“Hurry up, Markie!” Jinyoung shouted to the breathless redhead, whose small torso was framed by the humongous camping bag enough to fit a month’s worth of change of clothes. Mark’s skinny legs moved as fast as they could, but the effort was insufficient to catch up with the eager, large strides of Jinyoung. Turning back for the thousandth time, Jinyoung saw that Mark was still a distance behind him. He sighed, defeated, before jogging back to the boy struggling at the back.

“Come, let me help you.” Jinyoung gently removed the camping bag from Mark’s shoulders, then lunged it onto his already full shoulders, groaning slightly as he felt the full weight settle on his body.

Mark protested weakly, albeit being immensely grateful for Jinyoung’s help. “You don’t have to –”

“Shhhh… You take these two bottles, I’ll carry your bag.”

“But –”

“We’ll take forever to reach if you insist!” Jinyoung warned with a joking tone, wagging his finger at Mark, who turned red as a tomato in embarrassment. Breaking into a toothy smile, he bumped Jinyoung’s shoulder lightly, “thanks Jinyoungie.”

Jinyoung grinned, the wrinkles at the corner of his eyes greeting the sight before him. The ancient trees stood tall and proud, and flowers bright red and yellow were in full bloom. The gentle wind blew and the birdsongs drifted to him. The day was finally here – the camping trip Jinyoung was looking forward to for the past weeks. He always had an affinity with nature. The wet earth against his feet brought him comfort, the presence of the trees put him in a tranquil state, and the fresh air breathed life into his body. If there was one thing that made him as happy as singing or playing his guitar (or both), it was being close to nature.

The extra weight on his shoulders proved to be more unmerciful than Jinyoung had expected. He began to pant as he trudged up the slope under the sweltering heat. “Mark ah, what did you put in your bag? Gold bars?”

“Mr Park insisted for me to pack half of my closet…” Mark sighed exasperatedly and Jinyoung chuckled. “I can carry it on my own, I swear, Jinyoung.”

“I know,” Jinyoung replied, smiling widely, much to the surprise of Mark. “But I want to carry it for you and you can’t do anything about that.” Upon hearing that, Mark’s face reddened so much it almost matched the shade of red of his fiery hair.

“Ewwwww stop it please, love birds.” JB whined dramatically, appearing from behind. “Hey Mark!” JB waved as he flashed a polite smile, before slapping Jinyoung on his back as a greeting to his best friend.

“Owwwwwwwww! JAEBUM! Why can’t you say hi nicely to me, like you did to Mark?” Jinyoung scowled at the silver-haired male whose cheeky grin was so wide his eyes disappeared into slits.

JB laughed hysterically, then poked Jinyoung’s shoulder with Mark’s bag as he teased, “not bad pal, good move!”

“What move?”

“Don’t act stupid. I’m praising you for taking the initiative to carry the bag of your beloved.” JB whispered, then raised his voice so the confused redhead could hear. “But you could do so much better. Am I right, Mark?”

“Huh?” Mark looked at JB blankly, then turned to Jinyoung for answers. The raven-haired boy, however, did not notice his call for help as he was busy shooting JB a death glare. Jinyoung raised his hand above JB’s back, threatening to hit him and JB scurried away, guffawing in the background. “Have fun, love birds!” His voice trailed off as he ran further.

“What did he call us? What turds?” Mark asked, tugging at Jinyoung’s sleeve, slightly alarmed but mostly perplexed.  

Jinyoung silently mouthed a prayer of thanks for Mark didn’t hear JB’s overly affectionate and if Jinyoung could describe, highly embarrassing nickname for the two of them. Attempting to act like nothing happened, he racked his brains for an excuse. “Uh… I didn’t hear either. Don’t mind JB, he’s uh… a little tipsy nowadays.” Seeing Mark’s concerned expression, Jinyoung added, “must be the stress.”

Mark seemed convinced, and Jinyoung let out a breath in relief. It wasn’t entirely a lie. JB was definitely stressed over something recently. Jinyoung was pretty sure, because since they knew each other, JB was usually calm and cool, only breaking into crazy behaviour whenever he was stressing over something, such as for their university admission test last year. Something that happened recently, however, granted Jinyoung a first-class ticket to experience all mood swings of JB’s life in a mere 24 hours. Perhaps it’s over his break-up with Youngjae? But… didn’t he move on long ago? Jinyoung decided he would find out, soon.

