She wasn’t sure how long they had stayed like that, given that she had miraculously fallen asleep, but a part of her knew that she had no desire to leave.

“Sana.”

Sana stirred in place, her arms reflexively wrapping around the waist of the body she had been laying on as remnants of her consciousness began pooling toward the forefront. The way her name sounded, wrapped in that soft and familiar lullaby-like voice, made it harder for her to want to open her eyes. She could feel warm fingers tuck a strand of hair behind her own ear.

“The thunderstorm is over. Come on, we should go inside.”

A part of her wanted to whine, to tell the girl that they didn’t have to go anywhere and that they could just sleep there, sleep exactly as they were. But she knew that their positioning was only comfortable for one of them, so she opened her eyes slowly and looked up. The small, upward curve of Mina’s lips greeted her as the girl gently patted her arm in a gentle effort to wake her.

“Are you sure?” Sana mumbled, still groggy and a bit dizzied by Mina’s pretty face. “If another bolt of lightning sneak-attacks me in my sleep, I won’t have you to protect me.”

Mina blushed, Sana could tell. “I’d be in the bunk right next to you, Sana.”

“Ah, I see,” Sana said while adjusting herself, sitting up again beside Mina and turning her attention toward folding the blanket. She smiled to herself and teased, “So you’re saying that I can sleep with you when I’m feeling a little scared?”

“Oh, was that only a ‘little’ scared?”

“Hey…” Sana pouted, not expecting that Mina would in response to what she had hoped would be a particularly flustering comment. She turned her head to Mina to speak more of her mind, but she paused when she met her gaze again. Her expression was thoughtful, with a hint of playfulness as though she expected Sana to retort like she normally would. But Sana quietly gulped instead, opting to say, perhaps a tad too honestly, “There are scarier things.”

The reply seemed to perplex Mina, though Sana couldn’t blame her. She had probably been expecting a little more of the usual banter that she normally provided.

“Did you have a bad dream?” Mina asked suddenly, perhaps looking for a reason why that would have been the response, and Sana couldn’t properly explain the way that her heart had thumped against her chest even if she had wanted to. She wasn’t sure it was possible to have a nightmare while in Mina’s lap.

“You’re so considerate,” Sana replied, before clarifying, “I didn’t.”

Mina hummed, standing up from the porch swing. “I’m a little surprised that you’re afraid of thunder. Do you have other things you’re scared of?”

Sana chuckled, following suit and making sure to pick up the blanket. “Guess?”

“Hm,” Mina donned a playful smirk, “I wonder if it’s… running?”

“I know I complain about it a lot, okay!” Sana whined, nudging Mina’s arm and eliciting a giggle from the other girl. Mina’s nod was sarcastic, and Sana huffed when they came to the doorway. “But it’s not that bad! I’ll prove that I can run tomorrow during the mud run!”

“You kind of have to, anyway.” Mina smiled. “I’m pretty sure Nayeon will kill you if you’re not trying your best.”

Sana giggled, instantly changing gears. “Okay, maybe you’re right.”

They stood in front of the door, Sana’s hand on the knob. A pause filled the space between them while her wrist only subtly twisted the handle, and Mina’s curved lip abruptly brought the memory back of an almost-kiss between the two of them. Sana hoped that Mina wouldn’t see any physical traces of the heat suddenly blazing across her face as she recalled the way they had both been leaning in.

“You okay?”

Sana blinked, her grip on the handle fully twisted but stilled. “Huh?”

“I asked if you were okay.”

“Ah,” Sana murmured, before asking, “Are you?”

Mina smiled, and it felt reassuring. “I’m okay, Sana.”

“Then so am I.” Sana smiled back, pulling the door open and making sure to wish Mina a good night before returning to her own bed. It wasn’t easy to fall back asleep for a while after that, and Sana couldn’t help but humor herself at the idea that maybe Mina had been right all along; maybe she needed someone to sleep with, seeing how easily she had fallen asleep on Mina, even with thunder. Or maybe it was just because it was her, and no one else.

She could only hope that her imagination would fill in the blanks once sleep took over.
 

She’s uncertain which is the dream: the memory of last night or the sight of Mina’s face not too far from hers right now in this moment, her elbows leaning against Sana’s mattress while she stands on the ladder. There is no way that both things are real, right?

“Hey,” Mina greets quietly, and Sana can tell by the scent of her minty breath that the girl has already gone through her morning routine. “Momo told me to try and get you up.”

Of course Momo did.

Somewhat self-conscious about potential morning breath, Sana grumbles into her pillow, “Tell Momo that she can fight me.”

“Everyone’s already outside.” Mina chuckles, gently poking Sana’s cheek. “You slept through the morning alarm. The tank tops are done drying, too. Don’t you want to try on what Chaeng made?”

At that, Sana sits up and stretches. Despite the lingering fatigue, she manages to lower herself from her bunk and onto the floor. “Where is it?”

Mina points to Jihyo’s bed, which is already neatly made. The tank top awaits her atop the sheets, black with Chaeyoung’s Twice logo pressed onto the back in those familiar rainbow colors. Sana beams, lifting the top up and waving it in front of Mina, before finally realizing that Mina is already fully dressed. It is with very little subtlety that Sana looks Mina up and down, trying not to swoon over something as simple as a tank top and matching shorts.

“It looks good, right?” Mina asks, turning around and using her thumbs to point at her back.

Sana tries not to look at her . “It does! I’m so proud of Chaeng – as well as Jeongyeon and Nayeon for helping with making them, right?”

Mina shrugs, turning back to Sana with half a chuckle. “I wouldn’t know. You and I were sitting outside most of the night.”

“Ah, right,” Sana mumbles, realizing that maybe it hadn’t been a dream after all. She sticks her tongue out while wiggling her eyebrows, regaining her composure. “Whoops! Didn’t mean to steal your attention all night.” She makes sure to add a wink for good measure.

“Go get dressed, will you?” Mina laughs, gently pushing Sana toward the bathroom before turning back and exiting the cabin. Her presence is immediately missed, and Sana doesn’t like how empty the cabin feels without anyone else. She shakes her head, realizing that she has been lingering in the same spot, before heading to the bathroom.

The shower finishes as quickly as Sana can manage while maintaining proper hygiene, not wanting to feel like she’s dragging the group behind more than she probably already is. She appreciates that everyone is willing to wait until the group is together in order to have breakfast, but she can already feel Momo’s glare permeating through the walls of the cabin for making them wait to eat. Momo is ravenous in the morning.

Throwing on the tank top and some denim shorts, Sana walks out of the cabin and smiles at the girls waiting around on the porch, Dahyun and Chaeyoung sitting on the porch swing with Tzuyu while the others hang around the porch steps, chatting away. Her presence acts as a cue for them to all stand up, sending their own smiles – or in Momo’s case, a side-eye and scowl – in Sana’s direction.

“Took you long enough,” Momo grumbles, leaning her head on Mina’s and crossing her arms. Mina seems amused, a small smile tugging at her lips.

Sana scoffs. “You act like Mina and I didn’t have to wait for you on the first day while you were in the bathroom!”

“You weren’t even with Mina and I when I went to the bathroom in the first place!” Momo whines indignantly, “You just randomly decided to join us! Mina would wait for me forever, right?” It doesn’t help Mina’s grin from growing bit by bit when Momo turns toward her, pouting with big round eyes and grabbing her hands.

Mina chuckles but gives Momo a genuine smile. “Of course.”

“See?!”

“Oh, so you’re okay with Mina waiting forever for you but you won’t wait just a little bit for me, Momoring?” Sana complains, walking up and wrapping her arms around both Momo and Mina, though it’s mostly for the sake of giving Momo a light smack on the shoulder as punishment.

“Correct.” Momo giggles, rewarded with another hit.
 

The day begins as usual, with a breakfast session that is filled with surprisingly animated conversation – so much so that Sana isn’t sure her vaguely groggy self can handle it. Dahyun and Chaeyoung have taken it upon themselves to write funny phrases onto their plate with egg yolks, allowing Momo to decide the winner by eating the egg of whoever wrote something funnier. It doesn’t really seem to dawn on them, for whatever reason, that they’re only lessening their own breakfast and adding to Momo’s. Sana chooses to believe that Momo is completely aware, but much too weak to deny the possibility of getting free eggs.

Tzuyu and Mina are engrossed in a conversation regarding an old story from their days back in high school, something about a shelter they once volunteered at and how it had a haunted bathroom that the pets would all stare at when passing by. Nayeon and Jeongyeon talk mostly between themselves this morning, though a lot of it is clearly about the previous mud run they had been in and the memories that accompanied it. Jihyo kindly keeps Sana’s dazed mind company, speaking lightheartedly about an internship opportunity to ward off the increasing dread that Sana is feeling toward the inevitable physical torment that the camp has so rudely dubbed a “fun” mud run.

They decide to do a joint activity together amongst the nine of them, and ultimately jewelry wins out as the majority vote against photography. Today’s jewelry course is focused on creating simple rings, and Sana has never hammered anything more than she has had to hammer this strip of metal on a stick. But the girls have decided to hammer all of their initials into each of their individual rings as a memento to their experience together as a cabin this summer, and it’s so cute that Sana forgets how much she would have rather done photography. She messes up the placements for a few of the initials, but she still holds back a smile through a bit lip as she sets the initials “M.M.” in place.

