Summer kitchen for ryeocookie [2/3]
Chanyeol arrived for kitchen duty extra early by fifteen minutes. And Kyungsoo appreciated that since they were making “Vatrushki” with apricots. He’d never heard of it before until Kyungsoo asked him to lean in and look at some photos on his phone.
“They look like tiny pies,” he said. The pastry looked easy enough. After a few days of being in the kitchen, he was getting more and more familiar with the machines and what kind of things went into which recipes. He didn’t want to say he was an expert, because compared to Kyungsoo, he was nothing more than help. “What should I get out first? How many bags of flour?”
“Two...Wait. Make it three,” Kyungsoo said dismissively as he went his own way to the fridge to get the rest of the ingredients. “These are small desserts so I think the staff’s going to encourage the kids to help themselves today.”
Chanyeol laughed. Over the past few days, he had learned quickly that most of the kids there at camp were very indulgent. Luhan and Sehun would never go crazy over anything, even food, but even they were caught up in the excitement and habits of the other kids.
“You know these kids so well,” Chanyeol admitted, pouring one bag of flour into the mixer.
“You’re a dad. Shouldn’t you know how kids are?” Kyungsoo snorted, cracking eggs into a bowl. “They’re easy to figure out. Movies rarely exaggerate how they are.”
“True. The older kids aren’t as crazy as the younger ones. Though, I think Baekhyun’s the exception. He’s a little weird, Soo.”
“He is not.” However, the latter laughed despite his objection. “At least he doesn’t take half of the desserts like your twins--I saw what they did three days ago, Chanyeol. They tried to be sneaky about it, but nothing gets past me.”
“My kids are perfectly behaved,” Chanyeol said, standing up for his boys. “Baekhyun, on the other hand, drops his food everywhere. Jongin was muttering under his breath the other day about having to clean up after him.”
Kyungsoo raised a brow. Without taking his eyes off Chanyeol, he yelled over his shoulder. “Jongin!”
“Yeah?” the kitchen worker responded, turning around to face his boss.
“The other day, what did you say about Baekhyun?”
“I said he’s a clumsy little bastard,” Jongin said unapologetically. “Small thing’s stubby fingers can’t hold a plate right for the third year in a row.”
“Hm.”
Chanyeol gave Kyungsoo a shrug, smirking in a way that told the latter “I told you so”. However, he was surprised in the way Kyungsoo took no offense to any of it. He, at least, figured that Jongin would be yelled at for the comment, but instead, Kyungsoo merely chuckled.
“If you thought you were telling me anything new, you’re wrong,” he said, tossing packs of yeast over to Chanyeol to put in the mixer. “He does this every year. I’ll be happy if he breaks less than ten plates over the summer, but he breaks, like, one a week so I’m just being overly hopeful.”
“And you say he’s not weird.”
“Okay, well, he’s ten. He can be weird if he wants.”
“Right.” Chanyeol said, holding out a hand. “Eggs?”
“Here,” Kyungsoo said, handing over the bowl. “You know, your kids must’ve been weird at one point, too.”
“Not really.” The twins were always reserved. Maybe when they were early toddlers, but even then, they were quiet. He had always assumed they took after their mother. “Hey, what do the adults do around here for fun?”
“You mean, you’ve been here for over a week and you still don’t know?” Kyungsoo was amused at Chanyeol’s expense.
“I don’t know. I don’t think you guys drink here for fun? I mean, it’s a PG environment.”
“Exactly. What kind of person would drink alcohol in front of the kids? Junmyeon would die and roll over in his grave.”
“Then what do you guys do?”
“I’m surprised you haven’t heard about some of the things that happen after dark or in the lounges.” Kyungsoo motioned his hand, telling Chanyeol to turn on the mixer for a few seconds. “If you’re a boring kind of dad, you sneak off and watch satellite television in the employee and volunteer lounge. If you’re even more boring, you help the custodians around camp pick up garbage and have contests with other adults to see who can pick up the most shit around here.”
“And what do the not-boring people do?” Chanyeol asked. “I don’t consider myself boring.”
“No?”
“No--What? Why? Do you?” Shutting off the machine, Chanyeol cocked his head at the latter. “Do you think I’m boring?”
“You sit by trees all day. You drink your coffee outside without the other adults. Let’s see, I never really see you at the events they set up for the adults, and--”
“I didn’t even know they had events! What events are you talking about? Where is all of this posted? I want to know,” Chanyeol said, putting a hand on his waist. “There’s nothing posted on the bulletin board in the lounge about these things.”
“Of course not. Why would they officially announce things like hiking in the woods to get to the other side of the lake just to skinny dip?”
Chanyeol’s jaw dropped. He glanced around to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation before he leaned in and seriously asked, “You guys do that? What if the kids see you?”
“We don’t all leave,” Kyungsoo said, rolling his eyes. “Only like three or four. Not a lot. There has to be a number of adults in camp at all times. They all leave at two or three in the morning, so too early for any kid to notice a few adults hiking out in the dark to the other side.”