“Okay everyone! Go to your instructors who are holding up a sign with your respective group numbers! We’re running short of time and night is coming so go go go!” The head camp instructor’s loud voice boomed through the loudspeakers, causing Jinyoung to wince.

“Come on, Mark. We’re in Group 7 with Jaebum.” Jinyoung beckoned, holding the redhead’s wrist with his free hand and pulling him along to the tall tree at their left where Group 7 was. With excited footsteps, the two neared the group already huddled around the instructor.

Wang? Jinyoung read the shiny metal letters untidily glued onto the black snapback the instructor was wearing proudly. Definitely DIY, he thought, and then turned his attention to the shiny big eyes which were observing… Mark.  

Jinyoung immediately turned defensive, his arms stretching out to shield Mark as he instinctively glared at the instructor, whose eyes widened in shock. “Woah woah woah, chill man! I’m not gonna beat up your friend there.” He laughed as he removed his snapback and ran his fingers through his brown hair. “I’m Jackson Wang, your instructor. And in case you don’t know, wang means king, and no one messes with the king, so you’d better be friendly.”

Jinyoung rolled his eyes and snatched the clipboard with the attendance list from the Jackson, signing attendance for both himself and Mark.

“Okaaaaay. Which one of you is Jinyoung and which of you is Mark?” Jackson raised his eyebrows as he scrutinised the two boys.

“I’m Jinyoung and he’s Mark.” Jinyoung said indifferently.

“Ahhh… must have known the cute one’s called Mark. Mark’s such a hot name.” Jackson wiggled his eyebrows flirtatiously at the redhead, who looked down in embarrassment. Jinyoung, however, was fuming mad all of a sudden and stood in front of Mark defensively, then sneered, “back off, Jackson Wang, whoever you are.”

“WOAH OKAY! Didn’t know you two were dating…” Jackson stepped back as he faced his palms in front of his chest. That’s one defensive boyfriend, he thought, but who wouldn’t be defensive of such a beautiful creature like Mark?

To his surprise, both boys retorted, almost in complete unison. “We’re not dating.”

“Okay then…” Jackson eyed them suspiciously, but shrugged his shoulders. Since they said so, he was free to hit on Mark, and he was immensely glad to do so.

Jinyoung, on the other hand, felt his heart break a little when Mark naturally released his initial grip on his wrist, leaving the circumference of his wrist cold all of a sudden.

~~~~~

Jaebum broke into his Cheshire grin as he approached and bustling Group 7. Jinyoung and Mark are at it again, he smiled at the sight before him. He was genuinely thrilled to attend this camp. It may be physically demanding and not of utmost comfort, but he needed to take his mind off… certain things. Well, Youngjae, that is. Ever since bumping into him that day in school, JB could not stop thinking about how tired and seemingly depressed Youngjae looked. A part of him still worried about the boy, despite all he had done. JB was bitter, but somehow, all the sweetness he collected from their good memories neutralised the bitterness.

Another part of him was afraid. Afraid, because maybe, he still loved Youngjae; and just maybe, Youngjae still loved him.

He set his thoughts aside and took a deep breath. I shall not think about this. I will relax my mind in this trip. He willed himself, and confidently jogged up the slope to meet the rest of his group. “Hey Jinyoung, Mark…” His vision then trailed to a familiar figure approaching the group, and he gulped. Clad in a printed tee and bermudas was a boy with floppy blonde hair – Youngjae.

JB mentally slapped himself, but his vision didn’t fail him and he wasn’t seeing things. .

“Hey you are?” Jackson asked.

“Jaebum. But call me JB.” He said so softly it was almost a whisper, but he couldn’t hide from Youngjae forever. The blonde sauntered over and greeted the instructor, then, as he turned to assess his surroundings, their eyes met. JB looked away immediately and almost broke into cold sweat. He couldn’t believe his bad luck. Almost 200 students and 25 groups, and he was in the same group as Youngjae despite not signing up together like he did with Jinyoung and Mark. He wasn’t looking forward, not at all.

