🐚

Being in nature wasn't the norm for any of the passengers. The understated surroundings left everyone to their own devices for entertainment. Byun Baekhyun was the only backseat member interested in the scenery. He poked his nose out of the car window for about 20 minutes before Chanyeol complained.  

"Could you roll that up already? The wind keeps flipping the pages." Chanyeol sighed and tried to contain the flying pages of his manga.

Baekhyun was too busy being mesmerized by the passing trees to be apologetic. "Just five more minutes." He murmured a vague promise to the boy next to him.

Like clockwork, Baekhyun's mother in the passenger seat jumped in to the widening dispute. "Baekhyun, roll up the window and let Chanyeol read." she nagged. Baekhyun surrendered with a groan, knowing that Mom's word, was the final word.

Chanyeol was oddly the favorite son, even while not being the parents' child. The most Baekhyun ever acknowledged Chanyeol as was a "family acquaintance". But Mama Byun and Papa Oh had basically adopted Park Chanyeol. Every day Baekhyun despised the charm that got Chanyeol to shine in his parents' eyes.

His real brother sat on the other end of the backseat. "Real" was a word taken lightly in their situation. Oh Sehun was his step brother. Ever since ten year old Baekhyun was forced to pack up, walk into the Oh's foyer, and introduce himself as Sehun's new brother; He felt cursed with Sehun and his plus one, Chanyeol, demons sent to rob him of all joy. 

Through out the first half of the car ride, Chanyeol served as a barrier. Meant to keep the brothers from bickering with each other. Due to the lack of action, Sehun was soon hunched over, fast asleep on his best friend's shoulder. With his job being done, Chanyeol simply took up space, a lot of it to Baekhyun's disadvantage.

Baekhyun being the only teen excited for the trip, was also the only one geared up. He wore tight shorts that stopped above his knees and won him teasing from Sehun. Matching it with a sleeveless shirt to fight the summer heat. Unlike dramatic Sehun, Chanyeol only snickered and gave the shorts an indiscernible gaze, which was easier for Baekhyun to brush off. But with the window shut, Baekhyun got uncomfortably warm in the leather seat. The heat from Chanyeol's jeans against Baekhyun's smooth thighs caused them to stick. He wriggled to try and con space from Chanyeol's long legs. Rather than budging, Chanyeol latched a hand on Baekhyun’s leg, grabbing a bit further up his thigh than expected. The squished boy to froze momentarily, like a prey's first attempt of defense. Once gathering his senses, Baekhyun pried the calloused hand off of his thigh before nudging Chanyeol away. "You're suffocating me." he muttered. 

"You're distracting me." Chanyeol retorted dryly. Knowing he would lose the argument against Mama Byun's favoritism, Baekhyun left their positions alone. He tried to ignore the firm thigh leaned against his plush one by looking out of the window.

They were on their way to a resort where the family had rented a cabin. Mr. Oh talked highly of the stay; it's vast lake, homey interior, and beautiful greenery. But as the family drove up to the so-called resort, they were reminded of what an optimistic man Mr. Oh usually was.

Sehun's awakening was interrupted as he clambered out of the car. "This place reeks! Dad! What is this!?" he shouted once the stench shook him from sleepiness. He turned to his beaming Dad with his nose pinched together.

Mr. Oh proudly held his arms open. "It's the resort! Say hello to a weekend of fishing, Son. Just us two, like the old days." He slung an arm around Sehun and ushered his attention to the quivering docks ahead. 

Sehun tried concealing his despair upon noticing his father's happiness. "Great..."

On the other hand, Baekhyun was fascinated all by himself. He had already unpacked his camera and wandered off to snap photos of the old trees and distant hills. Photography was Baekhyun's thing. The rest of the family often joked they couldn't raise a finger around him without getting a camera in their face. To prove a point to his zest, Baekhyun won various photography awards. It was something Sehun and Chanyeol's wide arrange of achievements couldn't take away from him. It was personal to him and his pride. 

A tired Mama Byun gathered them up to showcase where they'd be housing over their stay. This time all three of the teenagers could relate, they were underwhelmed looking at the room. By "homey interior" Baekhyun wondered if Mr. Oh mean't motel interior. The two beds in front of them were cheap and worn looking. Sehun almost cursed in front of their parents, saying he wouldn't dare sleep on the sheets here. He only let the curse words spew once the adults were out of earshot and down the hall to their half of the suite.