“This sounds like a very adult activity, Soo.” Chanyeol grabbed an egg from the counter and started cracking a few for the filling. “Two questions, though. Do you really skinny dip?”
Kyungsoo laughed as he took out the curd cheese and set them aside. “It’s all in the camping spirit.”
“Oh, being naked in front of strangers is what you call the ‘camping spirit’?” Snorting, Chanyeol rolled his eyes. “Alright, then, Mr. Do. I’ll accept that answer. My second question is, when’s the next trip? To the other side, I mean?”
“You want to do it?”
“Sure. Not like I’ll see any of you guys after this summer volunteer--or job, in your case--is over.”
Looking at the rest of the people around in the kitchen, Chanyeol wondered if he was really okay being nude in front of any of them. If it took place in the night, then no one would see anything...That was fine with him. “So, when is it?”
Unpacking the curd cheese into a separate bowl, Kyungsoo hummed, mashing it using a wooden spoon. “I’m not sure you’re up for this much fun. You might get a heart attack from all the adrenaline.”
“Are you saying I’m too old for this?” Chanyeol teased.
“Of course, not! I’m just looking out for you and your social health. Don’t want you regretting things after you strip and realize you don’t feel comfortable,” Kyungsoo played back. “You’ll be marked as the uncool dad volunteer who thought he could do it, but became shy right at the end.”
“That won’t be me--and stop beating the cheese like that. Mash, not beat.”
Scoffing, Kyungsoo gave him a look. “Are you the kitchen expert now?”
“No, I’m just trying to save the children’s dessert from an over aggressive baker! I’m just a friendly helper," Chanyeol defended while putting a hand in one of the opened flour bags, grabbing a handful. He made a face, acting as though he was one second away from throwing a handful of flour in Kyungsoo’s face (it was tempting as hell), but turned his back to the male in the end, showering the white powder on a surface before pulling out the dough that had been made in the mixer.
“If you really, really want to know, the word going around with the adults right now is that they’ll have another trip in three days,” Kyungsoo said in a quiet voice, intended for only Chanyeol’s ears, which were huge, so the latter had no problem knowing that he heard what he said. “Four seems more like the date, because there’s supposed to be some clouds at night, making it a bit dark, which they always like.”
“Three days is too long into the week.”
“Well, that’s when they were talking about--”
“Wanna go tonight?”
Chanyeol didn’t think about his invitation. He just said it. His mind was busy focusing on coordinating his hands to knead the dough that he couldn’t process the words before all of it left his mouth. That was his excuse, at least.
Kyungsoo looked up from his mashed cheese, which were perfectly mashed already, and threw him a funny look. “Are you asking me to join you in your nude company, Chanyeol?”
Turning his head back, Chanyeol drew his brows together. “Not in that way--Just two adults having fun, right?”
Snorting, Kyungsoo shook his head and grabbed the bowl full of egg yolk that Chanyeol had prepared. “Don’t you think that’s a little weird if just the two of us went?”
“Um, isn’t it a little weird for camp adults to wander into the woods in an organized secret skinny dipping fest in general?” Chanyeol said, throwing the detail back on the table. “Now you’re the one starting to sound like an old, boring father. Have some fun.”
“What’s gotten into you?” Kyungsoo asked, eyeing him carefully. “Camp makes people a little stir crazy. Give it a few days. You’ll think differently about this.”
“You’re a stick in the mud.”
“What’d you say?”
“I said, you’re a stick in the mud.” Chanyeol shrugged, trying to roll with his new-found bravado. “I mean, yeah, I spend hours and hours of my day in a high rise building, drawing plans and consulting with clients, but I know how to take risks.”
“How are you going to stand there and compare risks you take when doodling your little buildings to risks like stripping in front of a stranger and swimming with them?” Kyungsoo dumped all the ingredients needed for the filling into one large bowl big enough to fill every single one of their intended pastries. “And for your information, I’m not a stick in the mud, Mr. I-like-sitting-alone-next-to-trees-and-Baekhyun.”
Chanyeol frowned. He didn’t sit next to trees intentionally. It would always just end up that way. And he wouldn’t always sit next to Baekhyun. Only when the little dude plopped his butt next to him to share what he found in a tree hole or some place odd before running off to play with his friends.
“Then take me to this secret place on the other side of the lake and let’s dip.”
“Chanyeol.”
“Yeah, stick in the mud?”
“Fine. You want to do this? Let’s do this,” Kyungsoo picked up the mixing bowl and cradled it in one of his arms. “And I’ll have you know, I started this guilty pleasure activity.”
“To be honest, I don’t see you as the type to do this type of thing,” Chanyeol said lightly. “I mean, you started this entire thing? Hard to believe, Soo. I might have long legs, but you gotta stop pulling on them.”
“I’m kind of offended that you don’t believe me.”
“I’m a skeptic for a lot of things--Are you going to cut the apricots or am I?”
“Tch… I should make you do it, but we have to get these pastries done.” Kyungsoo put aside his bowl to retrieve the apricots from a bag lying away from him. “We’re talking too much.”
