It was a quarter past midnight, and Kyuhyun would usually be under his covers, eyes fixated on the glow of his laptop screen as the sound of him winning in Starcraft would grace his eardrums. But on this particular night, Kyuhyun was instead out wandering in the woods, searching high and low for a certain baby-faced teenager, whose presence he has admittedly (mentally, to himself) come to miss.

Kyuhyun didn't even bother wearing the proper attire for walking around the forest after dark, so his lips had since turned blue and the only thing keeping him warm was the thought of finding Sungmin safe and sound, and hopefully, unharmed.

“Damn it, Lee Sungmin,” Kyuhyun cursed under his breath as he shoved his shaking hands in the pockets of his jeans. His only source of light was the shine of the big, round moon above him, which frankly, he didn't think was enough. “I hope you're happy. Look what you've reduced me to.”

He figured the thought of sending everybody else on a hasty search party was enough to calm his nerves, but his heart was still clouded with guilt, because something in the back of his mind told him that Sungmin ran away because of him. Kyuhyun wasn't exactly the nicest person when it came to Sungmin and he wasn't proud of it. It was a kind of defense mechanism, he supposed; Sungmin made him uncomfortable in a way he didn't quite understand. When he tried to understand, it led to small realizations that he didn't really appreciate, so he just stopped trying. But Sungmin didn't. And so the matter he wasn't even aware he was hiding was slowly making its way out in the open.

“What it's gonna take for you to show up, huh?” he blurted out loudly, his voice emitting an echo. “What? Do you want me to admit it? Just come out with it, is that what you want? Fine, then, fine! I like you, okay? I like you...and I do remember kissing you...and I remember liking it. And yes, I want to kiss you again, and yes...” He found a tree to lean on, and soon, he was on the ground, sighing as he finally faced the truth. “Yes, I really do like you.”

Kyuhyun brought his head up and stared at the way the glow of the stars seemed to fade—much like how he himself felt. “Where are you, you little ? I miss your stupid face.”

The rustling of leaves broke the pregnant silence, but Kyuhyun paid no heed to it. He was tired, he was cold and there was no sign of Sungmin anywhere. 

Or so he thought. “I don't know whether to be flattered or insulted.”

Kyuhyun whipped around to the sound of the familiar voice, and his face immediately contorted into one of sheer surprise mixed with joy and relief. “Sungmin...”

“Hi honey, did you miss me?” The fool in black pumps smirked. “Of course you did. Otherwise, you wouldn't have gone off into a dramatic monologue about yours truly.”

“Shut up,” he hissed and avoided his eyes. “Let's just go back to the campsite; try not to get lost this time. You've been a huge burden to everybody and we all deserve some damn sleep right now—”

Sungmin cut him off by cupping the sharp features of Kyuhyun's face and crashing his lips into his, “I missed you too, baby,” he murmured throatily. “And just so you know, I like you too.”

“Really. I never would've guessed.” He rolled his eyes and pushed him off. “Wipe that stupid grin off your face, you punk. I'm beginning to think you set me up; the only person pathetic enough to have everyone think he's helplessly lost in the woods just for attention is—”

“Cut the crap; I heard what you said about me loud and clear and there's no way you can take that back.” Sungmin poked the taller boy's chest to emphasize his point. “And if it makes you feel better, I was just pretending at first, but I really did end up getting lost. I was actually really scared, you know.”

Kyuhyun scoffed, “Whatever. Serves you right.”

“We really need to have a discussion about this. A real one.” He proposed. “What you said earlier isn't just something you can sweep under the rug, you know. And there are some things I kind of want to get off my chest too. I promise I won't try any funny stuff this time; just a simple, one-on-one conversation—that's all I ask.”

Kyuhyun stayed still for a moment before stepping forward, seemingly to head back to the site.

“Don't I at least deserve a response?” Sungmin asked, making him stop and turn around to meet his gaze. “Well?”

Kyuhyun swallowed a large lump in his throat before bending his knees at just the right position to match Sungmin's height; he then leaned closer and planted a small and quick kiss on Sungmin's cheek. Afterwards, he walked away, knowing the other would follow. Sungmin, with a lovestruck grin on, trailed closely behind him—though he felt more like he was drifting on cloud nine.

“Tea?”

