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The dense foliage of the island forest cast eerie shadows as Trent navigated through the tangled vines and towering trees. Night had fallen quickly and the glow of the campfire was a distant memory. As he moved deeper into the forest, the distant sounds of the camp faded, leaving him alone in the darkness.
He was beginning to wonder if going into the forest in the middle of the night had been a good idea. Still, you couldn't blame him. The camp was getting more and more full of drama (irony of life) and he wanted─ no, he needed to disconnect, if only for a moment.
Trent's footsteps crunched over the fallen leaves, and he was about to turn around when he heard movement behind him. He pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes, trying to make as little noise as possible. Maybe then he could run or something.
No, going into the woods hadn't been his best idea by a long shot.
He turned around and, instead of seeing a bear or a gorilla, he saw Justin coming out of the shadows, clearly lost.
"Justin? What are you doing here?" asked Trent, curiosity etched on his face. He slowly regained the air he'd been holding in from the fright.
Justin blinked in surprise, as if waking from a daze. "Uh... Let's just say I got a little off track."
Trent sighed, running a hand through his hair. He looked at the model with a hint of sarcasm. "You think so?" he paused, looking around and hearing the hoot of an owl. There was less and less light, and it had been very smart of him to go without even a damn torch. Good thinking, Trent.
Without even realizing it, he intertwined his hand with Justin's. "Come on, let's get back before we get in trouble."
---
As they retraced Trent's steps, the musician couldn't help but cast a sidelong glance at Justin, who was strangely silent. Okay, he didn't usually talk a lot, but he was a little... odd. "Why did you come all this way?" His tone had sounded harsher than he meant it to, and he couldn't help but think he was being a little hypocritical. The model could ask him the same question.
But Justin shrugged indifferently. "I was bored and needed some fresh air. I didn't expect to end up in the middle of nowhere."
Trent raised an eyebrow. "Fresh air in the middle of the night, huh?"
Justin smiled, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, well, I thought I'd find some calm. It's good for the skin, you know."
Trent couldn't help but chuckle, "Well, you found something, that's for sure."
They continued through the forest, the faint moonlight filtering through the thick canopy. As they neared the camp, the glow of the campfire became visible through the trees.
The camp was completely empty and not a sound came from nowhere. What time was it already...?
"Thanks for the rescue, man," Justin said, turning his gaze to the fire.
Trent nodded, a small smile on his lips. "You're welcome, just try not to get lost again. We don't want the island to lose its hottest contestant."
Justin rolled his eyes, but his lips were beginning to curve into a smile. "Save the compliments, Trent. I'm almost tired of hearing the same thing all the time." He looked away hiding how much he had actually liked that comment. Of course he loved that attention, but it was an odd thing to let the guitarist know, wasn't it?
Trent laughed and they both sat in front of the fire, enjoying the silence for who knows how long. At some point, the musician spoke again.
"You know, Justin, maybe this isn't all bad. We could all use a break from these crazy and super disgusting challenges once in a while," Trent said, his voice softer than usual.
Justin raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips. "Getting sentimental, music boy?"
Trent hummed, crossing his arms. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. But maybe, just for tonight, we can put all this show aside. What do you say?"
Justin hesitated. "Fine, just for tonight. What do you have in mind?"
Trent shrugged, smiling. "Nothing. Do I need to?"
"I guess not." The model said in confusion, but he understood what Trent was referring to soon after, when, in front of the warmth of the fire, they talked about anything, and from one moment to the next, Justin fell asleep, resting his head on the guitarist's shoulder, causing his stomach to flip over.
In the position Trent was in, his back would have a hard time tomorrow, that was for sure. But he smiled, stroking Justin's hair, because it had been worth it.