Really, Baby (I Will Be Just Fine)

25

They end up at the community pool, Hoseok unlocking the gate with the copy of his key and turning the lights at the bottom of the pool on. The pool looks enormous when everyone’s gone home, and Hoseok can’t help but feel the slightest bit spooked by it.

Taehyung is already kicking his shoes off and tugging his shirt over his head, revealing a tan torso dipping into a slim waist. Hoseok licks his lips and averts his eyes, setting his keys, wallet, and phone on the ground before following Taehyung and shedding each article of clothing one by one.

Taehyung is already lowering himself into the pool when Hoseok starts working on his belt, the night air raising bumps on his skin from the cold. Hoseok strips down to his boxers and moves to the side of the pool, taking a seat at the edge and dipping his legs in. Taehyung is floating on his back in front of him lazily.

It’s after Hoseok kicks his foot in the water, soaking Taehyung completely, that he gets pulled into the water with him, the force of the pull making his head go under. They stay like this, tossing around in the water like two kids fighting for dominance, splashing water so hard it goes up their noses.

At one point, Taehyung had clung to his back, wrapping legs around his waist and arms around his shoulders. The way Taehyung’s chest pressed wetly against his back had made his throat dry even in a pool of water, so Hoseok had distracted himself by attempting to swim laps with Taehyung wrapped around him. He’d accidentally butted Taehyung in the chin when he surfaced for air, but his head just barely missed his nose. If his manager found out he’d snuck into the pool at nearly three in the morning and gave someone a bloody nose in the pool, he’s sure his job as a lifeguard would be over in the blink of an eye.

Hoseok pulls himself out of the pool first, running to the back to grab towels for him and Taehyung. He drapes it around Taehyung’s shoulders when he finally climbs out, helping to dry his hair and trying not to notice the way his boxers clung to his lower half tightly.

“Hold it close,” Hoseok had said, bundling Taehyung up in the towel to make sure he was warm. “Or you’ll get sick.” Hoseok had pulled out two lawns chairs for them to sit on, and Taehyung had collapsed beside him tiredly and closed his eyes.

It’s strange being at the pool at night, staring up at the moon and the stars instead of basking in the sun. It’s his first time here at night, but he likes it. Nighttime at the pool brought a relaxation that the daytime just didn’t offer, especially from how crowded the pool got during this time of the year.