The slowly setting sun painted the pine-covered mountains a pleasant, light orange as they s their way through the woods, driving over mountains and around curves. The six occupants of the car were all thoroughly spent, having exhausted their energies playing childish games at the lake.

After lunch they had decided they didn’t want to head home so quickly, so they rough housed in the water and swam until their muscles ached and their skin was pink from the sun’s rays. Sungmin didn’t have to look in a mirror to know that his cheeks were tinged rogue with the hint of sunburn and his eyes slightly bloodshot. His muscles were noticeably sore from the exertion of swimming in the deep water with Kyuhyun, but of course to him it was all worth it.

If it hadn’t been obvious to Sungmin before how much Kyuhyun loved the outdoors, it was then. His eyes gleamed with happiness, and the wide smile rarely left the younger’s lips the entire day. Kyuhyun was so filled with energy that Sungmin could barely look away. That happiness transmitted to him and so many times he’d unknowingly find himself smiling back and playing along with whatever Kyuhyun wanted. Anyone who observed their group would never guess that they were grown men who had respectable jobs and were usually quite mature.

But that’s the point, isn’t it? Sungmin thought, looking out the window as a ballad played from his phone, through his earbuds and into his ears. It was about forgetting their day jobs and responsibilities and enjoying the serenity of nature. Spending time with friends and playing around like they didn’t have worries waiting for them when they got back home.

The car ride back was much more silent than before. Everyone was either sleeping or listening to music, only idle chat spoken here and there in low voices.

He looked to his right where Kyuhyun had fallen asleep, head lolling forward before snapping back up.

Sungmin let out a chuckle, allowing himself to just admire Kyuhyun unobserved. He had his book open on his lap, and Sungmin guessed he must’ve fallen asleep while reading. The light brown hair on his head stuck out in all directions, messier than Sungmin had ever seen it and his glasses were barely perched low on the tip of his nose. His skin no longer looked so pale but was darker now, a pinkish tan. His head kept falling forward before he unconsciously lifted it back up, and Sungmin didn’t even try to deny that it was cute- really cute. He took his index finger and placed it under Kyuhyun’s chin, pushing his head all the way back so it would rest against the headrest instead of being suspended midair.

It didn’t do much good, as his head kept making its way forward, especially when Siwon would brake the car to make a turn, as he just had. The curve was sharp, and Kyuhyun’s limp body moved toward Sungmin’s, only thing slowing him down from crashing directly into him being his seatbelt. It didn’t, however, completely stop Kyuhyun’s shoulder from hitting his own, and when it did Sungmin was embarrassed at how stiff he got. It was just his head!

Sungmin didn’t even think about pushing him off, though; instead, he sat up tall to accommodate Kyuhyun, so his neck wouldn’t bend too much. For the last 15 minutes of their ride back, Sungmin allowed Kyuhyun to doze on his shoulder. It made him unreasonably giddy, considering it wasn’t as if Kyuhyun was doing it on purpose. But it was still happening, and the warmth of Kyuhyun pressing against his arm was doing all sorts of things to Sungmin’s heart.

He looked out at the few cars passing by them, at the random squirrel that he  caught in his peripheral vision before they quickly passed it, even at the back of Donghae’s head in front of him. Though his eyes were wandering, his mind was still firmly focused on the weight of Kyuhyun’s head on his shoulder and he allowed the smile that crept onto his face. It felt good to admit to himself that he liked their close proximity.

Hyukjae opened his window and the cool air gusted across Sungmin, pushing his hair into his face. He just let it, knowing that if he fixed it and moved his hand Kyuhyun might wake up. A small spot on Sungmin’s shoulder felt colder than the rest, and when he looked down at it he realized Kyuhyun was drooling on him. Though he should find it disgusting or something similar, he wasn’t even thinking about that. He couldn’t help but laugh, and his body shook as he attempted to contain his laughter.

Kyuhyun made a slurping noise and Sungmin felt the weight leave his shoulder, the lack of warmth obvious with the air passing over it. He looked over at Kyuhyun, hand flying to cover his mouth as he giggled into it. Kyuhyun wiped the side of his mouth, looking sheepishly down before he spotted the stain on Sungmin’s shoulder. His eyes widened in mortification.

