"Hongjoong? Get your lazy demon butt over here and help me with something!"

With a withering glare, Seonghwa stared at the dishes. They had been washed and set on the rack to dry just like Seonghwa had asked Hongjoong to. He hadn't expected the demon to create an artistic rendition of a wobbly tower with his good dishes, though. A single mug held every single plate and bowl Seonghwa had ever possessed, and apart from that one blue plastic bowl that belonged to Wooyoung, they were all expensive pottery.

The blue-haired demon slid across the floor on his socks as he appeared. His curly hair bounced on his forehead when he came to stand next to Seonghwa like the most innocent and dear of all housemates. Not even the nod that Seonghwa gave at the mountain of dishes deterred him.

"I did what you asked. They are prettily set out to dry."

"I didn't ask you to build them so elaborate that I wouldn't even know where to begin to take them down, did I?"

Hongjoong cheerfully swayed his body around.

"But you also didn't say I couldn't!"

Sighing, Seonghwa handed him the container with marmalade in his hand.

"Here, open it," he asked tiredly. The demon took it from him with a cheeky grin.

"Seems like it's jammed shut, hm?" With a popping sound, he twisted the cap off. The display of strength had Seonghwa scoff.

"Good, and what did you do to the coffee machine? It doesn't work."

Pouting, Hongjoong inclined his head. His expression would have fooled Seonghwa if it weren't so clear who the culprit was. One day, Wooyoung would be able to dodge Seonghwa completely if he ever pranked around. Seonghwa would just assume it was Hongjoong's work.

"You are throwing a lot of accusations at me. Especially since the day barely started." Nonetheless, he pulled the heavy machine a bit to the side to put the plug back into the socket. Immediately, the blinking device came back to life.

Deliberately, Seonghwa overlooked Hongjoong's triumphant smile. The day when he outsmarted Hongjoong had yet to come.

"Wanna go take a walk later? Wooyoung could use the exercise, and I have a feeling you could need some time to blow off steam, too."

Hongjoong shrugged at got himself one of his precious eggs that sustained his whole life force. He hadn't started to wither away yet, so Seonghwa actually had to assume that their nutritions sufficed to keep the demon alive. How that worked, he didn't know. But he also hadn't studied demons, after all.

"Sure, why not? I'll be in the best of behaviour, promise!" Hongjoong snatched Seonghwa's hand to shake it ceremoniously.

"Alright. Then please take down that tower of doom without destroying anything and put the dishes away. I'll get Wooyoung. Oh, and also, I talked to Woo, and he would like to go back to his room, so you two can change tonight. Move your favourite plushie of Woo's over in my bed later."

Hongjoong saluted gravely before he went to work. Seonghwa started the adventurous expedition down the corridor in the quest to find his son.

The boy sat in his room over his homework and tried to do it to the best of his ability. To concentrate, he had tucked his tongue between his teeth, and Seonghwa had to poke the little beauty mark underneath his eye to gather the kid's attention. Once Wooyoung noticed him, he gave a grimace that was meant to be a smile but conveyed pure suffering.

"Oh no, what's wrong?" Seonghwa sat down next to him to glance at his workload. He had to draw a picture of a horse. Half of it was already given in neat, children-friendly lines. Wooyoung was supposed to complete the picture, but he couldn't seem to get a satisfying result. His little artist soul must be frustrated.

"Horses are difficult to draw. Why do I have to do the head? They had easier work!" Pouting, Wooyoung set his pen down and crossed his little arms. Seonghwa fought down a smile at his dissatisfied huff.

"How cruel. How about this, we will go take a walk in the park together with Hongjoong and on the way back, we can see if we find a stable for you to look at a few horses up close. Then you can actually draw the best picture in your class!"

Wooyoung sprung to his feet.

"That sounds great! Ohhh, I will get to look at horses with Joongie! Nice!" Clapping, Wooyoung hurried over to his drawer to search through it. On his way, he messed up every piece of clothing Seonghwa had ever folded neatly. With a chuckle, Seonghwa went to help him pick an outfit. Wooyoung insisted on his Toothless sweater since he had to make his status clear in the park full of other kids and dogs. He couldn't show any weakness, so he chose to go as a terrifying beast.