Kyuhyun stared suspiciously at the paper cup being presented before him, “You didn't put any alcohol in this, did you?”

“No,” Sungmin chuckled. “I promised I wouldn't do any funny stuff, remember?”

The wary-eyed teenager took a cautious sip before deciding that said tea was safe. As he set it down on the blanket underneath him, he threw his head back and shut his eyes, “How long are you going to keep me out here?”

“Until we sort this out.”

“There's nothing to sort out.”

“Yes, there is, goddamit.” He retorted calmly, making Kyuhyun's eyes widen as it was the first time Sungmin has ever snapped at him. “I have been trying to play Miss-Good-Girl to you since God knows when, and frankly, I'm getting a little sick of your attitude.”

Kyuhyun lifted one eyebrow, “Miss-Good-Girl?”

“Okay, that's it,” Sungmin stood up quite crossly, making Kyuhyun jump slightly. “I'm going to sleep.”

“Okay, okay, fine, I'm sorry,” Kyuhyun rolled his eyes as he grabbed the smaller boy's wrist and pulled him back down to the ground beside him. “Don't get all melodramatic on me now.”

Sungmin tried his hardest to suppress a giggle, but Kyuhyun's sharp eyes failed to overlook this. He sighed loudly, “You're not really mad, are you?”

“Oh, you know I could never get mad at you,” Sungmin crooned as he put his chin on the other's shoulder. “But I'm a really good actor, aren't I? I had you fooled.”

“Only because it's late, and I'm tired, and I'm cold all at the same time.” He griped, prompting Sungmin to take his own coat off and drape it around Kyuhyun's thin frame. “You don't have to do this.”

“I want to,” Sungmin shrugged. “I know you think I'm annoying and stuff, but I really do care about other people. Just ask Hyukkie.”

“I don't think you're annoying.” Kyuhyun replied in a tiny voice.

“Really?”

“You're just...persistent, to put it nicely.”

“You know,” he cleared his throat. "To tell the truth, I normally wouldn't spend so much time and effort chasing after someone who clearly doesn't want to be chased, but...I guess you're an exception.”

“How come?” 

“I don't know, I guess there's something about you.” He mused. “But while I was trying to find my way back earlier, I had some time to my thoughts and I think it's about time I give up—”

“Don't.”

“What?”

“Don't. Don't give up.”

Sungmin smiled softly, “Why?”

“I don't know,” he shrugged dismissively. “I don't want you to.”

“Kyuhyun, just between the two of us,” he reassuringly placed his hand on Kyuhyun's knee. “Are you gay?”

“I...I don't know.”

“Well...don't you want to find out?”

“You don't think I'm trying?” he asked, startling Sungmin with the sudden increase in the volume of his voice. “You think I like being so confused all the time? I don't. This is no picnic for me, you know.”

“Well, you certainly don't seem like you're trying.” Sungmin still managed to keep his cool. “This whole time, you've done nothing but tell me that you're straight, and that you like girls, and that there's no way in hell that you could be gay.”

Another heavy sigh escaped Kyuhyun's blue lips, “You probably think I'm an , don't you?”

“I don't think you're an ,” it looked like Kyuhyun was about to smile at his words, until Sungmin added, “You're a big jerk though.”

“That doesn't make me feel any better.” For a moment there, Kyuhyun actually looked like he was pouting.

“Sorry. I'm not really good at comforting people.” He admitted with a slight shrug. “I'm usually the one that needs to be comforted.”

“About what?”

“The fact that I'm ing lonely. Even more so now, ever since Donghae got his hands on Hyukkie. I'm happy for them and all but...now that Eunhyuk has him...what do I have?” Sungmin seemed like a totally different person to Kyuhyun at the moment. It was sort of refreshing though, to see the usually diva-like teenager in a rather vulnerable state. “Just so you know, this is the part where you tell me that I have you.”

Kyuhyun snapped out of his thoughts, “What?”

“I tell you I'm lonely, you tell me you're here for me. Come on, don't you ever watch any romance dramas?” he scolded, emitting a soft chuckle and a shake of the head from Kyuhyun. “You should do that more often...smile, I mean.”

“It's hard to nowadays,” he dropped his gaze to his scruffed-up sneakers. “There are so many things I want to think about, yet so little time to think about them.”