“I’m so sorry!” he blurted apologetically.

Sungmin knew it wasn’t supposed to be funny, but it just was. He laughed harder.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?!” Kyuhyun asked him, his voice higher than usual.

“You looked- really- comfortable,” he managed between giggles. He shook his hands. “It’s fine, Kyuhyun.”

“Oh my god,” the younger slumped against his seat childishly.

“Who’s going to shower first?” Siwon asked as he pulled into the campsite.

“I am!” Kyuhyun jumped at the chance, suddenly in a brighter mood.

“Shower?” Sungmin asked in confusion. He completely forgot about that, and he thought they’d descend down the valley and use the showers there.

“We brought a portable shower,” Hyukjae shrugged, opening the car door and jumping out, Donghae following suit.

A portable shower? That couldn’t possibly be a comfortable situation.

He was right. He’d taken a peek and it was basically a tent, with a divider in-between which Sungmin could only guess was to divide the portion of the tent where one showered and where you changed. The shower portion had mesh netting on the sides, a large tent-material square in the middle where you were probably supposed to stand. So the water could drain through the mesh but your feet wouldn’t get dirty. It was smart, but it wasn’t anywhere near luxurious.

Well, what was he expecting?

He waited his turn to shower, then when it was time quickly collected his shower things and began to walk toward the shower-tent thing. It was neatly nestled between two trees and slightly sloped for the water to drain efficiently. Just as he was getting closer, his eyes spotted a spider something around the size of his fist resting on top of the netting.

He’d probably forever deny that the shriek that came out of his mouth ever happened.

“What is it?” Donghae screamed, alarmed since he was the closest.

“SPIDER.”

Donghae looked at him incredulously, laughing gently as he walked over. “Hyung, really? A spider?”

“Take a look for yourself; it’s huge!” he justified himself. Its legs were at least two inches long each.

Not a second later the giant insect began to crawl down the tent, toward the entrance which was open.

An ear-splitting shriek mirroring his own left Donghae’s mouth and he ran behind Sungmin, who was already considerably far from the shower.

“IT’S CRAWLING INTO THE SHOWER OH MY GOD,” Sungmin screeched, panicking. Who the hell leaves the tent open and ped!?

“Guys!” Donghae shouted to the others, never leaving his spot behind the elder.

An exasperated sigh came from behind them both, and Sungmin turned back, surprised to see Ryeowook with a flip-flop in his small hand. “You are both ridiculous,” he let them know as he passed them and got to the shower, searching for the spider. He must’ve found it since a couple of smacks could be heard and seen against the tent material from Sungmin’s spot about several feet away.

“Take it and throw it far away!” Sungmin told him, for good measure.

After Ryeowook disposed of the -now dead- spider, he passed by them again, flip-flop still in hand.

“I should smear it’s juices all over you two,” he narrowed his eyes and waved the underside of the shoe near them.

Sungmin squeaked then ducked and ran toward the shower, triple checking to make sure there were no more insects in or around it. It was getting harder to see since the daylight was leaving, so he had to hurry; Siwon still had to shower after him.

He scowled. Siwon. Maybe he should just hog up the shower until it was too dark to see anything. Even though he was being really nice and heating up water for everyone… he touched Kyuhyun too much. He could be the most generous and humble man ever but if he didn’t keep those greasy, grabby hands to himself…

Sungmin began undressing, the cool air ghosting over his warm skin and making him shiver. The other guys had said their shower had been amazing, but he couldn’t imagine how. He was only doing it out of the utter need to cleanse himself, not for pleasure. There was air coming in through the mesh netting above him, and on top of that he didn’t even have warm running water.

He stepped into the shower portion, feet touching the freezing water already there and shocking him. He didn’t even want to think about the fact that Donghae had just showered before him and he could be stepping in his dirty water. He shivered once again; this was horrible. This was exactly the reason he stayed away from all these outdoor activities. He wasn’t sure all the beautiful scenic views were worth it.

Totally worth it.

Stepping out of the shower in soft, comfortable clothes feeling clean and fresh was probably one of the best feelings out there. Besides, the shower hadn’t been so bad. Siwon had heated the water so it was pleasingly warm and the breeze turned refreshing.

Siwon shower