Author’s POV

“Chanyeol?”

“Yes?”

“Oh, I thought you had left with luhan and Baekhyun. Why did you come back?”, asked Mr. Yang curiously as he wiped his hands on a kitchen towel.

“I didn’t want to go and Luhan said I could come back so I did”, replied Chanyeol as he sat down on the couch he had previously cleaned and put his feet on the table, crossing his arms and closing his eyes.

“If you say so”, said Mr. Yang with a smile before heading back to the kitchen to finish cooking with Kyungsoo.

……..

Outside, the sun had already set; the temperature seemed to drop by the second, getting colder and colder each time. Fog and darkness laid over the woods like a blanket.

It was rather quiet out; the only sounds that could be heard were Luhan and Baekhyun’s footsteps, crickets here and there and tree branches moving at the rhythm of the wind.

Baekhyun and Luhan walked side by side, hand in hand, as to offer each other comfort and warmth; a shimmer of light was pointed at the ground ahead of them, provided by some flashlights they had taken with them before leaving the house.

Although Baekhyun, just like Luhan, felt cold, sweat trickled down his temples. He couldn’t help but shiver every time the wind hit his bare arms; to him it felt like being splashed with ice cold water.

Luhan, who hadn’t spoken much since they had left the house, kept going back to the kiss he shared with Sehun. It had felt so wonderful and magical to have had Sehun’s lips on his, even if it only lasted a short while.

Thinking about everything that happened makes Luhan feel upset; he really didn’t mean to push Sehun away but that seemed like the only way he would be able to run away without embarrassing himself, even if it meant ruining all the chances he had with Sehun.

Luhan, too lost in his thoughts, had failed to notice that Baekhyun was talking to him; it took a hit in the arm for him to break away from his thoughts.

“Ya! Why did you hit me?”, asked Luhan with a pout as he rubbed his arm, the matter with Sehun pushed aside for the moment.

“Oh so now you realize you’re not alone? I’ve been talking to you for the longest. What were you thinking about?”, asked Baekhyun with a tilt of his head.

“Not much.. Just some stuff”, said Luhan as he nodded.

Luhan would’ve kept walking if it hadn’t been for Baekhyun’s hand that prevented him from moving forward; Luhan looked back at Baekhyun with a confused expression.

“What kind of stuff?”, asked Baekhyun curiously.

“I really don’t want to tell you, though”, said Luhan in a playful tone.

“Well, that’s a bigger reason for you to tell me. Now spit it out”.

“I don’t want to”, said Luhan with a big smile.

“Why not?”, asked Baekhyun with a pout.

“Because it’s embarrassing”, admitted Luhan as he looked down at his feet while they kicked some dirt here and there.

“Lu~ Come on! We’re best friends! You shouldn’t keep secrets from your best friend, it’s a proven fact”, said Baekhyun; he smiled proudly when he heard Luhan laugh, knowing now it would be easier to get Luhan to say what’s been on his mind.

“No it’s not”, said Luhan once he finished laughing.

“It sure is”.

“Where did you hear that from?”, asked Luhan with a raised eyebrow.

“Does it matter? Now tell me before I use my secret weapon on you”, said Baekhyun with wide eyes.

“You have nothing that would make me talk”.

“Are you sure about that?”, asked Baekhyun with a smirk as he let go of Luhan’s hand.

“Positive”, said Luhan with a smile as he closed his eyes and crossed his arms.

“If you say so!”, yelled Baekhyun as he dropped his flashlight and started tickling Luhan’s sides.

Luhan started laughing uncontrollably as he tried to block Baekhyun’s hands.

“I thought you said I don’t have anything to make you talk. Then what is this?”, asked Baekhyun with a smile as he kept tickling Luhan.

Luhan kept laughing as he tried to push Baekhyun away; he succeed after a few failed attempts and started running as fast as he could as if some monster was chasing him.