Sungmin stared at him strangely, “What the hell are you talking about? We've been in camp for a week and all we do is eat and sleep. This is the most free time I've had in ages.”

“Geez, you sure know how to ruin a moment.” Kyuhyun rolled his eyes in frustration.

The younger boy gaped as he brought his hand to his chest, “We're having a moment?”

“Not anymore.”

Sungmin, in an attempt to bring back the 'moment', started to bat his eyelashes as he casually slid his hand on top of Kyuhyun's. “Can we have it again?”

Kyuhyun might not have realized it, but all the walls he has been trying to hold up came crashing down in an instant. He no longer felt uncomfortable around Sungmin's presence; in fact, he was starting to grow more and more at ease by the minute. There was a look of vulnerability in Sungmin's surprisingly pure eyes that he related to. And as odd as it seemed, Sungmin actually gave him a sense of security; like everything was going to be alright, even just for a little while.

Kyuhyun closed the gaps between their lips after what seemed like an eternity of staring into each other's eyes. Sungmin was quick to return the kiss, as well as deepen it as his hand made its way to the back of Kyuhyun's neck. 

Sungmin pulled away to catch his breath, “I know you're having trouble figuring yourself out, but,” he lightly pressed his forehead against Kyuhyun's, locking gazes with him once again. “I'm here. I can help. I can and I will.”

Sungmin felt the taller boy's shoulders heave up and down as he breathed. He thought he had finally gotten through to him, until Kyuhyun abruptly pulled away and uttered a dismissive, “Goodnight,” to him. Sungmin felt his chest tighten as he watched the boy walk away and disappear into his tent without even looking back.

Sungmin sighed and picked up his coat, which Kyuhyun had dropped as he left. He brought it to his nose and took in the faint scent of Kyuhyun in it, before wrapping it around his shoulders for warmth. The tea he made for Kyuhyun was left unfinished, so he ended up throwing the contents into a bush after a moment of contemplating. Afterwards, he sat still for a few minutes until he heard footsteps approaching.

“I'm guessing this is the part where the best friend hugs the friend in need?”

Sungmin, almost in tears, nodded as he threw himself in Heechul's arms. Heechul awkwardly patted the crown of the miserable boy's head, as he really had no clue when it came to making people feel better. But this seemed to be enough for Sungmin, as he brought his head up from the counselor's chest and stated, “Love .”

“I know, hon,” he nodded as Sungmin's grip on him tightened, almost cutting off his air supply. “Um...you're kind of suffocating me over here.”

“Deal with it,” the smaller boy hissed; Heechul was just relieved to see a glimpse of diva-Sungmin again.

“What are you looking at?” Donghae inquired, making Eunhyuk yelp at the sudden noise.

“Hae,” his hand was on his chest as he tried to catch his breath. “I thought you were asleep.”

“I rolled over to your side and you weren't there.” He pouted, making Eunhyuk mentally swoon. “What were you looking at?”

“Kyuhyun and Sungmin just kissed,” he revealed, pointing towards the tiny opening he had made between the flaps of their tent. 

Donghae gasped, “Shut. Up. For real?”

Eunhyuk nodded, amused at how eager the jock appeared. “But Kyuhyun left, now Sungmin's crying and that damn Heechul got to him before I could.”

“I don't get it. Isn't Heechul your friend?” He asked in quite childlike manner as he rested his chin on Eunhyuk's shoulder. He peeked out the small opening in their tent, only to see Sungmin sobbing hysterically (it almost looked like a scene in a soap opera) while Heechul flipped through the pages of a magazine, waiting for the boy to finish blubbering.

“Yes, but it's always my job to comfort Minnie.” Eunhyuk said, his eyebrows scrunched together, forming a cross expression. “But then Heechul has to go and in; I'm not sure they even like each other!”

Donghae rolled his eyes, “Hyukkie, you're weird.”

Eunhyuk's head immediately whipped around to face him, “You're calling me weird? You, the guy who talks to Nemo?”

“Yah, Nemo happens to be a very good listener.” He said defensively as he turned back to his sleeping bag, where he assumed his plushie was in. “I could've sworn I left him here—oh my God, where's my Nemo?!”