Seonghwa himself got his long dark coat and a white sweater. He wore Yunho's beige scarf with it since the man had left it here on purpose anyway.

Once Hongjoong had appeared from the living room dressed in a warm bomber jacket that Seonghwa had never seen on him, they were good to go. All the way to the park, Wooyoung had to lean his head back to see something underneath his hood, but he also declined the idea to take it off during the ride at least.

"By the way, Hongjoong." Seonghwa glanced in the rearview mirror at the demon. He sat on his seat without his seatbelt on and satisfied with watching over Wooyoung next to him. Even the boy nagging him hadn't gotten him to be safe. He had assured them that seatbelt or not; he was sturdier than the car. The two humans had taken it.

"Next weekend, I will be gone with San. I'll come back only late in the evening; Wooyoung stays at Yunho's during that time. I would like it if you took care of the house without burning it down or something."

"Consider your castle safe in my hands." Hongjoong's grin promised anything but safety and trust. Yet, Seonghwa took it. He knew that Hongjoong was not half as bad as he pretended to be, and in the case of an emergency, he could always send Yunho over there. In theory, Yeosang and Yongguk also had an eye out for the man. It couldn't be so bad.

They arrived at the park a little while afterwards. In their group of three, they set out on a field of mostly grassy plains with trees dotted over the hills. In summer, many people had picnics here, but since the weather had gotten colder, only people with their dogs ran around. Wooyoung watched them all with great interest. He adored dogs with all of his little heart, and while Seonghwa had never seen himself as able to take care of both a child and a dog, Wooyoung's love was undying.

"Daddy, when I grow up, I want a dog just like that one." Wooyoung held Seonghwa's hand so he wouldn't get lost with one hand and Hongjoong's with the other so that Hongjoong wouldn't get lost. To make do, he nodded his chin at a German wirehaired pointer. It was a young one that cheerfully played with its owner, but it was probably larger than Wooyoung already.

"That one? Didn't you say you wanted a puppy like Snoopy?" Snoopy was Yunho's dog; the sweetest golden retriever Seonghwa had ever had the pleasure of meeting.

"Oh, or that one!" Now, Wooyoung nodded excitedly at a dachshund. From how Seonghwa saw it, Wooyoung would probably adopt any puppy in the park at the moment.

Hongjoong followed their exchange wordlessly. Then, he pointed at a nearby tree.

"I like that one." Following the point of his finger, a grey squirrel ran down the bark of the mighty acorn tree. Immediately, all the canine heads in the nearby area snapped around. Some dogs ran freely, others dragged their owners, but all of them went for the squirrel in record speed. Wooyoung gave a startled screech when a dog whizzed past them and held on to Seonghwa's leg for dear life. The two adults protected him to the best of their ability.

Some dogs further away had chosen to stay with their owners. Yet, it came as a surprise to Seonghwa when he spotted a familiar white coat near the lonely ice cream vendor who still stubbornly did his business despite the temperatures.

"Ice cream! Can I get ice cream?!" Wooyoung spotted the corner simultaneously, but he had yet to recognise the man with the golden retriever by his side. In his white coat and bright hair, and the fluffy dog, Yunho looked like an angel. More so than Yeosang did himself.

"Sure, you two get ice cream." Seonghwa rose his hand to wave at Yunho once he recognised them. His eyes clouded slightly with confusion at the sight of the other man with them, but his smile was as honest and cheerful as always when they caught up with him. Seonghwa ushered Wooyoung and Hongjoong over to the vendor while he stepped up to greet Yunho with a hug and Snoopy with a few pats on her head.

"What a coincidence. Not even on weekends, Wooyoung can get rid of me." Chuckling, Yunho allowed Snoopy to go over and say hello to Wooyoung. With her tail wagging wildly at his sight, she had the boy squeal with delight as she cuddled up to him. Wooyoung nearly fell over, but as a dragon, he could hold himself up well. He held onto her to the best of his ability and clung to her soft fur while Hongjoong took care of the ice cream. The dog seemed slightly wary of him, but that didn't keep her from curiously sniffing up his legs.

