Archive of Our Own

On any given day off, there was a fifty-fifty chance that Aaron T. would beg to go to the beach. It could be the middle of the winter, and he'd still go from room to room in their apartment, asking for someone to come with him. He wouldn't go alone. Generally speaking, his solo escapades went one of two ways, and both options weren't great, so he tried to go with someone trusted whenever he could. 

He was partial to the serenity of the ocean. He loved the whispers carried on waves, the laughter of people around him, and the slight salt in the air. 

Aaron T. had tried many times to get the band to use one of their days off to go to the beach, all five of them, but it never worked out. Somebody wasn't a huge fan of the beach, and that somebody always seemed to have an excuse not to go. 

So when their manager suggested (read: told them they were) doing a music video on the beach? He was thrilled! 

Of course, this was work, so he was going to stay super professional. 

"Can we get hair and makeup on set? Taeyoung's down."

Yup. Totally and completely professional. 

Aaron T. was laughing so hard, he thought he'd never breathe properly again. He clutched Robaire, desperately trying to keep himself from joining Taeyoung under the water. 

This was too good. 

Taeyoung resurfaced, spitting out a mouthful of the ocean. "Unfair!"

"You look like a mop," he wheezed. 

He could sense the camera crew getting annoyed, but in all honesty, he simply didn't care. They were at the beach! It was summer! Surely it couldn't be a crime to enjoy the water, right?

"I'll turn you into a mop." Taeyoung grew a mischievous smile, raising a fist full of seaweed. 

The slimy green ball came soaring toward him, and he screamed, leaping behind Robaire. The seaweed ball exploded once it came into contact with their leader, draping over one of his bare shoulders. Robaire shook, trying (and failing) to get the seaweed off.

"Ew, ew, ew, Tae that is disgusting." 

Aaron T. steadied him, picking the pieces off. "My hero." 

"Don't make this a thing. This is not a thing. If I have to take one more seaweed bullet for you, I'll feed you to the sharks." 

"Taeyoung," a staff member called, "please get out of the water, we need to dry you off." 

"This isn't over." He stuck his tongue out at Aaron T. as he waded in. Aaron T. stuck his out in return. 

The staff member gave them an unimpressed look. "You two as well. We don't want any more accidents."

Aaron T. fought back a smile, graciously accepting the towel that was handed to him. He followed Robaire as he ducked into one of the many tents they'd set up along the beach. 

These tents were little safe havens, outside the intense rays of the August sun. Each was adorned with chairs, coolers, and equipment that he wasn't allowed to touch. 

"Next time we go on vacation, we seriously need to go to the beach." He opened the cooler and tossed Robaire a water bottle. He grabbed one for himself too.

"I'm not disagreeing, but convincing Jesse to come would be a nightmare."

Legend has it, Jesse used to love the beach. Aaron T. wasn't sure what changed, but now he couldn't go ten minutes on any form of sandy shore without having something go wrong. Today's plight? Within the first half-hour of the shoot, he'd gotten stung by a jellyfish. He hadn't left the medical tent yet, but Aaron T. stopped in a couple times and he was doing fine. If anything, he was being a little dramatic, but that's just Jesse.

"Please, if Z asks, he'll come. I swear to god, he must have some serious dirt on Jesse, that man is wrapped around his finger."

Robaire gave him a look. "You're the exact same."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"No comment."

"Yes comment, please elaborate."

He chuckled. "No comment."

He pretended to be offended. "Robaire."

The flap of the tent opened, and Taeyoung poked his head inside. "They're sending us to lunch in ten, just getting a few more shots."

"What are they shooting?" Robaire asked. 

"Some filler stuff of Z."

Aaron T. and Robaire shared a glance, before racing out of the tent, Taeyoung close behind.

They found him standing in the sand, facing the ocean. There were at least four cameras to his left, and more importantly, a massive fan. It was so loud that the director had a megaphone, and was shouting instructions. 

"Eye contact with camera three!"

He turned slightly, keeping his face completely neutral despite the strength of the artificial wind. It tugged so hard at his tank top that Aaron T. was certain it was going to rip off. In all fairness, that would be quite the shot.

"Shy smile!"

Taeyoung was having a hard time not giggling. "He looks like he's about to blow away."

Robaire shushed him. "Let them work."

"There is no way they can hear us," Aaron T. chided,

"Oh my god, this is precious."

"Back at the ocean now!" The director announced. 

"There is something so funny about watching him act." 

Taeyoung nodded. "He takes it so seriously." 

"Why is he making that face?" Aaron T. squinted, imitating the slightly strange purse of Z.'s lips. 

"Cut! That was great Aaron, come see if you like the take."

Aaron T. jogged over to join Aaron Z., slinging an arm over his shoulder.

"Ay-ron-zee!"

He shut his eyes. "Ay-ron-tee."

"Don't act annoyed, it makes me sad."

"Ha." 

They made their way over to the nearest tent (seriously, he couldn't count how many tents there were) to watch the clip. Robaire and Taeyoung were already there.

"What's with the party?" Aaron Z. crossed his arms. "And why is Taeyoung soaked?"

"We're waiting on lunch," Robaire said.

The director joined them, an amused smile toying at their lips. They fiddled with the camera for a second, before the footage appeared on the tiny screen.

To put it lightly, Aaron Z. was a god with the camera. Somehow, as ridiculous as he'd looked before, he still managed to flirt the camera to death. It was so unlike him that Aaron T. could've sworn somebody possessed him whenever he was given acting instructions. 

He couldn't even make jokes. After the clip ended, he leaned forward and hit play again, because he was so wrapped up in his awe that couldn't process anything else.

On that tiny screen, Aaron Z. turned his head ever so slightly, making eye contact with the camera. His lips were parted slightly, as if he'd seen something that caught him off-guard, but in a pleasant way. The make-up artist must have gone ham on the blush, because he was flushed, nearly sheepish in the way he blinked. His eyes navigated the camera softly. It looked like he was studying every detail of Aaron T.'s face. 

Or, the viewer's face? He was technically the viewer, so...? He shook the thought away. There was no time to get caught up in semantics, the video was still playing. 

One corner of his mouth turned up in a subtle smile, and he looked away. It was clear he was trying to stop himself from smiling more intensely.

How the fuck did he do it? Aaron T. assumed this was what the director meant when they told him to "pretend the camera is a beautiful girl" (ugh) or "think about someone you care about."

He could feel his face heating up, so he knew it was time for a change of pace. He made emergency eyes at Taeyoung who, upon seeing them, gave Aaron Z. a hearty slap on the shoulder.

"You sure you didn't get an acting degree?"

