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"A group retreat? What does that even mean?" Woono scoffed as they stepped into their dormitory, feet scuffing softly on the wooden floor. Steve rolled his eyes and slid off his shoes, opting to leave them farther from the door than before. He nudged Hyungseok and Kyungmun, a signal to sneak off to Steve and Kyungmun's shared room.
"I feel like I haven't heard anything but complaining since the meeting. It's so tiring," Kyungmun sighed, flopping onto his bed. "I get where they're coming from though. It makes no sense to have a group retreat at the end of summer. It won't even be warm."
"Yeah," Steve muttered, shrugging. He sat down on his own bed, Hyungseok following suit. "Maybe it's a team bonding trip?"
Kyungmun laughed, though it sounded more like he was doubtful. "Yeah, they'd definitely take us on a trip without squeezing some money out of it. It'll probably be some prerecorded special episode or something."
"I'd rather do that than go on a team bonding trip. We already spend too much time together in the dorm," Steve grumbled, pulling his legs to his chest. He nudged Hyungseok, who had been silent too long for Steve's liking.
"Oh," Hyungseok gasped, "I don't mind what we do. Any time spent with you guys is well spent."
Kyungmun and Steve almost squealed at Hyungseok's response, the cuteness absolutely dripping from him. Instead, Steve threw an arm around him and pulled him closer. Hyungseok let himself go limp in Steve's arms, the touch too familiar to ignore.
"You're adorable Hyungseok," Steve murmured, barely loud enough for Hyungseok to hear. Hyungseok felt a blush creeping up onto his neck and to his cheeks and couldn't help but to smile a little to himself.
Kyungmun blinked between the two of them and sighed, lying on his back and staring at the ceiling, admiring the small holes that could barely be found. He sat back up and stood up, his feet pointed towards the door.
"I'm going out to the kitchen. See you." Kyungmun waved a hand in the direction of Steve and Hyungseok when he opened the door and left, letting the door swing shut behind him.
Steve laid back on his own bed and let Hyungseok fall on top of him, moving a hand to run through his soft black hair. Hyungseok leaned into the touch, whining when Steve dragged his hand away. He felt Steve clamber down his body before his face was pressed to Hyungseok's chest, breathing in his scent. Hyungseok couldn't breathe, and hoped to whoever was listening that Steve couldn't hear his pounding heartbeat. Hyungseok pulled up whatever loose blanket he could reach and pulled it over them, feeling Steve melt into him. He felt safer here like this, Steve's body entrapping his own in an irresistible heat. That was definitely the only reason that Hyungseok wanted to stay like this for the rest of his life.
Hyungseok had no idea when he started to like Steve. All he knew is that in one moment, he was the funny, reliable older brother, and in the next, he was the cute, bashful man of his dreams.
One day he noticed he had been thinking about Steve more and in a different way than before, running through his mind constantly when they were apart. When they were together, he couldn't help but stay next to him, touching him, talking to him. He made him feel like he was in the safety of his own home. He made him feel like a kid again—like he hadn't already grown up and left himself behind.
He consulted Kyungmun first, not sure who else to talk to that knows Steve like Kyungmun did. Kyungmun laughed at first, but soon gave the worst advice Hyungseok could ever ask for.
"I don't know; just kiss him, I guess."
Hyungseok could never imagine anything of the sort. He couldn't risk his amazing and close friendship he'd built with Steve while being oblivious to his own feelings. He knew for a fact Steve didn't like him back. Sure, Steve called him cute and stuck by his side, but he'd done that to everyone by now. Steve was the center of attention, away from Hyungseok, who stood back and watched. He wasn't jealous, since he loved seeing Steve smile. He liked seeing his white teeth shine through his plump, pink lips, no matter who he was talking to.
All he wanted was to be the reason Steve let himself smile brightly. He wanted to see Steve smile at him like it was the only thing he saw.
With that in mind, he made his way off to camp with the rest of the group, his worries left behind in their dormitory.