Laughing, Chanyeol rolled the dough into a log. “We haven’t even discussed where we’re going to meet!”
“Roll the dough, Park.”
“Come on.” Chanyeol goaded. “Where do you guys usually meet? Somewhere secret?”
“The lounge.”
“That’s the super secret meet up place?”
“Don’t question it,” Kyungsoo said, rolling his eyes. “Just be there by two-thirty in the morning. Bring a flashlight and a towel. Wear shoes. Also a jacket.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
-
-
The forest seemed much scarier when alone and awake in the early morning knowing that everyone else was fast asleep and in no condition to help if a bear came charging out of the dark. Chanyeol hugged himself tightly, flashing his flashlight straight ahead, though every once in a while he jolted in fear of something rustling in the bushes nearby.
The idea of hiking at night seemed really fun at the time, but despite the full moon up ahead, the trees were preventing the light from seeping through, making things pitch black. It didn’t help Chanyeol’s case when Kyungsoo came from behind the lounge cabin with his flashlight off, using a stick with dead leaves at the end to bother the giant behind his ears.
“Holy s--”
“Shut up,” Kyungsoo said, covering latter’s mouth with his hand. “Are you trying to wake everyone up?”
Shaking his head, Chanyeol said nothing until Kyungsoo took his hand away from him. Flashing his flashlight right on the shorter male’s face, he laughed when Kyungsoo pushed him away to walk in front of him.
“Are we going to sing songs while we hike to wherever this place is?” Chanyeol asked, following behind. He focused his flashlight on the road ahead of them until Kyungsoo tugged on his sleeve to change path in the direction of a small, almost non-visible trail uphill. “How do you know where you’re going? What if we get lost?”
“You ask too many questions.” Kyungsoo used the trunk of a small tree to pull himself up on a steep part of the trail. “Watch your step.”
“When you said hiking, I didn’t think it’d be this difficult…” Chanyeol said with a grunt, catching him from falling off balance.
“We haven’t even gotten to the real hiking yet.”
“This is still the most exercise I’ve gotten in years. I’m already tired.”
Turning around and flashing the light directing in the giant’s eyes, Kyungsoo drew his brows together and snorted. “You could’ve fooled me with that one,” he muttered before turning back around and continuing on.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you have a nice body. What else did you think I meant to imply?”
Chanyeol stalled for a second after the direct remark before striding to keep up. “Nothing. It was just straight forward. I didn’t expect you to hit on me, Soo. I’m flattered.”
“Ugh, don’t be gross,” Kyungsoo groaned, bending over to take a handful of dead leaves and sticks, and throwing them back at Chanyeol.
“So that wasn’t a pass?”
“I didn’t say it wasn’t. Just take the compliment and shut up. You’re distracting me, and if you do that anymore, we’ll die out in the woods.”
“Alright. I’ll shut up and let you navigate,” Chanyeol said, laughing as he brushed away the bark that attached themselves to his windbreaker. Afterwards, he kept his promise of shutting up for only a few minutes before asking, “How long does it take to get there?”
To his defense, his thighs were already burning from the uphill stretch and looking down beside him did nothing but terrorize him of an impending death that could happen if he took one wrong move in the dark. The faster, the better despite how Chanyeol silently wished that there was an easier way to this “secret dipping place”. It would’ve also helped if the trail there wasn’t so poor.
“It takes ten minutes if we move fast,” Kyungsoo answered. “Why? Are you dying already back there? We haven’t even been doing this for five minutes.”
“The building that I work at has elevators, Soo. This is worse than taking the stairs.” Chanyeol bit his lip. His back was beginning to hurt, but he didn’t say anything. It’d only give Kyungsoo something to laugh about.
“Maybe you should start taking the stairs then. It gets the blood going in your legs.”
“My office is on the forty-ninth floor.”
“What a fun challenge, then--Didn’t you say you’d stop talking?”
Chanyeol thought he heard something rustling behind him, turning his light in that direction for a second before walking faster and staying closer to Kyungsoo that before. “Yeah, but the silence is a bit eerie for me right now. I feel like if I don’t talk, then weird thoughts are going to start flooding me.”
“What kind of weird thoughts? Are you a pervert?”
Hitting Kyungsoo by his tiny knapsack, Chanyeol rolled his eyes. “No. Nothing like that.” His voice trailed off for a moment before picking back up. “Lu and Hun like to watch slasher movies, and things about ghosts. I’ve watched a few with them, and, let me tell you, they’re a bit scarring.”
“You think there’s a ghost in these woods?” Kyungsoo asked, chuckling underneath his breath. “You’re probably right.”
“Why…” Chanyeol almost cursed. He was beginning to get goosebumps and he felt the need to hold Kyungsoo by his knapsack, even if only by a string.