~~~~~

“Good, everyone’s finally here.” Jackson clapped his hands together and flashed a wide smile. Jinyoung swore he saw a glint of evil in his deceiving, doe eyes.

Jackson seemed like a nice and fun guy and he’s good-looking, but Jinyoung couldn’t help but feel a strong dislike for him, because… he tried to flirt with Mark.

That doesn’t mean I like Mark, Jinyoung reasoned. I’m not jealous. I’m just trying to take care of my friend. Mark is innocent and he doesn’t know much, he shouldn’t be cheated by possible jerks like Jackson.

“I’m Jackson Wang, in case you all forgot already.” He introduced himself once again, putting emphasis on his surname. “I’ll be your camp instructor for these five days and if you follow my lead, you’ll be fine.” He then paused to look at Jinyoung, and added. “Actually, you have no choice but to follow my lead.”

“er.” Jinyoung muttered under his breath.

“We will have lots of fun together! Now, I’ll group you into your tent groups. Hmm…” Jackson pondered for a while. “Jinyoung, JB and Youngjae in tent 1. Yugyeom, Bambam and Mark in tent 2 with me.”

Immediately, JB and Jinyoung protested. “Can’t we choose our own tent mates?” JB questioned in desperation. He was almost certain he would not survive living four nights with Youngjae for his heart would literally break. Jinyoung added, “Yes, what gives you the right to group us this way?”

Jackson raised his hands to express finality in his decision, and JB groaned helplessly. Jinyoung, however, persisted firmly. “I request to change to tent 2.” He couldn’t just let Jackson and Mark sleep in the same tent after seeing how Jackson eyed Mark earlier. He was almost sure this Wang was indecent.

“Sorry, no space in tent 2 because I have a fat . Plus, the point of a camp is to mix around and meet new friends. Embrace the opportunity, Jinyoung.” Jackson stated matter-of-factly.

“But –” Jinyoung stopped as he felt his best friend’s cold hand against his. JB’s eyes were begging for Jinyoung to stay with him, and the raven-haired boy sighed. Of course… Youngjae. He glanced at Mark again and the redhead smiled at him. “I’ll be fine, Jinyoungie.” Jinyoung returned an unwilling smile.

“Okay I guess we’re settled! Now, go set up your tents and place your belongings in it before we prepare for dinner!” Jackson closed the session and hurried the boys to the tents and equipment, dragging Mark along with him as Jinyoung stared daggers at his back.

~~~~~

“I can’t believe it.” Jinyoung complained as he violently hammered the tent pegs into the soil. He broke the long silence after Youngjae had left to get water.

“I know right, I can’t believe it too. Why is he in the same group as us?” JB shook his head.

“Yes! That jerk!” Jinyoung spat angrily, and JB’s jaw dropped in surprise.

“I didn’t know you disliked Youngjae that much, Jinyoung ah. I thought I was the one who despised him… after… after what he had done.”

“Oh… Youngjae.” Guilt engulfed Jinyoung as he realised what his best friend was talking about. “Sorry JB, I was talking about Jackson. But yes, I can’t believe Youngjae would end up in our group as well. What are you going to do?”

JB plopped onto the soft grass weakly. “Nothing. I guess… I just have to learn how to face him.” He then forced a grin as he changed the subject. “So is someone jealous of a handsome instructor hitting on your boyfriend?”

“How many times do I have to tell you? There’s nothing between me and Mark.” Jinyoung faked a nonchalant expression, which JB saw right through.

“Right. I guess you don’t mind that then.” JB smirked, gesturing to the other tent metres away. Jackson’s hands were on Mark’s waist, supporting him as he tried to pitch the tent. Jinyoung lost it right there and then. He was like a volcano erupting; fury sweeping him off like ferocious waves and sending him straight to the crime scene. “You er!”

JB laughed out loud. Mark’s appearance had certainly brought about a very different Jinyoung.

~~~~~

Mark felt like camping was not his thing. The natural surroundings were great and refreshing, and the people were nice to him as well. Yugyeom is so tall despite his young age, and his heart was as big as him. He constantly cared for Mark and was forever smiling his contagious smile, which Mark picked up most of the time. Bambam, on the other hand, acted like his age. His cheekiness and vibrant personality made torturous tasks like hiking so much more interesting, and him following Yugyeom around was so adorable it always made Mark smile.

