xiaojun felt exhausted, but satisfied. wayv had just finished their happy camp recording & were having dinner while resting up in their room backstage. it was a little late but that didn’t matter to any of them. they were all heartily celebrating amongst each other with chatter & laughter. he sat there at the table with a smile on his face while thinking about their appearance on the show, it soon turned more sheepish once he remembered the incident with his dog. xiaojun knew it’d been awhile since something that embarrassing had happened to him. he internally cringed again when realizing it was all going to be aired on tv. however, he shook his head amidst his thoughts & brushed it off because happy camp was a comedy show after all, silly incidents like that were bound to happen. he felt a shoulder lightly bump against his & turned to see yangyang looking at him with a questioning smile. “any thoughts xiaojun?” he heard kun’s voice call across the table & turned to see him, along with the other members staring. “uhh..I had a great time tonight....& im so proud of how we all did...im really looking forward to the future & hope that we can all continue growing together.” he said in one breath while mentally applauding himself for coming up with a quick response. the table was silent which left xiaojun confused. “...we were talking about the food” said hendery before everyone erupted into laughter “sheesh where did that come from?” he heard tens voice say “so I’m going to guess you weren’t listening?” chimed kun “if it helps I feel the same way” piped lucas with a chuckle, winwin had a hand over his mouth & was giggling. xiaojun was left dumbfounded throughout the entire situation with an intense blush stretching from his face, all the way to his ears & neck. he internally groaned while looking down and swiping a hand over his face. out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of yangyang laughing with the others & found his own face breaking into a grin. it really had been a hectic day yet xiaojun wouldn’t trade it for the world. 

once everyone was finished eating they were gathering up their belongings to take back to their hotel near the airport. it was a 2 & a half hour drive away from happy camp’s studio. the seating arrangement this time was different from when they’d arrived earlier that day. this time xiaojun was in a van with their manager in the passenger seat, kun in the middle row with all of their bags beside him, & yangyang sitting next to him in the back. they’d been on the road for about 5 minutes when yangyang leaned in & whispered “what’s on your mind?” he said with one ear bud out. xiaojun assumed he was referring to the earlier incident & whispered back “nothing, im just really glad with how everything is going for us”

yangyang nodded before looking down. xiaojun was about to face forward again when he heard yangyang mumble. “what?” he said turning back to him. “im really happy too” xiaojun didn’t want to say anything due yangyang’s solemn expression, he wasn’t finished. “I trained so hard to get where I’m at now, you have no idea how happy it makes me feel knowing that I-...we” he corrected himself “knowing that we get to show the world what we’ve learned & what we’re capable of.” he looked up with that same somber expression & xiaojun felt like there was something else he wanted to say judging by the way his large eyes shone a little bit less in the already dark van, but chose not to push him. “well you don’t look or sound very happy” he softly said instead after a pause while poking yangyang’s tummy. his hand was lightly swatted away “trust me I am!” he heard the other boy claim with a quiet laugh. “I do trust you!” xiaojun beamed, content to see yangyang back to his usual happy self. “im glad I met you..” yangyang said with an exhale.  xiaojun felt warmth run through his body. “i am too” he responded. both boys stared at each other, there was a change in the atmosphere. “you know....im not sure why the heck you’re still wearing your glasses when it’s pitch black outside.” xiaojun hit yangyang in the shoulder “oh buzz off” he laughed. it got quiet after that for awhile with both of them being engrossed with their phones, occupied by their thoughts.

at some point during the ride xiaojun felt his eyes start to close & head start to droop. “tired?” he heard as he turned to see yangyang’s attentive gaze. “yeah..” he muffled out before nodding his head. “here” said yangyang who scooted closer than he already was & patted his shoulder invitingly. xiaojun looked from his eyes, to his shoulders, then his eyes again before slowly lowering himself onto his shoulder. the soft material of his hoodie felt amazing against his cheek. “you won’t be needing these anymore” yangyang said before gently removing his glasses. xiaojun felt fingers brushing against the side of his face but the feeling of exhaustion overpowered the flutter in his stomach. “I’ll wake you up once we reach the hotel okay?” whispered yangyang as he wrapped an arm around xiaojun & rested his head on top of his. “mmm” was what he got in response along with a light nuzzle as xiaojun practically melted against his body. they truly felt at ease