“There’s an old chimney up on this hill if we take…that route to our left.” Pointing his light in the direction of a trail with stone steps dusted with dirt, Kyungsoo looked back to examine Chanyeol’s pale face. “Now why would there be a chimney up on a hill unless…”
“Kyungsoo--”
“A house used to be there,” Kyungsoo finished with a smug grin. “It used to belong to an old woman until she died when the house burned down to the ground. All that’s left is that chimney, which people say still smells like burning fl--”
“Okay! Enough with the ghost stories and let’s walk faster!” Chanyeol didn’t want to look at the trail anymore. He didn’t want to think about some black, burned down chimney either. “Seriously, Soo. That’s not funny.”
“Seeing you scared out of your mind is pretty funny,” Kyungsoo laughed, shrugging. “I was joking, anyway.”
“About the chimney?”
“About the old woman dying in the fire. She died of natural causes, as the story goes.”
“Oh… So it’s just a chimney up there… There’s no ghost around here.”
“Well… It’s an old camp. That’s all I have to say about this matter.”
They reached the trail’s peak before Chanyeol could even make another comment about how talking about spirits and ghosts in the dark woods at night was more terrifying than hilarious. By that time, his mind was just relieved at the fact that everything seemed like a downhill path straight to the lake.
The nearer they got to the water, the more Chanyeol began to realize he was shaking. When they reached the bottom, Kyungsoo turned around, flashing him and immediately taking notice of his condition.
“Are you shaking because of the entire ghost thing or because you’re chickening out of doing this?”
“Neither! It’s just chilly,” Chanyeol mumbled.
“Uh huh. You can drop your bag over there. I don’t think we need our flashlights. The moon’s pretty bright. You can see me, right?”
Tossing his own bag to where Kyungsoo pointed, Chanyeol glanced over at him and nodded. He could see his outline and a bit of his face. Overall, the visibility was great for night.
Afterwards, he stilled, watching Kyungsoo. Neither of them made a move to remove any article of clothing, and Chanyeol didn’t know what either of them were waiting for.
Clearing his throat, he rubbed the back of his neck, asking, “So, are we doing this or…?”
“Of course,” Kyungsoo said, looking back at the lake. “You can start.”
“I think I’d feel better if we both start at the same time, you know? Makes a guy feel not so...weird.”
Scoffing, Kyungsoo began unzipping the front of his jacket. “Friendly reminder that you’re the one who wanted to do this.”
“It sounded fun…” Chanyeol muttered defensively, working on his own jacket.
“Whatever. I’m going to turn around, okay? Maybe that’ll make you more comfortable.”
Glancing up, Chanyeol watched as Kyungsoo gave him his back view. A part of him hated how it was a full moon kind of night. It did make the scenery nice and clear, but it also made Kyungsoo’s bare back extremely visible.
Chanyeol drew his eyes down. How old was Kyungsoo again? He stopped, realizing he had never asked. For all he knew, he could’ve been getting red and flustered over a minor. Kyungsoo looked young. He was definitely not the same as Chanyeol. That he knew.
Shaking his head, Chanyeol rid of the thoughts and focused on taking off his shirt, which he tossed on his bag as soon as he could. When he looked back up as he unbuttoned the shorts he was sporting (since he thought it would be easier taking off shorts instead of pants when swimming), he choked at the sight of Kyungsoo completely nude. The guy worked fast.
“How cold is the water?” Chanyeol asked shakily, trying to get his mind off of things.
“It’s cold, but nothing too freezing,” Kyungsoo said, answering back. “You ready yet?”
“Almost,” Chanyeol quickly said, hoping that by responding quickly, it’d stop Kyungsoo from curiously turning around and checking. “You going in first?”
“Well, I’m not waiting for you. You’re moving kind of slow. Must be 'cause you’re older.”
Grumbling under his breath about how he wasn’t that old, Chanyeol’s eyes caught a glimpse of a small, but long structure over to his right. He hadn’t noticed it before since it was a bit off, but after seeing it, he couldn’t help but be puzzled.
“There’s just a random dock at the end of this really weird and awful trail?”
“Junmyeon had it built between my first and second summer here,” Kyungsoo said as he made his way over to it. “It wasn’t fun just walking in the water. Everyone agreed there should be something to jump off of.”
“A bunch of adults jumping off of things in the middle of the pitch dark night.”
“Don’t make it sound so weird. You’re the only one in camp making this sound like a weird thing.”
“Because it is,” Chanyeol said, laughing. He tried his best to get over his complete nudity. Besides, they had the same body parts. Nothing new. Just evolution…
Setting one foot up on the dock, Kyungsoo looked and snorted when he saw the way Chanyeol was covering his front with both of his large hands. “I can barely see you. I’m not going to see that.”
“Shut up. If I can see your ass, you can see my jewels.”
“Whatever. I’ll see you on the other side, then!” Kyungsoo charged, running down the length of the dock until he reached the end where he jumped and curled into a ball mid-air before landing loudly in the water.
Slightly concerned and curious, Chanyeol padded his way on the dock to peer around and see if the latter was okay. When he heard bubbles and spotted Kyungsoo resurfacing, he let himself take a breath.
“How is it?”
“Stop stalling and get in,” Kyungsoo said, head bobbing up and down from what Chanyeol could see. “Scared? There aren’t any water ghosts here.”