Mark liked Jackson. The boy (though their instructor, he is younger than Mark) was a breath of fresh air. Mark had never met anyone so ridiculously hilarious in his life. Jackson was like a box of entertainment, keeping Mark occupied with laughter. And surprisingly, Mark clicked with Jackson instantaneously, becoming close to him without having to go through the “awkward phase” he experiences with most people. He was more than happy to have made this friend.

Jinyoung, however, was being whiny and sulky most of the time, but Mark found his behaviour so cute that he couldn’t control his facial muscles to fight his smile. He was disappointed that they did not get assigned to the same tent though, for he wished so badly that he could spend not just the days, but nights too with his favourite friend.

Despite all of that, he was physically exhausted. With a frail body unaccustomed to living in the wilderness, and with his terrible stamina, he was struggling. By the third day, he was weary and even feeling slightly feverish, but he kept it to himself. He didn’t want Jinyoung to worry about his health, especially since he knew how much the boy wanted to come for this trip.

You can do this, Mark. You can do this.

~~~~~

Night fell, and the moon hung full and hazy beneath an eclipse of blazing stars. A fire crackled in the corner of the campsite, projecting long shadows on the surrounding area. Group 7 huddled around the fire, which itself was pulsating, the glowing embers seemed to move in rhythm with the flames, matching every dip and sweep. It was mesmerizing to watch, colours of orange and red gave way to yellow and white near the centre, where the emanating heat was the greatest.

Jinyoung shifted closer to Mark and placed his hand on the latter’s lap, settling in comfortably for their night activity. He smiled when Mark didn’t flinch. Skinship had become something entirely natural for Jinyoung and Mark, and they both enjoyed it even though they might deny if anyone asked.

Jinyoung’s thoughts were interrupted by an annoying voice. “Truth or Dare, anyone?” Jackson called, and was responded by over-enthusiastic cheers from Yugyeom and Bambam. Jackson whipped out an empty bottle and placed it in the middle of the group, who were, in the end, obliged to play the game.

Jackson started off by spinning the bottle and it stopped after several spins, pointing at Bambam. “Truth or dare?” Jackson demanded.

“Dare.” Bambam announced confidently, eyes sparkling in anticipation for his assigned dare. Jackson took no longer than a second to reply. “I dare you to run around the campsite with your shirt off and continuously scream ‘look at my abs’!”

“What?! That’s too lame, hyung.” Bambam groaned.

“Lame? That means it’s easy, right? Then do it!”

“But… but I don’t have abs.” Bambam mumbled before succumbing to Jackson’s insistence. He took off his shirt and ran off, embarrassed. “Look at my abs! Look at my abs…” his voice strung with guilt echoed in the deep forest and the group laughed. Yugyeom, especially, laughed so hard that he was clenching his stomach and trying not to fall off the log they were sitting on.

Bambam returned after a while, face red from embarrassment. Slipping on his shirt quickly, he spun the bottle without a word. The bottle slowed to a stop while pointing at Youngjae. Bambam asked excitedly, “Truth or dare?”

“Truth.” He said without hesitation and Bambam grumbled. “What? I don’t want to risk doing what you did just now.”

Bambam blushed, then looked at Youngjae straight in the eye and said, “Fine. What’s the meanest thing you’ve done in your life?”

“Ughhh Bambam, that’s the most boring truth question I’ve ever heard!” Jackson cried in disbelief. Before Bambam could talk back, Youngjae spoke.

“It’s okay, I’ll answer it.” He glanced over at JB, who was staring listlessly at the dancing flames of the campfire, then took a deep breath. “I… I kissed a girl.”

There was a moment of silence as the boys exchanged glances with each other. Then Jackson spoke, “And… how is that a mean thing?”

Youngjae looked down at his feet, and admitted, almost inaudibly. “I cheated on my boyfriend.”

“HOLY ! You’re gay too?” Jackson gasped exaggeratedly and Yugyeom hit him hard on the shoulders. “Jackson! You insensitive idiot!” Jackson was quick to rebut and the two soon were engrossed in a meaningless bickering session.