The girls make sure to drop their rings off at the cabin before making their way toward the camp store, as a result of Mina’s suggestion that they would probably need to keep their hair out of their faces as much as possible during the race. Nayeon thinks a perfect solution for this, aside from everyone merely tying their hair up, is getting matching rainbow bandanas to wear. Sana manages to avoid a pointed smack from Nayeon when she laughs about how they’ll be looking like a pride parade at the obstacle course but, nonetheless, the laughter spreads amongst the group as well as Nayeon, who generously purchases everyone’s bandanas.

Sana glances at the sky as they make their way toward the location of the mud run, and she’s grateful to see that the sky is clear, unlike yesterday. The warmth of the sun kisses her skin, and she briefly suppresses the instinctual desire to mope on the way to the mud run.

After all, there’s no way that it could be that big of a deal.
 

“This is… big,” Dahyun is the only one to comment once they arrive to the scene of the mud run. There is a silence that follows her observation, as though the girls all need to take a moment to absorb the situation they’re about to get into.

Nayeon was right back at the swimming hole. It’s essentially a massive track with multiple lanes, with multiple types of obstacles along the way until the finishing line at the very end. More concerning, however, is the extreme amount of mud. It isn’t as though Sana expected no mud or that there wouldn’t be a decent amount – the name has the word “mud” in it, obviously – but she can’t help but feel caught off-guard by the sheer quantity. Supposedly a lot of it is artificially done, with purposely soaked clean soil. But it doesn’t do much to make her feel better.

There is no way anyone will be able to come out of this clean, she thinks.

Some of the other cabins are waiting around the starting line, waiting for orders from the counselors nearby. The group makes their way over to join the rest, still trapped in an anxiously quiet tension that Sana is not a fan of, and they listen carefully while the counselors explain how the mud run is going to go down. They won’t know their assigned obstacle until they’re called for it in the moment, they must stay in the appropriate lane designated for their cabin, they can’t purposely disrupt other cabins, cheating around the obstacles isn’t allowed, rules must be followed for every section if applicable, and they have to bring the small flag to the end in order to win. A counselor will be with each cabin, and some counselors will be at certain parts of the obstacle course if needed – Sana already notices a few counselors waiting by a certain section ahead. She also notices the many pools of shallow and deep mud along the whole way. She grimaces.

“Alright, girls! Let’s get our bandanas on,” Jihyo says suddenly, breaking the silence amongst their group once the counselors walk back to the sidelines of the lane. As the girls head toward their designated counselor, they begin to tie their hair up in varying ways, making sure to don the rainbow bandanas they got as headbands. Some prefer it more directly on the forehead, some prefer it midway along the cranium, but they all look super cute, regardless of the positioning. Chaeyoung is the only one with too little hair to tie up, so she settles for a traditionally more boyish style of lining up the folded bandana straight along the diameter of her head. Even Sana can’t help but feel a bit charmed by the handsome look, especially enjoying the way that Chaeyoung’s stylized hair hangs over the fabric of the bandana perfectly.

Nayeon takes out some black eyeliner from her denim pocket, quickly drawing a singular pair of thick horizontal lines on everyone’s cheeks. Dahyun had suggested it, claiming they would look like warriors heading into battle, and most of them laughed but ultimately agreed that it would be fun.

Sana snickers to herself when she notices some other cabins looking their way, but she understands why. They truly are the only group with any semblance of outfit coordination, let alone the added touch of the battlefield makeup and rainbow motif.

Jihyo grins as she gently pinches Momo’s cheek softly. “Even with this deadly warrior getup, you’re still so adorable.”

“Hey,” Momo pouts, though she inevitably grins before reciprocating, “so are you!”

“And what about me, Jihyo?” Sana butts in, batting her eyes at her friend.

“I guess you’re cute.” Jihyo smirks, nudging Sana.

“You ‘guess?!’”

Momo cackles. “I win.”

“No!” Sana huffs, draping her body on Jihyo’s side before adding, “Where did this favoritism come from, Jihyo?! You don’t have to pretend for Momo’s sake…”

Momo shoots a glare at Sana. “Hey!”

“Oh, please,” Jihyo laughs, “How are you two this easy to mess with every time?”

Sana frowns. “I’m not easy!”

Jihyo and Momo give her a look that she doesn’t completely appreciate, so she lets out one last whine before turning around. Who do they think they are, claiming she’s easy to mess with? Nothing about her is easy, not a damned th—

“It’s okay. I think you look cute.”

Sana can feel her ears warming up at the sight of Mina giving her a small smile as she speaks, immediately shutting up her train of thought.

She clears , attempting to regain her footing. “But you mean very cute, right?”

“Right,” Mina agrees with a soft but very genuine laugh.

Sana beams. “You, too!”

“Shh, they’re starting,” Jeongyeon hushes the group, and they all turn toward the front, watching as the counselors eye all the groups like hawks for a moment, seemingly thinking about who to pick first.

Sana bites her lip, looking at Mina who has now turned and whose unnecessarily pretty shoulders tempt her by just the right amount. With little warning, she wraps her arms around Mina from behind in a back hug, placing her chin on Mina’s shoulder. The movement seems to surprise Mina a bit, causing her to squeak softly in brief shock before ultimately letting out a quiet giggle. She doesn’t move away or ask Sana to stop, which is a feat that allows Sana to shamelessly grin. She doesn’t need to look in order to guess that Jihyo and Momo are probably snickering over her, but honestly? Sana doesn’t give a damn.

Their primary counselor for the mud run is Park Jin-young, who asks them to refer to him as JYP after he walks over and introduces himself. They ask if he’s the same “JYP” behind the camp name itself, but he refuses so quickly that none of them believe him in the slightest. None of them have ever seen this man on the campground in the last two days, and Jeongyeon suggests that he’s the type of boss who only shows up for special events.

His eyes scan the group after getting to know their names.

“Is there anything to picking someone at random, or is it genuinely random?” Dahyun asks.

“Completely random,” JYP answers, before the aim of his pointer finger lands on Sana. She blinks, but he clarifies, “You first, Sana.”

“You’ll do great,” Mina encourages as Sana unwraps herself from their hug, whining.

“Thank you,” Sana says in a soft grumble, which makes Mina crack a fraction of a smile.

“Alright, since the first section is the most straightforward, I’m just going to pick the next two for the following part,” JYP says.

“Two?” Nayeon questions.

JYP smirks, pointing at her and then at Mina. “You two.”

Mina and Nayeon step forward as well, brows furrowed and looking at one another with a sense of uncertainty.

“What do you think it is?” Mina asks. They won’t be told until they are directed to their section of the lane, but the area after the first isn’t really giving any obvious hints by the looks of it.

“Couldn’t even guess.” Nayeon scoffs. “Something with two girls in the mud can only go one of two ways, Mina. And, frankly, I’m in a loving relationship, so I –”

“Can you cut it out for one second?” Jeongyeon scolds, cutting Nayeon off by swatting her from behind.

Nayeon looks over her shoulder, eyeing Jeongyeon with a smirk. “Jealous? Who knows? Mina might make a good partner…”

Jeongyeon rolls her eyes and groans, Mina blinks but chuckles awkwardly, and Sana is grateful for her self-control, otherwise she would have smacked Nayeon too. Just another day at camp.

JYP gives Sana the go-ahead, handing her a small flag to wield, and she quickly walks over to the starting line with Twice’s loud cheers already behind her. She stretches her arms as she nears the line, not exactly excited but also not willing to give anything but her best for the sake of everyone else, even if she thinks that this whole mud run ordeal is stupid.

The counselor at the front gives the starting girls a quick look over, nodding to himself before announcing, “Alright. First task is simple.”

Sana eyes the deep stretch of mud in front of her with a slight grimace. Is it?

The counselor continues, “This is a thick pool of mud that will likely reach the abdomen for the majority of you. Simply get through it, then hand your flags off to the next pair. If you’d like, you can return to the sideline once you’ve handed your flag off.”

The counselor turns and gives some kind of hand signal toward the groups on the side, and Sana watches as JYP sends Nayeon and Mina over toward the section ahead of Sana’s, where there are extra counselors already waiting. They quickly begin to tie a pair of mutual legs together between the two, both Nayeon and Mina awkwardly shuffling while the adults bind them together by the ankles. Sana doesn’t need confirmation to know that, for whatever they’re going to be doing, they’ll be three-legged.

Her grasp on the flag in her hand tightens when the counselor asks if the girls are ready. The nods that follow only serve to make Sana feel a little more nervous, and the step to the side that the counselor takes doesn’t help to calm her nerves either, because it means at any moment she’ll start to hear a countdown.

Puffing her cheeks at the reminder of what she’ll be running through, she quickly glances over to the sideline where the rest of Twice are waiting and anxiously watching. Jihyo and Momo notice her gaze first, and they both shoot her some thumbs up as well as a hearty, “You can do it, Sana!” Ahead in the lane, Nayeon seems to perk up at this, and she looks over her shoulder to meet Sana’s eyes.

Nayeon smirks, though it soon cracks open into her bright bunny-toothed smile. “You better!”

“You will!” Mina speaks up from beside her, her head similarly over her shoulder as she raises a small but shyly encouraging fist. Her voice is soft somehow even when she’s trying to yell loudly, and that’s just too cute. The sight of the two of them staring back at her confidently, as well as the sudden cheering from the rest of the Twice cabin from the sideline, is enough to move Sana’s sentimental heart.