“Funny! I’m really laughing here, Soo--”
“Just get in, Chanyeol.”
Nibbling on his bottom lip, Chanyeol groaned. He was shivering, but it wasn’t due to the fact that the night was cold. It was the nerves, despite how Kyungsoo kept telling him that he couldn’t see anything down there.
Skinny dipping wasn’t his thing. Why he even asked for it, he didn’t even know at all at that point. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he got that summer camp fever everyone else (mostly the kids) got. It could’ve also had something to do with his need to do something fun and new. Being cooped up with his work day in and day out, plus having to spend some time with his sons, it usually gave him no time for himself at all. And Kyungsoo was something. The guy was the only one at Camp Note who didn’t seem annoying or weird, and there was something about him that made Chanyeol want to jump in and do things out of his comfort zone.
Chanyeol hesitated for a moment, but then he began to run, hands on his lower parts. He heard Kyungsoo booing him in the water for being “really lame!”, but the giant ignored the sour audience and jumped in covered.
It was only when he needed his hands to rise to the surface that Chanyeol let his parts go. The water was deep and he didn’t have to worry about Kyungsoo seeing anything embarrassing.
He spat out and wiped his face, moving his hair out of the way as he looked for Kyungsoo, who he spotted not too long after surfacing. The latter didn’t say anything, but Chanyeol splashed him as soon as he got close enough.
“That’s for booing me--and calling me old, kid.”
“Kid? Who’re you calling kid?” Kyungsoo returned the favor. Except he did it more mercilessly.
Chanyeol cursed, turning his head away to avoid being hit directly in the face. “You’re, like, twenty. That’s still a kid to me--”
“Who told you I was twenty?” Kyungsoo asked incredulously.
“Nobody,” Chanyeol replied. “You just look like you’re still in college.”
“I told you I owned my own business. You think a college kid’s going to have his own business by twenty?” Snorting, Kyungsoo swam his way to the dock, keeping a hand on the side of the platform. “Then again, I never really told you my age.”
“Then how old are you? Are you actually older than me? Should I be the one calling you old?”
“Stop laughing. You’re getting carried away,” Kyungsoo said, putting rain on Chanyeol’s parade. “I’m twenty-seven.”
“You are?” The age wasn’t bad. It made Chanyeol less guilty about the entire incident on the shore with him and his eyes landing on Kyungsoo’s ass and feeling a bit flushed about it. “That’s definitely older than what I thought.”
“Right, so don’t call me kid. It’s uncomfortable.”
“I--”
Before Chanyeol could even finish his sentence, Kyungsoo inhaled and dipped down under water, disappearing from sight. Blinking for a moment, Chanyeol tried to register what was going on, but he couldn’t figure out what the hell was happening. Then again, why was he so focused on what Kyungsoo was doing? He should be on his back, free floating and feeling alive, not concerned about whether or not he just saw Kyungsoo for the last time.
Still, he had to feel a little anxious. “Kyungsoo?” he said after some time passed and the latter still didn’t come back to the surface. “If you die, I’m not responsible. I can’t go to jail. I have kids to take care of.”
Silence. There was nothing except crickets and the trees rustling in the wind. Chanyeol turned his body around, facing the wider body of the lake, and still, he saw no sign of Kyungsoo.
“Okay, time to come up, Kyungsoo… Seriously, where are you?” Chanyeol started moving the water as if it’d actually do anything. “Kyungsoo! The water’s deep and I can’t see anything past the surface. Seriously stop playing aroun--Ow!”
Chanyeol moved quickly when he felt something pinch both sides of his waist. Shooting his hands down, he felt a body right next to him, and without thinking, grabbed what he thought were shoulders and hoisted upwards.
Kyungsoo’s face came into view and Chanyeol became stuck between wanting to punch him for that stupid stunt or...something else. Upon realizing how close (and naked) both of them were, Chanyeol drifted a bit off from Kyungsoo who was laughing and coughing up water at the same time.
“Your jokes are never funny!” Chanyeol cried, trying his damn hardest not to sound as flustered as he felt. “Seriously. First the ghost thing, and now this?”
“Have you never seen Jaws?” Kyungsoo asked in between hitched breaths. “The shark?”
“Yeah! I have!” It was a damn scary movie. Chanyeol actually had to excuse himself multiple times during the movie. It was a good thing that Sehun and Luhan were too into it that they never bothered or whined for him to rejoin them. “But pretending to be a shark in the woods, in a lake, naked, is scary!”
“Being naked is scary?”
“You know what I meant!”
“Alright, alright.” Kyungsoo flicked his fingers, splashing water on Chanyeol’s frowning expression. “No more Jaws.”
“Good…” Chanyeol sunk down a little deeper. He took a hand to his chest and blew bubbles when he realized that his heart was still pounding.
Then, of all the things to pop into his head, he began to think of how close Kyungsoo’s hands could’ve gotten. The place where he pinched was just inches away from it.
Chanyeol dunked his head even more underwater and blew harder.