The first night was filled with irritated groans and scoffs from the members as they were instructed around the small house they'd be staying in by the water. There were three bedrooms, one on the main floor and two on the second floor. They decided to sleep three per room, Hyungseok stuck with Steve and Kyungmun. He didn't mind being stuck with Kyungmun, but he didn't know if being with Steve was a blessing or a curse.
The three of them laid down on their respective beds, limbs aching from their tiring activities. He heard someone get up, and felt a body lay down next to him. Hyungseok flinched, his body jumping away. He felt a hand on his arm and turned to see Steve looking at him, worry laced in his stare.
"Are you okay?" he asked in a whisper, letting his hand trail up and down Hyungseok's arm in a way that was supposed to be calming, but only set Hyungseok's body on fire.
Hyungseok could only stare into Steve's eyes, his mind running with anything but an answer. He wasn't even sure he had an answer for that question. How was he supposed to tell one of his best friends that the feeling of his skin against his own made hot lava run through his veins? Would the crimson in his cheeks explain?
"Yeah," he said. Words didn't suit the way he felt, so he decided he'd wait to explain until he had words to explain with.
He knew Steve didn't believe him. He could see it in the darkness of his eyes. They were glassy and Hyungseok could see his reflection in them, finding hints in the way he looked at Steve. How could Steve miss them?
"Are you tired?" Steve's hand lept up to Hyungseok's shoulder and Hyungseok smacked it away, the speed of his own heartbeat scaring him. Steve frowned as his eyebrows furrowed and he sat up in Hyungseok's bed. Hyungseok regretted what he did for a moment before he watched Steve stand up and float back towards his own bed. At least now Hyungseok wouldn't have to worry about his heartbeat and breathing.
Kyungmun sat up suddenly, worry plastered across his features, too. Why had everyone suddenly been worried for Hyungseok? Kyungmun left the room, muttering something about needing a snack on his way out.
Hyungseok had previously appreciated Kyungmun's work to get him and Steve together, but at this moment, he couldn't be less irritated. An awkward aura drifted along the walls of the room since Steve had left Hyungseok's bed, a new kind of uncomfort unlocking itself inside Hyungseok.
He was going to leave, too, he swore. But he saw Steve's figure shifting around under his comforter and decided he'd stay a little longer. Who would pass up an opportunity to watch the person they like sleep?
It definitely wasn't creepy for Hyungseok to move closer to Steve to watch every jolt of his body and every movement of his feet under the sheets. He knew Steve could feel him watching; who wouldn't? But Hyungseok couldn't bring himself to care. He wanted nothing more than for Steve to start a normal conversation, like he usually did. He wanted Steve to stop depriving him of his voice.
"I can feel you staring at me. Can you stop? It makes it hard to rest," Steve grumbled, his voice almost muffled through his pillow.
Hyungseok bit his lip and turned over to stare at the wall, whispering an apology. He knew he should've been thinking that Steve could feel him staring. He knew he should've cared enough to stop staring. But he loved watching how Steve's body looked when he was restless, his limbs flailing as he failed to find comfort.
"Did something happen today? Why were you so on-edge earlier?" Steve called across the room, still refusing to turn over, depriving Hyungseok of the beautiful, shining darkness in his eyes.
"I don't know why I was so on-edge," Hyungseok answered, but he was really speaking to himself, the real answer to the question still tucked away inside his head. "I'm sorry."
Steve was silent, and it was absolutely deafening. It already felt like someone ripped Hyungseok's heart from his chest and stomped on it, disregarding the fragility. He shifted around again before Hyungseok heard the soft padding of his feet against the wooden floor, getting closer to Hyungseok's bed. He felt and mattress dip down with the weight of Steve and kept himself from flinching, instead turning over to look at Steve.
"Hi." Hyungseok smiled and reached a hand out to Steve who took it, using it to pull himself down onto the bed. That's when Hyungseok felt Steve's body heat against him again and the looming need to get as physically close to Steve as possible grew. He pulled Steve's forehead to his own, the intimate position only pouring gasoline on the already burning fire in Hyungseok. He felt Steve's breath on his chest and shivered, pulling Steve's arm over himself.