A silence falls as the counselor counts down to the start, inevitably yelling, “Go!”

Swallowing any hesitance, Sana immediately breaks into a sprint and forces herself to resist flinching when her legs plummet into the lukewarm mud. She hates how easily she sinks into it, the contents of the pool filling to just halfway up her abdomen as she tries her best to kick her legs into gear within the mud’s depths. It’s unlike mud she’s ever dealt with, perhaps purposely made to be more like normal liquid to make it easier to get through, and the consistency is slightly uncomfortable.

Sana can see the girls to her side gaining a miniscule amount of a lead ahead of her. She groans and tucks the stick part of the flag into her hair, giving her arms ample swinging room that manages to help her push through the mud quicker. By the time she reaches the end, she’s more or less tied with the frontrunner among the other girls to her side, and she tries not to feel too relieved when she spots a nearing Nayeon and Mina, with the latter’s hand extended and ready to grab the flag.

She lets out a hefty breath as she rises from the pool, bringing her hand up to grab the flag from her hair as she sprints toward her cabin mates. There’s not much she can say, between shortness of breath and a lack of time, but she offers her girls an encouraging grin when she hands the flag off to Mina, and they only nod before running forward themselves, on par with the rest of the three-legged spectacles.

Not necessarily having to stay put, Sana leaves her section and joins the rest of Twice on the sideline. It felt like a blur, if she’s being honest, and she hopes that she doesn’t have to do anything else.

“Nice job!” Momo praises, patting Sana’s shoulder. The rest of the girls offer similar words and proud smiles, but everyone’s attention is quickly brought back to Nayeon and Mina once Sana has caught her breath. From the sideline, it’s a little more obvious that they’re meant to be running through a similar pool as Sana, though it’s significantly longer and shallower. It’s likely a safety precaution due to the nature of the three-legged factor, but Sana can’t help but feel cheated by how deep in the mud she had to be for her section. Looking down at herself, she cringes at the sight of mud caking every inch of her, up to a very specific, almost comical point where there’s an almost perfect border line between mud and clean fabric, save for a few splashes along the tank top and her arms.

Too afraid to attempt to brush anything off and get her hands dirty, she begins to cheer alongside her cabin as she continues to watch Nayeon and Mina. Although the distance between the designated sideline and the track isn’t incredibly far, it still amuses Sana that Nayeon’s voice is loud and clear.

“We’ve got this, Mina! Don’t fall behind now!” It’s enough to make the cabin laugh, especially Jeongyeon, given that it’s very clear from her voice that Nayeon is desperate for air and that Mina is the smoother of the two when it comes to leading their mutual leg along. The spectating girls gasp a few times whenever it looks as though Nayeon and Mina are about to trip over, but they always seem to recover. Whether it’s Nayeon grabbing Mina’s hand and steadying her, or Mina firmly wrapping an arm around Nayeon’s shoulder to stabilize them, they are both at the ready to help one another while they race across, sometimes falling behind and sometimes catching up to the other competitors in their section.

“You,” JYP suddenly says, with a pointed finger toward Tzuyu. “You’re up next. Move along.”

Tzuyu spares a few glances to her cabin mates, and even receives a small squeeze of the hand from Chaeyoung before running ahead toward the next section.

It isn’t until now that Sana realizes that she hasn’t taken a look toward the next part yet. The section that Tzuyu is heading to has a wooden wall extending pretty high up, maybe about twenty feet if Sana had any semblance of hope at being able to guesstimate measurements. Needless to say, it’s tall, and Sana’s mouth gapes when she takes note of the ziplines that await at the top of the wall.

She’s nervous enough to ask, “Is that safe?”

JYP looks at her, then where she’s pointing. “Ah, yes. It looks more dangerous than it is, but they’re fastened well and there’s a pool underneath it for people who fall off.”

“It’s intentional?!”

“It’s fine,” JYP chuckles, before clarifying, “We’re not the only camp that does this. The hard part is trying to cling on while it brings you to the other end of the pool. If you do a good job, you only need to take a few steps in the pool underneath before finishing that part. If you fall early, then you have to go through the entire length of the pool, which is much slower. Make sense?”

“Yeah,” Sana says with a pout, not entirely appreciating that their youngest cabin member will be dangling for dear life over a pool of mud. It’s not that ziplines sound foreign to her or that she’s particularly scared of them. She’s just worried at the idea of a zipline being haphazardly put together for the sake of an obstacle course.

“That sounds fun,” Chaeyoung comments from beside her.

Sana shoots her an incredulous look. “You’re not worried?!”

“Why? Tzuyu will be fine. She’s Tzuyu.”

“It’s scary to me too,” Dahyun says, looking at Sana, “I’m glad I didn’t get that. But I agree with Chaeng, if only for the sake of calming myself down. I think she’ll be fine.”

The faith of the younger ones is enough for Sana to relax on the subject, turning back just as Nayeon and Mina reach the end of their stretch and approach Tzuyu, who is standing at the bottom of the wall alongside a row of other cabin girls. When they hand the flag to Tzuyu, she gives them a determined nod before turning and immediately climbing up the ladder of the wall. Nayeon and Mina wait until Tzuyu makes it safely to the top before undoing their three-legged bindings.

The Twice girls on the sideline adjust their spot, moving further along so that they have a better view of the upcoming parts of the track, starting with Tzuyu’s section. Nayeon and Mina return, now free from one another but still with their arms over one another’s shoulders and smiling when warmly welcomed back. They’re praised for their efforts briefly before everyone’s eyes are on Tzuyu again, watching as she boldly grips onto her zipline and flings herself forward with no hint of reluctance. She manages to make it look graceful somehow, with her ponytail flying behind her as she makes it about three-fourths of the way across before falling into the pool.

JYP quickly snaps his fingers and points at Jihyo. “Your turn. Run along.”

“O-Okay.” Jihyo blinks, stirred away from her attention on Tzuyu before waving to her cabin mates and running toward the upcoming section.

“Let’s go, Tzuyu!” Jeongyeon yells, and the other girls follow suit as Tzuyu rises from underneath the mud and makes her way forward, with only one other girl from another cabin having made it fully across via the zipline. Despite being one person behind, Tzuyu’s expression displays a sense of resolve; a determination to see her part through to the end despite the discouraging presence of someone ahead. She trudges through the mud, using the force of her height to bring her forward.

“She’s covered from head to toe,” Mina comments as she stands next to Sana.

“I know! She fell into the whole thing!” Sana frowns, noticing how even Tzuyu’s eyebrows are caked with mud when she walks out of the pool and hands the dirtied flag to Jihyo. From what Sana can see, they exchange a brief but warm smile before Jihyo charges forward and Tzuyu begins her trek back to the rest of the girls, applause and praise properly waiting for her.

The part ahead is perhaps the most merciful so far, at least in Sana’s eyes. There are many tires sprawled along the section, firmly sunk into the mud and awaiting the challengers to run across them in a militaristic fashion. JYP kindly informs them that trying to cheat and run on the rubber will result in elimination, but Sana knows that Jihyo is sensible enough to figure that out on her own. She is already doing her best, clinging onto the flag as her knees go into overdrive, making her way through the tires at the cost of mud splashing up onto her legs and clothes whenever her feet lands inside one of the holes.

“I know that most of my abdomen is covered in mud, but can I hold you?” Sana asks quietly, turning to Mina who is much more well-off in the mud-free department.

Mina looks at Sana’s half-muddied tank top before chuckling. “Sure.”

It takes less than a second for Sana to beam at Mina and wrap her arms around her from behind again, her chin comfortably resting on Mina’s shoulder. “This is nice.”

“It’s alright,” Mina says with a hint of a smirk, breaking easily into a giggle when Sana whines.

“You’re so mean!”

“I’m sorry.” Mina smiles. “What can I do to make it up to you?”

Sana pretends to contemplate, humming until she eventually snickers. “Tell Momo I’m your favorite.”

Mina gasps, though it’s clearly for comedic effect. “I would be a traitor.”

Sana raises an eyebrow and smirks. “But would you be a liar?”

She’s surprised when Mina turns her head toward her, their faces a mere inch or so apart and their eyes set on one another’s. There is a brief moment where Mina seems to be suddenly aware of the distance, leaving her with a bashful expression for a fraction of a second before donning a slightly smug smile in Sana’s direction. Sana isn’t sure what kind of expression she, herself, is wearing. She hopes that it’s some semblance of a coy smile, but a part of her fears that her face has betrayed her by turning her into a tomato.

“Bold of you to assume three days with you is enough to beat half a year with Momo.”

“Wow.” Sana scoffs. “A second with me is enough to beat half a year with Momo.”

Mina laughs heartily at that, though it’s short-lived when Momo reaches over and gives Sana’s cheek a hard pinch.

“You two aren’t exactly silent, you know,” Momo grumbles, side-eyeing Sana when she begins whining in faux pain. But she looks to Mina, grinning suddenly as she says, “Thank you for keeping your faith in me.”

Mina smiles. “Of course.”

Momo seems satisfied with that, letting go of Sana’s cheek and cackling to herself when Sana shoots her a pointed look. Momo eventually rejoins the rest of the group in cheering for Jihyo, but not without narrowing her eyes at Sana one last time and saying, “You’re lucky that I love you.”