Baekhyun ran after him for a bit, until he felt the need to stop and catch his breath; he leaned his back against a tree as he grabbed his sides and doubled over, finding it hard to breathe. Suddenly, he wasn’t cold anymore, but rather hot, very hot. He was sweating uncontrollably from head to toe. He figured it was from running around so he didn’t give it much thought. He managed to catch his breath and stood up straight, observing his surroundings.

He had left his flashlight behind so he could only see shadows; he looked for Luhan’s flashlight to give him a hint of where the latter was but he couldn’t see it. He took a few steps forward and then heard some steps behind him; he turned around right before he was tackled to the ground, making him hit his head and fall unconscious.

“Baekk~ I thought you were chasing me but when I looked behind me you were gone. I thought- Baek? Baek? Baek what’s wrong? Baek?”, asked Luhan frantically as he got off Baekhyun and started shaking the latter.

No reaction.

“Baek? What’s wrong? Are you okay? Oh my god.. What did I do? I just killed my best friend..”, Luhan worriedly thought out loud.

“Baek? What’s wrong love?! Please wake up.. Pleasepleasepleaseplease wake up…”, muttered Luhan over and over, his eyes watering; he kept shaking Baekhyun’s body, trying to get him to react but he wasn’t responding.

Luhan then squatted next to Baekhyun’s body; he took hold of each of Baekhyun’s arms and wrapped them around his own neck before picking up Baekhyun and placing him on his back. At first Luhan struggled to balance his and Baekhyun’s weight but once he was sure Baekhyun wouldn't fall off, he turned around and started walking back the way they came from, or so he hoped.

“Baek… I-I’m so sorry... I feel so g-guilty…”, muttered Luhan as tears rolled down his face.

……..

“Don't you guys think they're taking too long? Maybe we should go look for them?”, asked Kyungsoo worriedly.

Everyone was gathered in the living room, waiting for Baekhyun and Luhan to come back; it was  cold in the house so some of the students were cuddled up together.

“That's not a bad idea. I think we should. What do you think Yang?”, asked Mr. Park with a worried expression.

“Yeah. But let’s not all go in case they co-”

“AHHHH! OMG OMG KILL IT!!”, screamed Taeyeon as she now jumped on one of the couches and pointed at a black spot on the ground that for some reason moved on its own.

Everyone was startled by Taeyeon’s screams and when they looked to where she was pointing at, some yawned in unamusement while others (Tao, to be more specific) screamed, jumped off the couch he had been cuddling on with Kyungsoo and ran upstairs.

Kris (who was sitting on the floor next to Sehun), laughed and said, “I got this one”, before getting up and making his way upstairs.

Chanyeol, who had fallen asleep, woke up to Taeyeon’s screams; very annoyedly, he opened his eyes to see what the commotion was; the sight was actually very entertaining.

Kyungsoo was running around in circles with a slipper in hand, trying to kill something or so it seemed; Kai was trailing behind Kyungsoo like a lost puppy, attempting to help.

Chanyeol couldn’t help but let out a chuckle; they seemed so helpless.

Kai managed to trip on something which made him fall to the ground, bringing Kyungsoo with him.

Everyone started laughing; Chanyeol would’ve joined too if he hadn’t caught a glimpse at what was being chased.

A spider?, he thought.

He made a confused expression as he thought of the incident with Baekhyun earlier; realization hit him.

“He was bit by a spider?”, he asked himself with wide eyes, whispering so no one heard him.

Realizing how careless he had been, Chanyeol quickly got up, made his way to where Sehun was, grabbed the latter’s hand and pulled him outside.

“Ya! What’s wrong with-”

“He was bit by a spider”.

“Wait, what? Who was bit by a spider?”, asked Sehun confusedly.

“Baekhyun. He stuck his hand under the couch and then he yelped in pain. I didn’t care because I thought he was overreacting but now I know that he really is hurt and-”

“Chanyeol, do you hear yourself? You do care about him..”, said Sehun with a smile.