It was dark. The moon gave just enough light to see, but even then, trying to see underwater would’ve been hell. Especially with the distance between them? Kyungsoo would’ve had to swim just a little bit in underwater and--shit. He couldn’t think without wanting to pass out. Then there was the thought that maybe it wasn’t by luck that Kyungsoo just so happened to grab his waist. Maybe he was about to see underwater. What if the moonlight gave him the advantage of seeing his body and--
“Kyungsoo!” His voice was hoarse from the lack of air in his lungs. He spent all of it on the bubbles of embarrassment.
“Yeah?”
“Could you see underwater?” He tried to sound more serious than whatever his voice was doing right then.
“Why’re you asking?”
Narrowing his eyes, Chanyeol pursed his lips together. Kyungsoo was trying to get him to say it, and it was on the tip of his tongue, but it was something that made him want to disappear into thin air and never be seen again. “Because!” He bit his tongue back for a moment. “You know, it’s just-- Look, my…”
“Your…?”
“My--”
“Hey!”
Chanyeol froze and he could see Kyungsoo stiffen in the water before turning his head over in the direction where the voice resonated from. Gulping, he saw three more individuals come from the same trail he and Kyungsoo had taken.
Luckily for him, Kyungsoo was more brazen. “Jongin! Minseok! Junmyeon!”
At that moment, Chanyeol wanted to hide behind the baker, but it would’ve seemed stupid hiding behind someone smaller than him.
“Oh, Kyungsoo!” Junmyeon saw him, waving. “You decided to come out during the full moon, too?”
“I guess,” Kyungsoo answered back, watching as the men dropped their bags in distinct, isolated places so their belongings wouldn’t mix with anyone else’s. “I thought the next organized date would be later in the week?”
“Yeah, but we couldn’t pass up a full moon.” Jongin threw his shirt aside. “It’s nice out, isn’t it? Who’s there with you, by the way?”
“No one.” Kyungsoo looked back at Chanyeol with a grin. “Just this lanky man.”
“Ah, Chanyeol? Hello!” Awkwardly waving back, Chanyeol nodded. People who he saw in a professional, non-personal light were undressing in front of him, and it didn’t feel as exciting or okay as it did when he was only with Kyungsoo. “How’s the water? Nice, right? It’s one of the reasons why my grandfather bought this land! The water’s just amazing!”
“Really!” Chanyeol didn’t have half the mind to care, really. He did, however, start feeling the need to get out and return back to camp. And take Kyungsoo with him, of course. “Well, I’m actually getting kind of cold.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah.” Swimming over to Kyungsoo, Chanyeol lightly grazed his hand on the latter’s shoulder. It was warm. “I’m getting kind of tired.”
“But we just--”
“I know, but I think I’m done having fun now.” In the back of his mind, he knew how Kyungsoo would probably tease him about chickening out later, but Jongin had just pulled down his underwear and Chanyeol wasn’t as comfortable being naked with them as he was with the guy right next to him. “Also, I’m getting kind of hungry.”
Kyungsoo turned his head in towards the complaining giant. “Sounds like an excuse.”
“You really want to stay here with them?” Chanyeol asked, his voice low.
“Mmm, not really,” Kyungsoo confessed, shrugging. “You want to go right now?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. Let’s get on the dock and get our things.” Clearing his throat, Kyungsoo began waddling over to the edge of the platform. “Seems like Mr. Adventurous over here is feeling a little hungry, so we’re going to go make our way to the kitchen and grab something to eat while we’re at it.”
“Don’t make a mess!” Jongin said, warning the two. “I want a clean kitchen to walk into later.”
Chanyeol waited until the other three men finished yelling and screaming while jumping off before getting back on the dock with Kyungsoo’s help. He scurried to get his towel and belongings, but with his mind preoccupied on the others, he forgot to cover up until he was crouched down on the ground rustling around in his back with Kyungsoo right beside him. However, at that point, for whatever reason, it didn’t seem like such a big thing for Kyungsoo to see it. Must’ve been the adrenaline. Besides, Kyungsoo didn’t seem to pay any attention to him at all, busy with putting his shorts back on. So, Chanyeol took that opportunity to hide his own package before he finished.
It didn’t take long to get their things and change. Chanyeol opted to keep his jacket off, as Kyungsoo did the same. And after waving good-bye to the rest (pretty awkward on Chanyeol’s part), they hiked back to camp and passed by the eery trail to the ghost chimney, which Chanyeol quickly ran by, making Kyungsoo laugh and jeer from behind him.
-
-
Chanyeol didn’t expect to be so damn tired by the time they reached the kitchen. Then again, he only got two and a half hours of sleep before going on the hike and swim. Why did the kids have such a late curfew? It was partially because of the kids’ curfews that had him up and about in the late, late night. They had so many singing activities even after dark that Chanyeol swore they’d all lose their voices by the time their parents picked them up at the end of the summer.
Kyungsoo seemed like the exact opposite. He moved fast, opening the fridge commonly used for purposes that didn’t really pertain to the camp. It was just used by employees and kitchen help, like Chanyeol.
