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The summer sun was already blazing high above the resort’s private pool and the water shimmering a tempting blue. The TWS members had the day off—the 𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘦 full day with no schedule kind—and for some reason, it had evolved into a “Let’s all go swimming” (decision made by Kyungmin) chaos.
Jihoon immediately 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥 agreeing the moment he tugged his shirt over his head.
“Whoa.” Hanjin blinked. “Is that—a 𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘦 on your collarbone?”
Jihoon froze, towel still half-draped over his shoulder like a cape. “What? No! I—it’s just a weird shadow—lighting—”
Dohoon leaned over from his spot on a floatie, squinting. “Jihoonie, that’s 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 not lighting.”
Shinyu arched an eyebrow from where he was lounging by the pool, sunglasses perched coolly on his nose. “Did you fall down the stairs? Again?”
“I didn't fall—!” Jihoon yelped, clutching the towel tighter around himself. His voice cracked halfway through, which only (hypothetically) made it worse.
Kyungmin tilted his head. “Then why are there, like–little circles on your neck? Did you get bit by a mosquito colony?”
Youngjae having just stepped out of the pool, shook the water from his hair and strolled over. The droplets glistened on his skin and several red scratches peeked out from under his shoulder blades and trailed down his arms.
“Maybe the mosquitoes were 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 affectionate” Youngjae said with an obnoxiously smug grin.
Jihoon immediately splashed water at him.
“You’re not helping!” he whispered-scream under his breath, cheeks going redder than a tomato.
Youngjae merely shrugged and flexed his arm a little, showing off a particularly suspicious set of 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘸 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘴. “Can’t help it” he murmured close to Jihoon’s ear, “My cat was extra feisty last night.”
Jihoon smacked his shoulder—gently, because he couldn’t actually bring himself to hurt him—“You said you wouldn’t show off!”
“You said I couldn’t leave visible marks” Youngjae whispered back, eyes twinkling. “You didn’t say I couldn’t show 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴.”
Dohoon, watching them with narrowed eyes, nudged Shinyu with his elbow. “Hyung, they’re doing that secret talking thing again.”
Shinyu smirked. “They always are.”
“Okay, spill it,” Hanjin demanded. “What happened, and why is Jihoonie going redder than a tomato?”
“I am not—!” Jihoon began, but Kyungmin had already cannonballed into the pool and splashed him in the face mid-sentence.
When Jihoon came up sputtering, Youngjae handed him a towel with an almost-too-bright grin. “Don’t be mad Jihoonie. I’m just proud of your flexibility.”
Jihoon went bright red.
Shinyu whistled low. “Whoa, okay, I don’t even want to know.”
“I 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘢 do,” Dohoon muttered, almost too quietly.
Jihoon threw the towel over his face with a groan. “Next time–” he mumbled, “I’m staying inside.”
Youngjae leaned down and pressed a soft, overly innocent kiss to Jihoon’s temple.
“Next time, I’ll leave 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 marks,” he whispered and immediately bolted into the pool even before Jihoon could retaliate.
“𝘏𝘠𝘜𝘕𝘎!”
Later that evening, after dinner and showers and Shinyu forcing everyone to do some ridiculous group meditation (“To cleanse the evil energy,” he said), Jihoon flopped dramatically on the couch in Youngjae’s room.
“Dohoon hyung is so mean to me,” he announced, voice full of mock tragedy.
Youngjae didn’t look up from drying his hair with a towel. “What’d he do now?”
“He 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘥 when I said I almost drowned during Kyungmin’s splash attack!”
“You weren’t even underwater for two seconds.”
“I gasped dramatically! That’s serious.”
Youngjae chuckled softly, moving to sit beside him. Jihoon shifted with exaggerated sulkiness, arms crossed tightly as he huffed through his nose.
“And then—𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯—he told Shinyu hyung I was being ‘a drama queen,’ like I wasn't out there fighting for my life—!”
Youngjae glanced sideways at him and suddenly stopped drying his hair.
Jihoon was still talking, flailing his hands now in his full “offended person” mode. But his bottom lip was 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳-𝘴𝘰-𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘭𝘺 jutted out, his brows drawn together in a helpless little scrunch, and his nose crinkled each time he spoke with conviction.
He looked like 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 mid-complaint.
Youngjae’s heart did a too almost Olympic level flip.
“Youngjae hyung?” Jihoon blinked, noticing the silence. “You listening?”
Youngjae nodded slowly, his gaze softening with a fond warmth as he stared.
Jihoon tilted his head. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You’re cute Jihoonie,” Youngjae said simply, reaching out to poke his cute cheek.
Jihoon blinked rapidly. “Wh—No I’m not—! I’m being 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥! You’re supposed to be on 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦!”
“I 𝘢𝘮 on your side,” Youngjae said, biting back a grin as he gently took Jihoon’s chin between his fingers and tapped his pouty lip with his thumb. “Just distracted by this face. You pout without even realizing it.”
Jihoon swatted at him weakly, face warming. “Stop teasing me!”
“I’m not teasing, ” Youngjae replied with a chuckle. “I’m 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨. You’re too adorable.”
“𝘏𝘺𝘶𝘯𝘨!”
Youngjae leaned in and kissed the pout, lingering for just a second too long.
Jihoon squeaked, then mumbled into his shoulder, “You’re lucky I like you.”
“Yes, yes” Youngjae murmured, pulling him close and locking their legs together on the couch. “Now finish the story about your “near-death” pool experience. I want all the dramatic details.”
Jihoon grumbled—his voice now quieter, the words slurred around a smile as he curled into Youngjae’s side.