“What? No! It’s just-”

“Save it! We’ll talk later. Now we gotta find them. They could be anywhere and it’s not safe to be out in the woods at night”, said Sehun, dragging Chanyeol inside.

While everyone was too busy with the Kyungsoo, Kai, and spider matter, Chanyeol and Sehun put on their shoes, grabbed some flashlights and slipped out of the house unbeknownst to anyone.
 

……..

“Baekie...hold on a b-bit more.. I think we’re almost there….”, said Luhan with a soft voice.

The longer he walked, the more worried Luhan felt; they had been walking for a while now and there was still no sight of the house.

Luhan kept walking forward, hoping the way he was going was the right way; everything seemed the same to him, specially in the dark. He looked around as he watched, hoping to recognize anything at all, even though the idea was as good as impossible since the only thing surrounding them were trees.

As he walked, he failed to notice some tree roots above the ground; he managed to trip on them, causing him and Baekhyun to both fall to the ground.

“Baek!”, exclaimed Luhan with worriedness as he pushed himself off the ground; as soon as he stood up he felt a sharp pain shoot up his leg; he would’ve lost his balance if he hadn’t put a hand on a tree for support.

Ignoring the pain, Luhan wobbled his way over to his unconscious friend and kneeled next to him; “Baek..I’m so sorry.. Please wake up”, said Luhan as he shook his best friend’s body, attempting to wake him up.

It was of no use.

Baekhyun wasn’t waking up; Luhan felt so frustrated and drained. He felt like crying his eyes out but he knew it was of no use. He also knew that if he tried to carry Baekhyun they wouldn’t get anywhere as they were both hurt.

The only solution was for him to call for help and hope someone will come (prince charming preferably but anybody else can be just as useful).

“Help! Is someone out there?? Me and my friend are hurt! Hello??!”, he yelled and the only response he got was his voice echoing through the woods.

………

“Do you really think they went this way, hyung?”, asked Sehun as he looked for any signs of Luhan or Baekhyun.

“Does it really matter? As long as we find them, it doesn’t matter which way we go”, said Chanyeol, pointing his flashlight at different places as he walked.

“True.. I really hope they’re okay..”, said Sehun, more to himself than to Chanyeol.

The two brothers wandered the woods, yelling their classmates’ names; it was so dark out and the flashlights barely provided enough light for the two of them.

After ten minutes of calling for Baekhyun and Luhan, Chanyeol’s and Sehun’s throats became sore and they were almost to the point of losing their voices; Sehun suddenly saw something shine in the distance. It wasn’t bright enough to be seen from the sky but it was still visible.

“Chanyeol, look”, said Sehun as he nudged Chanyeol on the arm while pointing somewhere in front of them.

Chanyeol squinted his eyes and asked what it was; not knowing the answer, Sehun suggested to go check it out.

They jogged to what they saw and it turned out to be a flashlight.

“Hyung! They must be near! We must find them before it’s too late”, said Sehun as he picked up the abandoned flashlight.

“Where could they even be?!?!”, asked Chanyeol frustratedly at no one in particular.

“Ughhhh! Let’s just-”

“Shhhh! Do you hear that?”, asked Chanyeol as he covered Sehun’s mouth for emphasis of silence.

There it was again; a voice.

Sehun removed Chanyeol’s hand from his mouth and with wide eyes said, “It sounds like Lu’s voice! It’s coming from this way”, pointing to the right.

Chanyeol nodded in agreement and soon after, him and Sehun started speed walking towards the voice they assumed was Luhan’s.

As they walked, the voice became louder and clearer; for sure it was now certain that Luhan was the owner of the voice.

“Help! Me and my friend are hurt and-”

“Luhan!”

Luhan looked to where the voice came from and when he realized it was Sehun, he quickly got up and before he could take another step, Sehun had already reached him; the latter engulfed him in a tight embrace. Luhan at that moment wanted to break down and cry in Sehun’s arms but he knew this wasn’t the right time to let his emotions take over; his best friend was still unconscious and he needed help quickly.

