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“I feel like I’m stuck in a can of sardines,” Wooyoung grumbles as he adjusts his position for the nth time.
He proceeds to throw a leg over your thighs, leaning back in the seat to make himself comfortable.
You whack his leg in retaliation, but he simply casts you a look from over his magazine, a teasing smile playing on his lips.
“There’s space on the floor,” Jongho mumbles as he snaps pictures the lush greenery flashing by the large windows.
It was Seonghwa and Hongjoong’s brilliant idea to rent a RV and take a last minute weekend camping trip before summer ends officially.
You had declined the invitation, but after much persuasion and threats from Seonghwa and San respectively, you complied.
The regret you felt was so intense that you felt it in the marrow of your bones.
However, it was only for a few days after all.
“How many minutes left?” Wooyoung whines from the back of the RV, head thrown back against the window.
The vehicle isn’t too big.
It realistically was meant for a family of four, but Hongjoong insisted it will work out with the nine of you.
It had a working bathroom and two adjustable beds.
And of course, Wooyoung had to call him out on being too cheap to rent a bigger vehicle.
“One more hour.”
“You said that an hour ago.”
“Yeah, but Hongjoong took a detour and got lost for thirty minutes.”
“Well, if someone had paid attention to the GPS and nota certain person, maybe we would’ve arrived by now,” the blue haired male behind the wheel spat, eyeing the male seated in the passenger seat.
Seonghwa’s frame stiffened at the accusation, before he narrowed his eyes at the other and snapped back in retaliation.
“There was no signal, and you know that!”
Yeosang rolls his eyes as the two eldest began bickering from the front of the vehicle.
“I knew I was going to regret coming,” he mumbles as he squints at the cards in his hands.
Across from him Yunho and San join him in a competitive card game.
“Me too,” you mumbled in agreement, groaning as you stood up to stretch your limbs.
“This trip wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t tag along,” Wooyoung grins as he throws his legs over your empty seat, sighing in contentment.
You give him a look of confusion, and a sly grin finds its way over to his features.
“Seonghwa would’ve just sulked in his room all weekend.”
“Wooyoung,” a firm voice warned threateningly from the front.
Before you can question anything, a sudden and shrill shriek from the back of the vehicle startled all of you, and you quickly peered back to give Mingi a questioning look.
“San! Why is Byeol in the trunk?!”
“Oh, shit-”
The black haired male threw down his cards and dashed past you and a confused Wooyoung, the latter nosily leaning forward to take a closer look in the back.
“Look, I couldn’t get anyone to watch her while I was gone. Don’t tell Seonghwa or Joong. I was planning on keeping her in the RV,” he hastily explained in a hushed voice.
“Hongjoong’s going to have your head if he finds out,” Yeosang called out rather loudly.
You notice the blue haired male’s eyes flicker up at the rear view mirror.
“If I find out what?”
“And here I thought you bought cat food for yourself,” Jongho mused, “Glad to know you haven’t lost it yet.”
“You bought Byeol!? Are you crazy?”
“The woods is no place for a cat,” Hongjoong scolded with furrowed brows, “We agreed to no pets, San.”
The black haired male dragged himself to the front of the RV to defend himself, while Byeol squeezed out of her opened cage to crawl and curl up on the bed where Jongho was situated.
Thankfully you arrived early enough to set up camp before dark.
A large campsite high on a cliff and overlooking a large lake below was the perfect spot. The surrounding forest was dense with rustling trees, the sweet scent of their resin filling the air.
Seonghwa helped Hongjoong set up the tents, while the latter gave the rest instructions.
You joined Mingi in collecting twigs, bark, and fallen, dry branches for a small fire.
“I think I should go with them,” Seonghwa anxiously eyed your retreating form and peered at Hongjoong for an answer, “They’ll probably get lost.”
“Calm down, mother hen. They’ll be fine.”
Yeosang and Jongho were unpacking a few bags from the RV, and Yunho set up the table and chairs.
San and Wooyoung were off collecting rocks for the fire pit.
Judging by the way the two cackled from within the dense forest, you knew they’d be the last to fulfill their duties.
“Come here, y/n! Look what I found!” You snapped your head up to peer curiously at the sandy blonde male.
You trudged with armfuls of splintered branches, brows raised in wonder, “What is it, Mingi?”
He shushed you and nudged his head towards the decomposing hole in the tree in front of him, whispering gently, “Baby squirrels are in there.”
Your face broke out into a large grin as you stepped closer to peek within the dark hole, “Are they sleepi-”
The two of you stiffened at the sound of rustling bushes from behind you.
Mingi’s eyes grew wide, and he dropped a few twigs to reach out and grasp the back of your hoodie, pulling you back and in front of him, “Don’t worry, y/n. I’ll protect you from every animal here.”
You would have believed his words if his voice didn’t rise two octaves than normal.
From your peripheral vision, you can see his knees trembling.
He nearly became hysterical with fear.
The stillness of your breathing amplified the sounds of the forest.
The sounds of croaking frogs, droning insects, and rustling trees became much louder.
