tight. 

"My intelligent deductions tell me Watermelon, over here, snuck into the Park's, and never understood how he could get back out, so he's stuck here. And because he likes staying in cramped spaces, leads as to why you found him behind the fridge." Jongdae explained, as he played with Watermelon's tail. "Right. Well, you can continue your fated reunion back at your own house, so you can all go, now," Baekhyun said, shooing Jongdae and his cat out. 

"Aw, come on, now, Baek! Don't be such a sourpuss! Come celebrate with us, since you did find him, and I'm guessing you gave him food, so as a thanks, for that, too," Jongdae said with a smile. A smile that Baekhyun knows he can't fight. Baekhyun sighed in defeat, as he threw his hands in the air. "Do what you want!" Baekhyun said, as he crossed his arms across his chest. 

"Aw, right! Come on! Let me just leave Watermelon back at home, and grab my wallet," Jongdae said, hurrying out the door, one arm carrying Watermelon, the other pulling Baekhyun's hand. Baekhyun shook his hand free, to lock the Park's house. Once he'd double-checked all the windows and doors, he made his way to Jongdae's driveway.

Upon pushing through the gate, he was welcomed by a herd of cats, if that's how you call them. 

[they're called a cluster, or a clowder, or a clutter, whichever, lol]

"What the hell?" Baekhyun cursed out loud, and a few cats by his feet hiss at him instantly. "Don't cuss. They react badly towards vulgar words," a voice from the door said. Baekhyun looked up, and saw a tan-skinned boy leaning against the doorframe. "Um, okay?" Baekhyun answered, his eyes flitting around him. "Um, I think I got the wrong house, so I guess I should go no--"

"Wait!" an additional voice said, from behind the tan-skinned boy. "Wait up, Baek!" Jongdae said, panting a little as he pushed his way past the boy-by-the-door. "Jongin, don't scare him!" Jongdae said, hitting the topside of the taller's head. "I wasn't!" the kid, Jongin, whined in reply, rubbing the spot Jongdae just hit. "Don't worry about him, Baek. He's just cranky because his boyfriend had to go back to China for a month, or something.." Jongdae whispered to Baekhyun.

Baekhyun could only nod, as he glanced back to the kid, who was now sporting a light blush on his cheeks. "Hyung, shut up!" Jongin said. A shoe came flying from behind Jongin, and hit him square on the head. 

"You two, shut up!" a voice yelled. 

"! Let's go, before my brother gets up!" Jongdae said, pushing Baekhyun out the gate, and shutting the green, rusty thing with a loud bang. 

"Now you've done it! Kim Jongdae, get your sorry back in here!"

"Eep! Let's go!" Jongdae said, hastily pulling Baekhyun away from his noisy household.

-/-/-/-

"Whew! That was close!" Jongdae said, as he wiped sweat from his forehead. He hadn't changed out of his ugly sweater, but instead changed into a pair of shorts. He was still wearing his Harry Potter-glasses, and that curly, ramen hair that Baekhyun would want to just reach up, and to-- Stop! Whatever you're thinking, stop! That's weird, okay? Jongdae led him two blocks from their street, and entered a cafe with a cozy ambiance. 

The cafe was called, 'Peter Pan',

"And as cheesy as it may sound, the owners are way cheesier," Jongdae explained.

"Hi, welcome to Peter Pan! Would you like to see our menu? Our specialty for today is the 'Clubhouse Sandwich and Iced Chocolate' combo. You can also create your own combination, and add a dessert, if you want." the pretty guy at the counter chirped. He was about the same height as Baekhyun and Jongdae, and had a pretty face like a girl's, no, prettier than a girl's. His nametag reads: "Lu Han". 

"We'll get my usual, hyung," Jongdae said, as he tugged on Baekhyun's hands, and led him to table near the counter. They sat there awkwardly, avoiding each other's eyes every time they'd turn their heads, and happen to look at the other. "So, uh... How's it going?" Jongdae spoke up first, after clearing his throat. Just to break the silence, Baekhyun looked at him, and saw Jongdae's neck was starting a rash, or something, since it was starting to turn into a fresh shade of red.

"Oh, well, I guess I'm--"

"Order's complete!"

"What the hell, Sehun?" Jongdae said, to the tall waiter who served our food. There were two plates of lasagne, and two slices of chocolate mousse, and lastly, two tall glasses of iced...tea? "Just wanted to check out the latest gossip, hyung," the kid said with a smirk, and a wink, as he trudged back to the counter. Baekhyun stared long enough to see the guy Lu Han and the kid who served them share a kiss before going back to work. 

"Don't look at them. You'll lose your appetite, geez," Jongdae said, turning Baekhyun's head back to face him, or rather, the food. 

"Lu Han hyung, the guy at the counter, co-owns this with Minseok hyung, that guy who makes the drinks." Jongdae said, pointing to a guy who was working with the coffee maker. "The waiter a while ago is Sehun, Lu Han hyung's boyfriend. Minseok hyung's boyfriend is the chef," Jongdae explained, as he ate a bite from his lasagne. "You should eat before it gets cold," Jongdae adds. "I got us both wintermelon tea, I hope that's okay with you," Jongdae said, his lips wrapped prettily around his straw.

Baekhyun almost choked on his lasagne at the sight. He sipped some of the tea as well, and let himself get lost in the sweet, cold taste. "Nah, s'cool. I mean, who would complain, and it's free, too," Baekhyun snorted. Jongdae stared at him for a second, before breaking out in a loud, gleeful laugh. "Oh, man! I like you already! We should hang out some more, because, you, my man, are awesome!" Jongdae said, showing Baekhyun two thumbs up. 

Baekhyun only smiled in return. 

And that was when Baekhyun knew his spring in summer had just begun ...

//>.>.>//>.>.>//>.>.>//

As cliched as Baekhyun made it sound, he and Jongdae spent the rest of summer doing, uh, 'summer-y' things they did in anime. According to Jongdae, he'd rather hang out of his own house, and go somewhere else. He took Baekhyun to the park, and met a bunch of other residents around the area, and even made a new friend, the duck in the park, and they named him 'Donald'. 

Baekhyun didn't want to admit, but spending that much time around Jongdae, he wasn't sure if he'll be able to go back to his normal, dull life. Odd enough, he noticed how Jongdae would sometimes just stare at him, Baekhyun just pretends he didn't see, though he could totally see him, and he noticed how sometimes, when he looks back, Jongdae just immediately turns away, and avoids his eyes for the rest of the day.

Odd, right? 

//>.>.>//>.>.>//>.>.>//

It was the last day of summer, and a week since Baekhyun (read: last) met Jongdae. And within the week, Cracklesqueak, Baekhyun decided to call him that whenever he's at the Park's, had managed to sneak in again. Bakehyun carried the feline, and brought him to his room. "Why do you keep on sneaking in, or something? And where do you come in? Huh?" Baekhyun asked the cat, as he lay down beside him. Cracklesqueak padded closer, and snuggle