Sana sticks her tongue out. “You, too.” But then Momo is back with the others, and Sana is left with Mina again. She decides to be self-indulgent, using her arms to give Mina’s abdomen a gentle squeeze, and she feels giddy when Mina’s hands lower and rest themselves on atop Sana’s.

JYP’s voice catches her attention. “Dahyun and Jeongyeon, you’re next.”

“Just you and me, kid.” Jeongyeon smirks, ignoring Dahyun’s frown at the word “kid.” With an encouraging pat on the back, Jeongyeon leads the two of them to the section ahead. Although Sana can’t hear what is being said, there is a lingering moment where Jeongyeon and Dahyun grimace at one another when the counselor at their section has finished speaking to them.

“Alright.” Sana smirks, chin comfortably resting on Mina’s shoulder again. “Momo’s gone now, so you can say the truth.”

“The truth is that if you spend more time with me, I’ll think about it,” Mina whispers, and Sana enjoys the smile on Mina’s face even as she tries to be sneaky. It also helps that she just implied that Sana should spend more time with her, and Sana bites down on her bottom lip to suppress a grin.

“Sounds like a plan,” Sana mumbles happily, allowing herself to relax in this position as her gaze returns to the track. She grins when she sees Jihyo jumping out of the last tire, having caught up to the girl in the lead. The rest of the cabin gasp in shock when Dahyun grabs the flag from Jihyo, only to swiftly hop onto Jeongyeon’s back for a piggyback ride.

“I can’t believe I don’t have my phone right now!” Chaeyoung laughs, amused by how uncomfortable Dahyun looks bouncing on Jeongyeon’s back. Their section seems to be the least wet. Instead, it’s thick mud that makes an unfortunate sploosh with every heavy step, loud enough to be heard even from the sideline.

Nayeon looks concerned, though Sana quickly realizes it’s for the wrong reason. “Jeongyeon! Be careful! I need you in peak physical condition for when we have –”

Jihyo thankfully cuts her off right in time with a hard nudge as she returns to the group. “There are tons of people around. You really want to yell something so lewd like that?”

“I am very loud and proud, thank you very much,” Nayeon retorts, her mock offense taking the form of a gawk. “Besides, I need to give her some kind of incentive, right?”

“I think getting Dahyun off her back as soon as possible is motivation enough,” Tzuyu says softly, though there’s a hint of smug amusement in her smile. Chaeyoung doesn’t hesitate to give her a very subtle fist bump, despite Tzuyu’s muddied hand, which even Sana thinks is surprisingly corny.

Sana doesn’t feel too worried, though, about the piggybacking girls. As precarious as their positioning may seem, Jeongyeon and Dahyun look very determined, and they’re comically loud in yelling at one another to get through it. She can even hear it from her spot in the sideline.

“We can do this, Jeong! Don’t slip! I’m riding on you – literally! I have so much faith! Go, go, go, go!”

“You better hold on tight to that flag! You’re our ticket to winning this thing! Nayeon will kill both of us if we mess this up!”

“We should probably focus more on holding tight to one another and not the flag because I’m starting to wobble a –”

Sana can feel Mina’s hand squeeze over the top of her own, her body tensing within Sana’s arms as the sideline hushes at the sight of Jeongyeon almost tripping. Sana loosens her set jaw when she watches Jeongyeon quickly recover, only to continue moving forward at a more consistent pace. Dahyun’s awkward laughing is very loud, and very much an obvious coping mechanism for the likely panic she had briefly experienced in that moment.

“What part of ‘don’t slip’ didn’t you hear?!” Dahyun’s whine is hoarse.

“Piggybacking other people through thick mud isn’t exactly something I do every day, you know!” Jeongyeon yells through huffed breaths.

Nayeon hollers loudly, “You got this, babe!”

Dahyun seems to hear that while cleaning off the mud from the flag with the back of Jeongyeon’s tank top, and she turns her head to furrow her brow in Nayeon’s direction. “What about me?!”

Nayeon puts a hand on her hip, yelling back in slight disbelief, “Dahyun, you are literally just holding onto my girlfriend’s back, give me a break and let me be gay!”

“Fair!” Dahyun chuckles, giving Nayeon a quick thumb up before tightening her grip on Jeongyeon again, patting the girl beneath her encouragingly on the shoulder. “Let’s go!”

Sana bites down the urge to giggle. Phrases like “let’s go” and “we can do this” seem more befitting to something serious with a lot more at stake, but hearing these sorts of things while Jeongyeon and Dahyun awkwardly make their way and practically shuffle through the muddy lane as one big entity is very funny to her. She can’t take any of it seriously, especially as Dahyun tries to replicate some kind of army tune. But nonetheless, she’s cheering. It makes her happy to see the display of teamwork, even under conditions that she would otherwise hate to be a part of.

“Hey, you,” JYP says, a finger already toward Chaeyoung. “Get set.”

“Got it, boss.” Chaeyoung gives him a sarcastic salute, chuckling quietly to herself as she hastily makes her way over to the next section. Sana smiles, watching her small figure stray further and further. Chaeyoung doesn’t seem to want to take these things too seriously, and it shows. Sana can relate; really, she thinks this whole thing is stupid. But they both promised yesterday that they would genuinely do their best at their sections, so Sana is looking forward to seeing Chaeyoung put her best foot forward, even if that means putting it in the mud.

“It’s almost done,” Mina comments quietly, just to Sana, “It’s only Momo left after Chaeng.”

Sana glances over to Momo, who seems very engrossed in conversation with Jihyo and Tzuyu, still complimenting the two of them on a job well done and sharing a few laughs about how much their level of filth is contrasting from one another.

“I can’t tell if this is going by too quickly or too slowly,” Sana jokes.

Mina chuckles. “I know. I’m kind of glad I went early.”

“Me, too! Going first meant getting it out of the way faster. Although, I hate that I’ve been in mud the longest.” Sana sighs, but she gives Mina a small smile when the latter reassuringly pats her hands.

Jeongyeon and Dahyun surprisingly take the lead, despite their almost-mishap, though only by a small amount. Chaeyoung gives the girls two thumbs up – one for each, of course – as they approach her, and she briefly does an exaggerated, but quick, handshake with Dahyun before grabbing the flag and placing it in .

Despite how it sounds, it’s necessary. As the girls move up along the sideline to get a better view of Chaeyoung’s section, it’s clear that she’ll be crawling on her stomach through mud under a very low foundation of netting. Sana wonders if Chaeyoung’s height is an advantage or disadvantage in this case, but it doesn’t stop Chaeyoung from going full speed ahead and immediately diving into the ground beneath the wiring. Despite a clear grimace on her face, she manages to grip the flag tightly between her lips while pushing herself through the thick mud underneath.

By the time Dahyun and Jeongyeon return, Dahyun is already supportively screaming out Chaeyoung’s name alongside Tzuyu, and Jeongyeon has her arms around Nayeon. Sana can almost swear that she hears Nayeon whispering about how she’s the only girl Jeongyeon gets to hold onto tightly from now on, with Jeongyeon snickering in return at the miniscule amount of jealousy, but Sana chooses to pretend that it’s just the wind.

Momo is leaning against Jihyo, their arms wrapped around one another in a hug while Momo waits for her turn. She plays idly with Jihyo’s hair, not fully paying attention though occasionally yelling and cheering for Chaeyoung as well, and she appears to be listening attentively as Jihyo speaks to her encouragingly, often rubbing her head and assuring Momo that food will be readily available at the mess hall afterward.

“She’s really fast,” Mina comments, bringing Sana’s attention back to Chaeyoung. It’s true. The minor lead that Jeongyeon and Dahyun claimed is significantly larger in size now, with Chaeyoung’s small frame easily pushing through while the other cabins’ girls seem more reluctant in their haste. Maybe none of them were prepared to get their faces so close to the ground, which Sana now realizes makes her even more grateful for how casual Chaeyoung often is.

“Come on, Chaengie!” Sana yells, grateful when Mina chimes in with her own “woo.”

Chaeyoung is three-fourths of the way through when JYP turns to Momo and says, “You’re up next.”

“Okay!” Momo says, getting one last squeeze from Jihyo and some words of encouragement from the others before jogging her way toward the last section of the course.

It occurs to Sana that she hadn’t looked at the final area yet, because she finally notices the big wall with ropes dangling down to the bottom. The other end is occupied by large slides that meet at the lip of a large mud pool, which seems to be the last stretch just before the finish line. But when she notices that Momo’s jog has slowed to a stalled walk upon approaching the section, the unfortunate realization dawns on her.

“Momo can’t do that,” Sana says softly, in what can barely be considered a whisper, but it’s enough to catch Mina’s attention.

“What can’t Momo do?” Mina turns her head, her own expression shifting into furrowed concern when she sees Sana’s worried gaze. Sana merely points, understanding that Mina had potentially been too engrossed by the competition so far to notice the last obstacle as well. When Mina finally turns to look, it takes her very little time to register what Sana is implying. “You’re right.”

It's easy to tell that Momo has become frozen once she’s reached the start of her section. Sana breaks apart from Mina wordlessly, running further up the sideline to get a better look. Momo’s eyes are wide and frightened from what she can see once she’s gotten a better angle on her best friend’s face, and her jaw sets. Mina easily trails behind her, and the rest of the girls follow suit, perhaps under the impression that both Sana and Mina are making their way up ahead of time to simply get a better look at the finale.