“It's weird to see you without Donghae,” Kyuhyun held his best friend's favorite plushie in one hand, while his chin rested on the other. “He never goes anywhere without you; I'm actually surprised that he left you here.”

Kyuhyun gave the stuffed Nemo a light squeeze, emitting a small squeaking sound. Though this managed to bring a slight smile out of him, he soon resorted back to frowning once he heard another sob come from outside.

“And my heels are all dirty from walking around all night!”

It had been a few minutes of lying in his sleeping bag before he realized that Sungmin had to come in sooner or later. Donghae was staying in Eunhyuk's tent again (for reasons he chose not to learn), and despite Sungmin's small frame, he wouldn't fit inside Heechul and Siwon's tent, since the two could barely even fit in there themselves; naturally, Sungmin had no choice but to bunk with him. He waited and waited and waited, but Sungmin never came. 

He then decided to open his tent just slightly, to see if Sungmin was still outside. Much to his relief, Sungmin stayed put instead of wandering off again, but then he saw Heechul hug him and it stirred something inside of him. Jealousy.

So he figured he should keep an eye on the two of them, at least until one of them left. But it's been almost half an hour and neither of them had budged. The idea of coming out and prying the two apart was starting to sound very appealing to Kyuhyun at the moment.

“I don't know what to do. A part of me says I like him, but another part of me says I'm just committing social suicide. Come on, one guy at school accidentally touched some other guy's junk and he never got to hear the end of it. If everybody finds out I like Sungmin...I'm dead.” Kyuhyun stared at the unmoving eyes of Nemo, before he realized what he was doing. “Oh God, I'm talking to Nemo. Holy crap, I'm becoming Donghae.”

Startled by the apparent epiphany, he promptly tossed the plushie away and shivered. “Great. First, I kiss a guy and now, I'm talking to a damn stuffed animal. I knew I shouldn't have let Donghae drag me to camp...”

Siwon felt weird. Very weird. 

He had awoken when he felt Heechul move around; he watched quietly as the counselor left the tent. Out of curiosity, Siwon looked outside and saw Heechul hug a figure whose shoulders were shaking, and a fire sparked within him. It was not an unfamiliar feeling; Siwon recalled feeling the same way when his parents gave his sister a car for Christmas, while they gave him a set of car keys to give to his sister. The feeling also appeared when a churchmate of his got the lead in the Christmas play at the chapel, when he thought he was the one who deserved it more. The most recent appearance of the feeling was when their coach coaxed him into letting Kyuhyun have the title of the star quarterback, when it was Siwon who scored three touchdowns in one row. Kyuhyun then became the most popular guy in school, being hounded by the adoring public as well as numerous sports agents. Siwon would've been happy for his friend, but Kyuhyun was just the freaking water boy.

Siwon recognized the feeling. But he refused to believe it. Was it...jealousy?

Was he actually jealous that Heechul was holding another person? That another person was the focus of Heechul's attention instead of him now? Perhaps a small part of him wished he was the one who was in Heechul's arms right now. 

Every now and then, Heechul would end up on Siwon's side of the bed while sleeping. Siwon would always be awakened by the sudden movement, but he never pushed the man away, nor did he try to get away from him. He liked the warmth that Heechul brought. He liked the fruity smell of his hair. He liked the way his name would sometimes roll off his tongue in his sleep. One time, Siwon even found himself the soft strands on Heechul's pretty head until he fell asleep. Come next morning, he woke up and Heechul was gone, but his scent still lingered on his shirt.

“Yah, get a hold of yourself, you drama queen!”

Siwon took another peek outside and chuckled when he realized that Heechul and Sungmin had thankfully returned to their usual selves. The two were now physically squabbling over a fashion magazine in Heechul's hand; surprisingly, Sungmin was winning.

The scene was so entertaining that Siwon watched until Heechul ended up pulling Sungmin's wig off, causing the smaller boy to freak out and lash out on the elder by clawing at his chest. Soon, Sungmin was in tears once again because of a broken nail. This time around, Heechul couldn't get the boy to stop sobbing so he took Sungmin by the arms, literally dragged him towards Kyuhyun's tent and shoved him inside. 

Siwon spotted Heechul heading back to their tent so he lay back down and pretended to be asleep. Heechul, seeing his unmoving figure, quietly made his way inside. Before getting some shut-eye, he smiled at Siwon's sleeping face, kissed his forehead and lovingly said, “Goodnight, Siwonnie.”