"Pretty sure the only college I've been to is Jesse's."

"It is an art school," Robaire pointed out, "but seriously, you're incredible."

"No kidding." Aaron T. said, sighing dramatically. "Oh to have Ay-ron-zee look at me how he looks at that camera." 

“Ay-ron-zee will not speak to you if you keep calling him that.”

"Come on," he whined, "you think it's funny."

"I think you're funny, and you can come up with a better nickname." 

"Ouch." He clutched his heart. "If you want me to call you 'baby' just say so." 

"You're done."

Aaron T. yelped as Aaron Z. pulled him into a chokehold, nuzzling his fist into the top of his head. 

"Boys, boys, please don't kill each other." The director shooed them away. "Not yet anyway. At least wait until we've wrapped. Go to lunch."

"Aye aye!"

***

Aaron T. dropped the sandwich cooler, giving it two solid pats. "Take your pick, because I'm pretty sure the entire city's worth of sandwiches are in here."

A staff member tapped his shoulder, holding up a tube of sunscreen. He nodded, pulling the towel away from his neck and tossing it at one of the shitty medical tent cots. 

"Can someone get me a turkey?" Jesse asked. 

Aaron Z. opened the cooler. "Get it yourself."

"No mayo please." 

"Turkey, no mayo, here." He tossed it.

For a split second, Aaron T. felt ice on his back. He flinched, and the staff member backed away, sunscreen-covered hands up like someone was holding them at gunpoint. 

"Sorry, you're good, it was just cold." 

The staff member went back to applying the sunscreen. 

"How are you feeling?" Taeyoung was sitting on the end of Jesse's cot. 

"Like the world has it out against me." 

"Oh shush." Robaire picked a sandwich out of the cooler. 

"At least it wasn't an eel this time." Aaron Z. pointed out. 

"I swear to God." He sank further under the covers. "I'm pretty sure I've been attacked by just about every ocean animal."

"You must be tasty." Aaron T. shuddered as the staff member started applying sunscreen to his shoulders and neck. "If I was an ocean animal, I'd want a bite too." 

He imitated a shark, holding a hand out behind him like a fin and biting the air. Taeyoung brought a hand up to his mouth, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

"What's gotten into you today?" Robaire tried to hand him a sandwich, only for Aaron T. to get turned around by the staff member. 

"It's the heat, makes y'all incredibly hot." He looked over his shoulder, wiggling his eyebrows. 

The staff member gently turned his head back to face away from the members, and then went in to apply sunscreen to his stomach and chest. Robaire rounded in front of him again, holding an unwrapped sandwich up to Aaron T.'s mouth. He took a bite, nodding his thanks to Robaire. 

"You're something else," Jesse commented. 

"Back to the jellyfish for a second," Taeyoung said, "did they ever tell you what kind it was?"

"Just that it wasn't lethal."

Aaron Z. scoffed. "Good God."

"Full disclosure T." Jesse's tone was suddenly humorous. "Tae has been staring since you turned around." 

"Jesse!" 

"Awe, Tae I'm flattered." He grinned. The staff member gave him a weird look. 

"Sue me. You have a nice back."

"It's the heat." He shrugged. "You're all gonna fall for me."

"Sure thing." Robaire offered him another bite of sandwich, which he gratefully took. 

The staff member got to work on his arms, and he turned around to face the members again. Somehow, in the time that he'd been facing away from them, Taeyoung managed to get a sandwich without making a sound. 

Or he wasn't listening. Both were equally likely. 

"Why am I the only one getting sunscreened right now?"

The staff member answered. "Because you get sunscreen every two hours. They get it every four." 

"There's a joke to be made about burning and heat somewhere in there, but that sunscreen is so cold that I can't think." 

"That explains a lot." Aaron Z. commented. Aaron T. kicked sand at him. 

Jesse pretended to push glasses up the bridge of his nose. "You're very intelligent T." 

"I feel like I should be insulted by that." 

Robaire gave him another bite of the sandwich. A second staff member walked into the medical tent, a makeup bag in hand and a camera hung around her neck. She sat next to Jesse, and Taeyoung moved so she could put her bag down. 

"The water is so nice today." Taeyoung sighed. "I wish we were allowed to go swimming."

"Speak for yourself," Jesse mumbled, sitting up straight so the makeup artist could touch up his eyeshadow. 

"I second that." Robaire twisted open the cap of Aaron T.'s water bottle and slipped it into the hand of his freshly sunscreened arm. He took a quick swig.

"What's got you so wahhh water bad? "

He shuddered. "Seaweed."

"Still gonna get you back for that T!" Taeyoung raised a fist at him. 

"You can try!"

The sunscreen staff member gave him a brief nod, and left the tent. Aaron T. retrieved the rest of his sandwich from Robaire and sat on the cot he'd thrown his towel at. Only then did Robaire go back into the cooler and grab his own lunch, humming the chorus of their new single. 

Taeyoung groaned. "Stop, it's so catchy."

"Excuse me?" Aaron Z. raised a brow. "You have no room to talk."

It was true, Taeyoung hadn't stopped singing the song since they recorded it. Their single, Wanna Be With U, was upbeat, with a hint of a rock influence, perfect for the summer. Aaron T. had already started daydreaming about performing it, bouncing around the stage and dousing the 4*Townies with his water bottle. It was gonna be a blast.

He tapped his feet, swaying back and forth as the beat played in his head. 

The director poked their head in, scanning the boys. "Jesse, feeling better?"

"Mhm." He hummed, careful not to disturb the girl doing his makeup. 

"Good, because we need you in five for some solo shots. T., Z., be ready in fifteen for the water gun fight. We only have so much daylight, so we gotta hustle."

Aaron T. saluted. "Will do."

"Good. Great work so far."

They slipped back out.

"Water gun fight?" Taeyoung's brows raised. 

Aaron Z. placed his palms over his eyes. "Yup."

"You don't seem very excited."

"To fiddle with faulty water guns and refill them between every take? No, not really."

"You're awfully grumpy for someone who has an excuse to shoot T."

He pretended to be offended. "My baby doesn't want to shoot me." 

"Alright, that's it, we're taking this outside."

Jesse's makeup artist chuckled to herself as Aaron T. shrieked, using a pillow as a shield when Aaron Z. came for him. Unfortunately, he'd severely underestimated the abilities of his name twin, because the pillow was yanked away with ease, and he was thrown almost casually over Aaron Z.'s shoulder. He thrashed, trying to free himself 

"Good luck!" Robaire called out as Aaron T. was dragged away. 

***

It took them an hour to get the three shots they needed with the water guns. A bloody hour to get maybe fifteen seconds of footage.