"What the kind of resort only gives one pillow a head?" Sehun whined angrily and tossed his suitcase onto the bedside closest to the door. Chanyeol quietly placed his suitcase on the opposite side of the queen sized bed. Baekhyun could appreciate that Chanyeol never complained like his brother did. 

Baekhyun took the hint to claim the twin sized bed furthest away from the door. From the window beside his bed he could see the pretty water. He secretly cheered, feeling he had won the better half of the terrible room.

All three of the boys were silently stationed in the bedroom until Mama Byun came back and pushed them outside, telling them to part with their phones for once. That reception was bad anyways. When, the eldest, Chanyeol wandered ahead of them and ended up at the bottom of a dirt slope in front of the waters, Baekhyun followed him and Sehun apprehensively. He expected the usual response Sehun gave him when he tagged along, "Don't you have anything of your own to do?" But instead they all stood around in somewhat of a circle, kicking dirt around with fingers in pockets, itching to type on something. 

Baekhyun turned his camera on again out of boredom. When he pointed it at the two boys, Sehun groaned. "Do you ever quit with that thing?" he turned his back to the camera and faced the rocking waters. Sehun hated getting his picture taken. 

Yet, Chanyeol remained facing the photographer. His charming giant smile making an appearance at his best friend's difficulty. Baekhyun snapped photos quicker than before. But when Chanyeol focused his eyes back at the fluttering lens Baekhyun's finger stilled in shock. Chanyeol's smile fell and his stare remained, reminding Baekhyun to keep pressing the silver button. He wanted to save the moment; to catch Chanyeol's misconduct in the act. And not even a second later, he switched his subject from the tall boy with piercing eyes to a family of ducks Sehun called attention to. 

Chanyeol and Sehun squatted on the dirt shore, picking up rocks to toss in the water. It wasn't a competition, but Baekhyun kept score, counting on one hand the amount of times Sehun threw further than Chanyeol. The duo held conversation on their own, leaving Baekhyun to find solace in his eavesdropping privilege. Sunset came leisurely until they were called inside for dinner and a night's rest. The bunch had yet to enjoy their first and thankfully last full day at the resort. 

The morning was soothing to say the most. Chirping birds and wind swarming trees differed from the honks of workaholics. It almost made up for the restless night in beds that weren't their own. The boys basked in it all, scratching their messy heads as they sat up in bed. 

Sehun's dad put an end to the silence when he clunked in, fishing tools and picnic basket in hand. "Early bird catches the worm, Sehun! Come on, toss on some clothes and lets go!" Mr. Oh cheered. Chanyeol stifled a laugh at Sehun's drained expression. 

When Sehun was reeled outside by his excited father, Chanyeol and Baekhyun were left in silence. Baekhyun blamed the rising sun for the suffocating heat rather than the tension between them.

Chanyeol and Baekhyun's time together was always formal. Though there was various things the two could relate on; both being 17, having attended the same schools since elementary, and sharing some of their favorite musical artists by chance. But all of that was nothing compared to Sehun being by Chanyeol's side nonstop. A friend of Baekhyun's enemy was as much of an enemy as his crowd. Baekhyun normally became blind to Chanyeol's tolerability whenever he was around Sehun. 

When Baekhyun returned from dressing and checking on his oversleeping mother, Chanyeol stood fully dressed as well. "Do you want to go to the docks?" Chanyeol asked. 

Baekhyun had nearly jumped from his skin at the request. Pushing all paranoid thoughts from his mind, he agreed, nervous of both the shaky dock and the taller boy's unknown intentions. 

Sehun and his dad were a dot in their eyesight. Neither attempted to call out to the two, afraid to wake the waters. Instead they sat at a bench under a roof, to conceal themselves from the burning sun.

"I think it's nice Sehun's dad wants to spend time with him." Chanyeol made the first shot at conversing.

"Yeah but, I kinda feel bad for Mr. Oh. His only biological son is a brat." Baekhyun slipped at the tongue his true feelings, "Don't tell him I called him that." He tried to save his own knowing Sehun didn't take well to Baekhyun's comments on him.