Jihyo, however, seems to quickly take the hint and is the first to speak up, her booming voice clear as day. “Momo! You don’t have to do it!”

Nayeon blinks, confused. “What?”

“Momo can’t do heights,” Mina explains.

Momo doesn’t seem to register Jihyo’s initial call, a conflicted expression plastered onto her face. Sana hates that she can recognize that look; hates that she knows what it means when Momo’s big eyes are glossy beneath a pair of contemplative eyebrows, her lips remaining in a firm line with little movement anywhere else. Sana can tell that Momo is having a difficult internal debate with herself, likely over whether or not she will be able to muster the courage to overcome this obstacle in both a figurative and literal sense. Momo hates to disappoint her friends, and it irritates Sana to no end that she can’t force her to not care so much about it and just leave it be. It’s just a meaningless competition with no real stakes, Sana wants to scream, but she can’t bring herself to do it because she knows that it wouldn’t change Momo’s mind.

“A rope climb up a wall that high… I don’t blame her,” Dahyun mumbles, gaping a bit at the sight as she also begins to notice the intensity of the last obstacle.

Chaeyoung reaches the end of her mud crawl, standing up and clearly trying not to focus on how absolutely caked her front side and feet are in mud. She swiftly moves up to Momo, removing the flag from in preparation to give it to her, before pausing and seemingly noticing the way that Momo is stiff. Chaeyoung isn’t yelling when Sana sees her mouthing the question “Momo?” before looking back to the group.

“Momo is scared of heights!” Sana yells, catching the way that Chaeyoung’s eyes search their group for an answer to a silent question. Chaeyoung registers the words instantly, her gaze traveling back to Momo before looking down at the flag in her hand and then up at the wall.

Momo finally seems to stir when Chaeyoung suddenly walks past her, flag back in . She even tries to grab Chaeyoung by the arm when she realizes what the latter is doing, but Chaeyoung easily dodges the attempted swipe and, instead, shoots Momo two finger guns before turning and hopping onto the rope. Without hesitation, she hoists her body up so that she can walk up the wall as best she can.

“Is that allowed?” Jeongyeon asks as JYP catches up with them, her eyes darting between him and the rope climb. Everyone seems interested in the answer, briefly turning their heads to him.

JYP nods. “No rules against taking your fellow member’s section for them since you’re not technically breaking the rule about remaining in your cabin’s lane. Although, she’ll be at a disadvantage due to not only being muddy but also because she’s freshly muddy. That stuff is wet, and—”

Almost as if on cue, the brief yelp of pain from Chaeyoung pulls all of the girls’ attention back to her. She was already almost halfway up the rope before the group had turned to look at JYP, but now she seems to be slightly behind from where she was, and Sana can only guess that she had slipped on the way up, if the muddied streak on the wood wall is any indication. Chaeyoung appears momentarily dazed, seemingly processing the shock but ultimately looking relieved before returning to her climb up the wall. However, Sana isn’t a fan of the way Chaeyoung is going slower now, with a wince accompanying every step.

Between the pause with Momo and her fall, Chaeyoung’s significant lead has decreased intensely. She’s still slightly ahead, but the other cabins’ girls are nearly neck and neck.

“Come on, Chaeng!” Tzuyu suddenly yells, the voice least expected to rise above the threshold. And then it feels obvious that they had only been staring in stunned silence, and the guilt bubbles in Sana’s throat until she, too, inevitably begins cheering loudly for Chaeyoung. The small, determined smirk on Chaeyoung’s face doesn’t go unnoticed when the entire cabin begins cheering for her. Her toned arms grip onto the rope, knuckles clearly white even at a distance as she pulls her way up.

Momo remains in place, staying beneath Chaeyoung at the bottom of the rope until she reaches the top. Her eyes reflect a level of concern that Sana can only assume is layered with guilt. Then Momo runs around the side of the wall to keep watch as Chaeyoung places herself on the slide, immediately sliding down into the pool of mud that Momo anxiously stands beside until she resurfaces, fully covered from head to toe with that flag still managing to hang from . But alas, she keeps moving forward even while wincing.

The girls cheer loudly – louder than before – as Chaeyoung just barely manages to keep her lead when she climbs out of the pool and crosses the finish line. They immediately run over at the sound of the airhorn from the counselor at the end, who lifts Chaeyoung’s arm in victory. She’s breathing heavily and sweating by the time the rest of them catch up, and she drops herself to the ground in order to sit on the grass.

“Chaeng!” Nayeon yells, hands at her hips again. “I love you a lot right now, but you shouldn’t have done that! What happened?!”

Chaeyoung can barely get the words out through the panting, “I heard… Sana saying that… Momo couldn’t… do it…”

“I could’ve done it!” Momo frowns, getting on her knees and grabbing Chaeyoung’s muddied hands. She adds, “It was scary, but I would’ve pushed myself! You should’ve let me!”

“Nah,” Chaeyoung says simply, shrugging. “No biggie.”

Sana pouts. “Aren’t you hurt? You looked like you were in pain…”

“I slipped for a second on the wall and I think I sprained my ankle, but it’s no worse than that. I’ll get it checked out afterward.”

Momo’s eyes are clearly watering at this point. “You shouldn’t have done that for me. Now you’re hurt! I was such a letdown when everyone needed me. I didn’t even get to participate. This isn’t fair to you.”

“Hey.” Chaeyoung smiles softly, removing one of her hands from Momo’s to give the girl a few gentle pats on the cheek. “It’s fine, isn’t it? It’s just a dumb game, and the slip was a complete accident. You’re not a letdown. Look,” she smears some of the mud from her hand against Momo’s cheek with a chuckle, “now you’re muddy, too.”

Although Momo manages to give Chaeyoung a small smile, Sana can still see the lingering guilt in her eyes. But she’s sure that once Chaeyoung is officially checked and cleared about her ankle, Momo will feel better as well. In the meantime, she’s grateful that Dahyun seems to catch the hint for lightening the mood.

“Ha! Now I’m officially the cleanest one. Completely untouched, might I add! Thanks for taking the mud for the two of us, Jeongyeon,” Dahyun says triumphantly with a wink and a finger pointed over in Jeongyeon’s direction, who merely gives her a dirty look in return.

“Nope.” Tzuyu smirks, pulling Dahyun into a tight hug that instantly rubs mud onto her.

“Tzuyu, no! You can’t do this,” Dahyun whines dramatically, shutting her eyes tightly as Tzuyu goes the extra mile to rub her chin on Dahyun’s forehead. “This is evil, nefarious, and other words that mean you should stop this!” Tzuyu only laughs, and the rest of the girls join in, too, even if Dahyun’s is more panicked and intentionally whinier than everyone else’s.

“Stop trying to steal the attention,” Jihyo jokes, helping Chaeyoung up from the floor before nodding her head to Jeongyeon, “and help me cheer for this girl! No more frowning!”

Jeongyeon quickly swoops in, snickering as Chaeyoung’s eyes practically bulge out of their sockets when they begin to lift her off the ground. The momentary wobbling is enough to summon the urgency for the rest of Twice to join in, supporting Chaeyoung from underneath as they begin to hoist her up and gently bounce her in the air.

“You did so well, Chaengie!” Sana yells, amidst the “hip hip hoorays.”

“You were awesome,” Mina agrees, smiling.

Jihyo laughs. “You were like an animal out there!”

“Took that wall on like a beast.” Nayeon smirks. “Who knew, given how bite-sized you are?”

Chaeyoung looks like she wants to give a retort, but Jeongyeon doesn’t give her the chance. “If it wasn’t for Tzuyu’s age, you’d easily be the baby of the group. How’d you manage to do two of those obstacles in a row?!”

“Baby Beast!” Momo cheers, though she seems surprised when everyone begins to chant it, much to Chaeyoung’s initial eyeroll.

But as the chant goes on, with the girls gleefully yelling “baby beast,” Chaeyoung’s pout stretches into a wide, snaggletoothed grin, and even she plays along by giving the group a hearty roar, which erupts into louder hollering.

Sana isn’t sure if there is any word that can properly describe the feeling that envelops her. For as much as she hated the idea of being a part of this fake athletic tournament, she thinks that maybe it was all worth it simply for a moment like this – a moment where teamwork and victory are honey sweet, and wholesome glee radiates through everyone’s bright smiles. Her eyes water and she fights the urge to sniffle, feeling a little annoyed that she could be so easily rendered an emotional mess from something as goofy and fun as this.

“Congratulations,” JYP says with a smile as he walks over to the girls with a camera around his neck and a trophy in his hands. “I don’t mean to interrupt you ladies, but we always take a photo of the winning team.” The girls take his arrival as a cue to lower Chaeyoung.

Jeongyeon asks, “Do we get a copy of it?”

“Yes, an email will be sent out once this camp session is over. You can give us a call if you don’t get it within two weeks,” JYP answers, handing the trophy to Jihyo since she’s the closest to him at the moment. He backs up, putting some space between him and the girls before adding, “You can decide amongst yourselves how you want to pose. We take the trophy back since it’s primarily for the picture, but we’ll give you each a medal after.”

“Chaeng should hold it,” Momo suggests, “Here, I’ll carry you on my shoulders.”