Youngjae stole a glimpse at JB who was sitting diagonally opposite him, and sighed when he saw the lack of response from his lover ex-lover. He died a little on the inside when JB bent over to spin the bottle on his own, his face expressionless. Jinyoung watched the two and sighed inwardly. There was nothing he could do to help his best friend.

Attempting to change the subject, Jinyoung forced a smile and said, over the continuous bickering of Jackson and Yugyeom, “Okay guys! Let’s continue, the bottle has been spun –”

“Ohhhhhhhh and it’s pointing at… Jackson!” Yugyeom giggled as he announced. “Youngjae hyung, can I ask instead?” Youngjae nodded, no longer interested to focus on the game, and Yugyeom punched his fist in the air. “YES! Time for revenge! Okay, truth or dare, Jackson hyung?”

“Truth, because I’m not stupid enough to choose dare after you declare revenge on me!” Jackson decided.

“Fine. Choose a person here that you would have with.” Yugyeom said haughtily, though he was sure he stunned Jackson with that question. However, Jackson replied in less that a second. “Mark.” Mark’s face turned red as beetroot upon hearing that, looking down at the ground and trying to count the number of soil particles in a futile attempt to ignore Jackson.  

Bambam squealed hysterically. “Oh my god oh my god! Why?”

“Because he’s hot and I bet he’ll enjoy me dominating him in bed.” Jackson said presumptuously, grinning at a very bashful Mark.

Like a reflex, Jinyoung looped his arm around Mark’s waist defensively and pulled him closer to him, until their hips were touching. He tried to contain the erupting anger in the pit of his stomach and gritted his teeth, “Next!”

Jackson guffawed and spun the bottle. It was Jinyoung’s turn. Bambam tugged at Jackson’s sleeve to ask for the chance to ask the question, and Jackson shrugged his shoulders. “You can ask the question, Bambam. I don’t really care.”

Bambam grinned and rubbed his hands together gleefully. “Truth or dare, hyung?”

“Dare.” Jinyoung decided bravely.

“I dare you to kiss your favourite camp group mate in this circle!” Jinyoung scanned the circle of boys and gulped as he saw the expectant looks of everyone. He closed his eyes for a moment to calm his racing heart.

My favourite… My favourite is…

He let go of his physical control and allowed his body to move instinctively. Leaning towards the boy sitting on his right, he placed a hand on his knee. Before he knew it, his lips landed on the boy’s temple, so subtly, and so lightly. He just kissed Mark.

The physical sensation was not foreign, for Jinyoung had kissed the cheeks of his parents often. Lips against skin; that is it, he thought. But his body begged to differ. Feeling the heat of Mark’s skin against his lips sent his heart palpitating so fast, his blood coursing through his veins could’ve exploded all his vessels. He could feel Mark’s face heating up and his own burning, warmth radiating from the spot of contact, slowly spreading through the rest of him. His grip on Mark’s knee also tightened uncontrollably, as his body tensed from the sudden euphoria.

“Time!” Jackson shouted and Jinyoung pulled back quickly, releasing a loud breath as he looked at the redhead who was blushing furiously. The two maknaes hollered in excitement while JB and Youngjae stared at them in disbelief. He couldn’t believe it either. He just… kissed Mark.

“What the hell? I didn’t know a kiss on the temple could last for half a minute!” Jackson complained, his voice with a tinge of jealousy.

Jinyoung widened his eyes. Half a minute? Oh my god.

♥♥♥

Dear readers, I am finally back after close to a month! T_T I'm sooooo terribly sorry for the sparse updates... I fell quite sick for two weeks and haven't really recovered even until today, and I didn't have the energy or inspiration to write so I didn't. Hopefully this slightly longer update will make up for my inefficiency!! Nevertheless, I still receive notifications for story comments and new subscribers during my inactive period and that really really encouraged me to continue with the story! Thanks so much lovelies!!

Anyways, it was fun writing about Jackson because his character is just too interesting. :) And just for the camp episode I'm bringing in the other members of GOT7 other than Markjin and 2jae. It was great writing about them. ^~^

Tell me what you think about the chapter by commenting. Subscribe for my updates and upvote if you like my story! <3

P.S. I'm too tired to proof-read the chapter because it's almost 3am and I have school tomorrow.