The sudden sound of a branch snapping in half startled the poor male, and he let out a shriek much too close to your ear.
You turned back to give him a pointed look, and he cleared his throat abruptly.
“I read in my book that screaming will help deter big animals,” he hastily explained himself in a rather defensive manner, chest heaving up proudly.
“It’s probably just a bird, Min-”
A sudden roar from nearby interrupted your explanation, and you couldn’t tell if you or Mingi yelped in fright, the two of you carelessly discarding the wood and running back to camp, occasionally tripping over protruding tree roots. To hell with keeping warm tonight.
“You’re going to give them a heart attack one day,” San chuckled into his video camera, pointing it to the wheezing Wooyoung, who weakly held himself upright with a hand on a tree trunk, eyes teary and face red.
“Please tell me you caught that on video,” he hoarsely replied followed by a new round of laughter.
“Yep. And you’re going to hell.”
You trip was off to a great start.
Eventually, you and Mingi forced Yunho to tag along built enough courage to go back and collect the forgotten branches.
Seonghwa passed around the dry food he packed, and all nine of you huddled around the fire.
Yunho was busy grilling the meat they had prepared the night prior, and Hongjoong lazily stirred the pot of canned mackerel soup.
“How come you get two sandwiches?” Wooyoung huffed, pinpointing his gaze to your plate, before suspiciously glaring at Seonghwa, “You said one for everyone, lover boy.”
The other nearly choked on his water before eyeing the younger with a strict gaze, “Don’t be so greedy.”
“Seonghwa’s going to starve us if he gives y/n extra of everything,” Yeosang smiled at the flustered expression that overtook the older’s face.
“Hongjoong, tell Seonghwa to stop being so biased.”
“One more word, and I’ll spike your food with bug spray.”
San would occasionally whip out his video camera to capture the others’ antics, his high pitched laugh drowning out most of the sounds in the footage.
Wooyoung, Jongho, and Seonghwa will be too busy retelling stories of paranormal activity amongst the fire while you adjusted the roasting sweet potatoes.
Hongjoong pats a nervous looking Mingi, and giggles silently as the other boldly states that he doesn’t believe in ghosts.
The poor blonde nearly jumps out of his skin as Wooyoung breaks the sudden silence with an awfully familiar, vicious, guttural growl. You narrow your eyes at the laughing male, suddenly connecting two and two.
Yeosang and Yunho came around with drinks, and the others cheered in unison at the sight.
Hours later, a sober Seonghwa and Hongjoong watched as the others dance and holler around the fire pit in their drunken state.
Jongho, albeit drunk, surprisingly managed to balance Seonghwa’s small telescope on his nose, much to the other’s dismay.
The older maneuvers the kerosene lanterns away from the boisterous and rowdy bunch.
“I knew we shouldn’t have agreed to alcohol on this trip,” Hongjoong mutters underneath his breath, shaking his head.
San’s trembling hands shook as he attempted to continue filming, only for Hongjoong to calmly take the camera away before the other trips and breaks it.
Wooyoung clung to your side and whined at how the bonfire was just too bright for his weak eyes, and you were too out of it to understand the words that he attempted to form out.
He eventually knocked out with his head on your lap.
The others were busy toasting marshmallows and bickering amongst each other how a proper s'mores should be eaten.
“Who in their right mind would want to eat it burned?” Yeosang slurred back to the pouting Mingi, “You might as well just eat coal.”
“It gives it flavor,” the other tried reasoning his opinion.
A hand prodded your shoulder and you peered to your left to be face to face with San’s shaky video camera.
“So y/n, do you still regret coming?” He giggled quietly, hoisting his elbow onto your shoulder for support.
It took you a few moments to register his words and you squinted at him in protest.
“Stop putting me on the spot like that,” you whined, using your free hand to gently whack his knee, only to miss and tip over to the side slightly.
San’s eyes flickered from you to Seonghwa, whose eyes curiously trained on your figure in worry.
He reached to grab your jaw, squeezing your cheeks together and bringing the camera close to your lips all the while giving a narrow-eyed Seonghwa a knowing grin, “Will you forgive me for a kiss?”
“Y/n! Your marshmallow is on fire!”
Later, you demanded San to delete the footage of you scrambling up and yelling in protest at the blistered and burnt treat, hastily stomping the fire out with your foot, only to leave a sticky mess on the sole of your boot.
Wooyoung’s sleeping form fell from your lap in the midst of it all, and he cried out pathetically before Seonghwa helped him into one of the tents, the older purposely whacking the back of San’s head in the process.
After about an hour, you all decided to play rounds of rock paper scissors to determine who would be paired up in the tents.
San jabbed Seonghwa’s side as the two watched you enter the tent a few feet away.
The older man’s eyes narrowed as he flicked the younger’s forehead, “Don’t try anything or else I’ll have your head.”
“I would never, Hwa!” he attempted a playful swing to the taller’s chest, only to miss and swivel down into a heaping mess.
Seonghwa extinguished the fire, before making sure everyone was safe and sound in their tents.
You found out just how clingy a drunken San could be at night.