“That’s okay, Mo—”

“Just do it,” Momo insists, aiding Chaeyoung as she relents and climbs onto her back. Momo slowly stands up, taking a moment to properly balance herself as Chaeyoung sits upon her shoulders, grabbing the trophy once Jihyo lifts it up to her.

The girls get closer together, with Momo and Chaeyoung in the center. Sana, Mina, and Jihyo remain on the left, Sana in between the two while holding both their hands up triumphantly, their smiles insanely wide and perhaps particularly gummy on the account of one girl. Nayeon, Jeongyeon, and Tzuyu remain on the right, the smiling couple having an arm wrapped around one another’s waists while each of their free hands gently hold onto Tzuyu’s shoulder, with the latter simply squatting and grinning with a peace sign. Dahyun decides to lay down on the grass in the middle, in front of Momo, portraying a ridiculous pose with her side profile to the camera and a dramatic arm over her now dirtied forehead, one knee bent to add some dynamic shape to her form. Momo grins in that childishly delighted way, with Chaeyoung’s mouth wide open happily as she holds the trophy above her head.

“This is a great picture,” JYP comments after the click of the camera goes off about three times. “Again, congratulations.”

He takes the trophy and leaves the area along with the other counselors after medals are handed out, and the girls exchange a few looks with one another before erupting into laughter. Sana doesn’t quite know what it is that starts it. Perhaps the sight of them being drenched in mud in some shape or form is particularly funny or only dawning on them now, or maybe it’s the delayed joy of winning making its way out of their system. But she’s happy, they’re happy, and even Chaeyoung is happy, even when Momo lowers her down from her shoulders only to pick her back up bridal-style to take her to the infirmary.

But that’s okay, because Mina’s hand quietly slips into her own when they all begin their trek back to the cabin, and Sana feels her remaining worries melt away.
 

Never underestimate a hot shower after something like a mud run, Sana thinks with a sigh of relief as they make their way to the mess hall. Chaeyoung had arrived back slightly late, but the girls didn’t mind waiting until she and Momo got through their showers before heading to dinner together. Chaeyoung had been right – it was simply a sprained ankle, and nothing serious. Any extra pain is simply due to soreness that she accumulated from pushing herself through to the end. Jeongyeon was nice enough to insist on piggybacking her to the mess hall.

“I did it once today, I could do it again without a problem,” was what she had said, and Sana smiles as Chaeyoung and Jeongyeon laugh at one another’s newly discovered bad jokes during their walk.

“At least someone shares her humor.” Nayeon snickers, walking alongside Jihyo. “I’m glad she could find someone as lame as her.”

Jihyo raises an eyebrow, smirking. “And you’re not lame?”

“Excuse you, I’m a loving girlfriend who oozes with good humor, thanks.”

“You weren’t kidding about her finding someone as lame as her, I guess.” Jihyo laughs, rewarded with a smack on the shoulder by a now-laughing Nayeon.

Sana has been walking beside Momo, who happens to be between her and Mina. But it’s on purpose, because Sana wants to drape herself over her best friend who is still mumbling sadly about the mud run even two hours later.

“I’m so embarrassed that I just froze up like that. In front of everybody, no less. I have a good body, I should’ve been able to do it without a problem.” Momo sighs.

Sana gently rubs her cheek against Momo’s. “You’re right, you do have a rocking bod. But that doesn’t make it any less scary.”

Mina cuts in, “It’s true. A fear of heights is very common. Dahyun also felt nervous just from looking at it, so you aren’t alone. It’s understandable why it made you tense up.”

“But we agreed to win for Nayeon and Jeongyeon… I didn’t want to be what held us back,” Momo groans, pouting. “I even got excited yesterday when I was telling Jihyo that we’d win.”

Sana pinches Momo’s mouth before speaking, “You didn’t hold us back. We still won. Chaeng did it because she wanted to, and it’s not like you put a gun to her head. She cared about you and saw that you were afraid; over something reasonable, I might add! You’re still a part of Twice, you still deserve to wear the tank top. Also, had it been any of the other obstacles – well, maybe aside from the zipline that Tzuyu did – you would have done them without hesitating! JYP chose at random! It’s not your fault.”

“Sana’s right,” Mina affirms softly, rubbing Momo’s arm. “I think you’re being too hard on yourself. It was a lot of fun, but it was still just a silly competition. It’s nothing for you to put yourself down over.”

Momo whines, “Why do you two have to make so much sense?!”

Sana giggles. “Just consider yourself lucky that it’s Mina and not Jihyo in your other ear. She would’ve made you feel better by force if she had to.”

“I know.” Momo chuckles. “I should perk up before she sees that I’m still beating myself up over it.”

“Yeah, or she’ll beat you up!” Sana laughs.

“Sometimes she’s scary and I love her for it.” Momo grins, giving Jihyo a little finger heart when she coincidentally looks their way. Jihyo beams and gives her a double hand heart back, none the wiser.

It isn’t long before they enter the building and grab their food, meeting at their usual table before scarfing down their meals. It’s evident that everyone has worked up an appetite after exerting themselves on the mud run, and the meal is enjoyed in almost complete silence. Although Sana is used to the idle food chatter, the silence amongst Twice is surprisingly comfortable tonight. She mainly focuses on enjoying her meal, occasionally sharing pieces between her friends or accepting their own offers. She finds it especially cute when Jihyo tells her to go, “Ahhh,” before accepting whatever meat or vegetable she has readily available.

“So Nayeon and I have a surprise waiting at the cabin,” Jeongyeon says suddenly, after most of the food has disappeared off the table. Nayeon grins and nods, leaning her head against Jeongyeon’s shoulder.

“It’s not anything weird or nasty, is it?” Dahyun asks, a skeptical eyebrow raised even when Jeongyeon rolls her eyes in response. Sana smirks when she sees that Nayeon tries not to giggle, probably knowing that her influence has spread enough to create ridiculous expectations even among the younger ones.

“Anyway,” Jeongyeon leans in, and everyone else takes the cue to lean in closer to the center of the table. “since we both showered first—”

“Yeah, because you two ran to hog it even though you were both some of the least dirty out of the group,” Sana whines indignantly, cutting Jeongyeon off.

Jeongyeon snorts. “Whatever. We did that because we were able to use that time to grab us some alcohol.”

Nayeon adds, “You know, to celebrate our win. We got really lucky this year with you guys, so we wanted to treat everyone.” The resounding “ooh” from the rest of the cabin seems to satisfy the couple enough, their grins proud and wide.

“It’s technically allowed, right?” Tzuyu asks.

“They technically do because this is an adult camp session, but they definitely don’t serve it on the site since kids are here the rest of the summer,” Jihyo says, just before squinting suspiciously at Jeongyeon. “So how did you two get some?” Jeongyeon seems to tense up at the question.

Nayeon answers in an innocuous fashion, “Jeong and I brought some to enjoy for ourselves during the week but we haven’t touched the bottles yet, and it just so happened to be a good opportunity.”

“Wait, if you already had it then why did showering first matter? It’s not like you had to go and get it at the camp store,” Dahyun says, and Sana is quick to jump onto the bandwagon.

“Ha!” Sana points between the couple. “It didn’t have anything to do with it! You just knew that you two were being unfair and wanted that as an excuse!”

Nayeon smirks, half-scoffing and looking at her nails. “And what about it?”

“Well,” Jeongyeon clears , “I think the important thing is that Nayeon and I are treating you guys to some drinks tonight. Is that alright with everyone?”

“We should probably drink at the cabin instead of going to the bonfire,” Mina suggests.

“That’s what I was thinking,” Nayeon agrees, and no one seems interested in protesting. Instead, there are quiet teases amongst them regarding the types of drunks they could be, who would be the girl with the lowest or highest tolerance, as well as a few pointed jokes about needing to keep Nayeon on a leash in case her drunken self has even less of a filter than she already does. But she rebuts, “My filter is fine!”

“I’d like to take this moment,” Jihyo says, effectively gathering everyone’s attention after a few more jokes, “to say that, even if today had its mishaps, we honestly did awesome. Chaeng secured the win, but I think we all gave it our best shot,” she briefly glances at Sana and then Chaeyoung with a smile, “even when some didn’t want to. We did it!”

“Yes, thank you for avenging us,” Jeongyeon affirms.

Nayeon pretends to wipe away a fake tear. “That awful from last time wishes she could be even a fraction like any of you.”

“Was she really that bad?” Tzuyu asks, and the brief look of horror in Jeongyeon’s widening eyes is enough to tell all of them that a mistake has just been made as Nayeon’s body immediately becomes more animated, mouth opening and at the ready.
 

They’re all three shots in and sitting on the floor, and Sana can tell from the constant side-eyeing that Tzuyu has learned to regret ever asking Nayeon about what made their past cabin mate so awful.

“And another thing!” Nayeon says, much too loudly, as she essentially slumps against Tzuyu’s shoulder, “This girl, she just… god, she would just leave the empty bottles of soap. Leave them there! So you go in, you think, ‘oh okay there is still soap left,’ but no.” Nayeon begins gesticulating, though it doesn’t serve to emphasize any particular point in her story beyond making her look more unhinged. “Then you’re like a whole minute into the shower and you’re too wet to get out already and there’s shampoo in your hair before you realize there’s no ing body wash, and like… who does that? ing Satan was the ’s name!”

