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It’s mid June, Seoul is in the middle of a heatwave, and Jongin is absolutely melting, to say the least. The weatherman had said it was gonna be hot, he recalls, but as he lounges by the pool—back flat on the patio and fingers drawing little ripples in the water—he wishes he had predicted just how unbearable it’d be.
It’s way too hot to do anything, and the company has given everyone a break today because they are aware of this, and because they don’t want to have to pay for sixty-odd people to dance in a cool, air-conditioned room. Jongin is grateful either way, even if it is just due to SM’s capitalistic aims, because it means he can spend time with the person he loves the most.
He had originally suggested that they could go to the beach, but then Taemin had brought up the fact that they’d have to sit in the back of a stuffy car for two hours to get there, and then when they were at the beach they’d have to pray that nobody recognised them, and they’d always be on edge for stray cameras. It also meant they would have to be a lot less... affectionate to each other, which is not what Jongin wants to do on his day off.
He sighs wearily, and contemplates dunking his head into the pool.
A few moments later, Taemin comes outside to join him, and he sits up. Taemin has two bowls in his hand—one of mint chocolate chip ice cream, and the other of vanilla—and he passes one to Jongin as he bends down to sit with him.
“Mmm..” Jongin says, as he spoons some of the velvety dessert into his mouth, letting it melt on his tongue, “Thanks, love you.”
He plants a sticky (thanks to the ice cream) kiss on Taemin's cheek, and feels warmth bloom in his chest when Taemin blushes.
“Is this all I am to you, huh? Free ice cream?”
Jongin nods a “Yep!” without a second thought, and grins teasingly at Taemin, who rolls his eyes fondly and pokes Jongin in the side with his elbow.
They settle into a comfortable silence, and sit there in harmony for the next few moments, feeling the sun on their skin and listening to the birds tweet, before Jongin shifts next to Taemin, and says, “Fuck this, I’m getting in the pool.”
He gets to his feet swiftly, pulling his t-shirt over his head, and Taemin shamelessly rakes his eyes over those gorgeous abs as Jongin stretches proudly—he knows he looks good.
He slips into the pool, limb by limb, wincing at the temperature, but once he’s submerged up to his shoulders, he relishes in how refreshing it is.
Whilst Jongin is swimming around in the cool water, Taemin makes himself useful, cleaning up their bowls before wasps inevitably surround them and he gets too scared to go near.
(It’s happened before, it was Jongin’s fault.)
When he’s done, he ventures down to the shed at the other end of the patio, and after rummaging around for a few minutes, he emerges proudly with a little inflatable raft. He’d stolen it a few years prior, batted his pretty little eyelashes at a member of the production team for his V Live show, who’d shrugged and said it had nowhere better to go. Despite all that, he hadn’t really had a chance to use it yet, this was the first day off he’s had in a while , and the first one where it’s been actually warm enough to go for a swim.
The raft takes a moment to blow up, but it’s fairly simple, and Taemin carefully places it on the water, warily climbing on in order to keep himself dry.
Once he’s settled, he lets his arms fall into the water, dragging them up and down and watching intently as the water ripples.
Shortly after, Jongin makes his way over to Taemin—who is now swishing his feet around in the water—and stops next to him, crossing his arms on the hot plastic and resting his chin there. He gazes up at Taemin with those adorable puppy dog eyes, and Taemin’s heart skips a beat.
“Hey,” he says, softly.
Jongin looks at him playfully then, a devilish grin on his face and sudden dread bubbles up inside Taemin as he realises what’s about to happen. Jongin’s wet hands wrap around his wrists, and Taemin shrieks as he’s pulled into the freezing cold pool.
The raft tips over—hitting Taemin in the head and blocking out the light from above him—and he’s forced to blearily open his eyes and ignore the sting of the chlorine as he ungracefully swims to the surface.
When he breaks through, he thrashes around in the water, gasping for breath because Jongin left him right in the middle of the deep end—and now he’s nowhere to be seen—and Taemin lets out a high pitched scream as something brushes against his leg.
“Jonginnie—” he squeaks, and then hands wrap around his waist and he feels the familiar press of Jongin’s chest against his back, and the soft press of lips to his shoulder.
“Hey, I’ve got you now, don’t worry.” He says, his lips brushing against the shell of Taemin ear, and Taemin shivers. He spins himself around in Jongin’s arms, so their faces are just millimeters away, and Jongin has the biggest smile on his face. So cute, he thinks, how do I deserve you?
His hands find their way to Jongin’s jaw, and he pulls him in close to press their lips together. It’s quick, and a bit wet, but he can feel Jongin smiling as he pulls away. He brings their foreheads to rest together, and for a moment he just closes his eyes and lets them float there, sharing each other's breath. It’s so peaceful, and he wishes he could stay like this forever.
All thoughts of work and schedules vanish from his mind, and all he can focus on is the feeling of the water lapping at his shoulders, and Jongin’s warm hands on his hips.
They play around in the pool until the early evening, splashing water at each other—Taemin’s vow of staying dry has been long since broken, his shirt getting discarded at some point—before his stomach rumbles embarrassingly loudly and they decide it’s probably a good idea to get some food.
He’s been craving bulgogi all day, after a particularly delicious looking video recipe came up on his instagram, so that’s what they settle on. They get takeout—of course—neither of them can be bothered to cook, and Taemin dries his hair with his previously abandoned shirt as they wait for it to arrive.
Jongin leaves a trail of water on the carpet as it drips off his body, and Taemin scolds him, but in all honesty he’s too busy staring at the gorgeous, golden skin of Jongin’s chest to really be upset. Jongin is very much aware of the effect he has on Taemin, he can’t not be, not when Taemin looks at him like that—and he makes it obvious when he makes his way over to Taemin and crowds him against the kitchen island, pressing little kisses onto his cheek, neck, lips.
They don’t get a chance for it to get any further though, because just as Taemin is threading his fingers into Jongin’s damp hair, the doorbell rings, making them both jump. Jongin pulls back sheepishly, and they both laugh, before receiving the food and throwing themselves onto the couch.
A movie plays in the background, and if their dinner gets cold because they’re a bit too distracted by each other, that’s down to them.
Later that night, when the food is finished and the sun has long since set, they shuffle into Taemin’s bedroom sleepily. Taemin peels his shirt off, and Jongin slips out of his shorts, and they slide into bed like that. It’s cooler now, but still way too hot for unnecessary clothing.
Taemin rests his head on Jongin’s bare chest as they lay there, tapping his fingers along to the beat of his heart. It’s soft, and Jongin swells with fondness as he looks down at his lover. He feels so happy, so at peace, so unbelievably lucky that he and Taemin found each other. He is so in love right now.
They drift off to sleep like that, in each other’s embrace, and Jongin doesn’t mind having to wake up at the crack of dawn if he gets to wake up with Taemin by his side.