Chanyeol laughed. "I wouldn't." he assured Baekhyun. "But Sehun isn't all that bad. He's just... got a tough shell to crack."

"Sounds more like you." Baekhyun claimed. The comment was ambiguous and confusing, he could tell when Chanyeol looked at him puzzled, expecting him to continue. "You're... reserved around us. Which I know isn't completely you. I've been up late enough to overhear the sleepovers you two have. There's your shell laugh, then there's your sleepover laugh. One of them is louder than the other.“

Chanyeol gave a shell laugh instinctively. He shut it down once he realized. "I guess that's why Sehun and I are close." He turned to Baekhyun more seriously. "If you ever wonder why Sehun could be... a brat, sometimes. I hope you think about it. The shell."

Baekhyun tried not to scoff at the request. It was uncomfortable to ask of him. Sehun had been nothing but mean seven years straight, it was hard believing that was simply his "shell". Feeling at the short end of the stick he marched back up the dock, camera in hand. 

Chanyeol tagged along, following Baekhyun into a secluded area of greenery. Lazy strings of light hung from trees and fences. Baekhyun wished aloud for a better shot, that the lights would make a pretty picture. But he couldn't complain, the garden felt like the only well groomed part of the resort. Another bench was centered in the garden. Baekhyun took pictures of it before and after Chanyeol sat before him. 

"Can I see that?" Chanyeol requested and held a hand up to receive. Baekhyun moved the camera from his face to see what he was asking for.

"My camera?" Putting his prized item in the hands of another was taboo. But to avoid being rude anymore, Baekhyun hesitantly placed it in Chanyeol's rough looking hands.

He handled it softer than expected. Giving Baekhyun's nerves a break until he pointed the lens at him. "Say cheese." Chanyeol snapped a photo even when Baekhyun didn’t smile.

"What are you doing? ...This is weird." Baekhyun said. He dug a heel into the dirt and avoided looking up at Chanyeol. Chanyeol took a photo of his actions again.

"Not used to being in the spotlight?" The layered question almost sounded like a way Sehun would mock him, "Maybe this is your shell..." Chanyeol deep voice quietened halfway through the remark. 

That being the last straw, Baekhyun walked up to grab the device from Chanyeol. Like in the car, Chanyeol stopped his actions. He pulled Baekhyun down by his thin wrist and twisted the lens to point at them. With their faces side by side, he pushed the silver button swiftly. Upon looking at it he laughed louder than usual. 

"Look at this! You look like a scared pup." Chanyeol's laugh only grew when Baekhyun whined and tried to delete it in his grasp. Compared to Baekhyun in the photo, Chanyeol came out perfectly; head and smirk cocked mischievously while he pressed Baekhyun closer to him by the hand on his neck. 

Baekhyun wished he was videotaping the milestone. Chanyeol's laugh just then didn't sound constructed like his shell's laughter.

While they sat and talked, they forgot many things in the garden. They didn't think about bratty Sehun or Baekhyun's possessiveness of his camera. They weren't bothered by their stomachs without breakfast or thumbs without phones. Oddly for once, there was no tension, and Baekhyun felt as if 7 years with Chanyeol went down the drain that morning. 

When Sehun returned from his fishing trip he was less irritable. He even let Baekhyun take photos of the fish he caught while being proud rather than arrogant. For the first time in years, Sehun resembled his father. The rest of day were their baby steps. The city family participated in games to stay off of their phones and more invested in each other. Baekhyun assumed it did them all good as there was a smile shared around the outdoor table. They played cards and Charades, all games of which Mama Byun dominated.

After a well needed lunch break, Mr. Oh took his Mrs. on a boat ride. Baekhyun refused his offer to join in, not being comfortable with the idea of leaving land just yet. Chanyeol refused as well, claiming he would wait to go out on the water with Sehun later that day. Baekhyun tagged along on their walk again, beginning to wish he had invited a classmate or packed an interesting book. Luckily, that afternoon's topic was riveting compared to yesterday's mundane one. It was something Baekhyun could get involved in. 