Tzuyu sighs and downs another shot, having already learned that, regardless of whether or not she chooses to give Nayeon a response, the girl will continue to go on.

Sana likes the warmth in her ears as she snuggles up closer to Jihyo, who has agreed to spoon her while they sit. A quick glance over to Mina, and there’s an apologetic smile that she gives Sana while Momo similarly snuggles up into Mina’s arms. There is a moment where Sana wonders if Mina knows that cuddling with Momo is more than okay. After all, Sana thinks any good friend deserves some love and affection, hugs and snuggles included – unless Mina isn’t aware of that and is a little jealous of Sana and Jihyo’s position, which is a thought that pushes Sana to reciprocate with an apologetic smile of her own. They’re not together or anything, but Sana is still afraid of causing a misunderstanding over nothing.

“Mina’s looking at you,” Jihyo whispers. Sana already knows, of course, but the intrusion of someone else in what she often feels is her own private bubble with Mina is enough to make her blush.

“Maybe I’m doing the same,” Sana replies softly, an unintended giggle slipping out.

She and Jihyo quickly clink their shot glasses together for another round before Jihyo asks, “Have you talked to her?”

“I wouldn’t say that.” Sana shrugs.

“And what is that supposed to mean?” Jihyo asks, a hint of amusement in her tone.

Sana watches as a pouty Momo groans at the taste of another shot, with Mina giggling at the way Momo shakes in her arms. Jeongyeon leans over and pinches Momo’s cheeks, joining in Mina’s laughter and contributing to the increasing frown on Momo’s face, though it eventually cracks into an overall fit of giggling. The group seems to prefer a casual hangout, and Sana is grateful that there aren’t any typical game suggestions like spin the bottle – something she has had the displeasure of doing at parties in the past when she was in high school.

“Uh,” Sana mumbles as she slowly remembers that Jihyo asked her a question, “I just picked a bad time to try and it didn’t happen.”

“Bad time as in coincidental bad timing or as in you caught her in a bad mood or something?”

“Just bad timing.” Then Sana clarifies, “I got scared by the thunderstorm last night.”

“Aw.” Jihyo gently rubs Sana’s head. “It’s okay. I don’t think there will be more thunderstorms, so you’ll get another chance to talk to her.”

Sana grins, turning her head to give Jihyo a brief peck on the cheek. “Thank you, lovely!”

“I’m confident that you’ll be fine,” Jihyo assures with a wink, though ultimately fighting back the urge to laugh when Sana abruptly tries to tickle her side.

Dahyun and Chaeyoung take it upon themselves to get in the center of everyone and rap some lines to their favorite songs, with Chaeyoung remaining on the floor to adjust the music on her phone and to keep her ankle rested while Dahyun s her entire being into whatever mildly embarrassing dance move she’s currently doing in the midst of everyone. Jeongyeon’s guffaws at the sight are the loudest of them all, though Nayeon’s volume could easily stand toe to toe against it. Tzuyu half-laughs and half-winces, with Nayeon’s hand sometimes gently and sometimes too strongly hitting her with every cackle out of .

Even though Sana is laughing along and enjoying the show, she decides it’s as good of a time as any to use the bathroom. She slowly unwraps herself from Jihyo’s arms, managing to get herself up with little trouble before walking to the bathroom. Aside from nearly tripping over a bag on the floor, she makes it to the bathroom unscathed.

“What a day,” she mumbles to herself as she finishes her toilet-related business. The feeling of warm running water over her hands once she reaches the sink feels strangely wonderful, and she isn’t sure how long she has been standing at the sink when she hears a knock on the door and jolts in place. Hastily attempting to dry her hands, she says, “Hold on,” only moments before opening the door.

She’s surprised to see Momo, slouched slightly while hugging one of Tzuyu’s stuffed puppy plushies tightly to her chest. Sana tries to excuse herself and let Momo have the bathroom to herself, but Momo seems to have other plans as she pushes herself through the doorway and quickly closes the door behind her, leaving the two of them inside.

“Sana,” Momo says, and Sana expects more to come out. But nothing does.

Confused, Sana responds with a simple, “Yes?”

“How’s it going with Mina?”

The question is so sincere that Sana snorts, “Did you corner me in the bathroom just to ask me that?”

Momo looks as though she can’t fathom why it’s odd. “Uh, yeah? Am I supposed to yell the question across the room?”

“I mean, no, but you could’ve just sat next to me and we could’ve whispered or something.”

“Too risky,” Momo simply deems, humming for a moment as her eyes scan the room. “This is better for talking. Bathrooms are for secrets.”

“Are you drunk?”

“Are you?” Momo shoots back, pressing her cheek against the fabric of the plushie.

“Not as much as you.” The warmth tickles at the back of Sana’s head. “Anyway, Mina is being herself. I’m being myself. All is well.”

Momo whines, “That isn’t helpful at all! I need to know so that I can give you the talk.”

“The talk?”

“The talk where I threaten your life if you hurt Mina.”

Sana’s jaw drops. “Aren’t you my best friend?”

“I’d give her the same talk, you know! But you’re the only one out of the two of you who is keeping me in the loop, so I can only ask you.”

Sana gently squishes Momo’s cheeks with her palms. “Aw, I love the way you threaten our lives on behalf of the other.”

“You know what I mean.” Momo grins, allowing Sana to continue kneading her face. “I just want to know how it’s going.”

Sana bites her lip for a moment before admitting, “We almost kissed.”

“What?!” Momo’s eyes widen, grabbing one of Sana’s wrists excitedly and pulling it down from her face.

“Lower your voice!” Sana hisses, taking a second for Momo’s expectant grin to relax before continuing, “I was going to tell her that I might like her last night. And suddenly she was leaning in slightly, and I felt myself being drawn closer, but then that storm happened and so now nothing was said and there was definitely no kiss.”

“What?” Momo repeats, though now in a soft and disappointed whine rather than the excited curiosity from before.

“I know.” Sana pouts, though it inevitably stretches into a fond smile as the memories come back. “But I still had a good night with her. She let me sleep in her lap until the thunder stopped.”

Momo smiles at that. “That sounds sweet.”

There is a soft reminder that plays in Sana’s mind, in a quiet voice that she finds herself yearning to hear more and more with each passing day. “I’m here.” And she knows it’s true, even if Mina doesn’t – the way she has wiggled her way into Sana’s chest with nothing more than a smile, a few sweet words, and a reassuring touch. Mina is certainly present in all ways beyond physical.

Sana isn’t sure where cheeriness runs off to. She can’t be certain that she’s mellowing out because of her train of thought or because of the way that the warmth from the alcohol in her body begins to feel like it’s permeating through her skin. But her best friend is in front of her, and there’s little room for worrying alone.

“It was,” Sana confirms, but not without wrapping Momo in an embrace and asking, “I’m crazy for liking her so much so quickly, aren’t I?” She can feel the plushie squished between their stomachs as well as the way Momo holds her just as tightly.

“I don’t think so. She’s great, and so are you,” Momo says quietly, rubbing Sana’s back. “There aren’t any rules to this kind of thing.”

Sana’s laugh is dry. “Why can’t there be?”

“Hey.” Momo gives Sana a peck on the cheek. “I don’t know which Sana I’m talking to right now, but my best friend is a strong girl no matter what. I really think it’ll be okay. Mina seems to like you, too.”

Sana pulls her face back to meet Momo’s gaze. “Do you really think that? You’re closer to her than Jihyo, and she told me the same thing, but it’s a little different coming from you since you’ve been friends with Mina longer.”

Momo grins, in that charming and somewhat childish way. “I do! Like I said, I’m your wingman, always. I’ve been trying to keep an eye out for you.”

Her eyes crinkling, Sana smiles warmly at the response until the two begin to giggle softly amongst themselves after not being able to maintain eye contact for too long. They love to bother each other, but it can never take this away. And that fondness swells up in Sana suddenly, and it isn’t long until she’s littering Momo with appreciative kisses on the cheek, to the point where Momo jokingly groans despite not resisting it at all. When Sana finally pulls away from both Momo’s face and the hug, Momo lifts the little plushie from between them and holds it up to Sana, waving its little paw at her.

“You forgot somebody!” Momo says cutely, giggling when Sana takes the cue and gives the puppy plushie a kiss on the head.

“Never drink alcohol, little pup,” Sana mumbles in the dog’s face, her own nose scrunched up when she gives the plushie a pat on the head before turning and leading both her and Momo out of the bathroom.

She and Momo both freeze in horror as they return to the room, greeted by the sight of Nayeon biting directly into a stick of butter, with the rest of the girls watching in petrified awe. Even Tzuyu is unable to reign back an expression of utter shock, and Jeongyeon is already covering her face with one hand as Nayeon begins to rave about how good butter tastes and how she doesn’t understand why it can’t be its own snack.

“Because you can have way too much of a good thing,” Jihyo answers, taking the initiative and reaching over to grab the stick of butter out of Nayeon’s hand. Despite a slight wobble, Jihyo makes her way over to the trash and tosses the stick of butter into it.

“My butter!” Nayeon cries out, whining.

“Drunk people aren’t allowed around butter.” Jihyo chuckles, returning and patting Nayeon on the head, who is making a show out of grumbling.