"Seems like it, yeah. But he is happy anyway. You can't be too bad." Seonghwa exchanged a grin with Yunho. Then, his eyes fell to the vanilla ice cream the man held, which ridiculously fit his outfit.

"Want a bite?" Yunho offered it to Seonghwa immediately. Careful as to not topple it out of Yunho's hand, Seonghwa laid his palm over Yunho's much larger fingers and brought the treat to his mouth. The sweet taste spread on his lips, but he got a drop on his chin anyway. Giggling, Yunho changed the ice cream into his other hand. His fingers came up to wipe the offensive bit off Seonghwa's chin. Their eyes met before Seonghwa licked it off his thumb and left a fleeting kiss on the digit. Shy, Yunho hid his smile behind his ice cream.

"Who's your friend?"

Gladly taking the change of mood, Seonghwa turned to look at his duo. Wooyoung tried to offer Snoopy his lemon ice cream now, but she refused the coldness taking a few steps away. Hongjoong giggled at them with two cones in his hands.

"That's Hongjoong, a friend of mine. He had an issue at home and lives with me for a while." Proud of his relatively safe excuse, Seonghwa called the two of them over. Snoopy followed when they regrouped a bit off the way under a tree so they wouldn't bother the vendor.

Hongjoong handed Seonghwa his strawberry ice cream wordlessly. How he knew what Seonghwa liked remained a mystery. Maybe he had asked Wooyoung.

The demon eyed Yunho up and down warily, but not unfriendly at least. Yunho was the one to reach out his hand cheerfully.

"Hi, nice to meet you! I'm Yunho, Wooyoung's kindergarten teacher, and another friend of Seonghwa's."

Hongjoong took his hand cautiously, his lips not yet leaving his chocolate ice cream. Then, once his hand met Yunho's and absolutely disappeared in it from how tiny it was, his eyes lit up.

"Ahh, you're the date! Not bad, mortal, not bad. I won't lie; I thought your taste in men was worse." He grinned at Yunho brightly.

"I'm Hongjoong; I heard a lot about you."

Yunho turned his curious glance to Seonghwa, who was still busy thanking the gods that Hongjoong hadn't escalated the situation. He had feared far worse.

"Only good things, I hope." His smile was playful even when he crouched down to pet Snoopy and put her back on her leash. Wooyoung still babbled to her tirelessly, not interested in adult conversation.

"Of course! What bad things are there even to mention about you?" Seonghwa giggled into Yunho's scarf. No doubt, the man had noticed already. His eyes had a soft shine to them.

"Wooyoung mentioned you from time to time, but I'm glad to have a face to the name finally! So, you two live together?"

Seonghwa nodded, his shoulder brushing against Yunho's when he adjusted his scarf. Hongjoong stood a dog and a kid's worth of space away from them.

"Yeah. I also sleep in his bed. Does that bother you?" Hongjoong's sharp eyes posed a challenge to Yunho. At once, Seonghwa rose his hands to de-escalate the situation. Before he could talk, however, Yunho reached out to pull his free hand down with his. Seonghwa fell quiet at the way he naturally interwove their fingers together and held Seonghwa close.

"I'm not Seonghwa's personal guard, Hongjoong. I don't decide what he does in his house," Yunho reminded him without madness. He didn't fall for Hongjoong's teasing, and his smile remained patient. Seonghwa wondered if it truly didn't irk him or if he was just a good actor.

"But does it make you jealous? That's the question." Grinning, Hongjoong obscenely bit his ice cream without breaking eye contact. His teeth left a mark.

"I would offer to switch, but I'm afraid I can't do that." Yunho rose a brow at Hongjoong to see if that was what he wanted. His thumb rubbed little circles on the back of Seonghwa's hand.

That answer satisfied Hongjoong enough to let up.

"Good answer, yeah. Anyways, do you want to join groups? I can watch over Wooyoung while we leave you two lovebirds to it."

Seonghwa sighed deeply.

"Hongjoong-"

Yunho, however, nodded.

"Yeah, that's fine. Let's go."