It was good footage, they both looked great, but fifteen seconds nonetheless.

The scene involved them running down the beach, shooting water at each other, and looking whimsical. Aaron Z. then shot him square in the face, and he fell into the sand, completely still and facing away from the camera. He waited as Aaron Z. came to check on him, and then whipped around to shoot him back.

The final portion of the scene was a wide shot of Aaron Z. chasing him, furious. It was a blast, but after doing so much running, he was exhausted. 

They'd barely finished when Aaron Z. got whisked away to do a scene with Robaire, so Aaron T. was left to wander and find something to do until he was needed again. If he'd read the sheet he was given at the beginning of the day, he would have known what he was shooting next, but he'd left it in one of the many tents and finding it would be a wasted effort. Somebody would grab him soon enough, touch up his makeup, and send him off in front of another camera. 

His initial hunt for something to do came with seeking out the other members. Robaire and Aaron Z. were filming and had seemingly vanished from the beach, so that ruled them out, though now that he was looking around, it seemed many staff members weren't around either. 

Well, that was rubbish. What was he supposed to do if there was no one to entertain him?

He poked his head into a few tents, earning mixed reactions from the camera crew. He wasn't certain if the agency had its own crew, or if they hired someone, but these people looked like they wanted nothing to do with him. 

Really, that could be a result of either. 

Eventually, his wandering brought him to the edge of the area they'd rented for filming. The rest of the beach was public and on such a nice day it was pretty busy, especially since school would be starting soon for most kids in the area. 

Speaking of kids, there was a group of three who were staring at him. He glanced over, and they were suddenly super interested in the bucket that lay uselessly at their feet, so he went back to pretending he wasn't perceiving them. 

Young 4*Townies were some of the best. There was something about the honest joy of a ten-year-old that made him giddy. 

He wanted to talk to them. He wanted to talk to them, right now .

This was suddenly crucial. He had to talk to those kids. They were giggling, and he wanted in on the giggling. 

He started toward them, fighting back a smile as the three kids completely froze, talking very quickly and very quietly amongst themselves. Someone fell in step beside him, the camera around her neck bouncing slightly as she jogged to keep up with him.

"What are you doing?" Jesse's makeup artist asked, her voice hushed.

"Talking to those kids."

"Without a bodyguard?"

He gave her a look. "I think I can handle it."

"Not if it starts a mob."

"Hey!" He called out to the kids. "You enjoying the beach?"

Jesse's makeup artist groaned. It might as well have been Jesse that followed him.

Now that he was closer, he could tell that the three kids were very similar in age, probably friends visiting together. They were pretty young, maybe seven or eight? Adorable regardless.

Ugh. He wanted kids. 

"You see that?" He cocked his head toward the tents. "We're filming a music video. Have you ever been on a film set?" 

The one on the left, a short girl with a pink ball cap, spoke meekly, "No."

"It's pretty cool." He squatted so that he was level with them. "I can't bring you in very far, but we could go peek inside that tent if you promise not to touch anything."

"Really?" Ball-cap girl stood up straighter. 

He chose to ignore the cough that came from Jesse's makeup artist. 

"Yeah! Why don't you go ask your parents, and come right back here?"

"Go ask your mum, she's nicer than mine," the kid in the middle whispered to the other kid. He nodded with adorable sincerity and took off.

"I started wearing caps because of you." Ball-cap went back to being shy. 

His heart was going to explode. 

"You've got good taste, the pink is rad!"

Rad? Since when has he ever called anything rad ?

"You think? My mom said that caps were too boyish, I'm only allowed to wear a pink one."

"Can I tell you a secret?"

She nodded slowly.

"My mom told me I wasn't allowed to wear pink because it was too girly, but now? I wear pink all the time."

"Really?"

"Mhm." He tapped the brim of his cap. "I have a pink cap at home that looks just like yours. When you're older, you'll be allowed to wear whatever colour you want, no matter what kind of clothing it is."

"Wow." She seemed genuinely stunned. "I can't wait to be older." 

He chuckled. "Enjoy your beach day first! You've got plenty of time to be old once you're older, you're only a kid once!"

"Yeah!" Her friend said, "My uncle said that too!"

"You've got a smart uncle." 

Wait, wasn't he supposed to ask their names? Somewhere in the back of his mind, he remembered that being part of his media and public affairs training. He never really met fans by himself. Usually, somebody else would have asked by now. 

"What are your names?" 

"I'm Emily." Ball-cap girl clapped her hands together. She shoved the centre girl slightly, prompting her to speak. 

"Nicole," she blurted out. 

"Michael was the one who went to ask." Emily's shyness had suddenly vanished again. "He's a slow runner."

"That's okay." He chuckled. 

As if on cue, he noticed a woman walking straight toward him. Her back was up straight, and her pace was brisk. 

"Gosh," Nicole complained, "Why is my mom coming?"

Oh good God. 

"Excuse me!" She stopped right in front of him. He stood up to meet her. She was taller than him . He felt his mouth go dry. 

"What is this I'm hearing about 'Aaron asked me to go into a tent?'" 

"Hi, sorry, I'm Aaron, I'm a member of 4*Town. We're filming a music video."

Her eyes flicked over to the array of tents, then back at him. "Nicole."

"Yeah?"

"He's the one on the poster in your room?"

Her face flushed. "Mom."

"Is he?"

She mumbled, "Yes."

"If I may—" Aaron T.'s soul nearly abandoned his body when Jesse's makeup artist spoke. He bit his tongue, trying not to curse as his body came down from the fight or flight reaction.

She slipped past him, holding her lanyard up for Nicole's mom to see. "My name is Kelly, I work on the set. We'd just be taking them into the hair and makeup tent for a few minutes, and bringing them back." 

Nicole's mom softened when she read the badge. "I see. I'm sorry for coming in so hot, just looking out for my kid, you know?"

"I get it." Aaron T. nodded. "It's really good of you to protect your kid like that. It's good parenting."

She gave him an appreciative nod, before smiling at the kids. "Go on, have fun, but come right back to our towels when you're done."

"Alright!" Emily cheered. 

Aaron T. guided them into the tent, but only after they promised to stick close. He opened the flap and herded them inside. 

"Hi!" Kelly followed them in, making her way over to a hairstylist, who was working away at Taeyoung. The hairstylist brightened, waving to her as she settled in a vacant chair. 

"Oh my gosh." Michael grabbed Nicole. "That's Taeyoung."

Did he mention he wanted kids? He really wanted kids.

"Tae!" Aaron T. called. "You've got visitors."

The hairstylist put her tools down, taking a seat next to Kelly. 