Tzuyu and Chaeyoung have moved to Tzuyu’s bed, sitting together amidst the pile of plushies while intently listening to some video on Chaeyoung’s phone with shared earbuds. Dahyun has shifted toward Mina, resting her head against the girl’s shoulder while the two revisit the pictures of their dogs on their phones. Jeongyeon is now trying to console her girlfriend’s buttered loss with a kiss on the temple, and Nayeon seems to forget all about the “snack” as she smiles shyly and lets herself melt backwards into Jeongyeon’s arms that kindly await her.

“How’s everyone feeling?” Sana asks, already convinced by the delayed turns of everyone’s heads that they’re all feeling at least some kind of buzz. Tzuyu is the quickest to turn her head, and Sana feels a strange sense of pride in knowing Tzuyu may be the least far gone.

“Alcohol bad,” Dahyun mumbles when no one else answers Sana’s question, with Mina giggling at the comment from beside her.

“It’ll be okay, just don’t have anymore,” Mina says, patting Dahyun’s face before looking up at Sana and answering, “I’m okay, I think. How about you?”

Sana feels a soft nudge from Momo before replying, “It’s kicking in. Want to get some fresh air?”

She blatantly directs it toward the room, praying that no one aside from Mina would want to join her. Jihyo glances between Sana and Momo, looking as though she wants to speak up until something drives her to keep shut. Nayeon only shakes her head, eyes closed as she lays back in Jeongyeon’s arms, who only offers a polite smile before shaking her head as well.

“I’m good, thanks!” Chaeyoung says with a smile, and Tzuyu nods along with that before the two return to the video on Chaeyoung’s phone.

“I wouldn’t m—” Dahyun begins to speak up, but not before Momo practically dives down and attacks her with a tight hug, with Mina blinking and making quick space for Momo to do so.

“It’s my time with you now.” Momo snickers, and Sana has to bite down a laugh from seeing Dahyun’s confused and widened eyes as Momo snuggles up against her, puppy plush included. Mina chuckles only kind of awkwardly before getting up and nodding her head toward the front door, meeting Sana’s eyes.

“I’ll join you.”

Sana gulps. “Okay!”
 

Closing the door behind her, Sana joins Mina’s side by the wooden railing of the porch, leaning against it with her arms. The air is warmer tonight, and the sounds of cicadas pleasantly buzz against Sana’s warm ears as she tries to suppress the nervous feeling in her stomach.

“This is kind of familiar, isn’t it?” Sana jokes, gently nudging Mina and smiling when it elicits a small laugh from the latter.

“True.” Mina smirks a bit, though she keeps her gaze ahead toward the campgrounds. “Feels almost intentional, doesn’t it?”

Sana blushes. “I mean, you didn’t have to come out here with –”

She stops when she feels Mina looping her arm around her own, bringing their sides as close as possible as they lean against the railing. Sana doesn’t resist when Mina’s hand snakes its way into her own, and there is no reason to deny the way that their fingers intertwine upon the wood. Sana likes the way that Mina gently squeezes her hand.

“I’m just teasing you,” Mina says softly, giving Sana a reassuring but shy smile. She chuckles. “Maybe the alcohol is making me mischievous.”

“You? Mischievous?” Sana snorts, finding the idea very funny.

“What?” Mina fakes a pout. “Can’t I be?”

Sana laughs, surprised by how playful Mina is being. “I can’t tell if you’re just tipsy or drunk. What’s drunk Mina like?”

“I don’t know,” Mina admits sheepishly. “I don’t drink much, and I usually stop once the warmth kicks in. I feel coherent, though.”

“You and I are probably around the same level, then,” Sana says. “I feel good right now.”

“Me, too,” Mina smiles, and there’s a comfortable silence that follows for a little while. The camp is pleasant at night, with aesthetically paved dirt paths lining the area, occasionally accompanied by warm lantern lights so that it isn’t pitch black. They’re along a path that houses rows of different cabins, all very much identical from the outside.

Sana wonders how the other cabins at camp are doing. Are they having fun? Are other girls creating new friendships or did they come with a pre-existing group of friends? Have any of them regretted coming to camp by now? How did she get so lucky? Why is her cabin full of sweet and hilarious girls?

“Why are you crying?” Mina asks gently, and Sana realizes that Mina has turned toward her.

“I’m not.” Sana blinks away the wet feeling in her eyes, feeling as though crying is definitely a hard exaggeration.

“Okay, maybe you’re not crying,” Mina corrects herself, “but your eyes are watering a lot suddenly. Are you feeling alright?”

“Yeah, sorry,” Sana says quickly, blinking rapidly while Mina patiently watches her.

“Between last night and tonight, I’m starting to get an entirely different view of you,” Mina teases, though her hand squeezes Sana’s comfortingly again. “Here I thought you were tough.”

“In my defense, I actually do have a fear of thunder, so that was just unfortunate. Otherwise, I’m fine. It’s just that I’m not sober and I’m feeling very sentimental.”

“What were you thinking about?”

“Just how lucky I am right now. I didn’t really have any high expectations for this trip and I mostly accepted the offer on a whim. But I’m having so much fun with everyone. There’s nine of us. How is it possible that I love every single person here? Wouldn’t math say otherwise? Then again, I’m also bad at math… math . Doesn’t math ?”

“It certainly can .” Mina chuckles. “It’s okay to be sentimental. I’m having a really good time, too, and everyone has been great. I didn’t think I could get comfortable with such a big group so quickly, especially since I only really knew Momo at first.”

Sana smiles shyly, mumbling, “I’m having a really good time with you, by the way. You might be my favorite new person out of all of the new girls.”

Mina seems amused by the wording. “Really? I think I’m a pretty quiet presence by comparison.”

“Yours is the loudest to me,” Sana admits softly. Mina blinks and, as far as Sana can tell, blushes at that.

“Since it’s coming from you, I know it’s a sincere compliment.” Mina smiles sheepishly. “But even I admit that it was a little cheesy.”

“Hey! It was supposed to be romantic!”

“So you’re trying to be romantic?” Mina grins playfully, and she’s so gorgeous.

Sana shrugs, though the butterflies in her stomach are making her borderline nauseous, “I don’t know. Maybe.”

“There was something you wanted to tell me last night,” Mina prompts softly, and Sana wants to die on the spot as Mina’s thumb rubs against the back of her hand. She returns the gesture, caressing Mina’s hand with her own digit. “But you didn’t get to tell me.”

Sana’s gaze lands on their fingers, laced together between them. Momo’s words, “Mina seems to like you, too,” return to her head. And maybe, with their hands like this and with the way Mina waits for her to respond without any pushing, Sana can agree that it might seem obvious. Maybe it’s the most obvious thing in the world, the two of them alone at night beneath the glow of a porchlight. But the fear is there anyway, and maybe it’ll never disappear if she doesn’t just go for it.

“I wanted to tell you that you’ve been my favorite part of this experience so far,” Sana says quietly, making sure to keep her eyes on Mina’s. She grabs Mina’s other hand as they face one another completely. “You just being yourself is an experience on its own that I’m enjoying a lot. And I know that I’m affectionate with the others and that I say sweet things, but it’s special when it’s with you.”

There is a quiet moment that follows, with Sana’s resolute stare trying to make sense of Mina’s expression, one that is bashful yet thoughtful at the same time. And it’s killing Sana slowly, because Mina opens every so often before shutting it, as if going through some trial and error over what to say. So, Sana decides that possibly digging her own hole much deeper might be more productive than this gnawing silence.

“I thought you were going to kiss me last night,” Sana admits, confident in her assumption. Mina’s reddening cheeks reassure her that she’s right.

“I thought you… wanted to,” Mina replies in a whisper, now averting her gaze. “Did I misunderstand?”

Sana blinks, quickly slurring her words messily in an effort to comfort Mina, “Well, I wanted to tell you that I liked you first, since that feels ‘proper’ to me, I guess, but then you were leaning in a bit, and I was kind of leaning in a bit without realizing it, and then I thought we were going to kiss, and then nature happened, and then—”

“So you do like me?”

Sana’s lips stretch into a grin at the sight of Mina’s bashful smile again, “It’s hard not to. Is that too fast?”

“I don’t think so, but,” Mina bites her lip momentarily before continuing, “on the topic of, well, what almost happened – I’d like to be sober when we kiss. Is that okay?”

“’When?’ Not ‘if?’” Sana beams, unable to resist squeezing Mina’s hands or bouncing in place.

“I like you, too,” Mina says softly, “and I do want to… kiss you.” The way that Mina can barely talk about kissing without sounding extra shy is making Sana’s chest feel like a vibrating cage. “But being with you like this is enough, just for right now.”

It’s more than enough, more than Sana could have hoped for even if she had expected Mina to like her back. She squeezes their hands together tightly, bringing them up between their chests in delight, and it inadvertently pulls their bodies slightly closer.

“I can stay like this forever,” Sana whispers softly, noting the way that Mina briefly looks down at her lips. The gap has shortened, if only by accident, and Sana takes a peek at Mina’s mouth before looking up and finding Mina’s eyes again. There’s a tangible moment in the air between them, a moment of temptation with the scent of cheap alcohol mingling between their breaths. But Mina’s gummy smile is the first to break, and then Sana’s, and they grin widely at one another, giggling the tension away before letting go and replacing their held hands with a full embrace. Sana buries her face into Mina’s neck, holding her tight while Mina gently rubs her back.

She wonders if forever would be long enough.