It was a good thing Heechul went to sleep right afterwards, or else he would've seen the obvious shade of red Siwon's cheeks turned into.

“Hyukkie,” Donghae lightly slapped the sleeping boy's face to wake him up. “Hyukkie, wake up.”

Eunhyuk's eyes slowly fluttered open and he soon saw Donghae's innocent face hovering merely inches from his nose. He jumped from the sudden sight; Donghae just had a knack for scaring the crap out of Eunhyuk.

“What are you doing up?” Eunhyuk asked, frankly feeling a bit peeved that his beauty sleep had been interrupted. “Go back to sleep.”

“I can't. And you can't either.” He shook his head.

“What? Why not?” he asked, puzzled. “Wait, let me guess. Nemo's missing again?”

“Nope. Turns out I left him back in my tent.” He shrugged and pointed to Nemo, who was sitting on the pillow of his sleeping bag. “He's here now and I'm never leaving him again.”

“Good to know,” he dismissed. “Can I go back to sleep now?”

“No!” Donghae stopped the skinny boy from continuing his deep slumber by grabbing his wrist, pulling him up to his feet and pushing him outside. “Remember that thing we discussed last night?”

“What thing?” Eunhyuk asked, running his hand through his red locks. “Hae, I'd love to play this game anytime but now. I'm tired from looking for Sungmin all night, and then watching him and Heechul all lovey-dovey, and—”

“But this isn't a game.” Donghae turned him around, allowing him to finally see the lovely picnic he had prepared outside their tent.

Eunhyuk's jaw fell open as Donghae pulled him towards the checkered blanket and sat him down. “Hae, what is all this?”

“This is our first date, silly.” Donghae pressed the back of his hand to Eunhyuk's cheek. “We talked about it last night, remember?”

“Oh, yeah...” Eunhyuk's mouth started watering at the sight of all the food.

“Sorry I couldn't prepare much food,” Donghae started. “This is all I could do on such short notice.”

“Are you kidding? This is amazing.” Eunhyuk kissed his cheek as he poured himself a glass of strawberry milk. “Thank you, Hae.”

“Aw, no need to thank me.” He waved him off, blushing. “After all, this is what boyfriends do, right?”

Eunhyuk almost choked on his pink milk, “W-what?”

“What?”

“Did you just call yourself my boyfriend?”

“...Did you not like that?”

“I did, trust me, I did. I just didn't realize that we were...you know, an official couple now.”

“Oh, but we are.” Donghae stated with wide, eager eyes. “We're boyfriend-boyfriend now, Hyukkie. So we better start acting like it.”

Somebody up there liked him, Eunhyuk thought as Donghae planted a kiss on his nose. Sighing, Eunhyuk made himself comfortable on the smaller boy's lap, as Donghae fed him a bunch of grapes.

He hadn't even noticed that Donghae had started rambling, “And nothing will ever come between us. I'm sure of it because Nemo told me so—”

“Nothing, eh?”

“Yep! Nothing.”

“So have you broken up with Jessica yet?”

“...Dammit.”

“Look at them,” Sungmin grimaced. “It's disgusting.”

“I'm surprised they didn't attract any bears with all these food.” Heechul remarked. “Then maybe the bear could've taken them away.”

“That's a nice thought.” Sungmin grinned impishly.

The sun was shining brightly the next morning, and two certain divas woke up to find a couple of lovebirds in each other's arms right in the middle of the campsite. They were fast asleep, only having each other for warmth. To any other people, the sight would've been charming, but for Sungmin and Heechul, two lonely, single campers, the picture was absolutely sickening.

“You know what we should do?” Heechul started. “Let's get a bucket of water and throw it on them.”

“Too much work,” Sungmin shook his head. “It'd be much easier to do this—”

Sungmin then proceeded to jerk the couple awake with his foot. “Yah, yah. Wake up.” When they didn't even stir, Sungmin gave Eunhyuk's a swift kick, which successfully woke him up with a loud groan.

“Yah, Sungmin!” Eunhyuk protested, rubbing his currently sore backside. “What was that for?”

“You two make me sick.” He huffed. “Get a room.”