“How hungry are you?”
With his ears suddenly perked, Chanyeol pulled himself from his thoughts. “Moderately.”
“You want brownies?”
“Sure.”
“Caramel or fudge?”
“What’s the difference?” A brownie was just a brownie to him.
Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, turning his head back to throw the male a frown. “There’s a difference between caramel and fudge. You could either make someone really sad or really happy, and it all depends on whether you give them what they like or not. Now, are you up for caramel or for fudge? There are leftovers for both. If you don’t want that, there’s some leftover cake from two days ago. Nana’s birthday cake.”
“I’ll take the fudge brownie just cause I don’t want to deal with caramel getting stuck in my teeth, and Nana’s cake had carrots in it. Not a big fan.” Pulling a stool from a corner, Chanyeol set it against an open counter and sat down, watching as Kyungsoo readied their plates and walked over. “How’re you not tired?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you probably only got two hours of sleep. Maybe even one. I’m here almost dying and you seem perfectly fine.”
“Let’s just say that the morning dip woke me up for good.” Kyungsoo gave him a teasing grin as he slid the paper plate with a square slice of brownie on top. “Besides, I’m used to barely sleeping. Owning a bakery is demanding.”
“Never really thought of that,” Chanyeol said. “Want a seat? There’s a stool over there.”
“Thanks, Captain obvious. I was just getting to that.”
“Rude.”
It took a minute before the Kyungsoo rejoined him at the counter. Out of courtesy, Chanyeol didn’t start eating his brownie. He did nibble on the crumbs, though.
“So,” Chanyeol drawled, “what made you go into baking?”
“I like to bake and I sure as hell wasn’t going to be a lawyer stuffed in his office all day like my parents wanted,” Kyungsoo said with a shrug. “What about you? Why architecture?”
“I like buildings,” Chanyeol stated simply.
“Never got over the Bob the Builder phase, did you?” Chuckling, Kyungsoo took a bite of his sweets. “Any notable buildings you’ve worked on that I might know about?”
“Mmm… Do you live in Seoul?”
“Yep.”
“On Chungmuro, there was a building constructed there a few years ago. A seven story shopping center. Looks like it’s made out of glass.” It was one of Chanyeol’s better funded works. His commission was hefty on that project.
“You worked on that?” Kyungsoo raised a brow. “Wow. I remember when that was being built. Such a nuisance trying to get to my supplier with all the dust and noise going on for an entire year. You have no idea how glad I was when the last bulldozer finally left.”
“Hey, you asked which buildings I worked on that you might know, so don’t start making me feel bad about what can’t be helped. Construction’s always messy.”
“Yes, but construction in such a busy area in the city is even messier.” There were walnuts in the brownie, and Chanyeol noticed the way Kyungsoo picked every single one of them out. “Your job seems almost as demanding as mine, though I can’t imagine drawing up buildings all day without wanting to kill myself. Do you even have time to date?”
“Why do you ask?” Chanyeol cocked his head. “Interested?”
Ignoring the last question, Kyungsoo glanced up at him looking playfully irked at the latter’s attitude. “I’m asking because since you’re busy all the time, I was wondering where your boys actually get some quality time with a parent or some parent figure--if you don’t mind me wondering, that is.”
“It’s alright. I kind of stopped being in the dating circuit since I met the boys’ mother. Even after she died, I never really even thought about looking for a new mom--or someone for them…” Pausing, Chanyeol looked up and saw Kyungsoo listening closely. “It’s hard to date when you’re a single dad.”
“Funny. I always thought women with baby fever always thought guys like you, single with kids--really, just a DILF--to be, I don’t know. Appealing? Isn’t that one of the generic jokes of romantic comedy movies? A man with a baby in the grocery store being checked out by, say, five women--seven tops.”
“I’ve never had that happen to me.” At least, Chanyeol didn’t think…
“Maybe you never noticed it then.” Kyungsoo stopped, leaning against the counter. “Do you ever think that it’d be nice to have someone? At least, maybe to help out with your kids or just keep you company?”
“Sometimes, but I’m too old to think about things like that.” Chanyeol stretched his arms, his damp hair grazing his skin. “Now that you say that, I should start finding someone to be serious with. What am I going to do when I’m old? They’re going to move out and have their own family…Actually, they’re even encouraging that I start dating, too.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, but I don’t really have much hope for it. What about you? Around the circuit much?”
Kyungsoo kept his eyes on him before shrugging. “From time to time, but not in the past few years. I’ve been busy trying to expand the bakery and all that. However… I did go on a date once. It was terrible. That was probably why I stopped trying to date. It reminds me why dating sucks.”
“Why? What happened?” Chanyeol’s curiosity was snatched. “Were they a jerk?”
“Well, the jackass never even showed up.” Kyungsoo finished the last bit of brownie that he had left. “See, I was actually having a really busy week at the time.”
“Uh huh. And?”
“I had to rearrange everything in my schedule just to get that one night off, plus, a good friend of mine had set up the date so I figured that it might end up being better than the usual, I don’t know, casual hook up, I guess you could say--Are you done? I can take the plate.”