"Oh!" Taeyoung twisted the chair around to face them. "And who are these dashing young ladies and gentlemen?"

"I'm Michael." The kid was starstruck, hanging off Nicole like he'd forgotten how to stand. "You're Taeyoung."

He giggled. "Michael is a lovely name."

He went bright red. "Thank you."

Nicole made a huge show of rolling her eyes, shaking him off. "I'm Nicole, that's Emily."

"Hi Nicole, hi Emily!" 

"4*Town is my favourite band." She went on. "I read in a magazine that you two are best friends, is that true?"

Warmth washed over Aaron. He met Taeyoung's eyes, and found the same fondness in the tilt of his head and sweet smile.

"Yeah," Aaron T. said, "yeah. We're best friends." 

"What about everyone else?" Emily asked. 

"They're our best friends too."

"Isn't that too many best friends?" 

Taeyoung leaned forward, clasping his hands together. "Being best friends with someone takes a lot of love, so it can be hard to have more than one best friend, but sometimes you meet people that are easy to love, and make you feel like you're easy to love."

"I thought love was for dating." 

"Sometimes." He nodded. "There are many different kinds of love. The dating love is different from friend love."

Emily shook her head. "I still don't get it. If Aaron is your best friend, why do you need other best friends?"

"Are Michael and Nicole your best friends?" he asked. 

"Yeah."

"Are they exactly the same?" 

"No."

"It's the same with my best friends. We're all really different, and I love them for different reasons. I need all my best friends because we help each other in different ways, and we do different things together."

"Oh," she drew it out. 

Nicole seemed over it. "Even Jesse?" 

Aaron's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. Taeyoung let out two baffled laughs, and covered his mouth. His eyes were wide, meeting Aaron's again as he shook. 

He blew out a slow breath, trying to keep himself from joining Taeyoung's silent laughing session. "Yes, even Jesse."

"You three are a riot." Taeyoung wiped away tears. 

"What?" Nicole blinked innocently. "My magazine also said that Aaron Z.'s favourite school subject is PE, is that true? Cause I don't like gym, but if he does I guess I'll try harder."

"I wanna read this magazine, it sounds like there's a lot of cool information in there." Aaron T. ruffled her hair. "But yeah, Z. likes gym, maybe a little too much if you ask me."

"It's Tween Beat. It's pretty cool, but I only buy the ones that have 4*Town in them."

Taeyoung took a breath to calm down. "That's really sweet." 

"Hey, do you kids want a picture?" Kelly spoke up suddenly, holding up her camera. 

"Is that okay?" Michael's tiny eyebrows scrunched with worry. "You've already done so much for us."

Aaron T. fought off an amused smile, and mouthed "Z." to Taeyoung. He nodded profusely. 

"Yeah," she said, and gestured for everyone to stand closer. "I'm gonna take three so you can each have one, okay?"

They took the pictures, and Kelly instructed them to keep the polaroids out of the light for half an hour before looking at them. They said their goodbyes, and Aaron T. walked them back to the public part of the beach. They disappeared into the crowd, laughing amongst themselves. 

"Is this something I'm not supposed to tell the staff about?" Taeyoung was behind him.

"Jesus Christ, you're sneaky today." He clutched his chest. 

He smiled, wrapping his arms around his shoulders and resting his head against Aaron's back. "Where'd you find those kids?"

"They were around."

"So I shouldn't bring it up around authority figures?"

"They had their parents' permission!"

He chuckled. "Okay, okay."

He sighed, watching the people weave between each other. 

***

Having obtained a partner, Aaron T.'s quest for entertainment became much easier. Between him and Taeyoung, they could make anything fun.

Especially bugging Jesse. That was much more fun with Taeyoung.

By the time they found the boy band member in question, it was time for the whole group to get another batch of sunscreen, so he now had a second objective: hide from the staff. 

"Jesse 4*Town!" Taeyoung grabbed him from behind and dragged him in between two of the tents, a hand over his mouth to stop him from making noise. "Found you!"

Jesse glared. He didn't even have the decency to pretend to struggle.  

"Jesse 4*Town, we're your biggest fans!"

He said something, but it was muffled by Taeyoung's hand. 

"He's speechless," Taeyoung cooed.

"Jesse 4*Town loves the attention."

"Oh yes, poor thing, he's been so deprived of it today."

"Mhm." Aaron T. nodded. "He got stung by a jellyfish and that still wasn't enough."

"He needs more."

"Totally."

Taeyoung swayed slightly, rocking Jesse like a newborn. "You're so handsome."

"The sunlight makes your eyes extra beautiful."

"And those swim trunks are super flattering."

"That haircut makes me swoon."

"You did so well on the song."

Aaron T. grinned. "The vocals you recorded are something else, your voice feeds my soul."

"God, yes, ow!" Taeyoung yanked his hand back, and Jesse backed away. "He bit me!"

"What do you want?" Jesse accused. 

"Grumpy." Aaron T. muttered, earning a shove that he was only fifty percent certain was playful. 

"Can't we just want to shower you with affection?"

"Are you bored, in trouble, or needing something?"

Taeyoung admitted, "Bored."

"And hiding from the sunscreen people."

"You're gonna regret that."

"No I won't, I don't burn."

Taeyoung chuckled. "Sure."

"Hey! I thought you were on my side."

"I'm just not as nice as Jesse, I wanted to laugh when you woke up all red tomorrow."

He narrowed his eyes. "You—"

"Out." A staff member, the same one who'd applied his sunscreen earlier, was standing at the entrance to their tent alleyway. "Let's go, it's time for sunscreen."

Aaron T. grabbed Jesse's wrist and booked it in the other direction, Taeyoung following close behind.

"Where are we going?" Jesse complained.

"Somewhere—" 

A ball collided with the back of Aaron's head. He stumbled, falling face-first into the sand. 

Footsteps came flurrying over. "Sorry! Are you okay?" 

He spat out a mouthful of sand, and looked up to meet Robaire's eyes. "Not the meet-cute I was expecting."

Aaron Z. jogged over to join them, throwing an arm over Robaire's shoulder. "Sorry about Ro, he just can't keep up with my beach volleyball abilities."

He shoved him off. "Oh, as if. How long did it take you to get it over the net?"

"Less time than it took you to score."

Uh oh. Whoever had come up with the script for this video definitely didn't think this through. Pitching Robaire and Aaron Z. against each other was definitely ill-advised. 

"You little—" 

"Little?" Aaron Z. stood up straight, towering over Robaire not only in height, but also aura. 

He matched him. "You don't scare me."

"You're cute."

"Don't patronize me."

"Oh? You don't want to be patronized? Does that make you angry?"

"T., give me the ball."