Luhan took a deep breath and pulled away from Sehun’s hug; with a cracked voice he said, “B-Baekhyun’s been unconscious for a while.. It’s all my fault.. I-I didn’t know what to do so I-I tried to-”

“Shh.. Hey, Lu it’s okay. It’s not your fault. Accidents happen, he’ll be fine I promise”, said Sehun reassuringly as he put his hands on Luhan’s shoulders for encouragement.

Chanyeol picked up Baekhyun on his back and wrapped the latter’s arms around his own neck so he wouldn’t fall off; “I think we should hurry up. The temperature keeps dropping and it’s not doing any good to the fever he already has”.

Luhan nodded quickly in agreement.

Chanyeol started walking, Sehun and Luhan walking a few feet behind him.

Sehun couldn’t help but stare at Luhan’s beautiful face; he would’ve kept admiring it if he hadn’t noticed a hurt expression every time he stepped.

“Lu? Are you hurt?”, asked Sehun worriedly.

“N-no. It’s nothing”, said Luhan, not wanting to be a nuisance; he pretended to walk just fine so Sehun would believe him, even if the pain in his ankle was still very much present.

“Lu, I can see you limping, why didn’t you say anything? Here, get on my back”, said Sehun as he squatted in front of Luhan so the latter could get on his back.

“No Sehun, it’s fine, I’m okay”.

“But Lu, you’re hurt. Let me help you, otherwise you’ll just hurt yourself more”, insisted Sehun.

“It’s okay, really. I’ll be fine”.

Sehun stood up and faced Luhan; “Then, at least hold onto me for support, kay?”

Luhan reluctantly nodded.

Sehun went back to his spot next to Luhan and offered his arm to the latter; Luhan took it.

Sehun used his other hand and slid Luhan’s hand in his, making their hands intertwined.

Luhan was shocked at Sehun’s actions but he didn’t retract his hand.

Sehun’s hand felt nice and warm, just like his kiss had felt; suddenly remembering their kiss, Luhan’s eyes widened.

Oh, God. How could I forget?! Well, maybe he forgot too.. He hasn’t said-

“Lu.. I want t-to apologize… about the kiss earlier..”

.

“I know it wasn’t right to do that without your permission and-”

“I’m sorry, Sehun. I-I didn’t mean to run away like that..”

“Then why did you?”, asked Sehun as he stopped walking and turned his body so he was facing Luhan; his voice sounded hurt.

“Because I had no other choice. I didn't want to embarrass myself, okay? I was scared that I wasn't a good kisser. I had never kissed someone before. I was scared that-”

Those words were all it took for Sehun to understand everything; he was Luhan’s first kiss.

Sehun took Luhan’s face in his hands and softly pressed their lips together.

Luhan was taken aback but this time he didn't pull away. He wasn't going to make the same mistake twice. He would just have to endure the embarrassment that was yet to come.

Sehun slowly moved his lips against Luhan, having no intention of making this a sloppy kiss.

Luhan instinctively wrapped his arms around Sehun’s neck and let the latter take control.

This kiss was definitely better than the first.

After an eternity, Sehun finally pulled away so both him and Luhan could catch their breaths.

Luhan’s face became tomato red so he looked away so Sehun couldn’t see his face.
Sehun smiled brightly and let out a laugh before hugging Luhan; he liked this feeling and he hoped it lasted for a long time.

A/N:

Hello guys! I've taken forever to update, I know. It's been about what? Five months since I last updated? Anyways, I apologize for that. I've been so stressed with school and I've had a lot of things to deal with which also caused me writer's block and for the past month I've been meaning to write but no matter how many ideas I had I just couldn't put them into words. But I hope that will change soon. Sorry the chapter is a bit short. I'll try to update the next one soon but I can't promise anything. 

Btw, this is super late but happy new year! I hope you guys have a wonderful year and I hope all your dreams come true. 

Hope you guys are doing well <3

With love,

~exoxooverdose