Donghae rubbed his eyes, having been woken up by Eunhyuk's pained groan. “Yah, just because you're lonely doesn't mea—”

A fire flickered in Sungmin's eyes as he demanded, “What did you just say?”

“Nothing,” Donghae immediately cowered behind Eunhyuk. “Hyukkie, save me.”

“Sungmin, chill out.” Eunhyuk scolded. “You can't blame us for wanting to celebrate our togetherness.”

“Togetherness?” One of Heechul's eyebrow tugged upward. “Seriously? We've only been in camp for a week. What in the world have you two been doing behind closed tents?”

“Cuddling!” Donghae answered cheerily, almost making Heechul facepalm.

“You're lucky you're cute.” He muttered, before making an announcement. “Anyway, you all better haul today. We're doing an activity later this afternoon.”

“Activity?” Sungmin felt nauseous just at the thought of hard work. “Please tell me you're talking about fun and games and not anything that involves manual labor and...ugh...sweating.”

Heechul merely responded with an evil smirk.

“Do we really have to do this?” 

“The school requires that I say yes.” Heechul handed Sungmin a pair of boat paddles, which the younger boy accepted while sulking.

“I don't even know the first thing about canoing.” He admitted.

“That's why you're here: to learn.” Heechul patted the younger boy's bottom before distributing the rest of the equipment.

“You sound like my Math teacher!” He called out before staring at the wooden paddles in his hand with much confusion. When he spotted Eunhyuk, he quickly pulled him aside and asked, “You know what to do with these things, right, Hyukkie?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “Why?”

“Because you're gonna have to teach me while we're out there in the water, riding one of those canoe thingys.” He said.

“Oh, I'm sorry, Min, but,” Eunhyuk scratched his head awkwardly. “Hae and I are going to partner up. He is my boyfriend now, after all.”

“I can't believe you're ditching me for someone you've been dating for a day.” He folded his arms across his chest and sent his friend the dirtiest look he could conjure. “Who am I supposed to go with now?”

“I was thinking...” Eunhyuk cocked his head towards Kyuhyun's direction.

Sungmin turned pale, “Hyukjae, I can't. Things were kind of awkward with him last night and we haven't talked since. We didn't even talk in the tent; it's killing me. Don't do this to me, Hyukjae!”

“I'm sorry, Minnie, but—”

“Hi, partner!” Donghae greeted cheerfully as he slung his arm around Eunhyuk's. “Ready to go canoing?”

“Partner?” Kyuhyun happened to overhear, and was not the least bit pleased about it. “Donghae, I thought we were going to be partners?”

“But, Kyu,” Donghae hid behind Eunhyuk, in case Kyuhyun attempted to murder him. “You never asked...”

“Who do you expect me to go with now?” he demanded loudly.

Eunhyuk and Donghae turned their gazes to Sungmin, who was busy whistling and looking around, pretending to be nonchalant. 

Kyuhyun's eyes widened, “No. No, no, no, no, no. I am not going with him.”

“Well, if he doesn't want to go with me then I don't want to go with him either.” Sungmin, fed up, grabbed Donghae and stated, “I'm partnering with Donghae.”

“Fine,” Kyuhyun was just as riled up as he was. “Then I'm going with the monkey here.”

“Monkey?” Eunhyuk asked, offended. 

“Oh, don't look so hurt.” Kyuhyun rolled his eyes before dragging Eunhyuk towards one of the canoes. “If Sungmin thinks he can piss me off by running off with my best friend, then two can play at that game.”

“Are you two in the middle of a lovers' spat or something...?”

“We are not lovers!” He retorted, throwing him a lifejacket. “Now here's what we're gonna do: you paddle while I keep an eye on them.”

“How about we both paddle?” Eunhyuk asked carefully, causing Kyuhyun to roll his eyes yet again.

“Fine.” Kyuhyun grabbed a paddle and pointed it to his companion. “But if something happens between Sungmin and Donghae and I'm not there to stop it, I'm leaving you out here to die. You got it?”

Eunhyuk gulped, “Yes, sir.”

“So...what do we do now?” asked Donghae.

Sungmin looked equally confused as him. “I don't know. Eunhyuk usually does these kinds of things for me.”

“And Kyuhyun does all the work for me.” Donghae related. “I guess we should get on this boat thing now, huh?”