"I don't think I want to." He got up, and hid behind Jesse. "You might not be afraid of Z., but I am."

Robaire gave him a nasty glare. "Ball."

"Yeesh." He threw it long, and it soared back over to the court. Robaire and Aaron Z. took off after it, kicking up sand in their wake. 

"Sunscreen." The staff member caught up to them. 

He opened his mouth to retort, but something that resembled a roar sounded from behind him. He pointed sheepishly. 

Taeyoung heaved a sigh, and raised his hands in surrender. "Do me."

The staff member spared no time opening the tube of sunscreen. 

"Go," Taeyoung said, "go save them from themselves."

"We won't fail." Aaron T. saluted.

"Good luck, noble soldiers."

"Jess? You coming?"

He shook his head. "This is your job, tension-breaker."

He groaned. "You're dead to me."

"See you on the other side!" Taeyoung called out as he started toward the volleyball court.

The two were already back at it, volleying the ball at speeds that had the potential to be inhuman. The cameras were long gone, off to shoot something else. 

Wait, was he supposed to be filming? If all five of them were here, where'd the cameras go? Oh well, not his problem, not yet at least. 

He watched the ball volley a few more times, his mind flipping through different ways to get them to simmer down. 

"Is that really all you've got?" Robaire taunted.

Aaron Z.'s expression grew harder. "Not even close."

The ball flew by so fast that it blew the cap off his head. He grabbed it with one hand, too focused on the battle in front of him to acknowledge how cool he must have looked. 

Robaire and Aaron Z. were a delicate balance. When left alone with any form of competition, they very well could kill each other. It made for some stellar vocal performances, but when balls were involved things could get dangerous. 

Another super-sonic volley, and Aaron T. knew what he needed to do. He gave the brim of his cap a smooch, and put it on the sand, under a rock so it wouldn't blow away. 

He braced himself. The ball flew by again. The moment before Aaron Z. hit the ball, Aaron T. leaped.

The collision was brief, but unlike the last time he got hit by the ball, this one didn't have those

few extra seconds to lose momentum. It hit him in the shoulder, and for a split second, he thought it was dislocated. 

He hit the ground, clutching his shoulder as if it hurt more than it did. 

"T!" Robaire crouched next to him. 

Aaron Z. appeared overhead just a moment later, concern etched into the furrow of his brows. "Idiot."

He added some gravel to his voice, really playing up the severity. "You've slain me."

"What were you running into an active volleyball game for?" 

He took Aaron Z.'s hand. "It had to be done, for the sake of the band."

"Okay drama queen, get up," Robaire said.

He pouted. "Not until you promise to call this a draw."

"No way." Aaron Z. tried to pull him up, but Aaron T. let go. 

"Don't you see?" He blinked innocently. "This war has raged on for too long. Innocent people have been hurt by your feud."

"If you're so hurt, we'll take you to the medical tent."

"Wait—"

"C'mon Z., get his legs."

"My hat!" 

Robaire put it over Aaron T.'s face and looped his arms to carry him like a corpse. His feet lifted next. They moved him in what he could only assume was the direction of the medical tent. 

"Jesus." Jesse fell in step next to them. "Is he okay? That was quite the fall."

He smiled to himself. 

"He took it better than your jellyfish incident."

"Okay, you—"

"Ow," he whined, "owie ow ow, the bickering is making my shoulder hurt more."

"Guess we better stop." Robaire sounded amused. 

"I need him for sunscre—"

"Ah!" He thrashed, his hat falling off his face. He squinted as the light assaulted his eyes. "Hurry! To the tent!" 

Robaire and Aaron Z. started running, Jesse close behind with Aaron T.'s cap in hand. Another staff member halted them, sunscreen in hand. 

"Where are they coming from?" Robaire gaped. 

"Go, go!" Aaron T. exclaimed, "They won't take us alive!"

"For the love of God," the newly arrived staff member mumbled, "why do I bother?"

"You broke her." Aaron Z. frowned. 

"Legs, don't give up now."

"We might have to." Jesse chuckled nervously. 

Three more staff members had shown up, all carrying sunscreen like a health-conscious zombie hoard. 

"You done?" Aaron T.'s original sunscreener stood behind them, arms crossed.

"Whatever," he groaned.

"All of you. Let's go."

***

The reality of filming with such a small group was that long periods of downtime were rare. His hour-long escapade was pretty much the only break he got to enjoy, aside from a quick five minutes here and there and the occasional reapplication of sunscreen. He tried to spend as much time as he could in the shade, or in the water.

They were forced to take another break once the day reached its hottest point, a ridiculous 107 degrees (42 degrees according to Robaire, confusion did ensue). Someone had to go on a water run because their coolers couldn't keep it cold anymore, and the entire team was in danger of heat stroke.

For obvious reasons, that break was no fun.

Of course, the unplanned break meant they were on an extra intense time crunch. They needed to get this video finished today. August was already a late month to release a summer single, they could not afford to delay it any longer. 

Thankfully, the last third of the music video took place around a beach campfire well after the sun set, so at least some of the filming wasn't in the blazing heat. Aside from some trouble with lighting, the rest of the filming went smoothly. 

"That's a wrap!" The director clapped their hands together. 

Aaron Z. blew out a sigh. "That was a long day."

"No kidding," Robaire agreed.

"Do you need help packing stuff up?" Taeyoung asked.

"No, the filming company has it handled."

Ha ha! They did hire someone to film their music videos! Interesting. 

"Enjoy the fire," they added, "you've all been great sports today."

"Thanks Cain."

... Cain? Their director's name was Cain? He seriously needed to get better at asking people for their names.

"I have never been more thankful to sit." Jesse sank into the sand, laying slowly next to the fire.

"Grandpa," Taeyoung mouthed. Aaron T. giggled.

"I can read lips, brat."

"Ah!" He squeaked, scampering over to the other side of the fire as Jesse raised a fist. 

Aaron T. took a seat on one of the camping chairs they'd set up. "I'm starting to understand why people think you aren't our friend." 

"What?" Jesse propped himself up on one arm. "Who thinks I'm not your friend?"

"Awe, he's so defensive." Taeyoung rested his head on Aaron Z.'s shoulder. "He loves us."

"Of course I do, have you been reading gossip rags or something?"

"Mhm." Aaron T. nodded, keeping his expression super serious. "It's from my favourite magazine: child 4*Townies."

"Do I wanna know?" Robaire looked unimpressed.

"I wanna know," Aaron Z. said, "when were you talking to children, Aaron? "

"Sometime in between the many times you've attacked me today."

Robaire raised a brow. "Today?" 

"Abort, abort!" Taeyoung hid his face.