“No, it’s fine. Leave the plates here for a while,” Chanyeol said, shaking his head and taking Kyungsoo’s own plate away from his hand. “Sit back down and finish your story.”
It looked like Kyungsoo was one second away from arguing, but after a few seconds, he sighed, conceding to the latter’s request. Sitting back down, he put his elbows up on the counter. “Fine. Anyways, so I sat there, waiting, and the guy never showed up. I thought, alright, maybe he was running a little late, but then, after an hour passed, I just left. He wasn’t going to arrive so I just paid the bill and walked out.”
“What was this guy’s name?”
“I don’t know,” Kyungsoo said passively. “His name was a secret from me. It was the bare definition of a blind date. That was the last time I went out on a date, blind or not. It was a while ago, too.”
“Aw, were you too emotionally scarred to try again?” Chanyeol snickered, only to wince when Kyungsoo reached over and pinched his cheek. “Ouch! A simple no would’ve been okay!”
“Couldn’t help it,” Kyungsoo muttered, trying to hide a laugh. “To answer your question, no. I just got too busy to try again. I wouldn’t mind getting back out there with the next guy to interest me.”
“Mmm, who knows when that’ll be.”
Never taking his eyes off of Chanyeol as he made a gesture to take the plates back into his possession, Kyungsoo shrugged. “Right. Who knows.”
-
-
The barbeque cookout was a lot more fun than Chanyeol initially thought. He never really grilled anything back at home, so Sehun and Luhan laughed when they saw their dad behind the grill with an apron and a spatula. The kids were in line for either hot dogs or a burger when they walked past Chanyeol with grins on their faces.
“Dad, you look like Spongebob,” Sehun commented before Luhan nudged him forward the moving line to the snack table set up. “A good Spongebob! Not Doodlebob!”
Luhan only rolled his eyes before saying, “Have fun with that.”
There wasn’t much Chanyeol could do to being called Spongebob. He couldn’t exactly chuck a hot dog at his own thirteen year old son without getting weird looks. Turning his attention from them, Chanyeol went back to rolling the hot dogs to their rawer side.
Coming from behind him, Kyungsoo set down a cardboard box with buns. “How’re you holding up?” he asked, restocking the table right next to the grill. “Fine?”
“Haven’t run out just yet.” Looking at the lake, Chanyeol watched as Junmyeon, who had joined the kids in swimming, became the victim of a splashing game. “What’ve you been up to?”
“Nothing. Just running around and making sure we have enough to everything…” Kyungsoo stopped and looked at Chanyeol long enough to make the giant a bit curious. Then, he leaned in for a bit before pulling back. “You smell like smoke. And sweat.”
“Every dad smells like this in the summer, especially when they’re asked to get behind the grill,” Chanyeol stuttered out before moving his eyes back down on the grill. The hamburgers needed to be flipped. “Are you hungry?”
“Um… Hold on.” Something caught Kyungsoo’s attention enough to pull him away from Chanyeol’s side. When Chanyeol’s eyes followed him (before realizing there was a kid in front of him politely asking for a burger), he saw that Baekhyun was struggling to blow out his donut float.
The line of kids waiting for their food began to decrease with Chanyeol finishing with the last of the kids who hadn’t gotten anything yet. After Baekhyun’s donut finally got blown up with the help of his uncle, and eventually, Junmyeon who offered to do it so he could get out of the water for a little bit, Kyungsoo walked his way back to the grilling area and took out a hamburger bun from the box.
“Lay it on me, Park. I haven’t eaten anything since dinner last night.”
Chanyeol frowned as he placed a patty on the bread. “You shouldn’t skip breakfast.”
“I usually do, but I’ve been moving a lot and doing more manual labor than usual today,” Kyungsoo said with a shrug. He moved over to the condiments. “Are you eating?”
“I guess I could,” Chanyeol said, rolling the extra hot dogs and patties onto a tray for any kid wanting seconds later. Then, he took a hamburger bun and gave himself a patty before closing the lid of the grill. “What’re you doing after?”
“After what?”
“This.”
“Uh, cleaning up?” Kyungsoo gave him an amused face. “Were you asking for something more specific or…?”
That was true. In fact, that was Chanyeol’s job, too.
Clearing his throat, Chanyeol shook his head. “After this cook-out.”
“Mmm…” Kyungsoo thought about it while Chanyeol watched him decorate his burger with lettuce and tomatoes. Apparently, the baker really liked tomatoes. “I don’t have class with any of the kids today. I don’t have anything except kitchen duty.”
“Wanna go for a hike?” Chanyeol asked, lips tight. “Up on one of the trails? Not the one we went to that one time.”
“I think that trail’s the best one,” Kyungsoo argued, flicking a pickle slice on Chanyeol’s plate for seemingly no reason at all. “We should go visit that chimney.”
“No. I’m not visiting that haunted chimney even if you drag me up there. That’s not the hiking experience I was thinking off.”
“No?”
“No.”
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