"Feeling better?" Steve traced the line of Hyungseok's spine with his fingers, his shirt hampering the touch of Steve's gentle fingers. Hyungseok nodded and Steve smiled, pulling his head away from Hyungseok's. He pressed his lips to Hyungseok's forehead, soft and forbearing. Hyungseok felt his face heat up again and shifted uncomfortably, pulling his face away and burying it in the crook of Steve's neck. Steve ran his fingers through Hyungseok's hair, the soft recently-washed strands falling through his fingers gingerly.
"I am now," Hyungseok giggled and picked at Steve's shirt. Steve pressed his legs closer to Hyungseok, then let them naturally fall together. It felt so fulfilling to be in Steve's arms, all of his worries forgotten.
"You're so cute," Steve whispered across the top of Hyungseok's head, his breath warm against his scalp.
The door opened once again and the pair sat up to see Kyungmun, his face rose-colored and littered with embarrassment. Everyone stared at each other, having no words to explain.
"Uh," Steve breathed, a short laugh washing itself through his voice shortly after. "Hey, Kyungmun."
"Hey." Kyungmun raised his hand in an awkward waving motion, the corner of his lip twitching uncomfortably, as if he was forcing himself to smile. He began to close the door but Steve pushed Hyungseok away and shook his head, sighing.
"It's fine, you can stay. I'm tired, anyways." Steve shrugged and stood up from Hyungseok's bed, throwing a wink behind him before returning to his own bed. Hyungseok curled in on himself in the space that Steve left empty and watched Kyungmun awkwardly trail back to his bed, situated in the middle.
Hyungseok saw Kyungmun mouth an apology towards him, but Hyungseok just smiled stupidly back. He kicked his feet subtly enough so only he and Kyungmun would notice and gave Kyungmun a thumbs-up. Kyungmun pursed his lips and saluted Hyungseok, and they both snickered quietly to each other.
"What are you two giggling about?" Steve asked, turning over to face the other two, who just waved their hands in dismissal. Hyungseok watched Steve's perfect skin wrinkle in annoyance, an expression Hyungseok had been afraid of, but had slowly begun to love. He loved that he could read Steve like an open book, flipping page after page, desperately trying to find the one page that he swore he saw the first time he read through. But had he only scanned it the first time? Why wasn't that page in the book?
Hyungseok felt as if he was drowning when he looked at Steve. His ears pounded with his heartbeat and his thoughts were muffled by the water of Steve's words pouring through every miniscule hole in his body. Every single inch of Hyungseok had a thick layer of Steve's words, his face constantly floating through Hyungseok's mind.
A few moments later, the lights were out and everyone was in their beds, covers pulled up to their chins. Hyungseok could hear Kyungmun fall asleep in seconds, knowing he wouldn't wake up until his siren of an alarm woke everyone in the building. Hyungseok was out a few minutes later, his breath drawing small puffs of relaxation as he finally rested.
He awoke, sitting up in his bed abruptly before falling onto his back. He grumbled and turned over to his nightstand and turned on his phone, taking a few seconds to smile at the picture of him and Steve, mimicking the bright smiles in the picture. He looked at the time—it hadn't been more than three hours since he'd been sleeping, why had he awoken so early?
He flipped back over and smiled at Kyungmun's sleeping form, his arm hanging over the side of the bed and his hair strewn in every direction possible. He looked over at Steve's bed to find it empty, covers thrown to the bottom of the bed. His pillow was on the floor and the door was hanging open.
Hyungseok got out of bed and rushed out of the room to the kitchen, finding it to be empty. He panicked, every single scenario running through his mind. Steve never got out of bed at this hour.
He looked at the sliding-glass door out to the water and saw the silhouette of a person at the dock. He watched the person stare out into the water, their fingers grabbing at the wood beneath them. They pushed themself forward, slowly, until they finally fell into the water, a large ripple racing across the water in their wake. Hyungseok opened the door and took to the end of the wooden dock, finding the owner of the silhouette to be Steve, his smile almost mocking Hyungseok's worry.