"You knew?" 

"He was there!" 

"Traitor!"

"They were so cute," Aaron T. whined, "Michael was a little tiny Z."

"He so was."

"I want a little tiny Z."

Aaron Z. blinked. "I'd offer to help you make one, but that's not how that works."

He wiggled his eyebrows. "I'll take you up on that offer anyway."

Robaire clasped his hands together. "Okay, you're definitely acting weird. What's going on?"

"What?" He looked between his four friends, and caught matching expressions of worry. "Guys, I'm fine. Great even!" 

"Are you sure? You seem a little off."

Did he? That was news to him. 

"How am I the one acting weird? Z. made a sex joke."

"That wasn't—"

Jesse interrupted, "Don't finish that sentence."

"You are clingier today," Taeyoung admitted. 

"I guess it's just been a long day? Seriously, I'm okay."

He must've slipped, forgetting to wear his excitement on his face. It wasn't that his happiness wasn't authentic, sometimes his body just forgot to show it. 

Still, the other members didn't quite look like they believed him yet, so he continued.

"Today was really fun, and like, aside from Tae almost dying of heat stroke—"

Taeyoung scoffed. 

"—It was nice to just, I don't know, spend the day with you guys? We've been so busy with the single, I've missed goofing around with you."

Jesse melted a little, a sweet smile lightening his cheeks. "Aaron."

"So yeah! I'm great. Really great."

"You sap." Aaron Z. kicked Aaron T.'s seat back, drawing a yelp from him as he plummeted backward into the sand. 

"I take it back," he grumbled, "Zed doesn't get to be included. I don't like him anymore."

"Cry about it." 

He rolled away from the chair, leaving it in its fallen over state and claiming the spot next to Robaire. 

"Jesse." 

"Hm?"

"You had fun today."

He gave him a suspicious look. "Yes?"

"You had fun at the beach. "

"Okay, no." He sat up. "I had fun doing things that are always fun. You know what wasn't fun? Getting stung by a jellyfish."

He opened his mouth, but Jesse kept going. 

"I love you to bits Aaron, but you are not getting me back here, not of my own free will."

Robaire winced. "Don't give him ideas."

"Z., Tae," Aaron T. said with full seriousness, "will you help me kidnap Jesse?"

Taeyoung grabbed Aaron Z.'s hand and lifted it up in a fist. "Of course!"

"Yeah, no." Robaire shut it down. "Don't worry Jesse, I'll be your bodyguard."

"Please do." He buried his head in his hands. 

"Do I smell romance?" Taeyoung asked as though it was the most interesting thing in the world. The orange of the fire lit his eyes in a near devilish way. 

Jesse peeked out to roll his eyes. "You have said that about every single pairing in this group." 

"Because we're all super compatible! It's so easy to be genuine with you, and like, I don't know, you're all great people who I like spending time with, and we know each other like we are each other, that's gotta be beyond romance."

"You just said—"

"I changed my mind, we're above romance. We're soulmates."

"Isn't—"

"No!" He groaned. "I need a stronger word. Friend definitely doesn't cut it, and honestly, family doesn't feel strong enough either. I just know that every day I would choose to keep adoring you, and that I love you all so much. I love that we communicate, and ask for space when we need it. I love that we're different, I love that we can be constants to each other even when we're apart, I really, really love that. I can't remember how I existed before you, because this? This is natural. It's like it was meant to be or something... Right?"

Aaron T. was frozen, stunned by a warm sting. How had he...? Was this...?

Was this how he was supposed to feel? Was he supposed to taste the sweetness, a nectar that he was prone to getting addicted to, and be afraid of it? What Taeyoung said was true, it was so, so very true, it was something that Aaron T. had been thinking privately for some time now. It was surreal, bizarre, strange, and nearly off-putting to hear it out loud.

As casually as he could, he knocked the brim of his cap down so it masked his eyes. They were starting to get a little teary. 

"Sorry," Taeyoung said quickly, "did I make things weird?"

"No!" Aaron T. replied with the same quickness. "You're right, soulmate isn't a strong enough word."

Robaire put an arm around him. "Couldn't have said it better myself."

Oh fuck. It was like he was hit with a lifesaving dose of medication. Relief made his vision blur just a little more. 

Relief from what? He wasn't sure, but it was euphoric. 

He sniffled, and that relief was replaced by dread.

Aaron Z. sounded surprised. "Are you crying?" 

"What?" He drew it out, chuckling with a hint of nerves. "Nah, no way."

His hat was torn unceremoniously from his head, courtesy of Robaire.

"Hey!"

Taeyoung gasped. "You are!"

He snatched his cap back. "Your fault for being a big sap."

"You started it."

"Doesn't crying at sappy things make you more of a sap?" Robaire pointed out.

"Why does this come up every time? Taeyoung is the biggest sap."

"Because I cry? Who's crying now?"

"You just said some like, poetically sappy things, that's what makes a true sap."

"You were thinking them though! Robaire too, doesn't that make both of you saps?"

Aaron Z. frowned. "Please stop saying sap, it doesn't sound like a word anymore."

"No, you know who's secretly the biggest sap?" Taeyoung asked, a glint of mischief in the raise of his brow.

Aaron Z.'s eyes widened with alarm. "Don't—"

"Guess who gave me a hand-written letter?"

Jesse's jaw dropped. "No way."

Aaron T. and Robaire shared a baffled glance. 

"It's private, and very dear to me, but I will say that Z. definitely wins."

Aaron T. complained, "What do I have to do to get a hand-written letter?"

"You don't get a letter because I don't have anything to say—"

"Rude!"

"—that I haven't already told you."

"If you were to write me a letter, what would it say?"

"I just said—"

"Pretend you don't tell me things. What would it say?"

"I don't know, you're putting me on the spot." His fingers interlocked. "That I need you? Half the time you're the only thing keeping me sane."

I need you. He broke out into a grin.

"I want to make a joke, but that actually means a lot, like, a lot a lot."

"If I were to write you a letter, it would be written better than that."

"Definitely, with some flowery language or something." Taeyoung agreed. 

"You know what this night needs?" Aaron T. decided, "You know what is a requirement of sitting around a fire?"

Robaire shifted next to him. "No."

"Alcohol."

"No."

"C'mon, I want Jesse in on the sappy conversation, let's take away his filter."

"Where would we even—"

"I don't need alcohol to be sappy."

"Really?" Taeyoung peeled himself off of Aaron Z. to go harass him. "Don't be shy, say something. Give Robaire some love."

"Me? You left Z. all alone."

"Oh, oh!" Taeyoung gestured for him to join. "C'mere."