“I guess so,” Sungmin shrugged.

The two sat on opposite ends of the canoe, merely staring at each other in silence.

“What now?” Donghae asked.

“I think we're supposed to use these.” Sungmin picked up the paddles and handed them both to Donghae. “Here, you use them.”

“But I don't know how.”

“Neither do I. Plus, these things are so going to give me blisters and ruin my nails.”

Donghae leaned over to take a look at said fingernails, “Oh, that's a cute color.”

“You really think so?” Sungmin's eyes immediately lit up. “I wasn't too sure about it, especially since Eunhyuk kept insisting I go with the purple one instead of the pink.”

“I think pink looks good on you.” Donghae smiled.

“And I think I'm starting to really like you, hon.” Sungmin took Donghae's hand and scanned his dull nails. “Ew. Somebody obviously needs a manicure.”

“I do?”

“Yes, desperately.” He confirmed. “I'd be glad to give you one. I'm an expert at manicures.”

“I've never gotten a manicure before.” He admitted. “Kyuhyun said they're just for girls.”

“Well, you've recently moved to the side where the grass is always gayer. It's time somebody introduced you to the perks of being gay, my dear Donghae.” He smirked. “But first, let's get our priorities straight. What do we do about this canoe?”

“Maybe we can just...you know, don't and say we did?” he suggested, earning a pat on the back from Sungmin.

“That's nice thinking,” he complimented. “I gotta say, I like you even more now.”

“So, I guess we're stuck together.” Heechul asked as he handed Siwon an orange lifejacket.

“Oh, I wouldn't say that,” Siwon smiled awkwardly. “Stuck is such a strong word.”

“Well, we're partners then.” 

“...Partners is an even stronger word.”

“Let's just do this, shall we?” Heechul cleared his throat in an attempt to ease the awkwardness. “The purpose of this activity—according to the school, at least—is to strengthen teamwork, adjust to the environment and apparently, have fun.”

“I haven't done this since I was little, so I might be a little rusty.” Siwon said as he started paddling.

“You're doing fine,” Heechul assured him as he paddled as well. “Better than me, even.”

“Better than a camp counselor who's probably had years of experience?” Siwon guffawed. “I don't think so.”

“Actually, this is my first time on a canoe,” Heechul admitted sheepishly. “I just got lucky this time around, I guess.”

“Oh, well, I gotta say,” he smiled. “You're doing pretty good for a first-timer.”

“Thanks,” he returned the grin. “The weather's nice today, don't you think? Seems like everything's going right today, for once. I can't even think of anything that could go wrong.”

“Well said,” Siwon agreed.

“You know, Siwon,” Heechul slowly stood up from the stern of the boat. “I think we should take this opportunity to talk about—oh my God!”

As Heechul stood upright, the boat lost its balance, thus causing it to tip over and throw Siwon overboard. Heechul cupped his mouth as Siwon rose from the water, sputtering. He held his hand out to help him back in, but just when Siwon finally got a decent grip, Heechul was startled by a fish jumping out of water, causing him to inadvertently let go of Siwon, which sent him back into the water.

All Heechul could muster out at the moment was, “Stupid fish...”

“Where the hell did those two go?”

“You're jealous.”

“I am not jealous!”

“Yes, you are.”

“For the last time, I am not jealous!” Kyuhyun insisted. “I don't give a rat's if they left the country to elope.”

Eunhyuk wanted to roll his eyes, but he was afraid of what Kyuhyun would do to him if he did. “Then why are you looking for them?”

“Because...just because!”

“Oh, sure, that's always a good reason.”

“Shut up.”

Although they were doing fine out in the water, Kyuhyun insisted they turn the canoe back around when he realized neither Sungmin nor Donghae were in sight. Eunhyuk had no choice but to oblige; he was starting to miss Donghae already anyway.

“Hyukkie?” Eunhyuk could recognize that voice anywhere.

“Hae!” Eunhyuk gleefully ran to the direction of the voice, but he came to a full stop once a peculiar scene unraveled before him.

There was Donghae. His boyfriend.

Next to him was Sungmin. His best friend.

His boyfriend was getting a manicure from his best friend. His best friend. His boyfriend. A manicure. 

Even just saying it in his mind felt weird. 