"My dad started talking to me about my mom out there." Sehun said with a hushed voice. Baekhyun stopped his fidgeting in order to listen better. Chanyeol became more attentive as well to Sehun's words. Him opening the sensitive topic was a rarity. Baekhyun thought Chanyeol would make a good friend. He had some sense.

"She used to like fishing. The three of us used to go. I'd put the worms on the hook, she'd swing it out, Dad would reel the fish in. Mom had dropped too many poles in the water to be trusted." Sehun continued his memory. All three found humor in the image, Baekhyun's laugh being the most discreet. Baekhyun would be lying to say he didn't have sympathy for Sehun and his father's loss. In the beginning of their brotherhood he tried to be tolerant of Sehun's unfriendliness. Yet it was difficult to relate all the time. Baekhyun only had one parent as well, but it was hard to miss the other he never had.

When Sehun brought up Chanyeol's family there wasn't much to feel nostalgic about either. His parents could be summarized as the honking workaholics. A solemn and business like childhood helped Chanyeol cultivate his charm with people. Baekhyun knew at least that much about it. Thanks to his parents talking around him as if he was invisible. In short, Chanyeol talked about his nannies over the years. The sporty one, the bookworm nanny, and the musical nanny who all built themselves into him. Yet, Chanyeol said that his favorite nanny was Baekhyun's mother. He nearly blushed over Chanyeol's spiel about how glad he was to be welcomed in their family. Sehun teased his best friend's honesty, asking him when he became such a wuss. But really, Chanyeol could tell Sehun was touched by emotion too. 

They ate Sehun's fish for dinner that night after Chanyeol and Sehun got back from the water. Sehun made it very clear too, boasting "Mine's is the big one. I caught the biggest fish." Sehun's father laughed heftily every time his son mentioned it. Everyone else at the table had an unspoken notion that Sehun got a bit of help from his father in getting a catch. But they let him hold his head high as they ate and talked into the night. The last night of their trip together. 

Baekhyun was prepared to rest better than the previous night. The room didn't seem as foreign and the air wasn't as hot. He gave credit this time to the happy mood everyone was in, the absence of tension and disappointment. When he shut his eyes for bed he had intended to sleep soundly but Chanyeol had a different plan.

He awoke Baekhyun from his separate bed by shaking him. There was no need for Chanyeol to whisper—Sehun was a heavy sleeper— but he did anyways. When Baekhyun barely noticed his precious camera in the boy's hand, his suspicion raised. Chanyeol only smiled and tugged harder when asked what they were doing. 

He took Baekhyun back to the garden. Only this time, it was prettier. The lights twinkled over and under tree branches. The water made music against nearby rocks. Chanyeol's eager presence traveled through Baekhyun and mystified him along with the view. He got shy when he recalled mentioning the lights would make for a nice photo. No one ever remembered him and his many wishes like this before. 

"Thank you..." Baekhyun said softly. He made an effort to look Chanyeol in the eyes as he showed gratitude but once again, he was covered by the infamous piercing look. Clearing his throat he reached for his camera wanting to capture what Chanyeol gifted him.

Chanyeol stopped his actions once again when he plopped the smaller boy into the bench from before. He squatted for the perfect angle of Baekhyun's flustered pose. Baekhyun hesitated to tell him which settings to use on the camera. But when he did Chanyeol's smile grew and he went ahead, taking pictures of Baekhyun and his star patterned pajamas.

"Let me take some of you now." Baekhyun said with stretched out arms. After a few snapshots of Chanyeol's dramatic poses they sat back down on the bench, letting the laughter die down. Chanyeol held the camera in his lap, flicking threw some of their work and picking favorites. 

"What do you feel? When you take photos." Chanyeol asked breaking the comfortable silence. It seemed like a philosophical question more than anything. Baekhyun pondered a bit before answering.

He had picked photography up for multiple reasons. To show up Sehun, to see beauty, to feel in control of time, or to simply hold something in his hands that held the inhabitants of his mind. 

"I feel," Baekhyun let his mouth choose the correct answer on it’s own, "whole." Chanyeol was starting to think the boy had a knack for being vague. Baekhyun urged his mouth keep moving, "I feel like I'm present. When I take photos. I know I'm not in them most of the time, and not many will know I took it. But I'm there, in the photo too. If the shot is being taken, I can say I did something. Somewhere." Baekhyun shifted and teetered on the bench, hands awkward without the camera in hand.