"Why're you out here?" Hyungseok hissed, his voice echoing in the silence of the night. Steve chuckled softly to himself, smiling up at Hyungseok, his eyes following the length of his body fondly.
"Late-night swim." Steve shrugged. "Care to join me?" Hyungseok wanted to slap the smirk right of Steve's stupid face. He knew Steve knew that he wouldn't be able to resist saying yes if he made that face. God, how Steve made him weak in the knees.
"No," he finally answered, proud of himself. Steve shrugged and trailed his fingers up Hyungseok's leg, tugging towards the water each time he stopped. Before Hyungseok could get a word out, Steve was pulling Hyungseok into the water by his thigh, making him lose his balance and fall on top of Steve.
He quickly scrambled for the surface and Steve, not exactly sure which one would benefit him more. He came face-to-face with Steve above the surface of the water, the moon shining brightly in Steve's dark eyes. Did he hold an entire galaxy behind those eyes?
He reckoned he stared into Steve's eyes for longer than normal, not able to shake away the shiver that wracked up his spine. He leaned in, almost unaware he was doing so, his lips only inches from Steve's. He could barely feel Steve's breath on his face, but he could still feel it, making Hyungseok lean closer, desperate for more.
He let his face fall forwards onto Steve's, their lips pressing together gently. Hyungseok felt a shock run through him, every single chemical in his body being unleashed at the feet of Steve's lips. He pulled back quickly, his face scarlet, scanning Steve's eyes for anything besides the moon.
Hyungseok could swear he saw a spark in Steve's eyes before he pulled Hyungseok back in, touching their lips together once again, opening something new inside Hyungseok. His hands grabbed at the wet shirt on Steve's back, feeling the shape of Steve from underneath the fabric. He gasped into Steve's mouth, feeling Steve's teeth nip at his lip softly. They pulled away, breathing heavily into each other's mouths, their noses touching.
Every thought in existence ran through Hyungseok's mind, eyes closed. But as soon as he opened his eyes and made eye contact with Steve, every worry he had washed away like sandcastles when the moon tries to kiss the Earth, the waves washing away the work of the kids that had been there only hours earlier. Their lips met each other again, never seeming to let go as they kissed, the stars watching proudly, seeming as if they shined a little brighter. Hyungseok's eyelids squeezed shut tightly as he felt Steve run his tongue along the inner side of Hyungseok's bottom lip when their lips met for the thousandth time. He let his jaw fall slack as Steve's tongue slipped into his mouth, only for a moment, before their lips parted again.
Hyungseok's mouth stayed open, partly from shock, but mostly the need to feel Steve on him again. He pulled Steve close and Steve pressed him to the harsh wood of the dock, kissing him again, wiping Hyungseok's brain from anything coherent he's ever been able to conjure up. Their lips left each other again, breathless, and pulled themselves up on the dock, bodies aching to feel each other once again. Once they knew they were on solid ground, they kissed again, Steve's hands finding purchase in the dips of Hyungseok's waist. Hyungseok let his composure go, melting into Steve, his body sore from holding itself up in the water.
They pulled away from each other for a final time, totally spent and exhausted. They stared into each other's eyes again, and Hyungseok could feel his heart melting with how Steve looked at him—the way he's always longed for him to.
"You look beautiful," Hyungseok said, Steve's skin shining in the still-bright moonlight. He didn't notice he let it slip, with Steve's face so close to his, and his lips battered from Steve's upon them.
Steve took Hyungseok's face into his hands, caressing his cheeks softly with his thumbs. He smiled a bright smile and kissed Hyungseok's nose, leaving his nose to chill in the wind.
"I like you, Hyungseok."
The words pierced through Hyungseok's heart, his blood seeping into his entire being. He looked into Steve's eyes, still finding the galaxy to be shining back at him.
"I like you, too," he whispered back.
Hyungseok then decided that Kyungmun wasn't so bad at giving advice.