Once Kyuhyun finally caught up to him, he was quick to voice out Eunhyuk's inner thoughts, “What the hell is going on here?”

“Oh, Minnie's just giving me a manicure.” Donghae extended his free hand to show off his newly-painted nails. “Look, Hyukkie, isn't it pretty?”

Eunhyuk stared at him strangely before turning to Sungmin with an accusing finger. “What did you do with my Hae?”

“Nothing. I'm just bringing out the inner gay in him, s'all.” Sungmin shrugged as he continued to buff Donghae's nails. “It's been a fun experience for both of us.”

“Hae, you're actually enjoying this?” Eunhyuk asked, his hand his boyfriend's cheek.

“Mm-hmm,” he nodded eagerly. “Minnie even said he's going to teach me how to dye my hair and put on make-up.”

Kyuhyun almost gagged hearing the words come from his once formerly straight friend. “Did you two even leave the shore?”

“Nope,” Donghae answered honestly. “We couldn't figure out how.”

“You just get in the damn boat and freaking paddle.” Kyuhyun stared at him incredulously. 

“But wouldn't that give me blisters?” he asked, tilting his head slightly. “And make me sweat?”

“Good God, Hae, you're turning into a woman.” Kyuhyun shut his eyes and groaned in frustration.

“No, he's not,” Eunhyuk didn't look quite pleased either. “He's turning into Sungmin.”

Just as Sungmin was about to retaliate with a smartass remark, Heechul appeared, followed by a soaking wet Siwon.

“What happened?” Eunhyuk asked.

“It was my fault,” Siwon replied as he went into his tent to find a towel. “I should've been more alert.”

Sungmin failed to overlook the guilty look on Heechul's face, prompting him to go over to him and ask, “I know that look on your face. You pushed him in, didn't you?”

“I didn't exactly push him in...it was an accident, I swear!” he said defensively.

Sungmin was still rather skeptic of him, “That sounds as true as Kyuhyun saying he's straight—which is to say, consists of zero percent of the truth.”

“I can hear you,” Kyuhyun protested.

“I know.” Sungmin responded with a mindless shrug before tending to Donghae's nails again.

Once Heechul heard a nasty cough escape Siwon's trembling lips, he was quick to check his temperature and offer to make some hot soup. Although Siwon insisted he was fine, Heechul paid no attention to him as he wrapped a dozen blankets over him and ordered the others to start a fire.

Sungmin exchanged a knowing look with Eunhyuk, who, from the looks of it, was thinking the exact same thing as him.

“Münchha—what?” Heechul asked, scratching his head in confusion.

“Münchhausen Syndrome by proxy.” Sungmin reiterated.

“Okay, I can't pronounce it, I probably can't spell it and I don't even know what it means.” Heechul said as he practiced his archery skills with the equipment they had just set up. 

“It's a kind of abuse.” Eunhyuk revealed.

“So you guys are saying I'm abusing Siwon?” he asked.

“Well, not on purpose,” Eunhyuk continued. “We think you secretly wanted Siwon to get sick so you can play caretaker. You see, Münchhausen Syndrome by proxy is when a caretaker deliberately exaggerates whatever problem their patient has, usually for attention. In your case, you're just looking for a way to get closer to Siwon without making him feel awkward.”

Heechul looked at them as if they were crazy, “How do you two know so much about this?”

“Hyukkie and I watch a lot of psychological horror movies.” Sungmin revealed. “They're so much better than slasher films.”

“So much better,” Eunhyuk agreed. “Anyway, we thought you should let you know before you do anything drastic.”

“You guys are overreacting.” Heechul shot an arrow while speaking, but failed to hit the bullseye. “What happened today was an accident.”

“Psychology says there are no such thing as accidents.” Sungmin stated as a-matter-of-factly as Heechul prepared another arrow for his bow.

“I think you guys are the ones who are crazy.” Heechul was adamant. Before shooting the arrow again, he turned to the two campers first, “I don't want to hurt Siwon and by no means am I trying to hurt him—”

“OW!” 

Heechul immediately dropped his bow once he realized he had misfired the arrow by accident. Unfortunately, it didn't hit the archery board, but rather, a very sensitive part of Siwon's body.

Sungmin, while staring at Siwon hopping up and about in pain, quipped, “Looks like he'll really need a massage now.”