Chanyeol pressed a few more of the camera's buttons before placing it beside him and standing up in front of Baekhyun. Baekhyun nerved at the abrupt change of positions and looked up at Chanyeol inquisitively. His sly hand inching toward the camera paused and clenched into a fist instead, keeping itself on the planks of the bench. 

Chanyeol's height gave him perfect leverage in bending forward at just the right angle. His long arm that reached the backing near Baekhyun's shoulder supported his endeavors of being in close proximity with his shell-shocked friend. Each centimeter Baekhyun moved back to keep staring into Chanyeol's eyes was taken away by Chanyeol floater closer. His opposite hand, closest to the camera, covered Baekhyun's fist like a blanket. 

Chanyeol's intense gaze flicked down to Baekhyun's lips, that illuminated pink in the barely lit night. He waited for Baekhyun's subconscious nod of the head before taking their breath away further. 

Chanyeol's full lips led the kiss. Internally, Baekhyun was grateful for it. He didn’t trust himself to keep the moment pleasurable for them both like Chanyeol was doing. The kiss was warm to make up for the wind chilling their uncovered bodies. It was thawing him out, even more so when Chanyeol dove deeper into his mouth. Their tongues were innocent against each other. When his fist unraveled, Chanyeol intertwined their fingers. Baekhyun's fingers tightened again along with his thighs below, this time from the warmth originating between them instead of from coldness.

When Chanyeol broke contact there was no more strength left in Baekhyun's body to tighten or move as he wished. Chanyeol stayed in his position, simply looking at him while saying his final words for that night. "You did something just then. Right here." he murmured before standing up and walking back to the cabin without question.

The low vibrations of his voice echoed around Baekhyun. He let the clamminess of his palms air with the wind while watching Chanyeol go. The remark puzzled his brain— and heart, of course— but he set it aside for another time to speculate and rushed back inside for warmth. Due to his fuzzy mind, he nearly forgot to pick up his beloved camera before taking off.

The next morning wasn't as quiet as the first. Not for everyone at least. Mrs. Oh paced the cabin, triple checking for everyone's belongings. Mr. Oh looked out on the water, promising his return. Sehun acted as if he was leaving his home and wanted to walk around again, to see everything one last time. It was regular for Chanyeol and Baekhyun to be quieter than the rest but due to last night's events, it was different. To Baekhyun, Chanyeol wasn't a stranger anymore and Sehun was less of a villain. When the family packed into the car, Sehun sat in the middle deciding to share the story of when he met his favorite soccer player. 

Baekhyun's nose poked out of the car window again. This time when he looked into the fleeting forest, his lips tingled in memory of the boy on the other end of the backseat. Not even biting or wetting his lips for the wind to dry could stop his giddiness. A burst of curiosity inspired him to look through the photos of the trip.

The first photo to appear was actually a video. Baekhyun decided to watch before he deleted it, thinking Chanyeol had taken it on accident. He reduced the volume almost completely before pressing play.

Baekhyun recognized what surface the point of view was stationed from. It faced the side of his own body—spotted by his pajamas— where Chanyeol previously sat. Baekhyun felt a bit relieved that the frame blocked off the scene above his neck in the video. He couldn’t begin to imagine the mess on top of his head that night. His lips began to tingle harder watching the cause replay in front of him. He leaned closer to the window, away from Sehun's eyes just in case. But the entire screen was a bit too dark anyways. He held the camera's speaker to his ear, giving up on making out the details of Chanyeol's hand wrapped around his. Chanyeol's memorable line replayed into his ear and flooded his body with feeling once again. His cheeks were hot with mixed emotion. Had he known the camera was filming, he would've been stiff with self consciousness. In the end, the stiffness caught up with him. 

He peeked over Sehun's texting to observe Chanyeol at the end of the car. The culprit of his shyness quietly read his manga while he held down the book from the wind fighting against the pages. Baekhyun latched onto the thrill in his heart and capsule in his hands. He pressed play once again, to hear Chanyeol's voice in the night, and to relive his first ever kiss. 

🐚