Reluctantly, Aaron Z. relinquished his spot and joined the Taeyoung/Jesse pile. 

"There! Okay, do your thing Jesse."

He hesitated. "It's weird with everyone here."

"You oaf." Aaron T. huffed. 

"Ro?" 

Robaire was clearly fighting off a grin. "Yes?"

"Remember when I was having that one really bad day?"

" That really bad day?"

"And you sat me down after?"

He nodded slowly. "Yeah?"

"That was..." He turned to avoid eye contact. "That might have been the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. It meant, and still means a lot to me."

"Anytime, and I mean that, literally anytime."

Aaron T. learned a long time ago that if people were speaking in a code that he didn't understand, and they weren't speaking directly to him, to just assume it was none of his business. From the way Robaire was practically glowing after the praise, he could make an educated guess on what went down anyway.

Aaron Z. chimed in, "I think you'd like writing letters, Jesse."

"Yeah?"

"I find it easier to tell people stuff that way."

"Maybe I'll give it a shot."

They all sat quietly for a moment. The sea was vast in front of them. 

"Y’know." Robaire broke the silence. "As a kid, I always wanted to yell, but I never wanted anyone to hear me, so I'd sneak out and go to this lake a couple minutes away from my house."

"You? Breaking rules?" Aaron T. raised a brow.

"Don't worry, I grew out of my rebellion. That's not the point though, I went to the side of the lake that people were never at, and I would just... yell about anything I was frustrated about."

Aaron Z. winced. "I see where this is going."

"Turns out, sound carries over the water. After a couple weeks, somebody met me there and told me they were sorry I had a bad breakup." 

"No." Taeyoung covered his mouth with both hands. "Robaire, that's horrific."

"I was mortified, but after a while, I kinda grew to appreciate that sound travels over water like that. It was like I could say something, and everyone who impacted my everyday life could hear it."

It was like a lightbulb went off above Taeyoung's head. "Isn't the whole world connected by the ocean?"

He didn't wait for confirmation. Taeyoung leapt to his feet and raced toward the edge of the water. He bent at the knees, putting his entire body into yelling his next words.

"4*Town forever!" 

He expected the sound to die in the waves, but sure enough, it carried, almost echoing as it caught the breeze. Taeyoung cheered, throwing two fists in the air and kicking the water. 

"I have the best friends in the world! We are unstoppable!"

"Damn right we are!" Robaire called out after him, getting up to join him in the water. Jesse followed suit, halting a few metres back as though even the spray was too much for him. 

"Aaron?" Aaron Z. prodded him lightly. "You coming?"

"Huh? Yeah, just... give me a minute."

"You sure? I can wait with you."

"Go ahead. I'll be right there."

He gave him a funny look.

"Go." Aaron T. pushed him. 

"You're up to something."

"Aren't I always?"

"Is this an 'I'm pretending to be okay' up to something, or 'general mischief' up to something."

"Neither. Seriously, go, I'll be two seconds max."

"Fine, but I'm sleeping on your bed tonight, so if you're lying I will find out."

"Looking forward to it."

He watched Aaron Z. jog over to join the rest of them. They celebrated his arrival with more cheering. 

"The world is ours!"

"Let's go!"

"2001 is the year of 4*Town!"

Somebody howled, and Aaron T. laughed to himself. Those were his dorks, and this moment belonged to all of them. He wanted to savour it, to embroider the moment onto his skin, to freeze time and never let it move forward. 

So he approached Kelly, who was coincidentally watching nearby, his fingers interlocked as he gave her the sweetest smile he could. "Hi."

She gave him a skeptical look. "Hi?"

"T!" Robaire called. "C'mon!" 

"Just a minute!" He turned back to her, batting his eyelashes. "Can I—"

She looked at the boys, then at him. "No."

"You didn't let me—"

"You want to use my camera, right? No."

His face fell. "But—"

"I know." She put a hand on his shoulder. "It's not 4*Town without you though, right? So I've got it."

"Are you sure?"

"Go." She shoved him. "Make them whole."

He skipped twice, waving to her briefly before taking off to join them. He stopped next to Jesse. 

"You're not going in?"

"It looks fun," Jesse admitted, "but..."

"Let's go in, just to our ankles, and I'll go first so I can defend you from vicious jellyfish."

"Hardy har."

"I'll carry you out if anything happens."

He gave Aaron T. a curious glance. "This is important to you."

"I just don't want you to feel left out."

"I am perfectly fine stand—"

"No you're not, c'mon, let's go."

He grabbed Jesse's wrist and gave it a firm tug, but still let him get closer to the water on his own. 

"This isn't some plot to get me to like the beach?"

"That would be an added bonus, but no."

Tension-breaker wasn't just a role for arguments, you see. The most fulfilling way Aaron T. broke tension was when it was internal. Loneliness in itself was a kind of tension, and he wouldn't let any of his members feel that if he had any say in it. 

So he led Jesse into the water, keeping to his word about only going so far as their ankles. Taeyoung turned, greeting the pair with a bright smile. 

"Go on, what do you want the world to know?"

Aaron T. paused, taking a moment to look at his friends. Aaron Z. and Robaire were next to each other, arm in arm, swaying with the waves and singing something vaguely sea-shantyish. Jesse had the slightest grimace on, and was staring up at the stars. 

Aaron T. followed his gaze, admiring how vibrant the stars were. 

And equally as bright was Taeyoung, standing in front of him with expectant eyes, as if the next words he said could change the course of his life. 

"Listen up world!" He called out, yelling much louder and with much more weight than his vocal teacher would approve of. "My name is Aaron T., I am the bass of 4*Town, and I am the luckiest guy on Earth! Watch out for us! We're here, and we're here forever!"

"Yes!" Taeyoung bounced, turning back out to the ocean. "No getting rid of us world! My name is Taeyoung, I beatbox for 4*Town, and I'm actually the luckiest guy in the world!"

"Excuse me?" Aaron Z. accused. "My name is Aaron Z.! I'm 4*Town's dance caption, and I am the luckiest guy on this planet! Don't let them fool you!"

"No!" Jesse yelled, "My name is Jesse, I'm the baritone of 4*Town, and I am one thousand percent the luckiest guy in the world!"

Robaire huffed, leaning back slightly as he called out across the sea. "My name is Robaire! I'm the leader of 4*Town, and those four are the best thing to ever happen to me! I don't care how lucky they think they are, because I am the luckiest person to ever exist!" 

"Damn Ro." Aaron T. smiled. "Way to show me up."

They broke into a fit of laughter.

This. This made every hard part of his life worth it. 