“You have all that space, so why are you-”
“Ssh! Too loud,” San protests deliriously, tugging you close with his arm and burying his nose into the crown of your head as he drifts back to sleep, “Night, y/n.”
You wake up with a pounding headache and the bustling sounds of Seonghwa and Hongjoong cooking eggs, coffee, and bacon over a fire.
You overhear a commotion a few tents away.
“Will you stop buzzing in my ear, Yeosang!?”
“Those are the mosquitos, you dunce.”
Your hand reaches up in confusion at the wet sensation you feel on your neck.
Seonghwa’s head snapped up as he heard a loud cry from one of the tents, “You drooled on me!?”
The others were in foul mood as they sat onto the table for breakfast.
Jongho’s hair was suitable for a bird’s nest, and Yunho couldn’t bear to lift his head up from the table.
“I can’t believe you all forgot to pack painkillers,” Hongjoong tsked whilst pouring coffee in several mugs.
“Where’s Mingi?” You asked, peering around the camp sight.
As if on cue, the door to the RV opened to reveal a sheepish blonde.
“You slept in the RV?” Jongho croaked weakly, attempting to glare at the taller, “That’s not fair. We never agreed to that.”
“Byeol was scared, so I decided to keep her company through the night,” Mingi wriggled his way in between you and Wooyoung.
“Right,” San mumbled, face in his hands as he peeked up to gaze at Byeol’s peeping head from the window, “More like, she was protecting you.”
He trudged into the RV, bringing Byeol out and snapping open a can of cat food for her.
After cleaning and taking turns with bathroom breaks, you all packed up to explore the trail.
Seonghwa passed around mosquito repellent, and gave you all a pointed look.
“Make sure you all use the bathroom before we leave.”
“I didn’t find any itching ointment, so none of you touch anything,” Hongjoong called from the other side of the campground, only turning back to eyeball a few of his friends, “That goes specifically for Wooyoung and San.”
They squabbled in offense, before huddling together and mumbling underneath their breaths while waiting for the rest to finish packing.
Eventually, you ventured down to the lake.
Jongho challenged the rest of you to a fishing game.
“We don’t even have any fishing equipment,” quipped Yunho in confusion.
“Who needs that when you have arms of steel?” Jongho laughed haughtily whilst rolling up his sleeves and slipping his shoes off.
A few silent moments of standing in the shallow waters of the lake, Jongho hastily grabs at something swimming between his feet and emerges out with a small trout.
“How in the hell..”
It wasn’t as easy as it looked.
Your fingers grazed the fish’s tail, and you stumbled forward as you attempted to wrap your fingers around the animal beneath the surface.
Nearby, Wooyoung slipped on fell into the water with a squawk and a splash, somehow dragging Yeosang down along with him.
Jongho watched smugly from where he stood, only to blanch as he heard San cheer from the left.
“See!? I told you bringing Byeol was a good idea!”
Byeol ran from the edge of the water and towards San, dropping another trout into the small pile.
The smell of fish roasting above the fire wafted throughout the air, mingling with the woodsy aroma of the forest.
A loud cackle slipped from Wooyoung as he rested back against a chair, pointing up to the sky with a large and delirious smile, “Look, guys. It’s Seonghwa!”
The others peered up to the night sky and towards the small golden star twinkling by the moon.
“Who let him drink this early?” Mingi furrowed his brows whilst adjusting a few of the sticks over the fire.
Over dinner, Jongho proceeded to retell embarrassing stories, Yeosang joining along with him.
You buried your face in embarrassment as Yeosang recalled the time you accidentally walked in on Seonghwa exercising in only his boxers.
“You promised you’ll never bring that up,” you groaned dejectedly into your palms.
The faint sound of Wooyoung vomiting underneath a tree can be heard.
You peered up at the hand extending the cup of steaming hot chocolate to be met with Seonghwa’s bashful smile, “I know you didn’t want to drink tonight, so I made us some hot chocolate.”
Byeol curled up near the fire, her tail swishing every now and then as she swatted a few insects flying by.
Seonghwa nestled into the seat beside you, and smiled at your beaming expression.
“You’re the best, Hwa.”
His gaze drops to your mouth as you take a sip of the warm drink, and reaches forward to wipe the milky foam on your upper lip.
His hands stilled on your face once your gaze snaps to him, and his back stiffens before he hastily retracts his hand away.
The warmth of the fire couldn’t even compare with that of his cheeks and ears, “Sorr-”
“I told you!” a voice slurred from a few feet away, “Told you, he-” a hiccup later, “He just spoils y/n so much, because he’s a lovesic-”
The two of you watch as Yunho grabs a wasted Wooyoung into a headlock, who in return yelps in protest, and tugs him towards the RV where the others noisily fight over the last bottle of alcohol.
The rest of the days were filled with much needed relaxation and laughter.
And if the others noticed the two of you stealing kisses behind oak trees, they didn’t show it.
They only gave Seonghwa knowing looks whenever you weren’t looking, and he pretended to look elsewhere as soon as he met their teasing gazes.