#himdaelo

The code to Daehyun’s apartment doesn’t hold any significance, not a family members’ birthday or the day they released an album, or anything like that. Himchan punches the numbers in, gets inside, takes off his shoes and his coat. He feels his way towards the bedroom in the dark.

Junhong likes the deep end of pools. Some of them range from six to eight feet depending on the hotels they stay in. He’ll tippy-toe until he can’t touch the bottom without having to dive under.

The eight foot pools are the best, he can stretch his legs out as far as he wants, knowing his toes won’t be able to skim the bottom.

A reminder that there are things bigger than him out there. Each pool has its limit, though.

//

They meet at the shoreline. A spontaneous trip to Busan before the big storm hits. Daehyun went off to meet up with his family and Himchan with some friends. Junhong walked around a few stores and found nothing, bored with new clothes and shoes and jewelry he’d lose in his room within a month.

He text them to say he’d be waiting for them by the shore, whenever they’d make it back to him.

Seafoam meets the tips of his shoes in greeting, dark waters and sand an odd shade of yellow. This summer didn’t last long and he didn’t get to swim much, definitely not at the beach.

Wind whips his hair around and grey clouds roll in, a few girls shriek when a clap of thunder sounds off.

“Junhongie!”

He turns to see Daehyun jogging excitedly towards him, a full smile plastered on his face, hair swept back by the wind, and dragging Himchan by the hand. Junhong can’t help but return a smile and amble towards them.

“It’s freezing and you’ve only got a sweatshirt on,” Himchan complains when he gets close enough to touch him, greeting with a firm hand running through his messy hair and down his neck.

Junhong doesn’t shy away from the touch or his gaze. Daehyun puts his warm hands to his face, thumbing under his eye and across his mouth.

“Are you hungry, did you get to eat while walking around? Or find anything you wanted?” Himchan asks softly.

Junhong shakes his head, one ear trained on the raging sea and the ‘shush’ of the waves crawling across the sand. He doesn’t want to walk away from here just yet. Only needs a few more seconds of the smell of sea salt and the incoming storm, the restless waves trying to lure him in.

Daehyun brings him down so their foreheads touch, an almost-laugh sputtering out of him like he understands.

“Let us get you some food and then we’ll go back to the hotel. You’ve been out here awhile,” Himchan tells him.

Junhong shoves his hands in his pocket and agrees, not up for too much talking. Daehyun loops an arm around his shoulders and marches them forward, Himchan’s hand on his lower back, hot and real and pulling him out of the stupor the weather has put him in. How insignificant the raging sea made him feel for just a minute.

LOOK! SHENANIGANS! AND BALLOONS! ^^