A particularly aggressive wave crashed into the shin-deep trio, splashing high enough to spray their shorts. Taeyoung shrieked, scrambling over to Jesse and Aaron T., Robaire and Aaron Z. following close behind.

"Slight problem!" Cain called out to them, gesturing for them to come back to the fire. 

And it was over. He dragged his feet over to the director. 

"The van is out of gas, which means that you're going to be riding in separate vehicles."

Oh. That wasn't too bad. Things like this happen all the time. 

"But because we're already tight on seats, two of you are gonna have to wait here while someone drives out to get enough gas for the van to make it to the gas station. It means you'll be getting back at least an hour later."

An idea flashed across Aaron T.'s mind so swiftly that he almost forgot to grab hold of it. 

"I'll stay." He decided, making sure to look enthusiastic. Aaron Z. started to protest, but he shut it down. "Don't start, you know I love the beach."

"I'll stay too," Robaire said.

"Cool, thanks for being such good sports." 

Jesse blinked. "Can't we all fit in the van?" 

"Not with the equipment."

"Ah."

"Get a head start on rest," Robaire spoke, but Aaron could tell unspoken words were exchanged. "We'll be back soon."

"Pick up something to eat on the way home," Aaron T. added. 

"Dons?"

"Sure, literally just anything."

Cain shook Robaire's hand. "It's been great working with you."

"You too, thank you so much for your work today."

"It was my pleasure."

The four of them vanished up the beach, leaving just Aaron T., Robaire, and…

"I took five." Kelly held out a set of polaroids. "Well, more than that, but these five turned out the best." 

Aaron thumbed through them, biting the inside of his cheek to stop himself from grinning too widely. "You're the best."

Robaire peered over his shoulder. "What are those?"

"I wanted something to remember today. Kelly, do you have a pen I could borrow?" 

"Yeah, of course." She dug one out of her pocket.

"Ro? Wanna pick one?"

"What?" 

"You're all getting a polaroid, take your pick." 

"Oh, uh..." He looked through the pile, stopping once he got to the last one. He pulled it out to inspect it closer. 

The five of them were almost silhouettes against the almost black sky, just barely lit by the last, cool light of the day. They were all facing the ocean, arms in various directions as they celebrated. 

"This one." He handed it back to Aaron. "If that’s okay?"

"One moment please!"

He took the cap of the pen off with his teeth and flipped the polaroid over. Carefully, he wrote.

No seaweed next time. Promise. 

"There! Now help me figure out which one to give everyone else."

***

When Aaron T. and Robaire got back to their apartment, the other three greeted them at the door, all wearing looks with varying degrees of seriousness.

"Whoa." He put his hands up. "What is this, an intervention?"

"Yes." Taeyoung crossed his arms. "Why did you offer to stay behind so fast?"

"It's not—"

"Please let them in, they're probably starving." Jesse interrupted.

"No need to be worried." He waved them aside once he caught sight of the bags of food on the coffee table. "Robaire can attest. I didn't lie once today."

"Actually—"

"Not about things that matter."

Taeyoung blinked slowly. "The kids?"

"That wasn't a lie, nobody asked me if I brought kids onto the set."

"You brought them on set?" Robaire stopped short.

"Shh, it's okay, they were good kids. Point is, there was no bluffing. Like I said, and Robaire can confirm, when I said that I was just happy to be with you guys, I meant it."

Taeyoung wasn't convinced. "Yeah. Totally, because when I'm happy to hang out with my friends, I'm the first one to volunteer to stay behind. It's not like you."

"He's right," Aaron Z. said, "It's not like you at all."

Robaire took a seat on the floor, picking through the bags of food. "Just show them T."

He groaned. "I wanted this to be more dramatic, but y'all are too caring for that." 

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the polaroids. 

The first one was similar to the one Robaire had picked, but a little calmer. The image was the tiniest bit brighter, illuminating their outlines with a soft, subtle glow. The water was almost still, and sparkled with the first stars of the night. 

The back read: Still want a tiny z, but only because the regular-sized one is so great.

"This," he said, placing the polaroid in Aaron Z.'s hand, "is for you."

The next one was taken a little bit earlier, Aaron T. was coaxing Jesse into the water. It was taken at a different angle than the other two. From where Kelly had taken this photo, the half-moon was visible. 

He caught sight of the back as he handed it to Jesse, fighting back a giggle as he made eye contact with his poorly drawn winking face. 

No man left behind ;-)

Taeyoung's polaroid came out of his pocket backside up. 

Still waiting for your revenge, seaweed knight.

The picture itself was also taken at a different angle, or Kelly had switched the lens to something more zoomed in, he wasn't sure. They were all smiling. The photo must've been taken right as Cain called out to them, at the moment after they heard their voice, but before they'd registered it was time to be done. 

"T..." Jesse ran his thumb slowly along the edge. "How did you—?"

"My dad told me that polaroids were the closest thing we have to time travel, since they're capturing the light from a specific moment in time, you know? And I was so happy today that I wanted to always have a way back, so I asked Kelly to take some pictures."

Taeyoung pounced, throwing himself onto Aaron T. and engulfing him in a tight embrace. "You're so sweet."

"I told you! I feel great. Really great."

"You've got me all misty-eyed," Taeyoung complained. 

"Your fault for making me cry earlier." 

It was only once they'd all retreated to their rooms that Aaron T. took his own polaroid out of his pocket. He sat at his desk, searching the drawer for something he could use to pin it up. 

Someone, probably Aaron Z., knocked.

"Come in."

Sure enough, the offending party slipped in, sitting on the edge of Aaron T.'s bed. He paid him no mind, and continued his search. He really needed to clean out his drawer, he didn't know where half the knick-knacks in there came from. 

"What're you looking for?" His voice was slow, his tired accent coming out in the gravel. 

"A thumbtack or something."

"Come sleep."

His hands landed on a tiny spoon. He held it up. "Ever need to eat some tiny soup?"

"No."

"Yeah, me neither."

Finally, he dug up a small box of pushpins. 

"Ha! Give me a sec, just putting this up."

"Sure, sure." Aaron Z. yawned.

He got on his knees, using one hand to balance on the desk as he reached for his corkboard. The board was the width of his desk, maybe even wider, and was filled to the brim with various significant photos and memory-stained pieces of paper. It was hideously chaotic, but every single space was meaningful to him. 

It took some adjusting, but he managed to make a spot for the polaroid. 

The photo was taken as he was running to join the boys. They were all facing him, each adorned with an expression of adoration, contentedness, or joy. Like Aaron Z's photo, the water almost looked still. 

He flipped it over, reading the message on the back one more time before pinning it up, switching the light off, and climbing into bed.  

The luckiest guy on earth.